Zero No Tsukaima: Fatal Mistakes

by Tunkman

My first fanfic The love between Saito and Louise is tested when an accident occurs that does not allow them to speak to each other. Further more, Albion may have gotten some very powerful weapons from both Saito's world and Louise's world.

Zero no Tsukaima: Fatal Mistakes
by Logan Knott

1

Louise's eyes slowly opened. She had awoken from a most pleasant sleep. She turned her head to the right to see Saito's back to her. He was still asleep from the Ondine Knights practice. Louise gave him a scowl, and then rolled out of the bed. She walked over to the dresser and began to put on her school uniform. She felt strange putting on her uniform by herself, but she decided not to wake Saito. Louise knew his practices were lengthy and tiresome for him, and had learned to cope without her familiar. Still, she missed the way it used to be.
` As Louise started toward the door, she heard Saito mumble to himself. She turned around as Saito was sitting up and stretching his arms. With a glazed look on his face he looked over to Louise.
"Good morning, Louise. Where are you off to?"
Louise frowned at him.
"Have you already forgotten? Today is the dragon riding test!"
The look on Satio's face disappeared, and he quickly jumped out of bed. Stumbling, he grabbed his faithful sword, Derflinger, and smiled at Louise.
"Well then, what are we waiting for?"

Louise gave him a small grin, followed by a roll of the eyes. The two then stepped out of the room, and Saito shut the door behind them.

Louise and Saito were walking down the stairs when Saito noticed a look of nervousness on Louise's face.

"You'll do fine, I'm sure." He said
"I… I don't know if I am ready." She said with a stammer in her voice.

Saito stopped when they were at the bottom of the stairs. Louise noticed this, and before she walked into the hallway, she turned toward Saito with a puzzled look on her face.
"What, what's the matter?" She asked.
"Louise, come here." Saito replied.

Still confused, Louise decided to walk near Saito. When she stood directly in front of Saito, he wrapped his arms around her, giving her a passionate hug. Louise stood with a small look of shock on her face, but the look quickly disappeared, and she returned the gesture. They stood for a minute or two, with their arms locked around each other. Before they could release each other, Mr. Colbert appeared coming down the stairs. Quickly, Saito and Louise let go of each other, and they both stood embarrassed.

"You two look as if you were doing something wrong, but all I saw was you two hugging. There is nothing wrong with that." Mr. Colbert said slightly confused.

"Colbert-sensei, we were just…"

Mr. Colbert raised his hand before Louise could finish.

"It's okay. You two have done nothing wrong. But Ms. Valerie, you'll be late if you don't get a move on. The dragon riding test counts as a large grade"

Louise still stood blushing. She gave Mr. Colbert a nod, and he returned a smile to her. Mr. Colbert then continued out of the door into the hallway. When he was no longer in sight, Louise quickly turned to Saito with an evil look on her face.

"What was that! You know I have somewhere to be!"

"What? I was just comforting you! I was just trying to make my master happy! What is so wrong with that?"

"Ugh! You are such a selfish dog sometimes!" Louise shouted back at him. Saito did not want to hear Louise yell at him again.

"Well, if that is how you feel…" Saito then turned back up the stairs and began to walk up them.

"Where…. Where are you going? Get back here, dog!" Louise yelled at him.

"If I am a problem to you, then you can go take the test without me. I would only distract you." Saito shouted back in a sarcastic tone.

"But… but I…" Before Louise could finish, Saito had already disappeared up the stairwell. She heard the door to their room open, and then slam shut.

"Saito…" Louise stared at the ground with a look of sorrow. She turned out of the stairwell, and walked out of the door toward the courtyard.

2

Saito lie on the bed, starring at the ceiling. He thought to himself about what had just happened. More so, why did it happen?

"Partner, it wasn't your fault, she is just nervous."

Saito sat up surprised, but he recognized the voice. The handle of his sword stood popped out of the sheath.

"Oh, Derflinger. I know she is, but it seems whenever I try to comfort her, she pushes me away."

"Ms. Valerie is just stressed out. Maybe you should do something nice for her" Said Derflinger.

"Well, do you have any ideas?" Saito asked.

"Hmm… Ah! You could prepare a lunch for the two of you for when she comes back. That will ease the tension between you two."

Saito's eyes widened and he smiled.

"That's a great idea, Derflinger!" However, the smile disappeared from his face.

"But I cannot cook."

"Well, that is a problem. Maybe you could ask the maid to help you?" Derflinger replied.

"Siesta? I don't think she would be willing to help me get closer to Louise." Saito said.

"It is worth a try though. If Siesta really loves you, she will help you. She only wants to see you happy, right?" Derflinger said.

"Yeah, you're right. Very well then." With that, Saito stood up from the bed. However, before he left the room to go find Siesta, he walked toward the window. Looking down upon the courtyard, he was able to spot Louise's long, pink hair. It was noticeable from anywhere. She sat on the grass up against the wall with her head on her knees, behind all of the other students. Saito's heart began to ache. He knew that Louise was regretting driving him away like that. Saito was also regretting leaving her side. While Saito was observing Louise, he saw her lift her head up and look toward the window. Saito quickly jumped away from the window and he hit the floor. Lying in a daze, he heard the chamber door open. While on his back, he turned his head toward the door. Siesta, holding her laundry basket, starred back at Saito.

"Saito-san! Why are you on the floor? Did something happen?" Siesta dropped her basket and quickly ran over to Saito's side. She helped him sit up and get to his feet.

"Thank you Siesta, It was nothing, I just tripped." Siesta had a questioning look on her face, but she decided not to ask about it.

"Well if Saito is okay, I will just gather Ms. Valerie's laundry and leave."

"Wait, Siesta." Siesta turned toward Saito as she was about to leave the room.

"What is it, Saito?" Siesta asked.

