Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

A stomping noise shattered the classroom as high heels clicked into the class, red bottoms reflecting off the potions classroom. Heads of the students snapped up as a lady in a grey professional suit came walking in, head held high.

Professor Crewel waved her off, “I’m teaching the puppies, Trein. Leave, you have your own-” "Do I look like that cat-loving widower?”Her sharp, professional tone contrasted against her softer-looking features, green eyes glaring at him. The cauldrons of the students stopped stirring as she talked. “Continue, puppies. I need to talk to a dear friend of mine.”

“Mrs. Melissande. To what do we owe the pleasure to?” Whispers circulated in the classroom, “Mrs? Is she married to a faculty member? But she seems too nice?” “Eh?! A friend of Professor Crewel?" "But she’s so…poorly dressed in that grey outfit? And young?”

Her sharp voice cut through it, “I came here for the papers. The one we experimented on.”

“Your faith in me is not misplaced, I assure you.” With a gloved hand, he elegantly handed the papers to her, “So, I suppose you are headed to…” “Yes, I am finally getting a divorce. He cannot rip these up, teleport them, set them on fire, or drown this paper.”

Her annoyed tone was shocking, her delicate features marred by the look of disgust on her face. “I thought the two of you were getting along.” “Well. One can marry a crow, and yet be bound to clean up the mess it has made.”

He frowned at the sound of chattering and cracked his pointer, “Students, get back to work! I taught you better than this, and yet at this rate, you will fail my exam!”

The class quickly stopped their chattering and looked down at their work, still listening in. “Dear Melissande, you don’t actually…” “I intend on it. Three hundred years of marriage, and yet this man still refuses this! He is preventing me from returning home!”

Yuu turned her head, tilting it. Why did that sound so familiar? The bell rang as students cleared out, but Yuu continued to stay, the lady’s black hair seeming so familiar. “Puppy, do you not have another class?”

“Ah. This must be Miss Yuu, from Earth. Do tell me what year it is…?” Yuu opened her mouth and stuttered out as Melissande got slightly closer, “Uh…20XX…ma’am.”

“Don’t you ma’am me! I am…I am older than most, I suppose, now. It is nice to meet a new person who is also from Earth.” Professor Crewel waved her off with a fashionably gloved hand of his, “Shoo, puppy. I am sure that Trien would not like you to be late.”

Yuu scampered off, hair whipping around as she realized she only had 2 minutes to get to her history class...and that Professor Trein does not appreciate lateness. "My apologies, professor, a friend of Professor Crewel spoke to me." "Tsk. Always delaying preparation, that modern man. No respect for etiquette. Sit down, Miss Yuu." 

Lucius meowed as Yuu settled in, ready for another day of life at Night Raven College, writing down notes on creamy sheets of paper. What did that lady mean by a new person...?

Name(s): Melissande Crowley, Yuu, Yuuka Kaori

Appearance: Black hair, pale skin, green eyes (after obtaining magic), a beauty mark on her left cheek, and a magic tattoo on her ring finger. 

Age: ????

Born: 1850, Japan, Earth, July 4th

Relationships: Crowley (Husband), Trein (friend), Crewel (friend), Lilia (friend)

Job: Ambassador of Abnormal Magic

Power: Black Lotus (The ability to cancel all magic (including Overblot))

Her wand:

Chapter Text

“Hmhm, you used to know…didn’t have to cut me out…” She hummed a careful note or two, a pleasant noise to the luxurious greenhouse. The sad notes seemed relaxing to the perfectly warm room, delicate blossoms in full bloom. The perpetual summer to some might have been annoying, hot, and unfortunate, but to Yuu, it seemed like Eden.

The relaxed shade of the greenhouse was pure bliss, as she was curled up against Leona. A similar necklace to his rested against her skin, one fang instead of many, as it rested against her skin, underneath the choker necklace with the colors of Savanahclaw. 

A familiar click of heels across the tile echoed in the greenhouse, heeled boots seeming out of place in a lush oasis. Instead of the all-grey ensemble she wore previously, a lush blue silk outfit was draped over her, the colors of Ignihyde on her skin.

“Hello…” Her voice was soft, a contrast to how it was before when Yuu overheard her speaking about her husband. Yuu bit her lip, “Hi?” “My name used to be Yuu, too. But before that, it was something else.” This woman…was like her? 

“Herbivore, you’re giving me a headache. Who’s this, and why does she smell like that lizard?” His grumpy voice rumbled against her back as he clutched her close to him.

“Ah, she’s Mrs. Melissande, who also came from the same place I did. She and Professor Crewel…are friends…?” Yuu looked at the green-eyed woman, who had a glimmer of amusement in her eye at the situation, “Yes. Divus, or I suppose Professor Crewel, is a good friend of mine. He designed my outfits for my job.”

“Enough about me, Miss Yuu. I have a couple of questions about you…and your time here.” “Eh? Okay. Anything is better than a task from Headmaster Crowley.” The mysterious lady’s face darkened at the mention of Crowley, but smoothed out as she started to ask her first question, “What’s your real name?” 

“Um…Imai Yuura.” “First in a while to have Yuu as part of their first name, it seems.” “What do you mean by that?”

“I was the first Yuu, child, as Yuuka Kaori. However, it seems you might be the last to be summoned here, considering that Yuu is in your first name instead of your last name.” Her quiet musings made her worried, cold shivers working their way up her arms. 

