Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh! or Zero no Tsukaima. Yu-Gi-Oh! Belongs to Konami Entertainment and Zero no Tsukaima belongs to Noboru Yamaguchi. Please support their works (Cept maybe Konami itself for reasons later).
It was a common concept that everybody had their own personal likes and dislikes about certain things. For example, one person could say they enjoy going out and feeling the warm sun on their skin, while another could say they prefer staying indoors and relaxing to the sound of rain and thunder outside. Somebody could say they relish the taste of spicy food, while others crave sweets. Some say swords, others say axes, or spears, or whatever. It didn't matter what the subject was, everybody had their own appreciations and taste that they preferred.
The girl known as Tabitha was one of those who had very simple taste. She liked simple meals, enjoyed reading books, and preferred spending her time in peace and quiet so as to not be distracted or disturbed by others. Hence why Void Day was one of her more enjoyable days of the year. A day where she could just stay in her room and read to her hearts content without any worries or problems.
At least that's what she was supposed to get. But instead the peace she craved seemed to be severely lacking right now, as the quiet girl looked up from her latest reading to the shouting form of Kirche, the redhead's voice being absent despite her motions.
During her reading strong knocks began rattling Tabitha's door. Not wanting to be disturbed she quickly cast a Spell of Tranquility, a silencing wind-based spell, to efficiently block all noise around her and simply ignore whoever it was. Unfortunately, Kirche was unusually stubborn today, and having no concern for privacy as usual decided to break the lock on the door before baring straight in. The seductress of men then started talking, rather ranting based on what Tabitha could observe, for the past ten minutes and had yet to cease in her actions. Probably because she hadn't noticed that the bluenette couldn't hear anything being said. And while it would have been simpler to just keep the spell up and ignore whatever antics Kirche was about to drag her into, Tabitha knew it would be unsavory and rude to simply ignore the redhead like this.
Plus Kirche was technically her friend, as weird as the idea of them being friends may have seemed, so with great reluctance Tabitha calmly waved her staff and canceled the spell.
"-and then he said I know nothing of real love! Can you believe that!? Nothing of real love!? Nobody has ever said such a thing to me or rejected me before like this! Ever!"
The slightest twitch of a hand showed Tabitha's partial regret in her decision-making.
Despite her less then pleased thoughts of the shouting the bespectacled girl listened to the rant of her friend and was a bit surprised by what she heard, even if she didn't openly show it. Someone actually rejected Kirche's advances? Even she would admit she never thought the day would come where the busty female would actually lose in her attempts at seduction. There had always been the false hope of it miraculously happening, but seeing as every male student preferred to think with their hormones rather than their minds Tabitha didn't put much faith in that possibility. However it looks like someone managed to finally do it, though sadly it didn't seem to do much to tame the Germanian's attitude.
Quite the opposite actually as Kirche's eyes held a familiar and fiery look in them.
"But that rejection, those cold eyes, that harshness! It just made my heart blaze and flutter even more so than before! That's why we're leaving! So get dressed and get ready!" Kirche all but demanded with a happy smile. Tabitha however didn't move and continued reading.
"Void Day," the bespectacled girl responded softly.
Kirche pouted. "I know how important Void Day is to you, but this is just as important Tabitha! I'm in love! Absolutely in love, even more so than I already was! But he's now gone off with that blasted Valliere and I have no idea where they went. That's why I need your help to figure out where they're headed!"'
Tabitha's eyes briefly widened before returning to their normal state. So it was the familiar of Louise that she spoke of? Interesting. Tabitha figured her friend would make a move on him sooner or later, but apparently the result did not go as expected. In truth the mysterious boy was probably the only one who could have actually resisted Kirche, at least based on Tabitha's observations of him during his duel with Guiche. Though that didn't still explain why Kirche needed to involve her in this matter.
"So please won't you help me? You understand don't you?" Kirche begged her friend.
Tabitha merely shook her head and kept fixed to her book. It was a wonder how these two polarized people were friends.
Kirche sighed and nodded. "Right. I forget you won't act unless I explain everything to you. Geeze…alright then," she took a deep breath to calm herself. A second later she let it all out with a fierce and determined voice, as well as kneeling down in a begging position with fake tears. "I want to chase after them and find out what they're doing so I can steal Ryoga's heart away! But I can't catch them without your familiar's help! So please, please help me!"
Tabitha stopped her reading, now having a clear understanding. After a brief mental debate, she closed the book and nodded.
"You understand? Ah thank you Tabitha!" Kirche cheered as she hugged her friend's head against her impressive chest, the smaller girl doing nothing to stop her.
Truthfully Tabitha didn't understand her friend's lustful obsession with the familiar of Louise or the desire to seduce him. In the end though it didn't really bother her. Kirche was her only friend, and if she ever needed help, even if it was for whatever ridiculous motive or lust induced dream the succubus may have, then Tabitha would help her.
Besides, she needed to speak to the boy as well and this would be a good opportunity to do so.
With the idea settled Tabitha removed herself from Kirche's grip as she got off her bed and walked over to her room windows. Opening them up fully she took in the sight of the school and landscape briefly before bringing her fingers to her lips and releasing a loud and sharp whistle to the open air. A moment later a loud screeching cry was heard as a large figure flew from the sky towards the girls. A figure that was well known to every individual in the school, especially to one particular purple-clad teen.