"Siesta, I need your help with something. I… I want to prepare a lunch for Louise and me, but I don't exactly know how to cook. Could you cook for us?"

Siesta starred at Saito, but then a quick smile appeared on her face.

"Of course I can! Anything for Saito-san!" Siesta dropped the basket, and she quickly ran out of the room.

Saito was quick to chase after her. He followed her down to the kitchen. It was empty.

` "The cooks do not come in for another couple of hours to begin prepping for the school lunch. We have lots of time!"

Saito smiled at Siesta and then got an apron from the closet.

"Thank you very much, Siesta."

Siesta replied with a cute smile, and the two began to work.

3

"Up next, Ms. Valerie!" The teacher called out. Louise rose to her feat, and walked through the crowd of students. The crimson red dragon stood on all fours' and looked around. When Louise stood next to the dragon, the teacher helped her onto it.

"Now Ms. Valerie, the test is simple. You must maintain control of the dragon for thirty seconds. Once you have done so, I will blow the whistle, and the dragon will automatically respond to it, and land. Understood?"

"Yes sensei." Louise nodded.

"Good then. Ready?" The teacher blew the whistle, and the dragon kicked off of the ground. Louise gripped the reins tightly as the dragon flew about. Pulling on the reins, the dragon circled around the air. Somehow, the feeling of riding the dragon felt natural to Louise. As it moved through the air, Louise saw that the dragon was flying toward the tower that had her room in it. Louise guided the dragon around the tower, and she looked into the window of her room. Even though the dragon was moving at a quick speed, Louise was able to notice that Saito was not in the chamber. Saddened, she turned her head back facing forward. Louise heard a faint sound, coming from the courtyard, and the dragon turned and began flying toward it. Louise figured that that was the whistle, and she loosened her grip on the reins. A tear began to form in her eye.

Suddenly, an explosion erupted from the outside of the castle wall. Louise was startled by the explosion, but the dragon was even more startled. The dragon changed its course in fear, and Louise began to panic. Pulling on the reins yielded no response from the dragon, and with a great force, the dragon slammed into a wall. Louise was ejected from the back of the dragon, and she crashed through a window right above where the dragon hit. Louise hit sideways on the wall opposite from the window with a tremendous impact, and she immediately lost consciousness.

In the kitchen, Saito and Siesta were still hard at work.

"Watch that bread, Saito. Make sure it doesn't go flat."

"Yes Siesta!"

After a couple of minutes, Siesta removed the bread from the oven. She smelled the air above the golden brown bread.

"Ah… Delicious! Well, that is about everything!" Siesta said cheerfully.

As they began to place the various food items onto plates, Kirche thrust the kitchen door open.

"Saito, there you are!" Kirche yelled.

"Kirche, what is it?" Saito asked.

"It's Louise! She's been hurt!"

Saito's looked turned into an expression of worry. He threw his apron off, and Kirche and Saito quickly ran through the hallways and down the stairs to the school infirmary. Saito quickly came through the door, followed by Kirche. Saito quickly found the bed Louise was in. As soon as he saw Louise, his heart practically stopped. Louise had multiple cuts and bruises on her body, but probably the most noticeable mark was the large piece of glass stuck in her side. The bed sheets were soaked with blood. A mage was quickly sealing the cuts the best he could.

"L… Louise…" Saito's voice shuddered as tears began to roll down his face.

"Kirche, what happened?"

Kirche rubbed the tears out of her eyes.

"The dragon that Louise was riding suddenly went out of control and sent Louise through the window to Tabatha's quarters. The teachers are trying to figure out what happened, but they say an explosion from outside the castle wall caused this…"

"An… explosion?" Saito said, and then walked over to the bedside. He took Louise's hand and held it gently.

"Louise… I…" Saito's tears began to flow more rapidly.

"I wasn't there to protect you. I failed as your familiar."

As Saito held her hand, he felt Louise's hand gently grip his own. Saito looked up in surprise, but saw that Louise was still unconscious, and Louise's hand went limp. Saito could feel that Louise still had a pulse, however a very faint one. Saito placed Louise's hand back at her side, and turned toward the mage healing her.

"Is she going to be alright?" Saito asked with great concern.

"I cannot say. She took a very hard hit. We have tried many times to wake her, but to no prevail…"

Saito sat down in a chair next to the bed. He then gave a long stare to Louise. This is all my fault. Saito thought to himself.

Kirche stepped behind him and put her hand on his shoulder.

"Saito, don't beat yourself up over this. Louise wouldn't want that."

Saito looked up at Kirche. She gave a smile to him.

"Listen Saito, you stay here with Louise. I will go find Tabatha and we will go investigate what happened."

"Yes Kirche. Thank you." Saito turned back toward Louise. Kirche then walked away from Saito and left the infirmary.

Kirche ran up the stairs to Tabatha's room. She opened the door to see that Tabatha was still cleaning up the broken glass from the window.

"Oh, you are still busy with this?" Kirche asked. Tabatha gave her a little nod.

"Well, I told Saito that we would go see what the explosion was earlier, so take a break from that and come on." Tabatha looked at Kirche, and with a shrug of her shoulders, Tabatha picked up her staff, and the two left the room. Once outside, Tabatha whistled, and her faithful familiar, Sylpheed appeared over the school, and flew down to pick the two up. Once Tabatha and Kirche mounted the dragon, it leaped off of the ground and began to fly. The dragon flew over the castle wall and began to circle around the outside. As it flew about, Tabitha noticed a small crater right outside of the courtyard wall. Pointing her staff at the crater, Sylpheed flew down to the spot where the crater was. Once the dragon was on the ground, the two dismounted the dragon and began to investigate the area. Tabatha walked over to the crater and kneeled at the edge of it. Kirche examined the burnt area of the wall next to the crater.

