Rossweisse.

------------(Ichigo's-POV)------------

The day of the match came soon enough. I wanted to take Yasaka with me but she couldn't leave Kyoto for more than an hour or so daily. It had something to do with her connection with the leylines. I didn't really know about the timing or the place or where this was happening, so I called Azazel. He showed up via teleportation, gave me a letter, said he wouldn't be there and vanished. I wanted to follow him and give him a proper beating but I decided to look at the letter first. Since Yasaka couldn't come with me, she told me to take Rossweisse with me. My relationship with her had definitely improved. I wouldn't hesitate to call her a good friend though I still hadn't told her everything, especially the fact that I wasn't from this world. But I had this feeling that she knew more than she was letting on.

She was with me currently as I opened the letter.

"It's designed to teleport you to the designated place when it's time." She told me looking at the letter.

"Hmm. Magic sure is convenient." I hummed aloud.

She looked like she wanted to say something but shook her head and kept quiet.

"What's wrong?" I asked when she shook her head.

"I was thinking about when you want to do the summoning rituals." She asked me with barely hidden excitement.

"Do we even have all the... ingredients, I guess?" I asked her tilting my head.

"For a few of them." She nodded her head.

"Let's do it right now then." I said with a shrug. She didn't answer, so I looked at her and she was hiding her face.

"Rose?" During one of my training session with her and Kunou, she said that Rossweisse was too much of a mouthful and had me call her Rose. I didn't really mind so I did. She seemed to like it.

"Eh? Ah, yes, we have the materials required for some of the elemental spirits at least." She answered absentmindedly.

"You already said that. And I said that we can perform the rituals right now if you want." I told her and she quickly perked up.

"Let's do it." She said with a smile.

------------(Rossweisse-POV)------------

By the time I realised what I was doing to myself, it was too late. I couldn't back out now that I had come so far. My whole life, I only wanted to prove myself to my clan, to my parents. They didn't ask for it. I knew they still loved and supported me but I also knew that they had expected much more from me. So, I threw myself in my studies, both mundane and magical. I learned, I absorbed, I understood and then I moved on. I didn't give time to anything else. I skipped over years of education and finished my mundane education before other could even decide what they wanted.

Then I turned my full focus on magic. I learned, I absorbed, I understood and then I made it my own. I researched the intrinsic properties of magic and created my own magic circle. A circle that belonged solely to me. Something that allowed me to master elemental magic to the highest degree. I could use all the elements either successively or in tandem, create combinations with higher damage and so much more. I also learned sealing magic, barrier magic, teleportation, strengthening, hypnosis, black, white, anything I could learn and use, I did.

By the end, I was hailed as a prodigy. A genius of magic. Of course, I still couldn't use the magic my family was known for, but I succeeded, and excelled!, in other fields of magic. But, after all that, all I got was praise and some acknowledgement of being a genius. I didn't even know what I wanted to do in life. I just didn't want to feel like a failure. And that's what people started to focus on. My barely existing social life, my inability to find a hero and bring them to Valhalla and most importantly, my nonexistent love life. Most of them were just having fun, because long lives were very boring, but some of them were truly making fun of me.

Due to my barely existing social life, that only included a handful of seniors and my grandmother, I couldn't exactly go out and find myself a boyfriend. Well, I could... but I basically knew what every male here wanted and I didn't like it. There were of course a few good ones, but they were already taken with no chance of someone new to come in. In the end, I was 'promoted' to being Odin-sama's bodyguard, which was basically me being his maid, caretaker, gofer, nanny and everything above combined. If someone who could hurt Odin-sama appeared, the only thing I could possibly do would be to buy him some time, that's it.

It was just another day of being Odin-sama's personal maid when two guests showed up. One of them was easily recognisable as Azazel-sama and the other was a completely new person, though he was a very handsome one. He looked to be around my age and also quite serious. He was tall, broad, well built with sharp features. His golden eyes were slightly narrowed and his slightly long orange hair suited him very well for some reason. I couldn't imagine him with any other hair colour. He was introduced as Ichigo Kurosaki and was being looked after by Azazel-sama. He must be quite important for Azazel-sama to look after him personally.

Odin-sama and Azazel-sama left for their business, leaving me to take care of the young man. He wanted to look around Asgard and I agreed to take him around. He was much more approachable than I first thought but sadly, he already had a girlfriend, someone very amazing and beautiful. We were talking about something, when he said something about his invulnerability and suddenly, Thor-sama was standing in front of us. They agreed to have a fight and all I could do was look at the young man like he had lost his mind. Thor-sama was widely known as one of the top ten and could be considered around seventy to seventy five percent of Asgard's entire strength by his lonesome.

