Kenshin & Familiar Of Zero: The Wandering Familiar

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I do not own Familiar Of Zero or Rorouni Kenshin/Samurai X

AN: Hello again to everyone reading my story, and thank you to the people that have left me reviews.

*Action*

"Dialogue"

'Inner thoughts'

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Chapter two

Worlds Collide

After a very short ride on the dragon, it stops in front of the main window to Tabitha's room. With a wave of her staff, the two panels covering the window burst open and they can clearly see into her room. She looks back at him and points her staff at the room.

'There it goes again. That wind just now really seemed like it came from her. But how?' Kenshin wonders.

He takes her cue wearily jumps from the dragon and into her room. He lands very heavily after all of the pain that he went through with the transformation.

She jumps into the room as well. Then, she dismisses her dragon. The red dragon flies away.

He takes a quick visual survey of her room and notices that her room is rather simple. There is a bed with a wooden frame. A small end table next to the bed with an oil lamp on it. There is also another small table in the room with two chairs at it. A desk and a closet also line one wall of her room. The oddest thing that he notices is that her whole main wall is lined with bookshelves and books.

'She must really like reading. She has probably read more books than I would in a lifetime.'

"Rest?" She asks.

He gives her a nod.

"I think that would be best, that I do. A rested mind is better for talk, even though I do have many questions to ask you."

She looks around her room. After looking mindlessly back and forth a few times, she realizes that there really isn't anywhere for him to rest except for one place. She comes a logical conclusion and points to her bed.

Kenshin scratches his temple for a moment as he ponders what this vague, blu-haired girl is trying to tell him.

"First you kiss me, and now you are trying to bed with me?"

The normally emotionless girl gets startled by his statement. Her face gets flushed again and she waves her hands back and forth.

"Just you." She plainly states.

'Oh. That's what she meant.' He thinks.

"No." He replies while shaking his head.

She cants her head to the side, and then she looks over to her bed to see if there is something wrong with it. After noticing nothing wrong with it, she looks back to him.

"Why?" she finally asks.

"That is your bed. I am filthy and will sully your sheets. I also do not have extra clothes with me. No. The floor will be fine. I am a wanderer. So, I am used to it. I do not mind leaning against your bookcases. They are good to sleep against."

Tabitha first gets a little restless as she nervously looks at her bookcases and thinks about him resting against the few things that she cherishes the most. Then, she ponders on the idea of what it might be like to sleep against her books.

'I might have to try that sometime.'

She also wonders what it must have been like to go through everything that he just went through. Turning back to him, she decides on her response to what he said.

She nods.

Taking her very simple cue, he lets out a sigh as he begins to settle in. He slips his katana out from his obi. He sits on the floor with his sword draped over him so that it is ready in case he needs to draw it. Slowly, he leans against her book shelf and relaxes into it..

'This certainly is a strange place that I have come to. Will I be able to go back to where I was? Maybe it doesn't even matter.' Are his last thoughts as he closes his eyes to get some rest.

Tabitha sits at the side of her bed and gives watch over him as he slowly drifts off to sleep.

'I think that I probably have as many questions as he might have for me. Who is he? Where did he come from? What kind of life does he lead that he carries around a sword?'

While he begins resting, she thinks about what she is going to have to do with him.

'He has no clothes, and nowhere to sleep. He is not a noble, nor is he attending this school. This is troublesome.'

Shortly thereafter, she heads out of her room.

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Principal Osmond's office.

Sitting at his long wooden desk, sits Principal Osmond. He is wearing a black robe with several clasps. His age is shown from his long white hair. He has a white mustache and beard that goes down to his stomach.

Next to his side is an assistant named Longueville. She has long green hair and glasses. Her outfit is similar in style to Colbert's except that it ends in a skirt. There is a set of brown boots upon her feet.

Osmond rubs his white beard several times.

"I understand what you are asking, but it is difficult. There aren't really any rules for human familiars. Sitting at the dining table with everyone else would cause quite a scene. To our knowledge, he does not seem to be a noble. He is not part of the faculty. Slaves and servants cannot be at the table. Traditionally, familiars stay outside while everyone dines inside. He is not a student. Can he cast magic?" The principal says to her.