It was Tabitha's familiar. The wind dragon, Sylphid.
"How much farther?" Ryoga asked Louise as he walked behind her.
"Quit complaining. We'll be there soon so just stay close and try not to get lost," the noble instructed.
"Says the one who doesn't know where she's going," Ryoga mumbled.
"What was that?"
"Nothing," Ryoga sighed, already feeling frustrated and tried of the whole situation.
After being forced to get up early by his "master" the two borrowed a horse from the academy stable and rode for three full hours to the nearest city, which according to Louise was Tristania, the capital city of the whole kingdom. While he had experience with riding horses from his first life, his current body wasn't used to remembering how painful it was, leaving the boy with a sore backside and rump. It also didn't help that even after arriving the two began wandering the town for nearly an hour and had yet to reach their destination, making him question if Louise even knew where they were going.
Shrugging off the annoyance Ryoga continued to take in the sights around him. This was after all his first time visiting any of the cities of this new world, let alone one of the capital ones, and he had to admit that the place reminded him a lot of his old kingdom. The buildings were just like those he had seen every time he traveled through his city's streets, built with an old medieval structure to them and none reaching more than two stories in height. The streets were packed with people who went about their daily business doing whatever jobs or task they had planned, while the sides of the road were loaded with vendors of all kinds. There were even see children playing around and having fun, which brought a smile to the former king's face.
What's more it seemed as if the ciry was mostly occupied with commoners based on how they all dressed and acted, which to Ryoga was a breath of fresh air compared to how the academy was full of noble brats. He supposed it made sense since the nobles were much wealthier and respected in this world. They probably lived in some fancy houses or mansions rather than in the middle of a town like this. Despite the lack of magic though everyone seemed happy and content, and the city itself was much nicer than what he had originally expected. Overall it brought a calm and nostalgic feeling to the Duelist that he hadn't felt in such a long time.
Though he would have probably liked it a lot more if they could just find the damn shop already!
"Ah there it is!" Louise happily cried as she pointed to a building right across from them, a bronze sword-shaped sign dangling above it.
Timing, thy name was convenient.
The duo entered the shop and were immediately hit by the scent of ash and coal. Inside was relatively dim despite the sun lighting from the windows, and the place was filled with different kinds of weapons on display, whether hanging from the ceiling, in glass cases, or even stockpiled in barrels. While decent looking enough Ryoga wondered what Louise was expecting from this place or if she even knew what to look for. Heck, he was surprised she chose a place like this rather than something more fancy looking, but decided it was too much of a pain to ask about.
Standing behind the counter of the shop was a man with a rat-shaped face, who eyed the two with slight interest. That is up until he caught sight of the pentagram symbol on Louise's outfit, immediately recognizing her as a noble and straightening himself up. "Ah welcome young lady and fine sir to 'Sword'. Finest weapon shop on the side of town," Ryoga gave a quiet snort. "How may I help you today? I assure you all my wares are real and reasonably priced."
"I want to see one of your finest swords you have on sale," Louise ordered as she approached the counter. "Something simple but capable of defending oneself."
"Oh? A noble buying a sword? Quite a rarity these days," the man said with peek interest.
"It's not for me but for my familiar here," Louise motioned to Ryoga, who was occupied looking at the various displays. "He's in need of a weapon to use for my services, so be sure you give him something of working order, got it?"
"A human familiar eh? Well now I've seen everything. Just a moment then."
The shopkeeper turned and made his way to the back room, jubilantly wondering how much he could rip off the noble, and leaving the two teens alone. The moment he disappeared Ryoga turned and shot a narrowed look at Louise.
"Hey, why don't you try being a little nicer and less stingy when talking to someone alright?"
Louise huffed and crossed her arms. "Don't misunderstand my intentions. I brought us here to get you a weapon to protect yourself with and nothing more. I'm not here to play nice or waste time got it?"
Ryoga frowned but before he could respond the owner came back with what appeared to be a standard looking longsword and sheath. "There you go. This here is one of our best-selling pieces to date."
"Is that right?" Louise inquired while Ryoga walked over. He grasped the weapon and drew the blade from its' sheath, testing the feeling and weight in his hands as he swung it around a few times.
"Indeed. Been selling like hotcakes to a lot of the knights around the castle lately. Heck they've even been allowing the servants to carry weapons on them. Something about a troublesome thief wandering around or something like that," the shop owner said with a shrug.
Louise looked surprised by the information. She had heard that some thief had been wandering around and using magic to steal treasures from the nobility, but she didn't think it was so serious that the castle itself was getting defensive. It actually made her a bit worried about her own family being targeted, as well as how the news would be affecting a particular member of royalty.
Ryoga took notice of Louse's sudden shift in attitude, and while a bit curious about her reaction decided to stay silent about it. He could probably take a guess as to the reason behind her worry, but thief or no it didn't affect either of them at the moment so there was no reason to be concerned. And even if it were something more serious he wouldn't push the issue unless he felt it necessary.
Finishing a final swing Ryoga looked over the weapon once more with careful consideration.