“Many previously summoned don’t usually go home; they work for me, for example, Yuuken Enma is my bodyguard, with Yuuka Hirasaka. Yuuta Mito serves as my chef, and Yuuna Oujou is my stylist, though it usually ends with me being dressed a bit more powerful than I need to look.”

She tilts her head, “But with how it looks, you are the last to arrive here, Yuura.”

“I see…” Her voice sounds disappointed, “Why did you change your name?” “Let’s just say…I fully emigrated, and my name stood out too much compared to everyone else. I also got married, which is why we met today.”

Leona stared at Melissande, bored, “You’re that one diplomat that doesn’t belong to any of the kingdoms.” “Correct. And that’s because I married a faculty member of this college.”

“Now, speaking of names, I understand Crowley has trouble with yours? He calls you, Yuu?”
“He’s a strange person, I suppose, yes. And he calls me Yuu.” The older woman let out a sharp tsk.

“And just when we thought we could leave him alone.” “Is…everything alright, Mrs. Melissande?” The older woman dragged her hand across her face and sighed, “You’ll know soon. I do so hope my divorce happens quickly. My soon-to-be ex-husband is dramatic, and I fear puts children in too much danger.”

"Who is your husband again...?" "You'll know." The heat from the greenhouse made Melissande fan herself and leave quickly, away in a swirl of pink, inky, shimmering darkness.

"Ugh, what a pain. Lay down again, 'cause I don't wanna deal with...that." Leona's tone made Yuura laugh at him as he tugged her into his chest, the two of them filling space perfectly.

Greenhouse Outfit:

Yuura

Chapter Text

“Whyyyyy are you leaving me……..” He clung to her legs pathetically in his office. Like he didn’t know why she was frustrated, angry, and plain pissed at him. This pathetic man-creature-person of a spouse was behaving like some spoiled brat, flopping on the ground like a worm.

Melissande groaned, trying to shake him off after placing the papers on his desk. After all she had been through with this man, seeing how he treated otherworlders who were not her was the breaking point.

He was so flighty, he didn’t even object to his students' Overblotting, which was worrying to her. They could have died, and this man has not done anything to prevent it?

“You should know why I’m leaving you. I’ve served you papers at least 84 times, and yet, you insist on remaining married, Dire.” The tone in her voice was deathly serious as she said his first name. Whatever had happened in the past didn’t matter to her; their love was shattered now, staring him down with a cold stare.

“I love that look of yours…?” He said in a strange voice to wheedle a laugh or two out of her, but he wouldn’t get that now. Not ever again would she fall for this miser.

Maybe that would have worked on her in the first century of their marriage, when she started her transformation into something like him. The fae fire flickered on their faces from the green glass lamps around them, warming the air.

“Nice try. The only person who even says that to me is Mr. Lilia, who jokes around.” Her stern voice had a layer of playfulness in it before she snapped back. “You need to sign the terms, or we take this to court, with 300 years of marriage.”

“We don’t have to divorce. Are we not happy living like this?” “You mean separated, like some estranged couple? Listen, Dire, can we even call ourselves a couple anymore? I changed everything for you, and you became headmaster and forgot to grow up.”

“I….” “Think over it. But I can’t do this anymore with you.” Melissande…no…Kaori sighed, their hand pushing their meticulous short hair.

Once, they had been happy. 300 years of bliss-ish, with an emphasis on ish. Although she remembers being young with Crowley, it was like he never grew up from their honeymoon stage.

He was constantly trying (and failing) to be affectionate, never giving her children, except from a different dimension, and was breaking his vows.

She supposes that’s why she traveled constantly, always looking for a gap out, a way out from this youthful marriage. In every area she traveled, she saw visions of little black haired children, but knew it would never happen. Deep down, she knew that this wouldn’t last nearly as long as it would.

“You put Yuura in danger. You put Enma, Mito, and more Yuus in danger than I can count on my natural toes. You have done nothing to prevent the danger that Night Raven College is supposed to be protecting its students from. So many of them overblot, and that’s not even considering how many are HOUSEWARDENS!”

She took a deep breath in before concluding, “So yes. I am divorcing you because you have failed to grow up and take responsibility, Dire. I don’t plan on remarrying you, or anyone else.” 

"Kaori...I still love you." He let out a wounded sound at that, his mask off, yellow meeting green. His sorrowful face was the first emotion from him she had seen in decades, she thought, but even with that remorse, she wouldn’t give up.

"But I cannot love you anymore, Dire, for all of your faults have caused danger to the people I swore to protect. I changed from human to something else to live as long as you, and now, I...we can't. This marriage has failed, for all we have done. Not even a marriage counselor can fix this." 

She let out a disappointed scoff at his words and went to the door, "I don't need this anymore." 

A shine of her ring fell to the ground. After she pulled it off her wand, the shine from their marriage was almost gone from the luster of the ring, banged up with scratches and marks. Slamming the door on him, she left him alone to his thoughts to think on what she had said.

He picked up the ring longingly, kissing the diamond on it, before setting it on the mahogany desk behind him. “Kaori…how did we get to this?” He whispered, his normally cheerful tone had dropped to a chirp of regret, as he poured himself a drink. He needed it to read this contract, but there’s no way he’d sign it…though if she cares this much for…who was it? Yuu? Yuura? He frowned and put his mask back on. This might be a good plan to get her back.