Witches and the Summoned
Summary: Alex is a witch and Tatsuya is her apprentice. So with their conjoined magic, they try to summon a ghost. Only, Mother Nature gets in the way.
Disclaimer: I have no rights or ownership of Kuroko no Basket.
Note: Tatsuya is around ten years old in this. Also, no dedicated editing as usual; only quick editing.
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The summoning wasn't supposed to go like this. Inside a dimly lit basement, the two were only supposed to summon a ghost. They had only prepared for a ghost. Various sigils were scribbled onto walls and duct tape was applied to all leaking pipes. The two had thought they prepared for everything. Except they didn't. The faulty summoning wasn't their fault or that of any supernatural creature. It was solely Mother Nature's fault.
Yes, it was Mother Nature's fault. Tatsuya and Alex had prepared everything, even for the possible case of the friendly ghost turning unfriendly. What they didn't prepare for was the earthquake that interrupted their summoning.
A perfectly normal earthquake had shook everything and disturbed their summoning. Various plants and animal parts were scattered across the room's floor. Even the ritual bowl they were using fell and the duo wasn't able to disconnect their magic quickly enough to stop the summoning.
"Tatsuya!" Alex screamed as the room's temperature drastically rose. Smoke started to hiss out of the fallen bowl of ingredients.
A wall that was destroyed had allowed light to filter in so it shouldn't be nearly this hard to look around the room.
The temperature in the room kept on rising and the smoke became even thicker. "Tatsuya!" Alex screamed again as she tried to see through the smoke.
A loud chuckle emitted around the room as if it was coming from all sides of Alex. Suddenly the smoke withdrew into the shape of a human.
Alex gulped as her eyes kept on moving around the now visible room.
"Hello, witch" the figure of smoke –that seemed to becoming more solid- spoke as it picked up the collapsed body of Tatsuya.
Alex glared at the figure; "release him" she demanded as she judge the distance between herself and the spilled herbs.
"Don't even try that" the figure spoke and with a ripple of its' hand, Alex flew backwards into a wall.
It felt like hands were around her neck, choking her. Spots colored her vision as she gritted her teeth. "Let-"
"-my student go" the figure mocked as more smoke poured out of it as it tossed Tatsuya into a wall right next to Alex. It then gave a chilling laugh as the temperature in the room increased again.
"Alex?" Tatsuya asked in a hoarse voice as he woke from the brutal impact of the wall. "Alex?" his voice was louder this time as he glanced at the pinned Alex.
The choking sensation left Alex as smoke hovered over the spilled potion ingredients.
"Tatsuya" Alex whispered to her young student as she tried to move out of the invisible binds holding her.
The figure chuckled as the smoke rolled some ingredients away. "I don't need those ingredients" it spoke to itself as the smoke broke into two. One going over to the fallen books and the other staying near the spilt potions.
"What's going on?" Tatsuya asked in a low voice, not wanting to bring the figure attention back to them.
Alex bit her lip, "doesn't matter" she said. Tatsuya opened his mouth to speak but Alex cut him off. "We need a diversion" she said suddenly and Tatsuya's eyes widen.
"A diversion?" he asked in a small voice.
Alex closed her eyes as a complex expression came over her face, "I need you to distract it".
"What is it?" Tatsuya asked as he fidgeted against the wall.
The figure approached a corner of the room opposite of the two.
"I don't know" Alex responded in a hopeless tone, "I just need you to distract it while I escape".
Tatsuya nodded "are you going to kill it?"
"Not likely" she smiled bitterly, "I just need you to distract it as I-"
"-you're going to try to kill it" Tatsuya gave Alex a desperate look. "You said it's impossible to kill something of unknown origins! You could end up giving it more power!" he shouted lowly at her.
"I need to gain you more time" Alex glared at her student, "I need to make sure you can get out of your restraints and into the sun" she retorted.
Tatsuya's look of hopelessness didn't dissipate "I thought I was the distraction".
"Only the first. I'm the second and final distraction" Alex huffed with a laugh filled with cynicism.
Tatsuya was about to respond as a shriek from the smoke was suddenly heard. Skirting away, the smoke returned to the figure as sunlight poured down onto a separate piece of shadow. Tatsuya and Alex watched as the smoke in the sunlight was slowly destroyed.
Alex smirked as she turned her head to her student, "I need that distraction now".