"Well? How is it?" Louise asked. While she wanted this done quickly she would at least trust him with picking a proper weapon since he had shown the skill and ability to wield one.
"It's not bad, but a bit light for me," the water user observed as he placed the weapon back on the counter. "I need something heavier and with stronger material."
Louise nodded and turned to the owner. "You heard him. Get him something bigger and broader."
The owner looked uncertain. "Ma'am I'm sorry but judging from his size that sword would fit a person like him better tha-"
"I said I want bigger and broader!" Louise declared sternly, making Ryoga roll his eyes at her impatience.
Reluctantly the shopkeeper nodded and went to the back again, mumbling as he did. As the two teens waited Ryoga decided to keep looking around the shop for anything else that might catch his interest. Most of the weapons appeared pretty plain and simple, but like Louise he wasn't looking for anything fancy or special. Just something to help get the job done if need be.
BA-BUMP!
Ryoga's inspection paused when his sight caught hold of a weapon barrel in the corner. Confusion ran through him as he looked down to the Barian Pendant, swearing he felt a strange echoing pulse through it when he saw the barrel.
"What the-"
"Sorry to keep you waiting," the voice of the shopkeeper broke Ryoga's thoughts. He turned back around to see the man grinning as he walked back to the counter with a new weapon in hand. "Here, this should be more to your liking little Miss."
The man revealed the piece he had brought out, the sight of which made Louise gawk in awe and caused Ryoga…to stare with a deadpanned expression.
"What the hell is this?"
The sword was certainly larger and broader by at least three times the size of the previous one. And it definitely looked heavier and more detailed as well, even embedded with a couple of ruby gems in the handle. However there was one tiny problem with the weapon that immediately stood out to Ryoga.
The fact that it looked to be made entirely out of solid gold.
"It's the best weapon in the whole shop," the owner said with a wide smile. "It was made by the Germanian alchemist Lord Shupei. It'll slice steel right in half."
"Bullshit," Ryoga's blunt statement caused Louise and the owner to look at him confused. "Who are you trying to fool old man? That's not steel, that's fucking gold isn't it? You honestly think something like that can be used as a weapon? Don't joke around. Something like that would be so unbalanced and weak it'd break the moment I make any attempt to defend myself with it. It'd be better off hung as a trophy than a means of defense."
Louise's eyes widened as she looked over the golden blade. To her it seemed just like any old sword, though really she had never cared much for weapons as she was a mage. But if Ryoga was telling the truth then not only was it not a real weapon, but he had managed to depict the difference with just a single glance. Which begged the question of just how much experience in swordsmanship he actually had to be capable of such a thing?
The shopkeeper meanwhile panicked at being found out but quickly hid it behind a smile. "I-It's much stronger than you give it credit for boy. A weapon like this is crafted once in a lifetime and was done with distinct precision. Trust me when I say it's definitely worth the price for buying it."
"And just how much is the price?" Louise asked, her own suspicions now rising. The fact that Ryoga was able to spot such a difference in material and call it out showed that the man was either conned into obtaining this prop, or was the one attempting to con them, something she wouldn't stand for.
"Three-thousand new gold coins," the owner answered.
"You could buy a freshly-made house with a forest and yard with that much gold!" Louise exclaimed.
Ryoga's glare intensified. He fucking knew it. This bastard was trying to rip them off.
"Not happening," the former Barian declared, the ferocity in his eyes making the shopkeeper step back afraid. "Not for that weapon and definitely not for that price. You might as well bring out the previous blade before we decided that we've wasted our time here."
Realizing the jig was up the shopkeeper relented and held his hands in surrender. "A-Alright fine. But don't blame me if you end up dead because you refused such an amazing opportunity."
Ryoga scoffed. "I won't."
The owner frowned but accepted defeat and put the golden blade under the counter. "In any case, if you want that other blade it will be a hundred and eighty-seven new gold coins."
Louise flinched at the price, something Ryoga immediately noticed. "Louise?"
"I only brought a hundred new gold with me," the noble girl quietly mumbled. Ryoga couldn't help but look annoyed and felt the urge to facepalm.
"Haha, sorry girl, but fact is most average swords go around two hundred new gold," the shopkeeper said, looking a bit more relaxed by the situation. "If you expect to buy anything decent you're gonna need a lot more than that."
Ryoga gave a light growl but kept his temper in check. Hitting the old geezer wouldn't do anything; well actually it might make him feel better. But even with the money given to him from Osmond that still left them several coins short, and he doubted any other store in this town would be much cheaper if the haggler was actually telling the truth this time.
"Is there anything here we can get for at least a hundred coins?" Louise asked having apparently come to the same conclusion.
"One hundred?" The owner repeated almost amused. He rubbed his chin in thought before walking past the two and making his way to the front of the store, specifically towards the same barrel Ryoga spotted before. Ruffling through it the man grabbed something inside and pulled it out. "Well if you want there is this."
BA-BUMP!
Ryoga looked down to his Barian pendant, which pulsed again and was now emitting a strange feeling in his chest. "What's going on?"
"It's a bit old and rusty, but if you tidy it up it can still do a lot of good for ya," the owner said as he dropped weapon into Ryoga's hands.
