Familiar Of Zero: Saving Grace

I do not own Familiar Of Zero

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

Help can come from the oddest of sources.

*Action*

"Dialogue"

'Inner thoughts'

{Saito's other Inner Voice}

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Chapter Seven

Moving forward

One hour later Saito wakes up. He looks over to the side and Tabitha is sitting at his bedside in a chair. Her eyes were red and puffy.

'Has she been crying?'

"Are you ok Tabitha?"

She covers her eyes.

"I am so sorry Saito. I didn't know that was going to happen. That spell only reset the bonding process. It didn't get rid of it like we thought."

"I didn't know either. That hurt like hell, but for some reason, I feel great now."

She starts to shake her head back and forth with her hands still covering her face.

"But now you are going to have that voice in your head again."

She starts to sob into her hands.

'She is right. I am going to have to deal with that again. There has to be a way. I can't let her see that I am worried though. I don't like to see her not happy.'

He stands up and pulls her head to his stomach in an embrace.

"It's going to be ok. We will figure this out. At least we have two good things going for us though. I liked you before I became your familiar, and I don't think that you are going to treat me like Louise did."

She uncovers her face and wraps her arms around him.

"I wouldn't even think of treating you like that."

He looks over to his sword that is leaning against the wall.

"Hey Derf?"

"Hey partner. That was very interesting."

"Do you know anything about this?" Saito says to his sharp friend.

"Yes I. . . I mean, no I don't."

He slides himself back into his sheath

Tabitha and Saito both look over to him.

Saito lets go of Tabitha (begrudgingly) and walks over to Derflinger. He pulls him out of the sheath.

"Spill it Derf! Do you know about the runes?" He says adamantly.

"Yes."

". . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Welllllll!"

"I am sorry Saito. I know what your runes mean, but I was sworn to secrecy many years ago. I cannot break my oath as much as I want to. I will say this to you though. These runes are extremely important and as you find stuff out about them, I will tell you more information."

"So are you even going tell me what they do?"

"No."

"What!" Exclaimed both Tabitha and Saito.

"Derf! This is ridiculous! How can you hold important, need to know information from me?"

"Like I said, I was sworn to secrecy. Let me add that this is the first time I have ever actually seen these runes. I was only told about them."

"You realize I'm kind of pissed off at you right?"

"Unfortunately yes."

"Ugh."

"I guess it is no use fighting with him about it Saito. We are just going to have to figure it out."

*Knock, knock, knock*

Saito opens the door.

"Hello Saito! You didn't show up for the breakfast tray, so I figured I would bring it for you. Of course, I did take a lot of convincing to Marteau to let me out of some work."

He scratches the back of his head.

"Well. . . . We had a bit of an incident."

"Oh my! Are the two of you ok?"

"You have to promise not to tell anyone about this yet."

She nods.

He turns around and lifts up his shirt to reveal his back to her.

She gasps and holds her hand to her mouth.

"Did you get summoned as a familiar again?"

"Well, we didn't know it, but the spell that was used on me only reset the bonding process to before I kissed Louise."

Siesta gasps again with a new realization.

"But that means that you must have kissed. . ."

Tabitha blushes and looks away.

"Awwwww."

She pouts and looks at Saito, and then Tabitha.

'Am I ever going to get my chance? That should have been me that got to kiss Saito.'

"Wait! What about the voice in his head, and do you have any idea what the runes do?" Siesta says to the duet.

Saito glares at Derflinger.

"Unfortunately we don't know yet what they do, and we will just have to figure something out about the voice." Saito says to the dark haired beauty.

"Maybe you could talk to Colbert. Surely he knows something you could do." Siesta says to him.

'What would I do without Siesta.' Saito thinks to himself

{What would you do without Tabitha?}

Saito gets an annoyed tick mark on his forehead.

"I might be able to handle it for now, but I am definitely going to have to do something about it."

"I didn't know how much you two wanted to eat, so I brought a bunch of things."

She lifts the lid off of their tray. Needless to say, there was enough for at least three people.

"You weren't kidding Siesta." Saito says.

'I might want him to myself, but she cares about him too. He did save her too. I guess it would be fair to offer her some too.' Tabitha thinks to herself.

"You. . .want to. . . join us. . . Siesta?"

Saito looks at Tabitha.

'She closed back up a bit with Siesta around. It's like she only opened up for me. I will definitely have to remember this. That was awful nice of her to offer that to Siesta though. It would be nice to have a meal with her.'

Siesta beams from ear to ear.

"Really?" She says excitedly to Tabitha and Saito.

Tabitha does her typical nod, but with a slight smile.

'She gets soo happy when there is anything involving her and Saito. It's actually kind of cute.' Tabitha notes to herself.

'Did Tabitha just smile when she did that?' Siesta and Saito both thought.

Saito gets a thought.

"Tabitha, is your hand okay enough to eat?"

'I would love to have Saito feed me again, but Siesta is here. I would feel awkward.'

"I could try." She says to Saito.

"What happened to her hand?" Siesta says to Saito.