"You never said what kind of distraction" Tatsuya grumbled to himself before perking up as the figure approached the two restrained humans. Inhaling deeply, Tatsuya started shouting at the now solid figure, "what are you?!"
Smoke started to travel towards the two with a sharp hissing noise.
Looking around the room frantically, Tatsuya's eyes widen as he took in the area lit by sunlight. "You can't get the ingredients you need" he said with a shaky smirk.
Alex's eyes widen as she observed the spot Tatsuya was talking about, "I can get you the ingredients" she said as she gave a less shaky smirk, "I don't get harmed by sunlight".
The smoke hissed as it crowded around the proud woman.
"Do not try to trick me, witch" the figure said as it walked over to her. Each step it took was sly and smooth.
Alex didn't stop smirking as heated smoke surrounded her legs. "You still need to retrieve the ingredients".
"What makes you believe that I cannot simply wait until the sun sets?" the figure asked as the smoke tightened around Alex's legs.
Alex gritted her teeth in pain, "because summons like you have a time limit" she retorted in a harsh voice.
"I do not have a time limit" the figure said pleasantly as the smoke kept its tight grip around Alex's legs.
Alex smirked as Tatsuya whispered at her to stop, "Not nice to lie". Giving Tatsuya a look out of the corner of her eye, Alex smirked, "all beings that do not have a solid body when summoned are given a time limit for how long they stay in this world" she stated.
The grip on her legs tightened once more.
"Why should I release you, witch?" it asked with a deadly tone.
Alex grimaced as she rolled her eyes, "because the sun doesn't harm me".
"Do you believe I do not know what you are doing?" it asked as the smoke loosened its grip to travel down to Alex's ankles.
Alex inhaled sharply as she closed her eyes, anticipating crippling pain that was sure to be inflicted onto her. "What am I trying to do?"
"A witch has unlimited power when given ingredients" the figure laughed sarcastically.
Alex's eyes were still closed as she a waited for the pain to be inflicted, "what does that mean?"
"It means, witch, that you could send me back home if I allowed you access to your precious herbs and plants" the figure touched Alex's clothe covered legs.
Suppressing a scream of pain, Alex did not need to look down to know that the touch burned through her jeans. "What makes you think I would do that?"
"Despite what your pathetic religions say; most of you witches do not work for the devil" it said in a haughty tone as its dragged its cold yet burning hand down Alex's leg.
Tatsuya spoke up quickly as he pulled at his invisible binds. "Really? I didn't know that" he said sarcastically, trying to advert its attention from Alex.
"Do not take that tone with me" it spoke loudly as the smoke drifted from Alex to hover over Tatsuya "too often have you pathetic priestesses stood against my master and my kind" it stated as the smoke continued to hover as if it was indecisive.
Alex grinded her teeth as she ignored her broken and burned leg, "bad exes?" she said with a sardonic smile.
"Silence!" the figure's voice was loud as it bounced off the walls.
The smoke came back to choke Alex.
Watching as the woman gurgles and struggle the figure hummed in thought, "the child shall retrieve my ingredients".
Alex tries to smile through her pain as Tatsuya whimpers next to her. "You underestimate his power" she said in between her inhales.
"I can tell his power is not nearly strong enough to stand against my strength" the figure says with confidence. A second latter, Tatsuya roughly falls to the ground as the restraints were released. "Boy" Tatsuya looks up at the figure angrily, "retrieve my ingredients and I may let you and your teacher live".
Tatsuya turns to Alex, who nods slowly with her eyes still closed.
Clenching his fists tightly, Tatsuya walks briskly over the spilled but not broken container of ingredients.
The figure is suddenly jerked slightly as Alex's eyes glow.
"You lack power and ingredients to hurt me, little witch" the figure laughs in arrogance as it is slightly jerked again.
Glaring, Alex narrowed her eyes at her student. "Tatsuya!" she shouted "take the ingredients and toss them into the sunlight!" the smoke is back onto her ankles, creating an audible snapping of bones. "Climb out into the sunlight!" she screamed.
Tatsuya stood still as he watched his mentor scream in pain. "Alex!" he yelled and made to step out of the sunlight.
"Run!" she screamed once more as the figure started to approach Tatsuya.
The smoke leaves Alex to surround the edge of sunlight.
Stepping forward, the figure and creeping smoke are prevented from moving by bright golden whips of magic. "Get out of the way" the smoke hisses before turning around to grab Alex by the throat.
