Guiding Light

by JAYSEN

This is only a one-shot, based in my Fragments of the Past universe. Consider it like an OVA and not canon to my fic's timeline. PLEASE read my notes at the beginning and end BEFORE making any comments.

Hey there, y'all! I'm just posting this one-shot mis-adventure set in my Fragments of the Past universe, a x-over of Familiar of Zero and Naruto. I just started writing this on a whim over a year ago and I finally found a way to wrap it up. You will see Louise acting a little out of character, but that is due to WHO her familiar will be for a short time. I'm not expecting rave reviews nor am I touting this as som kind of masterpiece...I'm simply sharing one of my brain children with others who share my passion for the literary arts.

Please...Enjoy yourselves...

TRAINING FIELD #7 - KONOHA

A wind blew across the training field, a group of people standing in the middle of it. There were four of them, three young, but the last was the eldest and their sensei. He was tall, had shaggy blond hair, and wore a ninjato on his back. He was dressed in a sleeveless shirt with a Jounin vest over it, had leg greaves and tekkou on his forearms. Adorning his arms were his old ANBU brand and on his opposite arm, he bore a roman numeral of the number 15, both inked and burned into the flesh.

Of his students, the first two were female, young and in their very early teens. One had bright pink hair, emerald green eyes, and wore a red dress. The second had powder blue hair with a scarf in it, scarlet colored eyes and wore a deep blue dress. The last student was male, had spiky, golden blond hair with crystal blue eyes, and wore an orange jumpsuit with a short blade affixed to his lower back, although he was somewhat shorter than his kunoichi teammates.

"Okay team...Now for the next training session, we're going to..." He addressed his students until he caught sight of a green pulsating disk that was glowing behind his students. Without warning, it began to suck them in. Naruto managed to get out of the way in time, but his two kunoichi teammates weren't so lucky.

"Wahh! SENSEI! HELP!" Ayane yelped.

"I can't...Hold on!" Sakura yelled for help.

With a burst of speed, he lanced forward into the reach of the disk's pull and threw the two of them out of harm's way. But, while saving them, he had been pulled into the vortex, with it closing right behind him.

"ICHIGO-SENSEI!" His three students screamed in horror.

INSIDE THE VORTEX...

"What the hell is going on here?!" Ichigo cursed as he looked around for anything to teel him where he was until his eye spied a figure approaching him.

"Hmm? You aren't supposed to be here...Let me return you to your rightful place..." The being told him...Right until a second person slammed into him. That person went through the portal that was supposed to send him home while he himself careened in the other direction.

"Oops..."

HALKEGINIA, KINGDOM OF TRISTAIN

TRISTAIN MAGIC ACADEMY

"Alright! All of you get in line and wait for your chance to summon your familiars!" Colbert called out, trying to bring a sense of order to the chaos.

"Master Colbert? Why is she here? Zero Louise can't even use the most simple magic!" A rotund boy jeered as the various other students had stepped up and summoned their familiars.

"She is still a student here. As such she will be trying her hand." Colbert told the boy stiffly as he turned to said girl.

She was short for a girl her age, almost pixie-like. She had bright pink hair that came down in waves with matching eyes. From how the other students addressed her, she had a scowl on her otherwise cute features.

"Miss Valliere? It's your turn." The professor instructed as she stepped forward.

"My name is Louise Françoise le Blanc de la Vallière. Pentagon of the five elemental powers, Heed my summoning... and bring forth...my familiar!" She commanded as she waved her wand with a flourish, which resulted in a big explosion and a thud.

"Oof!" A masculine voice grunted out. The smoke cleared with a small burst of wind to reveal a tall blond man in his mid 20's with blue eyes and wearing strange clothes with a sword on his back. Ichigo looked around him to assess the situation. He saw several kids that were around his student's ages, maybe a bit older, as well as a balding man that looked to be in his early 40's. The kids seemed to be dressed in an identical uniform, which suggested the site to be a school of some kind and the older guy seemed to be an instructor.

'Oh well, no one seems to be hostile. Just shocked.' He thought as he took in the surroundings a bit more.

'Almost seems like...Early Victorian era Earth...Wierd...' He mused as he listened in on the spoken language.

'This is...French if I'm not mistaken...I hope I'm not out of practice...' He silently wished.

"WHAT? A HUMAN? Master Colbert, can I PLEASE try again? He's just a human!" Louise complained.

"No, Miss Valliere. You must complete the ceremony." Colbert instructed.

"What? She summoned a commoner? What a joke!" Kirche taunted, her summoned Salamander seemingly joining in, as well as the rest of the students there.

"He's...kinda handsome, though." Montmorency, a girl with blond hair in curls said aloud with a faint blush.

"What?! He's just a commoner. I'm much better looking." Guiche, a blond boy scoffed.

"He looks like a soldier of some kind. Look at the greaves, the strange armor and the weapon on his back..." Another student pointed out.

"Where the hell am I?" Ichigo asked, puzzled.

"S-shut up! Just let me finish this!" Louise, the girl with pink hair that reminded him of one of his students, yelling at the rest of the kids as she motioned for him to kneel down.

"Can you tell me where I am?" The tall Jounin asked as the girl ignored him and kissed him full on the lips. He quickly pulled away from him, startled.

"Hey! What the hell, kid?! I'm no pedophile!" Ichigo yelled as he felt his hand burn. He looked down, and saw something that looked like runes carving themselves into his hand. He tried to channel his chakra to fight it, but it was no use. As the pain left him, he shook it off.

"What the hell was that?" He asked.

"I just summoned you and you...although I am loath to admit it, are my familiar." The girl said with a slight amount of disdain.

"Your...familiar, you say? You still haven't explained where this is yet, young lady." Ichigo requested again, his arms crossed and expecting an answer.

"I am Louise Françoise le Blanc de la Vallière, your new master." Louise explained.

Colbert was eyeing this man that had appeared before them. He looked like a normal human, but there was something off about him.

"Miss Valliere...I must speak with him for a moment." Colbert said as he addressed the man.

"Excuse me, but where are you from?" The teacher asked.

"I'm...from the ninja village of Konoha within Fire Country. I'm one of the shinobi there and a Jounin-sensei. Now, maybe you can explain what just happened to me! I was at one of the training fields with my students when some crazy vortex tried to eat them! I threw them out of the way, but got sucked in myself and I wound up here!" Ichigo fumed.

"I see..." Colbert mused as he explained what just took place and where he was. He said that he had never heard of a place called Konoha or Fire Country.

"Well...likewise. I've never heard of this place, either. Since you guys brought me here, could you send me back? I've got friends, loved ones and my students back home." Ichigo replied, but got an answer he didn't like.

"I'm...afraid that the summoning of a human has never happened before. I have no idea how to send you back." Colbert told him, his tone holding a hint of sympathy. He couldn't imagine what it would feel like to be separated from your loved ones like that.

"I...see." Ichigo sighed in a defeated voice that trembled as he gritted his teeth and clenched his fists.

"I can, however, look into a way to send you back home." The professor informed him, bringing a slight sliver of hope back to the man's eyes.

"In the meantime, could you be her familiar? Teacher to teacher?" The magician asked of the shinobi in a hushed tone.

"Very well. I'll...endure it until you can find a way to send me back home, where I belong." The ninja replied as he turned back to the girl, who was only waist high to him.

"At least you're easy on the eyes. Come servant." Louise commanded as he grumbled something about "Bossy loli's".

KONOHA

Team 7 rushed into the Hokage's office in a panicked rush, hysterically babbling about some disk that ate their sensei. Sarutobi's eyes widened as he dispatched ANBU teams to the area to scout around for any trace of the blond man. The Clan Heads and even Jiraiya and Tsunade themselves, all searched the entire area surrounding the village. The Aburame's Kikai, The Inuzuka's dogs, nor the Hyuuga's Byakugan could find any sort of trace of the man. For hours, teams of shinobi scoured the area for any sign of the man, a distraught Anko with them. When she was told of what happened, she bolted out of her apartment and made a beeline to the training area, desperate for any sign of what happened to her lover.

"No...No! No no no no no!" Anko screamed into the night, pounding her fists into the ground in anguish as tears poured from her honey brown eyes.

Kurenai couldn't bear to see her best friend in such pain. The normally strong and cast iron kunoichi was sobbing uncontrollably into her shoulder and there was nothing she could do to stop it.

"How?! How could this happen?! He just proposed to me last week!" Anko cried even harder, making all present feel a pang of heartache for the young woman.

They had planned on getting married and seemed so happy about it. They couldn't recall a time when she was in such high spirits and they made each other so happy, like they were meant to be together. This kind of cruel separation, unfortunately, was quite common among shinobi couples.

Haku had also joined in on the search. She had just ended a long shift at the hospital when she heard the news. Without even thinking, she launched herself into the search.

'No...Ichigo-ojisan...I can't lose you like I lost Zabuza-otousan...' The Ice Maiden thought as she shed tears that froze before they hit the ground.

Team 7 was no better off. He was someone they looked up to and depended on for so much and now...he vanished without a trace. Sakura and Ayane kicked themselves. They felt that if they hadn't gotten caught in that thing's pull, their sensei would still be with them. Naruto himself was wracked with guilt. He felt completely helpless when his sensei and best friend sacrificed himself to save his teammates. Many others were deeply saddened by the news, but Anko was the most distraught of them all. While she grieved his disappearance after she was over the initial shock, she knew he was still alive somewhere.

Suddenly, a call came out from a thicket near the site.

"HEY! I got someone here! Don't know who he is, but he said he got here through a green portal." Tsume Inuzuka called out, a boy no older than Haku following her, looking lost and scared. Anko marched over to him and lifted him off of the ground by his collar angrily.

"WHAT DID YOU DO WITH MY FIANCEE?! WHO DO YOU TAKE ORDERS FROM?!" Anko bellowed at the top of her lungs, shaking him violently.

"I...I don't know! I don't even know where I am! Don't kill me!" The boy begged and pleaded with her.

"ANKO! Stop! We need to question him first!" Inoichi Yamanaka ordered.

"DON'T FUCK WITH ME YOU LITTLE SHIT! GIVE HIM BACK TO ME!" Anko raged even more until she felt her consciousness slip away, dropping the boy. Inoichi had used one of his mind jutsu on her to knock her out, walking up to the boy.

"Thank you...I thought she was going to kill me..." The boy sighed.

"Don't thank me yet. You still have some explaining to do, boy." Inoichi told him in a stern tone, going through a few handseals for another mind jutsu. The few moments he spent in the boy's head were tense, not knowing what they would find out. Inoichi came back out and sighed.

"The boy, named Saito Hiraga, was telling the truth. He really doesn't know how he got here, but he saw Suzumiya pass him by on his way through this vortex. They collided and the end result was that Suzumiya wound up where this young man was supposed to go and he wound up here...What a mess..." The Yamanaka leader sighed again in frustration. The others saw this info for what it was worth.

This knowledge, while frustrating, was also very comforting. It told them that if this boy was alive after going through this vortex, Ichigo was sure to be alive and well. They knew that he could take care of himself and was probably doing everything in his power to return to them. For now, Sarutobi had him stay in an apartment near Naruto and Haku, for his own protection and to better keep an eye on him until the time came for the switch to be made. Naruto simply stared at him before moving on his way when ever he saw Saito.

Naruto was really beating himself up over the incident, as was the rest of Team 7. They were training themselves into the ground and reading every sealing text they could get their hands on, all in an effort to bring their beloved sensei back to them. Jiraiya noticed the change in them and brought them back down to earth.

"Don't do this to yourselves. Messing with seals like this is extremely dangerous, even for someone like me. There's no telling what could be brought here if you mess with temporal jutsu recklessly." He admonished the team.

ANKO'S APARTMENT

Kurenai had dragged Anko back to her apartment to sleep off the effects of whatever Inoichi did to her. The crimson eyed kunoichi had never seen Anko lose her cool that badly before and she'd known Anko for a LONG time. If Inoichi hadn't done what he did, Anko more than likely would have killed that young man before they got any info from him. Ichigo was really important to her friend, even overriding her revenge against Orochimaru. Her plans for getting married came as a real shock to her, but it was none the less a pleasant one. Anko's personality had also undergone a change. She no longer went on Dango and Sake binges and actually cleaned her apartment up, along with eating healthier and taking better care of herself.

"I hope he can find a way back to us...For your sake, Anko. You've really turned yourself around and you're better for it. I just hope you don't revert. I really worry for you..." Kurenai told her sleeping friend softly.

BACK IN TRISTAIN

Ichigo was taking a look around his new surroundings with a calm veneer. He knew that going off the rails wouldn't help his situation and the best he could do was to cooperate and trust in Colbert to find a way home. In the meantime...

"Hurry up, commoner! Quit dragging your feet!" Louise commanded loudly as they made their way to her chambers.

"Damn...The things I do sometimes..." He groused as he followed her along.

The entire way, he received appraising looks for many girls along the way.

'Geez...This joint's a pedo's wet dream.' He balked mentally as he at least responded with a polite wave that made some of the girls titter, much to Louise's displeasure.

Finally, they made it to her room, where she wasted no time in laying down the law. She even had a task for him straight away.

"Now...Here is how things will go, commoner. I am your master and you are my familiar. You will obey me, is that understood?" She ordered.

He nearly had the urge to click his heels together and shout, "Jawohl!"...But that would have been in poor taste, not to mention she wouldn't get the joke. So...he settled for grumbling under his breath.

"Kurenai, Asuma, Haku, and Anko-hime would never let me live this down..." He groused, but she heard him.

"Who are they?" She asked curiously. He was a full grown man, yet he was being patient with her. She felt as if she owed him a certain level of civility for how he bore with her attitude without complaint.

"Oh...Asuma and Kurenai are friends of mine and fellow teachers like me and Haku is my niece, who lives with me. Her father was killed during a mission, so I took her in. Now, she's a Combat Medic, a little older than you are. As for Anko...*sigh* I asked her to marry me last week." The tall man sighed longingly.

"Did she say yes?" She asked excitedly.

'Heh...I guess she's just a normal girl underneath after all...'

"Yes...She did. We haven't decided on a date yet, but we know where we wanted the ceremony. It will be held on top of a great cliff face that overlooks our village, Konoha. It's called Hokage Mountain, since the faces of our leaders, the Hokage of the past and our current one, have the honor of having their faces engraved into the cliff face. It gives you a view of the whole village and the valley itself." Ichigo explained to her.

Louise tried imaging such a place and once she did, it took her breath away. Her familiar was turning out to be very interesting. He was at least ten years her senior, easily, but he gave off a vibe that somehow put her at ease and he had a niece around her age that was already a Combat Medic. On top of that, getting married to the one you loved sounded wonderful to her, but it was a luxury that nobles could seldom afford. All in all, it was a pleasant surprize to chance getting to know him

"I-If you don't mind me asking...What's she like? T-This woman you are to marry, I mean." She asked shyly, making him chuckle.

"Well...I don't mind one bit. You see..." He said as he told her what Anko was like, drawing some gasps and finally a small smile from her.

"She sounds wonderful." Louise admitted.

'I actually feel a bit jealous of that woman...' The pink haired girl admitted to herself.

"Yeah...She really is. I couldn't have fallen in love with a better woman." He agreed wistfully, with a touch of sadness.

She could hear the sadness in his voice. He wanted to go home to her badly, but before she could say anything, his newly acquired runes began to glow fiercely, making him writhe in pain on the floor while she began to panic.

"Wh-what's wrong?! What's happening?!" She fretted as knelt next to him.

"G-g-gah...Seal...Hand..." He groaned in pain until he passed out.

"H-HELP!" She yelled out into the hall, attracting the attention of a few professors, including Colbert.

"What happened to him, Miss Valliere?" Madame Chevreuse asked.

"I-I don't know! Some runes on his hand began to g-glow and...and then he...he...this..." Louise babbled out as Colbert investigated his hand.

'These runes...He can't be...I will need to check on this with Old Osmond...' The spectacled professor gasped in shock.

"Colbert! Snap out of it! Let's get this man into bed immediately!" Chevreuse ordered, turning to a fellow teacher.

"Professor Tremaine, can you help him ease the pain?" The chubby teacher asked of a hawk-like middle aged woman, a Water Mage.

"I believe I can. Miss Valliere, please retrieve a basin of water from the kitchen. I shall need it to work with." Professor Tremaine requested.

