Barian of the Void

by TrueHeartKnight

She wanted to hope. To hope that things would finally be different. To hope that she would be able to prove herself to the world. To hope that she would bring honor to her name and become someone worth remembering. And most of all, to hope that finally she would no longer be just a "Zero". What she got was all that and more, as hope is reborn one last time. In the form of Chaos.

21. Of Sisters and Maids

Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh! Zexal or Zero no Tsukaima. Yu-Gi-Oh! belongs to Konami Entertainment and Zero no Tsukaima belongs to Noboru Yamaguchi. Please support their works.

---

Tristain Academy of Magic's library was a place of knowledge and silence for those who sought it. Located in the upper levels of the same tower as the dining hall, the library was quite large, taking up an entire section of the tower all for itself. Tables and chairs were scattered all about the area while dozens of bookshelves were lined against the walls, each being so tall that large columns of stairs were needed just to reach the upper section of books.

And boy were there books. Taking up every available space in the shelves were thousands of books and tomes, each one gathered from different parts of Halkeginia and ranging in age from the newest releases to text dating hundreds of years back. The place was so crammed with material and finite space that you wouldn't think it to be a comfortable location for anybody to find themselves in. Yet everyday students and teachers alike came to visit the library to either study material, seek out new information, or to simply read in peace.

In the category of Kamishiro Ryoga, being taught how to read the runic language of this world by his new tutor was his reason for occupying such a place.

"Next one," Tabitha softly ordered.

"Wunjo, gyfu. It means joy and gift," Ryoga translated from the runes in front of him.

"Next one," Tabitha responded almost instantly.

"Sowilo and daeg. The sun and day, right?"

"Next one."

"Algiz, fehu, and jeran. That means elk, wealth, and…good crop?"

"Harvest."

"Close enough."

"Next one."

If anyone were to walk in on the scene they would have stumbled across the sight of Ryoga and Tabitha sitting at one of the larger tables of the library surrounded by a mountain of open books and tomes. Most of which dealing with teaching the local language or how to translate and write runic scriptures, with a few history books scattered in the pile as well. If one were to look underneath the table, they would have spotted the curled-up form of Cat Shark sleeping peacefully at the duo's feet while Derflinger lay sheathed against one of the table legs.

This had become the daily occurrence between the two ever since Tabitha took the job of becoming Ryoga's tutor. While initially suspicions of the girl's motives Ryoga quickly found himself at ease with the arrangement. Having already spent some time around each other he knew that she was a lot smarter than most of the other students and was the type to take a job seriously, as shown through her actions during the capture of Fouquet. It helped that the two of them got along well enough due to their nature as social outcast and shared enjoyment of peace and quiet where it could be found. Especially when away from a pair of pink and red-haired rivals.

Speaking of whom, while Louise was still disappointed that Ryoga picked someone else over her for teaching him, she agreed that if anybody could be trusted to help him learn, Tabitha would be the best choice without a doubt. That she would even admit such spoke highly of her opinion on the quiet noble. Since then Ryoga and Tabitha began frequently meeting in the library after classes during weekdays and in the early mornings on weekends, much like today. While the initial lessons were struggling for the former Barian, after several sessions he began to grasp the new material and was now able to understand the basics of this world's dialect.

"Last one," Tabitha instructed pointing to the final page.

"Heh, easy. Lagu and isa. Means ocean and ice," Ryoga answered with a knowing grin. Those were in his blood after all.

"Better. Fast learner," Tabitha approved.

"What can I say? I have a good teacher," Ryoga complimented as he closed the book and put it to the side with the others.

"Still impressive."

"Thanks I guess. So what's next on the list?" Ryoga asked looking over the mountain of paper around them. There was still a crap ton to learn, and while it was a bit of a pain he could at least tolerate it thanks to Tabitha's calm presence and teaching methods.

"Duel Monsters."

Ryoga stiffened at the words, though only for a moment before he sighed exasperatedly. "Again?" He asked turning to face his teacher. Her expression gave away nothing as she answered with a single nod, earning yet another sigh. "Sheesh, you can be as bad as Louise sometimes you know?"

Tabitha didn't respond to the jest and merely watched as Ryoga pulled out his deck and laid it on the table. While she agreed to help tutor him she also had a price for her services. A price that, after much debate between the headmaster and Duelist, was eventually accepted by both parties.

In exchange for her lessons, Ryoga would in turn tell her all about the powers he used against Fouquet's golems. Sounded easy enough, but Tabitha didn't want just base explanations. She wanted full blown breakdowns of how Ryoga could do what he did.

His summoning of multiple familiars, his armguard that acted like a wand, even why the Rune of Destruction was the same as the cards he carried on him. She wanted to learn exactly how they worked and the methods behind how they were even possible.

In other words, she wanted to learn about Duel Monsters.

In truth Ryoga wasn't too surprised by the request as he was already expecting something like this to happen ever since their return to the school. Tabitha and Kirche both had front row seats to his power after all, especially when he summoned Aero Shark and Black Ray. Then of course there was his whole use of the "Rune of Destruction" which they clearly saw was the same kind of card as the ones he constantly carried. All this together meant it was simply a matter of time before the two females sought him out for answers, and while it was a bother to allow more people to know what he could do, he also knew that the situation had drastically changed.

Fouquet forced him to use his powers twice now in the open, meaning she now possessed information on his capabilities and strengths. While the thief may be locked away in a dungeon she couldn't exactly be silenced about what she saw. Given the right motivation anybody would talk, and if someone came to her with such an offer she could end up revealing everything she knew about him. If that information was given to the wrong kind of person, it could spell all kinds of trouble for the former king.

Sure, Ryoga could have prevented such a threat by killing her back then, and Kami knows it would have probably saved him a lot of trouble, but he wasn't that kind of person anymore. He had enough blood on his hands already and would rather avoid adding anymore. But that wasn't the only problem. This entire incident not only proved his previous thoughts about having to use his more powerful cards and abilities just to fight someone like Fouquet, but that there would be no way of hiding it from anyone watching when he did. Meaning if more events such as this one continued to pop up, eventually his powers would be discovered and known to everyone. As it was now he was only buying time, something even Osmond commented on.

Which led back to the topic of what to do regarding Tabitha and Kirche. The only reason they probably hadn't interrogated him immediately after Fouquet's capture was because of how tense everybody was after she was knocked out. But even with the desire for information about the Rune clouding his judgment, in the back of his mind Ryoga was fully aware that he would have to do something regarding the girls. If he didn't there was a chance that they, more specifically Kirche, would spread word about what he did without realizing the consequences of doing so.

Knowing this and knowing he couldn't keep it secret forever, the water user reluctantly decided that when the time came for answers he would tell them all he could. Nothing regarding his world obviously, but they would be told the same information that was given to Louise. And just like her, he would also ask them to remain silence on what they learned until he publicly revealed himself.

Of course, that was before Tabitha's sudden surprise at becoming his tutor and using the sessions as a way to gain that information. The bluenette could be quite proactive when she wanted to be. Funny since Ryoga fully expected Kirche to be the first one to corner him for the info. Probably through the same seduction methods she always used to try and get his attention.

Strangely enough the Germanian beauty had been quite docile ever since the end of the ball. She hadn't tried to confront Ryoga about what happened nor did she tell anyone about what she saw, which normally he would be grateful for, but even he could see how odd Kirche was being. She wasn't one to shy away from getting what she wanted, as made clear by her constant attempts at wooing the Duelist, yet for some reason it seemed like she was putting distance between herself and him. Heck, her usual four to five times attempts of daily flirting had been reduced to only twice per day now. An action that would have otherwise made Ryoga happier, but now only served to raise his suspicions about what she was up too. For now though he figured it would be best not to worry about it and simply wait for Kirche to make her move, even if said move involved the seductress turning such information to her advantage.

That just left Tabitha to deal with, which thanks to the current arrangement was far easier to handle. When Ryoga explained the concept of Duel Monsters and how it worked in his home the bespectacled girl took the information rather well. At least visibly. One look at her eyes told Ryoga that she was just as amazed and awed as Louise had been. She was simply much better at hiding it behind her tranquil poker face.

Despite the initial surprise, Tabitha was certainly intrigued by the concept of the card game, going so far as to have full open discussions with Ryoga about it, which were more her asking questions and him answering. In the end she agreed to keep silent on the subject so long as he kept his end of the bargain and continued teaching her everything about the cards, which she made sure to keep track of in a small notebook.

"So the difference between setting a Instant Magic Card and a Normal Magic Card is that an Instant Magic is treated the same as a Trap Card when set. It can't be flipped up the turn it's set, where as a Normal Magic can be. Understand?" Ryoga explained while pointing to the two types of cards laid on the table. Tabitha nodded as she wrote the information down.

"Names?" She asked.

"The normal one is Aqua Jet. It grants a thousand attack points to any WATER attribute monster until the end of the turn. That's water written in all capitals by the way. The Instant Magic meanwhile is…"

Ryoga paused as he looked at the second card, his expression turning sorrowful. A notion Tabitha noticed.

"Ryoga?"

"Huh? Oh sorry," Ryoga snapped from his state quickly apologizing. "It's called Absolute Zero. It turns the attack of any Xyz Monster without Overlay Units to zero."

Tabitha stared for a moment, a hint of emotion flickering in her eyes before she wrote down the information. Her attention off him, Ryoga looked back to the card with a frown before sliding it away. It wouldn't do him any good to think on that particular subject right now. Not when he was trying to teach and not so soon after the Black Hole scenario.

"So, do you think you can understand some of the kanji yet?" Ryoga asked. Alongside the card game lessons the bespectacled girl also wanted to understand the language used for the card's text, which Ryoga didn't have an issue teaching seeing as she was doing the same for this world's language. Tabitha seemed to think for a moment before nodding. "Alright, let's test how much you've got down then," Ryoga reached into his deck and pulled out another card before handing it to Tabitha. "Translate what you can from this card."

Tabitha took a minute to look over the card's scripture before answering. "Magic Card…Surfacing…Select one WATER monster in your Graveyard…and Special Summon it in…face-down Defense Mode," she finished and looked up for acknowledgement.

"Close, but you made a couple of errors," Ryoga moved closer to point at the card's kanji. "The name is actually Surface, not Surfacing, though they're easily interchangeable. This kanji over here means target, not select. And this one means face-up, not down. While Dueling you have to be aware of this stuff since even the slightest difference in text can cause huge changes in terms of effects. Still that wasn't half-bad, especially for someone learning from a bunch of cards."

Tabitha nodded in understanding, but despite her stoic appearance Ryoga noticed the slightest furrowing of her brow. He made sure to hold back a smirk because of it.

Even if she didn't show it the girl was obviously frustrated by the stuff she missed. Probably because she didn't think it'd be that difficult for her to learn a new language or simply because of her noble pride. Either way it was a nice reminder that even with her quiet personality she was still a regular person like everyone else. Well as regular as one could be in a world of magic.

"Here, let's go over some more kanji to help you out," Ryoga suggested. He pulled out another card and laid it out for Tabitha to see. "To begin with here we have-"

"There you are Ryoga! I've been looking everywhere for you!" The familiar yell of Louise suddenly interrupted as the noble girl appeared from around the corner. Her voice had the unfortunate effect of waking up Cat Shark, making the sleeping Xyz Monster's head and ears shot up and hit the bottom of the table, causing several books to topple over and Derflinger to fall to the side.

