Opera had no idea what the hell had just happened. One second his Lilith had been perfectly fine and the next...she was unconscious. So, naturally he went into protection mode as he dropped to his knees beside the couch that she lay on and quickly checked her pulse to make sure that her vitals were okay.

Then once he determined that she was still alive, he wrapped his arms around her and hugged her against his chest and looked around the room warily.

His sharp eyes searching for any threat to his lady while his ears twitched this way and that, trying to see if he could hear something since he didn't see anything.

He had never seen someone lose consciousness so very quickly before without suffering from an attack of some kind. Whether it was a physical attack or a magical one. But he was alerted now to the possibility of someone having done something to his Lilith and oh...was he pissed.

So much so that he put the house on magical lockdown and took a moment to reach for his phone to call and inform his master that something had happened. Yet he paused once he had his phone in his hand and looked at his Lilith's face.

She had wanted her grandfather to remain at work and finish it so that he could return to them quickly. Which was understandable given how important his master's work was. However, this was an emergency. Not informing his master that something was wrong with his lady was inexcusable. Wasn't it?

He felt torn.

He had a duty to inform his master of any suspicious activity taking place while he was away.

However, he also wanted to take his lady's wishes into account. And she would be very cross with the both of them if he called his master without at least making absolutely certain that something was one hundred percent wrong.

So instead of calling his master, he called Shichiro since he already knew of his lady's hybrid status and a few other things. And he would likely be able to help him determine if magic had been used on her or not.

Shichiro had just finished eating dinner with Kalego and was sitting across from the hellhound talking about the incident that morning. And trying to explain how he got roped into helping Opera try to capture and contain the principal's granddaughter when his phone began to ring.

Both demons stopped talking abruptly and Shichiro fumbled for a second to pull his phone out and answer it. The second that he had answered the phone, Opera's agitated voice filled his ears in a panicked rush that had Shichiro going from calm to guarded and upset in zero point two seconds flat.

He listened to Opera explain what had happened to Ichigo and how he didn't know what was wrong with her. And the fact that he suspected that she may have been targeted by someone using another magic spell akin to something like what had happened during her reproductive cycle, and righteous fury burned through Shichiro.

He stood up and told Opera that he was on his way and to keep himself and Ichigo safe until he got there, and once that was done, he hung up his phone and then turned to Kalego and told him that he had to go.

After that, he made his way to his friend's balcony and unfurled his wings and then took to the air. After all, if someone had used a spell on Ichigo somehow then there was no time to lose.

It took him less than ten minutes to reach Lord Sullivan's home, and even less than that to get inside since Opera was waiting on him at the door.

"Where is she?" He asked once he was inside. Opera motioned for him to follow him and led him through the house to Ichigo's room. Or at least Shichiro could only assume that it was her room.

It smelled strongly of her scent and was decorated in a feminine fashion.

Ichigo was lying on the bed, and even he could tell as he approached that the girl was dead to the world. Her face was a bit paler than he had ever seen it, but at least her breathing was normal. He could tell because he had been counting the number of breaths that she took as he approached her.

Sitting down on the edge of the bead closest to her, he reached out and laid one of his hands against the girl's cheek and turned her head towards him while subconsciously sending his mana into her to see if he could find any traces of magic being used on her.

He was relieved when he found nothing.

"Opera, there's no magic spell being used on her." He said as he looked at the cat demon. Opera had climbed onto the bed across from him and was sitting close to Ichigo. He also looked very confused by Shichiro's announcement. "Can you tell me again what she was doing when she lost consciousness?" He asked, hoping that Opera would have some sort of clue about what had happened. Even if he wasn't aware of it.

"We were talking about courting gifts. She is planning to make ours-" Opera said, and then paused to gauge Shichiro's reaction. The gargoyle was startled to know that Ichigo was already planning out something as a gift for him despite the fact that he hadn't spoken with her yet. But he tried to push the warm and fuzzy feelings that he had from hearing of her plans, aside so that he could focus on listening to Opera. "The subject turned to money. She was worried that she wouldn't be able to get everything tomorrow while in town for your date. So, I got the account papers that Sir set up for her along with the card of money that he had put in her name so that she could get things when out shopping."