"Yes! I'll be as quick as I can!" The once haughty girl complied as she bolted down the hall.

A few moments saw her run back in with the requested water. Tremaine had made the preparations and began to use her water magic to ease his pain so he could rest...on her bed. He was so tall, that his feet dangled off of the edge and took up almost all of it! On top of that, the ladies got an eyeful of his physique once they took off his flak vest and under shirt, and found him to be very well muscled, with two strange brands, on each arm like tattoos. One they easily recognized as a Roman Numeral of the number 15, but the other eluded them. In addition to that, they found a ring on a chain around his neck.

'That's an engagement ring...He's engaged? That must be one lucky girl...' The Hawkish professor though. A few moments more saw him settle down and into a peaceful sleep as Tremaine ended her treatment.

"I don't know what happened, but he seems to be doing fine now and needs to rest." Tremaine advised, being one of the school's nurses. She knew what she was doing, so Louise complied without hesitation. The teachers filed out of the room, Chevreuse and Tremaine for the lounge and Colbert for the library to look up what he had seen, while Louise kept watch over her familiar and God willing, a friend.

LATER THAT NIGHT...

Ichigo woke up in the middle of the night, his body feeling like one giant cramp as he hefted himself out of bed. He looked around the room, hoping to be back in Konoha, but no such luck. He did, however, see his so called master slumped over in a chair next to the bedside.

'Looks like she fell asleep taking care of me after I blacked out. Man, that was really wierd...' He mused as he stood up and looked for his shirt and vest, finding it on a dresser across the room. He put them back on and walked over to the young girl.

"She reminds me a bit of how Ino used to be..." He said to himself as he gently hefted the girl into his arms and placed her under the covers of her own bed, tucking her in for the night.

"G'night, kid." He grunted with a grin as he took her chair and decided that a little extra shut eye wouldn't hurt any, so he closer his eyes and dreamed a sweet dream of the day he would return home and everything would go back to normal.

'Good night, Anko-hime...'

THE NEXT MORNING...

Louise slowly roused herself from her sleep to find herself in her own bed and tucked in to boot. She was still clothed, mind you. She looked around for her familiar to find him resting in the chair she last remembered sitting in, dressed in his garb from before. She gave him a slight grin as she climbed out of bed and got her face washed before rousing her familiar, gently. After all, he was kind enough to tuck her into bed like he did and it would only be proper that she show the same courtesy, so she gently shook him and he opened his eyes slowly. She was stunned that his crystal blue eyes seemed to gleam in the sunlight.

"Oh...Good morning, Louise. Did you sleep well?" He asked as he stretched out.

"H-How are you feeling? I-I mean...from what happened yesterday?" She asked.

"Oh that...Well, I'm feeling a good deal better than yesterday and well rested. Thank you for asking, little miss." He responded with a grin. He was used to dealing with kids her age, so dealing with Louise came easy to him.

"S-Since you're well, you can accompany me to breakfast and to class." She told him, trying to sound official.

"Sounds like a plan." He said pleasantly.

"Aren't sad and want to go home?" She asked him questioningly. He was a little too chipper for a guy that was homesick.

"Well, here's my philosophy. It won't do me any good to sit here and sulk, so I may as well keep busy and try not to think about it. I just need to trust in Colbert to find a way." He explained to the girl.

"How do you know to trust someone?" She asked. Her elders sisters never talked with her much, but for vastly different reasons. Eleonore was constantly bitter while Cattleya was very kind, but she was frail. She never really sees her father or mother and all of the household servants were far too formal with her. She was thirsting for an older person to learn from, since she was taught so little by them and her social skills suffered for it.

"If you don't have trust, then you don't really have anything. You should always be able to trust your teacher." The elder man taught to her.

"I'm ashamed to say this, but I don't even know your name." She asked, shame faced.

"My name is Ichigo. Ichigo Suzumiya. A pleasure to meet you, Miss Louise." He greeted her formally, kissing her hand and making her blush.

"Well...Ichigo, I'm...sorry. For how I treated you at first." She replied, feeling slightly ashamed of her behaivor when he was nothing but polite to her.

"It's alright. Just remember that I'm a human being, too. Alright?" He asked.

"Agreed."

As they made their way to the dining hall, she was thinking that her flub with the summoning was turning out to be a blessing in disguise. He was younger than almost all of the staff and as old as her sisters but he was very wise. His eyes, while bright, hid something else. After all, that blade that he carried on his back wasn't for show and he seemed to constantly be on alert.

DINING HALL

They made it to the dining hall and she took a seat there with some of the other students. Two of the students Ichigo saw from the courtyard the previous day was there, as well. She was a tall girl with tanned skin, long red hair, and a figure that would make a model jealous. The other was a short, quiet girl with short blue hair, glasses and a curved staff, her nose in a book.

"Now that I've seen him up close, he's certainly easy on the eyes." The girl commented with a slight leer as she squeezed his bicep.

"Ooh...Hard as a rock. I think I'm in love..." She added as she sidled up to him, but pulled away quickly and seamlessly.

"Beat it, Kirche! He's taken already!" Louise contested hotly.

"I don't see a ring on his finger, Louise, so he's fair game." Kirche retorted, making Ichigo clear his throat.

"Actually, I'm engaged to be married, Miss Kirche." He clarified for her in a stern voice, making sure that he was understood along with pulling out his ring on his chain from under his vest. To his relief, he was understood and she backed up with a pouty look on her face.

"Oh...Fine." She huffed as she crossed her arms. He chuckled at her reaction, but is eyes were drawn to her side. He knelt down and peered at the squat four-legged creature next to her with interest. He reached out and patted it's snout, to which he got an accepting squawk, the creature pushing it's head into his hand.

"I see that Flame likes you." Kirche commented.

"What manner of creature is it?" He asked, his curiosity piqued as he scratched the massive lizard under it's chin, making it growl in pleasure.

"He's a Salamander. They can breathe fire and live in it, too. Can't you, my little cutie?" She explained while she cooed to the creature, Flame lapping up the affection eagerly as it's flaming tail wagged back and forth.

He them looked to the short girl and peered at her for a second.

"Tabitha." She said suddenly, pointing to herself.

"Ichigo." He replied, mimicking what she did. She then nodded in approval and went back to reading her book. She could tell that he was far more than he seemed, but left it at that. She would get more chances to find out in the future.

"Come along or we'll miss breakfast, Kirche." Louise sighed, dragging her own familiar with her. She sat him down beside her, but another one of the students from before spoke out against his sitting with them.

"Now, Louise...I'm sure that your family taught you better than to dine with filthy commoners." Guiche drawled out.

"Leave him alone, Guiche! I'm warning you!" Louise growled at the arrogant boy.

"Louise...It's alright. If it will cause trouble to stay here, I'll go find food elsewhere." Ichigo calmed her as he stood to his full height, almost two heads taller than Guiche, and disappeared in a column of water.

Everyone couldn't believe what they had just saw. A mere commoner was able to use magic? On top of that, he used it as a sort of teleport spell. It was certainly impressive. Many of Louise's detractors were beginning to wonder if she really did get a good familiar.

"Finally...That common heathen is gone and I can enjoy my meal." Guiche sighed as he dug in again, but Louise wasn't happy with the way her familiar was treated, not at all. Commoner or not, he was an intelligent person and he was nice to talk to, not to mention he just revealed that he was much more than he seemed. She ate her meal in silence, wondering if he was getting to eat or not.

Ichigo stumbled across a servant girl Haku's age, named Siesta.

'Huh...Spanish for nap...cute...' He mused.

"So, you are the familiar of Miss Valliere?" She asked.

"Yeah...That's me." He answered her simply.

"You're very tall, Mr..." She commented while fishing for a name.

"Ichigo, Ichigo Suzumiya." He introduced himself.

"Mr. Suzumiya then..." She said as he corrected her.

"Just Ichigo will be fine, young lady." He corrected her with a smile that made her feel more comfortable. He was very tall, muscular and he looked very intimidating with his armament and light armor, but that grin made her feel easier about talking with him.

"Where are you from, Ichigo?" She asked.

"From a village surrounded by a massive forest and a mountain range to the North, called Konoha. I was...a soldier of that village and our Country, was well as a teacher." He related to her. It couldn't hurt to tell her a few facts since this wasn't even the same world and everyone knew that he was summoned in a crazy ritual.

"A teacher, you say? Of what?" She asked, to which he related some of the basic details of where he was from.

"So...You have students that were left behind when you were summoned here?" She asked.

"Yes...I have a picture of them..." He mentioned, reaching into his pouch and pulling out his wallet and his pictures. The first one showed Team 7 right after a small C-Rank mission in the Fire Capitol.

"The girl with pink hair is Sakura Haruno. Next to her is Ayane Tenshin. Finally, we have the blond boy, Naruto Uzumaki. Taking a team is one of the best decisions in my life, since it gives me a gratifying feeling to pass on what I know. Here...here's another picture..." He said, pulling out more.

The next one showed him with his fellow sensei and girlfriend.

"Who are these ladies? They're really pretty..." Siesta gasped.

"The woman with the wavy dark hair is Kurenai Yuuhi, a fellow sensei. The man with the beard is Asuma Sarutobi, another sensei of a team as is the unidentifiable lifeform with the bad haircut, Maito Gai. Finally, there is my...fiancée, Anko Mitarashi. I asked her to marry me a week before this all happened." He sighed.

"Oh wow! She said yes, I hope!" She tittered excitedly, as well as a few older ladies who overheard and thought that it was really sweet.

"Yeah...She was really excited, too. We didn't get a chance to set a date, but we want to have the wedding on top of a mountain overlooking the village and the surrounding valley." He told her as she led him to the kitchens to get some soup and bread. She was then tasked with bringing out more food to the students.

"Hold on there...I'll give you a hand as a thank you for the soup." He told her as he cracked his knuckles and formed his blond student's favourite seal.

KAGE BUNSHIN!

With that, he conjured up five clones that looked identical to him who picked up the trays.

The cooks and Galley staff gaped in awe that a plebeian like themselves could command magic.

"Were you a noble at one time or somethin' like that, sonny?" Marteau, the head cook asked him.

"No...Nothing like that. I'm a shinobi, that's all." He told them as he turned to Siesta.

"Well? Tell them where you want it." He encouraged the girl.

"Um...F-follow me, please." She instructed the clones, who obeyed her command.

As she left, he stumbled a bit and noticed something odd with his chakra.

'That's odd...It took more chakra than usual to do it...It must be this seal in my hand...I'll have to test it out later.' He reasoned as he left the kitchen.

He walked along the halls, taking in the decorum and mapping the place out in his head until he happened upon the boy from before. He seemed to be hitting on a girl the same age as his two kunoichi students. He was about to ignore them until he saw a vial fall from his pocket.

"Hey...You going to pick that up?" He called out, motioning to the vial on the ground. His eyes narrowed suddenly, giving the Jounin a clue that he was hiding something.

"It's not mine." He said with a glare that was shouting for him to leave, but the girl bent down to pick it up. Her eyes widened as she caught a whiff of the vial's contents.

"Guiche! This is Montmorency's special perfume! You're dating her at the same time?!" The girl exclaimed as she shoved the vial into his hands.

"Katie...My love...You are the only one for me! I swear!" The wannabe playboy tried to reason with her, but a third person got involved to Ichigo's amusement.

"Guiche? Is that ture?" It was the blond girl from the summoning and she looked quite upset.

"Ah...Uh...Hey, listen Monmon...it's not what it looks like..." He stammered out as he fished for excuses. Before he could find one, a pair of hands found their way to each of his cheeks.

"Good bye, you two-timer!" They both yelled at Guiche as they passed him.

Guiche stood there and sighed for a moment before glaring at the blond man again, who was too busy laughing at him to notice. He stomped up to the man and pulled out a velvet glove, but before he could strike him to initiate a duel, the blond man caught his wrist in a split second and lifted him off of the ground by it.

"Bad idea, boy. Never, NEVER try to sneak up on a Jounin. You'll live longer that way." He told the boy in a cold, frosty voice that chilled him to the very bone, dropping him to the ground unceremoniously.

"Besides...Guys like you give the rest of us men a bad name. I wouldn't feel too bad about taking you out of the breeding pool." Ichigo commented lightly.

Guiche may have been scared spitless of this man, but his wounded pride won out.

"I challenge you to a duel, you common mongrel! At Vestri Court! Come, if you are not too afraid to fight a mage of my calibre!" Guiche taunted as Louise came running.

"What did you do?! We need to apologise to Guiche and stop this! You could get hurt!" She pleaded with him and tugged at his hand, but he remained immobile.

"No. He needs to be taught a valuable lesson that his father apparently never did, and that is to pick your fights a little more carefully." Ichigo told her calmly.

"Please...don't do it! You only just recovered from whatever it was that was hurting you! His father is one of the Grand Generals of the Tristain Army!" She begged with him.

"I'll be fine, little miss. Just have a little faith in me. My disappearing act was only one of several secrets about myself. Besides, he slandered you when he slandered me, so I can't let this blemish on our honor go unavenged can I?" He told her, giving her a mischievous and playful grin with a wink as he turned to the nearest student.

"Excuse me...But where is Vestri Court located?" He asked.

"Uh...It's over there..." The student said, pointing it out as he teleported away again.

VESTRI COURT

He teleported into the Court to find Guiche in the middle of a massive group of students that had come out to see the fight. Guiche was in the middle of preening for the crowd when he noticed that his opponent had arrived.

"Oh. You actually had the bravery to show up. Now...We'll see you tough you are now that I, Guiche the Bronze, can wield my magic to it's full effect!" He gloated.

Louise had just entered the court, huffing and puffing from sprinting the entire way there in a last ditch attempt at stopping her familiar from doing something foolish.

"Please! Guiche! He doesn't know any better! Just…Call this off! You know that duels aren't allowed!" She yelled in a last ditch effort to halt the duel, but he only laughed at her.

"Miss Louise, only duels between fellow nobles are forbidden, but not duels between plebeians and nobles." He retorted and with a flourish of his rose tipped wand, a golem made of solid bronze rose form the ground.

'What the hell is that? Some kind of Iwa bunshin? No...It looks like a woman in armor and a Halberd. Heh...This brat is in for a rude awakening...'

"I, Guiche the Bronze hereby open the duel!" Guiche proclaimed, holding his wand aloft like a wannabe superhero.

"Well...I am Ichigo Suzumiya, Jounin of Konoha and Sensei of Team 7." He replied, thinking it to be some kind of duel etiquette.

No sooner than he said that, the golem charged at him. It was surprisingly fast, but not nearly fast enough for a Jounin or even a Genin. Each of his students could kick this kid's sorry ass to hell and back. He decided to toy with the golem for a bit by weaving in and out of the construct's strikes with fluid movements and skill. After a few moments of this, Guiche was beginning to get agitated, knowing that by now his opponent was mocking him. He created even more golems to join in the fight and they charged in there.

Now, he had over half a dozen of the damn things to fight and his patience was at it's end.

'Little bastard...'

"Fine...I'm through playing with you. Now, it's time that I show you what fighting a shinobi is really all about." Ichigo growled as he blocked two blows with his Tekkou and used their force to propel him away, giving him time to draw his blade, the Viper's Tail.

He felt a strange rush of power when he drew it, but paid it no mind for now as he lashed out with the whip-like blade in a flourishing dance, rending most the small bronze squad into shreds in seconds and then launched a blast of compressed air to shred the last few.

AIR GRENADE!

With one final slash, he sliced Guiche's wand off up to the knuckle and vanished in a blur of pure speed. In seemingly the same instant, he reappeared behind the arrogant noble boy, his now re-connected sword at his throat.

"You're dead, boy." He whispered into Guiche's ear, the ice in his tone making him lose all bladder control and soiled himself once the raw bloodlust his opponent was radiating hit him.

"M-my f-father is a G-General! I am a w-warrior!" Guiche trembled. Ichigo scowled in disgust.

"You...are nothing but a coward. You believed I would be easy prey, didn't you? Guess again. Never confuse yourself for a fighter of any kind. I might take offense to it." He snarled in the boy's ear as he dropped him.

'Damn...I was right. This seal or what ever it is...It helps me with weapons, but screws with my control. Man...Now I'll have to put in double the effort just to catch up again. ' He groaned as he turned to his 'Mistress', who addressed his actions.

"You can't kill him!" She yelled.