"Gah! Hey what gives? Some swords are trying to get their beauty rest here!" Derf complained from being woken up.

"Mrrow mrrow," Cat Shark agreed rubbing its' head and crawling from out beneath the table. Ryoga ignored the duo's cries and kept his attention on the approaching pinkette.

"Great, that's just what I needed today," the water user muttered under his breath. "Hey Louise keep it down will you. This is a library remember?" He motioned to the other occupants in the area, all of whom were now staring.

"That's not important right now! Look!" Louise pulled out what appeared to be a letter and held it out to Ryoga. He stared at the paper for a moment, debating if he should even bother trying to read it. A quick glance and nod from Tabitha decided his answer.

Giving a quiet grunt Ryoga grabbed the letter and began looking it over. "Let's see…must travel…great speed, no that's haste. To a fortress? No wait, that means castle. And that rune is…summons?" He paused and looked up to Louise confused. "Summons?"

"That's right! It's a message from the Royal Palace. Princess Henrietta has summoned us to the meet with her right away!" Louise explained excitedly.

"The palace? What for?" Ryoga asked hoping to get some insight. Cat Shark meanwhile floated above his shoulder to also look at the letter.

"Reward," Tabitha answered.

"Exactly! It's the reward I'm supposed to receive for capturing Fouquet. The princess is going to be the one to give it to me personally!" Louise happily exclaimed. "Which is why we need to go now! I will not keep the princess waiting or allow us to be late, do you understood?"

"Alright, alright I get it. Just settle down," Ryoga said knowing there'd be no arguing with her like this. Plus he was kind of interested as well as to the type of reward Louise would get, especially if it was coming directly from Henrietta. "Sorry to cut our lesson short Tabitha. Looks like we'll have to continue this another day."

"Keep practicing," Tabitha reminded.

"I will. And you make sure to do the same."

"Ryoga!" Louise called out impatiently.

"I'm coming already. Sheesh, someone's impatient," Ryoga muttered as he gathered his cards and Derf and followed Louise out of the room with Cat Shark.

---

A swift departure from the school and one short trip later, Ryoga and Louise found themselves back in the capital city of Tristania as they made their way to the palace. It only took a single showing of the letter and Henrietta's signature for the guardsmen to allow them through the gates. Once inside a servant arrived to escort them to the throne room where Henrietta was waiting.

As they walked through the grand halls Ryoga looked around and felt a wave of nostalgia. The structure of this place reminded him a lot of his own palace from when he was king, and was nearly just as large. The décor was clearly fit for high-class royalty, and the large rooms and white coloring all around were near identical to the ones his palace had. It made him a bit happy since he hadn't seen such finesse in architecture since his first life. Yet those memories also served as a reminder of what he tried to ignore earlier, and so he quickly stopped himself from getting too lost in the feeling.

Eventually the group arrived at the throne room, which was even larger than the other rooms they had seen, though that was to be expected. A large red carpet trailed from the main doorway to the small throne at the back, where Henrietta sat with a small scepter in hand. Upon spotting them the princess smiled and motioned them forward.

"I'm glad to see you received my message. It is good to see you again Louise Francoise. And of course, you as well Ryoga," Henrietta happily greeted the two.

"Mrrow!" Cat Shark called out looking upset at being ignored.

"Of course, it's always a pleasure to see you as well Sir Cat Shark," Henrietta said playfully.

"Mrrow," Cat Shark nodded smiling.

"What, no greeting for me? I'm hurt!" Derflinger joked only to be slammed back into its' sheath by Ryoga. This was neither the time or place to deal with the chatterbox of a weapon.

"It is an honor Princess," Louise said shutting her eyes and bowing in respect. Ryoga stood beside her while Cat Shark floated behind the two.

"The honor is mine Louise. After all, the success of you capturing Fouquet has become quite the tale around the kingdom. It is only right to congratulate you on your success and heroism," Henrietta said with a gentle smile.

"Princess," Louise looked up with her own smile and eyes lit up from the praise.

"How is Fouquet doing by the way? She's not giving you any trouble is she?" Ryoga asked hoping to learn if the thief had revealed anything regarding his powers.

"Thankfully no. She is currently bedridden due to the injury that was inflicted upon her, and even if she were fully healed she is powerless without her wand," Henrietta explained, making Ryoga sigh quietly in relief. She turned her attention on the purple-clad boy. "I was told you were the one who inflicted that wound upon her Ryoga, is this true?"

"Yeah, that's right," the Duelist replied, not seeing any reason to deny it. His response made Louise cringe as the memory of Ryoga's swift movement and brutal strike on Fouquet came racing back. How he could do such a thing without any hesitation was beyond her. She could still recall how shaken she was seeing all the blood. It still gave her nightmares.

"I see," Henrietta looked saddened by the news. "It pains me to know such violence had to be used, but I suppose it was inevitable given Fouquet's actions," she bowed her head to Ryoga. "I'm sorry such a terrible burden fell upon you."

"Don't be," Ryoga said sternly. "I don't regret what I did. Fouquet had to be stopped, and if it had come down to it I would have done whatever was needed to keep Louise and everyone else safe, regardless of the price."

It wasn't like he hadn't done worse in the past already, so there was no need for the guilty feelings trip. Kami knows he'd been through that enough times.

"I suppose your right. And despite what happened I am thankful for you protecting Louise," Henrietta looked up and over to her childhood friend. "When I heard you volunteered to chase Fouquet I became most worried. That woman was causing not only the nobility trouble but also the palace for some time. Her actions had everybody here up in arms, and placed a heavy burden on the people of this kingdom that was threatening to endanger innocent lives. The thought of you going after her brought great fear to my heart."

"I'm sorry to have burdened your thoughts Princess," Louise apologized.

"Never. You never need apologize for that Louise," Henrietta said warmly. "In the end, thanks to both of your efforts, the burden that has plagued us has been lifted and everything has returned to normal. And so it is only fitting that I reward your actions," Henrietta lifted her scepter up and pointed it to Louise, who quickly realized what was about to happen and took to a knee. "Louise Francoise Le Blanc de La Valliere, in service for your actions and successful capture of Fouquet the Crumbling Dirt, you are herby given the rank of Chevalier, as well as all the rights and privileges that come with it. May you carry this title with honor and respect wherever you go," Henrietta proclaimed. Upon finishing she stood from her throne and walked towards the two, stopping in front of them and giving her friend a proud smile. "Congratulations, Louise Francoise."

"I really am unworthy of such an honorary title as Chevalier," Louise said modestly while standing back up.

Ryoga could have easily agreed with her statement but decided to let it slide. Despite her faults Louise continued to show that her heart was in the right place. She even had the guts to jump off a flying dragon just to deliver the Black Hole card and give him a fighting chance.

Was it idiotic? Yes. Was she still naive and reckless? Oh absolutely. And while he personally thought that Chevalier was a bit much of a reward for his "master" considering what she had actually done during the mission, along with the fact that it was really him that did most of the work, it wouldn't be bad to let her have some praise every once in a while.

"It's still hilarious how everyone is trying to beat you for the title of 'Youngest Knight' Durbe," Ryoga thought with a light chuckle.

"You achieved a feat that was worth deserving of the title. Feel proud of yourself," Henrietta praised, making Louise turn red at the kind words. "And Ryoga, while I cannot officially reward you due to your status as a familiar, I can still thank you for taking care of my dear friend. I trust you will continue to do so in the future," she said as she held out her left hand to Ryoga, an action that made him raise an eyebrow curiously while Louise gasped in shock.

"You shouldn't Princess! To offer your hand to such a lowly familiar is too much for someone like you" Louise protested. Ryoga felt a slight twitch in his eye at the "lowly familiar" line.

"To protect you is equal to swearing loyalty to me. There must be something in return for such an oath of loyalty," Henrietta reasoned.

"But-"

"Who said anything about swearing loyalty?"

Ryoga watched the eyes of both females widened and turn to him, a mixture of surprise and confusion showing. Henrietta especially so. An expected reaction given his rather blunt statement. He wasn't naive as to not know what the royal's gesture was meant for and what she wanted from him. He also knew what it would mean for him to refuse.

Which meant the next reaction would be…

"W-W-What do you think you're saying!?" Louise shouted.

Right on cue.

"What does it sound like I'm saying?" Ryoga asked nonchalantly.

"Don't play games! Are you saying you refuse to serve the Princess!?" Louise's voice trembled with a growing fury.

"I'm saying I didn't save you out of loyalty for her," Ryoga affirmed. "I said it before remember? That my respect is earned and not given. Well the same goes for my loyalty," he glanced down to the Barian pendant, the face of Yuma and his other friends flashing through his mind. "Loyalty isn't something you just give away to someone. It's supposed to mean that you trust that person completely. That you trust them with your life and would follow them into death itself, and that they would do the same for you. It's a bond that no matter what you do or how much pain you've caused, you will always stand by that person's side and help them through whatever ails them, even if that means calling them out on when they're wrong," he looked back to Henrietta with a narrowed gaze. "Only a handful of people have managed to earn my loyalty. So why would I ever give it away to someone I don't even know or trust? Especially when it's a ruler who will always have to put her kingdom first before any of those precious to her?"

A very visible and pained expression flashed across Henrietta's face. Her head lowered and her eyes grew sorrowful as the truth behind Ryoga's words struck her hard. Louise saw the princess's reaction and immediately grew worried, followed swiftly by anger as she glared at the Duelist.

"H-H-How dare you talk to the princess like that! Apologize right now!" Louise demanded.

"I have nothing to apologize for," Ryoga stated with conviction.

"I said apologize Ryoga!"

"No."

Louise shook furiously and her fist tightly closed as she moved to strike Ryoga, only to be stopped when Henrietta rested a hand on her shoulder.

"I-It's alright Louise. I don't take offense to his actions," Henrietta said with a strained smile.

"But Princess!" Louise protested, but Henrietta just shook her head.

"It's fine. Everyone is entitled to their opinions after all," the royal reassured, her fingers tightening slightly and her eyes practically begging to get the message across. Louise hesitated for a moment but eventually nodded and settled down. Henrietta gave a relieved sigh and let go of her grip as she collected herself. "Besides, I didn't just invite you here simply to reward you. I actually have a favor to ask the both of you."

"Please go ahead and ask anything of us! If you tell us to die I will gladly throw myself out the window and take this stupid jerk with me!" Louise declared.

"Try it and I'll have you play with Big Jaws," Ryoga countered, making Louise glare daggers at him.

"I would like the two of you to live in the city for a while," Henrietta said.

"The city?" Louise repeated.

Henrietta nodded as a worried look appeared over her. "Lately I've been hearing rumors of nobles that have been oppressing the commoners. They've been abusing their power and treating the people without dignity or respect. It has even gotten so bad that a few of the townsfolk were placed in intensive care because of it."

Louise looked shocked by the news while Ryoga's eyes dangerously narrowed. First Guiche, then Mott, and now this? Seemed the nobility were once again doing whatever they wanted just because they thought they were better than everyone else. And just like with Siesta, innocent people were getting caught in the cross because of it.

He was getting real tired of this bullshit.

"Who's doing it? How long has it been going on?" Ryoga inquired, his voice laced thick with anger.

"I don't know," Henrietta shook her head. "I myself only heard the rumors not long ago, but whenever I asked those in the city they all claimed nothing like that ever happened."