Shichiro was with him so far.

"So, I handed the papers to her so that she could see them. She started shaking, and asked me, 'Why are there so many zero's? Is there a misprint?' and then she lost consciousness."

"May I see the papers that you handed to her?" Shichiro asked, a sneaky suspicion about what had happened forming in his mind. But he wouldn't know for sure unless he saw the papers for himself.

Opera nodded and went to fetch the papers for him, leaving him alone with Ichigo. Shichrio took the short time that the cat demon was gone to look around Ichigo's room a bit more. Absently searching for anything that could pose a risk to her wellbeing without Opera or Lord Sullivan being aware.

So far, he found nothing out of the ordinary. Which was good.

However, he couldn't help but worry regardless since he wasn't exactly sure just how much Lord Sullivan or Opera even knew about humans. And he was betting that they knew even less about hybrids aside from some silly theories that existed about them.

And Ichigo being both a demon and human hybrid meant that she fell somewhere between when it came to what was safe for her.

"Don't worry, Ichigo. I'll figure things out." He said softly as he put his gloved hand on the girl's forehead and stroked the skin above one of her eyebrows with his thumb.

The second that Opera came back, he removed his hand from the girl's head and turned his attention to the cat demon as he walked up to him and held the papers out to him. After that it took less than a minute for Shichiro to realize exactly what had happened to Ichigo.

A sigh escaped his lips as he carefully re-folded the papers and then set them on the nearest bedside table. "I think I know what happened now." He said, watching Opera carefully. The cat demon gave him his total attention, allowing Shichiro to go on to say. "She fainted from shock."

Opera went totally still for about ten seconds, and then his tail flicked behind him a few times and once that happened the cat demon then moved a bit closer to Shichiro as he asked, uncertain. "Are you sure that is all that is wrong?"

"I'm sure. She'll wake up, if not tonight. Then tomorrow, and she'll be totally fine."

A soft groan caused both demons to turn towards the girl as her eyes started to flutter open. "What happened?" She asked once she was awake enough to notice that Shichiro was there.

She started to push herself up, but Opera's hands gently pressed her back down onto the bed by her shoulders. "You went into shock and lost consciousness." He explained. "I called Shichiro because I feared that you had somehow been attacked by a spell cast by a demon somewhere."

"Oh...Oh!" She said, her eyes going wide as her face turned an interesting red color. "I'm so sorry Opera, Shichiro! I didn't mean to just faint like that and worry either of you. But there was so many zeros. Too many. I'm going to have weird nightmares about the zeros now!" Ichigo babbled hysterically, looking more visibly stressed than either demon had ever seen before.

So much so that Shichiro and Opera both immediately tried to calm her down.

"Shhh, don't worry about that, my lady. You need to rest now." Opera said gently as he tucked her in. "You've had a long and exciting day."

"But- I feel fine now."

"Even so, you've had a long and tiring day. Now lay down and rest."

"But-" Ichigo started to argue again and Opera silenced her with a finger against her lips.

"You still wish to meet Shichiro for your date, don't you?"

"Of course I do! I wouldn't stand him up if I can help it." Ichigo blurted out, startling both demons.

Shichiro trilled in surprise and smiled behind his mask. "Good to know," He said, calmly as he helped Opera tuck her in. "I'm rather excited for our date myself. I'm planning to pull out all the stops. We'll do some light window shopping, then I'm going to take you to a nice restaurant. And after that, we're going to go on a walk through a local park and if you want, we can even sit down somewhere and just talk a spell. You could tell me a bit more about your home and family."

Ichigo hadn't been tired before, but for some odd reason she was getting tired now. And it wasn't because she was bored either.

It's stress. She thought to herself. Stress has a way of sucking all of the energy right out of someone. And her past few weeks had been more extremely stressful than anything that she'd ever suffered before. Then her grandpa had unwittingly added to her stress with his generosity.

Her eyes felt heavy. But she didn't want to go to sleep just yet.

"Shichrio..."

"Hn?"

