A/n: Oh well, here is another idea I had! Hope you guys like it! If you do, please do review and favourite! And do tell me if you'd like to see more of this horrible work XD


Ends of Beginnings

By the divine Arcane Charter

And heaven's prestigious favor

The bright, magnificent fringes of light that shot through the sky managed to capture the young girl's attention well enough. Making her scramble towards the small band of people clustered around the bright flashes of green light.

It was another summoning.

I call forth my eternal compeer

My soul

The very culmination of my being

The spectacular sparkles of magic only rose in fervour, painting the blue sky with glorious shades of bright, almost proud greens. It was beautiful. The summonings always were a sight to behold; a splendid, awe-inspiring presentation one could only forget so little. Bright flashes of magic swirling through the skies, like fireworks, bursting into a flurry of sparkles once they reached the top, raining so softly on the observers. It was truly exquisite; the experience.

The girl, named Hikaru, brushed the few pesky strands of bright cyan hair past her shoulders, quickening her pace to the highest measure her adolescent body allowed. Her heart pounded in her chest, sweaty hands snugly tucked under her warm arms as she swam her way through the puddle of a thick crowd, wanting a peek of the Summoned on her own and not just by a word-of-mouth.

Her village, Nekmura, was not a very populated one, being the fifth district on the holy mainland, it was bound to be quiet and serene. It was not known for anything extremely famous or valuable as opposed to the other districts. It was just a small place, brimming with all the spoils nature had to offer, be it the plethora of exotic flowers nearby or the dulcet songs of the birds that oftened the small village in needs of food or healing.

Healing. Now that was what their village was known for. The best medical sorcerers inhabited Nekmura, adept in healing any ailment that came across them. Their magical prowess had always been a thing of pride for the village, and it was almost natural, they took pride in what they did best. But no matter how skilled they were in wielding the medical craft, they could not bring the dead back to life.

Hikaru, however, had heard that some mages in the capitol were capable of such feats. Animating objects long delved into the pits of death; blessing the dead with life; Necromancers were what they were oft referred as in the big, fat and old books Hikaru had the immense pleasure of reading. But she only brushed the knowledge as a flying rumour the old books had managed to somehow capture.

She had only known of healing already alive people, and she would just not bother herself with the dead; no, do not get her wrong, she did want everyone to live, it was just that neither was she capable of such amazing feats nor was she knowledged enough to proceed with them. She and her village only healed the hurt, it was all they knew; it was all they were known for.

But now, their village, which had only been previously known for its healing abilities, was gifted with its first Syoukanshi; its first Summoner.

Hikaru's head popped through the midriffs of tall men and women; all too enraptured by the scene before them to notice the smaller girl's forced entry.

And frankly, Hikaru could not blame them. The scene in front left even her speechless.

I, KYOUYA TATEGAMI,

GRANDSON OF THE SEVENTH PRIME SYOUKANSHI

Her heart clenched at the sight.

A boy, of about her own age -or so she reckoned-, stood amidst swirls of green magic. His hair, wild and rough stood up on ends, its dark green melding perfectly with the magic that lit him ablaze. It lapped around him like still water, but at the same time lashed about like a vicious tongue of fire, burning everything that lay in its path.

A deep blush coloured her mocha cheeks. Hikaru swore, she had never seen anything as beautiful before.

The boy, he looked so stunning. Elegance dripped off every gesture he performed. His hands interlacing, then separating; coming together only to go far apart in complex signs that seemed to mimic some of the petty healing spells Hikaru performed, only his were a raze of grace. Green magic followed his each gesture, leaving a trail of shimmer behind in its wake; a paragon of sorcery is what he was.

He shone, so brightly, akin to the North Star Hikaru often trailed after.

His glory, however, was marred by his pained screams.

Hikaru had read about how summoning was not an easy task to carry out. It was painful. All the magic required in the summoning was drawn relentlessly from the Summoner, leaving the Summoner a fatigued mess after the whole ordeal was over. Most Summoners had to be bed ridden even, for a couple of hours or a day; for a week's length at times too.

Moreover, not every body could summon a beast. Only those who were blessed by the gods were capable to summon their companion, Hikaru did not know how exactly a Summoner was to be distinguished. All they knew was that a summoning only happened once the Summoner was deemed powerful enough to handle a beast.