"And you believed it?" Ryoga growled. "You know there is a thing out there called blackmail. Or perhaps you know of bribery? Threats, extortion, I could go on but I think the picture is still fucking clear as day, don't you?"

"Ryoga enough!" Louise ordered.

"No, he's right Louise," Henrietta admitted guiltily. "I can't deny that I was fooled. Everybody I spoke too seemed so happy and satisfied with their lives, saying such a thing was impossible and that the nobles were good role models for them. I had no reason to doubt their words," Henrietta met Ryoga's glare with a strong look of her own. "But after your incident with Count Mott and the words you said to me back at the academy, I realized I could no longer just believe everything put in front of me, especially with the rumors being this bad. I will not stand by while nobles are misusing their rights and privileges and hurting innocent people. That is why I called you both today, so I could ask for your help in this matter."

Ryoga was admittedly impressed. It seemed the princess had taken his words seriously after all. She actually pushed further than before to discover the truth and make a real effort to stop what was happening. She still had a long way to go and was clearly naïve in some aspects, but at least it was a start and definitely a lot better than what she did with Mott.

"And what exactly would you have us do Princess?" Louise asked.

Henrietta reached into her pocket and pulled out a scroll of paper. "This is a warrant issued by the palace with my approval. Since I cannot get answers directly and my guards would most likely receive the same, I would like you both to investigate what is going on in the town and find if there is any evidence or truth to the rumors," she handed to scroll to Louise. "If you manage to find the people responsible, or at least discover their names, I want them brought before me so that justice can be dispensed for their heinous crimes."

"Silence one and you can silence the rest," Ryoga commented with understanding. Even if they didn't find everybody responsible, Henrietta only needed one solid lead to take real action. It wouldn't stop everyone involved but it would definitely make them more hesitant to act openly.

"Indeed. I have even managed to pin several of the rumors around one particular area of the city. Starting there would be your best bet," Henrietta suggested.

"I understand Princess!" Louise declared proud and confidently. "I swear on my new title that I'll get this job done as if my very life depended on it!"

"I doubt it'll actually come to that, but count me in too," Ryoga said in agreement, Cat Shark giving a winning salute beside him. Any doubts over accepting this request were long dashed from the former Barian's mind. He would never let what almost happened to Siesta happen to anyone else.

Henrietta smiled. "Thank you, both of you. I truly appreciate your help in this matter. May Brimir bless you with his fortune."

---

After receiving a bag of gold coins from Henrietta to help with their assignment, Ryoga, Louise, and Cat Shark made their way into the city and towards the area where the rumors appeared most. Yet before they could begin Ryoga dragged Louise into the nearest clothing store to deal with a certain "issue". After an hour or so they stepped out in brand new attire, though only one seemed displeased with it.

"This is so dull," Louise muttered looking over her new outfit. Her school uniform was now replaced with a simple brown one-piece dress. On her feet were a pair of crude wooden shoes, while adorning her head was a brown flat cap hat.

"It can't be helped. Our clothes would have stood out too much. We need to look the part of commoners if we're going to find our culprits," Ryoga said while packing their regular clothes in a leather bag. He now wore a simple white t-shirt with an open brown vest over it and dark brown pants. Gray leather shoes covered his feet while on his head he wore a similar cap to the one Louise had. Derflinger still hung sheathed at his side but his Barian Pendant was now hidden beneath his shirt so as to not stand out.

Overall the two now looked like a pair of regular commoners. Something Louise clearly didn't like as she huffed and walked down the streets with Ryoga and Cat Shark following.

"Couldn't we have at least gotten something more decent? Maybe something less tacky?" Louise complained pulling on her dress.

"No. Now stop whining about it. We have a job to do remember?" Ryoga said trying to focus on the mission at hand.

"Of course," Louise nodded. She could deal with looking like this if it meant helping the princess. "First we'll need a new horse to get around town with."

"A horse?" Ryoga said confused, only to then realize what she was implying. "Wait a second-"

"This way! Hurry!" Louise said as she rushed ahead of the Duelist.

"Oy, Louise!" Ryoga yelled as he and Cat Shark chased after her. He had a feeling he knew where this was going.

---

He was proven right when they arrived at the town stables and Louise tried to buy a horse, only to discover that a single horse would cost them their entire loan money. And that wasn't including the harness. After recovering from the initial shock Louise then tried to get them a room at a hotel to stay in, but learned that a single night was just as expensive. Needless to say the pinkette was rather dishearten by the facts while Ryoga could only shake his head.

"You're impossible sometimes you know that?"

"Be quiet," Louise mumbled.

"Seriously, what did you expect to happen?" Ryoga continued speaking. "We were given a loan for a reason Louise. To not stand out like a pair of nobles. Buying a horse and spending the night in one of the most expensive hotels in the kingdom isn't something an everyday person can do."

"I know that!" Louise exclaimed irritated.

"Your actions seem to disagree."

Ryoga knew Louise was spoiled due to her noble lifestyle, but to not even be aware of such basic knowledge was incomprehensible. Already he could see a major flaw with this mission. That while Louise could try and look like a commoner, she could not act or think like one at all.

Louise didn't seem fond of the former Barian's comment and snapped to him angrily. "Fine then! If you think you're so good at it, then you can go and do it yourself!" She yelled before turning around and stomping off in a huff.

"Huh? Hey wait!" Ryoga called out.

"Don't you dare follow me!" Louise shouted without looking back. This only served to annoy the water user.

"Oh you stubborn brat," Ryoga mumbled as he pinched the bridge of his nose. He knew he should chase after her considering Louise knew nothing about the area or what kind of people were in it, but given how she was right now doing so would only serve to piss her off further. And possibly him as well.

Plus, despite how it looked this may actually be for the best right now. Without Louise around he would be able to investigate on his own terms without having a nagging voice constantly over his shoulder. It would also be a good chance for the pink chibi to experience what life was like for the everyday common man who had to actually struggle in life to get by.

Still he knew he couldn't leave Louise to fend for herself. Troubling as she could be she was still his responsibility and he would rather see her not get hurt.

"Cat Shark," Ryoga called out to the spirit, who floated happily beside him and meowed. "Keep an eye on Louise will you? Make sure she stays out of trouble and doesn't do something stupid. Anything happens you find me right away."

"Mrrow!" Cat Shark nodded and flew off after the pinkette. Satisfied with the result Ryoga turned the opposite way and walked off to find answers.

---

The bell of the local church rang six in the evening as the first day of investigation came to a close, with the result being practically nothing.

Despite his new appearance and subtle questioning Ryoga was unable to get answers from anyone in the city. Not for lacking of trying, but because they all seemed too afraid to answer him. Whenever he approached the subject of nobles the people either redirected the topic, pretended to suddenly be busy, or simply ignored him. The only thing he found, rather saw, was that every single person he spoke too had the exact same fear in their eyes. The fear of being discovered if they said anything, which only served to increase his anger towards the nobles causing this.

Deciding to call it a day and find Louise before it got dark, Ryoga quickly tracked Cat Shark down through the Barian Pendant's power. He eventually located the noble girl sitting at a bench with Cat Shark next to the fountain of the city's central plaza, which was practically void of other people. As Ryoga approached however he noticed Louise had her knees to her chest and a sulking look about her, which immediately set off alarm bells in his head.

Cat Shark noticed its' master's presence and meowed happily, catching Louise's attention as she looked up and spotted the boy. "Ryoga…"

The Duelist looked Louise over for a moment before taking a seat beside her. Cat Shark floated over and rested its' head on his lap, which he gently pet as an awkward silence passed between the two humans.

"So…care to tell me what happened?" Ryoga asked in a calm manner.

Louise flinched and looked away. "I…I thought I could get some extra money if I went to one of those casino places. I heard that people always come out of there with more than they entered with," her arms tightened around her legs. "But I wasn't able to get us anything and…lost it all instead."

"You lost everything!?" Ryoga nearly shouted.

"It wasn't my fault! The game was obviously rigged or something, and they clearly lied when they said I would earn more than I had!" Louise defended with flaming cheeks.

"Of course they would lie! Casinos are meant to steal peoples money not give it away!" Ryoga countered. Seriously, how naive was this girl? "Kami I can't leave you alone for five minutes, can I?" He groaned rubbing his head. He could already feel the migraine coming on.

"S-Shut up!" Louise turned even redder. "I-I was just about to try and figure out what we should do from this point."

"Oh really?" Ryoga gave a doubtful stare. "Then tell me, what plan do you have for us? Without money we have no way of getting food or shelter for the night. And that's not even considering tomorrow or even the day after. So tell me, oh great and wonderful Louise, what exactly do you have in mind to get us out of this shithole you've dug us in!?"

Louise looked ready to say something back but stopped and averted her gaze. Seemed even she realized how bad she screwed up. Ryoga just shook his head and counted his blessings that he carried some of the coins Osmond paid him, but even that wasn't enough to help them right now.

"You know this wouldn't have happened in the first place if you weren't so spoiled," the former king stated. "Henrietta gave you that money out of trust, and now we have none of it to help us out. I thought you of all people would have been more careful with something like that."

Louise gained a guilty look. "I know…The princess gave us this mission in secret, so she must have had a difficult time coming up with that money."

"And yet you still threw it away."

Louise gripped her legs tightly and rested her chin on her knees. "I know that…but I…I still need those things Ryoga."

The water user sighed. This girl was so stubborn and thickheaded, but he couldn't entirely fault her for it. She had been raised with this sort of mindset and thinking because of her noble status, so it was beyond her to understand the type of environment she was being tossed into.

Suddenly an idea came to Ryoga. He had no idea why, but the thought of Louise's greed struck up a certain story he remembered.

"Hey Louise, you ever hear the tale of King Midas?"

Louise blinked and looked up confused. "King Midas? I don't recall there being a king by that name before."

"That's because he's a fable told to children back where I come from," Ryoga explained, turning his attention to the setting sky. "Long ago, King Midas was a wealthy ruler from an old kingdom, who loved only two things in life. His daughter Marigold, and actual gold. Midas believed that if he could gather enough gold in the world he could give it all to his daughter so that she would live a happy and peaceful life when he passed on."

"An honorable action," Louise reasoned.

"I think so too," Ryoga agreed. "But as time went on the king became obsessed with anything made of gold, to the point that the mere sight of it made him crave even more to add to his collection. He began to spend less time with his daughter and instead choose to be gathered around his collection," Ryoga frowned at the thought of such selfishness before shaking it off. "One day a strange man appeared before Midas and was impressed with the King's trove, complimenting that he'd never seen such grandeur before. Midas however told the man that even with such a collection he was not satisfied, and that he would only be so when everything he touched would turn to gold. Instead of being revolted by the king's greed, the stranger seemed pleased with the answer, and told Midas that the next day everything he touched would instantly be turned to gold."

"Impossible. Not even the strongest Square-class mages could do such a thing," Louise argued.

"True, but don't forget this is just a fable. Anyways the next day Midas discovered that the man's words held truth, and that everything he touched instantly became a golden form of itself. Needless to say, he was exalted by his new 'Golden Touch', and began to transform everything he saw to gold, including a rose garden that his daughter loved. But he didn't care and was consumed by his lust for the golden wealth," Ryoga paused, his hand ceasing to pet Cat Shark making the Xyz look at him with a pout. "But then at breakfast everything changed. Marigold came to the dining room and showed her father one of the golden roses he had made, which at first made Midas happy to see. Until he realized Marigold was crying. When asked about her tears, she said that she was saddened by how her once beautiful garden was now turned to gold. That the softness of the flowers was replaced by cold and ridged textures, and that the once wonderful scents were completely gone. Her tears were so heart wrenching that Midas couldn't even bring himself to tell his daughter about his involvement with the garden."