"Hmm… this doesn't look like it was caused by a fire mage. The wall is shredded." Kirche said. Tabatha was feeling around inside the crater when her fingers slipped over an unnatural object. She picked it up and held it close to her eye.

"Tabatha, you found something? It looks like some sort of ring." Tabatha nodded in agreement. Kirche helped Tabatha out of the crater.

"Well, I can't find anything else. We should go back and see if Louise is doing any better." Tabatha nodded again, and the two began walking back toward Sylpheed.

4

Why? What did I do wrong? Why did it have to be this way? I shouldn't have yelled at him. I should have been more considerate. He has every right to be mad at me. I'm… I'm a terrible master.

Saito still sat at Louise's bedside holding her hand. He starred at her, hoping that Louise would open her eyes, mumble a little, or even move. He just wanted some sign that she was healing.

"Louise… you have to wake up Louise. I don't think I can live without you. Please Louise, wake up!"

Huh? That noise… it sounds familiar. Where is it coming from?

Saito laid his head down on the edge of the bed, still holding Louise's hand. A few moments later, Tabatha and Kirche walked into the room. They stood on the other side of Louise's bed and held a grave look on their faces.

"Saito, is she doing any better?" Kirche asked. Saito lifted his head off of the bed. He had not heard the two enter.

"Oh, Kirche. Tabatha. Unfortunately not."

Tabatha bowed her head in sorrow.

"I'm so sorry Saito. We did find something while investigating." Kirche held up the odd ring. Saito took it and looked closely at it. Suddenly, Saito's look of remorse turned into one of shock.

"This… This isn't a ring. It's a…pin… from a grenade. How the hell did this end up here!" Saito began to panic a little.

"What is a grenade?" Kirche asked in confusion.

"A grenade. It's an explosive device from my world, similar to the rocket l- I mean Staff of Destruction we found, only this one you throw."

Kirche's eyes widened as Tabatha looked up.

"From your world? Who could have gotten this "grenade" from your world?" Kirche asked.

Those sounds… are they… voices? Are they of people I know? Who are they?

"I don't know, but this worries me. If someone has found a way to get weapons from my world, then that could mean an unimaginable amount of destruction." Saito was about to continue, but a dead silence occurred as Louise's head slowly turned across the pillow.

"L… Louise!" Saito looked down at Louise expecting her eyes to open, but no other movement occurred. Saito closed his eyes and sat back in the chair.

"Look… Saito. We'll start a more expansive investigation over the next few days. Louise needs you here though, so leave it all to us." Kirche walked around the bed and bent over next to Saito to hug him. Saito returned the hug.

"Thank you guys. It means a lot to me… to us."

Tabatha looked to Saito and slipped a little smile.

"C'mon Tabatha. We've got work to do." Tabatha followed Kirche out of the room. Once they were gone, tears began to roll down Saito's face.

"I love you Louise. You can't die now."

Wait… I know that voice… Saito? Is that you? It is you, isn't it? Why can't I see you? Where are you Saito? Saito!

A few hours passed. Saito was just waking from a small nap when a familiar figure with neatly done long blonde hair walked into the room.

"Montmorency, what are you doing here?"

Montmorency walked to the bedside and checked Louise's pulse on her neck.

"The water mage helping Louise could not be here, so they asked me to fill in. Has she done anything?" Montmorency glanced at Saito.

"Well, a little while ago she moved her head but nothing else had happened."

"At least she is doing something. Saito, I've been studying Louise's case since it happened and I think I may have a way for you to bring her back or at least talk to her again. But it's a little risky."

Saito immediately stood up from the chair.

"If you really have a way form me to talk to her again, then I don't care about the risk. I just want to speak to Louise again."

He… he wants to speak to me? Saito…

Montmorency's face turned serious. She reached into her mantle and pulled out a small vile.

"It's called the Potion of Mind and Body. If you both drink it, both of your minds will connect, and you will be able to talk to each other. But you will lose consciousness in the process."

Saito glared at Montmorency.

"Is this… illegal?" Montmorency gave a slight nod to Saito.

"…which is why you can't tell anyone about this. Do you still want to do this?" Montmorency starred deeply at Saito. He sat silent for a few moments and then answered.

"Y—yes. I do. I… I need to talk to her again." Montmorency took a deep breath and let it out slowly.

Saito? He is going to speak to me?

"Okay then Saito. Get into bed with her." Saito climbed into the bed and lie next to Louise. Saito was worried by Louise's light breathing. Montmorency popped the small cork off of the vile and poured a few drops into Louise's mouth. Suddenly, Louise took a deep breath.

"Is she alright?" Saito lifted his head. Montmorency pushed him back down to the pillow.

"She's fine, now calm down. Now, the effect of this potion should only last a few hours, so make the best of it. Now, this is going to feel weird." Saito lie back down and closed his eyes. He suddenly felt the drip of an icy cool liquid hit his lips. When he swallowed, a sudden jolt went through his body. When he opened his eyes, he saw a vast field of flowers.

"Where… where am I? Louise, where are you?" Saito began to run through the field, frantically calling for Louise.

I hear him… he is really close.

"Louise!" As Saito ran through the field, he heard a very faint voice. It was one of crying and sorrow. As Saito ran over a hill in the field, he spotted a crying girl sitting on top of a small boulder. The girl had pink hair. Saito slowed down and stopped behind her.

"Louise? Is that you?"

Louise turned around.

"S…Saito? It is you!" Louise immediately leaped off of the rock and landed on Saito, tackling him to the ground.

"Louise! Are you okay? Do you feel anything?" Louise lifted her head from Saito's chest.

"I know what happened Saito. And I really wanted to tell you how sorry I am. It's all my fault that I…" Saito placed his finger over Louise's lips.