"Why not? He was trying to kill me, believing I had no ability to defend myself beyond my weapons. That's pretty hypocritical." Ichigo scowled. He'd teach her the real ways of the world one way or another. He was to go home, but he didn't want her to remain ignorant. However, he calmed down and changed his mood.

"See? I told you to just have a little faith in me...and you could do with some faith in yourself, too, my Mistress." He said, bowing to her in a grandiose manner and hamming it up, winking at her. She knew that he was doing it to boost her confidence and was very grateful for it. She decided to play along and walked over to Guiche, looking down at him.

"Be grateful that my familiar and I chose to have mercy on you, Guiche. He could have lopped your head off if he chose to...Just remember that." She stated as she turned with a dramatic swish of her cloak and walked off, Ichigo following her.

The crowd and faculty gathered were completely stunned at what the hell just happened. This supposed commoner had just utterly crushed one of the most talented mages at the Academy and he did it with ease, through the usage of both incredible speed and skill, as well as a form of elemental powers that they could not identify. They could definitely say that Louise had a very powerful familiar with her.

One person, though, watching from his office window, had seen things like this before. Old Osmond had seen something like him before and he remembered the man well...

OLD OSMOND'S MEMORY

30 YEARS AGO

Osmond was taking a walk through the forest when he was attacked by a large dragon. Ordinarily, he would have no problem dispatching a beast such as this, but he had left his wand back in his office since this was meant to be a peaceful walk and there weren't supposed to be any beasts this close to the Academy. He tried to run, but the beast was too fast and was quickly bearing down on him. Just before the beast caught up to him, a flash of light exploded in between them and a heavily injured man fell from a portal.

He looked to be bleeding heavily from his midsection from what appeared to be a stab wound and he staggered to his feet to face the beast. From a pouch attached to his leg, he pulled out a diamond shaped knife with a ring at the end of the handle, a piece of paper attached to the end of it. With a grunt, the man ignited the paper, which began to spark.

"Go! I'll hold this thing off!" The man yelled at Osmond, his voice loaded with pain as he threw the knife and tag.

Just as the knife hit the beast, it blew up in a grand explosion that knocked them both off of their feet. He looked to the dragon to see if it damaged the beast to see that the dragon no longer had a head, having been blown clean off. The man didn't get up, his bleeding only getting worse. Osmond quickly grabbed the man and ran him to the infirmary to at least try and treat the wounds of the man that saved his life.

The man held on for a little while longer, but died shortly after they started treating him, having bled out on the treatment table. Osmond had him buried with honor on the Academy grounds as a nameless hero, having kept the metal plated headband with a spiral insignia that he wore as a memento to remember him by, as well as the spare tags that he had in his pouch. He had seen what the tags could do and he locked them away as powerful magical artifacts, calling them Talismans of Destruction.

MEMORY END

'Could he be from the same world? He bears the same insignia as the man who saved me...He may have known about him.' The old man thought as he called for his secretary, an attractive woman named Longueville.

"Miss Longueville...Could you tell that young man down there that I would like to speak with him?" Osmond asked of her, his mouse familiar scurrying under her robes as he said this.

"Eeek! Dirty old man!" She shrieked as she smacked him square in the jaw.

"I'll...go track him down. He seems to be Miss Valliere's familiar, so he won't be too hard to find." The beleaguered woman sighed as she set about her task to track down the towering blond.

CLASSROOM

Louise was feeling a little better and dare say vindicated. Guiche was one of her biggest tormentors next to Kirche, but at least Kirche knew where to draw the line, he didn't. Her familiar revealed more amazing abilities that he possessed, like his amazing speed and high level of physical strength. He was so fast that nobody saw him move. There was a 20 yard distance between Guiche and Ichigo, but he covered it in less than the blink of an eye. His nature out of combat and in combat couldn't be more opposing, but the fact remains that he was kind initially and that was what mattered.

They walked into the classroom and the other students gave them a wide berth, having seen what the familiar was capable of. Louise was just glad that no one was calling her the Zero and/or bothering her.

As soon as everyone was seated, the professor walked into the room. Louise recognised her form the day before.

"Good morning, class. My Runic Name is Red Clay. Chevreuse the Red Clay and I am a Triangle Earth Mage. I will be your teacher for this year...Oh." The pudgy teacher stopped as she noticed two familiar faces.

"And how are we this morning, young man?" She asked to his surprize.

"Ummm...I'm doing well, thank you ma'am." He replied warily.

"That is good. When you blacked out, Miss Valliere was quite concerned for you and even flagged down myself and two other professors nearby to help treat you. It is good to see that you are up and about so quickly." She said with a smile.

"I know. I'm quite thankful to her." He replied with a smile, ruffling her hair affectionately.

Unfortunately, a boy from the other day decided to pitch in his two cents.

"Hey, Louise the Zero! Some familiar you got there! He was so pathetic that he fainted from the slight..." He jeered until he was cut off by a sudden wave of dread that washed over him. He was looking for the source and found the tall blond glaring at him. Just then, he felt the fear increase to the point that he soiled himself in his seat. To him, it was like staring into the eyes of a sapphire eyed demon.

"Not so confident now, are you?" He quipped, his voice carrying a dangerous edge, making him evacuate his seat in mortal terror and leave the room.

Louise seemed to know who was responsible for that, even though no one else did.

"You...Didn't need to do that for me. I can handle it." Louise told him quietly.

"No. One of my students and myself were treated like this, too...Outcasts for something out of our control. I refuse to stand by and watch it happen, like so many others have done." He told her, his gaze hardening.

"Thank you...Once again..." She whispered, to which her ruffled her hair again.

"Don't mention it. I'm supposed to look out for you, remember?" He chuckled as he sat down again.

Madame Chevreuse smiled at the display. To her it looked less like Master/Familiar and more older brother/little sister.

'He's so protective of her...Like her very own guardian angel. She already looks happier than before and perhaps she will have more confidence in herself. Maybe this was meant to be...' The rotund teacher thought as she started the lesson.

"Today's lesson will be on transfiguration." She told the class as she pulled out a small handful of pebbles and placed them on the table.

"Do you know the four main elements magic...Miss Zerbst?" Madame Chevreuse asked.

Kirche stood up and answered her question.

"Yes...The four are Earth, Wind, Water, and Fire." Kirche answered.

"Very good, Miss Zerbst. Those four, combined with the now extinct Void element, make up the five elements of all magic. In my personal opinion, Earth has great importance. Can anyone tell me why?" She asked.

The class looked stumped, but Ichigo figured that one out in a second. Where he came from, Earth jutsu users could craft entire houses out of stone with ease. They could cause crops to either grow or die out by sucking out the nutrients or using their chakra to breath life into the land. He whispered it into her ear and her eyes widened.

"How do you know about magic?" She asked him, completely bewildered.

"I don't. Ninjutsu has a similar wheel of elements and I have a friend that has a strong Earth affinity. It was simple deduction from there." He told her.

Again, Louise was getting to hear more about this strange and interesting culture her familiar came from, so she listened with interest while Madame Chevreuse droned on without them being noticed due to a slight Genjutsu he put around them.

"Really? What elements are you?" She asked.

"Well, I myself have a Wind and Water affinity, with a branching sub-element of Ice. We have five elements, too. Earth, Fire,Water, Wind, and Lightning. The sub-elements that I know of are Ice, Wood, Sand, and Iron. Sub-elements are exceedingly rare, as Haku and myself are the only ones I know of that can use Ice. Wood was used by my village's first leader, the Shodaime Hokage. Sand and Iron are two that come from a village that is allied to ours, Suna, The Village hidden in the Sands. For all I know, there could be more out there that I haven't seen." He explained to her.

"I see...that is very interesting. You'll have to tell me more later." She told him as he dropped the minor Genjutsu the made it look like they'd paid attention for the whole class. Unfortunately, the teacher was looking for volunteers for something.

"Ah...Miss Valliere. Could you give us a demonstration of Transfiguration?" The teacher asked.

"N-no! Don't do it!" One student cried out.

"Oh...Come off it, now. Miss Valliere, please come down and give it a try." The teacher instructed.

Louise stood up stiffly and made her way down to the middle of the classroom. He quickly noticed that the rest of the students were taking cover and wondered why as she attempted her spell...Only it to backfire in a most grandiose way. He quickly ducked as soon as he saw the flash and managed to escape the blast, but saw that Louise was in the epicentre of the blast. Her hair was frayed, uniform dishevelled and wearing a highly upset look on her face.

"Oh dear..." Was all the teacher could say before the students came out of cover.

"See?! We told you not to let her try it! All her spells end up like this!" Kirche exclaimed, Tabitha simply nodding next to her.

This made Ichigo wonder what was wrong.

'If magic is anything like chakra...Maybe she doesn't have any control? That was Naruto's problem and we found a way around it...simply give him high cost jutsu and he can use them with ease. Maybe Lousie here has the same problem.' He wondered as he ambled down to Madame Chevreuse and Louise.

"You okay? You hurt anywhere?" He asked her as he dusted her off slightly.

"Yes...I'll be fine." She whispered.

"I've never seen a spell backfire that badly before." Chevreuse commented.

"One of my students, Naruto, had a problem similar to this, but I need some things clarified. Do you have set amounts of magic within you? Like a pool to draw from?" Ichigo asked.

"Well, yes. We do." She answered, dismissing the rest of the students for now.

"Good. The chakra that we shinobi and myself use is the same way. The larger the reserves, the harder it is to control. Naruto has nearly superhuman chakra reserves, a little larger than my own as they are now. But since he's so young, younger than Louise by at least two or three years, he has huge problems with his control that were overlooked for years until myself and another instructor caught it." Ichigo began to explain.

"I see...But what problems could arise from such a predicament?" Chevreuse inquired.

"Well...Let's say that a normal mage's reserves are like a small pond and Louise's is like a lake. The amount of magic this exercise needs is small, isn't it?" He asked of her.

"Well...Yes, this is a rudimentary Transfiguration spell. The cost is very small." She told him.

"Okay, then...I'm on the right track. Now, your normal mage would have no problems with this, since their reserves are far more easily managed. For Louise here, it would be like trying to use a wind storm to blow out a candle without damaging anything. You see...The reason why she could be backfiring her spells is because she needs to learn how to control all of that power properly." The towering man explained.

Madame Chevreuse had to admit that it made an awful lot of sense, not to mention that it was a viable explanation for her troubles with magic.

"I can see your point. You are a highly intelligent young man, you know?" She commented.

"I try. I also have one more question for you. How do you go about testing for affinities? That could be another problem. That same student of mine, Naruto, had that problem with Fire Techniques since he is a Wind Type Shinobi primarily, with a Water and minor Earth affinity as well. I'm not sure how is works with you, but with us, Fire beats Wind, Wind beats Lightning, Lightning beats Earth, Earth beats Water and Water beats Fire. We have other sub-elements like Ice, Wood and Sand, but those are very rare and very often bloodline specific." He explained again.

"Well...I suppose we could ask Old Osmond. He is the director of this Academy and he would know of such a way. Every child should have known their alignment before being enrolled here, but I suppose one or two may slip through the cracks. I will talk this over with him and see how it goes." The professor offered as another person made her presence known to them.

"Ah...Miss Loungeville...To what do owe this pleasure?" Chevreuse asked politely of the younger woman.

"Master Osmond wishes to speak with Miss Valliere about her familiar. If you would be so kind as to follow me to his office?" She asked of them.

Ichigo was instantly on guard, which Louise noticed almost instantly. She had already come to trust his judgement.

"We mean you no harm. Master Osmond is the director of this Academy." Loungeville explained. He eased, but was still cautious.

"We'll go, then." Louise signalled for him to follow.

HEADMASTER'S OFFICE

They followed her through the academy and into the Headmaster's office. They were now looking at an old man with long silvery hair and a matching beard, holding a long staff with a gnarled top.

"Miss Valliere and familiar, welcome." Osmond greeted.

"Headmaster...His name is Ichigo." Louise corrected. Loungeville looked scandalized, but Osmond waved her off.

"Now, now, Miss Loungeville. It was my mistake and faux pas for not learning his name first." He said before he turned to the pair.

"Welcome, Miss Valliere and Ichigo. I know that this is rather sudden to have been called here, and rest assured, Miss Valliere, that there will be no repercussions for what happened in the classroom. It was a simple accident. It wasn't the first and certainly not the last this Academy will ever see." He informed her with a chuckle.

The old man seemed very familiar to him.

'Sorta like Old Man Hokage in a way...He seems genial enough, but there's a side to watch for in both cases. Never hurts to err on the side of caution.' He thought as Louise sighed in relief that she wasn't going to be held accountable for what happened.

"As I was saying...The reason why I have called you here today is due to the...unique nature of your summoning and where you hail from." He said, pulling something tattered out of his desk drawer. He presented it and to his shock, it was a Konoha Hitae-ate just like his, only much older.

"Perhaps you could tell me where this came from, since you bear an identical symbol on the headband you possess." Osmond asked, opening up the questioning.

"Where...Did you get that? It is indeed from my village, but how in the world did it end up here?" He asked, to which the old man explained.

"Thirty years ago, I was walking through the forests that surround this academy when I was attacked by a dragon. The forests are normally very peaceful, so I had neglected to take my staff with me and had no choice but to run. As the dragon drew upon me, a bright flash of light went off between us and a wounded man tumbled out. He staggered to his feet and yelled at me to run while he threw a knife with a powerful talisman attached to the end. The talisman exploded with tremendous force, killing the dragon in one blow. However, he had succumbed to his wounds. Despite getting him back here to get medical treatment, it was already too late and he died. I took his headband as a memento and sealed away the talismans, for fear that someone might misuse them. He was buried near Vestri Court with honors for his heroic deed." Osmond told them, winding down the tale.

"I see..." Ichigo murmured.

"Can you tell me of where you hail from? I would like to know the origins of my saviour." Osmond asked of him.

"I can't say that I knew him, since this happened before I was born (Yeah...Right...), but the name of our village is Konohagakure, or Village Hidden in the Leaves. The time period you stated was around the time of the Second Shinobi War and he must have been fighting in it." Ichigo explained.

"I see...Thank you. While I would love to have known his name so that I could craft him a proper headstone, his village of birth will suffice. Once again, thank you." The old man told him gratefully, but had another question for him.

"However...I believe you had a term for what your people are called..." He said, fishing for the name.

"We're called ninja, shinobi. Translated literally, it means shadowed death. Our society is both diverse and can be a bit complex at times. Ninja villages are run almost autonomously within their host countries. We are located within Fire Country, so we answer only to the Fire Daimyo if need be, and he has the final say in who is selected be our Kage, the one trusted to lead the village, which is a good chunk of his country's military power. We are also given most of the dirty work, but those jobs are for the higher ranking ninja...Like myself. The brand on my arm has a significant meaning...That I was once part of the Black Ops Forces. While you are active in the Black Ops, your identity is a secret, since we wear special masks to keep our faces hidden." He explained a bit on how his world works.

"Interesting...This Daimyo of yours...Could he be considered a King?" Osmond asked.

"That's about right. I've met our Daimyo before, since most Jounin have met him at least once." Ichigo told him offhandedly.

"Jounin...What does that mean? Is it a rank of sorts?" Louise asked.

"Very good, Louise...You pick things up quickly. To answer that, yes. It is a term of rank. From bottom to top, it goes from Academy student, Genin, Chuunin, Special Jounin, Jounin, ANBU, ANBU Captains like I was, the ANBU and Jounin Commanders, then the Kage himself. Genin are the fledglings and are usually in teams of three with a Jounin teaching and supervising them until they make rank, but some teams stick together far beyond that. My three students are Genin and recent graduates. Next are the Chuunin. They can lead smaller teams of Genin on missions and can teach at the Academy, as well as other duties about the village. Once a nin reaches that rank, many fields become available to them. Special Jounin, like my fiancee and niece, are usually specialized in one area of expertise. Anko's is interrogation and information gathering while Haku is a medical specialist. Next are the full Jounin. One's in good standing can take a Genin team if they desire or join the ANBU Black Ops. They are usually the Unit Commanders. The regular ANBU members hold this rank as a courtesy until retirement and resuming their original posts. The Captains have authority overriding that of a Jounin and are usually very strong and skilled, the last people you would want to upset. Above them are the Commanders of both, who command them in times of conflict like Generals. Finally, the Kage. Each of the major villages has a Kage that is represented by their country, Hokage for Fire Country, Kazekage for Wind, Tsuchikage for Earth, Raikage for Lightning, and Mizukage for Water. Each Kage is very, very powerful and should only be fought by another of equal strength." Ichigo explained to them.