Louise said nothing and simply continued to listen, her body tense at wondering what would happen next.

"To help distract his daughter from the garden, Midas decided to have breakfast with his daughter. Yet the moment his food and drink touched his lips, they too became gold, unable to be enjoyed. Even when he tried forcing it down he only ended up hurting himself. This was of course a problem since if he couldn't eat, he would starve, and soon his desire for pleasure began conflicting with his desire for gold," Ryoga paused again, his head lowering to stare at the gravel road. "It was then…that Marigold, seeing her father saddened as well, decided to comfort him by running up and hugging him."

Louise gasped. "B-But that means…"

Ryoga nodded solemnly. "Yeah…the moment she touched her father, she turned to gold herself," Louise's eyes widened in horror. "It was only then that Midas truly realized the monster he had become, and how his actions had taken from him what truly mattered most," Ryoga looked over to Cat Shark, who watched its' master curiously. Smiling he scratched behind the spirit's ear making it purr in joy. "The point I'm trying to make Louise, is that money, wealth, all those things mean nothing in the end. You think you need them because that's how you were taught, but there is always something more important and worth caring for. And if you lose sight of that, then all the wealth in the world won't be enough to mend your heart."

"Ryoga…" Louise stared at the pretend familiar, her expression unreadable but her mind racing. Another silence passed between them, and after a moment Louise opened her mouth to speak.

"Tres bien!"

Suddenly a new voice spoke up from behind Ryoga and Louise, causing them and Cat Shark to turn around surprised.

What they saw however was…incomprehensible.

It was a man, or at least they assumed it was one. He had an athletic build to him with quite noticeable chest and limb hair. His eyes were amber in color and his hair was glossy black, seemingly covered in oil, matched with a similarly tinted beard and stylish moustache that reminded Ryoga of old black and white comic villains. That wasn't the disturbing thing though. What really stood out was the man's outfit, which consisted of a sparkling violet tang top designed for women that showed off his abs and stomach, a black athletic bloomer, and a pair of white boots. And to top it all off, the man smelt of perfume and had abnormally large lips were covered in red lipstick.

Oh, and he also appeared to be crying mascara.

"Such a tragic story! Such sorrow! But such beautiful meaning behind it! It warms my heart to hear such words from such young people like you!" The "man" spoke femininely as he wiped his tears in a rather flamboyant fashion.

Louise and Ryoga remained frozen, still trying to comprehend what they were seeing. Finally gaining enough processing power Ryoga snapped from his state of shock first and shot up from his seat. "W-Who the hell are you?"

"Ah, pardon me!" The man's tears seemed to almost instantly disappear as he began to pose and dance around. "Bonjour! Bon! As you can obviously see I am not a suspicious person."

"The hell you're not!" Ryoga shouted even more disturbed than before.

"My name is Scarron. I happen to run a inn just up the road from here!" The man introduced himself as he got close to Ryoga. Far too close for the former Barian's taste, and unfortunately in doing so he only served to increase the boy's disturbance.

"KEEP THE HELL AWAY FROM ME YOU PERVERT!" Ryoga shouted as he instinctively brought his foot up swift and hard.

Right between Scarron's legs.

"GAHA!" Scarron screamed. His eyes turned blank as he grabbed at his crotch and collapsed onto the ground. "Mi…Mademoiselle…"

"Mrrow!" Cat Shark yelped surprised.

"R-Ryoga!?" Louise uttered, the unexpected action snapping her out of her confusion and causing her to wonder if what she saw was real or not. The purple-haired boy was usually so calm and serious outside of when he got angry, but this came completely out of nowhere.

Even Ryoga seemed to realize what he did as he blinked and looked down to the fallen figure before him. "Oh shit. I…I didn't mean to do that," he kneeled down to the strange man. "Hey, you alright?"

"Oh…ma mere…" Scarron muttered dazed. Deciding to help Ryoga quickly grabbed the man and began to lift him to his feet. Seeing this Cat Shark moved to assist while Louise ran over worried.

"Are you alright?" The noble asked concerned.

"Ah…that was…unexpected," Scarron mumbled finally seeming to get his senses back. "I-I shall be fine little one. Don't worry," he said with a smile as he ignored the pain and straightened himself out.

"Seriously, I'm sorry about that. I just reacted without thinking and-" Ryoga tried apologizing only to be stopped by a finger to his face.

"No no. You were in your right to protect yourself. Besides, it only shows me the fire in your eyes is indeed true!" Scarron declared almost gleefully. "It makes me want to help you both out even more now!"

"Eh? Help us?" Louise parroted as she and Ryoga looked at each other confused.

"That's right! I was on my way back to my inn when I overheard you speaking about how you lost all your money, as well as that tragic tale of this Midas fellow," Scarron explained. "To be lost out here without anywhere to go or any money is truly tragic for people so young and beautiful as yourselves. That is why I wanted to offer you two to stay in one of our rooms!"

"Really!?" Louise exclaimed, unable to believe their luck.

"And just why would you do that? What do you want in exchange?" Ryoga asked cautiously. This Scarron fellow was definitely not normal but he didn't have an aura that screamed dangerous about him. Disturbing as hell, yes, but not dangerous. Still it was rather suspicious that he would want to help out two random strangers he had just met. Plus he said he overheard their conversation, so did that mean he also heard them mention Henrietta?

"I just want to help is all! I could never stand by and watch someone be put in such a sad and lonely situation, especially a young pair like yourself," Scarron chirped. The answer surprised Ryoga since he didn't detect any deceit in Scarron's words. "As for your other question," the man smiled and pointed to Louise. "There is one condition."

Louise blinked.

---

The Charming Fairies' Inn was a large two-story building where people could rent rooms on the second floor to stay in or enjoy a nice meal and drink at the tavern entrance. The place itself was nicely kept and polished, showing that despite being a place for fun it kept a professional appearance as well. What stood out about this inn though when compared to others were the maids. All of them young, beautiful girls of various age dressed in various flashy bustier-styled maid uniforms.

All of whom were currently lined up as Scarron stood before them. "Good words! Fairies!"

"Yes, Mr. Scarron!" The girls answered in unison.

"Wroooongg!" Scarron shouted while exaggeratedly shaking his hips. "When we're in the Shoppe, call me 'Mi Mademoiselle'!"

"Yes! Mi Mademoiselle!"

"Mmmm, tres bien! Such ecstasy!" Scarron trembled pleasantly. "Alright then, we'll start off with a saddening notice from Mi Mademoiselle. Recently the Charming Fairies' Inn's sales have been dropping. A new shop called a 'café' has been bringing out 'tea' that was recently imported from the East and stealing our customers," Scarron covered his eyes and began shedding tears.

"Don't cry! Mi mademoiselle!" The girls cried out again.

"You're right!" Scarron's tears disappeared like magic. "If we lost to this 'tea', the words 'Charming Fairies' would cry."

"Yes! Mi mademoiselle!"

Scarron jumped onto a table and posed intensely. "The Charming Fairies' promise! Un!"

"Serve with a cheerful smile!"

"The Charming Fairies' promise! Deux!"

"A clean, sparkling store interior!"

"The Charming Fairies' promise! Trois!"

"Receive lots of tips!"

"Très bien!" Scarron smiled and moaned satisfied. He then jumped off the table and clapped his hands together. "Well then, with that out of the way I have a wonderful announcement for you fairies! We get to make a new comrade today! Let me introduce her!" Scarron turned to the side and called out. "Rio-chan! Come out here!"

At the sound of her name being called a pink-haired and eyed girl stepped into view, her face beat red from shyness. Her outfit consisted of a suggestively short camisole, sticking to her like a corset and making her body lines more pronounced. The back was open to reveal its' charm and her hair was braised on the left and right into small cords.

"This is Rio-chan. She is a poor little girl who lost her home and family recently in a tragic accident, and has been traveling on the roads with her close friend and personal protector!" Scarron told in a sad yet dramatic fashion. The other girls looked at Rio with pity and remorse.

"Oh my!"

"The poor thing!"

The girls all spoke similar comments making Rio's cheek turn redder and causing her to shake. Though if one looked carefully it would be hard-pressed to tell if she did so from embarrassment or anger.

"Well then Rio-chan, greet the fairies that are going to become your co-workers," Scarron instructed. Rio shook all over and for a moment looked ready to explode, but at the last second collected herself and gave a very twitchy smile.

"M-M-M-My name is R-R-R-Rio! N-N-N-Nice to meet you!"

"Well done Rio! Now everybody applause and let her feel welcome!" Scarron said as he clapped his hands, the others quickly following as they all cheered for the new girl.

Despite her smile however, "Rio" was not too happy as her face twitched rapidly. "I'm going to kill him. I'm going to kill him. I'm going to kill you Ryoga!"

In the nearby kitchen a purple-haired boy felt a shiver go down his spine as he cleaned dishes. "Yup, she's pissed. Even without having to look I can already tell this is gonna bite me in the ass later."

"Something wrong new guy?" A beautiful girl asked beside the boy. She had straight waist-length black hair tied back by a handkerchief and a pair of clear blue eyes. Unlike the other girls in the inn she wore a green one-piece dress that opened up at her chest, while a white apron hung at her waist.

"It's nothing. Just thinking was all," the boy replied.

"If you say so," the girl shrugged as she joined to assist in cleaning. "You know your friend back there is really cute. It's hard to believe she lost her family."

"Yeah well, sometimes life can be a bitch like that. But no matter what, you got to keep moving through it. Even if hurts to do so," the boy said calmly. He noticed the girl give him an odd stare. "What?"

"Oh nothing. Just a bit surprised since not many people see it that way, especially folks like us," the girl explained with a smile. "I'm Jessica by the way. What's your name?"

"Durbe. Pleasure to meet you."

"Durbe? Well that's an unusual name," Jessica said curiously.

"You have no idea," "Durbe" muttered quietly.

"Durbe" and "Rio" were in truth, mask for Ryoga and Louise. The Duelist had requested for Scarron to use them, saying that they had to keep their identities hidden due to circumstances. Louise had been confused by this until he explained that there was no way of knowing what nobles they'd run into or if anyone would recognize them by name, so it would be best to simply stay hidden until the mission was over.

Luckily Scarron had no problem with the request, saying that his inn never reveals or ask about the personal backgrounds of their employees, and keeps their eyes and ears shut on those matters. He then brought them to his inn and after showing them around for a bit, hired the duo on as his new workers, which was the condition for them staying. Not having many other options they agreed to the employment, with Louise taking the role of a new servant maid while Ryoga was assigned to cleaning dishes. Cat Shark and Derflinger meanwhile would stay hidden upstairs in the room they were given so the two weren't discovered or interfered with the business. Overall it wasn't a bad arrangement.

"Well either way, it's nice to meet you Durbe. If you have any questions about the place just ask me and I'll take care of you," Jessica gave a bright smile, which Ryoga returned.

"Thanks, I'll be sure to keep that in mind."

The two continued to clean and chat, unaware of Louise glaring ferociously at them from afar. "That stupid jerk."