"It wasn't your fault Louise. The explosion was out of your control. It's my fault for not being there to save you. I… I love you Louise, and I promise that I will not leave your side ever again." Saito smiled at Louise.

Louise smiled back, and she leaned toward him, and the two shared an intimate kiss. Time seemed to stop around them in that moment, as they were the only ones in each other's connected minds.

"Louise, I wish I could stay here with you, like this forever. But, I am only with you through a potion which will wear out soon. I don't want to leave you Louise."

Louise frowned but then smiled back.

"Saito, you took a major risk coming to see me. And I will awake soon, and then we can spend all the time in the world together." Louise and Saito held each other tightly while lying on the field.

"Listen Louise, they are afraid… I am afraid that you won't wake up. Please Louise, when I am gone, you have to wake up." Louise began softly crying on Saito's chest. Saito gently kissed Louise on the forehead.

"Saito… I really want to wake up. I really want to be with you. I love you Saito, and I refuse to let this stupid accident separate us." Louise moved up and gently kissed Saito.

"Kirche and Tabatha went to see what happened. They found a part of an explosive device… from my world." Louise looked up at Saito with a confused look.

"A weapon from your world? Who could have gotten something like that?" Louise put her head back down.

"I don't know, but I am worried about what will happen if more of the weapons have been summoned." Saito looked at Louise, who was cuddling on Saito. They kissed again, and held each other tightly.

"Louise, I never want to let go of you."

"I don't ever want you to go Saito."

As Louise spoke these words, Saito began to feel dizzy. He looked around and saw that the field of flowers began to fade into grey and disappear.

"Louise, I think the potion is wearing off. I… I have to go now."

Louise stood up and helped up Saito.

"Saito… don't leave!" Saito gave Louise one last kiss as the ground below him was fading away.

"I'm going to wake you Louise. I will save you!" Louise couldn't fight this inevitability anymore. She finally let Saito go, and she took a step back from him.

"Goodbye Saito. I will see you soon." Louise's voice sounded far away to Saito.

"I will see you again soon too Louise."

5

"Saito, are you alright?" Saito's eyes slowly opened to see Montmorency standing over the bed.

"Montmorency, where… where am I? What happened to Louise?" Saito sat up slowly. He looked to his side and saw Louise still unconscious. Saito frowned, but then noticed that they were still holding hands, but this time Louise was gripping his hand back.

"Oh… that's right. I was able to see Louise again. I spoke to her, and we shared a wonderful time together." Montmorency smiled.

"Well, it's good to know the potion worked the way it was supposed to. How are you feeling?"

Saito rubbed his forehead a bit.

"Well I have a major headache, but I feel okay." Saito slowly crawled out of the bed. He had a difficult time letting go of Louise's hand. Montmorency helped him to his feet.

"Be careful Saito. You may be a little weak from the potion…" Saito half-smiled at Montmorency and sat down in the chair next to the bed.

"Thank you for this Montmorency. I am very glad I was able to see her again. I will not leave her side until she is better again." Saito stared at Louise.

"You really do love her don't you? You two share such a strong love for each other." Montmorency turned away from Saito.

"But I suppose that is only natural. You are her familiar, the Gandalfr. It is your duty to protect her, and you do it well." As she said that, Montmorency left the room, leaving Saito with Louise.

I know you will protect me Saito.

Back in the courtyard, Tabatha and Kirche were organizing a task force. Only a small group of students were present. The two recognized a couple of the faces.

"Ah, Guiche! You may come with us!" Guiche stepped out of the crowd toward the girls.

"How could I refuse to let my friends down? Of course I will go with you guys." Guiche bowed and then stood with Tabatha and Kirche. As Kirche and Tabatha continued to observe the crowd, they heard the sound of a galloping horse in the distance. Tabatha looked and saw a girl in a white mantle with blonde hair ride through the front gates of the castle wall on a snow white horse.

"Is that…?"Kirche stared at the horse coming closer to them.

"Agnes." Tabatha spoke softly. Captain Agnes drew closer to them, and halted the horse when she was near them.

"Captain Agnes, what are you doing here?" Kirche asked out of confusion.

"Her majesty has asked me to take a look at the area. She was informed of the recent events by Professor Osmond." Agnes dismounted the horse and looked over the students.

"So, is this your party? How pathetic. I will lead your group." Agnes stood in front of the group of students. Kirche stood in silence with a glare on her face. She knew that arguing with the captain of Queen Henrietta's gunpowder squadron would have consequences that she couldn't afford right now.

"What is the report of the investigation you already conducted?" Agnes turned toward them with a straight, serious look on her face. Kirche was a little intimidated by the captain, but she decided to remain calm.

"Not much to report, but we did find this." Kirche held out the grenade pin. Agnes snatched it from her hand and observed it.

"We showed it to Saito. He said it was from a weapon from his world." Agnes looked up from the pin.