"Fascinating..." Osmond murmured. Hearing about foreign cultures had always been a subject of interest for him. His thoughts then went to the small battle with Guiche and how he was able to fight without his weapon at first. It seemed as if he was only toying with him.

"You are still warriors, I imagine? Surely you have fighting arts of your own and that you teach your students?" Osmond inquired.

"Well, yes we do. Not all nin use swords like I do, or even dedicated weapons at all. Most stick to kunai and shuriken. Our arts can be broken down into at least three main categories, with others that branch out. They are Taijutsu, the physical fighting arts. Ninjutsu, what you would call magic in a sense but I will elaborate on that more later. Lastly, Genjutsu, illusionary arts and skills." He explained. He then concentrated for a second before pulling water out of the air and forming a ball in his hands.

"This is considered Ninjutsu...A ninja's core ability. Using ones inner energies to perform amazing feats such as this." He said, dropping the ball and leaping up to the ceiling...And standing on it as if it were solid ground, making their jaws drop.

"Incredible..." Louise murmured, awe struck. He smirked as he held up a handseal and was enveloped in a cloud of smoke. Once the cloud vanished, an exact duplicate of her stood next to her to her astonishment.

"It's like looking in a mirror..." She commented as her copy mimicked her every move.

"Yep...You're a cute one, alright." Her clone answered her with her own voice.

"H-How did you do that?!" She exclaimed.

"Simple. It's only a Henge, a basic skill taught to Academy students. All it is is a simple illusion to fool the unwary. A more experienced ninja could call out a fake, though. Naruto though...I still have no idea how he's able to make his transformations real. Damn that Sexy Jutsu of his..." He muttered at the end as he changed back.

"Sexy...Jutsu? Why do I not want to know what that is..." Loungeville groaned.

"You don't. Trust me. Naruto invented it as an Anti-Pervert jutsu and it works...A little too well. He turns into a female version of himself and...well...You get what I'm trying to say." Ichigo explained with a sigh.

"What could have possibly possessed him to come up with something that...vulgar?" Loungeville asked.

"Well...He was a lonely kid and people hated him for circumstances surrounding his birth, on top of no one explaining what proper behaviour was. I think he did it just to get some form of attention. He never had any real friends until I showed up." Ichigo told them sadly. The Kyuubi was a sensitive subject and it would remain a secret.

Osmond looked like he understood the boy's actions as did the others. Someone lonely and looking for attention would go to any lengths to get it, positive or otherwise and Louise could understand being lonely. She was wishing that she could have met him and talked with him. She might have gotten a friend out of it.

"He's a really resilient little guy, though. He bounces right back from things really quickly, physical or otherwise. He was last in his class and constantly jeered at by most of his classmates like Louise is now, but now he's one of, if not the strongest of his peers. All of that is through sheer will and hard work. That kid's got a hell of a work ethic, like some kind of workaholic. On top of that, one of the only girls in his class that didn't make fun of him actually had a crush on him...Lesse here...Picture..." He muttered as he rifled through his wallet for a picture, finally finding what he was looking for.

He showed them a picture of Naruto, who had a girl with midnight hair and lavender colored eyes on his arm. They looked like they were enjoying themselves quite a bit. At first, they all thought that the girl was blind, but he corrected them.

"Oh no...She's not blind in anyway. In fact, she and her clan have better eyesight that I do. It's just the way they are." He explained.

"Well...She is rather cute and they make a cute couple..." Louise commented with a small smile.

"Yeah...A loud and rowdy orphan and a shy and gentle heiress..." Ichigo chuckled.

"Sounds like something from a fairytale..." Louise added with a slight giggle. As they got all of that aside, Osmond got down to what he brought the tall shinobi there for, pulling the tags out of the protective case. He then turned to Miss Loungeville and Louise.

"Could the two of you please wait outside for the time being?" He asked of them politely. The young woman swiftly turned and walked out, but Louise was pensive.

"It'll be fine. I'll be right out, I promise." He told her. She gave him a hesitant nod as she too left the room.

"Now, can you tell me what these really are?" He requested of the shinobi.

"These are tools that we use called explosive tags. What you do is you tie them to or wrap them around the handle of one of these..." He explained, pulling a kunai out of his leg holster.

"Next, you ignite it with a burst of chakra, lighting the fuse. These tags are old, so I don't know if they will work or even safe. I have some Fuuinjutsu knowledge and I can make them, but that is the limit of my knowledge. These tags are a bit tricky for me to make and dangerous if you mess it up. I do know how to make flashbangs and smoke tags, though." He finished.

"Flash...bangs?" Osmond asked.

"A Flashbang is a device that can create a diversion by using a very loud bang and an extremely bright flash of light to disorient and blind your enemy for a few moments, giving you an advantage. Very useful for storming a room or building or taking a group by surprize. The other can lay down a smoke screen to give you and your comrades some cover, either for an attack or for a quick escape." He added to explain the term. The old man nodded in understanding. The two talked for a while longer before the ladies could re-enter.

"It was good to talk with you, young man, and to finally put to rest the mystery of my nameless savior. Miss Valliere, I know of the incident in the classroom as I have been informed of your predicament by your familiar, and I have a means of checking into your alignment." Osmond told her, beckoning her to come over to his desk as he pulled out an object that looked like a hand held magnifying glass.

"This instrument can tell one the alignment of whom ever the target is. It will change color in accordance to the element of the subject." He explained as he activated the device, peering at Louise. Within seconds, the small object began glowing every color of the rainbow as it worked as it was supposed to...but then it began to shudder and shake violently, it's color growing darker and darker by the moment. Osmond was growing alarmed, yet intrigued by the reaction to this pixy-like girl's magical signature.

"Hmmm...Very interesting..." He muttered, lowering the looking glass.

"What the hell just happened?" Ichigo asked, completely bewildered.

"Her alignment...I must conduct more research into this matter and ask that you keep this knowledge to yourselves, as well as help Colbert find you a way home since you were taken away from your loved ones. All I ask of you, Ichigo, is to look after her while you are here. Protect her." Osmond asked of him discreetly while Loungeville was talking to Louise. He knew exactly what the reading meant and wanted to keep it a secret until the time he could reveal it. Ichigo didn't know that, but he could tell that he was trying to keep something hidden...And it would most likely be better for it to remain so.

"I promise. I'll do whatever I can. Just do what you can to find a way for me to go back to where I belong." Ichigo swore, his eyes glazing over into that of a professional, letting the old master know he meant what he said as the pair left the office, his assistant leaving as well to run an errand. Osmond walked up to the window that overlooked his Academy.

'This needs to be kept a secret, or many in power will try to use that girl to their own selfish ends...' He thought as he left his office to find Colbert and ask him about his progress.

BACK IN KONOHA...

Saito had been put up in an apartment next to the one Ichigo lived in for his own protection. However, he was treated with a certain level of contempt by Team 7 for reasons that were not fully understood, but Jiraiya explained things to him over a bowl of ramen at Ichirakus

"You see kid, he was like a father figure to Team 7. They all looked up to him and having him disappear from their lives like that was devastating." The Toad Sage explained.

"But...What about that Anko woman...Everytime see looks at me, she looks like she wants to kill me!" Saito whined. However, before Jiraiya could answer that, Kurenai popped in and fielded the question.

"He was very special to her...Before he came into her life, she had next to nothing except revenge to live for. Now that he was just taken from her, she's falling apart again. I've been her best friend since we were very young, and it hurts me to see her in so much pain. You must understand why she feels this way." The crimson-eyed kunoichi explained to him as they finished ther meal.

"Go back to your place, kid. We'll find a way to straighten this whole thing out." Jiraiya assured.

ABOUT THE ACADEMY...

Louise was sighing in relief over the fact that the incident in the classroom would be glossed over as a simple accident as she and her ninja familiar walked through the halls back to her dorm room. She thought back to the fight, if one could call it that, with Guiche and the strange sword he used.

"Um...Ichigo?" She asked.

"Yes?"

"Your weapon...What manner of sword is it?" She asked.

"This is something very special that I found a long time ago. It's known as the Viper's Tail and I found it in an old temple one day when I was around your age. At first, it looked like a normal Ninja-to, or ninja blade, but as soon as I tried to swipe with it to test it out, it turned into a bladed whip of sorts, slicing through a boulder with ease. It'll tell you one thing, I've nearly killed myself plenty of times learning to use it properly." The tall man admitted with a slight chuckle.

The pair kept walking along the hallways until they found themselves back at the dining hall in time for lunch.

"I'll bow out here to avoid causing you trouble." Ichigo whispered to her as he ventured back to the kitchens, leaving her to her own devices. She braced herself for some of the ridicule she would face for the classroom incident as she walked in and sat down. Almost like clockwork, Kirche and Tabitha joined her at her table.

"Hey...I saw Miss Loungeville come for you two after class. Nothing happened, did it?" Kirche asked in a conspiratorial whisper. Louise, a little wierded out by Kirche's uncharacteristic concern.

"Erm...Nothing really happened. Master Osmond had something he wanted to talk with my familiar about...It was something that happened to Master Osmond a long time ago." Louise told them.

"Really? What happened?" Kirche pressed, eager to hear. Even Tabitha put down her book so she could hear.

"Well...Over thirty years ago..." Louise started out as she told them the tale of Old Osmond's rescuer, a ninja just like her familiar.

"Wow..." Kirche breathed. It was quite a tale, both heroic and tragic.

"He died here in the Academy, and his tombstone is in Vestri Court, where he was buried." Louise told them, setting off a flag in the head of the blue haired girl. Many students over the years had their own theories as to what that symbol meant. There was a club at the Academy dedicated to that very purpose, but this new information may have just solved the mystery.

"That symbol on the headstone...Your familiar wears the same one on his headband." Tabitha pointed out.

"You're right..." Kirche murmured.

"You are correct. That person and my familiar are from the same place, a village called Konoha, The Village Hidden in the Leaves." Louise confirmed.

"Really? Did he know the person?" Kirche asked.

"No...He said that the person died before he was even born, during something called the Second Shinobi War." Louise explained. A silence fell over the small gathering as they ate, only to be broken by a certain blond mage who just a while ago got his ass handed to him.

"Oh good...Louise has refrained from bringing her common savage into our midst." Guiche commented as he slid in next to her. This comment really struck a chord with Louise, since she knew of her familiar's true nature.

"He is NOT a savage...He is a human being just like you and me!" Louise bellowed, standing to her very short full height. Naturally, Guiche wasn't intimidated at all by her pixy-like stature.

"I beg to differ...He is just a common dreg just like the rest of his kind. Scum, all of them." Guiche spat back.

"Oh really? That common dreg made you soil yourself, Guiche." Kirche retorted with a cheshire grin, purposefully raising her voice so that the rest of the eatery patrons could hear her. Guiche looked around to hear snickering and see people laughing at him. His face burned with indignation and embarrassment. She came to the conclusion that he must really be a good person for her to take to him like she has. Tabitha found herself wanting to know this person as well. He sounded interesting...And he could help her.

"That uncouth heathen used a cowardly parlour trick to best me! He would not stand a chance against a mage as great and powerful as I in fair combat!" Guiche yelled, his wounded pride howling.

"You're not that great, Guiche! He made it look easy to make a fool of you!" Louise shot back at him. Guiche felt his anger rising in his gut. He had never been so insulted and humiliated in his life and by the Zero of all people. He slowly raised his hand...

Meanwhile, Ichigo had been sitting with the kitchen staff, having already eaten his lunch and helping with kneading out some fresh dough. The lunch had been some honey rye bread served with a hearty potato and leek stew, a very filling lunch. All of the lunch ladies were all very nice, very chatty older women who had children around his own age. One of them even tried to convince him to meet her daughter, still very single but he politely turned her down. The woman understood why when he informed her that he was engaged and pulled out the ring to prove it. Conversation rang on at the table and a question that was bound to come up...Came up.

"So, how is it being a familiar to Miss Valliere?" Hannah, one of the head cooks, asked.

"It's really not so bad. All in all, I think that she was just a lonely girl both here and at home and she needed guidance, that's all. Under what she shows to everyone else, she's really a nice young lady." Ichigo told them, stealing a glance at said girl, but began to stand when he saw her get agitated.

"Hold on a second, please." He told them as he stealthily crept near enough to hear what was being said. What Louise was saying about him made him crack a smile while Guiche was making him want to...Dispose of the boy. The second Guiche's hand went up, it was intercepted by the last person he wanted to see. The girls were shocked and disgusted with Guiche, raising his hand to a lady but impressed with Louise's familiar for coming to her aid without even being noticed. Ichigo lifted Guiche into the air by his wrist, a deadly glare leveled at the formerly arrogant boy. Guiche, who was so confident a moment ago, felt it leave him with the same fervor as what was in his bowels.

"Hey Guiche...I thought you said you weren't afraid of him?" One boy in the crowd taunted.

"He's just a big cowardly two-timer!" Montmorency yelled in anger.

"I showed you mercy and this is how you act? You had the nerve to attempt to strike my mistress? I should lop your arm off for that, you miserable little coward." He snarled at the boy, who was now tearing up and begging to be released.

"H-Hey...Let me go! I...I can pay you! Yeah! We can forget this ever happened!" Guiche tried to bargain with him, but it was too little, too late. The tall man's grip shifted slightly and he felt an unbearable bout of pain shoot through his arm along with a sickening snap. His wrist had just been broken.

"GAAAAAHHH! MY HAND!" Guiche wailed dramatically, searching for some shred of sympathy and found none. He looked to Montmorency.

"M-Monmon...Please...Help me?" He pleaded with her.

She seemed to struggle within herself. On one hand, she had her still slightly lingering affection for Guiche, but now she saw the ugly truth to the scamming pretty boy when he tried to strike a lady. Her affection for him was now dead as a doornail.

"Don't talk to me...It's over, Guiche." Montmorency told him coldly as she sat back down and ate in silence. Guiche's heart sank, since Montmorency was his final hope and she had just forsaken him. He was now the laughing stock of the entire Academy.

"Please...Just kill me..." Guiche pleaded with him. He couldn't bear to live with the shame and he was pretty sure that his father would hit the roof once he found out about this. His father taught him that it was never a man's place to ever strike a lady of any standing outside of combat, one of the things he was most serious about. Guiche knew he was as good as dead once he found out.

"No. That's a coward's way out. You will live with the shame and hopefully learn from it. Besides, this just proves that Louise is a much stronger person than you will ever be, since she endured the same treatment you're getting now and she's a better person for it." Ichigo grunted, dropping him to the floor.

Louise blushed heavily at the praise she received and even more from the looks of approval and respect directed at her from the rest of the students. Osmond had been watching, along with a few other professors of the Academy, who saw what had happened.

'He could very well change her fate for the better...' They all thought.

LATER THAT NIGHT...

"Why are we here again?" Louise asked sleepily. Ichigo had dragged her from her room and told her that some training would be good for her.

"Like I said...You need to learn how to control your power and I'll try to teach you as best I can. Do you want to be the Zero forever?" He asked her.

"No..." She admitted grudgingly.

"Good! Now...Before we start...What the hell?" He said, stopping to look at a large figure stomping toward the campus, more over the tower in which the Headmaster's office was located. As it came into the moonlight, they could see that it was a huge golem of earth.

"An Earth golem...Who could be using that here at the Academy?" Louise wondered as she went to get a closer look. As she did that, the golem noticed her and cocked it's fist back to pluck her out of this world and into the next. She closed her eyes and gave one final thought.

'Ichigo...Thank you for our time together...' She said inwardly, a tear coming down.

"LOUISE!" Ichigo bellowed as he darted forward with all of the speed he could muster, narrowly saving her from being crushed by the massive fist. Louise had braced herself for the pain, but she felt as if she were floating. She opened an eye to see that her familiar had saved her and was carrying her bridal style, and they were standing on top of a neighbouring roof. The look on the face of her rescuer was one of pure rage as he glared at the monster.

"Stay here." He told her as he launched himself at the massive construct, his body a blur of motion.