The beasts—Companions, or familiars as most people put it, were exactly that; friends to the Summoner. A companion, or Summon's, life was meticulously weaved through the life of its master, or the Summoner. Thy were meant to live together and die together. Even all their wounds reflected on each other, meaning a wound to the Summoner would mean a wound to its Summon. They were bound together, their souls connected, by preset ties of magic till the end of time.

The soul connection or Life-force sharing had been a holy task since the beginning of time itself; it was a task so pure, so beautiful that only a select few got the pleasure of ever partaking in it. However, Hikaru was well aware of the cons that tagged along the sharing. Often, Summoners falling ill would render their Summon weak as well, ultimately leading to the death of one, and consequently the other.

Many lives were lost; humans and beasts alike were faced with the same fate if they as much as fell sick. Since then, the Arcane Magistrate made it compulsory for a Summoner to befriend a healer for their journeys, should they choose to travel.

Hikaru briefly thought whether he would be interested in befriending her.

Summoners usually went around battling for power and experience, usually taking part in tournaments to gain more of the same. Power, or Arcane Potential, was the perfect gauge of the magical competence of any sorcerer. Hikaru did not know much about the technicalities of Arcane Potential or the magic behind it, but she did know that the most powerful of Summoners ruled over the mainland.

SUMMON YOU!

COME FORTH!

The boy screeched, perhaps the loudest he could. Wisps of green magic swirled around him, getting heavier and denser, much like the thick fog that settled over the mountains in the cold winters.

And before the bystanders knew, the magic amalgamated into the solid form of a majestic figure. Its humongous 11 feet form towering over the cluster of people. Green magic swirled around it, supplying it more aesthetic; the figure, standing on its four limbs mimicked an action similar to a roar, sending a few startled observers high up in the air.

The magic soon cleared up, leaving behind an exhausted Summoner and a breathtakingly beautiful beast.

The King of the Kings; a Lion.

The wind gently caressed its blonde mane, which was streaked with a dull and deep green. Its sharp fangs set into a soft snarl, paws dug deep into the warm earth, perhaps for some sort of support. Green, shimmering magic trailed behind the beast, fading softly into thin air.

Loud claps and jovial chatter soon decorated the atmosphere. The village elders congratulated the moribund Summoner, shaking him by the hand, not even caring if his reply to all their gestures was a weak nod of his limping head. Women scurried off to their houses, intent on spreading the news of the newly summoned beast. Children ran around, trying so hard to approach the magical beast and flinching every time it snared its fangs at their weak attempts.

Hikaru did not know much about Summons in general, but she did know there were specifics tiers to which a beast belonged. Tiers corresponded to the power or capability of a summon. Higher the tire of Summon, higher the Arcane Potential. There were 12 tiers known to the mages at present, a Lion probably belonging to the 9th tier, being a class apart than most summons and hence bearing more Arcane Potential.

Needless to say, the village was more than happy to have received the king as their first Summon.


Celebration after celebration followed the summoning.

But of course, there were none she was invited to.

Hikaru pulled the sleeves of her grey kimono over her small, petite shoulders. Wrapping the broad black cotton obi around her waist and quickly setting her blue hair in a bun, she waddled out of the dorms and in to the dining area of the Orphanage.

Hikaru had never seen her parents. All she knew was that they left her at the Orphanage door when she was an infant, or at least that was what the Orphanage Elder always told her. She had never bothered to pry more into her parent's history and her origins than the Elder had informed her of; she just could not bring herself to care about those selfish and heartless people that left a little baby at the doorstep of a withering orphanage.

She did not have too many friends either, nobody even shared their beds with her. She never got to know the reason behind their peculiar behaviour towards her and she did not try to either. Creating drama or taking frequent dips in depression was something she did not like as much. She was content with what she had; a magnanimous Orphanage Elder, a shelter to hide her head under and wonderful teachers. And of course, how could she forget the library.

Hikaru had her breakfast in quiet. She always woke up a little earlier than the other girls, only to avoid their voluble company. She had not hated the other girls, but their judging stares and snickers had made it excessively difficult for her to stay cool in their presence.

After finishing her food and thanking the lunch lady, she made her way outside the small wooden building, aiming to take a nice stroll through the Inner Forest.