Holding her up high, her golden magic begins to fade.
"Stop!" Tatsuya yells as he stood frozen in horror. The figure starts laughing wildly.
"I promise to let her go if you give me my ingredients" it bargained mockingly.
Alex hung in the smokes grip as she looked at Tatsuya.
Tatsuya stepped forward only to have a golden trail of magic knock him back. This caused the ingredients to fly in the air before hitting the ground that was half in and half out of the sunlight. No one noticed the ingredients spilling out.
"In the end, I still get my ingredients" the figure laughed as Tatsuya struggled to stand up. Laughing wildly, the figure gestures to Alex's limp body. "In the end, her magic did more evil than good" the smoke waved Alex's body around "her desperate attempt to protect you gave me my potion!"
Tatsuya's eyes widen in horror as he stared as Alex's body was waved around. "Stop!" he screamed as tears began pouring down his face, hitting the ground softly. Stepping up to the border of the sunlight, Tatsuya was engulfed by the dark purple of his gathered magic.
Suddenly the room's too hot temperature was filled with cold damp air. The smoke dropped Alex's body as it was forced to disappear.
Looking around in confusion, Tatsuya felt a sharp sting run up his legs. Gazing down, his eyes widen as the spilt ingredients started to mix together before disappearing into the floor.
Dread started to fill Tatsuya stomach as the sunlight was suddenly covered by overcast.
"What did you do?!" the figure asks harshly as all smoke quickly disintegrated into the air once more.
Looking up at the close figure in confusion and horror, Tatsuya's whisper produced a trail of warm visible heat as the temperature continued to drop "I don't know".
Suddenly he and the figure were roughly shoved into the middle of the room by something cold.
Light filled the room and Tatsuya shielded his eyes as the light became too bright.
As quickly as the light came, it disappeared. Opening his eyes slowly, Tatsuya hissed as a pair of hands tightened their grip on his neck.
"What did you do!?" the figure, whose touch no longer burned, asked loudly as its clammy hands tighten even more.
"Let go of my student!" suddenly the figure was thrown off Tatsuya by golden whips of magic.
"Alex!" Tatsuya cried in relief as he tried to stand up. Once standing, Tatsuya flinched slightly as he looked around the room. No longer spacious, the room was only big enough to stand arm's length away from Alex and the slightly solid figure. The once dark brick walls were now a dark orange stripped with black and white.
On closer inspection, the room was not only less spacious but the walls were moving in sync, as if they were alive and breathing.
"Tatsuya!" Alex shouted as she pulled the young boy into her arms "you're okay!"
The figure stood up again and hissed at the two, "what did you do!" it hissed again in anger.
Alex's grip on Tatsuya became tight as she shoved the boy behind her.
"What did you DO!" it screamed in furry as it took a step forward.
Alex stepped back and Tatsuya was shoved against the warm wall. It was a sharp contrast to the chilled air of the room.
"Stay back" Alex demanded as the figure stepped closer with reaching arms. Bringing her hands to her lips, Alex blew out a string of gold that wrapped around the figure threateningly.
The figure chuckled as it flickered, "your magic is too weak to stop me" its voice was filled with amusement.
True to its words, the figure snapped the gold string of magic in half, making the spell disappear altogether.
Alex gritted her teeth as she reached behind her to hold Tatsuya.
Only, her hands meet the feeling of warm, damp sandpaper.
"Eek!" she yelped as she pushed herself and Tatsuya aside, away from what her hand just touched.
Tatsuya looked alarmed as he held onto the hem of his teacher's shirt.
The figure also leapt back as the wall rumbled around them.
"You taste like the blood of lambs" a loud voice filled the room accompanying with the rumbles of wall.
Tatsuya closed his eyes tightly as he burrowed his face into Alex's shirt.
"Hmm, my master is just a child" the voice rumbled "well then, are you going to complete the deal?" suddenly part of the wall moved to reveal what looked like a tiger's head and eyes.
The head came closer to inspect Tatsuya. Alex placed herself in front of her student.
"NO!" the figure screeched as it started to hit and bang against an invisible barrier. "I'll make a deal with you! I will pay you anything! Do not-"
"Silence" the tiger tilted its head towards the figure, causing the figure to lean away, "you do not control me, you have no say over what I do or do not do".