He landed not too far from the Golem on a nearby rooftop, trying to draw it's attention away from where he left Louise when he caught sight of someone perched on it's shoulder. This person spotted him and had the massive creature lash out at him, caving in the area he'd been in only a split second ago. The summoner looked for him and to her surprize, he was running up the creature's arm, running at her at an incredible speed. The Golem tried to smash him like a bug, but he was too quick and got past it. His small victory was short-lived since the summoner had used that time to cast an Earth element spell, causing the Golem's skin to become a forest of sharp spikes, forcing him to back off just before he got within striking range of his weapon and land on a rooftop again.

"You're pretty good for a commoner. I was right to consider you a threat." The woman called out in a taunting manner.

"Who are you? What business do you have here?" He replied, not amused in the least.

"I just thought I'd help myself to the Talisman's of Destruction. Such power is wasted in this pitiful Academy and would be better put to use elsewhere. As for who I am, I am the thief known as Fouquet the Crumbling Dirt, not that you or that girl will live to tell anyone." She drawled out.

"The Seal Tags? You seriously think YOU can use them? Ha ha ha!" Ichigo laughed aloud, making his opponent angry.

"Y-You common mongrel! Tell me why you're laughing!" She demanded.

"Only a shinobi can use them. They are useless to you, nothing but scraps of paper with funny writing on them. You're wasting your time AND mine." He retorted, making her even angrier.

"DAMN YOU!" She shrieked in fury as she tried to crush him yet again, but this time he vanished into thin air.

Suddenly, she felt the very air become parched, despite it being a humid night. Almost as if something had sucked the moisture from the very air. She looked around to see her enemy on an opposing embattlement, the missing water coiling itself around him as if it were alive and obeying his commands. The water quickly condensed into a tight ball as his hand stretched out at her.

GATLING CANNON!

The orb of water broke apart into countless pellets that all threw themselves at her with incredible force, slowly blasting her hastily built shield to pieces and crippling her beast.

'He's a commoner, but he can use such high level water magic?! He used no wand or incantation of any kind!' She thought in a panic, trying to raise a counter attack, but was beaten to the punch by another extremely powerful spell that was fired off too quickly for her to counter.

HYDRO LASER!

At his command, more water shot out in a sweeping beam at an extremely high pressure, making it sharper than any blade. The end result was the beam cutting the Golem in half down the middle, toppling the massive beast and taking it's mistress down with it.

"Finally...That damn thing was getting on my nerves." He grumbled as he Shunshin'd over to Louise, who had witnessed the entire battle in sheer shocked amazement.

"You alright?" He asked her.

"T-That was amazing! I have never heard of a single person ever destroying a powerful Golem like that in one blow!" She gushed as more people gathered around on the ground. He quickly grabbed her and teleported down to the ground and enacted some crowd control while sending a Kage Bunshin to search the area for the thief and if found, capture her by any means necessary. His clone scanned the area, searching high and low for the attacker, but came up empty.

'Damn...She's pretty good at making a getaway. I can't even sense her.' He grimaced as he turned to see old Osmond there before him, the other professors behind him to assess the damage.

"Thank you for defending the tower and it's contents. The items in there are sealed away for a good reason, being as dangerous as they are." Osmond told him.

"No big deal. She went after Louise and that was what got me to act. I didn't know she was a thief until she bragged about it. Talk about a stupid thief." Ichigo joked as he scanned the teachers there. He saw all of them...Except for Osmond's assistant, Loungeville. His suspicion was piqued immediately, but he had no proof to prove it was her.

On Louise's end, people were asked her what had happened and how she managed to survive tangling with a creature like that.

"I...I owe him my life." Was all she told the person.

"How did he take that thing down, anyway? A commoner couldn't have used magic." A rotund boy scoffed.

"He didn't, Malicorne! He used Ninjutsu to do it!" Louise blurted out in response to the snide comment.

"What's Ninjutsu?" Kirche asked, puzzled by the new term. Tabitha was also very interested in this new term and possible magic form.

"Oh...Um..." Louise floundered, not really sure if she should be talking about it. She looked to where Ichigo and Osmond were watching her, the two of them nodding and giving her permission.

"Well...The best I can explain it is that it's a form of magic that only a ninja like my familiar can use. Ninja are very powerful fighters with weapons and their bare hands, they can move very quickly, their spells needing no incantation, wand, or medium, only certain hand seals to properly harness and shape their powers." Louise explained without giving away too much on his REAL abilities.

The explanation was good enough for most to understand as they stood down. Some of them were even in awe that she really did get a good familiar. Osmond said that he would take over from there and that he and Louise should rest after their encounter. Ichigo complied, calling off his Bunshin, grabbing her by the shoulder, and teleporting away in a splash of water. Old Osmond turned his attention back to the problem at hand.

'Now...What was Fouquet up to? I know she was after the Talismans, but for what purpose and for who? At least I now know that they would be useless to anyone but Ichigo, and that trying to use them would be too risky. Relocating them to the Castle would be a good idea but still...I am wondering if it would be better to just destroy them...' Osmond thought as he and the instructors searched the grounds a while longer while sending the students to bed, before turning in themselves.

ONE WEEK LATER

A week had past. Colbert had been studying exhaustively how to send their visitor back to where he belonged, but was still coming up empty. He had even asked Osmond to petition the Royal Mages to peruse their vast magical library for a possible answer to their plight, but so far they had been met with silence. Ichigo was told of this development and was greatly dismayed, but didn't give up hope just yet. He knew that answers would likely take time and patience to find and if they were lucky, a solution may yet reveal itself. For now, he simply stuck close to the girl he was to protect. Things had been going rather smoothly since the night of the attack by Fouquet, many of Louise's detractors oddly silent after what happened.

Guiche had disappeared two days after his violent outburst. His father, Grand General Gramont, had found out about his son's misconduct and had him pulled from the Academy to...re-educate , him on how to behave in public. However, he requested a meeting between the one who his son almost struck in anger and the one who bested him in a fair duel. To his surprise, the one who bested him was a commoner and the one his son offended was the youngest daughter of the Valliere family and even further still, this commoner was her familiar! Still, the General offered his most sincere apologies for his son's conduct.

"I must deeply apologise for what my son has done. I realise that mere words may not be enough to salve this insult..." The General offered, but the shinobi simply shook his head.

"All he needs is to get his priorities straightened out, that's all. He needs to understand that being of noble blood or not, everyone bleeds the same." The shinobi replied, calmly but sternly. General Gramont recognised the tone as that of a veteran soldier and leader, like himself.

"Tell me...Where you are from, were you a soldier?" He asked.

"Yes...In a sense. I was also a teacher, an instructor of younger ninja only beginning their careers. We Jonin can take teams and teach them how to survive in our hostile world, passing along our knowledge to the next generation, this cycle repeating itself over and over. My students are like a family to me, as they are to one another." He explained. General Gramont was intrigued by the idea of the more senior soldiers teaching the younger ones and passing along their knowledge, this cycle continuing on and on.

"I...Must think on this new concept. I admit that I find it interesting. Now, my Lady Valliere...I hope that you bear my family no ill will." He asked of Louise, humble in his request. At first, she didn't know what to do, but she took her cue from what her familiar did, as it seemed the civil thing to do.

"I...I accept your apology, Lord Gramont. I thank you." She accepted graciously with a formal curtsey.

"I must commend Lord Valliere on having such a well mannered daughter who can also handle herself. I must be getting back to my duties. Farewell." The General said as he excused himself from the hall they spoke in.

That had been the last they had heard of that issue, especially since the General had sent word to her father about how well she handled herself. The man was, as usual, far too busy but her sisters sent a reply in his place. Eleonore and Cattleya were both pleased that she handled the situation with grace and impressed such an important man as the Grand General spoke so highly their baby sister. Louise's confidence rose a little more that day. Now, she had heard of a small competition that the princess was hosting, a Familiar tournament. What the rules were was that the familiar that impressed the Royal Council the most would be granted one request from the princess herself. Ichigo heard of this and was eager to win this, believing that if he got Colbert access to the Royal Mage Library, he might find a way to send him home. Louise knew how badly her familiar wanted to go home, so she reluctantly agreed to enter them. She didn't really want him to leave her, but understood that he had a family and life of his own that she ripped him away from.

Another strange thing that had happened to them was that they had been summoned to the home Louise grew up in, with the insistence that her familiar came along. Once they entered the household, her eldest siser Eleonore barged down the stairs to...Greet them.

"Louise! Who is this common ruffian supposed to be?!" She demanded, the "ruffian" getting annoyed.

"He is my familiar, Ichigo Suzumiya, Jounin of Konoha." Louise presented her ninja guardian as her other sister, Cattleya, came downstairs.

"Oh my...It's good to see you, Louise." She greeted them pleasantly, coming down to get a closer look at the man.

"You mentioned that this man defeated a Stone Golem with a single attack spell? That remains to be seen. Commoners cannot use magic." Eleonore scoffed.

"Of course he can't use magic." Louise stated, the elder blond woman smirking.

"But he can use Ninjutsu." She added.

"What is that?" She demanded.

"It's a form of magic only ninja like himself can use." Louise countered, the spine and confidence she had built up coming forth in standing up to her eldest sister.

"That sounds fascinating...I would like to see this!" Cattleya cheered brightly, making Ichigo grin lightly.

'At least ONE sister doesn't have a serious attitude problem.' Ichigo thought as they were led outside.

"Okay commoner...Prove me wrong." Eleonore demanded as she felt the air become dry and parched around her.

"What is this..." She whispered, but the main course was yet to come as the missing water coiled itself around the man like a writhing, living creature, obeying his every command.

"How does this...fithly commoner do this?" She murmured, much to Ichigo's irritation.

"Will you cut it out with that nobles and commoners bullcrap? I've heard enough of that crap to last me a lifetime." Ichigo grunted as the water molecules returned to their rightful places, having relinquished control over them.

"You dare speak to a noble in such a manner?! I shall have to teach you respect for your betters!" She roared as she brandished a whip, only for it to be caught easily. His eyes narrowed as several gusts of razor sharp wind slashed it to ribbons in a matter of seconds, the shinobi not looking too happy.

"That's it..." Ichigo growled, but Louise tugged at his arm.

"Please...Don't think badly of her..." Louise pleaded with him, telling him what happened to her with the Count of Burgandy.

"Ouch...Left her twisting at the altar." Ichigo winced as he calmed down.

"Look lady...All I ask is to be shown basic human respect, that's all. Is that so much to ask for?" Ichigo diatribed, Cattleya speaking up.

"I suppose we can accomodate that request, Msr. Suzumiya." She stated spritely, her voice and overall calming aura reminding him of Sanae back in Konoha.

They took tea in the outer patio as the elder sisters took turns asking him questions about the happenings back at the Academy and about himself in general. They were surprised to hear that he was engaged, Ichigo proudly showing them the ring he kept on a chain around his neck. Eleonore took a closer look at the ring, slightly grinning with praise.

"Pure silver with a Star Sapphire...You have good taste." She commented.

"Thank you. The birthstone is mine. Her ring has her birthstone, an Opal." He replied.

"This woman you have back where you are from...Is she a ninja like you?" Eleonore asked again, having been told that the job was open to both men and women.

"Yeah...That's actually how we met. We'd both had a pretty rough day, so we both had the idea to head to the pub to knock back a couple of drinks to relax. We met and after that we just clicked. It made as much sense as breathing, now that I think back on it. i can't imagine living without her, now. She's strong in both mind and body and so much more...I miss her terribly and I want to return home as soon as I can." Ichigo professed.

Eleonore sighed heavily. She knew that what he had for this Anko woman was something Nobles would rarely enjoy, their families marrying off their children for prestige and status, which was why she and her groom to be were so ill matched. Burgandy was a cream puff and lacked guts, while she had an aggressive personality, inherited from her mother. Still, it seemed childish to become envious of them, since they were separated under such unusual circumstances, but she had to commend his loyalty to her since he was doing everything he could think of to return to her. Another positive occurence that had happened with his arrival was the fact that Louise was becoming more confident and composed, not just lashing out blindly. No matter how she looked at her baby sister, Louise just seemed...Stronger.

That night before bed, she asked Louise to talk with her for a moment, asking her questions about her experiences with her new familiar. The responses she got back stunned her to her core. It appeared that Louise had been drawing strength from him, learning from him and from the ways of his people. She learned that he was a teacher himself, gaining satisfaction from passing along his knowledge and skills to a new generation, himself teaching a few of these lessons to Louise. They seemed to have worked, since she has become better for it. Now, he had her sister's mark of approval, especially after Eleonore admitted that she wouldn't mind a man like her familiar as her groom.

"At least he has a spine and stood up to me without even flinching, not to mention that wandless magic he can use.

A week after that was the Ball of Frigg, a celebration that was held anually at the Academy. Ichigo originally had no intention of going there, but some heavy pleading from Louise and a surprizing invite from Kirche and Tabitha managed to persuade him to at least show up...

He had arrived, still in his shinobi gear since he had no other clothes with him and he was sipping some wine off near the balcony.

"Hmm...This wine isn't too bad...Anko'd probably want to try some of this..." He said aloud with a sad grin, but a voice got his attention. He turned around to see the three reasons for his attendance tonight standing there.

"Well, well...You three certainly look beautiful tonight." He complimented them, drawing a set of blushes from them as Louise walked up to him.

"Come inside with us...You need not be a stranger." She lightly chided as she dragged him out to the dance floor and gave him a formal curtsey.

"Would you do me the honor of a dance, good Sir?" Louise requested of him. He just couldn't help smiling.

"Of course." He replied, taking her by her hand and waist as the two began to dance.

Louise felt as if she had been swept off her feet. This man, who was supposed to be a commoner, someone she was supposed to treat as something less than human, had become one of the most important people in her life. To her, he was like a beacon that was guiding her through an uncertain world.

'I don't want him to leave me...What will I do without him?' Louise wondered as the song ended.

Ichigo was eventually asked to dance by Tabitha, who was slowly opening up, and then by Kirche. However, her thoughts bothered her for the rest of the night. Even her sleep was troubled, plagued by thoughts of what life would be like once he disappeared from her world and her life. Eventually, she came to a single conclusion...If he could not stay there, she would leave with him if she could. As much as she loved her family, Ichigo had been the one to truly care for her and treat her as a person, helping her figure herself out and explaining the world around her in such a short amount of time. He was part of an honestly happy and loving family, something she craved ever since she was a small girl and she felt if she were to follow him, she might have a chance to experience that happiness herself. With him, the world wasn't as frightening or confusing of a place.

DINING HALL

Louise was happy for him, but wasn't looking forward to losing him by her side. He was like a pillar of confidence and strength to her, an elder sibling that was guiding her through the darkness of her uncertainty and trying to help her find her place in the world. The pair made their way out of the room and down to the dining hall, where Ichigo split off out of habit to go into the kitchens to draw a meal and help a bit in return. Upon sitting down, he noticed that something was wrong. Someone seemed to be missing.

"What's wrong? Where's Siesta?" He asked. Marteau, the head cook, answered him.

"Just a few hours ago, some nobles came in here and took her away. When we tried to stop them, they claimed that Count Mott, a rather wealthy noble, had seen and fancied her, so he took her away to his manor. He has done this many times when he finds a young girl he fancies, but the stories I hear of what goes on are never pleasant." The man confided in him, his normally friendly countenance twisted into a frown. His gaze went stone cold as they heard his knuckles crack from him gripping them so hard.

"I can guess at it, but like hell I'll let that little toad get away with it." He growled as he stormed from the kitchen and up to see Osmond.

Louise was sitting at the table with Tabitha and Kirche, as such had become the norm for her since Kirche had backed off of teasing her and Tabitha rarely strayed too far from Kirche. The three had been discussing what they would be doing for the Talent Display for the Princess when an interesting tidbit of information made itself known.

"So, what will you be doing for the competition?" Kirche asked. Tabitha responded with her typical silence, so she turned to Louise.

"Well...He said he wanted to keep it a secret until it was time. I wonder what he has up his sleeve this time?" She wondered.

"Well...He's been an interesting man so far and I think he won't disappoint us this time either. But as interesting as he is, he's not as good a familiar as my Flame...Aren't you my little cutie?" She cooed to her Salamander, who was making happy sounds and wagging around it's flamming tail.

Out of the corner of her eye, Louise spotted her familiar rushing out of the dining hall in a hurry, an angered expression on his face. She stood up in a hurry and began to chase after him, much to the surprise of her two dining companions.