'This is difficult.' Tabitha inwardly groans.

She shakes her head in response to Osmond's question.

"I do not believe so." She simply states.

"He could eat with the rest of the servants. That is, until we can figure something out." He adds.

In a moment of pause, Tabitha takes the time to reflect and goes through the conflicting thoughts in her head.

'That's not something that I would like. He might be a familiar, but he shouldn't just be treated like some king of animal. He seems like a simple man, but would he like being treated like that? No. Even if he wouldn't care, I am the one who summoned him here. That would be unfitting for the Ivaldi that I asked for. He could even end up being my closest friend. It also wouldn't look good if I treated him poorly. I am not that kind of person.'

"I want him to eat at the same time I do."

'I can understand her feelings.' The green-haired assistant thinks to herself.

"The principal said that this is something that will have to be discussed. Let me escort you out."

Tabitha nods to Lonngueville and she stands up to head out of the door. Longueville walks her out and shuts the door behind them. She suddenly stops, and Tabitha follows suit.

"I cannot offer this as official advice, but I have some personal suggestions." Longueville says to Tabitha.

Stoically, Tabitha stares at her and waits for the advice.

"It is not uncommon for some to eat in their rooms or even go down to the kitchen. Some of them just go looking for snacks or even ask for larger portions. You could always give anything extra to him."

In acknowledgement, the blue-haired girl gives her a nod in gratitude and understanding. Then she heads for the stairs that lead down from the office. Longueville opens the door and steps back into the office. She finds Osmond staring at her with a slight grin on his face.

"That was very sly of you, miss longueville."

She bows her head.

"I'm sorry if I overstepped . ."

He waves her off.

"That was quite alright. That will work for now."

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After visiting the principal and the kitchen staff, Tabitha eventually made it back to her room. She slowly and carefully opens the door. Then she walks in.

Kenshin, whom was sleeping, wakes up to the sound of the wooden door opening up.

'Intruder.' He instinctively thinks.

Not remembering where he is at, he swiftly jumps up from his resting position.

Tabitha barely hears the sound of his sword being unsheathed before she gets slammed against a wall and feels the cold metal of his sword against her neck. Her staff falls to the floor during the confusion.

'So, this is how it's going to end.' She thinks as she closes her eyes.

Kenshin sees her face and quickly realizes his mistake. He withdraws his sword.

"I am sorry miss Tabitha. I did not mean to do that. I forgot where I was and fell back into an old habit, that I did. Please forgive me."

After saying that, he prostrates himself in front of her. While doing this, he wonders something.

'Why didn't she seem afraid? Was she ready to die? Isn't she just a student?'

She feels her neck where his sword was near. There was no blood, but she could still feel as if it was still there. There is a small red streak along her neck.

'Should I be mad?' Wonders Tabitha.

She looks down at him.

'There have been times that I have had to react at a moments notice, just like he did. Except, he was much faster than I would have expected. I surely would have been dead.'

"It's okay." States Tabitha.

He looks up in slight dismay.

"You aren't upset?"

"No."

"That is an odd reaction, that it is. I did not expect that. I am sorry about your neck."

"You didn't cut it, so it will be fine." She says while she picks her staff back up.

Kenshin sheathes his sword. Then he steps over to her window and looks out into the courtyard of the school. A light breeze hits him in the face as he watches some of the students walking about.

"So, where am I?" Asks the battousai.

Tabitha settles into one of the chairs by her table.

"The lands we are in is called Halkeginia. The country we are in is called Tristan. This is the Tristan magic academy."

He quickly looks back to her.

"Magic? Isn't that just sleight of hand tricks that adults do for children?" He asks in a slightly dull tone.

She cants her head to the side in slight disbelief.

'Perhaps he really isn't from here.'

"Magic is real. It is taught to the nobles and to those that can wield it's power."

"I still find it hard to grasp even though it would explain some of the things that I have seen so far."