The Inner Forest was the less frequented part of Nekmura. It was pretty isolated from the other ranges of forests and hence received a few to almost no visitors. And that was exactly why Hikaru liked going there so much.

Hikaru skipped, rather than walked, to her destination, her bare feet dusted with the warm summer soil, garnished with little blades of grass as well. It was all so beautiful, all the colourful flowers and their wonderful fragrances lined the vicinity; all the humongous trees looming above, creating archways over the dust paths; the pretty birds, singing their melodious songs, decorating the air with a subtle pleasantness.

A soft sigh escaped her thin lips as she neared a clearing. The unending lines of trees fanned out to reveal a large, grassed ground. Pink and purple poppies tittered along the length of the ground, sparkling under the bright noon sun. A bed of white carnations bloomed on the other side, starkly contrasting against the yellow ones that were barely hidden by the young rose bushes beside.

Carefully pressing out all the creases in her kimono, she plopped to the ground, under one of the huge trees.

'A little nap wouldn't hurt much.' She giggled, curling up against the trunk. She could allow herself a little nap, it would not be very long and she could return to the orphanage before the sun sunk lower into the sky. And even if she did not make it in time, the Elder would not be very cross with her for being just a few moments late for lunch. With that reassurance in her mind, she closed her eyes and submitted to a sweet slumber.

"What are you doing here?"

Hikaru shot up from her small nap almost at the speed of light, her eyes snapped open at the gruff voice. Her heart raced in her chest, almost making her feel as if she went through a cardiac arrest. Her hands immediately turned sweaty and sticky from the sudden fear that had sabotaged her and was still running down her shivering body.

But she was quick to regain her composure (thanks to all the pranks she had gone trough at the orphanage, she had quite learned how to get her calm back after a startling event.)

After recovering from the semi-heart attack, she finally, actually observed the man, or more appropriately, boy standing before her, the owner of the scary voice.

His dark green hair stood up on their ends, much like the mane of the humongous beast that stood behind him. His eyes were blue, the deepest and the most intense blue Hikaru had ever laid her eyes on. His skin, flawless and smooth, was a soft brown in colour, it sparkled ever so lightly under the sun. He had donned a black Hakama and a pair of worn out wooden slippers, his chest covered in a green jacket, was carefully buttoned at his chest.

It did not even take a second for Hikaru to recognise that familiar face.

"You're the one who summoned a Lion!" She found her self shout in excitement, her hands clasping together as she took a quick peek behind the tall boy, "and that's your Summon!" She pointed out.

"Hn. I know that." The boy crisped, briefly throwing his head over his shoulders to acknowledge the beast's presence.

"You're so amazing! Your name is Kyouya isn't it?" Hikaru drawled on giddily, getting up to her feet to greet the new Syoukanshi. She quickly struck out her grassy hand for the older boy to shake.

Kyouya just looked away, possibly to hide the soft brush of pink on his cheeks, "yeah yeah." He -very reluctantly, mind you- shook her back and quickly pulled away, not wanting to prolong the physical contact.

"So what are you doing here?" She asked, craning her head to the side to catch a glimpse of his face.

"I could ask you the same." He turned his head to the face the girl, raising an eyebrow at the weird angle her head was cocked to. This girl sure was weird.

As if in agreement to his companion, the large lion growled softly. Its paws frequently leaving the ground in impatience and maybe even warning.

Hikaru smiled, the biggest smile she could possibly muster up, at the beast and waved her hand at it, deeming it rude to not greet Kyouya's companion even though it was a beast. She had always been taught to show respect to even non-living objects; was always told that if she had to be something, she should be kind and respectful.

"What did you name him, Tategami-San?" She asked, her hand still cupped in his, but she did not look like she minded. Let alone mind, she did not even look like she knew it had been there for quite a while.

"Fang Leone." He muttered coldly, roughly pulling his hand away from the younger girl's. Not only was this girl weird, but was apparently a creep as well. He would have to remember not crossing paths with her again.

He would not lie, he had seen the girl around in the village and had heard about her from one of the village Elders. And truth to be told, the Elder did not have much good to say about her. She was not good at anything, let alone healing magic- the Elder had told him, sighing with such exasperation that Kyouya almost thought that the girl was their child. He was also told, in a passively furious voice, that she could not even cook or do her laundry and how it would be hard to find her a suitor for her when she came of age. Kyouya could not have cared about the girl less, he was just caught up with a heavily intoxicated Elder, whom only he knew how he had slipped off of.