"L-Louise?! Where are you going?" Kirche tried to ask, but she was already out of earshot.

"What happened?" She wondered aloud, Tabitha wondering that as well.

"We should follow. Something is wrong." The small girl suggested, following her throught the halls.

OSMOND'S STUDY

Ichigo made it to Osmond's study, almost kicking the door down.

"Did you know about the girl being taken?" He asked, his voice stone cold.

"...Yes. I know that from your story, she is the same age as your niece, so you would naturally be inclined to help her. As much as I detest people such as him, there was nothing I could do in my position." Osmond told him regrettably, but his eyes seemed to hint at something.

'Wait...He said there was nothing I could do...Heh...Nice one, old man.'

"So...Where does this guy live?" He asked, Louise listening in from behind the door. Ichigo could sense her there, but it didn't matter at the moment.

"He lives on the other side of the city. Beware, all of his bodyguards are Triangle and Square Mages, so they will be a force to be reckoned with." Osmond warned him.

"Don't worry about that. I'll handle it." Ichigo replied as he teleported out of the room.

"Damn! Now it'll be even harder to find him." Louise hissed as she turned to the front entrance in a last ditch effort of stopping him, but ran into Kirche and Tabitha.

"Louise! What happened?!" Kirche asked.

"That idiot is going to take on the guards of Count Mott!" Louise exclaimed.

"That...That's insane! Many of them were once members of the Magical Knights!" Kirche gasped. Tabitha knew that this was bad news, so she offered a solution. She dragged them to the forest outside the Academy, and called her Dragon to her.

"She can help us catch up to him." She said simply. They all boarded Sylphid and took to the air to in an attempt to cut him off before he engaged the Count's guards.

COUNT MOTT'S MANOR

In a cyclone of water, the shinobi burst onto the front lawn of the large manor. He knew that this person was heavily guarded, thanks to Osmond's intel, so he knew what kind of resistance to expect should he be discovered, so he opted for the stealth approach. He would get to the rooftops, sneak in, find Siesta, and get her out of there before they even knew what happened, but that was all dependant on staying hidden. He also put up a Henge, looking like he did in his ANBU uniform, for some anonymity and secrecy.

Staying in the treeline, he managed to get as far as the front doors to the main manor, but there were many guards in the way. He couldn't do much without killing them or being seen, so he waited until they left...Until he heard them talking.

"Heh...I wonder how long it'll take for Count Mott to get tired of this one?" A guard leered.

"I can't wait...This one's pretty cute and bet that she'll make for a good time!" Another laughed.

"Hey guys...Wanna go and take some turns with the ones upstairs?" A large man with an axe asked the rest, who all voiced their agreement.

Ichigo was horrified at what he just learned. He thought Gatou was bad...

'This bastard's got to go...But first...' He thought as he began to utilize his Aeroknesis. This was something he'd been experimenting with for a while. It was too slow to work on shinobi, but here it would actually work...

DEATH'S EMBRACE...

Doing this, he yanked away the breathable air from the guards, causing them to drop due to asphyxiation, crushing the life from their lungs. Once they were down, he vaulted up to the rooftop so he could search the building from the top on down for his mark, slipping in throug a skylight.

On the top floor, he carefully made his way through the rooms, searching them before he moved on. In the last room, he had to pick the lock to get in but he got lucky in the fact that he wandered right into the Count's harem room, where he kept the other girls he had...Aquired. From what he could tell, these 8 girls were ranging from 12 to 17 years of age and none of them looked like they wanted to be there.

"Excuse me...But do you know a girl around 16 years old? Dark hair and dressed as a maid?" He asked the girls.

"W-who are you? What are you doing here?" The eldest of the girls asked.

"I came here to take back the girl I just mentioned. I take it that little toad did the same to you girls?" He asked.

"Yes...He took us away from our families, saying that their taxes would be covered with our bodies. Even the youngest of us is tainted..." She admitted, the shame clear as day in their eyes.

"You don't say..." He growled, his anger rising again.

'This bastard is no better than a rapist pervert...I need to find her NOW.' He thought as he turned to leave, but the youngest of the girls clung to his leg. He turned to see the other girls pleading with him to take them with him.

"Tell you what...After I carry out my mission, I'll come back for you. I promise." He reasoned with them.

"Thank you...I am Alicia, the girl latched to you is Kristina. From the right, Melissa, Katrina, Molly, Ingrid, Eclaire, and Erika. Might we know your name, good sir?" The eldest girl introduced them all to him.

"Nice to meet you all. You may call me Kitsune. Now stay here and I'll return." He instructed them as he teleported to the stairwell.

"A-A mage? Why would one of the nobility help us?" A young red head, Erika, gasped.

"I don't know...But we don't have any choice but to hope he will hold to his promise." Eclaire, another of the girls, said as they waited.

In the sky above the manor, Sylphid was landing just outside of the manor, off to the side where they saw no guards. The three girls slid off of the Rhyme Dragon's back and looked around.

"Sylphid...Hide yourself." Tabitha commanded, the dragon nodding and moving deeper into the wooded area. The looked around a little more to find a small group of guards they thought were unconscious...Until they checked their vitals.

"T-they're dead...All of them." Kirche stammered.

"They died from being choked to death, but they are all together and looked like they were taken by surprize." Tabitha concluded, speaking more than she ever had before.

"He did this..." Louise stammered out.

"Who? Y-you mean...Your familiar? He did this?" Kirche asked shakily.

"I...just have a feeling that he was the one." Louise replied as they continued looking around.

Inside the castle, Ichigo was slinking around, looking for Count Mott's private chambers when he came upon a lone guard. He snuck up behind him and held him at kunai point.

"I have a feeling you have something to tell me...Now, where is Count Mott and the girl he just aquired? Be careful...This knife is pretty sharp. One false move can slice your neck open." He told the man in a cold dark voice.

"I-it's upstairs...What? You gonna use her, too? Like the rest?" The man spat out. Something was vastly different about this one.

"Tell me...What do you think of his...habits? From a personal perspective, of course." Ichigo inquired, curious as to what he was doing up here and why he gave up the info so easily.

"I think that guy is a lousy pervert. Using little girls like that...It makes me sick." The man scowled. Ichigo let him go and faced him. He could feel that this man was telling the truth. He wasn't just trying to save his own skin.

"Do as I say, and you may yet live to see tomorrow. I want you to go to the harem room and release those girls in there. Tell them that Kitsune sent you. Sneak them out of the manor however you can and I will continue after my mark. Once I rescue her, I will meet you outside the walls to the North. Got it?" Ichigo instructed.

The man couldn't believe this guy. He was willing to set them all free? This guy could have killed him, but because he felt the same way, he was allowed to live.

"I am Rennac. I'll do as you ask." The man bowed as he set to his given task, racing up to the room with the girls. After a moment, he reached the room and encountered no other guards, so he slipped into the room.

"W-what do you want with us?" Alicia asked, trying to stay brave. Sometimes, the other guards would take their turns with the girls, so she had every reason to fear this man.

"A man who called himself Kitsune sent me to sneak you all out of here. Please, follow me." Rennac told them as he silently led them away from the room and slavery.

With Ichigo again, made his way to where Rennac told him the Count's personal chamber was located and found exactly that. However, there were sounds of a struggle within.

"N-no! Let me go!" One voice cried out.

'Siesta! That's her!' He thought as he inched closer.

"You little whore! *Smack!* You are my property and my property doens't talk back to me!" A voice that he could only assume was the Count's bellowed.

"That does it..." He snarled as he charged at the four guards on duty with his Ninjato drawn.

The first one didn't even see him coming and was cut in half. The second managed to dodge his blow and counter with an Earth spell, sending rocky spears flying at the attacker, but the ninja dodged them and split him down the middle. The other two used Wind and Water spells in an attempt to disable him, but the attacked were stopped cold. The look of horror on their faces was indescribable, that a commoner had not only stopped their spells, but hijacked control of them. He absorbed the Water, but the wind disappated. The two then felt the air become heavier and heavier until they couldn't stand anymore, like they were being crushed by an invisible weight.

(Normal ambient air pressure is 14.7 psi below 8,000 feet, or 29.92 inches of Hg, mercury for those who can read a Barometer. Now, imagine this figure magnified by at least a thousand times. Science is fun AND scary, isn't it?)

COMPRESSION FORCE!

Ichigo had again manipulated the atmosphere, but this time, he was using massive amounts of air pressure to crush the life out of them, literally. After a mere moment, a crater appeared in the ground and in the middle of it, the pulped remains of the two mages sat. With an air blast, he blew the doors apart and forced his way inside to see the Count trying to force himself on Siesta. All he could see was Haku in her place, further fueling his rage.

"Who are you?! Who do you think you are?" Mott demanded.

"You took something that did not belong to you. I'll only ask once. Release her and the others you have enslaved here, now." He demanded in a cold, dark and unforgiving tone. His patience was razor thin right now.

"Who are you to demand that I give away my toy, you insolent commoner?" Mott sneered.

"Someone who could kill you without remorse and quicker than you can imagine. Now...Release her. I am in no mood to bargain with a lowly worm such as you." He responded in the same dark tone, his sheer height making him even more dark and intimidating, as if his frightening mask wasn't enough.

"Such insolence...GUARDS! Kill him!" Mott cried as mages and swordsmen started to flood down the halls and surrounded him.

"Whoever you are, run! Save yourself! Don't worry about me!" Siesta cried, trying to save the life of her would be rescuer, but he stayed to stand his ground.

They could see an intense aura surround him and the very air become parched and heavy...and cold. Frost began to form in several placed due to it despite the ambient moisture being drained away. The mages were in awe that a commoner could command the very elements like some sort of god. Suddenly, with a blood curdling scream of fury, he suddenly lashed out with a freezing blast that turned nearly all opponents in front of him into icicles, all of them shattering like glass as he swept through with his weapon drawn. A few swordsmen that were behind the mages managed to draw their weapons, but it did little good since he managed to charge his weapon with chakra and hacked through both weapon and wielder in one swipe apiece.

The mages on the bannisters could only watch their fellows get mowed down by this force of nature given life, but regained themselves in time to cast their spells. Earth spells turned the walls and floors into spikes that threatened to impale the shinobi, but thankfully he was much faster than they could hope to track, dodging the offensive spells as he closed in on the remainder of the mercenaries and engaged them in close combat. His Viper's Tail lashed out and evicerated the first two cleanly as he flipped behind their corpses and fight the other two. Dodging off to the side to avoid a downward strike, he kicked the man in the back of his knees and with a quick twist, he snapped his neck while running his partner through the heart with his blade. He then turned his attention to the mages on the bannister and picked them off with kunai.

Finally, there were only two mages remaining and they were quickly starting to panic as they launched out the most powerful Wind spells they could muster...Only for the mysterious man to catch them with little effort and grunt in disgust as he began to amplify the power of the wind, launching it right back at them. They attempted to ward it off with Barrier magic, but their shields finally gave out and the winds ripped them to shreds in a violent show before blowing through them and blowing out the Southern wall of the Manor. All in all, the interior of the mansion had been turned into one big execution site.

Outside of the manor, Rennac and the girls all saw the massive explosion in awe, hoping that Kitsune was alright. The group then ran into Louise and company.

What are you doing?" Kirche demanded.

"A man named Kitsune asked me to help him set these girls free while he went after the one he was here to save." Rennac explained, telling them just what went on behind these walls to these girls. Louise, Tabitha, and Kirche were understandably sickened and now understood the lack of mercy that was shown.

"Wait...What made you want to help?" Louise asked with suspicion.

"That man could have killed me, but he spared me, so I owed him one. Besides, Lord Mott is just a disgusting pervert. I was looking for a way to free them once I found out anyway." Rennac told them.

Back inside, Count Mott was cowering in fear, his finest guards and mages torn to shreds in mere moments against this stranger who seemed to manipulate the elements at will and could fight like the Devil himself.

"M-monster...He's a monster!" Mott screamed in terror, firing off a water spell in desperation. The spell broke around him and only got his attention. The masked man advanced on the terrified Count, who then took Siesta by knife point.

"St-stay there, or I kill her!"" He threatened. In an eyeblink, a kunai impaled his shoulder and threw him back from the force of the throw, freeing Siesta.

"You sick little bastard...So you like getting your rocks off on little girls, huh?" Ichigo seethed.

"Don't kill me! I-I'm a rich man...I can pay you! Yeah...You can take the girl and my money if you just let me live!" Mott pleaded, but it only made him scowl even more.

"Disgusting...You're just a cowardly pervert and not even worth killing. However...I will be having a word with the Palace over some missing funds and kidnapping of young girls, not to mention levying false taxes that you have no right to impose. Killing you would be more that you deserve." Ichigo said as he roughly wrenched the kunai out of his shoulder, wiping the blood off on the Count's clothes before placing it back into his leg holster and knocking him out.

He'd sent some clones throughout the manor under a Henge to look for anything extra, like blackmail material in case things came to that and hit pay dirt in his personal finances. His finances were fiction at best, poorly written fiction. He'd been awfully cocky that no one would ever find out about his misappropriation of Royal funds and abusing his position as Messenger. He could see the authorities having a field day with this guy.

After tying him up with ninja wire and making sure he couldn't get away, Siesta managed to overcome the shock of nearly being raped and clung to him, bawling her eyes out. He was no stranger to this kind of thing, so he just let her cry herself to sleep. With a sigh, he picked her up to carry her out of the manor, his young charge and a couple of her friends running up. Louise looked absolutely furious.

"You...YOU IDIOT! Why did you do this alone?! Why did you do this at all?! Count Mott had a powerful security force and you could have been killed!" Louise cried. She was upset with him, yes...But she was mostly worried for him. Count Mott's security force was very powerful. They could hold off the Imperial Mage Knights for a good amount of time if they had to. They were considered extremely dangerous.

"You underestimate me, Louise." He replied simply, lifting his blood stained mask to reveal his grim expression. She was also reminded of the dead guards.

"The guards...Why did you have to kill them?" Louise demanded.

"They were guarding a very sick man and some were talking about taking turns with her after the Count was done. I will NOT tolerate a grown man forcing himself on girls who are still children, no matter who it is. Remember that all things, good or ill, have a price that must be paid." Ichigo said, his tone razor sharp, calming down some as Rennac and the girls he led out came up.

"T-that was insane! How in the world did you get out of there alive?" He asked.

"I guess I'm stronger than I look." He said jokingly to the younger man as he turned to the girls.

"Where do you girls live?" He asked them. Alicia spoke up for them.

"Melissa, Katrina, Molly and I live in Tarbes. The other girls are from here in Tristain." She answered.

"How long will it take you to reach your home town?" Ichigo inquired.

"A day's travel on foot." Alicia answered him. Tabitha made her presence known.

"I could take them there on Sylphid in less than a couple of hours." She offered, surprizing her two classmates.

"Thank you. That saves either Rennac or I from having to escort them there. Rennac...What will you do now?"

"I dunno...I'll probably go back home to Gallia and look for work there." He reasoned as he stretched out, turning for the gates.

"Well...I'd better get out of here before the Royal Guard gets here...It's been a real adventure, Kitsune. One I can tell my grandkids about someday!" The cheerful young man said as he disappeared behind the manor walls and out of the city.

Tabitha called Sylphid to her and loaded up the kidnapped girls who were headed home for Tarbes but not before Alicia gave Ichigo a special goodbye. She kissed him full on the lips.

"Thank you...We would still be that disgusting man's toys if you hadn't shown up when you did." She said.

"Your welcome, but I need to tell you that I'm engaged. My fiancee wouldn't be very happy with me if she knew about this." He chuckled.

"Then...She is a very lucky woman. I envy her for having someone like you." She replied as she and the other girls boarded Slyphid.

"I will return in a few hours." Tabitha said simply as she and her Rhyme Dragon took off into the sky.

"Now...Let's get you girls home." Ichigo told the other girls as they all marched off of the property, a stunned Kirche and Louise behind them, but Kirche looked shaken and pale.

"What's the matter, Kirche?" Louise asked in a whisper.

"I...I looked inside the castle...Blood everywhere...There were men sliced into chunks AND frozen...What the hell is he Louise?" Kirche replied in a near panic. Despite hailing from a long and distinguished military line, nothing could have prepared her for the carnage she saw.