"From his world? Where is Saito? I need to speak to him." Agnes pocketed the pin.
"He is in the school infirmary. He has been caring for Louise…"
"Caring for Louise?" Agnes had a confused look on her face.
"They didn't tell you? The explosion caused Louise to be gravely injured. She is in a critical condition." Agnes looked down to the ground with her eyes closed, but then quickly regained her military bearing.
"Well, let's go." The three started toward the entrance to the castle interior. Once inside, Kirche took point in the group, and they all proceeded through the halls to the infirmary. Agnes walked in first. The first thing she noticed was Saito asleep in his chair with his head on the edge of Louise's bed. They were holding hands, but Louise lie dormant. Agnes walked over to Saito's side and gave him a firm shake.
"Wha… What?" Saito lifted his head up in a daze. After a couple of seconds, he noticed Agnes next to him.
"Captain Agnes? What are you doing here?" Agnes took her hand of Saito's shoulder.
"Queen Henrietta has asked me to look around here. These two said you knew what this was." Agnes held out the grenade pin.
"Oh yeah, the grenade pin. Kirche and Tabatha found it in the crater outside of the wall." Saito rubbed his eyes. He was still half-asleep. Agnes glared a bit and turned to Kirche.
"It that ALL you found? Nothing else?" Kirche returned Agnes' look.
"Yes. There was nothing else to be found." She was getting irritated with the captain.
"Well, I want to go see the site for myself. You two wait outside the room for me." Agnes turned back to Saito. Kirche and Tabatha walked out of the room. As they exited, Kirche whispered under her breath; Does she think she can command us around like that?
When the door closed, Agnes looked over Louise.
"Saito, I am sorry that this happened to her." Agnes gently placed her hand on his shoulder in a comforting way.
"Just please find out who did this, so I may return the favor." Saito held a look of determination. Agnes slightly nodded, and then walked out of the room. When she left, Saito began to think to himself.
What do I do? Do I leave Louise to help Agnes? What would she want me to do?
Saito closed his eyes and pondered for a while. He had no idea what to do. Then, an idea struck him.
"What if I talk to Montmorency again? Maybe she has more of that potion? Or could she have another potion to bring her back altogether?" Saito stood up, and gently placed Louise's hand down.
"I'll be back soon, my love." He said softly and left the room. He walked to Montmorency's room and knocked on the door. After a second or two, the door opened by itself. Saito saw Montmorency lying on the bed with a book and her wand pointed at the door. She put the book down and looked at Saito.
"Saito, what do you need?" Saito entered the room.
"Montmorency, I was wondering if you might have another potion…" She raised an eyebrow.
"Is there a potion to awaken Louise?" Montmorency closed her eyes.
"There is. But it only works if the person is only lightly asleep. With the condition Louise is in, it would have no effect." Saito lowered his head in sadness.
"I see… what about more of the potion we already used?" Saito raised his head back up.
"We can't do that Saito. Too much of the potion could damage her mind, and I already gave you two the most that was safe." Montmorency sat up and got off of the bed.
"I'm sorry Saito, but there isn't anything more I can do for her. We just have to hope that-"Montmorency was suddenly cut off by the sound of an explosion quickly echoing through the hall.
"What the hell was that?" Saito turned around and ran out the door. Montmorency was quick to follow. The two made their way down the stairs into a cloud of smoke outside of the infirmary. Saito ran through the smoke into the room. Fire ran ablaze throughout. Saito made it to Louise's bedside, only to discover a gaping hole to the outside and that Louise was nowhere to be found.
"Louise!" Saito ran to the hole in the wall. Outside, he spotted a figure flying away on some sort of creature. The person slightly turned toward the castle. Saito immediately knew who it was. He knew the mark on her forehead anywhere. It was Sheffield, and she had Louise. Sheffield gave a smirk, and disappeared behind the treetops.
"Damn it!" Saito punched the wall and ran out of the room. He quickly passed Montmorency, and ran up to Louise's room to get Derflinger.
"Huh? What's going on partner?" Derflinger said as Saito slung the sword on his back.
"Sheffield took Louise! We need to save her!" Saito shouted as he ran down the stairs and outside the castle door. Once outside, he saw Agnes, Kirche, and Tabatha on horses.
"Saito! We saw Sheffield! Come on!" Agnes shouted to Saito. He ran toward her and leaped onto the back of her horse. As soon as he was on, the four took off down the path outside of the castle entrance. It wasn't long before they entered the forest.
"She couldn't have gotten far." Saito said as he glanced back and forth, hoping to spot Sheffield and Louise.
"Wait! Everyone stop!" Agnes yelled and all the horses came to a halt. Everyone dismounted, and Agnes ran forward and hid behind a tree. The other three followed her. Up ahead of the group was a group of Albion soldiers by a horse drawn carriage. But there was something wrong. They were not holding swords.
"Are you kidding me?" Saito whispered. He saw that the soldiers were holding assault rifles. Saito starred amazed. Agnes looked back at him.
"What are those things?" Saito regained his senses.
"Those are weapons from my world. They are similar to the rifles your team uses, only these fire many bullets at an extremely quick fire rate. We can't take them on." Agnes nodded in agreement, and turned back toward the soldiers. Sheffield appeared in the group with Louise over her shoulder. She put the unconscious Louise in the back of the carriage, and then turned to one of the soldiers.
"We're going to the castle dungeon." The soldier gave a solute, and Sheffield and the other soldiers climbed into the carriage. It took off down the road, and was soon out of sight.
Saito looked to Agnes.
"Did you hear that? They are taking her to the dungeon, probably the king's castle." Agnes stood up.
"We need to find out more about how they got these… assault rifles, was it, before we do anything else."

"Yeah, I am afraid that they might have similar weapons." Everyone got back on their horses, and started back toward the castle.

6
It was now night time. One of the soldiers carried Louise into the room and placed her down on a table. Sheffield followed, and dismissed the soldier. When the soldier was gone, Sheffield reached into her robe and pulled out her mind-altering bell. She began to ring it.
"Wake up, Louise." Louise's eyes slowly opened. Her vision was blurry, but she heard the bell. She found that she could not move.