"She hurt it moving around some stuff yesterday."

"Let me see your hand Tabitha." Siesta says adamantly.

Tabitha reluctantly shows her bruised hand.

'Tabitha was so nice to help Saito. I couldn't take him completely away from her when she needs a little help.' Siesta thinks.

"That will not do. You should definitely feed her."

After a few bites, Tabitha feels a little guilty doing this in front of Siesta (Who hasn't even said a single word about him doing that for her).

'I guess it would only be fair.' Tabitha decides.

"You feed her too."

Saito and Siesta both look at Tabitha shocked.

'She is full of surprises today.' Saito inwardly thinks.

Siesta glows in excitement.

So he starts to feed her too.

By the end of their breakfast they are all blushing. Siesta managed to feed him a little bit too.

"Thank you for this wonderful opportunity Tabitha, but I should probably get going now before Marteau gets too mad at me."

She gives Saito a big hug and then goes for Tabitha. She pauses a moment to make sure it is ok with her. When Tabitha nods, she then quickly takes her opportunity to give her a hug.

"Thank you." Siesta whispers into Tabitha's ear before she cleans up and takes away the tray. She practically hops out of the room in joy.

The remaining two share a laugh.

"She is really nice." Saito says with a smile on his face.

Tabitha shares in his enjoyment and gives a smile too.

"That was really nice of you as well Tabitha. I know you didn't have to do that."

"I didn't, but I know how much you two mean to each other. I also fully accepted the fact that you do have feelings for others when we kissed."

"You're very understanding Tabitha, and I love that about you."

She blushes and looks to the side.

"I also like how you have been opening up around me. Siesta made that clear to me just now. Your demeanor changed slightly back when it wasn't just the two of us."

"Flattery will get you nowhere Saito."

She smiles and points a finger at him.

He smiles back.

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Saito and Agnes take a little break from training. They both are sweating from their workout.

"There is no way that you are as good as you are just because of remembering a few things from having the Gandalfr runes. You have a natural talent with the sword." Agnes says to Saito.

"Do you really think so?"

She gives an assured nod to Saito.

"In a matter of days you have been able to surpass the abilities of my subordinates and come close to my own. I have even had to up my game against you."

"What? No way. All I've been doing is just studying your movements and listening to your guidance."

"Well, you are doing really well Saito. I am proud of you. I also feel like I have been doing a little learning in the process. Are you sure that your new runes aren't affecting this?"

"I am positive. I don't feel any extra power from the new runes."

"His new runes aren't going affect his swordsmanship. He is doing all of this on his own." Derflinger explains to the duo.

"Anything else you with to share Derf?"

". . . . ." Derf stays silent.

"Very well", says Agnes.

She knows things are strained between the two because he isn't sharing any more info, so she doesn't try to push any further.

"Saito, I've needed someone like you around for a long time. I think you should help me do training sometime soon once we go through the right channels. I should test you against some of the other musketeers."

"You really think I am ready for that?"

"Absolutely Saito. Don't sell yourself short. In fact, I think that Henrietta would be very pleased to hear about this as well." She says to him.

'I know he got these new runes after kissing Tabitha, but hopefully he still has Henrietta in his heart. Henrietta knows that he does have interest in the other girls, but she has her heart really set on him. I will have to make sure his intentions are good before he does anything. I wish I could tell him how I feel. I can't though. Henrietta's needs come before mine. I won't interfere with her chance to be happy. I just have to be happy knowing he is near.'

Saito had been looking away from Agnes. He was having thoughts of his own.

'I am definitely going to have to do something about the voice in my head. I have feeling for the other girls and I don't want it getting in my way again. I will always be loyal to Tabitha, but the others mean a lot to me as well. They all deserve a fair chance. I still owe Henrietta a date as well.'

{You shouldn't have feeling for anyone other than your master.}

'Damn this voice in my head. Let's think about something else for now.'

"I wonder what kind of new power my runes will grant me."

Agnes returns her attention to Saito.

"I have no clue. Derflinger said that they aren't going to help your swordsmanship."

"Hmmmmmm."

Saito looks off into the distance, thinking.

"Wouldn't it be cool if they gave me the ability to cast magic?"

"That would be interesting. That combined with your growing fighting prowess would definitely make you a formidable foe." Agnes says to him with her arms crossed and leaning against a wall.

Siesta was walking nearby. She had a tray with a pitcher of water and a couple of cups for Saito and Agnes.

He sticks out his hand.

"I could cast spells like Tabitha's spell . . . "

He focuses at the wall that interconnects the central tower and the perimeter wall.

"Icy Wind."

The runes on Saito's back glow. Water droplets form in front of Saito and a gust of wind blows forward, turning the droplets into shards of ice as they get flung forward. The shards fly by Siesta, just barely missing her. The wind causes her to shift slightly and her skirt flaps around. With a yelp, she drops everything that she was holding trying to stay upright. The shards impale the wall he was looking at.

"ummmmmmmmmmmmmmmm. Did I do that?"

"Yes you did partner."

Everyone looks in shock.