It was a single edged longsword with a decent sized handguard. The handle was wrapped in white bandages while a loose metal flap circled the blade just above the handguard. The blade itself was a bit dulled but still relatively sharp though the whole weapon was covered in rust, giving it a brownish colored tint. Overall despite the age and wear it looked like it could have been a fine weapon long ago.
But still…
BA-BUMP!
Ryoga's eyes narrowed. What was this feeling? This...pressure…he sensed just from looking at it?
BA-BUMP!
As Louise spoke with the shopkeeper the Duelist slowly reached out towards the sword's handle. His palm hovered just above it, as if unsure for a moment.
BA-BUMP!
Ryoga's eyes then hardened and his hand grasped the handle firmly. The moment he did the Barian crest exploded with a bright crimson light, nearly blinding everyone in the shop as they covered their eyes.
"What the heck!?" Ryoga shouted.
"Ryoga!" Louise called out surprised and worried.
The crimson light glowed brightly as Ryoga felt his body become cemented in place. His grip on the sword seemed to lock onto itself, his fingers refusing to budge as he felt the power of Chaos flow through his body and into the weapon, as it began doing something to it. After several long seconds the flow suddenly stopped as the light died near instantaneously, allowing the three to gain their sight back and stare at each other confused.
"W-What was that?" The weapons owner stepped back fearfully, nearly tripping over himself in the process.
"Ryoga! Are you okay?" Louise quickly moved to the Duelist side and checked him over.
"Y-Yeah, I'm fine," Ryoga replied, shaking his head clear and looking down at his pendant. "What the hell was that?"
"WOAH! What a rush! That's one way to wake a weapon up!"
The duo jumped as a sudden and new voice appeared out of nowhere. Looking around they quickly became confused when they couldn't find anyone else in the room save for the rat-faced owner, who looked just as surprised as them.
"Oy! Over here dummies!"
Both "master" and "familiar" turned their gaze towards the shouting. However much to their surprise they found themselves staring at the very weapon Ryoga was holding. Both looked back up confused before looking down at the sword again.
Were they hearing thin-
"So, you're the one who woke me huh? Have to say, you got one hell of an alarm bell pal."
"...Did this sword just talk?" Ryoga questioned as he watched the metal flap on the blade move to the deep male sounding voice. He had seen a lot of weird shit in his lifetimes but this was definitely a new one.
"T-T-That's impossible!" The owner yelled in disbelief, his reaction drawing the attention of the noble and Duelist. "T-There's no way! T-That thing, it's an Intelligent Sword!"
"Intelligent Sword?" Ryoga repeated.
The owner shakily nodded. "I-I heard the rumors but I didn't believe them! Tales of weapons that were crafted by magic to have thoughts of their own and become sentient! T-That sword isn't just a weapon, it's fully alive!"
"No way," Louise uttered, her own disbelief showing. She also heard the stories from her family but hadn't believed them herself, yet here was undeniable proof right in front of her eyes. Even if it was a bit disturbing.
While such an item was incredibly rare to find, it was as the shop owner said. The weapon was technically "alive" and had the ability to act and speak of its' own free will. It was a bit creepy for her seeing as it would be like having another person constantly hanging over your shoulder or waist the whole time, seeing and hearing everything you did even during the most private of moments. The Valliere shivered at the concept.
Ryoga meanwhile continued to stare at the weapon, his mind in deep thought. Was this the reason his pendant was reacting the way it did? Because it somehow knew this sword was "alive" so to speak? If so then why did his power of Chaos flare up like that? To wake the sword up? How had it known to do such a thing, or even managed to do so in the first place?
"Hmmm, interesting," the sword suddenly "spoke", catching Ryoga's full attention. "You're an odd one boy. You're not a user, but you've definitely got something interesting inside you. Something really strong and familiar, though I have no idea what it could be."
That caused the Duelist's eyes to widen. Could this sword sense the power of Chaos inside of him? What did this all mean?
"Ah whatever, doesn't matter now anyways. Name's Derflinger, Lord Derflinger!" The weapon boasted proudly. "Say buddy, why don't ya buy me from this guy and let me come with ya?"
Ryoga blinked. "Huh? Where did that suddenly come from?" He asked confused.
"Well I mean you were the one that woke me up pal," Derflinger explained. "Not exactly sure what's going on or what year it is, but I saw enough from when you sent that mojo into me. If you hadn't done that I'd still be sleeping in that stuffy old barrel for who knows how long. Heck I'd have probably been melted down or something. Frankly I'd rather be used by some weird power wielding kid than sitting around gathering dust all day. What do you say?"
"I think I would say this is one of the weirdest situations I've ever been in," Ryoga thought. It wasn't every day you come across a living weapon after all. Hell, this whole situation reminded him a lot of how Yuma was seen constantly speaking to his Emperor's Key pendant or an empty space of air, even though he was actually speaking to Astral. Not that it helped to stem the rumors and weirdness the boy brought on himself.
Despite the similarity and oddness of the situation Ryoga took a moment to try and process everything that was happening, as well as debate on the pros and cons of what the sword suggested. Surprisingly he found himself actually leaning towards accepting the idea, as having another set of eyes and ears, metaphorically speaking, could be pretty handy to have around considering he was still getting used to this world. This "Derflinger" could act as an extra role of support for the former Barian like Astral had been to Yuma, though how much that support would provide was unknown. Still it would be nice to converse with someone outside of Louise every now and then, as well as provide feedback and ideas to him about future events or situations. Two minds were usually better than one after all.