It didn't matter who he was and how important his background was, he wouldn't last even a minute against Thor-sama. Such thoughts didn't last very long as the pressure he released when they entered the arena was enough to quieten the entire arena and put a frown on Thor-sama's face. But what happened next was simply incredible. Someone unheard of was fighting equally, no, was overwhelming Thor with bare hands even when Thor was using Mjolnir. Soon that turned into shock as Thor started using the true form of Mjolnir and there was no sign of struggle on the opponent's face. Odin-sama wanted to stop them but Azazel-sama stopped him and made him evacuate the arena and let the fight continue.

That shock turned into dread as Thor-sama did something no one thought possible. He combined with Mjolnir and became a literal being of lightning and thunder. That dread turned into numbness as even in this completely new form, all Thor-sama could do was leave a few bruises on the opponent. Their fight turned into a brawl and soon into a mindless exchange of fists. They looked like they were having fun, with huge toothy smiles on their faces. I couldn't even make out what was happening other than the destruction they were leaving behind.

That day, I saw, for the first time in my short life, the difference between a new, up and coming prodigy and an already established monster. The question remained, who was this newcomer who could handle such a monster with only a few visible bruises. I got my answers soon.

------------(Break)------------

I was told that I was to follow the man named Ichigo Kurosaki and report his doings to Odin-sama. Apparently they weren't even going to hide the fact that I was going with him to spy on him. Of course, that would happen only if he let me go with him. Which, he surprisingly did, with a warning, but nonetheless, my future was decided. I couldn't exactly say no, but I was also told that Ichigo Kurosaki had an excellent affinity with spirits. That piqued my interest and combined with the order, I accepted it. The only surprising thing, besides him accepting, was that he asked for my opinion before accepting it. That alone told a lot about what kind of person he was. I was also told a bit about him. The fact that he was barely twenty years old, similar to me and the fact that he recently lost his entire family, including all his friends and acquaintances in a deliberate attack by a megalomaniac. The fact he was standing there looking pretty much completely sane, was another testament to his will and character.

The next few days were awkward. We both knew why I was following him and we didn't like it. After a job in Africa, we were sitting in a restaurant, surrounded by a barrier when he said he had enough and explained that this was going nowhere. He said to start over again, to properly introduce ourselves and get to know each other. I really couldn't come to dislike him, even knowing how much of a monster he was. He was too... ugh, what was the word. He was nice but not the nicest person I've met. He was a good person but he also had a slightly sadistic streak. He liked to fight, but wasn't a battle junky. H-he was strange alright!

But then we reached Kyoto and I saw him relax, and wow... the difference, it was so great and it made him even stranger! He only relaxed around Yasaka-sama and Kunou but still! His usually sharp eyes softened and his face relaxed and he looked so calm and it... it was weird comparing him to the one I first met. He was getting more and more strange... and mysterious. Who was he? Where has he been? Why suddenly show up? Why now? How did he lose his family? Who was strong enough to do it? Why would they do it? So many questions! Not a single concrete answer.

Now it was beyond me just wanting to see his ability with spirit magic as a researcher. No, not at all. Now the curiosity was personal. I wanted to know him. Who was he? How did he shape into the current him? How did he get so powerful at such a young age? What has he gone through to be so steadfast? That curiosity made me observe him, a lot. The result of that was expected. I found a lot more about him yes, but the curiosity had long since turned into attraction. The kind where I wanted him to do.... stuff with me. Where I wanted to do... stuff with him. It was embarrassing, but it was true. Yasaka-sama seemed to have expected such an outcome. When I asked her how, she had said.

"How do you think it went for me?" She had told me laughingly. Saying that it also started as curiosity for her and in the end, it led to a confession, of sorts. That led them to be where they were currently, exploring whether they could be something more.

I couldn't lie and say I wasn't interested at all, because I was. Especially after his recent change. He became far more laid-back, relaxed, calm and it affected those around him. When others saw him calm and collected, they couldn't help but settle down. He had this... presence to him that made you stop and think before doing anything stupid.

Knowing his strength, his character, his will and then looking at how he behaved with those he considered his friends and loved ones, it made me like him even more. Money? He had gathered a small fortune in just a short few months. Fame? That would come to him without him even trying. Power? He had it in spades! Knowing all that, he still didn't flaunt any of it. He knew and had accepted that everything he had came with a very heavy price and that made him more down to earth, not exactly humble but not arrogant either.