"I'm really glad that I got to see you." She said as she reached out and grasped one of his hands in hers and pressed his palm against her cheek.

"I'm glad that I got to see you too, Ichigo." Shichiro said softly as he leaned over her and nuzzled his masked face into her hair while she made a drowsy sound of contentment and her eyes drifted closed.

Opera and Shichiro were silent for several minutes as they exchanged amused looks with one another. After that, it took a bit longer for Shichiro to manage to extract his hand from Ichigo's grasp. But once he finally did, Opera then made sure that there was a nice fluffy pillow to take its place, and then escorted him through the house to the door.

They made one quick stop by the kitchen where Opera grabbed some of the cookies from dinner earlier that he'd hidden in a jar so that they wouldn't be found and placed them in a plastic gift bag for Shichiro to take with him. Opera handed the cookies to Shichiro once they got to the door. And explained that Ichigo had made the cookies, herself and then gave him a kiss on the cheek goodnight and waved him out the door.

Tomorrow would be a hectic day and rest was required by everyone or it wouldn't go smoothly.

The next morning, Opera tip-toed into his Lilith's room around eight thirty or so. And gently shook her awake so that she could get dressed for the day while he let her know that the Asmodeus boy was waiting for her in the dining room.

After that, his Lilith got up, and dressed herself quickly while Opera stood over by the wall, waiting to see if he would be needed to help her with her hair or makeup for the day.

He wasn't needed, yet, which was just fine since he didn't like the idea of her prettying herself up just to see the Asmodeus kid anyway.

Once she was completely dressed in something that would be easy for her to move around in, she practically ran out of the room and down the hall like a woman possessed. Opera trotted along behind her and was able to ensure that she didn't trip or fall and injure herself in her haste.

Then once the both of them reached the dining room, Opera separated himself from her to go and grab the breakfast that he had prepared for her. Leaving her alone for a few minutes with her friend.

Though he did at least overhear the boy say worriedly, "Sir Opera told me that you had collapsed yesterday evening. Are you alright now?"

"I'm fine now, Az." Ichigo said as she waved his concern off. "I had a good night's sleep and I'm totally recharged."

The pink haired boy simply stared at her with a frown marring his face for several seconds longer before slowly smiling in relief. "I'm glad. But you really shouldn't overdo it today or you could collapse again."

"I'll be fine, Az. Try not to worry so much." She said as she sat down at the table as Opera came out of the kitchen with his cart of food and drinks in tow. And upon reaching the table, began to place her food and drink in front of her while Az sat in his own chair.

"Have you eaten anything yet today?" Ichigo asked, feeling awkward about eating in front of her friend without even asking him if he was hungry or not.

"No, I left rather early. So, I skipped breakfast."

"Opera, is it okay is Az has some of the food? I think you prepared a bit too much for one person and he needs to eat if he's going to train."

"Of course, my lady." Opera said as he went and got a new set of dishes and then returned and set them in front of the boy as he asked.

"Master, um...i-is it okay if I ask you some things about...your family?"

"Huh? What for?" Ichigo asked while Opera worked on dividing up the food between the two of them. Then once he finished, he stepped back.

"Well, you shared a very sad but wonderful memory with us yesterday and I find that I want to know more about you and how you grew up." Az said before hastily going on to reassure her. "I won't ask about your mother's passing or how it happened! Since it's painful for you to speak about. But I would like to know other things. For instance, you mentioned siblings. Sisters?"

Ichigo sighed but understood what Az was wanting and decided to go along with it. "That's right. Twin younger sisters. Karin, is the older twin. And Yuzu is the younger one."

"How old are they?" Az asked as he began to eat his food.

"Sixteen." Ichigo replied easily while she tucked into her own meal.

"And they live with your father?"

"That's right."

"I see." Az said thoughtfully before asking. "And what are they like?"

"Karin, is like me. She's a fighter and a little bit of a troublemaker. She likes sports. Like soccer, and baseball. Whereas Yuzu is very girly and feminine. She likes cooking and cleaning and crafting."

Az made a strange happy sound in the back of his throat.

"And the three of you grew up together? I mean, in the same home?" Az asked curiously.