"Where… where am I?" Sheffield continued to ring the bell.
"It doesn't matter, void user. I finally have you, and we will not soon let you go." Louise looked over.
"Sh… Sheffield?" As Louise spoke, her eyes grew dark, and her facial expression became blank.
"Now Louise, you are ours. And we have something for you to do for us." Sheffield let out a little evil laugh. Louise sat up and got off the table. She stood against her will.
What has happened to me? I cannot control myself! Louise's thoughts made no difference. She could not regain control of herself.
"We are going back to the academy Louise, to pay your friends a little visit."
"Yes." Louise said in a mono-tone voice.
What? I didn't say that!
"We will send you and some of our soldiers for an attack against the academy. You will not fail, Mrs. Valerie."
"Yes." Louise responded, and followed Sheffield out of the room.
Saito… help me… Saito…
Saito sat on the stairs outside of the entrance to the inside of the castle, with his head on his knees. He was depressed that he could not do anything to save Louise. He was also scared for the first time. Saito wanted to know how the enemies had so many of the weapons from his world, from Earth. Saito heard footsteps approaching from behind. He lifted his head and looked behind himself. Agnes stood with her arms crossed.
"I understand that you deeply worried about Louise. But you know Sheffield won't kill her. She is too important. But you realize that there may be a bigger risk at hand." Saito recollected his thoughts and stood up.
"Yeah, if they have both Louise and Earth weapons, then they are practically invincible."
"We need to find out where these weapons are coming from. If they are all armed with these weapons, then they must have created a stable portal from this world to yours."
"Right…" As Saito was about to go inside, he heard the sound of wings flapping in the distance. It was Sylpheed with Tabatha and Kirche mounted on it. The dragon landed in the courtyard, and Saito and Agnes quickly ran over to them. Kirche jumped off of the dragon, while Tabatha took her time dismounting. Saito noticed a crate next to Sylpheed.
"Saito, Agnes! We were over the forest looking for things, and we got attacked by Albion troops!" Kirche was out of breath.
"What! What happened?" Saito was worried.
"We were able to drive them off, but…" Saito didn't understand, but when he looked at Tabatha, he noticed that she was holding her shoulder. She moved her hand, and revealed a bullet hole about the size of a quarter. Agnes immediately rushed to her side and observed the hit.
"But Saito, we were able to get ahold of this." Kirche walked to the crate, and opened it. There were multiple earth weapons inside of it. Assault rifles, sub machine guns, handguns, and sniper rifles littered the inside of the crate.
"Kirche… where did you get these?" Saito was in a slight shock.
"The soldiers that attacked us were transporting these, and this crate fell out of their wagon when they were escaping, so we had Sylpheed carry it here. Suddenly, a devilish smile appeared on Saito's face. Agnes looked at him, and realized what he was thinking.
"Saito, do you really want to-"Saito cut Agnes off.

"I promised Louise that I would protect her. I have failed twice in this, and I will not allow Sheffield to use her. I will save her." Agnes used a small knife to remove the bullet in Tabatha's shoulder.
"Well I am going with you then. Kirche, Tabatha, you stay here." Kirche wasn't about to argue.
"Sounds good. You two can use these weapons better then we could anyways." Agnes shrugged.
"Okay then. Saito, we should go now, while it is still dark. It will be easier to sneak into the kingdom. Saito nodded, and Kirche helped Tabatha inside the castle. Saito and Agnes began to inspect the weapons, and Saito took an assault rifle and a handgun while Agnes took a sniper rifle and a handgun. She took the sniper rifle because it felt most like the rifles her team already used. She looked through the scope and was amazed at how far she could see with it.
"Here, let me see that." Saito asked for the sniper rifle. Agnes threw it to him. Saito's rune lit up, and he immediately knew everything about the rifle.

"It's a bolt action rifle. You see, you pull this back after every shot." Agnes observed like a child learning something new. Saito reached into the crate and pulled out a few ammo cartridges.
"Unlike your muskets, these rifles can fire more than one shot. This is how you reload it." Saito unloaded the cartridge inside the rifle and slapped in a new one. With a smile, Saito returned the rifle to Agnes. She starred at the rifle curiously.
"So, I guess our world's weapons are pretty obsolete." Agnes frowned a little. Saito raised an eyebrow.
"That's not really true. We don't have magic like this world." As Saito said that, he thought about his world. He realized that the expansive technology from Earth was its own kind of magic and that a mage would not last long in a war on Earth.
"Well, never mind that. We need to get moving." Agnes started toward the front of the school where two horses were. Saito followed, and the two mounted up and started down the path back into the forest. They rode side by side.

"It's going to be a couple of hours before we reach Albion." Agnes shouted to Saito over the gallop of the horses.
"So we are going to go to the dungeon, yes?" Saito yelled back.
"Yeah, but we are going to have to be stealthy." Saito nodded back and looked forward down the path.

7

The two rode on through the night. They crossed through the forest and over the mountains. Once they were through the mountain range, the city of Albion was in view.
"We made it. Now we just have to find a point of entry." Saito said as Agnes wiped the sweat off of her forehead.
"Let's go through the trade route in the back of the city. It's not as crowded as the front entrance." Saito nodded in agreement, and there horses trotted around the trees and eventually they were at the dirt road that led into the city wall. Once they were there, they dismounted there horses. Agnes smacked the horses on the legs, and they took off in the direction where they came from. The two then put on hooded cloaks that Saito had brought in small bag, and they walked toward the gate. As there were a lot of shady looking people at the trade route, Saito and Agnes blended in perfectly, and were able to slip through the crowd without any suspicion. They walked through the town for a while and finally they were at the king's castle.
"Alright, now how do we get inside?" Saito quietly asked, and Agnes looked around. As she was looking, Derflinger popped out of his sheath inside of Saito's cloak.
"Move this cloak, partner." Saito pulled the hood down, and Derflinger rose out slightly.
"Look to the right, partner. There is a river that flows under the castle. You can enter through there." Saito looked over, and spotted a stone trench with water flowing through it.
"How did you know that, Derflinger?" Saito was puzzled.
"You haven't been my only master, Saito." Saito didn't argue, and he started toward the trench. Agnes followed him there, and the two quietly dropped into the trench. They began to walk through the water and into the tunnel that ran under the castle. As they walked through, the light faded in the tunnel, and soon it was pitch black.
"Careful Saito. We don't know what's down here." Agnes said to Saito in front of him.
"Yeah." Saito replied.
"Partner, this tunnel runs near the dungeon. We should be close."
Agnes noticed a small light up ahead, and began to quickly move through the water. Saito heard the change in Agnes' movement, and was quick to follow, slushing water around. Agnes stopped and noticed the light was coming from a small crack in the wall. She looked through, and was able to see a jail cell across from the wall.
"We're here." Agnes slowly pulled a piece of stone from the hole, and then another, making a hole large enough to fit through. She poked her head through the wall and looked left and right. No guards were in sight. When she confirmed it was clear, she motioned for Saito to move through. He stepped through the wall and into the hallway. Agnes followed him through, and then turned around. She reached through the hole and replaced the stone pieces she had removed. The two began to look into the jail cells. So far, they were all empty.

