Hey all, nice to see you. As you can probably tell, this is my first fan fiction. As a result, I'm probably going to get all manner of things wrong. So please bear with me, and try to enjoy the story.
This stories plot idea is a new angle on a well loved outlook on the familiar of zero series. While many people have inserted the "different familiar" idea in, I've taken a new look on this by having a regular nobody with an interesting hobby get sucked into the world of Halkeginia. So without further ado, let's get started!
"Hello" = speech
"Hello" = shouting and/or spiritual being
Hello = thought
*Hello* = foreign language (or familiar unable to understand at the start).
Chapter 1: What the Soul?!
Well this is annoying was the thought going through my mind currently. "What was annoying?" I hear you ask? Well first, let's take a quick look at the run up to these events.
Kieren Haines was pretty average in most respects. 18 years of age, brown hair done in a standard, short style, and watery grey eyes. My attire consisted of a simple, striped button up shirt and cargo trousers. One thing that did stand out was my size, for at 6ft 4in tall and built with a strong body; I was hard to miss in a crowd. The downside to this however was i tended to draw the attention of the wrong crowd at times. Amazing how being taller than some people makes certain people feel threatened enough to start something with you. I eventually got bored of just taking any damage such people thought it was fair to dish out, so I had been learning to defend myself for the past two years. The method I chose was actually quite unusual, for it was Bōjutsu, but I had always been interested in wielding a staff. It is, after all, pretty much solely self defence with its long reach and blunt ends.
I had just finished my A levels at college, earning average grades in my chosen courses of biology, chemistry and geography (I know, must be a thrill to have at parties right?). Currently, I was indulging in one of my favourite hobbies of mine, playing the saxophone. Now, the saxophone could be considered an unusual instrument to learn to play nowadays, but there was a reason for learning this particular instrument.
You see, my father, Derek Haines, could also play the saxophone. In fact, back in the time when soul was still going strong, he was part of a small scale band called "The Mynx" that played at clubs and other locations. This meant a readymade, free instructor to learn from. Therefore, I had started to learn from age 14, and had come along relatively well in the near four years since he started. Since Derek was able to play a range of saxophones, I had a choice of which to learn first. Of course, being 14 at the time, I had no concept of "size isn't everything", and so went for the largest one Derek owned... a baritone saxophone. While lifting it alone was no small feat, perseverance and a growth spurt helped, and now I could lift it with relative ease.
One day, about a year ago now, some of Derek's old band members rung him and asked if he wanted to meet up to remember the good old days and a school reunion back at their old school in Dagenham, England. One thing led to another and soon, the members of the Mynx were back together after nearly 30 years of separation. Soon gigs were organised here and there, and due to my ability to play the saxophone too, I joined as an official member.
And so we come back to the present, and what was annoying, you asked? Set-up, that's what. What many people who come to see the gig fail to realise is the amount of set-up required before the gig even starts. Yes, I think annoying was a suitable word for it...that or tiresome...or a pain in the...you get the idea. So while various members of the band were setting up mics and moving amps, I was in a corner practising my baritone. Ah, the benefit of playing an instrument that doesn't need plugging in or amplifying.
It was halfway through practising "A message to Rudy" that I saw a warm, green glow out of the corner of my eye. I turn to face it to see a large green oval in the corner of the large hall we were playing at. Now, seeing such a strange thing in the corner of the room, my first reaction was "I knew I shouldn't have eaten that meal from the dodgy service on the way up here" but hey, I was hungry. So my first course of action was to see whether it was just me that was going nuts.
"Hey guys, check this out, you seeing what I'm seeing?" I called out behind me, not taking my eyes off the green...thing and letting my saxophone rest on the harness around my neck. I frowned when I got no reply.
"Guys?", I said while turning round. It was then I noticed something off. It was silent. In a hall with a band doing sound checks. I noticed that while they were still there, they weren't making any sounds. In fact, many were playing their instruments, all while remaining silent.