"We did."

"Pardon me if I come across as impudent, master. But...why is it that you are the only one living with your grandfather?" Az's question took Ichigo by surprise. And her expression probably showed it as Az tried to explain the reason for his question. "It's just, if you grew up together- then why are your siblings not here with you now? Or your father for that matter. I would think that Lord Sullivan would jump at the chance to have all of his grandchildren present. Not to mention his son/son in law."

Ichigo was reeling a bit when Opera decided to reply to Az's query. "You are correct, sir would jump at the chance to have the rest of his kin present. However- as my lady will likely tell you. There are mysterious things at work presently. And because of that, my lady was the only one that could come and live with her grandfather at this time."

"Mysterious things?" Az asked, wondering if there was some sort of incident that had occurred that had caused his master's family to become separated.

Had his master gotten into some sort of trouble that had caused her to be sent away? For her own protection, maybe? Finally, he said, "I see. Never mind then. Will you tell me about your father now, please?"

"My dad is from nobility. Just like my mom was. However, he joined the military instead of taking over as the head of his family when he was still just a kid. I think he couldn't stand the idea of being pushed into a position of authority because the elders of the family intended to use him as a pawn..." Ichigo said, sounding unsure. "To be honest, he's never really mentioned his family much except for some cousins, and some nieces and nephews that he really cared for. Anyway, he stayed in the military for a while, and then after meeting my mom, he retired and got married. Now he works as a doctor."

"Ah." Az said as he pushed his empty plate aside and propped his chin in his hand. The gears in his head turning rapidly.

It was rare for demons to leave their families. Especially those of the nobility. But it did happen on occasion. So, he could understand a bit about her father leaving his clan behind to strike out on his own. Especially after what she had said about some within the family wishing to use her father as a pawn.

Joining the military while he had still been so very young had probably been a means of escaping those who would have used him for their own personal gain.

The fact that he had survived on his own for any length of time was simply a testament to his strength and adaptability.

"He sounds interesting."

"He is," Ichigo said with a grin. "He actually taught me a lot about fighting. And when he couldn't teach me anymore, he had some of his friends from back in the day teach me."

"Really?" Az asked looking both insanely happy and excited. "Can you tell me about them too?"

"Well, they're...colorful people. Kisuke, owns a candy shop that secretly works as a base of operations for weapon invention and development as well as a halfway house for soldiers to stay at when they need a safe place to do various jobs. Tessai, worked as Kisuke's subordinate, and is sort of a butler/enforcer/medic. He takes care of various things. Yoruichi, is a former noble like my dad."

"She worked as an assassin for a while alongside Kisuke while they were all in the military together. But they both had no choice but to leave after something happened. I don't know all of the details about the incident, and I probably shouldn't say any more about it to be honest." Ichigo said awkwardly as she began to move her empty dishes closer to Opera so that he wouldn't have to move too far just to collect them.

Az followed her example, and thanked Opera for the food. And even complimented him on his cooking skills.

However, because Opera didn't like Az much, he decided to be mean and mentioned that his Lilith's cooking surpassed his own by far. He then went into detail about the cookies and herbed chicken and the other things that she had made the evening before. He even blushed while saying that she had cooked it just for him.

Driving the final nail into Az's proverbial coffin.

Az coughed up some blood and collapsed to the floor, startling Ichigo badly if the string of obscenities that escaped her was any indication at all. While Opera didn't even flinch, and simply stood there looking smug.

Needless to say, after that Az didn't feel like staying for training after that since he decided to retire to his deathbed. Though he promised to call Ichigo before he kicked the bucket.

Once Az was gone, Opera cornered Ichigo against a wall.

"Are you alright, my lady?" He asked, curious about why she'd had such a strong reaction to the sight of the Asmodeus boy coughing up blood and collapsing. She can't possibly like the welp, can she? He wondered as he stared at her, hard as he searched their bond for any indication that he should worry.

"I-I'm fine," She stammered out nervously. "I'm just worried about Az."

"The boy will be fine. He's likely already called his family's Security Devil to pick him up."

"That isn't why I'm worried, Opera. He coughed up blood. Blood!"

