When it was time for Az and Clara to separate themselves from her and go to their homes, the two kids were balking. Purely because they had been able to sense the pain and sorrow that lay buried deep in their friend/master's heart when she had spoken of her late mother. And because of that, the two were horribly reluctant to leave her alone. Even if she would still be with Opera.

"Ichi-ken will be okay?" Clara asked for what must have been the umpteenth time in the past ten minutes. Her green eyes were still water from crying, and she was dangerously close to starting up again despite Ichigo's reassurances.

"I'm fine, Clara. I promise." Ichigo said gently as she ruffled the smaller girl's hair affectionately as she bent down a bit and added. "Go home and give your parents a great big hug. And tell them about how exciting your day was."

Clara made a face like she was trying to think of something, but the wires simply weren't connected like they should be. Ichigo knew the look well and understood it's meaning. So, she smiled for the girl. Making sure that it was as genuine as she could manage at the moment given how frustrated she was becoming.

"Okay... I'll go." Clara finally said as she slowly released her hold on her but then quickly added. "But if you need a hug, you call me anytime day or night. Alright?"

"Of course." Ichigo said.

"Promise?" Clara asked.

"I promise."

"Okay, I'll go home now." The green haired girl said as she turned and started walking away only to pause by the tree line to look back at her. Ichigo raised her hand and waved at her to encourage her to go on. And got a curt nod from the girl before she turned and disappeared.

Ichigo sighed and then turned her attention to Az who was still holding onto her arm and refusing to let go.

"Az."

"I'm not leaving you like this." The boy said in a sullen tone.

"Your family will hate me if you keep disappearing on them," She said, sure that she wasn't terribly far off the mark. After all, what family liked it when their kid disappeared? And with a bad influence no less. "Especially without calling them to let them know that you're okay."

Az didn't let her go like she had hoped that he would. And instead pulled a cell phone out of his jacket pocket and started to dial a number while Ichigo visibly bristled at the boy and then grabbed the phone out of his hand.

"Hey!" He shouted, surprised by the fact that she would take his phone.

"You aren't getting this back until you promise to go home." Ichigo said as she waved the phone around a bit with her free hand.

"But master-"

"No but's Az, you'll be coming over to the house either tomorrow or Sunday for training. At least trust that I'll be okay until then, alright?"

Az looked like he had his doubted that she would actually be okay without him around. Which was adorable, really. But also very vexing to her since she wasn't a helpless person by any stretch of the imagination.

Reaching up, she laid her free hand against one of the boy's cheeks and said, "Listen to me, Az. I'm not helpless. I'll survive a day or so without you. Grandpa and Opera will be with me to make sure that I stay in one piece." Trying to get it through to him that she would be fine until the next time they saw one another as she tacked on, "If you want to hang out a while after training, then we'll do that so that you know that I'm really okay. Are you good with that?"

Az thought for a moment before slowly releasing his hold on her and saying, "Very well. I will do as you say, master."

"Thank you."

"Have a safe trip home." Az said as he bowed to her and then straightened up and started walking in the direction of his home. Leaving her with a sniffling Opera who refused to let her go too.

She sighed and turned her head to see the top of his head resting on one of her shoulders and reached up to pat him on the head a few times before asking, "Now what do I do about you?"

She felt something thrum through their bond, something akin to neediness? Which didn't feel as if it were a natural feeling from him, and that worried her. Greatly.

Sighing again, she semi turned herself in his grip and was rewarded by him jerking his head up and staring at her for a few seconds.

"What?" He asked quietly, sounding a bit defensive as he sniffled again.

"Why are you crying?"

"Because your mother is gone. And I can feel how much it hurts you to even speak of her in passing."

"And?" She prompted, knowing that there was more to why he was crying than he was saying. She'd have to be an idiot not to smell the alcohol on his breath. Especially from this close.

Opera looked at her again and grumbled something about falling into a bar and drinking it. Making Ichigo's lips twitch a little bit in amusement despite the fact that she wanted to be mad at him for drinking while at work. Yet instead, she simply used the arm that he had a hold of, to wrap around his waist and said, "Alright you lush, Let's go home so that you can sleep it off."

"But sir-" He started to argue when she cut him off.

"Will likely want you functioning like you usually do. Besides, I doubt that he'd begrudge you a small break. Especially if it's to sober you up a bit."