"...He did what had to be done. Count Mott and his men went too far and they paid the price. There is always a price to pay." Louise replied coldly. She had seen what Mott was up to in there and was sickened by the depravity that he had sunk to. Her mother had warned her to harden herself against things that would have to be done and her familiar seemed to think along those lines, so she deemed it time to adopt that philosophy.

The small girl's thinking chilled Kirche to the bone. This wasn't the same Louise she made fun of...She was...more mature and in control of herself now. Having someone like her familiar around had worked these profound and somewhat disturbing changes in her persona, the man himself committing himself to this...slaughter with little to no remorse. Kirche understood to a point what had set him off and that spoke highly of his morals. Tabitha saw what had happened too and what disturbed her even more was the fact that Tabitha didn't even bat an eye at the sight.

"Let's get Siesta back to the Academy and meet Tabitha there. I will talk with Osmond about this." Ichigo told them, more like commanding them. After what they just saw him do, they were in no mood to contest him as he surrounded them in a shell of water and teleported them back to the Academy just as the Royal Police showed up.

TRISTAIN ACADEMY

OSMOND'S OFFICE

The group arrived in a flurry of water in front of a large crowd, some of which turned a bit green seeing the blood stains on Ichigo's armor and his ice cold expression. Kirche gulped loudly as she and Louise followed him up to the Headmaster's office to report what had just happened.

"Ah...I was expecting you. From the blood on your armor, I can say that Count Mott did not want to cooperate." Osmond remarked as if he were talking about the weather. He was no stranger to blood and combat.

"You're right about that. He had his mages and swordsmen jump me...This is all from them." Louise's familiar replied in a laid-back manner.

"Since you managed to rescue her, I am to assume that your mission was successful?" Osmond asked.

"Yes. I also managed to gain some very good blackmail material on him, too. Turns out that he was a very, very naughty boy and had his hand in the royal cookie jar, as it were. He'd been siphoning money from the royal coffers and levying taxes he had no right to impose, then took the daughters of the families he bullied that caught his eye and made himself a harem. The youngest was only 12, sir." Ichigo reported, spitting out the last part with obvious disgust.

"I see...Did you terminate Count Mott? It would be very troublesome if you did." Osmond inquired.

"No. I left him alive. Scared out of his skull, but alive. The dead bring little justice." Ichigo answered as he spun on his heel.

"I will be returning her to the care of the kitchen staff and Marteau. They can take care of her more than I can at this point. My job is done now." He stated as he teleported away to do as he just stated.

"Master Osmond...Will there be..." Louise ventured to ask.

"Any repercussions? I doubt it. Your familiar was quite clever to gather intelligence on his mark prior to leaving and in letting him live. He stacked the deck heavily in your favor should Count Mott make an issue of this. If anything, I will help testify." The wise old man informed her, to her relief.

"Now...I believe that you should probably get some rest. This must have been a trying day for you young ladies." Osmond told them as they exited the office.

"Hmmm...What could cause Count Mott to so blatantly do such a thing? What are they up to?" Osmond wondered to himself.

LATER THAT NIGHT

Dinner had just ended and master and familiar were on their way back to her room. Marteau and his staff made him a grand feast in appreciation for all that he had done for his fellow commoners, with Siesta making a special dish just for him. They headed back to her room so he could get himself some rest when they found that the door to her room had been disturbed.

"Hold up…I'll check it out." He instructed her as he slowly peered into the room, carefully opening it up. Upon doing so, he saw a young lady the same age as his mistress sitting on the bed, as if waiting for someone to arrive.

"Excuse me, miss? Can I help you?" He asked, Louise poking her head out from behind his back, the girl's eyes lighting up.

"Louise! It is so good to see you!" The young woman gushed as she embraced the small girl behind him. Louise quickly let her go and bowed down to her.

"Greetings, Princess Henrietta. How may this servant help you?" She asked, her tone very respectful. She looked over and to her horror, her familiar was just standing there.

"Bow down! You're in the presence of this Kingdom's Princess!" Louise hissed, but the princess let out a lyrical giggle.

"Oh, Louise…My best friend does not need to bow to me. Please...Just call me Henrietta, like you used to." The princess almost pleaded.

"I'm sorry, your highness...But my station does not allow me to be so familiar." Louise replied, making Hernietta wilt slightly.

"Okay then...On to why I am here. Just this afternoon, Count Mott came bursting into the audience chamber and started to ramble on about a monster that had attacked him, killed all of his guards, and stole something from him. He mentioned that the possession that was stolen was from this Academy, but given his past transgressions, I cannot take him at his word. I have also talked to old Osmond about this and he gave me some insight, but I would like you to clarify this for me." Henrietta inquired. They then proceeded to tell her their account of what happened, along with the incriminating evidence that had been collected. The princess was at first shocked, but when it got to what he'd been claiming was his possession, she was trembling with anger.

"I see...Thank you for bringing all of this to my attention. Using this evidence, Count Mott is now hereby under arrest for Grand Treason and theft. His actions only hurt the credibility of the nobility even more, if what I have been hearing is true." Henrietta replied dismally. She had been hearing of more and more nobles oppressing the common folk since her father passed, almost as if they believe the princess is of no threat to them.

"Louise...If possible, I would like to ask a favor of you." Henrietta inquired, making Louise's eyes open wide.

"W-what can this lowly servant do for Her Majesty?" Louise replied.

"None of that, Louise...You were my only friend, please don't alienate me." Henrietta asked of her before she got down to asking her favor.

"I would like to borrow your familiar for a little while. You see, he was able to drive away Fouquet, take down Lord Mott's formidable forces on his own. If at all possible, I would like to give you and your familiar a mission that would hopefully shed some light on the subject and...Give him my ring to show that the message comes directly from me." The young princess requested of them, a blush on her face at the mention of this prince.

'Heh...I have a gut feeling she has a thing for this Prince...I've seen that look before.' Ichigo chuckled to himself.

"I see...I just have to ask why we would go on this mission, your Highness." Ichigo answered her. Henrietta believed it was a fair question to ask.

"You see...I am engaged to the Emperor of Germania, for the sake of supporting my small country. However, there is a letter in possession of Prince Wales of Albion that would be damning to my country, annuling the engagement and placing my people in terrible danger. I would go myself, but Albion is in a state of war, too dangerous for me. Since you have considerable experience in these matters as well as incredible power, I humbly beseech you to accept this task." Henrietta bowed to them.

"...Okay. I'll accept it, but only if Louise does as well." He stated

"Will you, Louise? Please?" She asked.

"Yes...I would be honored to accept this mission." Louise replied with vigor.

"Thank you...Both of you...I will arrange with Master Osmond for your absence and send one member of my Griffon Knights to accompany you. You will leave in two days time in the morning." The Princess thanked the two of them, but Ichigo called out to her one last time.

"Excuse me...But if I follow through with this mission, can I make a request?" He asked.

"Oh? What would you like to request?" She asked. This was no small favor she asked of them, so the compensation should fit the risk they were taking.

"I want to find a way to return to my home world, but Master Osmond and Professor Colbert have exhausted all of the resources available to us at the Academy. I was wondering if you could lend us a hand in finding a way to send me back to my family, friends, and my fiancee." Ichigo requested of her.

Henrietta was taken back by the sheer sincerity of the request, as well as the nature of it. It never occured to her that a familiar might actually want to go home, but then again, he had an entire life he was ripped away from. One he was eager to return to, especially his bride-to-be. She was someone who could understand wanting to be with the one you loved.

"I see...Perform this task for me and consider it done. You have my Royal promise I shall aid you in returning home." Henrietta vowed.

"Thank you. I'm at your service, then." Ichigo replied to the princess as she left the room. Louise turned to her familiar.

"This means we won't have to beat the others in that competition!" Louise realised. She didn't really feel like participating in it, anyway.

"Yeah...But now, we will be putting ourselves in harm's way. I'm used to it, but I'll need to teach you a thing or two about defending yourself." Ichigo told her.

"Why should I do that? That's your job, protecting me." Louise replied, a bit puzzled.

"That's true, but what if I'm not there? Something might take me out of combat or I might be fighting another while someone else attacks you. What then?" He proposed. She hadn't thought of that.

"I see...What would you teach me?" She asked him.

"For starters..." He started to say, pulling one of his kunai out of his thigh holster and handing it to her.

"Keep that on you at all times and keep it hidden. I'll also teach you how to use it, but that will have to wait until tomorrow. We should be getting to sleep." Her ninja guardian suggested.

She was feeling a little tired herself, so she shrugged and got herself ready to go to sleep, trying to psyche herself up for what the next day would bring.

THE NEXT DAY...AT THE ROYAL PALACE.

"..." Ichigo was silent, yet a bit irritated that he would be putting on a show like some carnival performer. Louise could feel his irritation from where she stood.

"I know you don't like this, but just humor me, okay?" Louise asked, making her ninja familiar sigh with resignation.

"Fine...But I'm going to hold back. No sense in destroying this hall for a mere demonstration." Ichigo replied, making sense to the young mage. It would hardly do for them to stomp this place flat.

They watched all of the other demonstrations that the other master/familiar pairs had displayed, but so far only Kirche's and Tabitha's stood out. The crowd gave a healthy cheer for the performance of aerial acrobatics of the nimble Rhyme Dragon. After the cheering died down, the court crier unrolled his parchment an announced the final pair...Them.

"Miss Louise Francoise le Blanc de la Valliere!" He called out, the pair reluctantly ambling out into the open. Off to the side, the Princess herself gave them a smile, the judges and her court standing beside her throne as they cast curious gazes at the tall blond.

"Well...Here goes something..." Ichigo mumbled as he held his fingers into the Ram seal, a blue haze surrounding him as he began to amass his chakra for something big...But he felt another presence, one that was familiar from that night a week ago.

"Oh crap...Not her again..." He moaned as the ceiling began to cave in...Just above where the Royal Box was located.

"PRINCESS!" A young woman in armor bellowed as she tried in vain to reach her Lady to rescue her, but Ichigo was already in motion.

Leaving a clone to stay with Louise, he darted forward and hefted a large air buffer around the endangered people causing the rubble to bounce off harmlessly.

"Thank you, Sir Ichigo." Henrietta thanked him as he nodded, taking off through the hole in the roof that the golem created in it's wake to take it down again.

"Ha ha...Did they really think we would give up on something so powerful so easily?" Fouquet laughed from atop her new and improved golem, holding the box which contained the Talismans. She was broken out of her revelry by a kunai that grazed her arm, leaving a rather deep gash.

"GAH! W-who did that?!" She yelled, scanning the area for her next victim. She saw various archers down on the ground shooting arrows at her, but they couldn't reach her, along with Musketeers taking shots at her with their muskets, but they were notoriously inaccurate. She then let her gaze fall upon a neighboring rooftop to discover someone she hoped to exact revenge on for her humiliating defeat.

"You..." She snarled, but he calmly returned her glare with a burst of Ki that sent shivers doing sprints up and down her spine.

"I though you learned from our last fight, but I guess you're just not that smart. Just know that I will NOT let you get away this time for putting my mistress at risk...Again." Ichigo shot back as he readied himself for combat.

"Now that I know you aren't one to be toyed with, I shalll kill you swiftly, upstart commoner." Fouquet sneered as she had her golem engage the shinobi, who dodged the blow, but it was considerably faster than before. He tried a few strong water blasts and explosive notes, but they had little effect. On top of that, the physical defenses would not allow him to get within striking range of his weapon, 15 meters.

"Whoa...That thing got an upgrade...But I'm not out of tricks, either." Ichigo commented to himself while airborne. While in the air, more earth missiles were screaming in his direction, to the horror of his mistress.

"He can't dodge while in the air!" She screamed.

But to the surprize of everyone there, he lept higher into the air by solidifying the air beneath his feet and altered his trajectory to use them as stepping stones to close in on his target with alarming speed. Using the opening he was provided with, he gathered as much water as he could while getting closer. By the time he got within range, he had the water needed for one of his most powerful Water attacks. He just needed to aim it properly to avoid causing collateral damage. He seemed to be suspended in midair as the water from every conceivable source answered his command, gathering into one giant form. It looked like a great dragon with many heads, all of them snarling and writhing.

YAMATA NO OROCHI MIZUHEI!

With a chorus of piercing screams, the heads all threw themselves at the golem with crushing force, completely obliterating it. Fouquet fell to the ground but through an incredible stroke of luck was not badly injured by the fall.

"Damn...Beaten again..." She hissed as she tried to make her getaway, but two spikes made of pure ice pierced her shoulders and pinned to a nearby wall causing her to let out a pained scream, dropping the box.

"I told you...I wasn't going to let you get away..." A worn out Ichigo said as he stumbled through the rubble and smoke, the Imperial Guard passing him to take her into custody.

"Tag 'er...and Bag 'er." He muttered tiredly as he fell asleep where he fell, the palace guards and others gathering around in awe, Louise rushing to his side.

"You...idiot...I was so worried that you'd be killed..." She sobbed over his resting form as Princess Henrietta walked up to them, motioning to her attendants.

"Please arrange for Sir Ichigo and Lady Valliere to be taken back to the Academy safely." The Princess ordered as her servant made the arrangements while she spoke to her friend.

"He did something incredibly brave today. I would have died if it were not for his timely intervention and countless more would have been killed had he not destroyed that beast and captured it's creator, the infamous thief Fouquet. The reward for her capture will be delivered to you in due time, but for now I ask that you rest up for the task ahead of you. Once again, tell him that he has my deepest gratitude." Henrietta stated regally as Louise bowed and thanked her for helping to get him back to the Academy.

'If only...He were Tristainian, I would Knight him on the spot. A brave and noble soul such as he can do much good in this troubled world. Can I?' Henrietta thought as she retired to her chambers, her personal bodyguard Agnes following close behind.

"I am sorry for my failure to protect you, My Lady." Agnes apologised profusely, but Henrietta waved her apology off.

"You have nothing to apologise for, Agnes. Please...Do not worry yourself ragged over it." The Princess replied kindly.

EARLY THE NEXT MORNING...

"Louise...It's time to get ready to go." Ichigo gently shook his "Mistress" awake, himself already fully dressed in his armor and gear.

"Oohmmm...Already?" She groaned, but to her dismay her nodded.

"Yes." He answered simply as she got up slowly, got dressed in her Academy uniform and travelling cloak.

The last items they grabbed were the letter and ring, which Ichigo sealed away into an equipment scroll, and Louise's wand, before they left the room and headed down to the kitchens for a quick breakfast. Once they ate, they promptly left the safety of the Academy, and ventured into the early morning mists while Osmond watched.

"I know that the ninja is more than capable of protecting her...But that still does not stop me from worrying. If her power fell into the wrong hands, it could endanger the entire world. Young shinobi, guard her well with the time you have remaining." Osmond murmured as he went about his duties once again.

TRISTAIN ROYAL PALACE GATES

"So...This is the palace, huh? It's pretty big, probably bigger than the Fire Daimyo's palace." Ichigo commented just after he teleported them both there. They looked around, but saw no one there until Ichigo felt something at the edge of his senses, turning his gaze skyward. There, he saw a winged creature descending from the skies, someone riding on it's back.

"You are the ones the Princess chose to go on this mission?" The man asked as he dismounted his mount and faced them

"Viscount Wardes?! You are the one who will be going with us?!" Louise exclaimed.

"That's the truth of it, my little Louise." The man identified himself as he took her hand and kissed it, Ichigo's eyes narrowing slightly. His disapproving look didn't go unnoticed by the Guardsman, who looked at her companion with an appraising eye.

"You certainly look the part of a warrior...Ichigo is your name?" Wardes inquired.

"Yes. That is correct." Ichigo stated simply, wary of this new person.

"I hear that you managed to take down Mott and his entire security force single-handedly through unknown means. It does my heart good to see my little Louise looked after by such a capable man. However...I wonder just how strong you are..." Wardes replied, a hint of patronization detected in his tone.

"Just...What ARE you to her and be honest. I'm not very fond of people lying to me." The much taller blond intoned.

"Oh that...I am her fiancee, Jean-Jacques Francis, the Viscount of Wardes and Captain of the Griffen Knights." He announced, hefting Louise into his arms as he placed her atop his mount, but the man before him was far from impressed.

'A grown man engaged to a girl her age? Seriously...What the Hell?'

"...Let's get this mission over with." Ichigo replied curtly, getting a feeling that something about this man wasn't right and that he should be very careful when dealing with him.