Plus Derflinger said that he had been shown enough of the situation through Ryoga's "mojo", which meant the power of Chaos. Did this mean the sword had the ability to connect to his power of Chaos? If so then this couldn't just be a mere coincidence, and despite whatever reasons made this even possible, by taking the sword with him it might become a key to opening up answers to the many questions Ryoga had about what was going on.
Having come to a solid answer Ryoga nodded and grinned. "Sounds interesting. I'll take it."
"Eh!?" Louise shouted in disbelief. "W-Wait a second, you're not serious are you Ryoga? You really want that t-thing to come with us? Couldn't you just get something else? Something less…lively?"
"I've already made up my mind Louise. Derflinger is coming with us," Ryoga said firmly.
"B-But-" Louise tried to protest only to be completely ignored by the Duelist.
"Name's Kamishiro Ryoga, though you can just call me Shark if you want," the former Barian introduced himself to the weapon.
"Shark huh? Funny name for a kid. Ah whatever. Nice meeting ya partner!" Derflinger greeted back.
Louise stared slack-jawed at the conversing duo before sighing exasperatedly, having given up on understanding what just happened.
After getting the owner to sell Derflinger for the original price of one hundred gold, thanks in part to Louise playing up her nobility role, the newly founded trio returned to the academy. Ryoga spent rest of the day conversing with Derflinger, nicknamed Derf for an easier time, and explaining everything about the situation they were both in. Derf seemed to enjoy hearing about the misadventures of the Duelist, even openly laughing upon hearing how Ryoga beat the snob out of Guiche, as well as learning about the conditions of him being a "familiar". Louise meanwhile kept mostly to herself and just watched the two interact with each other, still feeling disturbed and even a bit annoyed by the sword's ability to speak, especially when it started messing with her. She kept her complaints silent though knowing it was too late to turn back now, even if she sorely regretted it.
Overall despite the unusual experience the day had gone as planned and ended without further incident.
"So what do you think Ryoga darling?"
Or at least it had until she showed up.
"Why are you even here Zerbst?" Louise fiercely demanded from Kirche, her rival standing across from her while Tabitha sat on Louise's bed reading another book. The redhead had all but barged into Louise's room unannounced, much to both occupant's disdain, dragging with her the bookworm as well as an all too familiar item.
"Why? Why to give a present to my dear Ryoga of course," Kirche answered with an all too innocent smile. "I just so happened to find a sword befitting of my dear love and decided to get it for him."
By sword she meant the same golden piece of crap from earlier.
"You followed us," Louise stated more than accused.
"Oh nothing of the sort," Kirche waved the notion away. "I just happened to catch sight of you both back in town when you left that weapon shop. And since I wanted to apologize to my beloved for the misunderstanding we had last night, I decided to offer this wonderful beauty as a sign of peace," she chuckled and gave a challenging smirk to Louise. "Not that it's any of your business little Louise, as it's a private matter between the two of us. A very, very private matter."
Louise's temper threatened to snap at the hidden meaning but was stopped when Ryoga shoved the golden trophy back into Kiriche's arms, much to the Germanian's surprise.
"Sorry, but I'm not interested in that piece of junk. And even if I was I'd have no interest in accepting it from someone like you," the shark user said with a calm anger, clearly having not forgotten the events of the previous night.
"Haha! What a way with words partner! And rejecting a fine piece of ass like that, you're definitely one of a kind!" Derf voiced out from his spot against the wall, his sudden dialogue causing Kirche to jump and look at the weapon startled.
"Eh!? An Intelligent Sword!?" Kirche yelped. Even Tabitha's normally stoic gaze showed slight curiosity at the unexpected event. Kirche soon regained her sense and threw a cautious look at Louise. "Seems you got him quite the strange and bizarre piece didn't you Louise? How befitting for someone like you."
"It's not like I was the one who picked it out!" Louise glanced over to Ryoga annoyed, something her rival picked up on.
"Wait, you're saying darling picked it out himself?" Kirche turned to Ryoga for confirmation.
"Better weird and bizarre than a lying manipulator like you," Ryoga answered coldly, his reply making Kirche flinch a little. He could care less though. He didn't know what the siren was planning but he wasn't going to start make things easy for her, and intended to make that as well-known as possible.
Though he could do without Derf's background laughter.
His actions made Louise happy though as the pink-colored noble smiled brightly. With the memories of the night before still fresh in her mind it was quite satisfying to watch her busty rival be shot down in front of her, and it made her proud to know that Ryoga was the one doing it and that he wasn't a perverted dog like all the other boys at the school. Still a jerk and mean at times yes, but not a perverted dog.
"There you have it Zerbst. Even my familiar says he wants nothing to do with your little 'present' or with you. Best to run off while you still have some dignity left, if you even have any that is," Louise said with a mockingly gleeful expression.
Kirche glared at the chibi but quickly settled down as she glanced over to Ryoga. She had realized shortly after the disaster with the water user that her normal tactics wouldn't work on such a divine specimen of a man and would only serve to push him further away. And while she enjoyed the idea of playing hard to get, she knew that any attempts to get close and have him fall for her would need to be planned out more carefully than usual and not do anything to entice his anger, even if she did find it incredibly hot.