Opera's ears drooped and he looked like he wanted to start crying again. Uh-oh, Ichigo thought as she picked up her pace a little bit. And by the time everything was said and done, she wound up scooping the cat demon off of his feet and carrying him home. While he tightly clutched her hydrangea in his hands.

The second that they reached the house, Ichigo set Opera on his feet. And then took the flower from him and placed it on the small table a few feet from the door, just for the time being. Then she took his jacket, his weapons and once all of those were safely stored away in the hallway closet.

After that was done, she turned around and then gently ushered him into the living room where he chose a couch to stretch out on while she moved around the room grabbing pillows, and a throw blanket to cover him up with.

Opera watched her the entire time, idly wondering why she was taking such good care of him when he was supposed to take care of her. But once he had a nice fluffy pillow underneath his head, he stopped questioning things too much and just let her do whatever she wanted.

Honestly by this point he was so warm and cozy and comfortable that he simply couldn't help it.

Once Ichigo finished tending to him, she then sat down a few feet away at a coffee table and made herself comfortable while pulling a few of her schoolbooks out of her book bag. Since she had missed several hours of classes, it was a good idea for her to read and do what she could to catch up on what she had missed today.

And thanks to the notes that Az and Clara had both passing along information on what was studied during magic class, her task was made much easier. All she had to do was read a few chapters in a couple of the books, and she should at least be semi caught up.

It was while she was starting on her reading that Opera tried reaching out to play with her hair, and scowled when his Lilith was beyond his reach.

So, because he couldn't reach her or touch her like he wanted, he got up off of the couch and then hooked one of his hands underneath the chair and dragged it towards her until he was happy with the small amount of space between them. Then he laid back down and got comfortable all over again. Then he reached out for her again and made a happy little chirping sound when he was finally able to touch her.

Ichigo felt his hands on her hair and smiled faintly to herself as he started to play with her hair until he finally dozed off.

Once he was asleep, Ichigo spent the next hour or so alternating between checking on Opera and reading through her various textbooks from school in an effort to cover all of her bases. Then once she finally finished that, she put her books away and then stood up to stretch.

Her neck and back hurt a bit from the position that she had sat in. Not only that but her grandpa had yet to make an appearance. Which was starting to worry her.

Yet despite the fact that she was worried, she decided to sit tight and go about business as usual since her grandpa was probably just stuck at work or something.

Glancing towards one of the living room windows, she saw that the sun was lower in the sky and decided to go ahead and make something for dinner for herself and Opera since he'd likely be hungry once he woke up.

Making her way into the kitchen, she looked in the fridge and freezer both before finally finding some stuff that she could use. The meal prep took a bit of time since various things needed to be washed, cut up, diced etc. But once the food was finally done, it proved to be so very worth it.

Taking everything, she set it all on the small, wheeled cart that Opera used to move food dishes around on. And used it to take everything into the dining room where she put everything on the table and then went to wake Opera up only to find him standing in the hallway with his head tipped back, sniffing the air before then lowering his head so that he was looking at her.

"Lily, did you...make us both dinner?" He asked, sounding both curious and intrigued at the same time as he walked over to her.

"Well, yeah." Ichigo replied, looking a tad bit confused before asking him in a half joking tone. "Did you think I'd just let you starve?"

"No. Of course not." He said gently as he pulled a chair out for her and patiently waited for her to take it. She smiled at him and quietly thanked him as she sat down and allowed him to push her chair in for her before taking his own seat across from her as he asked. "What did you make? Everything smells wonderful."

"Well, I thought I'd make some herbed fried chicken, mashed potatoes, gravy, and some other small things." She said awkwardly. Her face a fetching shade of pink.

Opera's lips twitched at the sight of her as he took several minutes to pile his plate high with food. His mouth was watering from the scents of the food that his Lilith had cooked for them. And he was feeling overly eager to try them simply because she had taken the time to make them.

Once he had his food, Ichigo went ahead and got her own. Making sure to get herself a little bit of extra mashed potatoes since it was one of her favorite dishes when she ate chicken.

After that, she watched as Opera cut himself a piece of meat from the chicken and put it in his mouth and his eyes rolled back in his head in an expression of pure bliss as a moan slipped past his lips.

Ichigo couldn't help herself, she stared.

Especially when he swallowed what was in his mouth and said, "Jesus Almighty, this is delicious. Who do you need me to kill, Lilith?" Before he bothered to take another bite.

"I-I- What?" She squeaked in alarm.