---

There was a noticeable difference with any place between being closed and open. The Charming Fairies' Inn was no different. The moment their doors opened waiting customers came rushing inside and filling the place up. While the majority came for food and drink, most ended up staying for the girls, enjoying the sight of such young beauties serving them. It was a lively environment to be sure and everyone seemed to be enjoying themselves.

All save one that is.

"H-Here is your order," Louise said with a twitching smile as she placed a bottle of wine and ceramic glass down at the table she was serving.

"Hey girl, what are you doing? Hurry and pour it for me," the customer before her said with a drunken and vulgar smile. This only served to increase Louise's twitching.

"H-How did it come to this? Me, a noble, serving a c-c-commoner!?" Such humiliating thoughts spun around in the pinkette's mind.

"Anh? What's wrong? Didn't I tell you to hurry and pour me some?"

"This is a mission. This is a mission. Information gathering while disguised as commoners," Louise reminded herself. She exhaled and somehow managed a smile. "T-Then I would like to serve you now," she picked up the wine bottle and began to shakily pour the liquid. Unfortunately, she was so freaked out that she didn't realize she missed the glass entirely and ended up pouring wine all over the man's shirt.

"What the hell are you doing!?" The man shouted.

"Ah! I-I'm sorry sir!" Louise rapidly apologized.

"Like an apology is going to help!" The man glared for a moment before a silly smile appeared on his face. "You…don't have any breast, but you're considerably pretty," Louise's face lost all shades of blood. "I've taken a liking to you. Maybe I'll have you feed me mouth-to-mouth. Then I'll forgive you, gahaha!"

Louise felt something in her snap. Smiling innocently she grabbed the bottle of wine and poured some into her mouth. The man looked excited for a moment only to then have the wine spat back into his face.

"Gah! What do you think you're doing you brat!?" The man shouted, only to jump back when Louise's foot slammed onto the table and she shoved a finger into his face.

"L-L-L-L-Lowlife! W-W-W-Who do you think I am!?" Louise shouted furiously at the man who just looked confused. "H-H-How dare you try and order a Du-"

"Oh I'm terribly sorry!" Scarron suddenly interrupted as he pulled Louise away and sat beside the customer, his arms wrapping tightly around the man. "She's a new girl here so she's not used to everything just yet," Scarron said leaning closer to the man, who paled and looked ready to bolt. Sadly Scarron's grip was tight and kept the customer firmly in place as he began wiping the man's face with a dish cloth. "This won't do at all! It's soaked in wine! Rio-chan, bring along some new wine!"

Louise seemed to snap out of her rage and looked at the scene surprised before nodding. "Y-Yes sir!" She replied before running off.

"And while she's fetching the wine, mi mademoiselle will keep you company…" Scarron whispered with a hungry gaze.

The customer's screams could be heard from outside the inn.

---

"Y-You got to be kidding me!?" Louise exclaimed, her mind still partially in a state of shock and disbelief over everything that happened today. "W-Why do I, a daughter of a Duke, have to deal with such a-a-a-"

"Settle down Louise," Ryoga patted the girl's head, hoping to prevent the chibi from bursting. "It's only the first day. You'll get used to it in time so long as you stay focused and control that temper of yours."

"Easy for you to say! What with you spending all your time in the kitchen with that g-g-girl!" Louise snapped back.

"Jessica? What about her?" Ryoga questioned.

Louise blushed and turned away. "F-Forget it! In any case, why do we have to stay in this attic that looks like a closet!? You don't honestly expect a noble like me to sleep here tonight do you!? There were bats earlier!"

Scarron set up their living arrangements for an old room located in the attic of the inn, though no matter how one looked at it, it wasn't exactly a room for living in. The place was dusty and dim and piled with all kinds of furniture and objects, most of which looked damaged or broken. Spider webs littered the area, and as stated there were some bats hanging out on the ceiling before, but those got chased away by Cat Shark.

It wasn't all bad though. Despite the set up there was a small, if slightly rough wooden bed in the middle of the room for sleeping, and after a bit of tidying up Ryoga and Cat Shark were able to make enough room for the three of them to move around and not feel crammed in. It was now somewhat endurable, though for Louise it might as well have been the equivalent of sleeping in a barn, even if she was the one getting the bed.

"What's wrong girly? Afraid of some flying rodents?" Derflinger teased from against one of the cupboards. If looks could melt a person the sword would have been a puddle of liquid metal from Louise's glare.

"Don't complain about it. We have a roof over our heads plus food and a way to earn some money. Living in the attic won't kill you," Ryoga said while arranging the pillow and sheets given to him by Jessica on the floor. "Besides, you heard what Scarron said before. Most of his customers are nobles, meaning we have a good chance of finding one of the people causing trouble. All we need to do is be patient and wait for them to show up."

Louise huffed but didn't disagree, even if she didn't like it. "You know you're handling this almost too well," she noted curiously.

Ryoga shrugged. "I've had more experience with this kind of lifestyle than I'd like to remember. Besides it's been a long day and I'm exhausted. I'd like to get some rest before we have to work tomorrow, as should you."

Louise moaned looking at the bed before reluctantly making her way to it. She stopped when she suddenly remembered something. "Hey Ryoga?"

"What's up?" Ryoga asked as he and Cat Shark arranged themselves on the floor.

"Who is Rio?"

Ryoga's hand froze just above grabbing the blanket, his eyes going wide and his expression suddenly showing a mixture of surprise, remembrance, and pain. Cat Shark looked to its' master worried as its' ears plopped down on its' head.

"What makes you think that name means something?"

A simple question that felt colder than it should have, something Louise picked up on. She then realized Ryoga was shaking slightly and that his hand hadn't moved from its' spot, making her grow concerned. Did she…say something wrong?

"W-Well, you took the name 'Durbe' right? I remember you saying he was a friend of yours, the one who taught you to fight. I just figured because of that Rio might be…" Louise trailed off not knowing if she wanted to finish asking.

Silence took over the room with none of the occupants moving. After a moment Ryoga stopped shaking and grabbed the blanket. "Rio is my sister."

"Eh?" Louise's head shot up surprised. "You have a sister?"

"Yeah…I did."

The implication being clear as day to Louise. "R-Ryoga I-"

"Goodnight Louise. Sleep well," Ryoga buried himself beneath the blankets cutting off the rest of the conversation. Never once turning back to face the pinkette.

---

A few days passed as Ryoga and Louise continued to work at the inn, and in that time the former Barian managed to make a positive impact on the place. He got along well with his fellow co-workers, Jessica especially so, and his skills with cleaning greatly impressed her and the other girls, and Scarron disturbingly enough.

For Louise however things weren't so great, as she was continuously plagued with frustration and humiliation towards those she served. It was bad enough when the customers constantly insulted her petite form and lack of chest, to which she served them their food forcibly, but it was even worse with those that actually found her attractive and tried to cope a feel. To those people she served her palms, sometimes on both cheeks if they were lucky.

Needless to say, Louise's aggressive tendencies and outburst caused her to receive no tips at all. Today was again such a day, and after yet another incident where she booted a customer's face, Scarron brought Louise away from serving and made her stand in a corner of the tavern.

"Now Rio-chan sweetie, just stay over here and watch how the other girls do it okay?" Scarron instructed calmly.

Louise nodded. "I-I'm sorry," she apologized saddened. Scarron gave a sympathetic smile before heading back to work.

Louise was actually grateful to the bizarre man's treatment of her. Despite his eccentric nature he never yelled or punished her for what she did. Instead he always tried to help her out and show her what she did wrong, as did the other girls of the inn. It made her feel worse because of how much trouble she kept bringing them, but at the same time she couldn't help it.

"Why do I have to dress up in this embarrassing outfit and serve other people," Louise muttered as she watched the other girls in the tavern. They were extremely skilled, always smiling brightly and never getting mad no matter what someone said or did. They smoothly conversed and complimented the customers, and when someone tried to touch them they would kindly grab that hand and prevent them from doing so, which actually seemed to make the men more determined to try to win the girl's favor by splurging out tips for them.

Louise felt there was no way she could compete with that. She was born into a family of nobles and mages after all. At her home she was practically a princess in her own right. It was that pride that just refused to give up and act in such a sweetly manner to these perverts.

"And on top of that they keep saying I'm small and flat-chested. It's not my fault I'm like this," Louise looked down to her body with a frown. She didn't deny that internally, she wasn't very attractive, but outside she still believed herself to be cute looking. And this outfit, despite how embarrassing it was, helped to show off that side of her.

It was at least one thing she had over these girls. They could never hope to match the nobility she did. She would always stand above them in that regard, and it would always be something that made her appeal all the more better.

"Even Ryoga knows that," Louise thought to herself nodding. Her eyes then lit up in realization. "T-That's right! That's also something I have. Ryoga! He said he was grateful to me after all, so he'll never leave my side and always support me. Like a real familiar, or even a knight. A purple colored knight riding a giant fish," she quietly giggled as she began fantasizing.

It was then the sound of laughter accompanied Louise's giggling and caught her ears. Turning to the noise she saw Jessica and Ryoga washing dishes again, with the female laughing at something Ryoga said. The sight of the two together dropped any happy thoughts and made Louise's pink hair start surging.

"T-That stupid jerk! H-How dare he look at another girl that way. It's like with that maid all over again," Louise growled as watched the two. Her eyes drew to Jessica viciously and looked down to the female's chest. It was large, probably the largest of any of the girls at the inn, rivaling even Kirche's. "A-And her chest. W-What's so great about those apple-like things? Don't tell me he prefers b-b-bigger breast also!"

The two dishwashers laughed again causing Louise's mind to snap. She grabbed a nearby wine bottle and pulled back to hurl it at the Duelist.

"Rio is my sister."

Louise froze mid-throw, the memory of the first night playing upon seeing Ryoga smile. The noble's anger seemed to instantly dissipate as she put the bottle down and looked at the boy sorrowfully.

She couldn't stop thinking about that moment and the reaction Ryoga gave. She wasn't even aware he had family since he never talked about them or mentioned it when he explained where he was from. She simply assumed he came from an average everyday household. Yet the way his voice and face filled with such pain and sadness at her question made her feel guilty for bringing the subject up in the first place.

The idea of losing family, especially a sibling, was heart-wrenching. She couldn't begin imagining a life without Cattleya, or even Eleonore. And while part of her was still curious about Ryoga's sister, she wouldn't pry into such a personal issue. She just hoped he would accept her apology once this mission was over.

While Louise was lost to her thoughts, inside the kitchen Ryoga was conversing with Jessica and getting to know his workmate a little better.

"Wait you're serious? Scarron's actually your father?" Ryoga questioned in utter disbelief.

"Yeah I know, hard to believe right?" Jessica smirked.

"I think that's an understatement," Ryoga said shaking his head. How did him asking about Scarron's use of the suffix "chan" end up revealing something like this? He'd been curious since only Siesta ever used suffixes when addressing people, so of course finding another person that did so would draw his attention. He just didn't expect to be told something so bizarre.

Genetics were messed up.

"Well despite him being the adult I'm the one who's actually in charge of what goes on at the inn," Jessica explained. "Not that papa couldn't handle it himself, but between the two of us I'm better suited for the task, while he's better at teaching and entertaining the girls and guest."