"Heeeellooo?" I said while waving my hands slightly, still with no response. Now this was starting to worry me. In all fairness, I should've been freaking out by now, and worrying for my sanity, but I've always been a laid back, difficult to rile person. And so I turned my attention back to the green anomaly. Logically, this all started when I noticed it.
Yeah, like logic has any place in this situation I thought sarcastically. Still, might as well do things in a logical way. What's the first thing you do when you see something strange? Shoot it? No, wait, that's only in games. So I did the next best thing, throw something at it. I fished a pen from my top pocket and threw that at the portal from a distance. I heard the light clatter as it passed straight through to the other side of the room.
Huh, so it isn't physical at least. I then walked nearer to it, took my second and last pen from my pocket, and poked it, before quickly retract my hand for fear of...well, I don't know. What can you expect from a large glowing oval? Not a smile and a wad of cash, that's for sure. Still, I can hope, right? When nothing happened, I repeated, but kept the pen touching it. When nothing happened, I approached closer.
Well, here goes nothing. I reached out and touched it with the tip of my finger. Nothing physical happened, but a warm sensation washed over me. It was hard to explain really, it felt like a sense of...belonging? No, not quite, more like urgency...a need to learn more about this green oval. So I plucked up my courage and placed my whole hand in the green glow. Then it happened.
I felt a distinct pull on my arm, and it started to sink deeper into the oval. Oh-oh, this can't be good I thought frantically, as I started trying to pull my arm from the damn thing.
"My name is Louise Françoise Le Blanc de La Vallière" came a loud, feminine disembodied voice, clear as though it was spoken in my own head. Great, now I'm hearing things as well.
"Pentagon of the five elemental powers..." In a desperate attempt to free myself, I kicked out at the portal, achieving nothing but getting my foot stuck as well, which also started to sink into the oval. Well, shoulda known that would happen... I grimaced as nearly all of my body had disappeared through the portal.
"...bless this humble being..." At this point, my entire body passed through the portal and a feeling of weightlessness took me, before I started falling and did the only thing I could think of...scream...loudly. Hey, even I lose my cool when I'm falling, seemingly to my death.
"...and make him my familiar!" I slammed into a hard surface at the same time as a loud bang reached my ears and dust flew in my face. I couldn't quite decide whether this was an improvement on the endless green of before.
*did it work?*
*how should I know, I can't see anything*
*obviously it didn't *cough*, it's just another explosion*
*Ahh, just as we would expect from Louise the zero*
Huh? What's that I can hear, sounds like no language I've heard...and I've been a fair few places on holiday I thought as I coughed and attempted to re-orientate myself so I could make sense of what just happened.
Slowly, the dust cleared and i blinked my eyes against the harsh sunlight. Strange, I'm outside now i thought absently. This became the least of my problems when I realised that there were others there with me. I was surrounded by several young adolescents dressed in what appeared to be a combination of a Japanese school uniform and a long cloak...strange to say the least.
Most notable of the group were two individuals. One was the only clear adult, a tall balding man in a large, blue cloak and holding a walking stick...or was that a staff? The other appeared to be the youngest of the group, and also the closest. I guessed her age to be around the 12, 13 mark and her most noticeable feature was her bright pink hair. Pink hair? Damn they dye their hair young now.
I blinked as I remained sprawled on the floor, resting on my elbows. They blinked back.
Ok, what's the first thing I'm meant to do in this situation? Am I injured?...sore yes, but nothing broken it seems. What have I got on me? Nothing but the sax round my neck, some spare reeds in my pocket and the clothes on my back. Great, if these guys are hostile, frankly a pigeon has a better chance of making it out alive...at least it could fly away.
As I was pondering this dilemma I was in, the silence was broken by a sound I wasn't expecting in such a tense situation. Laughter. One of the members of the group, a dark skinned redhead that was...well endowed shall we say...had started laughing at the sight of me. Soon, several others had joined in, till all of them bar the two I mentioned before were in fits of giggles and struggling to remain standing. Was I really that strange looking? I mean, it was these guys that looked like they were going to a comic con of some form.
