I know this has been forever and for that I am very sorry. And for everyone still interested in this fic please know that it means the world to me that you enjoy and support my writing :)

The Ancient Magus Bride belongs to Kore Yamazaki

Reina stumbled into the living room where young Chise sat dressed and ready for school with her nose buried in a book. She was confused for all of twenty seconds before remembering that she didn't particularly care about the brat one way or the other. Sleep still thick in her eyes, she rubbed her cheek and trudged to the bathroom with all the grace of a decrepit zombie. Quick work was made of the grime on her face and aftertaste in her mouth before emerging clean and pristine. A bun so tight her forehead was stretched like a taut wire sat atop her head as she slipped into her business casual skirt and blouse.

She fumbled with her keys when Chise called out, "Have a good day." In autonomous response she answered "You too." and exited out the door.

Chise sat in silence, lungs burning on bated breath, for one minute. Two. Five. Ten.

"Coast is clear."

Elias emerged with his jaws stretched wide in a tactless yawn. He had not been happy at the prospect of waking even earlier and would have taken the opportunity to lie asleep in the shadow a bit longer. But with his time with Chise limited, and the threat of being woken by the screaming of her caretaker, it was a more than necessary sacrifice.

After a short breakfast they were on their way to school, Chise in the sun Elias in the shadows.

It was most certainly not her imagination, walking to school was pleasant. The sights, the smells all fresh and new and yet so familiar. Warm sunshine hugging her skin as cool air filled her lungs. For once as she walked into school her back stood straight. She was certain that students stared at her even more scornfully thanks to yesterday's incident but she was hard-pressed to care. Even the class periods, that normally took eons to endure, came and went with little interruption.

During lunch, she once again slipped out of the classroom to the secluded grove under the tree branches. The second her bottom met the grass Elias emerged with his hands presented to her. His mouth parted eagerly as he shoved his cupped claws up to her, "Here."

Blinking, she placed her tray sidelong and peaked down. Sitting in his bowled hands were coins and bills of various sizes and prints. Chise blanched in shock her heart growing erratic at the not unlikely possibility that he had stolen them. She met his face again, that had somehow grown even more pleased than before. "Where...where did you get these?"

"People had dropped them and some were on the ground."

Her body slumped in released tension, thankful he had not slipped shadows into pockets and bags. But…

"Why are you giving me these?"

"You need them." He said simply. His shoulders began to sink in light of her reaction being distinctly not as he had hoped. She thought for a second. They did need money if he was going to eat enough and Reina had certainly noticed their indulgence over the weekend. They had needed it, and so he got it. The simple throughline of thinking brought to mind the image of a child accidentally shoplifting at the supermarket.

Much of his logic ran through that childlike throughline now that she was consciously thinking of it. His decision to celebrate his birthday, how to help her during the storm, striking the boy that knocked her down...oh that was right.

She smiled in indulgent patience. "Elias I appreciate that you got this for me and you are right that we do need it." His shoulders rose in the face of the praise. "But, you'll need to be careful about getting this money. Even if they weren't around it does still belong to somebody." He cocked his head.

"But...they dropped it and didn't return for it." He said in a slightly wondering tone.

"I know, and that sometimes is ok," She poked around through the bills pulling out a five thousand yen note and pointing to the number. "But this is a lot of money, they will notice if it's missing and they might not get to eat if they can't find it."

His shoulders sank again. "I see. I'm sorry."

She smiled again. "It's ok, you didn't know and you were trying to help. Just promise me you'll only pick up the ones on the ground and only take the coins."

He nodded. "Ok."

"And one other thing. I know you were angry yesterday when that boy hit me but you should not hurt them. They might suspect something."

"I was...angry?" His nose pointed down, an unseen obstacle placed before him. "How would I know that?"

Chise blinked, the obstacle now stood in her path. How did she put the feeling of anger into words? And why did she need to? Did it matter or should she just answer his question and leave it at that? She chose the latter mentally sorting through words like she would the keys to her apartment.

"Well, um, your heart beats very fast and it becomes hard to think clearly." She stumbled for breath her eyes meeting Elias' intense curiosity. "Your body will sometimes feel hot and you'll want to make whatever is making you feel this way stop however you can." She hoped this would provide sufficient explanation. If not, it gave Elias plenty to consider as he remained silent for several seconds.

"So then," He began slowly, "I should not act when I feel...angry?"

"Well, you should try not to until you feel calm again. Otherwise, something you might regret later might happen."

This one seemed to confuse him but he nodded in agreement.

Chise took the money from his hands and separated out the coins placing them in the small side pocket of her bag hopeful that the close contact would discourage jingling. She took the three bills and frowned. "Do you remember where you found these?"

He shook his head no. She thumbed a thousand yen note before handing the ten thousand and five thousand back to him. "Just put these somewhere out of the way in the hall. I doubt we can get them back to their owners and the principal would think I stole them but I don't feel right taking them." He nodded and they continued on with lunch without interruption.

As final period rolled around Chise was primed and ready. Before the math teacher had even reached his desk Chise presented her papers, her hands vibrating with barely contained excitement. He accepted without a word and vaguely gestured for Chise to sit. A cautious optimism bubbled in her chest at the rare possibility of a good grade. Well, half a good grade. She wouldn't know until the end of the week, but she found herself oddly hopeful. Before she knew it the class was finished and they found themselves on the trek home.

Once again Chise felt as though she was traveling the path for the first time as her senses delighted in the world around her. Her breath whistled deeply throughout her lungs, bringing with it the sensation of something heavenly. A sweet busy scent begging to be enjoyed. On the adjacent street corner sat a young street vendor happily attending his umbrella-topped grill.