"Makes sense. You're pretty smart and seem to know what goes on in this place like the back of your hand. Though forgive me if I don't exactly believe someone like you could have a father like Scarron," Ryoga looked over his shoulder to see Scarron flirting with another male customer, sending a shiver of fear down his spine. Yup, he had serious doubts about any woman having had a relationship with that guy.

"Awww, you're going to make me blush you tease," Jessica winked playfully. "But seriously, despite his nature papa is a great man. When my mother died, he said 'Well then, papa will take mama's place too.' And he's really done his best to fulfill that roll, to the point of taking care of all of the girls like they were his own children," the innkeeper's daughter released a cute laugh. "Guess that makes me the big sister watching out for my little siblings, don't it?"

Ryoga stiffened at the word 'sister' and turn his eyes downwards. "Yeah…suppose it does."

Ever since the night Louise asked about Rio his mind was constantly rethinking about his lost sibling. From the good, to the bad, to the times they lost each other, and to all the times she died before his eyes. Those memories just kept resurfacing and replaying over and over in his head and just wouldn't go away, as if once again trying to haunt him. It didn't help that Louise was using Rio's name for her disguise, making the former king flinch every time he heard someone call out that name. His body shook just thinking about it, and it was why he had been avoiding Louise as much as possible since then.

He knew it was unfair since she knew nothing of the kind of tragedies he and his twin faced. He doubted anyone in this world could understand. But every time he saw her he kept flashing back to that question, and that in turn made him think about other subjects he would rather forget. Especially regarding-

"Durbe?" Jessica suddenly called out, snapping the former Barian from his thoughts.

"Huh? Oh sorry," Ryoga apologized. Dammit, he was obsessing again.

"Hey, you alright? You didn't look too good just now," Jessica said concerned. Ryoga just shook his head and went back to cleaning.

"It's nothing. Just forget it."

"Nope!" Jessica declared as she stopped working and fully turned to face the ocean-eyed teen. "Can't forget something like that, not when it can affect your workflow. Something's bothering you isn't it? I can tell."

"Oh really? You can tell that?" Ryoga scoffed.

"Yup! I'm the big sister remember?" Jessica joked, making Ryoga flinch again. Her expression then became serious. "And that means when a sibling of mine is upset I can recognize it. And I've seen that look of yours on the other girls many times before, so what's up?"

"I told you it's nothing," Ryoga repeated, now growing irritated.

"Doesn't sound like nothing to me."

"I said I don't want to talk about it."

"Well maybe I want too."

"Just drop it, okay!"

"When you're being like this? Seriously, what's wro-"

"WILL YOU JUST LEAVE ME ALONE!?" Ryoga shouted, slamming the plate in hand onto the counter hard causing it to chip. His teeth grit together and his grip tightened on the porcelain before he suddenly realized what he was doing. Releasing the plate he turned to Jessica only to see she had jumped back, her eyes now full of shock and a bit of fear. The Xyz user immediately felt regret. He didn't mean to get so angry, his frustration just got the better of him, but that was no excuse for how he acted.

Before he could even think to apologize however, Jessica suddenly grabbed him by the collar of his shirt and pulled him face to face, her shock morphing into a rather annoyed look.

"How can I when you're acting stupid!? What do you think you are, a big shot or something!?" Jessica yelled fiercely, much to Ryoga's surprise. He certainly didn't expect this kind of reaction. Jessica glared for a couple of seconds before sighing and releasing the boy, her arms crossing as she gave a stern look. "Look, I know you've only been working here a couple of days, but take this as advice from your senior employee. I've seen guys like you before. People who try to hold stuff in thinking they have the weight of the world on their shoulders, or obsessing over something and not bothering to tell anyone because they think it's their burden to carry."

Jessica's eyes narrowed upon catching Ryoga stiffen and divert his gaze.

"Yeah, I thought so. Well do you know what happens to people when they do that? They collapse. They break apart and destroy themselves. Whether it's the stress or the pain it always happens. It's happened to a lot of the girls here in the past and it's always the same," Jessica shoved a finger right in Ryoga's face. "And while you may just think yourself to be a new employee here, you're now part of the Charming Fairies' Inn. Which makes you family!" Ryoga's eyes widened while Jessica's softened. "And family always watches over and protects each other, no matter the problems. So stop being a dumbass and don't be afraid to open up and talk to us about it, alright?"

Ryoga was quite for a moment as he took in what Jessica said. Eventually he gave a single nod, not knowing if it was because he understood or that he didn't trust his own words. Jessica seemed satisfied either way and smiled.

"Good," she said relieved. She then placed her hands on her hips and give a sly look. "With that said, does your attitude have anything to do with Rio being a noble?"

Ryoga's eyes snapped fully open. "W-What?"

Jessica grinned victoriously. "I knew it! She didn't even know how to carry dishes. Not only that, but she's got an unusual amount of pride in herself. And that demeanor of hers, she's definitely got to be a noble. Right?"

Ryoga mentally cursed. How the hell did she find out? Okay sure anybody with a brainstem could have easily recognized Louise as a noble if they paid attention, but Jessica seemed to figure it out right away. Then again, she did manage to pick up on his troubled thoughts without any evidence behind it, even managing to correctly guess some of his more negative traits from it. No wonder she was in charge of the inn. This girl was pretty damn perceptive.

Still, this didn't help considering he and Louise were supposed to be keeping themselves hidden. But one look in Jessica's eyes told him she was a mass of curiosity and wouldn't let this drop. Pretending not to know anything would be a waste of time, so instead he decided to try and play it cautiously.

"If I were to say yes, and I'm not saying I am, what exactly would that mean for you?" Ryoga whispered so as to not let themselves be overheard.

"So I was right after all!" Jessica cheered excitedly. She suddenly leaned closer getting her face right next to Ryoga's, making him turn red from how close she was. "Where's she from? How'd you two meet? Are you a noble as well? Come on tell me!"

"H-Hey settle down," Ryoga backed up nervously, his plan of being cautious suddenly hurled out the window.

"Aw come on! I promise I won't tell anyone," Jessica pleaded with huge puppy dog eyes. Once again Ryoga cursed the gods of this world for allowing females to know that technique. "Say, do you want me to teach you about girls?"

"Huh?" Ryoga looked confused only to stiffen when his hand was grabbed.

"How about this," Jessica purred seductively. "You tell your big sister everything about little Rio over there, and I'll teach you all sorts of fun stuff."

The next thing Ryoga knew was the feeling of soft skin as Jessica brought his hand onto her right breast. The Duelist's mind nearly shut down from the action, unable to comprehend what was happening. Luckily, he was awake enough to sense danger approaching as he removed his hand and grabbed Jessica's shoulders, quickly pulling them both to the ground just before a wine bottle flew over their heads and smashed into the wall beside them.

"YOU STUPID JERK!" Louise shouted, having entered the kitchen and glaring at the two infuriatedly. More so at Ryoga.

"What the hell Lo-, Rio! Are you trying to kill us!?" Ryoga shouted back, still having enough focus to not say her real name.

"Shut up! What do you think you're doing t-t-t-touching her b-b-b-boobs you dog!?" Louise exclaimed in a shaky rage.

"Ah man, and that was perfectly good wine too," Jessica complained, seemingly unfazed by the fact she nearly got hit as she got up and faced Louise. "You know that's gonna cost you right?"

Louise huffed. "Shut up! I'll pay it back later."

"Oh hoh? And with what money considering you can't get any tips worth a damn?" Jessica gave a mischievous smile. "Girls like you are such a bother. You anger the regular customers, don't receive orders well, pick fights endlessly, and throw glasses around," with each comment Louise twitched more and more ferociously. Especially when Jessica pointed to the stain caused by the wine bottle at the last one. "Well I guess it can't be helped. Brats like you can't work as a bar's fairy."

"I'm not a brat! I'm sixteen!" Louise shouted defensively.

"Eh? You're the same age as me?" Jessica said disbelieving. She glanced to Louise's chest before looking at her own. She busted a gut. "Hahahaha. Oh wow. Good luck then, though I won't be expecting anything. But keep messing up and your fired, got it?"

Louise snapped at the laughter. "W-What? You s-stupid woman and your big breast! Calling people a brat, water flea, and washboard!"

"Nobody has ever said those last two," Ryoga mentally commented, knowing full well the wrath that would follow if he said it aloud.

"Just you watch! I'll collect enough tips to buy a castle! Because when I try my best I'm amazing! I'll have all those men turn towards me!" Louise declared confidently.

"Is that so?" Jessica gave a sly smirk and crossed her arms over her own impressive bust. "Well then I guess that means you'll win the tip race next week for sure, won't you?"

"Tip race?" Ryoga asked.

"It's a little competition we have to see which of the girls can gather the most tips by the end of the week There's also a prize for the winner," Jessica explained.

"Hmph. If that's all then I'll win it no problem!" Louise boasted.

"I see, I see," Jessica nodded sagely, though her smirk kind of broke the image. "In that case let's have a bet. If you beat me in the tip race I'll apologize for making fun of you and never call you a brat again. But if I win," Jessica suddenly grabbed Ryoga's arm and hugged it between her breast. "I get to keep Durbe!"

"Wait what!?" Both Louise and Ryoga shouted. The Duelist felt his face heat up from the feeling on his arm, while Louise was caught between pure rage and worry.

"What's wrong Rio? Afraid of me taking away your best friend? Cause I'm sure we could have all sorts of fun together, don't you?" Jessica teased with a seductive glance to Ryoga, who was doing his best to avoid looking down.

Any hesitation Louise had shattered at the action as she sent a death glare to the other female. "You're on! Just you watch, I'll get more tips then you could ever imagine!"

"I look forward to seeing you try," Jessica returned with a small glare of her own.

All the while Ryoga just stood there wishing someone would kill him.

---

"Fairies! The week has finally arrived!"

"Yes, Mi Mademoiselle!"

All the girls were lined up in the middle of the inn while Scarron posed before them dramatically. Louise and Jessica stood amongst the girls, each giving a look to the other that didn't spell anything good out.

"Let's start the tip race with great enthusiasm!" Scarron declared, earning an applause that resounded throughout the inn. "Now then, as everyone knows the Charming Fairies' Inn dates back four-hundred years during the reign of His Majesty, Henry III, also called the Tristain Attraction King, as His Majesty was known to be a peerlessly handsome man and said to be the reincarnation of an actual fairy. One day for reasons unknown the king visited the city in secret, and amazingly enough, set foot in this unopened bar. At that time, the store's name was 'Eel's Bed' Inn, which didn't have the slightest bit of appeal or anything at all. But it was here that the king, wouldn't you know it, fell in love with a waitress girl he met!"

The girls let out various cries of how romantic it sounded. Scarron smiled but then shook his head sadly.

"Alas, a king should not fall in love with a girl from a bar, and in the end, he gave up on this love. But then, in secret, the king prepared a bustier and sent it to the girl as a memento of their love. My ancestors were greatly impressed by that love, and when they took over they changed the store's name, basing it on the bustier."

"What a beautiful story! Mi mademoiselle!"

"Such forbidden and wonderful love!"

"Indeed! That is why this…" Scarron went to a side of the store where a curtain hung and pulled at the rope beside it. "Is called the 'Charming Fairies' Bustier'!"

The curtain opened to reveal a very beautiful and almost glowing black bustier uniform with white frills. The outfit had such an aura to it that it made all the girls eyes sparkle with delight, even Louise's.