*You summoned a commoner! A mere plebeian, oh well done Louise the zero, your title precedes you on this one!* the redhead managed to gasp out in between bouts of giggles. Meanwhile, the pink haired child was starting to do a passable impression of a tomato, as her face went bright red and she clenched her fists, all while a scowl was present on her face.
*It is to be expected after all, she cannot perform even the simplest of spells without blowing up something. She couldn't hope to summon something as great as my Verdandi* said a blonde haired boy holding a...was that a rose! Wow, these people have a real flare for the dramatic it seemed.
*well, while this is most unusual, you have indeed managed to summon a familiar* said the only adult of the group, the balding man I noticed previously. *Now you must complete the contract as taught, Louise*
*What! But Professor Colbert! Surely i can be allowed another attempt at this, the spell clearly went wrong. How can i be expected to take a commoner as my familiar!* the pinkette shouted, all the while not taking her furious gaze off of me. She may be young, but many things about her were screaming danger to me.
*You can't do that, you know that all too well Louise. The summon familiar spell is a onetime deal. You cannot change the result simply because you are not happy with it*
The pinkette seemed to placate a little, but retained the scowl on her face. She moved forwards in order to complete contract.
While all this was occurring, I had managed to sit up so i was in a more upright position, sitting with my legs crossed. I continued to observe with a mixture of confusion and dread. I couldn't understand a word being said, and half the group were still laughing while looking in my direction. The other half was laughing at the pink haired girl, for whatever reason. She must be related to this situation somehow I thought as she was having a heated conservation with the balding man. Just as I thought this, she turned and made her way towards me. Unsure how to react, I chose to wait for her to approach, but remained wary. She didn't seem to be approaching with hostility...minus the scowl on her face. Seriously, that look could wilt flowers.
When she reached me, she knelt down so she was level with my face
*I hope you appreciate this, rare is the moment a commoner feels the kiss of a noble* she said to me, and proceeded to chant something, which sounded oddly similar to what I heard from the portal while sinking into it. *My name is Louise Françoise Le Blanc de La Vallière. Pentagon of the Five Elemental Powers; bless this humble being, and make him my familiar* once finished she leaned towards me, and before I could react placed a kiss on my lips.
The kiss lasted for no more than a few seconds, but was surprisingly soft and gentle. Considering the look on her face at the time, I would've expected her to hit me rather than this, so could only stare with a blank look on my face. If anyone I knew saw me like this, they would surely slap me for looking like a gormless prat. I was soon broken out of my revelry as my body began to heat up. A feeling similar to that felt when I first touched that portal welled up inside me, but was many times stronger. This feeling eventually manifested in my right hand, as intense pain started to sear through my entire arm. As my eyes began to water and I clutched my hand, gritting my teeth and making growling noises, I wondered just what the girl had done to me.
*Relax, it'll be over soon* said the balding man as he approached me, but I couldn't concentrate much on my surroundings at present. Finally, my hand glowed brightly and strange symbols appeared on the back of my hand as the pain reached its peak. I couldn't take it anymore, and screamed out as my vision became blurry from the tears in my eyes. Slowly, the pain subsided and as the world started to go dark around me and I fell forwards, I could just make out one last thought:
What have I gotten myself into now?
Author's Notes
So there you have it, my attempt at a unique twist on a well loved story. Just a few notes about the OC, his personality will be fairly laid back, taking most things in stride. Being 18, he will not be ignorant of females, but won't necessarily accept their advances. Also, he will have played a range of games, so will be familiar with some of the mythical creatures that he'll meet. Finally, you'll find that he has a largely sarcastic sense of humour, and if he wants to insult someone, seldom does it in a straightforward way.
Thanks for reading, and please rate and review, for it helps me know if I'm on the right track. Flames will be ignored, if you can't be polite, I can't be arsed to read your comment.
Thank You
Ocelotclaw