All of that and he still wasn't a lady's person. He looked at women like he was looking at a painting. Appreciate from afar and not get close, let alone touch. It was the way he looked at me. Like he was seeing a beautiful painting or a flower. I liked it, far more than I ever thought I would. It felt nice... at the start. Then I started hoping for more but he never did anything else. It made me like him even more and that was around the time Yasaka-sama decided to talk to me. Besides telling me how it went for her, she told me that I had to make the first move or he won't get it.

I already knew that, but I also knew that he might not like it. He wasn't all the keen on the harem thing. I knew that because I had asked him about it, vaguely, but still. I don't think I will ever find anyone else like him, so I didn't want to give up, but I also didn't want Ichigo to hate or rather dislike me. Yasaka-sama was willing to help me with that, though I was surprised she had agreed so easily. Her answer made a lot of sense and also because I liked the answer itself.

"Rose, I don't think either of us believe that we will be the last. Soon, there will be a lot more flocking around him. I, of course, would rather keep him for myself but that would be hard." She told me while shaking her head.

"I need help with that. I can't leave Kyoto for very long. I don't know what those bitches would do when I can't help him. Not much trouble for us, but certainly a lot for Ichigo. I have been keeping an eye on you for a few months now Rossweisse and I believe that you will be a great help in that." She said to me, having this teasing and smug grin on her face. Like she knew I wouldn't disagree. She was right, I couldn't. While it felt bad doing this behind Ichigo's back, I really didn't want him to land in some annoying trouble because some bint out there tried to seduce him. It was definitely because of that.

I could only thank Yasaka for giving me a chance. I understood clearly what she meant. Whenever Ichigo was in Kyoto, she wanted me to remain scarce. Outside of Kyoto, was when I could be with him. I liked that. Less conflict. Now, only one thing remained in that, the most important one, admittedly. Having Ichigo agree to all that.

------------(Ichigo's-POV)------------

We tried the rituals for wind, water and earth spirits and none of them answered. I did feel something similar to a probe before whatever it was retreated. According to Rose, that was a good thing. It meant that I did indeed have affinity for spirits. I was really curious about the kind of spirit that would come to me. I didn't really care about its powers or its appearance, just its companionship. Once a spirit form a bond with someone, it would stay with them until either of them died, mostly the contractor but very rarely, the spirit could die as well.

I just wanted someone or in this case, something like that. A companion. I didn't know if it was a good thought to have as I tried to summon a spirit, but it was my true thought and my true feelings. After doing all that, we sat quietly with each other. All that aside, Rossweisse had started to act slightly different around me. First was her saying that I call her Rose and then trying to be around me whenever she could. I think I already knew where this was going but I didn't want to jump to conclusions too early and make a fool of myself, so I kept quiet. I talked to Yasaka about it but she only said to wait and see. I don't know if it was my imagination, but it felt like she was a bit annoyed when she said that.

We hadn't gone any further than kissing yet and it felt like she wanted to take the next step. Again, I didn't want to jump to conclusions and make a fool of myself. This guessing and second thinking was starting to get annoying, especially Zangetsu harping about me being a pussy. I wanted to ask Rose about what was going on with her during this trip and after this trip, confront Yasaka about what she wanted. We would be transported to the underworld after a few more minutes and I would get to meet the Demon/Devil lords. It felt like it would be fun.

Right on time, a bright red magic circle materialised below me. It started to spin as Rose came and stood next to me and soon I felt that 'being squeezed through a straw' feeling. I came to a very luxurious room with a very beautiful silver haired woman in maid clothing standing a few feet away. She greeted us with a bow.

"Ichigo Kurosaki-sama and Rossweisse-sama, please allow me to welcome you to the Lucifer manor. My name is Grayfia Lucifuge and I act as the head maid here."

She was completely professional. If Azazel hadn't told me about this particular woman, I would really have believed that she was only the head maid, and not the wife of the Lucifer.

"I do feel welcomed." I said slightly amused as I looked around the lavishly decorated room. I wouldn't be surprised if this room was specifically made to welcome guests that came via teleportation. She stood up straight and said with a nod.

"First of all, let me thank you on my master's behalf for accepting his abruptly sent invitation. Please follow me to the guest room for some refreshments."

"We can leave that for later. I want to meet your master first and ask him why I was even invited." I said waving my hand.

"In that case, let me show you the way." She said motioning us to follow her. Well, I guess it's time to meet the Leaders of the devils, one of them at least.