"Hold there...Do you have the ring?" Wardes asked, Ichigo not even facing him when he responded.

"Yes. I was specifically instructed by the Princess herself to maintain possession of it until the appointed time and not a moment sooner. I hope you do not believe me incompetent. That would be a very grave mistake." Ichigo responded as they readied to embark on their mission to Albion.

"Surely you do not expect to keep pace on foot?" Wardes questioned.

"Oh...I'm full of surprises. Now let's go." He stated, easily keeping pace with the Griffin they rode.

The party journeyed onward until they reached the Skyport city of La Rochelle, at the very edge of Tristain territory, bedding down at an Inn for the night. They checked themselves in and began to unload for the night when Louise desired to have a talk with her familiar about his strange hostility toward her fiancee.

"Why are you so...Hostile toward Lord Wardes?" She questioned.

"...There is something about him that just...Doesn't seem to add up. I can't place my finger on it, but I've learned to trust my instincts." Ichigo replied, looking at the sunset.

"You know...This engagement was my parents idea." She stated.

"Hmph. You already know my views on arranged marriages." Ichigo harrumph.

"For us nobles...The freedom to marry as you please as commoners such as you enjoy can never be ours. And besides, one can do much worse than Lord Wardes." She replied rattling off a small bit of his personal history.

"He worked hard to rise to where he is today...Not like a commoner could understand." She whispered, but she forgot that he had very good hearing.

"I wouldn't understand? You have no idea of what ninja life is like. Living life as if each mission could be our last. Watching your friends and loved ones die before you, but being powerless to stop it from happening. Having to stay your hand out of fear for causing a war. Petty politics pulling your strings. Trust me, little girl...I understand much more than you could ever imagine." Ichigo shot back as he teleported away to an unseen location. She thought back on what she said and couldn't believe what she had uttered to someone so important to her.

"Ichigo! I'm sorry! I didn't mean what I said!" She pleaded for him to return, but he remained silent and unseen until supper. There, he was mute as he ate in total silence at a different table as Wardes had him eat seperately. Finally nighttime had fallen and it was time to get some rest.

"Ah...A nice Inn for the night. I believe that Louise should sleep in my room, as we are engaged to be married." Wardes insisted, but Ichigo had an objection.

"I am her protector...Her Guardian. I will be inside the room and by her side at all times while out and about." Ichigo stated forcefully, making Wardes frown.

"I do not know what backwater lands bore you, but a commoner staying in the same room as a noble is a laughable idea." Wardes huffed as he closed the door in his face.

"Bastard...I'm still keeping an eye on you. Her safety is my highest priority and if you put her in any danger...Death would be too good for you." Ichigo hissed as he worked a minor Genjutsu to hide his Kage Bunshin, having it keep a silent watch over his ward. The Shadow Clone silently stalked across the outer wall and onto the balcony of Louise's room, overhearing snippets of the conversation going on inside. However, one part made his eyes narrow.

"W-why such a sudden marriage proposal?!" Louise gasped.

"Because...I need you at my side, Louise." Wardes pleaded, but he'd heard tones like that before.

'Yeah...And I suppose her unique magic has NOTHING to do with that...Lying bastard.' Ichigo glowered, but it was careful to avoid emitting Ki as he kept watching, his mood worsening with each passing moment.

"My little Louise..." He breathed as he closed in for a kiss.

"I will do anything to protect you." He whispered in her ear as he closed in for that kiss, but she murmured an unexpected name.

"Ichigo..." She whispered as he backed off.

"It would seem as if that man has worked his way into your heart." Wardes commented.

'Well...I guess he has. I mean, I feel very jealous of this woman he is to marry...' Louise thought, but had to disguise her thoughts.

"Ah! N-no...It's just that I summoned him a-and he protected me all these times..." Louise floundered as Wardes stood up to exit the room.

"I suppose I will rent another room for myself, but know this...I will win your heart by the end of this mission." He declared as he bade her goodnight.

'Over my dead body. Man...Boss isn't gonna like this.' The Clone thought just before it dispelled itself. What the clone was to preoccupied to notice, however, were two cloaked figures on a nearby balcony, watching their every move.

The next morning came and with it, came a slight challenge to the ninja from the Noble.

"I see that you are somewhat of a swordsman, so I wish to see if you are worthy of wielding a blade in combat...Worthy of protecting Louise." Wardes challenged.

"No...Don't do this...Ichigo please..." Louise pleaded with him, but it fell on deaf ears.

"There's an old saying...But I'm sure you know of it." Ichigo commented as he got ready to fight, in his ready stance.

The two clashed, Ichigo not using his incredible speed to lull Wardes into overconfidence and not tip his hand too soon. After a moment of trading blows, Ichigo pushed away from him and landed in a ninja crouch, his blade held in a reverse grip.

"I see that you are indeed skilled as well as very agile, but you are holding back. Go ahead...I can handle your worst." Wardes called out confidently, but the response he got chilled him to the bone.

"The saying goes...Be careful what you wish for..." Ichigo stated as he blurred from sight, only to reappear behind his opponent in the same instant with his blade against his neck.

"You just might get it." Ichigo finished, his tone that of a stone cold killer.

"Ichigo! Please release him! You've won!" Louise pleaded, himself complying with her command and re-sheathing his weapon.

"I've handled ninja, swordsmen and alike, that are more powerful than you could imagine and beaten or killed them in combat. If it were not for Louise, you would be breathing through your neck right now. Remember that." Ichigo stated as his eyes reverted back to normal.

"We've wasted enough time with this little pissing match. We should be moving onward toward Albion. Wardes, where do we go next?" The ninja commanded.

"Hmph...You are skilled, as well as swift." Wardes huffed as he pointed out the directions to the Skyport for a ferry to Albion. The pair walked through the streets, making their way toward the Skyport when they suddenly fell under attack.

"You will not reach Albion." One of the attackers stated coldly as he raised a wand to cast a spell, but the ninja was already spun up and on his guard, so the attacking mage was cut down before he even had a chance to blink.

"I'm not feeling very charatible right now...Just leave or I turn you into wormbait." Ichigo snarled menacingly, surprizing Louise with his change in demeanor.

Their attackers looked stunned, as if they weren't expecting this to happen. They slowly regained their wits and gathered up the corpse of one of their own, and fled the area, opting not to fight someone who killed one of their number so quickly and easily. ichigo sighed and looked back to Wardes to gauge his reaction and he seemed equally as stunned.

"For a supposed veteran soldier, the sight of bloodshed surprizes you?" Ichigo inquired.

"No...It's just that it was done so callously." Wardes explained, but the tone in his voice was betraying him. Ichigo now knew there was something very wrong here, but decided to play along for now and stay close to Louise, preferably between her and Wardes.

"It doesn't matter...C'mon, we're burning daylight." Ichigo grunted as he got them both moving to the Skyport.

ABANDONED CHURCH NEAR THE PALACE IN ALBION

The small group journeyed for the better part of the day until they finally reached the Royal Palace, where Prince Wales was awaiting them.

"Ah! I see that the delegation from Tristain has made it here safely!" Prince Wales greeted them.

"Yes, Your Highness. Thank you for your greetings." Louise accepted gracefully.

"Well then...What does Princess Henrietta wish of me? I shall be happy to grant it." Wales inquired. He had a very soft spot for her, and couldn't deny her anything. Ichigo then stepped forward.

"Prince Wales...We have come here on the behalf of the Princess to retrieve a letter that she apparently wrote to you..." Ichigo stated, explaining the nature of their visit in deatil and even unsealed the Water Ruby from his storage scroll to show authentication. The young Prince looked crestfallen at the news that she was to wed the Emperor of Germania for the sake of her Kingdom's safety, as he loved her deeply. However, he knew that was just how things were and he would have to accept it, or he would never find peace for himself, as he explained.

"That's a good way to look at this. Always try to salvage every situation and learn from it." Ichigo replied sagely, the young prince taking those words to heart. In return, Wales explained the situation in Albion, which was in the middle of a terrible civil war. The Royal family had been split down the middle, with a shadowy group pulling the strings behind the scenes. Wales himself was the last surviving noble of his family, the last hope of the Loyalist forces to retake the throne. After hearing what Henrietta wanted Wales to do, Louise pleaded with him to leave with them, that her familiar will guard them and safely deliver them back to Tristain, but he refused. Wales knew that if the Germanian Emperor learned of their love for one another, he would break off the engagement and might even become hostile toward Tristain.

After the business was concluded, they were shown to places where they could rest. As they rested, a heavy shock rocked the small church, Ichigo and a few of Wales's loyal knights heading out with him to check on it. As they searched for the attacker, they found none other than a huge golem attacking the church...with a disturbingly familiar person perched on it's shoulder.

"No way..." Ichigo growled as he turned to the guards.

"Spread out! Don't bunch up, or she'll flatten you all in one blow!" Ichigo ordered as the guards did just that.

"Time to end this threat...Permanently." He snarled as he lept into battle to face her for the last time.

The battle dragged on, as Fouquet had learned to adapt to his way of fighting, but she hadn't seen all of his tricks yet. After 30 minutes of fighting and sustaining several injuries, he finally managed to get close enough to run her through with his sword. As she gasped and coughed up blood from her fatal wound, she laughed in his face.

"Heh...I guess...I distracted you long enough." She mocked him.

"What the hell do you mean?" He demanded.

"That girl...Her Void Magic will bring...Reconquista great power...Under Wardes control..." She mocked him one final time before he snapped her neck to silence her once and for all. He simply lept away and let her body fall as he regrouped with the guards.

"I knew it...That bastard Wardes is with them..." He grunted as he righted himself.

"Sir Ichigo...You are injured! We must get you to the medic right away..." One soldier suggested, but he was ignored.

"He have to get back in there...NOW!" Ichigo roared.

'I'm coming, Louise...I'll protect you...As I promised.'

Back inside, Wardes had grabbed Louise and whisked her away, saying that he was bringing her to safety. Once they were alone, he made his move on her.

"Louise...I feel that we should get married right away." Wardes proposed suddenly, stunning her.

"H-huh?! But...Why?" She gasped out.

"Louise...Do you really harbor such inappropriate feelings for that stupid commoner?" Wardes sighed in irritation.

"What do you mean by that?! He is my loyal friend and he's taught me a lot!" Louise retorted heatedly.

"Disgusting...But I guess Reconquista will have to make do with a puppet..." Wardes muttered as he pulled out a ring and tried to slip it on her finger.

But before he could do that, she pulled out the hidden kunai that Ichigo had given to her before they left, taking a wild slash at his face and actually giving him a cut on his cheek.

"Stay away from me, you traitor!" Louise bellowed, but that only made him laugh and her, slapping the ninja knife away from her and forcing the ring onto her finger.

"Now...Let's go. We have vows to swear and a revolution to aggravate." He ordered, Louise following his command.

'No! My body...It won't listen to me! Ichigo...HELP ME!' She screamed as they walked back out to the main cathedral, where Wales was standing.

"Ah...Prince Wales. I was wondering if you could perform a marriage for the two of us?" Wardes inquired with false sincerity.

"That would be delightful..." He answered.

The next few minutes were spent with Wales performing the marriage rites for the two of them. During this, Louise was trying to fight the ring's control over her body, but failed in every attempt.

'No...NO! Lord Wardes...He was really a traitor who wants me for his own uses...I feel so stupid for defending him against Ichigo...I should have trusted him...' She despaired as the ceremony continued. Finally, they came to the vows.

"Do you, Lord Jean-Jacques Francis, take this young woman as your wife?" Wales asked.

"I do." Wardes answered.

"And do you, Louise Francoise le Blanc de la Valliere, take this man as your husband?" He asked, getting nothing but silence.

"Is there something wrong?" Wales asked.

"Oh no...She's just a bit overcome, that's all." Wardes played it off as Wales smiled.

"Okay then...I shall ask again. Do you..." Wales started to say, but a heavy impact against the cathedral doors distracted them.

"What in Brimirs's name..." He whispered as a second heavy thud hit the doors, knocking them completely off their hinges to reveal an extremely upset Ichigo with the guards that had gone with him behind him.

"You bastard...You're with them, aren't you?" Ichigo accused, but to Wales surprize, he didn't say anything to defend himself, only chuckle as he drew his sword wand.

"Bravo, commoner...You not only warded off Fouquet, but you figured me out...However..." Wardes stated smugly as he thrust his sword into the Prince's chest to the horror of everyone else present.

"I have accomplished part of my mission in killing that ignorant child. Once I have disposed of you and these witnesses, I can complete the other half." Wardes sneered at them, waiting for Fouquet to return to extract them, but was met only with a harsh spinning kick breaking two of his ribs as Ichigo slipped the ring off of her finger.

"Wh-what?! What happened?!" Wardes demanded to know.

"She's not coming...But you'll be joining her in Hell very soon." Ichigo stated, his cold tone inspiring true terror in the traitor's heart.

"You...Killed her?" He asked in disbelief.

"Got it in one..." Ichigo replied as he proceeded to disable Wardes from making another move and motioned for the guards to bring in a medic to tend to Wales, who was still alive.

The medics managed to save his life thanks to his efforts, while Wardes was now crippled, all of his limbs broken as Ichigo pressed him for more information. Wardes had managed to resist the torture, but just before he was about to finish him off, a green portal ripped open and the being that tried to return him home the first time stepped out.

"I apologize for taking so long to find you. I have come to return you home, Ichigo Suzumiya. While you were never meant to be here, you have performed admirably. It is time to switch places with the one who was destined to come here..." The Being stated as the portal grew brighter until it showed his home.

"Konoha..." Ichigo whispered, Louise gripping his arm.

"No! I won't let you leave me! Please don't go...Don't go!" The girl pleaded with him as the disk attracted attention.

On the other side of the portal, more and more ninja began to show up as the denizens of both worlds got a good look at one another. Louise could see the very people from the pictures she was shown, including Naruto and Anko. Anko had appeared and had to be held back from running into his arms.

"ICHIGO!" She screamed as he saw her.

"ANKO! I'll be right there!" He assured her as he turned to Louise and knelt down before her.

"Listen...I have to return home. As he said...I was never meant to be here. Someone else will take my place and he will guard and care for you as I did." Ichigo explained to her.

"If you can't stay here...Then I'm going with you!" She demanded. Knowing that she will be stubborn to the last, he used a simple Genjutsu to knock her out gently and laid her down next to Wales.

"I'm sorry Louise...But my world is far more dangerous than this one. This is the way things have to be." Ichigo told her sadly as he turned to the portal. Finally, Saito appeared and the Being smirked.

"He is here...Time to go home now, but before you do...I must erase all knowledge of your existence from this world. It will be as if young Saito had been here the whole time. Are the two of you ready?" The Being asked, the pair nodding as a light overtook them.

Saito opened his eyes and found all these memories in his head and everything that had happened in the past couple of weeks seemed like a dream. Ichigo still retained his memories, but he bent down to give Louise one final kiss on her forehead.

"I hope that you'll be happy...Goodbye...Mistress." He told her sleeping form sadly as he disappeared from Halkeginia and their world entirely, the portal closing behind him and making way for Saito's own adventure and story.

"Ahh...So good to be back home." Ichigo sighed, taking a deep breath before it was knocked out of him by the very people that wished to see him again. Anko had beaten them all there and kissed him deeply, but not before slapping him.

"Don't you ever leave me again..." She sobbed as he comforted her.

"That wasn't my call to leave, but I won't leave you again." He soothed her as he proceeded to reconnect with everyone else that was dear to him.

Konoha was his home. He may not have been born there, but his family was there, his love is from there, his children will be born there. There is a saying that goes like this : Home is where the heart is. That phrase cannot be any more true than it is at this moment.

~The End~

A/N: Hot damn! That took over a year to complete. However, I wanted to share my writings with all of you and this had a happy ending. The Familiar of Zero storyline will pick up from that point in time, just with a few changes since Fouquet is dead, Wardes is as good as dead, Mott is now rotting in prison, Guiche may return someday but he will be vastly different, along with Prince Wales surviving his wound. The way I portrayed Louise is as an awkward, insecure girl who needed guidance, the kind that a teacher or parent SHOULD give, but she never received. Ichigo filled that role in her life and she became very attached to him, seeing him as someone she trusted completely. Someone like that, she will not give up so easily. As for romance, there was none. She simply saw him as a trusted adult figure.