"Calm down, my lady." Opera said gently as he took another bite of food. He took several minutes to watch her face while he chewed. Absently noting that she was trying to calm down. But was obviously still worried about why he had asked her such a question. "The question is meant to be a compliment. And is to be asked whenever a female that is being courted, cooks a meal for her significant other." He explained to her.

"Oh. Uh...okay. I was sort of worried that you meant it in a literal way."

"The question is meant to be used both rhetorically and literally, Lilith. Cooking for a male that is courting you is a sign of affection that is meant to be taken seriously. From the male's point of view, you are receiving a gift, however small. That is made up of a female's intentions. The more delicious the food, the more it shows the female's care and love for the male. So, when you cook for a male, and he asks you who he has to kill... It is meant to let you know that the male courting you has accepted your intentions and will literally kill someone just to eat your food again. It's meant to be one of the greatest compliments and displays of love and devotion that demons are capable of."

"Uh...does that mean that someone actually has to die?"

Opera laughed softly as he picked up the glass next to his plate and took a drink before finally answering her. "No. No one has to actually die. Not unless you have someone that you wish to get rid of."

"I do not." Ichigo said automatically.

Opera laughed again and polished off his plate and then helped himself to seconds. And once that was polished off, he sat back in his seat with a contented sigh. His stomach was full, and he was pleased by the fact that his wife had fed him something of her own making.

"Are you full?" Ichigo asked all of a sudden, causing him to look at her in amusement as he replied.

"A demon's greed is never truly sated, my Lily."

"Does that mean that you still have some room? Cause I made some dessert." His ears twitched with interest and his eyes fairly glowed as they locked on her face.

"Dessert? What is it?"

"Well, I didn't make anything big or fancy. But I did make some cookies. They're mint and lemon-flavored with a little bit of icing on them."

Opera took a moment to swallow the saliva gathering in his mouth at the prospect of eating some of his Lilith's home made cookies as he asked, "Where are they?"

"I left them in the kitchen to cool so that they would be easier to serve."

Opera looked in the direction of the kitchen and then looked back at her, his eyes practically pleading with her to excuse him.

"Go." She said with a small laugh as he shot out of his chair and all but ran to the kitchen to get the cookies.

He returned a short time later with his mouth full and a plate of six yellow and green cookies. "Opera, why are there only six cookies when I made three dozen of them?" She asked, already knowing that he was chewing the rest of them up in his mouth.

He set the plate down on the table next to her, and when she started to get up, he turned his back to her and growled warningly when it seemed like she was going to try and pry mis mouth open.

His actions were so entirely and unrepentantly feline right then that she couldn't even be mad about him eating all of the other cookies. Instead, she just sat back down and munched on the ones that he had kindly left for her while he finished eating the others and then sat back down at the table.

He was licking his lips and looking entirely too satisfied with himself as she muttered, "Thief." Causing him to flush with embarrassment at his own behavior.

"Ah, sorry. T-They were really tempting." He said as his ears drooped a little bit.

"I'm glad that you liked them so much. But you should have left some for me and grandpa to enjoy to, ya know."

"I'll...try to do that next time." He promised. Already knowing that his Lilith would become upset with him if he didn't at least try to remember that next time. It was just that he had been so very happy that he hadn't been able to help himself.

His Lilith's cooking was amazing!

He couldn't wait until Shichiro got to eat something made by her as well. He would bet that the gargoyle would be just as happy, excited, and so very thoroughly pleased.

Ah! That's right, he still hadn't spoken to his Lilith about Shichiro and what it meant for them.

"Why have you not asked me anything about Shichiro yet?" He found himself asking her. His question seemed to catch her off guard a bit, given the look of surprise on her face, but she otherwise didn't react.

"Do you want me to ask?"

"I do."

"Alright, what's going on with you and Shichiro?" She asked as she rested her elbow on the table and propped her cheek in her hand.

"I like him, and he likes me. And I have suggested that he become our third."

"Third? You mean like a love triangle?"

"Yes. I wish to enter into a polyamorous relationship with you and Shichiro both."

"And what does he think of this idea?" She asked curiously.

"He wishes to discuss the topic with you over dinner tomorrow."

"So, he basically wants a date?"

"Yes. If...you are okay with that. Though you need not force yourself if you aren't." Opera said in a worried tone, his ears flattening back against his head.