Sighing dramatically the Germanian rose a hand to her forehead and put on a sorrowful act of defeat. "I see. Clearly darling needs a bit more time to cool down from our time together. Very well. I know when I'm not wanted so I shall retreat for the time being. But know this Louise, Ryoga darling," she turned to the purple-clad boy and gave a very sensual smile. "I may have lost this battle, but I won't lose the war for your heart my love. So do wait for me."
Ryoga looked about ready to gag and turned his gaze away from Kirche's. This girl was going be a constant fucking pain in the ass, he just knew it.
As Kirche moved to leave Tabitha stood from the bed and followed after her, only for the bespectacled girl to pause mid-way and turn towards Ryoga.
Caught off guard by the unexpected attention Ryoga frowned and glared back. "What? You got something to say too?"
Tabitha didn't reply at first, leaving the two to stare at each other in a strange silence while Louise and Kirche watched confused. The silence was broken a moment later as Tabitha spoke in a soft voice.
"Thank you."
Ryoga's glare disappeared into confusion. "Huh?"
"For feeding Sylphid."
Tabitha then turned and walked out the room past Kirche, who looked at her friend surprised before shrugging it off and chasing after the bluenette, though not before blowing a kiss to Ryoga.
"What was that about?" Louise inquired while glaring at Ryoga suspiciously.
"Don't ask me," Ryoga replied just as confused.
Who the hell was Sylphid?
The next few days passed by with relative ease, with the exception being Kirche's constant attempts to get closer to Ryoga, which only served to further annoy him. He also learned that Sylphid was the name of the giant dragon that wouldn't leave him alone during lunch, and that now knowing the dragon's name had caused her, yes her, to grow even more attached to the purple-colored boy, making the whole situation even more of a pain in the ass to deal with.
On the other side of things, ever since acquiring Derflinger, Ryoga had begun practicing with the sentient sword each night for a couple of hours in order to relearn and remaster all the skills he possessed as a swordsman. While he had all the memories of his fighting style from when he was king, it wouldn't do any good if his body couldn't enact those movements and skills to their best, just like in the Duel with Guiche. It would also help to slowly rebuild his stamina for longer battles, which Ryoga figured was a guarantee to happen in a world like this.
As such Ryoga found himself in the open courtyard on one such night, swinging Derf around at invisible targets. His body swayed and flowed with each strike and movement, doing all it could to not waste any excess energy as the cool night air graced his skin.
"Got to say partner, you're not half bad at this," Derf complimented, his metal body slicing through the air in Ryoga's grip. "A bit sloppy in some parts, but you're definitely no amateur. Keep this up and you'll be quite the swordsman in no time."
"Yeah," the one-word answer was all Ryoga said as he thrust the blade out and ducked down before spinning around in a slashing motion. One thing he could say about Def was that the sword was the talkative type, loving to comment on any and everything he could. Much like how he heard Astral was when he first appeared before Yuma.
The irony that he now possessed an object with a living sentience in it was not lost on him.
Normally Ryoga couldn't stand people who didn't know when to shut up or leave him alone, as shown through his early interactions with Yuma, but despite this Derf was actually a pretty decent "guy" to talk to despite being a sword. He was a bit of a loudmouth at times sure, but had also proven to be very intelligent and focused when needed, and the two seemed to get along quite well despite their short time together. It also helped that his new partner wasn't nearly as annoying as Yuma or his little gang of friends could be, though the Duelist was pretty sure nobody could ever match the level of weirdness that particular group had.
Deciding to finish up for the night, the water user stepped back and ran forward as fast as he could before leaping high into the air. He flipped once over and reversed Derf in his grip before landing on his feet and plunging the blade deep into the ground, all while imagining the face of Vector as the thing he was impaling.
It made for great therapy to picture slicing up that bastard.
As Ryoga took a moment to catch his breath the sound of clapping suddenly caught his attention. Turning towards the noise he was surprised to see a familiar face watching from a distance. "Siesta?"
The raven-haired maiden finished clapping and walked over, her face in awe. "That was amazing Shark-san. I didn't realize you knew how to use a sword in such a manner."
Ryoga chuckled and straightened himself while removing Derf from the ground. "Yeah. I have some experience, but I still got a lot of work to do if I want to get even better."
"I see. Still, I've never seen anybody do what you just did before. It was truly amazing," Siesta complimented with a smile.
"Oh hoh, who is this partner?" Derf asked teasingly. "You didn't tell me you knew such a hot babe. She quite the beauty isn't she? Don't tell me you've got a secret fling going on while serving your dear sweet ma-"
"Shut up," Ryoga smacked Derf into his sheath, silencing the blade as he did.
While he didn't mind having the sword as his partner there were times where Derf's "mouth" would just say things to mess with or annoy the former king and the people around him. Specifically when it involved women. Probably found some sadistic humor in it.
Or he was a pervert. If that was even possible for a sword.
