Koto found him in a bar far away from her home — as far as she had been so far — and she could practically smell the drama that surrounded him. Arata. He was famous, she could hear murmured excitedly amongst the girls she was waitressing, a popular fighter in the area. She had heard of him already, of course, because Koto never missed a single thing about fighters or fights. On top of that, she couldn't resist a fighter — especially not a popular one — and so she made it a point to get as close as possible, elbowing her way through the crowd that surrounded him with the best drink she had in tow.

"Hi there," she said, leaning to his ear to get the message over the dull roar around them while she set the glass down.

His eyes slid up her figure. "Hello," he purred, and she grinned, nudging him with her hip.

He took her with him, the two of them sharing a night of rough sex and a morning of discussion. She impressed him with her knowledge of well-known fighters and fights — some even his own.

"You mean you haven't met any other girls that know this stuff?"

He shrugged. "Not really — they might know a couple things, but it's the famous part that really factors in. A lot of them take off in the morning, or just get clingy. I appreciate the latter less."

"I'd agree," Koto laughed. She knew exactly what this was — a brief affair, a bit of fun and some conversation with a good fighter. But the more they talked, the more she found herself wanting to stick around a little longer.

But she didn't have to wish — they were preparing to part ways when he suddenly asked her, "Hey, you wanna come with me for a while? You could see one of my fights in person."

She blinked at him, slightly surprised. "Well, yeah!" It was an opportunity not just to see more fights, but to see more of the world, something that Koto was itching to experience.

The two of them traveled around for a while, Koto meeting new fighters and even occasionally setting up fights for him. It was great entertainment for demons aside from being a useful skill, and there was no lack of spectators every time a popular fighter struck it up with someone else. It was demon world's unofficial version of tournaments: traveling fighters, busting each other up for fun, gaining new fans wherever they went.

New girls for him came and went, but Koto stayed — not just as another fling herself, but what could possibly be considered a friend. They had an understanding, it seemed, not to take anything between them too seriously; it was a mutually beneficial relationship and nothing more.

It was through him that she ran into a group of demons advertising a fighting tournament in the human world, inviting demons of all kinds to come participate. Arata, of course, was one of those invited.

"They're hiring referee girls, too," one of them said to her with a wink. "I bet you'd get hired in a snap."

"Referee girls?"

"Yeah, sure. They announce the fights, keep track of stuff."

Announcing a fight … It sounded like her dream job.

"Wow, damn, where do I sign up?" she asked.

"So you're going to the human world, huh?"

"That's the plan," she replied, then grinned wickedly. "Why? You gonna miss me?"

Arata snorted. "Of course I'll miss my favorite fan."

"Why don't you just come fight in the tournament? It should be fun."

"Eh …" He shrugged. "I don't have much interest in the human world. I might come check it out sometime, though."

"You better. I'll need you to be my fan when I become a famous referee girl," she joked, laughing. "But, yeah. I'm leaving in a couple days."

"Good luck," he said, his tone a little more serious than she was used to.

"I'll be fine." She leaned over, pressing a little kiss against his cheek. "Nothing in the human world I couldn't handle, right?"