"I think that you are going to have to talk to Colbert about more than just one thing." Agnes says to Saito.

After Saito helps her up, Siesta gives Saito a huge hug.

"This is wonderful for you Saito! You can cast magic now!" Siesta excitedly tells Saito as she hangs off of his neck.

"I think it might be best if we cut things short today." Agnes says to him.

'This might help Henrietta's plans too. If he is able to cast magic, then maybe his social status could be raised. When it comes to Saito, Henrietta has really been telling me all of her thoughts. I know she trusts me, but I am surprised she is telling me so much.' Agnes ponders while holding her chin.

"Thanks Agnes. I promise I will make it up to you, and I will think about what you told me."

Siesta gives Saito a kiss on the cheek.

"Good luck Saito." Siesta says to him.

'I wish I could show my affection towards him like Siesta does, but I am going to stick by my thoughts and not stand in Henrietta's way.'

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Back in Colbert's lab, Saito and Colbert have their discussion.

Colbert studies Saito's back and writes down the runes.

"Very interesting Saito. You never cease to amaze me. So that spell didn't completely get rid of the bond. I should have realized it myself. So now you are bonded to Tabitha?."

Saito nods.

"If that is what the spell does, then maybe it should be locked away. That could be dangerous in the wrong hands."Saito says to Colbert worriedly.

"I couldn't agree with you more. I will discuss this with Osmond when I get a chance."

"My other issue is how I am going to handle the voice in my head. I can't have it influencing me all the time. I like my thoughts intact if you know what I mean."

"I completely understand what you are saying. Whether you are a mage or not, there are some solutions that may work. People have been able to fight mind control before. It takes a strong will to fight against it though."Colbert says thoughtfully to his young friend.

"I am willing to do just about anything to deal with this thing. Right now it seems like the influence isn't as bad because it is still in the early stages, but I want to figure this out before it becomes a major problem again."

"You could do mind strengthening techniques like saying mantras and meditation may help. Delving into the use of extreme logic and expanding your knowledge may also help. I have heard of more extreme ways of dealing with stuff like mind control by directly approaching it inside of your mind, but if you lose, then you could lose yourself and become a mindless zombie to the will of whatever is controlling you. I don't know how that would affect the bond if you were to win against it though."

"I don't know either, but I can't let it get to me."

"I would certainly start off with the simpler approaches."

"Could you help me with the knowledge part?"

"Anything for you Saito. Perhaps we could also somehow make you an unofficial student here. You can cast magic now."

"That would be really awesome if I could become one."

"It wouldn't do too much good at the moment considering that we haven't really been having traditional classes because of the war, but it will help you in the long run."

*Knock, knock, knock*

"You may come in."

Eleonore walks into Colbert's lab. She is holding a file sleeve with many papers in it. She had set up time to discuss some research with Colbert. She basically had a similar position at the school she originally came from.

She pauses a moment when she sees Saito in there as well.

'Crap! I haven't seen her since everything happened. I hope this doesn't go bad

"Oh. Hello Eleonore. Please sit down." Colbert says to her kindly.

"Perhaps I should leave." Saito says to his older friend.

"Stay. In fact, Eleonore might be interested in this as well."

"I don't know about this Colbert."

"Eleonore."

She looks over with a slightly odd look on her face. Saito couldn't tell if she was angry or if she had something to say but didn't know how to bring it up.

"Yes?" She replies.

Colbert started to tell her about his newest predicament. At first, she seemed kind of annoyed by the fact that he became a familiar again, and also the fact that it was to the woman that slapped her sister. Eventually her anger and annoyance turns to that of intrigue.

"I will fully admit that I am not one of your fans Saito, but you do have me interested. The scientist in me wants to see how much you can do because of the runes. I also feel like I owe you an apology for my family's actions as well. My mother had words with the rest of the family in regards to your treatment."

'Am I actually hearing this?' Saito tries to grasp what he is hearing.

She crosses her arms and closes her eyes.

'I don't like to apologize.' Eleonore thinks.

"If you are willing to accept my tutelage as a form of reconciliation, then I would like to work with you as well as your training with Agnes."

He looks a bit shocked from the statement.

She opens her eyes to look at him.

"Yes. I know you have been training with her. Louise has been trying to find the right time to talk with you, and that is how she found out you have been training with her. That will be my only request to training you. You need to eventually find time to talk with Louise." Eleonore says to him.

"I was planning on talking with her anyways and thank you Miss Valliere."

She nods.

"Just don't make me regret this Saito."

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Saito eventually makes his way back to Tabitha's room with their dinner.

*Knock, knock, knock*

"Saito!?"

"You bet."

"Come in!"

Saito enters Tabitha's room and is greeted with a nice smile on Tabitha's face.

'I missed you Saito.'

He smiles back.

"Have I got a lot to tell you." He says to her

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A/N: And another chapter is done. Thank you so much for reading my story.

I wanted to give the Valliere family a chance for redemption. So I figured that might be a good way to start. I also felt like Eleonore's character has a lot of potential.

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