She waves her staff and her windows flap shut. It slightly startles him as he turns to it and then back to her.

"Was that supposed to be from magic? That could have been just a gust of wind."

She looks over to her bookshelves and a book glows and floats off of the shelf and over to him. He waves his arms all around it to see if there was something holding it up, but there wasn't. After he grabs the book, she proceeds to lift him up into the air.

"Woah!" He shouts.

He flails his arms and legs around. After a moment, when he realizes that he isn't going to fall, he stops his flailing and she sets him back down.

"I think that I am starting to believe you, that I am."

"Magic is also the reason why you are able to understand what I am saying."

"I guess that really is the reason why your windows flew open when we rode your dragon to your room."

She gives him a nod.

"You don't have magic where you are from?"

"Magic is just silly sleight of hand tricks that adults would do for children. Everything is done with our own two hands. There are no dragons either. Dragons are creatures of myth. It was kind of scary and amazing to actually see and feel one."

"What is the land that you come from called?"

"Japan. It is a country rich in land and traditions. It is a country starting to become prosperous once again, but through the price of much bloodshed."

'More than I care to talk about.' He mentally adds.

He becomes slightly distant and quiet for a moment. Tabitha could tell that her question put him deep in thought, but she still had some more questions. She uses her staff and a book of maps floats off the shelf and into her hands.

"Why do you carry a sword? Are you a warrior?" She asks while rifling through the book.

The question brings him slightly back to reality.

"Carrying a sword used to be commonplace where I came from. Those rules are changing. Swordsmanship was a way of life for many. You would live and die by the sword. I have since become a wanderer. That is all I am now. A simple wanderer, that I am. I have done chores and bartered my services for food and lodging. I was actually walking back from helping a person with his farm just before I ended up here. I came across a storm, and then a white oval disc appeared in front of me. It sucked me in when I touched it and then I ended up here."

"That was from my familiar summoning ritual."

"What is that? I have heard of being summoned before, but it is nothing like what brought me here. I am used to having to walk to wherever I am being summoned, usually from a person of power. What is a familiar?"

Tabitha reflects on what he said for a moment and then tries to come up with an explanation.

"A familiar is. ."

She scratches her head.

"Was usually some kind of creature that you would call for to be by your side. The creatures came in all kinds of varieties, but there were usually attuned to the element that the castor is attuned to. The creature would help out the mage in whatever way it could."

She stares at Kenshin whom seems to have the look of someone that was desperately trying to take in more information than he could handle.

'This is troublesome.' She thinks.

"A mage. Is that what you call the people that can cast the magic?"

She nods.

"These familiars. You make it sound as though that they were never humans."

She nods again.

"It has been unheard of since the days of Brimir."

He raises an eyebrow.

"Never?"

"Never."

"And who is Brimir?"

She looks up at him in slight awe.

'He must not be from this world. He hasn't even heard of Brimir. I have also not come across a country by the name of Japan in my book. There is one that is close though.'

"Brimir is the founder. He is the first mage and had the first familiars. He was the first and only person to have human familiars. That was 6000 years ago."

Kenshin's eyes go wide.

"I have never heard of such an important person. When you do this summoning ritual, does it pull creatures from nearby?"

"I thought it pulled creatures from around the world, but I am beginning to wonder."

Kenshin manually opens her windows back up, he is met with an odd sight with the slightly setting sun. In the setting sky, he sees two moons.

"Tabitha?"

"Yes, Kenshin."

"I am certain now, that I am truly not from here."

She stands up and walks over to next to him. She looks out into the sky with him.

"Why?"

He points out into the sky.

"Where I am from, I have never seen two moons."

Just then, there is a knock on her door.

She uses her magic to open the door, and just outside the doorway is a girl in a maid outfit. She is young, busty, and has black hair. She is also carrying a tray with food on it.

"Hello." The maid says courteously.

Tabitha gives her a nod.

"Thank you. You can put it right there." Tabitha replies while pointing at her table.

Kenshin looks at the girl who summoned him questioningly.