"You already know that I like Shichiro, so I'll go." Ichigo said as she slowly stood up from her chair and began to gather up the dishes.

Thankfully, there was food left over so her grandpa would at least have something to eat once he came home. Which was great. Ichigo just wished that Opera had saved him some of the cookies.

She was so lost in thought that she barely noticed when Opera got out of his chair and moved to stand behind her, his hands gently taking the dishes from her as she turned her head to ask him what he was doing when he kissed her.

His mouth slanted over her own as he wrapped an arm around her waist while his free hand tangled itself in her hair. He kissed her slowly, as if he couldn't get enough of her. And then just as suddenly as he started, he let her go and simply rested his forehead against her own for several moments before muttering.

"Thank you." And when he finally pulled away, he told her that he would do the dishes so that she could relax. Ichigo stood there for a second longer in a bit of a daze, but decided to go and get cleaned up so that she could do just that.

Ichigo was coming back downstairs after showering and putting on some PJ's when she saw Opera standing outside of the living room on a phone. She couldn't hear what he was saying, so she didn't know exactly who he was speaking with. But she could at least hazard a guess that it must be her grandpa.

The second that he realized that she was walking over to him, he said. "Ah, here she is." And then held the phone out to her. She took it and put it up to her ear and didn't even get the chance to say hello before she heard sniffling on the other end of the line.

Must everyone cry whenever I do or say something? She wondered before saying, "Hello grandpa. How's work?" From the sound of his sniffles, she was betting that he hadn't been able to get anything done.

"Ichigo! I'm so sorry about upsetting you this morning! I'm a bad grandpa."

"You are not a bad grandpa. And you didn't upset me this morning. I was feeling Opera's emotions and that upset me. I left abruptly because I didn't want to say or do anything to make you feel as if I hated you."

The other end of the line went totally quiet for a moment. And then she heard a hopeful, "Really? You don't hate me?"

"Yes, really. I don't hate you at all. I'm sorry that I worried you so much." She said as Opera waited patiently for her to finish talking to his master.

"I'm so happy that you aren't upset anymore! Now I actually feel motivated to do my work." He said with a whoop which was followed immediately after by a much less happy sounding groan, "Oh devi the work..." Which was then followed up by him suggesting, "Maybe I can set the entire building on fire and escape back home for cuddles?"

"Grandpa, don't do that. Do the work like you're supposed to."

"But- I could claim cockroaches-"

"No."

"Ichigo, be fair. Nobody likes cockroaches and it would get me out of work!"

"I miss you too, but no. Here's Opera." Ichigo said as she handed the phone back to Opera and then walked away before her grandpa could argue with her anymore.

She was only vaguely aware of Opera warning her grandpa to do his work or else before hanging up the phone.

After that, he found her sitting on the couch that he had occupied a few hours prior, relaxing and decided to join her. He sat down on the other side of the couch and reached over and grasped one of her hands in his own and tugged her so that she wound up laying partially against his side with one of his arms draped across her shoulders, while his hand played with her damp hair.

"Shichiro called while you were bathing." He said after a heartbeat or so of silence.

"Oh?"

"He has made dinner reservations for one of the nicest restaurants in town. However, he expressed the desire to have you meet him in town an hour or two earlier than that, for some light shopping."

"Shopping? What for?"

"A courtship gift. Shichiro will want to find one for you, however he will also allow you to pick it out for yourself so that you will be more likely to like it."

"I see. Should I also pick one out for him? I mean, I still haven't gotten you one yet. So, I don't want either of you to feel left out."

Opera smiled a little bit before asking, "Do you at least have an idea of what you want to get for my courting gift?"

"I do, but I'm not sure if it would measure up to the one that you got me. The dress was very nice. And I want to be able to match it somehow."

"Oh?" He asked, sounding intrigued. "Tell me your idea, and I will be able to help you figure out if it will work or not." He said as he combed his fingers through her hair as she tipped her head back a bit so that she was looking at him.

"I used to make things for my dad and sisters and friends as gifts. Usually it was something small, like a scarf, or even a toy. But I also used to make clothing from time to time. I mostly did it for my sisters when they were smaller. But I remember always putting so much time and effort into them that they really seemed to love what I made for them. I was thinking of maybe making you a new set of clothing. A suit, maybe. With some embroidery to make it look really eye catching and nice. I would also make you a tie or ribbon to wear with it, if you wanted. But I would want it to be in your favorite color or colors. Ya know?"

