Hey, guys, another amazing story from the mouth of the best story teller ever! I hope you guys enjoy this as much as I enjoy writing it. This is based on the anime Zero no Tsukaima (The Familiar of Zero) but I've modified certain things to align with my agenda.
"Oi! Julio!", Saito yelled, causing Julio to turn and look at him. "Stay away from Louise, I don't want you nosing around and confusing her. If you start to get serious with her and she gets hurt... I won't let that happen, so you'd better stay away", he said, unaware to said girl standing behind him in the shadow, interested and confused as to what's being talked about.
"Why should I?", he asked, to which Saito glared at him and growled in his throat.
"You've seen what I can do with a plane that was built seventy years ago, right? And with a sword, bazooka, and any other weapon I can get my hands on? Well, if you don't want that directed at you, don't go anywhere near Louise. If you do, your head will be on my new pike and I will be parading it around town, do you understand me?", he asked and Julio nodded fearfully, backing up slightly.
He began to walk away, when Julio spoke up again, "Why do you protect her so passionately? All she ever does to you is whip you and shoot explosions in your direction. I need to understand your thinking on this matter", he asked and Saito stopped in his tracks, his head hung and his eyes downcast.
"Why do I protect her? That's obvious, baka. I love her, I love her so much! No matter what happens, I'd gladly give my life for her! So long as she's happy and well, I'm happy! I have to act the part of an idiot because I know she would never feel this way for me... I act like a pervert so she'll touch me with those soft hands... I let her berate and beat me because that's the only way we'll ever be connected... If I didn't let her, she would never touch me and I wouldn't be able to go on living... I was confused at first, when I first got here, both confused and lost, but when I saw her face, I knew where I was. I was home. When she accepted me as her familiar, despite how odd it was, she had me doing her work for her... I enjoyed making her life easier, but I couldn't let her see that, I'd already had my mask up for ten years before I was brought here and it's not coming down until the day I die protecting her. My mother, before she passed away, told me something about love. She said, 'If you can find a girl who you're happy being around, helping, and protecting, then she is the one you love and she is the one you should protect and marry'. She told me that when I was five, she died the next day in a car crash. I never had a father, they accused him of conspiring with my grandfather, a soldier of the second World War, to have a coup de tat and put himself as the new, honorable emporer. They executed him when I was three years old and my grandfather was executed as well as a 'war criminal and conspirator'. I've been basically alone my entire life, except for my abusive, older sister, Sakura. She would always beat me up for the smallest things I did, even when there wasn't anything that I had done wrong. Eventually, I got used to it and got really good at hiding the bruises. I looked in the mirror and practiced smiling every day until I got it down and made a smile so perfect, it would fool everyone. I would look around in the school and would see, maybe, one or two people smiling like me. They were probably hiding bruises, too. I didn't want them to take my sister away from me, because I loved her, so when I was eight and they were investigating the situation after I accidentally let one bruise on my shoulder show, I called her flat-chested and stupid and worthless and I even yelled at her that she could never be my mother so she should just stop acting like it. The investigator deemed me a stupid, inconsiderate brat and was worthy of the beatings I got. When my sister turned twenty, I was fourteen, and she left me all alone. I had no one to take care of me, no one to look after me at all. I took three part-time jobs to pay for that piece of shit apartment I was living in and barely kept food on the table. I couldn't pay for heat in the winter or air conditioning in the summer and I couldn't do anything for myself at all. On my birthday, everyone at school would laugh and talk behind my back like they always did and I would act like it didn't bother me. I was on my own and I had to make sure no one knew it got to me, but then she brought me here two years later and everything changed. It seemed almost as if my sister was back with me, except I certainly didn't love my sister the way I love Louise. You ask why I protect her, why I love her? I hope you know now that I've had a hard life and I don't complain about every little thing that goes wrong or isn't to their detailed description like those aristocrats, but I do care about the big things, like her, and I would do anything to ensure her happiness", he said, tears flowing down his face as he kept his back to the other man.
"I'm sorry, I had no intention of bringing up such a painful subject", he said, but Saito just scoffed.