"This 'Charming Fairies' Bustier' that the king sent to the girl he loved four-hundred years ago is my family's heirloom!" Scarron explained. "This bustier has magic that allows it to change its size depending on its wearer's constitution, allowing anybody to wear it. It also has the magic "Attraction" cast on it."

Hearing that made Louise's eyes go wide. Attraction? That was the spell that made whatever or whoever it was cast on be able to charm the people around them. It was a spell literally made for, as the namesake stated, attracting.

"It's wonderful! Mi mademoiselle!"

"Nnnn! Très bien!" Scarron moaned with an ecstatic voice. "The fairy that wins the tip race will be given the rights to wear this 'Charming Fairies' Bustier' for a day! A girl who wears this can earn tips without limit!"

"W-Without limit?" Louise stuttered in bewilderment.

"The girl who won the face last year earned so much she went back to her hometown! Geez! I wonder how many tips one would get on the day she wears it! I get excited just thinking about it!" Scarron giggled as he pointed to his fairies'. "And that's why everyone should try their best!

"Yes! Mi Mademoiselle!"

"Y-Yes!" Louise called out, her lips forming a wide grin. "This will definitely be my chance! I'll make up the money I lost and show Ryoga and that black-hair just what I can do!"

"Excellent! Now everyone, hold up your glasses!" Scarron instructed. The girls each grabbed a glass cup and raised them to the air, Scarron doing the same with his own. "To the tip race's success and business, prosperity and..." Scarron cut off and stood up straight with a serious look. He cleared his throat and then, not in his usual feminine tone but in a proper middle-aged man's voice, spoke. "A prayer to Her Majesty, Princess Henrietta's health. Cheers."

"Cheers!"

From the kitchen Ryoga raised his own glass, his eyes reflecting back at him in the material.

"Cheers…"

---

The week flew by faster than anyone realized. The girls seemed more determined than ever to win the tip race, as they put in all their effort in pleasing their customers. It was a war of cuteness, beauty, and sexual appeal.

A war Louise was losing.

No matter what she tried, every day the pink-colored noble would end up doing something wrong or just be pushed the wrong way. Palms, kicks, and food were all sent to the unfortunate sap that ended up triggering her. Because of this not only did she build a reputation in the inn of being the "Ogre Fairy", which infuriated her further, but she hadn't gotten even a single tip. Zero was her tip score, as if to mock her. It didn't help that Jessica was absolutely dominating the race and in first place for winning.

It also didn't help that her only support wasn't there for her. Ryoga still refused to interact with her unless he had too, and always gave a look that just made her feel bad. This only seemed to add to the noble's negative mood with the customers and made her take it out on them. It was turning into a never-ending cycle of rage and sadness.

"Why do I have to do this?" Louise thought as she laid on her bed. It was the night before the final day of the tip race and her mood had dropped to absolute zero, just like her nickname. "I can't do this. I'm a noble. I can't do things like serving or acting like a commoner. I can't even get any information for the princess."

That was another thing that served to negatively impact Louise. Even staying here over a week neither she nor Ryoga were able to gather any information on the corrupt nobles. Seemed even Scarron and the fairies were nervous to speak out loud about it. It was just another failure to add to the list, and a horrible one for failing Henrietta of all people.

"Maybe I should just give up," Louise muttered defeated. Cat Shark moved in front of her with a light pout and nuzzled against her palm. She rubbed the Xyz's head gently but didn't feel any better as her vision started to become watery.

She was so lost in her despair that she almost didn't hear the door open. Footsteps moved towards her and she watched as Ryoga stepped into view and put a plate of food on the drawer in front of her.

"Eat up," he said in a calm manner.

"Not hungry," Louise mumbled.

"You need to eat. At this point you look about ready to collapse. You'll need your strength if you want to keep going."

"I don't care. It tastes horrible anyways."

Ryoga's eyes narrowed. He sent a glance to Cat Shark who sensed its' master's emotions and quickly backed up to sit beside Derflinger.

"So what, you're just going to call it quits then? What about the mission?" Ryoga asked.

"I don't care anymore," Louise answered quietly.

"The princess gave you this mission remember? Henrietta is waiting for us to return with information because she couldn't use anybody from her royal court. She trusted you. Are you saying you don't care if you let her down?"

"What does the mission have to do with serving people and humiliating myself?" Louise said with a bit of bite. "I don't want to be assigned something like this. This is stupid and a waste of time. I'm a noble. I should be-"

Louise didn't get to finish as Ryoga grabbed her by the shoulder and pulled her up from the bed.

"Have you seriously learnt nothing over these past few days?" Ryoga spoke with cold anger, getting straight into Louise's face making her recoil back fearfully. "The job's hard huh? So what? Everyone else is working and trying their best at what you call stupid. Let me remind you that it was your noble pride that got us into this situation in the first place. You'd think that'd have taught you something, but no, you just bring your pride here and cause even more problems. Because for some reason you people feel the need to have others serve you on hand and foot."

Louise's lip trembled as she looked down and didn't say anything. She felt anything she could say would be pointless. Seeing this Ryoga sighed and released her as he ran his fingers through his hair.

"Whatever. You want to give up, fine. Go back to the academy and stay there, but I'm not leaving. These people need help and I'm going to do what I can for them regardless of how tough it may be," Ryoga made his way to leave the room only to stop at opening the door. "You know…I had hoped the story of Midas would have made you realize something, but I see now that was a waste of time. It's clear you can't handle even the basic of task. Perhaps that's to be expected given how you were raised. But I thought someone like you, who prides herself so much, would have given your all and not called it quits when the going got tough…That'll teach me won't it?"

Louise flinched and looked up to see Ryoga close the door behind him. But not before she caught a glimpse of his eyes.

They were full of disappointment.

Silence took the room as Louise looked down to her hands, her body shaking as tears poured down her face. Cat Shark meowed worried and flew onto the bed beside her. She didn't even hesitate to hug the spirit and cry into its' body.

"Why…why does it hurt so much?" Louise wondered. Her heart ached with such unexplainable pain. The face Ryoga had, it made her so scared, so insecure and uncertain. The idea of him being disappointed in her, of hating her was just so…painful.

"But if I win," Jessica suddenly grabbed Ryoga's arm and hugged it between her breast. "I get to keep Durbe!"

Louise's teeth clenched at the memory, not from anger, but fear. Would Ryoga really just walk away and leave her if she lost? No, she knew he wasn't that kind of person. But with how she's been maybe he would leave her. He wasn't a true familiar after all. He could walk away whenever he wanted, and the thought of that scared her more than anything.

"But why…why am I so afraid of losing Ryoga?" Louise held a hand over her pondered the question for some time, not moving from Cat Shark's warmth. After a while her hand clenched tightly on her chest and she pulled herself up, wiping the tears on her face.

Looking around she spotted the meal Ryoga left behind. A cup of water, some leftover bread, and a small bowl of stew. Nothing fitting for a noble.

She grabbed the bowl and dug straight in.

---

The final day of the tip race had arrived, with Scarron announcing the order of the girl's progress. As expected, Jessica was in first and Louise was in last. This was the last chance for the girls to do their best and make as much money as they could, though even trying her best it was clear that Louise had no chance of winning.

That didn't stop her however. In fact, the whole day Louise acted different from her usual self. She didn't force herself to act like the other girls. She didn't put on a pretend smile or move the same way they did. Those would only bring about the same problems as before. Instead, she acted as she should have the whole time. As what she was meant to be.

A proper, pride, and true noble.

The customers who received her today didn't received the usual slap, kick, or being covered in their own meals. Instead, they were given a kind of service that couldn't be given by any common girl. Louise's posture was pristine and precise, her every movement wasted no effort. Her bow was like that of greeting a member of royalty, and her smile gave a grace of elegance that couldn't be matched. Even when she was embarrassed she used it to her advantage, making the customers interested in why she looked nervous. She even stood by and listened to the customers speak, not saying a word and instead giving them the ear that always paid attention to lessons on magic and nobility. These were the actions of a noble, of one raised with that lifestyle, and was something that stood out compared to the other girls.

And it was working. Louise was making tips. Actual true tips ranging from silver to gold coins! She had to race to the bathroom just to let out a squeal from receiving her first tip. More determined than ever the pinkette kept up this attitude the whole day, never faltering and pushing herself to her best ability, earning even more tips and praise than ever before.

But it still wasn't enough. One glance at Jessica was all that was need to show that Scarron's daughter was unmatched. Her talent of making customers believe she loved them and acting jealous when they looked at other girls was astonishing. The black-haired girl made Kirche's attempts look like a child in comparison.

Louise was jealous of Jessica's talents, but today because of how she was, she also grew a respect for it. Even she couldn't deny that Jessica's coaxing ability was far above hers. But that didn't matter to Louise. No, what mattered was that even if Jessica was the better skilled and talented of the two, that she wouldn't give up. She wouldn't surrender to this common girl without a fight. She would show her, no, she would show everyone of the Charming Fairies' Inn what she, Louise de La Valliere, could do.

"I won't lose," Louise glanced over to the kitchen, her hand clenching over her chest. "Watch me Ryoga. I won't lose."

---

The feathered doors of the inn opened and a new group of customers came in. But there was something different about this group. At the head was a portly middle-aged man with thinning hair stuck to his large head. In his left hand was a large wooden staff and around his neck was a mantle signifying noble status. The men beside him were all dressed in military uniform, each one carrying a rapier-like-wand on their hips.

"A noble?" Louise pondered looking over the new guest. It was then she realized the entire tavern fell silent.

"My, my, if it isn't Chulenne-sama. Welcome to the Charming Fairies' Inn," Scarron greeted as he approached the man, though everyone could tell he looked quite uncomfortable at the moment.

"Hmm. It looks like your inn is flourishing today, isn't it shop manager?" Chulenne spoke in a sleazily voice.

"Oh no, no. Not at all sir. Today is just a coincidence," Scarron spoke nervously. "Usually we're so empty you'd be able to hear a cuckoo sounding. I was actually going to consult with my daughter about-"

"Enough of the excuses," Chulenne ordered. "I am not here on a job today. I have come as a customer."

"I see. But as you can see my lord, all the seats are taken right now," Scarron motioned to the other tables, all of which were occupied.

Chulenne let out a snort of amusement. "It doesn't seem that way to me." He raised his hand and snapped his fingers, making the men around him pull out their wands. The action caused the customs to immediately get up in fear and race out of the inn at full speeds, while all the girls working quickly used the confusion to hide inside the kitchen.

This was the sight that greeted Ryoga as he returned from checking stock in the back. "The hell? What's going on?" He asked confused as he looked over the girls, all of whom seemed scared.

"That bastard is back," Jessica answered angrily. She motioned for the other girls to get down and hide before moving towards the counter to peek over. Ryoga followed and was surprised to see a near empty inn, save for the single party of men sitting in the middle of it.

"Well I guess you weren't wrong Scarron. It seems that cuckoo you spoke of was true after all," Chulenne laughed, his belly jiggling from the action.

"Who's he?" Ryoga asked feeling immediate distain for the man.