The temptation of fresh sweets and the newfound burning in her pocket was just too much.

"Thank you, come again!" The vendor said with a somewhat artificial but still pleasant smile. Chise nodded through her awkward blushing and hugged her taiyakis and soda to her chest before securing them in her pack.

So many nice little things greeted her in the form of previously unnoticed beauties of the city on her walk home, she found herself wishing it wouldn't end. The thought of the cramped apartment brought tension in her stomach that was strong enough to force her mouth and gaze downward. Her feet came to a halt as she ground her teeth in frustration. She huffed a sigh, forcing herself to take in the surroundings one last time in an attempt to improve her mood. As chance would have it, she had come to a stop right at the spot near the unmanaged ditch.

The same ditch leading to where her life had changed in the span of a minute.

The grass had corrected itself and the rain erased all traces of the chase given days earlier. Sun-soaked air circulated her nose and with no input whatsoever from her brain she found herself once again descending into the forest heart. She trekked long, uncertain if she had since passed where they had met, finally coming to a halt once the city's murmur could no longer be heard.

She glanced down to Elias. It was a funny thing, a shadow peering around looking perplexed. Chise nodded in encouragement. His skull emerged up from the blackness like a dolphin jumping from the water as his body resettled into its solid shape. Away from the school and apartment, he was able to assume his full stature.

"Why are we here?" He asked.

"W-well," Chise stuttered, struggling to summon the boldness that led her to that spot, "Reina doesn't really care if I'm home before dark, so we can spend some time together out here."

Despite his shadowy appearance, his entire demeanor brightened with her words. Before she could protest his arms swooped her in as he settled against a tree nestling her onto his lap. Startled though she was she couldn't help the contented sigh the spilled out in conjecture with his.

They ate their taiyaki, crumbs spilling overhead Chise to the forest floor, and sipped their soda as Chise attended her homework. Elias attentively watched her proceed through Japanese to English translation, asking questions as they went along. Once she came to the dreaded algebra, she breezed through the problems thanks to her helpful tutor. Her coursework went more smoothly than she could ever recall even with a constant shower of crumbs overhead. She silently thanked her cheeks for the service of containing food they blessed her with. With their bellies full as they contend basked in the evening sun their yawns slowly dissolved into a full-fledged nap.

When the dusk sun drew into her lashes Chise's eyes slowly fluttered open. She stretched gingerly to avoid waking Elias when something rustled at their side. She shifted to see.

In a circle stood a group of tiny creatures. Their bodies were translucent like raindrop cakes bearing two black dot eyes and pointed noses. Their heads wore acorn caps and small leaves draped their shoulders like cloaks. They were picking at the crumbs of their snacks from earlier, in a few of them she could see the crumbs in their translucent bellies.

Curiously, Chise plucked a crumb from the foliage. The little spirits pipped in surprise as their clear bodies disappeared letting the leaves and caps flutter to the ground in tiny heaps. "It's ok." She urged in Japanese presenting the crumb between her fingers. The closest spirit rose under its cap, it's head lifting the acorn but leaving its leaves flat. It's black eyes looked her over before its body returned raising its leaves. Stumpy clear hands stretched out and took the crumb. It shoved the whole crumb into a mouth that opened up in its clear body and squealed happily. The rest of the little spirits arose from their fallen leaves hopping close and hugging her fingers.

She laughed lightly as Elias' skull sunk into the corner of her vision.

"They're cute."

"Yes, but you should still be cautious with neighbors." His words rumbled against her back as his arms wove more tightly around her. "Small cute things can be just as dangerous as the large scary ones."

"Even so, with you here, I'm safe right?" Chise replied. Elias hummed approvingly, eyes forming semicircles. "Are these little..." She searched her mind, "donyurei dangerous?"

"Donyurei?"

"Acorn spirits," She shrugged, "I don't know if that's what they're called, but I think it fits."

"These spirits have taken a liking to you. They are too weak to be harmful but that doesn't necessarily mean they can't be helpful."

Chise's smile faltered. "How would I know when they're safe or not?"

Elias hummed. "There are rules of thumb that mages can know, but even those have exceptions or can be unique to their region of origin. It is likely that much I know of Lapland is useless here."

He reached for one of the spirits, extending his forefinger. The spirit sniffed then hopped on. Elias brought it close and whispered to it. He lowered it back down and spoke in a language Chise didn't recognize. The spirit glowed a soft blue and swept its arms forward. The earth before it glowed and shifted until a small sprout wriggled up from the soil. The sprout twirled and budded opening up to a tiny white flower like on the oaks in springtime. The spirit plucked it and presented it to Chise with a smile crinkling it's dot eyes.

"Thank you." Chise accepted smiling in turn.

"The only way to truly understand neighbors and their magic is to study and practice. The way of mages is to know the ways of the magic around them. To sense it and utilize it. Accepting the world as it is and learning how to interact with everything around you."

One the spirits had nestled itself in her palm nuzzling her thumb.

"I never really had the chance to appreciate it before." This new perspective of the world around her as a haven instead of an enemy had brought forth something that had lain dormant inside her. "Knowing now that not all of it was dangerous." A quiet but steady hunger to see and experience more of the world. "I... I want to learn about it. The magic around me." She would heed Elias' warnings about performing the art of magic. But she could no longer just sit idle.

If Elias had sensed this shift within her was impossible to say. But whether because of an unconscious detection of her conviction or something beyond her knowledge he took in the significance of her declaration.

The forest felt alive as Elias repositioned his arms possessively around her waist. "Then we should begin soon."