Despite sheathing the weapon the damage was already done as Siesta turned beat red and looked at the weapon surprised. "D-Did that sword just-"
"Yes it did. His name's Derflinger and he likes to mess with people so don't let what he says get to you," Rygoa casually explained. He already had to deal with Louise's attitude towards the sword messing with her and didn't want to experience it again from someone else, especially someone like Siesta.
"I-I see," Siesta said as she recovered from the initial shock and smiled. "That's just like you though Shark-san. You're always full of surprises."
"You have no idea," Ryoga mentally thought to himself. "So how have you been? I haven't seen you around lately."
"I'm fine Shark-san, just finishing up some last minute laundry before I turned in for the night. But I caught sight of you and well…" Siesta blushed and looked embarrassed. "I couldn't help but watch. Sorry."
Ryoga shrugged. "Don't apologize. It's not like I was keeping it secret or anything so there's no need to feel nervous about watching. Besides, it's not that big of a deal."
"But it is," Siesta's face suddenly seemed to glow with a serene happiness while her eyes looked to be almost gleaming in the moonlight. "You're really amazing Shark-san. You never let anything get you down and follow your own path without any fear or hesitation. You don't care for how others look at you or judge you, and even when people call you a noble you choose to ignore their words and just stay who you are. You're really amazing you know?"
Those words caught the Duelist by surprise. "Where'd this all come from all of a sudden?"
Siesta looked down to hide her burning cheeks. "Well you see…I know I haven't gotten the chance to talk to you lately because of how busy I've been, but I've been watching you whenever I could. I know it may sound strange, but because of you I'm not as afraid as I used to be. I feel more courageous and confident in myself, and find it much easier now to do my best with my work. To not listen to the insults or comments people make and just move forward without fear or hesitation. You helped me to find this strength in myself Shark-san. A strength that I never knew I had, and I just wanted to tell you how much I appreciate it," Siesta crossed her hands in front of her and bowed. "So thank you Shark-san. Thank you so very much for showing me what I couldn't see before in myself."
Ryoga was stunned silent. The declaration and honesty of the raven-haired beauty was just like when he had spoken with Katie several days before, or all the times he interacted with Yuma. Those personalities that just screamed innocence and accepted him openly without hesitation, wanting nothing more than to get closer despite the things he had done.
He already made peace with the fact that he hadn't hurt anyone during the Duel with Guiche, save the blonde noble himself, or made a mistake with his actions thanks to Katie. The first-year had opened his eyes and made him realize how stupid he was being, and so he no longer held any doubts or worries about Siesta's words in regards to her trusting him. But he still didn't expect his actions to have given such inspiration to the maid, or to have received such high thanks for it.
It was so unexpected that the former king actually felt his cheeks flare up in embarrassment at the praise.
"A-Alright alright I get it, just get up already. There's no reason for you to bow or anything. You'll make me feel like one of those stupid nobles," Ryoga said turning away to hide his face, feeling completely stupid in doing so.
"Oh? Well maybe it wouldn't be so bad to work under a noble like you Shark-san," Siesta suggested with a playful smile.
"Oy!"
The raven-haired maid giggled at Ryoga's reaction, but despite the teasing he couldn't help but chuckle himself.
He had forgotten how relaxing it was to talk to Siesta. She didn't judge him or his actions and didn't see him as some "fallen noble" or "Familiar of Zero", or whatever the hell Kirche saw him as in that bizarre head of hers. She didn't even question him or thought he was lying when he had told her that he wasn't a noble and didn't have magic. Instead she saw him as a regular person, and in turn he realized that she was someone he could talk to normally without fear of being labeled or judged, just like with Katie.
Which was still odd in itself since interacting and conversing with people was not exactly one of his strong points. That was always Yuma's talent. In fact he was pretty sure if he had a list of his top ten strongest points, interaction and socializing would be one hundred and one. And yet now that he thought about it, he had spent more time helping out and conversing with the people of this world more than he had with the people back in Heartland outside of Yuma and the gang.
"I wonder if this is also due your influence Yuma?" Ryoga pondered with a smile as he remembered the times he spent with the young Duelist. Looking back at Siesta a spontaneous feeling grew in his chest, and for once he decided to say "fuck it" and followed after it. "Say Siesta."
"Hm?"
"The next time you're off, let's hang out," the water user suggested, making the maid's eyes widen. "Let's just take a day off away from all the stupid nobles and idiocy that's around and just talk and stuff. We won't have to worry about anything else and just do whatever the hell we want. What do you say?"
Siesta's face turned bright red as she suddenly found the ground far more interesting to look at. Remembering how only a few days ago she had wished for something similar made the beauty suddenly feel very nervous and shy at the offer, but at the same time giddy and joyful. Before she could delve into further thoughts though a recent memory filled her mind, and with it the thoughts and feelings were quickly dashed as her heart became heavy.
Siesta quickly pushed the feeling aside and looked back up with a smile. "I'd like that very much."
Ryoga grinned. "Alright then, its' settled. Next time we're both available we'll have a day just to ourselves and have some fun."
"I look forward to that day Shark-san," Siesta agreed, bowing to him once more. "I suppose I'd best be off until then. Have a good night Shark-san."
"Yeah. Take care Siesta," Ryoga replied, giving a light wave of his hand as he moved to head back to tower.
"Ah, Shark-san?"
Ryoga paused mid-step and turned around. "Yeah?"