"Damn it! Where is she!" Saito began to get frustrated. Agnes noticed this, and grabbed Saito by the arms and thrust him on the wall.
"Now is not the time to let you emotions get the best of you! Focus on the mission at hand! We'll find her, Saito!" Agnes then released Saito. He shook it off and refocused. Saito gripped the rifle slung on his arm, and kept it aimed down the sights. He was afraid of what he would find down here. Agnes withdrew the handgun she took with her, and aimed that, too. She still wasn't sure what it would do, but seeing Saito wielding the strange weapon gave her confidence. If Saito could do it, then so could she.

As the two neared a door, it opened. A guard walked through, holding a sword. His eyes lit up, but before he could raise his sword, Agnes tackled him to the ground and held the gun to his head.
"Where is the void user!" Agnes barked at the guard. He was afraid, but he said nothing. Agnes aimed at the ground to the left of the guards head and fired the handgun. The guard squealed in fear.
"I said, where is the void user!"
"The… the queen… she was headed with the girl… they were leaving… through the front…" The guard began to softly cry. Agnes raised an eyebrow.
"Coward." Agnes then raised her handgun, and with a strong force, she struck the guard across the face. Agnes stood up and dragged the now unconscious guard across the floor, and into one of the jail cells. She pushed the guard under the bed in the cell, and walked out, closing the cell door behind her. Saito was impressed.
"Wow…" Agnes looked at him, wondering what he was so amazed about. This was her duty, her job. She did this for a living, so to her it was natural.
"Anyway, he said they were leaving through the front, right? Maybe we aren't too late." Saito nodded quickly, but then looked at the bullet hole in the ground.
"They probably heard the gun shot. We need to move, now." Saito and Agnes proceeded through the door. They ran up a staircase and found themselves entering a hallway. It was well lit by massive windows that stretched to the ceiling.

"We must be on the ground floor now. But something is wrong…" Agnes spoke as she pointed her handgun down the hall.
"Yeah… no guards…" Saito replied. His back was to Agnes as he aimed his rifle in the opposite direction. Derflinger rose from his sheath once more.
"Continue down this hallway. The front door is another room over. But tread softly, partner." Saito looked to the sword handle and nodded. Agnes looked over her shoulder to Saito. He turned around toward her.
"Okay, let's go." The pair moved forward across the large hall and through a door. Inside the room, to their left was the large front door to the outside of the castle. They moved up to the door. Agnes and Saito placed their hands on each of the handles. Saito took a deep breath while Agnes starred into Saito's eyes.
"Are you ready?" Saito nodded back to Agnes. She counted from three, and they thrust the doors open, immediately aiming their guns. What they saw shocked them.
Dozens of guards were lined up in the courtyard, each pointing rifles at Saito and Agnes. Behind the line of troops, Sheffield stood on a crate with Louise at her side.
"You two were quite brave to come here, all for this girl. It's too bad that you won't be able to save her." Sheffield smiled devilishly toward the two.
"Let her go Sheffield!" Saito called out to Sheffield.
"What are you going to do? I have an entire army with these most powerful weapons, and the void user, all in the palm of my hand. There is nothing left for you to do." With that, Sheffield whispered something to Louise, and she raised her wand. The surrounding area began to grow dark, as if all of the light was being sucked into the small ball of light forming above Louise's wand. The ground began to shake, as the unstable power grew larger. Louise showed no sign of breaking the spell over her. And right then, Louise waved her wand downwards to demolish the area.

8

However, nothing happened. The crack of a gunshot was echoing throughout the area. Saito looked to his left to see that Agnes was scoped in with her rifle, her finger still on the trigger. He then looked toward Louise. She stood with her wand down. Her right shoulder began to bleed through her shirt. She looked at her shoulder realizing what had happened. The shock of the gunshot was enough to snap her out of hypnosis. Louise looked back up and dropped her wand. She then fell backwards off of the carriage.
"Louise!" Saito immediately opened fire with his assault rifle. His Gandalfr rune lit up brightly as he eliminated soldier after soldier with extreme precision. Agnes also fired at the soldiers with her sniper rifle. The soldiers returned fire, but they were no match for Saito and Agnes. Saito's weapon ran out of ammunition, and he dropped it to draw Derflinger. His lightning fast reflexes allowed him to deflect the bullets coming towards him. Eventually, no soldiers stood on the field. All but one…
"Saito!" Agnes called out. Saito turned around, and was shocked. Sheffield was holding her with a handgun pointed at her head.
"Take one step, Gandalfr, and you'll never see your friend alive again!" Saito stood for a moment, and then dropped his sword. He then fell to his knees, and stared at the ground. Sheffield was confused.
"Why… why can't I protect anyone? Why does this always happen?" Saito was cursing himself.
"S… stop that! Get off of the ground and face me!" Sheffield shouted at Saito. She was getting irritated.
"Oh forget it!" Sheffield shouted, and she pulled back the hammer of the gun.
"No!" The gunshot cracked through the air. Saito starred in amazement. Sheffield's eyes were wide open, and she slowly fell over. Agnes ran from Sheffield toward Saito. He didn't understand what just happened. Turning around, he was overwhelmed by what he saw. Louise had climbed on top of the carriage holding a gun. Her blood spilled over the sides of it. She had already lost consciousness from the blood loss. Saito sheathed Derflinger and sprinted toward the carriage. He leaped up on top of the carriage and held Louise. He lightly cradled Louise in his arms. Her head hung over his arm.
"She… she isn't breathing…" Saito lost his breath. Agnes ran over to the carriage and climbed it. She checked for a pulse, but found nothing.
"…No…" Agnes could not believe it either.
"Partner, our friends have come." Saito looked up and behind. He saw Sylpheed approaching from afar. It didn't matter to him though. He had lost what he cared for most. He held Louise close to him. Tears rolled from his eyes, and Agnes stood in sorrow. Sylpheed landed in the courtyard. Kirche and Tabatha jumped off of the dragon. Against the rising sun in the distance, they saw Saito holding Louise. Tabatha instantly knew what was wrong, and she grabbed Kirche's arm. Kirche looked at Tabatha confused, and then looked back toward Saito. After looking a little closer, she too knew what had happened.

