Ichigo stared hard at the man and grit his teeth. This man…he gave the same feeling as the Hōgyoku. Ethereal, fleeting and totally beyond his comprehension.
Ichigo took a good look at him. The man appeared to be young, maybe a few years older than Ichigo himself, and was dressed sharply. A pinstriped black business suit with a black shirt and a scarlet tie that matched his hair perfectly.
The red-haired man cast a glance around the shop before his blue-green gaze fell on Ichigo. The moment he spied him, the red-haired man gave an unnerving smile and began to walk towards him. As he approached, Ichigo schooled his features and swept his bangs out of his eyes. As the man sat across from him, Ichigo eyed him coolly.
"Hello Ichigo Kurosaki," The stranger greeted with a smile.
Alarms bells rang off in Ichigo's head. The man knew who he was and, judging by the vibes he was giving off, knew what he used to be. Things were getting dangerous and Ichigo seriously hoped that his suspicions that Soul Society was keeping tabs on him proved to be true.
"Can I help you," Ichigo asked with a quirked eyebrow.
"Straight to business then?" The young man asked with a good natured smile. "Well, Ichigo Kurosaki, I regret to inform you that I'm here to collect a debt."
Ichigo stared blankly at the man for a moment as he thought he heard wrong. Then, he blinked in confusion when there was no attempt on the other man's attempt to repeat himself. 'He's…a debt collector?...Wait a minute…I don't even have a credit card!'
"A debt?" Ichigo repeated carefully.
"I'm afraid so." The red-haired man while still smiling.
"What kind of debt?" Ichigo asked.
He obtained a nonchalant reply of, "The big kind."
"Right," Ichigo drawled. "Mind telling me what precisely this debt is and how in the name of Hell I got it?"
Something he said must have set the man off as he gained a wicked crookedness to his smile. "Well, it happened a few years ago. You, and a group of friends, trespassed on my private property, saw fit to cause wanton destruction and then proceeded to lead my staff on a wild goose chase as you made your exit."
Ichigo blinked a few times. 'I did?'
"Out of curiosity," Ichigo began. "Just when did I supposedly do all this?"
"Roughly speaking, over three years ago," The man said never losing his smile.
Three years…
Back when he was still a substitute shinigami.
Tresspassing…? Property damage…? Staff on a wild goes chase…?
"…"
'Holy crap!'
Ichigo garnered a look of pure shock as he stared at the well-dressed stranger. "You-you're not the Soul King are you?"
The man actually looked taken aback for a moment right before he burst out in wild laughter.
"Wrong end of the spectrum, Kurosaki-san," He exclaimed as he wiped a tear away. "Though I suppose it's my fault for not properly introducing myself."
As the man continued to chuckle heartily, Ichigo's eyes narrowed in irritation.
"You know, this has gone on long enough," he growled. "Just who the Hell are you?"
The man's laughter receded and he fixed Ichigo with a look of utmost amusement.
"My name is Sirzechs Gremory," he said through a polite smile and Ichigo felt a chill crawl up his spine as the red-head's eyes flashed with a crimson malice. "Though, now-a-days, I go by Lucifer."
"…Oh shit."
"So you're the Devil?" Ichigo deadpanned.
"Yup," he responded cheerfully.
"And I owe you one?"
"Uh-huh." The smile never leaft his face.
Ichigo relaxed and threw an arm behind his chair.
"Don't take this the wrong way or anything," Ichigo said casually. "But you're pretty feminine looking for supposedly being the embodiment of evil."
Lucifer blushed, blushed!
"Yeah I get that a lot," he said while rubbing the back of his sheepishly. "I took after my mom more than my dad."
Ichigo looked at him in surprise. "You have parents?"
"Of course I do!" the amusement on his face was a little unnerving. "What? Did you think I popped out of the ground or something?"
"Huh," Ichigo tilted his head and brushed his hair from his eyes. "I always thought you were some sort of angel turned demon thing."
"Ah, common misconception," Lucifer said good-naturedly. "That would be my predecessor. After he died I took over the job."
Ichigo had been through a lot of strange things in his life. Very strange. Suffice it to say, this conversation was quickly making its way to the number one spot.
"The Devil…died?" Ichigo said incredulously.
"Yeah," Lucifer shrugged. "There was a war, a really big one, and he and his cohorts went down along with several other major players. Through a series of long and painful events, I ended up with a job."
Ichigo could only offer something as simple as, "…Oh."
As he processed the information, Lucifer snapped his fingers and a glass filled with a dark purple liquid appeared. He lifted the glass and took a light slip.
Ichigo always wondered if there was more than Soul Society out there but this-this!-was entirely beyond him.
The Devil.
The most feared and reviled figure across numerous cultures and religions, was calmly sipping away in front of him with a smile plastered on his face that was all too reminiscent of a certain eccentric candy shop owner.
"So," Ichigo stated carefully. "What precisely do you want from me?"
"Hmm," Lucifer tapped his chin. "Well, for starters, could you tell me why you felt the need to bust into my domain and cause so much trouble for me?"