"You don't understand, no one does. Everyone thought that my family was scrambling to get away from me because of how I act and who I am. My mother loved me very much, from the few memories I have of her. My father seemed to love me enough as he didn't leave when I was born. My sister? I don't think she loved me, no, I think she blamed me for mother's death. She was heading to pick me up from a party at a friend's house, after all. My mother protested me going to the party, but I insisted and she agreed that I should be allowed some fun. Had I not gone to that damned party! Mother would still be alive and everything would be different! I might not even be here... But that's not exactly what I want, either... I just want to tell my mother I love her one last time... I want to know if she approves of how I turned out... I want father to pat me on the head and tell me 'good job, champ' when I succeed at something... I want big sis to acknowledge that I'm not just a bad omen... But I'd give up all that for Louise's love... I can barely take it anymore... The beating I'm used to, the insults I'm used to, the cold shoulder I'm extremely used to... But this love that I continuously give her... It's not returned and it's driving me crazy... I beg of you, Julio, please stay away from her and let me have a somewhat decent shot at her heart?... I just want a shot...", he said and Julio nodded silently as Louise cries quietly in the shadows.
When Julio leaves and Saito gets himself together, she walks out and he gives that fake smile he was talking about, "Konichiwa, Louise", he said, but she was still crying. "What happened? Are you okay?", he asked and she just stood as still as a board. "Is there anyth"- and that's as far as he got before her lips obstructed his speaking. His eyes nearly bugged out of his head, but, after a second, he relaxed into it and kissed her back with as much as he could give.
When they broke apart, she slapped him hard across the face, "How dare you confess your feelings and past to Julio and not me?! I heard everything you said, Saito-kun, and I thought you'd confide in me before anyone else! If you loved me, why didn't you tell me?!", she yelled and he hung his head, his eyes now on the ground.
"I did, I've told you many times, but you never believed me. You always would yell at me and say that I would tell any girl that in order to get with her. I tried to make you understand, I really did, but you never seemed to get it and so I lost all hope except a very slim amount. I know you're abusive and you can't do anything but void magic, but that's what makes you you, Louise-chan, you beat me out of jealousy sometimes, others are because of what I've forced to come from my mouth. I always wanted you by my side, but could never find the right words to express it. I've got an idea, let me try Japanese, my language. Aishite imasu Louise-chan, yeah, that works just fine...", he said softly, holding her into his chest all the while.
She looks up at him with teary eyes and holds him around his chest, "What does that mean, Saito-kun?", she asked softly.
"Well, where I come from, when you're in love with someone, you tell them aishite imasu. It means I love you in Japanese, Louise-chan", he said in response as her expression changed from confused to happy and she stared into his eyes in awe. After a few moments of intense staring, he spoke up again, "I had hoped that our actions in the boat at your home would show you just how much I care for you, but then I had to keep up the mask to make sure no one got under my armor and started to crack it like you have now. I had to act like the pervert you knew in order to keep you from getting too close and getting hurt... It seems anything I love gets hurt one way or another...", he said under his breath and she simply holds him tighter.
"I know I won't be hurt, because you'll protect me until the very end, right, Saito-kun?", she asked in that sweet voice that Saito always loved to hear. He nods the affirmative and she smiles so happily that it warms his heart and he kisses her forehead gently.
"I won't ever leave you, Louise-chan, you're my whole life and that's that. I've openly opposed dying for honor and you know that, but dying for you is different, I'd be dying to protect my heart, my love, my entire world instead of some reputation that doesn't even matter when you die. I would gladly take an arrow for you, if it meant you would live on and be happy", he said with such seriousness in his voice that she felt her heart skip a beat as she shuddered. "I really did meet a fairy who healed me that day that I should've died, I didn't give a care about her breasts, however, didn't even look at them. I didn't have to, you weren't around and so I could just say that I did and you'd believe me because of what I've done in the past. I'm not really a pervert, Louise-chan, I swear on your heart that I'm not, that's how serious I am about it. I can't stand perverts in reality, I would always kick their asses on the train when they felt up some innocent woman and I'd always be the guy to stop the rapist from doing his dirty crime to some poor woman who probably hadn't done anything to deserve it. I looked at one dirty magazine when I was younger and that was only to see what the other guys were talking about. I bought all he had and burnt them because they were filthy, I didn't care if I couldn't eat until the next few days, I just wanted to get rid of that abomination's influence on my community. I've been to sexual education, but I'm not really in any rush to have sex, Louise-chan, I can wait as long as you need me to. I'll be the best man in the world for you, if there's ever a better man, I would give you up in a second to let you know a better life than I could give you. There are not words for how strongly I feel for you, Louise-chan, I love you too much for words to adequately describe the quantity and quality of my love. I'll do anything for you, I swear, I'll be perfect for you, if that's what you want", he said softly into her ears.