And now, he had to slip off of this girl.

"You should not be here at this time." Kyouya continued, looking up at the dark orange sky. It was almost dusk, what was this girl doing here out alone anyway, "it's getting late and this can be a very dangerous place to be at night." He wanted her out of there, after all, he would not train with Leone in front of a complete stranger.

Hikaru immediately looked up at the sky, her mind automatically truncating what he had spoken after the 'getting late part.'

The sun was dipped deep down the sky, its golden hue barely visible between the thick cover of trees. It was way past lunch time now.

And sweet honey almonds! She was super late! The orphanage Elder would murder her for it!

"Oh no!" She groaned, quickly gathering herself up for what would be a super fast sprint to the old building of her orphanage, "it's so late! Oh no! What am I going to do? What am I going to do?"

Kyouya just observed the peculiar girl in silence. She was still fretting around rather than leaving. She surely did not know her each passing second could cost her the night's dinner at the Orphanage. Or could land her in toilet cleaning duty for more than a month. Kyouya knew all about Orphanage punishments, after all he had been in one before being adopted into a decent family.

He just sighed and turned away, "Let's just go train somewhere else Leone." He whispered and turned back around to the clearance.

He expected the heavy paw-falls of his beastly companion to follow, but all he got was the sound of his own feet. Leone was not obeying him. Again.

Since he had summoned the Cat beast, life had become a lot tougher. The beast refused to comply with almost anything the boy asked him to do. He often would even refuse to follow him and would just plop down on the ground and start licking his fur. Training him was even tougher for he did not follow any command that his master supplied him, rather he just went about doing what he felt like, which was mostly just fur-licking.

Even earlier today he had managed to embarrass Kyouya.

Kyouya was scheduled to show the Head Elder a few of his beasts' tricks. Kyouya had readily agreed, wanting to show his abilities off, maybe boast a little so that the Elder would get impressed enough to give him the permission to leave the village. However, Leone had thought different.

When the time came for the performance, Leone just fell to the ground and stayed there, unmoving and unresponsive to all the commands Kyouya so desperately shouted at him. After what seemed like the umpteenth time, the Elders asked him to politely give up and come back against after a few more months. It was so embarrassing for him! Not only did the whole fiasco made him lose a little of his respect but it also made the Elders laugh and the other watchers snicker at his failure.

Oh, Kyouya had been so enraged then.

From thence, he decided that he would practice harder and harder until Leone acknowledged him as his master. He would try to be a tad bit more patient with the beast.

But that did not mean he would not shout at him. If he got angry.

Kyouya whipped around, his writs clenched in anger. He had had enough of the beasts shenanigans for one day, and he would not allow any more. He opened his mouth to voice a few obscenities but closed it effectively when he saw his beast being pet by the blue haired girl.

Pet?!

Leone had sprawled out on the dirt, his head resting on his paws and his beautiful emerald eyes closed. A brown hand was running through his mane, stroking his fur so lightly and with such experience that it made the boy gape in surprise.

"Who's the good boy? Yeah, you are! C'mon, now it's time for your tummy!" Hikaru giggled at the soft swishes of the huge beast's tail as he rolled around and onto his back, letting her a view of his bare underside. She immediately began stroking the fur on his mantle, smiling softly at his gently purrs. He looked so contended and so much at ease.

"Hey!" Kyouya growled, "stop doing that to him!" He was genuinely shocked and also a little annoyed by the fact that she was able to sate the beast better than he was. She even got him to listen to what she had to say! It was completely and utterly preposterous!

Hikaru looked over at the indignant boy and tilted her head, " do what? I'm just petting him." Even the Lion shot him a dirty look.

Kyouya growled under his breath, "shouldn't you be at the Orphanage now?" There would be no gain in arguing with that doofus, he conjured.

Hikaru straightened up, as if a bolt of lighting had hit her straight on the cranium.

"On no! Thanks for reminding me, Tategami-San!" She bowed briefly and turned to look at the disappointed lion, "I have to go now, but I'll see you soon Leone-kun! Till then, bye!" She waved at both of them and took off in the opposite direction, deep into the forest.