Opera stared at her, his mind already going a mile a minute with the endless possibilities of her making him something else with her own hands as he said slowly, "I would love that." While he hugged her tight against his side and said in an excited tone. "I would love for my courtship gift to be handmade! I would wear a suit of your making every day to show off your skill. All others would be so envious of your talent!"

"R-Really?" Ichigo squeaked feeling uncertain that he was being entirely honest with her.

"Yes, of course. I would be so proud!" Opera said as he kissed her forehead and nuzzled her hair affectionately. And Ichigo melted into him, appreciating the kisses and nuzzles on a level that she hadn't known even existed before as he went on to say, "My favorite colors are black, dark blue- like navy or sapphire, and red. I also like gold, but only as far as accent colors go. Does that help?"

"It's very helpful. Thank you."

"If you like, I can make a list of everything that you would need for the projects."

"That would also be helpful." Ichigo said as she burrowed her face into his vest.

"What sort of materials were you desiring to use?"

"Satin, silk, cotton, and velvet- if I can find any of them in the right colors."

"Velvet is very difficult to work with," He said, wondering what exactly she wanted the fabric for. Was it to make a vest, to line something maybe? "Are you sure that you want to use it?"

"Yes."

"Alright. What else will you need? A ton of thread in various colors. Red, gold, orange, blue- light and dark hues, purples, yellow, silver, black, white and greens."

He let out a whistle, damn that was a lot of colors for thread.

"You are planning to embroider the suit?" He asked her, wondering what sort of design she had in mind that would need that many colors.

"Yes."

"May I ask if you have something specific in mind?"

"Of course I do. Do you want me to draw it for you so that you can see it?"

Opera didn't need to vocalize his response since he was quick to release her and get up to fetch her a piece of paper and a pen so that she could draw out the design for him. Ten minutes later, he was holding the drawing with wide eyes while his tail flickered back and forth rapidly like a dog's.

"Do you like it?"

"I love it." He said quietly, meaning every word.

The drawing wasn't the best piece of art that he had ever seen, but the design was both intricate and at the same time not. And with it done in the right color with the right accents, it would be bold and elegant looking without being overly complicated.

Everyone would be so very jealous of how good he would look in it. He was absolutely certain of it. He smirked evilly, his fangs showing a little bit past his lips.

"We will go into town tomorrow at least two hours earlier than needed. I will help you find everything that you need to make our courtship gifts. Then once we have everything, you will go and meet Shichiro."

"That's nice and all, Opera but how am I supposed to pay for everything? My money is still in the vault that I left it in and hasn't been switched over to Netherworld currency so that I can use it just yet."

"I believe that Master Sullivan has made arrangements for you to be able to purchase things with your own money upon adopting you. However, since you had yet to appear all that interested in leaving to explore the nearby town, your card has been gathering dust."

"Oh. I didn't realize that grandpa had thought that far ahead." Ichigo said, sounding surprised.

"You are sir's only grandchild, my lady. Of course he would think ahead to such things. He wants you to be happy here. To immerse yourself in our culture and learn our traditions. To live as we do and protect yourself. He is not willing to risk your unhappiness over something as trivial as a bit of money."

"Not when he has more than he can spend in several lifetimes. But at the same time, he also wishes you to be responsible. So, your card has a set amount that is deposited into an account under your name every month. I believe that he decided to use some of your human monies to come up with the right amount. After all, you need certain things to keep yourself engaged and entertained, plus food, necessities, etc."

"Stop lecturing me and just tell me what I have to work with so I don't have to fret so much about what I can afford to get right now and what I should get later on." Ichigo said, getting the feeling that she should be worried about just how much her grandpa had arranged for her to have monthly.

"One moment, I will get the account papers for you." He said as he stood up again, taking the drawing of his future courting gift with him. He was already planning to frame it and hang it in his room somewhere.

He left the room and returned again several minutes later and handed the papers to her along with the card that his master had gotten for her. And then watched her face to see how pleased she was by how generous her grandfather had been with her allowance.

She made a funny little strained sound as she stared at the papers in her shaking hands and slowly counted the number of zero's that made up the first deposit. Repeatedly.

"Opera...w-why is there thirty-six zeros' here? Is it a misprint?" Ichigo asked in a small, trembling voice as she looked up at his face.

Opera merely smiled at her with amusement clear in his eyes and she did what anyone who just saw so many zeros would do. She fainted.