"I…" Siesta looked down nervously, almost hesitant even, before asking. "Are we…friends?"
Ryoga froze.
Such a simple question, and yet it held more weight to it than Siesta could ever realize.
Were they friends? Ryoga could count on one hand the number of people he could actually call a friend. A real friend at that, with the rest being either acquaintances or allies. But now that he thought it over had he actually called anyone from this world a friend yet?
Sure he and Katie were just beginning to form their own friendship, least he assumed they were, and while he and Louise had issues with each other they did have a bond of their own. Not the familiar one thankfully, but they now had a relationship with which they both understood each other a lot more from. But could he consider these events with both girls enough to actually consider them friends?
Could he even consider Siesta one?
"...Heh," Ryoga smirked with closed eyes. "Isn't it obvious?" Siesta seemed confused and worried by the action, only for Ryoga to open his eyes and look at her with a soft smile. "Of course we're friends."
Siesta's breath hitched. Her heart raced and her body froze in place. Even when Ryoga turned and walked away once more, she couldn't break her gaze from his back nor shake the warmth that rapidly grew in her chest. Even as he disappeared from sight, the maid couldn't stop repeating the words over and over again in her head.
"Of course we're friends."
"I'd glad Shark-san..." Siesta whispered, her voice shaky and quiet as she quickly walked away. All while hiding the broken smile and pouring tears that appeared on her face. "I'm so glad…"
...*looks around before stepping forward and clearing throat*
Hey guys! Good to see you all again, and with the latest update to my story, chapter 13! Woho!...god this will be a long story if I've only gotten this far, haha.
In any case I had hoped to get this chapter up sooner but there were a lot of changes and updates I had to make with it, along with the other chapter I'm working on. Plus despite me having a lot more free time this month, it does not mean less work *groans*
Also on a side note I would like to point out that in my opening disclaimer I mentioned not to possibly support the company Konami, and rather just Yu-Gi-Oh!. And well it's because of their practices and recent trends they've been doing to their gaming industry. Yu-Gi-Oh! is still fun, despite how annoying and busted the game has become, but the video game field of Konami has been killing itself the past few months, and after a recent interview from the man himself, Jim Fucking Sterling Son (Thank Kami for him), I realized how low the great company has fallen, especially with the disgrace they've done to their castlevania and silent hill franchises.
But enough about that! Time for some good old fashion reviews! Also don't worry, I got over the worry session from last time and accepted that I won't always get major reviews or opinions all the time. It'd be nice to hear from you guys sure, but I am happy simply knowing you guys are out there reading and enjoying my story. Anyways onto the reviews!
Touhou Is life: Not a problem man, I understand that not everybody wants to log in just to leave a review or comment. Long as you're enjoying the story. Now in regards to the Kirche and Ryoga interaction, well Ryoga is not too pleased by Kirche's actions because they remind him of a certain OTHER manipulator of emotions and feelings (points calmly to the son of a ! % troll named Vector), so their relationship will definitely be strained at the start. How will it change or be affected as the story goes on, well we'll just have to see, though if you guys have any ideas you'd like to see I'd be more than happy to hear.
And I think some people may have misread the Sylphid bit so let me explain. Ryoga, as of the last chapter, has now been in this world for over a week now, over two now with this chapter. Meaning he's already been Louise's "familiar" for several days and has dealt with all the "familiar" aspects so far. Their first meeting was of course when he first fed Sylphid, which was set during that time but not in the actual chapter. That interaction was just the standard meeting between the two every day at lunch (which you will see again next chapter) and now Sylphid has grown attached to him because of it, even though he clearly doesn't like it. He does not know Sylphid can transform though.
Firem78190: Thank you man. Respect to those great men, and I hope to read your story one day. *bows*
Guest: Glad you enjoyed that. Yeah Ryoga definitely has a connection to the water familiars because of...well his connection to water, and Sylphid thanks to his own actions (though I laugh at the idea of Sylphid ontop of Ryoga and nuzzling him happily while he just tries to shove her off. Would love to see an actual picture of that happening.) And I hope you liked this chapter as well.
Sekishiki: Hey man good to see ya. Yeah I hope the tame chapters don't bother you too much. There will always be a sort of mix throughout the story just like in each series. Though you can look forward to next chapter being a more serious one given what's going to happen.
And dude...bless you...god bless you man! \^.^/
I had planned for cat shark to appear later on in a duel but this...oh god THIS IS AWESOME! HOW DID I NOT THINK OF THIS!? DO YOU KNOW THE AMOUNT OF INSANITY AND FUN I COULD PULL WITH THIS IDEA!? HAHAH! xD
Oh man the only issue will be deciding when and how to do it! It won't be anytime soon, but man I will find a way! FIND A WAY I TELL YOU! If you have any ideas of a proper time let me know because dude, CAT SHARK WILL BE IN THIS STORY!
*Is already imagining seen between Ryoga, Cat Shark and Sylphid, and begins to laugh manically*
Ahem...anyways, if you guys know the series you know what's coming up. And Ryoga...oooohhhh I feel so sorry for the bastard that's going to piss him off.
...actually I don't. *grins evilly*
Can't wait till next time! See ya then guys!
TrueHeartKnight