Agnes wiped the tears from her eyes, and then a thought occurred to her.

"Wait a minute, Saito. Your master has died, but why do you still have the rune of the Gandalfr?" Saito looked at his hand, and it was still there. Derflinger popped out once more.
"Your master's spirit has left its body, but it still here. Her soul is refuses to leave this world. Partner, there is still time! You can bring her back!" Saito didn't understand why or how that could happen, but he didn't want to argue it. He would give his own life to bring her back. Quickly, Saito secured Louise's body, and jumped off of the carriage. Agnes leaped down as well, and the group climbed onto Sylpheed. The dragon quickly jumped off and flew away from the castle. While they were on the dragon, Saito tightly held Louise close to him. He believed what Derflinger said, that she could be brought back from death.
After what seemed like an eternity of flying, the magic academy could finally be seen in the distance. The dragon dove down toward the ground and landed by the front entrance. Quickly, the group rushed into the school. Saito carried Louise into her room, as the infirmary was still damaged. He placed Louise down on the bed and he pulled out Derflinger, and placed him on the bedside table.
"Okay, what do we do?" Saito asked to Derflinger.
"Call to her. Tell her how much you need her here. Give her spirit the will to return." Saito cleared his throat. The others in the room stood silently.
"Louise… I love you. You can't leave Louise. You need to return, because I cannot live without you in my life. That day, when you summoned me, I did not know what to think of you. But now, I am thankful for that day, which I could come into your life. I don't want you to leave my life Louise. My love for you is above any master-familiar relationship. Louise… I need you. I love you."
"Everyone, come help him." Derflinger said. The others in the room looked at each other, but then quickly moved by Saito. They all held hands around the bed. Kirche, Tabatha, Agnes and Saito joined together and bowed their heads, hoping that Saito's prayer was enough. Then something began to happen. Louise's body began to glow in a white light. At the same time, Saito glowed in the same way. He released his hands and ran to Louise's bedside. He held her hand as the light became more and more bright. Eventually, the light in the room became similar to that of a sun's, and everyone covered their eyes and looked away. All but Saito.

Suddenly, as quickly as the light had entered, it was gone. Saito looked at Louise. Everyone else looked as well. And then, Louise's eyes slowly flickered open. Saito breathed in relief, and the others smiled. Agnes let out tears of joy, and the others soon followed.
"S… Saito? Is… that you?"
"Yes Louise. It's me." Saito grinned. Louise smiled weakly.
"Saito… you did all of this for you master?" Louise's eyes narrowed. Saito chuckled a little. Right then, Louise put her hands on Saito's cheeks, and he leaned in. They shared the most intimate moment together. Agnes looked to everyone else, and she walked out of the room. Kirche and Tabatha followed her out. Saito climbed into the bed with Louise and held her gently. Louise had her head on Saito's chest. She felt the same way she did when they held each other in her mind.
"Saito… it was so cold and dark. She locked my mind away, but I saw you." Louise softly cried.
"I know it was not your fault, Louise. But you are okay now. And nothing will ever separate us again."
"Oh Saito…" Louise closed her eyes.

9

The next day, Agnes walked into the room. Saito and Louise were asleep, holding each other underneath the covers. Agnes walked over to the bedside, and lightly shook Saito. His eyes slowly opened, and he glanced up at Agnes.
"Agnes? Good morning. What is it?" Saito sat up. When he did, Louise woke up as well. She rubbed her eyes and looked to the captain.
"Good morning, you two. Mrs. Valarie, I think I owe you an apology…" Louise raised an eyebrow, and Saito's look on his face became puzzled.
"What might that be for, Captain?" Louise asked.
"Well… I… you know…" Agnes was stammering and she scratched the back of her head.
"…yes?" Louise was still confused.
"I did… kill you…" Agnes blushed. Louise smiled.
"Agnes, it's okay. If you hadn't shot me, I would have destroyed you all. You did the right thing. I thank you for that." Agnes looked at Louise and smiled.
"Yeah… alright. And Saito, we do still have one problem. We haven't found out where the Albion troops were getting the weapons." Saito's eyes widened.
"That's right! We still need to find them!" Saito began to get out of the bed, but Agnes pushed him back down.
"Agnes, what are you…?" Agnes smiled.
"Saito, you have worked without sleep over the past few days. You and Louise need to rest. Spend some time together." Saito grinned back. At the same time, Louise rose up and kissed Saito. He held her, and the two began to kiss intimately. Agnes rolled her eyes jokingly, and as she turned to leave the room, Saito and Louise fell over in the bed, passionately kissing. As Agnes closed the door out, Saito was unbuttoning Louise's blouse.
"Kids these days…" Agnes said to herself.