The figure released a whimper and Alex shoved Tatsuya back some more before she approached the tiger head.
Inhaling deeply, Alex stared into the feline's eyes. "I will make a deal with you, instead" she spoke firmly as she hid her shaking hands behind her.
"That's not how it works" the voice was dull as was its short laugh, "I only make deals with those that summoned me".
The figure started laughing hysterically and Tatsuya winced at the sound. "Then hurry up and disappear" the figure giggled madly and Tatsuya's eyes widen slightly "there may be a chance that I'll summon you again!"
"I am a being of light" the tiger head snorted "your kind are unable to summon me".
The figure stopped laughing and hissed loudly, "then I will just end your life here and now!" it shouted before attacking the tiger head with its smoke.
The tiger merely blinked in amusement as none of the attacks landed hurt it. "You gotta be stronger than that to hurt me".
The figure hissed and the smoke turned to Tatsuya, "then I will kill your summoner!" it roared and the tiger blinked in surprise.
The smoke was suddenly wrapped around Tatsuya's throat.
"Let him go!" Alex yelled as her magic strangled the smoke that held her student. "Tatsuya! Get out of here!"
Tatsuya looked around the room only to find no door or exits due to having the tiger wrapped around the group.
"Make a deal with me and I can help you" the tiger spoke to Tatsuya as more smoke emerged from the figure, "I cannot help if you don't make a deal; I do follow the rules sometimes".
"Tatsuya!" Alex shouted as more strings of her golden magic were destroyed, "don't m-"
The smoke maneuvered around Alex's magic to grip her throat.
Tatsuya watched in horror as once again his teacher was hovering over the ground by her throat.
"Make a deal, little boy priestess" the tiger spoke again, "you cannot save her by yourself" it whispered and Tatsuya clenched his fists.
Soon Alex was dropped to the ground, not moving as the figure stepped over her.
"You cannot beat me!" the figure roared as it waved its hand causing the smoke to rush towards Tatsuya.
"Make a deal, and I will save you and her" the tiger whispered once more as the smoke curled around Tatsuya's throat.
Bringing his hands up to claw at the smoke, Tatsuya whispered roughly.
"Then a deal shall be made!" the tiger roared and with a flash of bright light, Tatsuya felt a pleasant warmth fill his body.
"Thou shall serve thee like thou's ancestors; and thee shall protect thou until thine's last breathe. Thee now has thou's world at thine's fingertip. May thou's ancestors smile"(1) the tiger's voice whispered in Tatsuya's head as the boy closed his eyes against the brightness.
Opening his eyes slowly, Tatsuya groaned as he blinked away the spots in his vision. "What?" he asked as he looked around for the figure and smoke, "its gone!" he said and his eyes immediately began searching for his teacher.
"Alex!" he cheered as he launched himself at the woman, tears of happiness in his eyes as the woman groaned.
"Tatsuya?" Alex sat up slowly and brought her hand to her head,
Tatsuya held onto his teacher tighter, "I thought you died!"
Alex's eyes went wide in realization, "Tatsuya!" she shouted as she gripped her student's arm and pulled him to her "you made a deal with it!"
Tatsuya nodded his head, tears still flowing down his face.
"Why?!" she asked with a yell, "What did it ask of you?! You shouldn't sell your soul for such things!"
Tatsuya glared at Alex, "you weren't moving! I thought you died!" he shouted back with tears still in his eyes.
"But you sold your soul to a demon-"
The tiger's head spoke up, "while this is touching and all; can you please not call me a demon?" it asked politely.
Alex again shoved Tatsuya behind her as she growled at the head, "then what are you?"
"I appreciate your concern over my charge, but in case you haven't noticed-" the tiger head scoffed at Alex, "my entire body is wrapped around you two".
Alex jolted as she looked around at the still oddly colored walls. Looking back at Tatsuya, Alex clenched her fist before turning her glare upon the tiger, "I won't allow you to consume Tatsuya's soul".
"I am not going to take his soul-" the tiger said bluntly, "-I'm not even a demon" it admitted after a moment of pause.
"And you are not a familiar" Alex continued to glare at the tiger, "then what are you?" she asked, head held high.
The tiger grinned at Alex, "a forgotten god".
Both Tatsuya and Alex widen their eyes at the assumed god in front of them.
"If you're a god, then what is your name?" Alex asked in a suspicious tone.