"You are stressing again," Opera said as he brushed her bangs back from her face with his fingertips before pressing his brow against hers. "I know that you are worried but try to calm down. I do not want a repeat of last night's incident."

"I'm trying but every time that I think I'll be okay, something weird happens and someone coughs up blood at random!"

"It's not random," He said as he lifted his head to put a little bit of space between them. Though it wasn't much. "Those of the Asmodeus bloodline are very passionate natured. Sometimes they cough up blood from jealousy or envy." Opera explained with a careless shrug as he watched in fascination as his Lilith's face paled dangerously before adding. "In this case though, I believe it was envy because I got to eat a meal made by you. And he didn't."

"Wh- But- We aren't courting!"

"No, you aren't. But he has sworn himself to your service. So, it's...natural that he would be envious. His curiosity can be a terrible thing." He said, sounding just a tad bit smug to her ears.

Ichigo's jaw dropped open and she stared at him in shocked disbelief before she said accusingly. "You're bullying him."

Opera gave her a look so chilling that she actually felt afraid for a second as he asked, "And if I am? What will you do?"

"I want to know why you would do something so mean? And to a kid of all things?"

"It's fun." Opera said with a smirk that showed the smallest hint of fang.

"No, it's not. It's cruel! Opera, bullying of any kind is wrong! Especially when kids are involved. You could wind up doing irreparable harm to him!"

Opera managed to remain calm until she said that last bit and then he snapped at her. His fangs were bared and the venom in his tone made her frightened for Az. "He is a threat!"

She flinched back away from him, and Opera followed the movement, the pupils of his eyes becoming even more slitted than normal. "He is a threat, and I will not stand by and do just nothing." Opera said, his tone was calmer and gentler than it had just seconds ago.

But Ichigo wasn't fooled for a second.

She could detect the simmering rage hidden beneath those calm and gently spoken words.

Ichigo wanted to be pissed at him for feeling that way about her friend but decided that the only way to fix this was to try and understand where Opera's hostile feelings towards Az were coming from. Reaching out, she put one hand against his cheek and the other against his chest, right over his heart and made him look at her.

"Why do you think Az is a threat? Help me to understand where all of this hostility towards him is coming from."

Opera had a slightly guilty/angry look on his face that Ichigo found easy to read. He felt guilty because he had scared her. And angry because of the perceived threat that Az posed. It was also obvious that he was feeling annoyed with himself for losing control of his emotions even for a minute.

"He..." Opera started to say, but then stopped and seemed to be searching for the right words. Ichigo stayed quiet and let him. "Asmodeus is a special child. One who is far more equipped to stand beside you than I am. He is your equal- status-wise. Not only that but he gets to spend so much time with you. Time that I can't because of my work. I can't help but feel that he is trying to take you away from me. Even if it isn't on purpose just yet. It makes me so angry."

"You're jealous of him." Ichigo supplied helpfully. "That's why you see him as a threat."

"There's more to it than that, my Lily." Opera said gently, his hands coming up to capture her own in their grasp. "True, Asmodeus is simply a child now. But one day he will be an adult. An adult that can only think of you. What is to stop him from trying to take you from me then?"

"I didn't pick him, Opera. In fact, I've sort of decided to adopt him as extended family."

"Huh?" Opera said, sounding startled.

"Yeah, it's sort of something that I do when I meet people. I basically assign them a rank in my mind. There's family, extended family- which basically consist of positions like my kids, siblings, cousins, uncles, aunts, etc. And then there are my friends. Some are just like extended family, and some aren't. In this case, I've basically adopted Az and Clara as my kids. So, you see, there's no reason for you to be so upset."

"K-Kid? You've adopted him as y-your son?" Opera muttered looking as if his mind was literally blown by the mere thought.

"Yeah, basically." Ichigo said with a smile.

Opera did some inaudible muttering for a second and then collapsed to the floor in a full-on mental meltdown. Ichigo sighed, already able to tell that he needed to process the information that she'd just dropped on him like a bomb. And after grabbing him, she took him into the living room and let him make himself comfortable on the couch just like the had yesterday.