She had heard enough to know he was telling the truth and didn't care any longer what other people thought, she was going to love him and make up for all the times she had beat him. She kisses his lips and holds his hands as she leads him to their bedroom. He begins to go back into his mask for a moment, but soon catches himself and erases all traces of dirty thoughts from his head as he closes the door behind him and pushes her on the bed playfully. She lays out, inviting him to come over and take her, but he fights it for as long as he can. He doesn't want to jump straight into that kind of relationship, because then his talk on how he didn't care about sex would be meaningless. Her body against his, however, quickly changed his mind as she did everything in her power to arouse and excite him. They spend that night getting in touch with their bodies for the first time and he shows her just how much he loves her the entire night, not using words, but a physical expression of his love and she does the same.
The next morning he wakes and instantly reverts back to his old behavior, not remembering everything that was said the night before. He lifts the blanket and is shocked at what he sees as his face goes completely red from seeing the young woman naked and, suddenly, everything comes back to him. She wakes up at that moment with a smile on her face and gently caresses his chest, which makes him blush even more. "Your body is like that of a statue's, my love", she said softly and sweetly and he smiled and kissed her along her jaw line gently.
"I'm glad you enjoy it, my dear Louise-chan", he said calmly and laid on top of her with his strong, tan arms on either side of her and his bare back visible from the blankets slipping down a little ways. Siesta walks in and sees his back muscles arched and feels the need to stake her claim on him while Louise is away. She approaches him until she sees Louise in the bed in a similar state, smiling and moaning quietly and she runs away, sobbing heavily. "Huh?", he asked as he turned to look over his shoulder and saw Siesta running out the door. "Did she see something that upset her?", he asked, his head cocked in confusion and she hits him with a pillow to the face playfully.
"You idiot! She loves you, too, ya know? Not nearly as much as I do, but still...", she said with a smile on her face. "Did you really not notice that? What did you think all of her moves on you were about if you didn't know she loved you?", she asked curiously.
"I thought she just wanted me to sleep with her, I didn't know she actually wanted my heart... I guess I was too preoccupied with keeping up a mask that was even stronger than the one I usually wear in order for you not to see that I was serious about you so that I couldn't hurt you...", he said softly, disappointed in himself for not realizing it sooner.
"There you go again talking about hurting me, are you going to leave me?", she asked and he shook his head, "Then why do you keep saying that you would hurt me?", she retorted which caused him to close his eyes.
"I had a girlfriend once... When I was eight, I found a girl who didn't know about what everyone would say about me... I liked her a lot and she agreed to be my girlfriend... She got ran over by a car when we started getting serious... When I was twelve, I found a new girl at school and she liked me enough... She became my second girlfriend and we started getting serious... She died of lung cancer a week and a half later... I thought I was cursed to never find happiness with a woman... I didn't want to bring that curse onto you so I just kept myself hidden... I thought my not being happy because of your constant rejections to my idiotic, perverted self would be enough to keep the curse off you... But then you overheard my conversation with Julio and I don't want you to die, Louise-chan!", he yelled and hugged her tightly while he sobbed into her neck.
"I'm not going to die, Saito-kun, I'm yours forever", she said while stroking his back to try to calm him.
He stops crying and holds her even tighter, "I'm holding you to that, Louise-chan, you're mine forever as I am yours forever", he said, the last of his tears falling on her cheeks as they have stared directly into each others eyes while he said his bit.
She is brought back to reality by the wet tears hitting her face after getting lost in his eyes, his serious, azure eyes, and daydreaming of what their family will look like. She blushes brightly at the thought and smiles up at him as he leans down to capture her lips once more.
Thus is the relationship of this master and her familiar. Let this be a message to all readers to not let society control your decisions and to be an individual who is confident about the way you feel.