Kyouya blinked. She was extremely fast when she wanted to be.

"Lets go now." Kyouya sighed, feeling utterly drained by something he could not well place. But he knew he did not want to train anymore, he just wanted to crash into his futon and sleep, "let's go home." He spoke again, sparing a glance over his shoulders.

The lion whimpered at his master's declaration, rolling back onto his stomach. He wanted to go back to the girl!

"Yeah she's gone. Now let's go."

The lion stood up, lethargy reflecting in his every move.

"She is not gonna come back."

Oh, if he only knew how wrong he was.


2 years later.

Hikaru lazily blew at her aquamarine bangs, making them furl up in the air. The rest of her thick locks were sprawled against the white sheets of her lower bunk. The moonlight from the window bounced off her sparkling hair, the gleam of which was only drowned out by the heavy downpour outside.

She saw people scramble along; broken, sodden selling carts were being hastily dragged across the wet and slushy paths of the village; women, covering their heads with little umbrellas -which failed to provide any sort of protection from the water- were stuttering down the road, their little children trailing behind like obedient ducklings.

A bright flash of thunder briefly illuminated the sky.

"Guess this won't stop this easy." Hikaru muttered to herself, her fingers seizing to curl the few strands of her hair around. She shifted to her side, snuggling inside the thick woollen blanket and continuing her observations. The warmth from the blanket washed over her tired, tepid body, making her moan softly in delight.

The blanket was a pure blessing in the harsh winters of Nekmura, but it was not so much of a frequent comfort for the other girls around. The others were mostly given scanty sheets to cower from the cold winters. Hikaru had only been given the blanket because of the blazing fever that had her in its grip at the moment.

Even though the healers could heal everything they came across, they rather did leave people to heal on their own, not wanting their immune systems to be completely dependent on healing magic. After all, not everybody could wield that kind of magic.

Hence, Hikaru had just been given a bubbling concoction to drink -which tasted grotesque, by the way. Hikaru had even given consideration to the possibility that it may have had been made out of animal entrails- and been told to rest for the remaining day, she was also assured of the fact that in the next three suns, her fever would be completely cured.

And that was why Hikaru was cooped up in her dorm while the other girls were out on their annual trip to District 3. Hikaru had not wanted to go either, to be frank. Kawasaki, or District 3, was famous for all the rivers it had. Don't get her wrong, it was not like she did not like water; in fact she loved water! It was just that she had been to District 3 too many a times to be interested in a revisit with her health at stake.

More rain poured down the sky, heavy and cruel, it beat against the ground and the wooden roof of the orphanage with a soft sound that almost lulled the blue haired woman to sleep.

She would have fallen asleep if it were not for the sudden pop outside her window.

Hikaru had nearly jumped out of her feverish skin at the sight of her friend -or acquaintance, she did not know what to call him yet- at her dorm window.

"Kyouya-San!" Hikaru's face flushed a deep, heavy shade of crimson at the sight of the drenched man.

Water dripped down his wilting hair, little drops of the clear liquid trailed down his well toned body. He had changed a lot in the past two years. He had grown -so had she, but she refused to acknowledge it- into a fine person. His hair were as green as they were before, slightly unkempt and a little fuller now. His eyes were as blue as they used to be, only his skin had acquired a riddle of scars, perhaps from the claws of his Summon -who still had not come to trust him-.

He had retained most of his clothing style through the couple of years, the only major change being a tattered undershirt that he often donned along with his green jacket.

"Help." He spoke. His voice so little; so weak.

Hikaru quickly propped up her heavy body against the bed, looking at the young man with concern.

"Leone…he's hurt…" he sounded so out of breath, his voice muffled even more from the heavy rain.

Hikaru squinted, her feet quickly finding the floor as she attempted to stand up. His deep blue eyes were the only prominent thing she could make out of his figure, and they were not shining as they usually did. They looked tired; hurt; weak and maybe even…

Broken?

"Please…" his weak voice begged, a heavy hand resting on the grills of her open window.

"he…we need help…"

Hikaru had to hear no more to shoot up from her bed and dash out in the harsh rain to help.

She could not turn him down. Even if it meant for her getting her sickness to worsen.

She would help him.