The tiger gave a faint smile at Alex, "I don't remember" it admitted.
Tatsuya stepped forward. "Why don't you remember?" Tatsuya asked as he avoided Alex's hands trying to pull him back behind her back.
The tiger god smiled, "when humans stop speaking of your name in prayers or worship; a god loses its power".
"But you still have a lot of power" Tatsuya pointed at the god in confusion.
The tiger smiled with its teeth, "then perhaps mortals should not pray to a god whose name they do not know; it makes the power very easy to grab for anyone".
"You mean you steal? From God?" Tatsuya asked in a horrified response.
The tiger snorted, "long ago you humans knew the name of your gods. Now the only names known are those from 'mythology', 'angels' and 'demons'. With no name assigned to the acknowledgement, you humans have given power to other gods" it roared in self-righteousness.
Alex rolled her eyes, "stop being so dramatic" she said causing Tatsuya to look at her and the tiger in terror.
"But my master makes such funny faces" the tiger pouted at Alex.
Tatsuya's look of horror and terror transformed into one of thought, "does this mean you have no name?"
"I have no name" the tiger confirmed as it nodded its head.
Tatsuya looked determine as he stood up and face the tiger head, "then your name shall be Taiga"
Alex suddenly stifled a snicker behind her hands as the tiger gained a look of confusion.
"Taiga?" it asked in confusion and Tatsuya nodded his head. Snorting in amusement, the tiger tilted its head to look down at Tatsuya, "then my name is Taiga. Shall you give me a last name?"
Tatsuya looked up in confusion, "last name?"
"So I can summon a different form to blend in" the tiger smiled widely at the boy.
Tatsuya frowned in thought as Alex's attempted to conceal her laughter. "Kagami. That's your last name!" Tatsuya shouted in happiness.
"Only a boy can think of a name like that" the tiger closed its eyes slowly, a happy grin on its face. Opening its eyes, the tiger and its body started to glow brightly, "thine name! Taiga Kagami!" it shouted and the two witches had to shield their eyes from the brightness emitted by the tiger.
Blinking away the spots, Tatsuya gasped as Alex released a choked laugh as they stared at the figure in front of them.
"You're a kid" Tatsuya stated as he observed the naked filth covered figure in front of him. Split eyebrows and two-toned hair, the once huge tiger was morphed into the form of a child that appeared a year younger that Tatsuya. Closing his eyes briefly, Tatsuya opened them as he giggled slightly, "I always wanted a younger brother to play with".
This statement caused Alex to start rolling on the ground in laughter.
Taiga frowned at her, "is this normal behavior for humans?" he asked, standing naked in the middle of the messy room.
Alex kept on laughing and Tatsuya started to chuckle. "I can teach you basketball" Tatsuya said in-between his chuckles.
Taiga just continued to stare at Alex in confusion. "Why is she rolling on the floor? Isn't it filthy?" he asked.
"Says the kid whos-" Tatsuya was cut off as he joined his teacher who was still laughing loudly and wildly.
Taiga just crossed his arms over his dirt cover chest in confusion, "humans" he sniffed the air before wincing. "What smells so bad?" he asked which fueled Alex's and Tatsuya's laughing spree.
/
A/N:
(1) I do not feel like going back and researching how people used to talk in the olden days. Even though I still have printed documents for my history class containg such speech patterns.
Originally, witches were priestess for different religions. Once those religions were gone (the increasing dominance of other religions and the dark ages are the main cause) witches (priestesses) were viewed as devil worshippers because they still worshipped their original religion and refused to submit to Christianity and other religions alike. For such reasons, we no longer know the names of some of the religions lost because of this. Thus the name 'Pagans' is created for those who religion's name is no longer known but practices are. Cue various religious holidays with pagan influence.
Kagami is not a devil or demon that was summoned. You could say that he was a pagan god that can become a priestess' familiar or guardian if summoned right.
Ending is rushed but hey, got tired of typing with one hand. I don't know if you guys read my profile, but I injured my arm and I am reduced to writing with one hand. Very slow updates expected for the near future. Also, I am no longer in the TG mode, I am official back into the KnB thanks to KnB's third season.
It'll take me awhile, but I am getting the next chapter for 'Knowledge is Power' and 'Fairy Ring' written.
Have questions about this? Come and ask me on AO3. I have this story up there and it's easier to respond there than compare to .