"While you were resting, I went to the kitchen and requested that my food be brought here."

After setting the tray down, the maid waves to him.

"Hello, I am Siesta. I am one of the maids at this school. You must be the other human familiar that was summoned today."

"Other human familiar?"

Siesta nods.

"It has been the talk all over the academy." She adds.

Turning his attention from the maid, Kenshin looks back over to Tabitha.

"Just before you were summoned, there was also another human summoned. He spoke similarly to the way that you were speaking."

"Really?" Kenshin and Siesta both ask.

Siesta realizes that she is overstepping her duties and quickly bows her head to the two of them.

"I am sorry for intruding. Please excuse me. I shall return later to check on you and collect the tray, if that will be alright?"

Tabitha gives her a simple nod.

"Please enjoy your food."

"Thank you, Siesta. You are very kind and polite." Says Kenshin to her.

'I feel an odd familiarity with her, but I can't place it. She couldn't be where I am from, but I just can't help this feeling.' Kenshin oddly thinks.

Siesta gets a smile on her face from the compliment as she walks away. She closes the door behind her.

Kenshin looks at the tray and removes the cover from the plate that was on it. It reveals a plate full of steak, potatoes, and green beans.

"That looks very tasty, that it does."

"I had to have it brought here. Since you are not a noble or a student, that you can't sit at the main dining table with me. It would cause too much trouble. I did not want to treat you like a dog. Familiars usually eat outside while their masters eat inside."

"This truly is a cumbersome problem. I am not taking you away from your fellow classmates, am I?"

She shakes her head.

"Not eating with them does not bother me. I prefer things quiet. The only one that it will bother, will be Kirche. She is probably the one person that I could call a friend."

He gives her a bow.

"Thank you for doing this for me. I do not wish to inconvenience you though."

"It will be all right. Let's eat before it gets cold."

"There is a problem though. I am not used to eating with these utensils."

She cants her head to the side.

"You do not know how to use a fork?"

He scratches the back of his head.

"I use what is called chopsticks. They are basically two sticks that you use to eat your food with."

"I could show you."

He nods while picking up the steak knife. As he picks it up, he gets an unusual gleam in his eyes.

"Is something wrong? That is a steak knife. It is for cutting our food up." Tabitha explains.

He stabs the meat and tosses it into the air, much to Tabitha's dismay.

"Hiten Mitsarugi style steak cut!"

As it comes back down, he makes a handful of extremely quick strikes at the steak. It lands perfectly back on the plate and now it is finely cut up.

He smiles and nods at his accomplishment.

She gives an astonished look at the food, then she looks up at him.

"Amazing."

"It was a part of my training. I haven't had a chance to use that in a while."

"Would like to see you do that again some time."

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Night.

"You aren't just going to sleep on the floor, are you?" She asks him.

"It will be fine. I have already discussed this with you, that I have."

The calm Tabitha lets out an exasperated huff.

"We shall go shopping tomorrow. You may rest on my blanket at least. I will just use the sheet."

"You are a lady. You should use that for yourself." He retorts.

She stands before him and they get into a staring contest.

He eventually concedes.

"Very well. If you insist. Do not be mad at me if you get a chill because of your stubbornness."

She nods and gives him the blanket from her bed.

"Thank you for your hospitality though. You are truly a nice person. There are others that are not as kind as you to someone like me."

She gets a light blush from his kind remarks toward her.

"Would you mind looking away? I wish to dress for bed."

He looks away as she changes into a robe behind one of her closet doors. She uses her magic to dress herself.

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A/N: Thank you for reading my new fanfiction. I hope you enjoyed the second chapter.

Here is a list of my other stories

My 'History's Strongest Devil Disciple Kenichi' story is at chapter 11

My 'Kenichi: Not Just Her Disciple' story is at chapter 11 - Complete

My 'Monster Musume: Drago's Quest' story is at chapter 4 - Complete

My 'Familiar Of Zero: Saving Grace' story is at Chapter 79 - Complete

My 'Teknoman And A Succubus' story is at chapter 2