"Chulenne, a tax collector around these parts," Jessica spat out venomously. "He's a horrible person who abuses his position to do whatever the hell he wants. He comes to our store under his jurisdiction and swarms around us. Swaggering around just because he's a noble," her grip tightened on the kitchen counter. "He disgusts me. But if he doesn't get his way he puts a huge tax on you and bankrupts your store, meaning no businesses can stand up to him," she looked back to the other girls worried. "The worst part is that he fondles the girls here all he wants and won't even pay a single copper coin. He's one of the worst kinds of scum out there, and no girl here would ever serve someone like him willingly."

Ryoga felt his anger flare. So this was one of the bastards that was causing trouble for the commoners huh? Just looking at the guy and hearing what Jessica described of him was enough to make the former Barian sick. The idea that these girls were touched by this pig reminded him too much of what nearly happened to Siesta, and to be reminded of that event was enough to send him over the edge.

"Oh! This store seems to be making quite the profit! Isn't this wine a well-cured sake from Gronyu? And the clothes those girls were wearing are tailored by Gallia! I guess I have to look over this year's tax rates," Chulenne complained, making excuses for taxation as his impatience grew. "Come now, is there not a girl who will pour alcohol for Her Majesty's tax collector? This store at least sells that, right?"

Ryoga caught movement from the corner of his eye and looked over to see what it was, only to blanch and facepalm at the sight. "Oh you idiot."

"What's wrong?" Jessica asked confused. Ryoga just pointed and directed her gaze, which became full of shock. "R-Rio!"

The two watched as Louise approached the table with a tray containing wine and a glass cup. While she shaking like usual it was more out of excitement this time rather than nervousness.

"He definitely a rich-looking noble. This is my chance!" Louise thought to herself as she put on the best smile she could and approached the tax collector, placing the tray in front of him. "H-Here you go my most charming lord."

Chulenne smirked at the praise and examined the pinkette's body, only to frown when he caught sight of her chest. "What's this? Does this place employee children now Scarron?"

"C-Children?" Louise stuttered with a twitch.

"Go away! I have no need for children! Off with you!" Chulenne ordered. Louise's temple twitched as she stood still, refusing to move. The tax collector got annoyed at first but then took a second look and laughed. "Oh, it seems I was mistaken! Upon closer inspection you're not a kid, just a girl with really small breast! They're just so flat I thought you were a child!"

Louise twitched again, her body trembling. Chulenne saw this and gave a sly grin as he mistook her actions as nervousness.

"Now, how about I take a closer look and see just how small they really are?"

Chulenne's face twisted with lust as he extended an arm slowly towards Louise's chest. The chibi noble turned pale and seemed to freeze up, an innocent smile etched onto her face. As everyone else in the inn watched intensely worried at what would happen, Ryoga sighed and mentally counted.

"Three…two…one…"

"DON'T MESS WITH ME DAMN YOU!"

BAM!

The sole of a foot slammed straight into Chulenne's face, sending the large man tumbling off his seat and onto the hard wood.

"Non!" Scarron shouted while the other girls all screamed in horror. Even Jessica looked terrified.

"Shit this is bad! Durbe we need to-" Jessica turned only to not see the purple-haired employee anywhere. "Durbe?"

"Wha, why you!?" Chulenne shouted as his men quickly gathered around him and drew their wands. "D-Damn you! Such insolence! You're a mere peasant and yet you dare strike the face of the royal tax collector!?"

"P-Please forgive her!" Scarron quickly intervened to try and save the situation. "She just started working here and-"

"Silence!" Chulenne screamed as he flipped a table over in rage. He then glared at Louise, who stared right back unflinching. "How dare you, you damn washboard bitch!" He shouted lunging for the girl.

He was met with an explosion in the face.

Chulenne's entourage watched in shock as their leader was thrown to the ground, his entire front now sizzling like a smoked sausage. Louise huffed as she flicked her wand in hand. She wasn't so naive as to go anywhere without it and had kept it hidden in her stocking in case something happened. Like now for instance.

"You…do you know how much trouble I've gone through this past week? How much I've struggled and worked myself to the point of exhaustion? It was bad enough having to deal with a bunch of perverted dogs and idiots, but then you go ahead and call me a child and a w-w-w-washboard?" Louise pointed her wand at the noble angrily. "Why do you have to go so far and say those things!? Isn't it too much for you to call me a washboard when I came to pour you some alcohol!? You better prepare yourself!"

By this point Chulenne managed to regain his bearings and push himself back up. "N-No way. A noble? But why?" The chunky man stuttered, a bit of fear running through him from the girl's power.

"I have no answers to give to a lowlife official like you!" Louise declared.

"Seize her! I'll have her hanged!" Chulenne ordered his subordinates. The men nodded and raised their wands making Louise step back nervous. Before they could act however a fast blue and white blur flew past them, and with it their wands disappeared from their grasp much to their utter shock and confusion.

"Mrrow mrrow!" The men looked up to see a cat-fish hybrid flying in the air and waving at them, their wands held firmly in its' fins.

"Cat Shark!" Louise yelled surprised.

"W-What in the name of Brimir?" Chulenne uttered confused. He felt a tapping on his shoulder and turned around, only to have a five-fingered sandwich greet his jaw and send him hurdling into one of his men.

"That felt far more satisfying than it should have been."

"Ryoga!" Louise called out as the Duelist stepped forward, his Duel Disk and D-Gazer equipped. He looked over to her and sighed frustrated.

"You idiot. Look at the trouble you've got us into now."

"S-Shut up! As if I could allow such vulgar words to be spoken to me!" Louise defended.

"Y-You…" Chulenne growled out as he stood back up clenching his face. "You too would dare strike a noble's face!?"

Ryoga loudly scoffed. "Noble? Where? All I see is a pig."

"Excuse me!?"

Ryoga pointed a finger at the man. "Who the hell do you think you are to go around and abuse your title on the common folk? Did you really think everyone would just sit by and let you do whatever you want? That you could just hurt innocent people? Don't fuck with me!" Ryoga pulled back and raised the Duel Disk. "You're nothing but a pig who's gotten too fat and thinks himself high on the food chain. But you seem to have forgotten the shark waiting above, because as long as I'm here, you won't ever touch Louise or these girls!"

Louise's heart thumbed at the declaration. "Ryoga…"

"You little-" Chulenne began only to be smacked in the head as Cat Shark flew over him and floated beside its' master. "Gah! What the heck is that thing? A familiar?"

"This would be my good friend, Cat Shark," Ryoga drew a card from his deck and looked it over. "And this…"

Ryoga slammed the card on the Duel Disk. A circuit of water formed behind Chulenne and his men surprising them. A bubbling growl then echoed out as the water dissipated to reveal a terrifying creature beneath. It had the head of a dark purple shark, but with a nose that resembled a sawfish's. Most disturbing of all however was the very large and red body of an octopus that made up its' lower half.

"Would be Sharktopus," Ryoga gave a wicked smile as the spirit roared, making Chulenne and his men jump back fearfully.

"No way. Was that magic?" Jessica said as she looked at Ryoga astonished. "Then…he's a noble as well?"

"W-What is that thing!?" Chulenne shouted. Sharktopus snapped at his direction and roared, its' tentacles shooting towards the noble and his men making them scream and try to run away. The creature's speed was too fast though and easily caught up, snatching them in tight grips. The nobles were lifted into the air and dangled like gutted fish, helpless as Sharktopus hissed viciously before it swung its' tentacles and hurled them across the room.

Chulenne crashed through several tables before finally stopping, the man crying in pain as the air was expunged from his lungs. His subordinates ended up either in the same condition or knocked out cold. Wheezing for air the fat noble looked up shakily to the approaching boy and his monster.

"W-What are you? Who are you? From what noble family are you from?" Chulenne asked trembling.

"None. I'm no noble, I'm a Duelist!" Ryoga declared proudly.

Jessica's eyes widened. "Duelist?" She whispered, her eyes fully locked onto Ryoga's stance and the tool on his arm. "It couldn't be…"

The corrupt tax collector growled and shakily pushed himself up. "Call yourself whatever you want! You won't get out of this alive!" Chulenne shouted as he picked up his staff and aimed it at Ryoga. Sharktopus moved between the two to protect its' master, but then a large explosion blew apart the noble's staff and knocked him down once more.

"Don't forget I'm still here," Louise stepped beside Ryoga. "Hope you don't mind, but I have to make a point myself after all."

The ocean-eyed teen chuckled and waved his arm towards Chulenne. "By all means."

Louise smiled and stalked towards the tax collector, who now panicked and tried to flee. It took one swing of Louise's wand to cause another explosion and trip him up. Turning on his back the man trembled as Louise stood above him, her wands' tip pushing right into his stubby nose.

"Right now you have a choice. Leave this place and never return, or deal with me and my familiar! Decide carefully or else you'll regret it!"

Despite his fear Chulenne's pride refused to back down. "Y-You stupid bitch! You're a fallen noble aren't you, same with that boy! You think you can hide and not pay for attacking me! The palace will-"

Louise took out the permit she got from Henrietta and thrust it in Chulenne's face.

"Who do you think you're calling a fallen noble!?"

"H-H-Her Majesty's permit?" Chulenne muttered weakly.

"I am under the orders of Her Majesty, Princess Henrietta, and am the third daughter of an esteemed family lineage that boasts of a righteous history. I have no name to tell some petty official like you," Louise declared. The full weight of who they were dealing with struck Chulenne and his men as they fell to their knees and bowed their heads.

"I-I'm very sorry! P-Please forgive me!" Chulenne began begging. Rummaging through his clothes he pulled out a large sack of coins. He urged his men to do the same, which they quickly did without hesitation. "Please, take these and ignore what has happened! I beg you!"

Louise huffed and prepared to speak only to pause when Ryoga leaned next to her and whispered something in her ear. Her eyes widened briefly before she smiled and nodded. "Very well, I will graciously accept your offer."

"R-Really?" Chulenne asked hesitantly. Louise nodded again making him smile. "Oh thank you. Thank you so very-"

"I on the other hand…" Ryoga snapped his fingers. Chulenne and his men didn't have time to react as they was grabbed and lifted into the air again by Sharktopus. "Am placing you under arrest by the authority of Her Majesty, Princess Henrietta."

Cat Shark flew up to the men and waved goodbye as Ryoga snapped his fingers once more. Sharktopus roared and swung its' hostages in a circle screaming before slamming them head first onto the cold wooden floor, this time knocking them all out of consciousness.

"Sleep on that for a while."

"Mrrow!"

---

Shortly after tying up Chulenne and his lackeys, Ryoga and Louise found themselves surrounded by the everyone of the Charming Fairies' Inn, who were staring at them with a wide-eyed silence.

"So…" Jessica broke the silence as she walked forward, the other girls parting to let her through. She stopped in front of Ryoga and gave a stern glare. "'Ryoga' huh? Anything else you want to tell us?"

The question caused Ryoga and Louise to blanch. It suddenly occurred to them that during all the commotion they had said each other's real names.

Oops.

Sighing in defeat Ryoga scratched the back of his head as Cat Shark floated beside him. "Yeah…I guess so. Let me reintroduce myself. Name's Kamishiro Ryoga, and this is Louise, my 'master'," Louise looked down nervously. "We were instructed by Henrietta to find whoever was abusing their noble status on the commoners. The story Scarron told you guys was made up in order to hide our identities. But even then we didn't think it would turn out like this."

"We never meant to deceive anyone or put you in danger. Please forgive us!" Louise apologized as she gave a heavy bow.

The girls of the inn looked at each other for a moment not saying anything. A second later they broke out into loud applause and cheers as they swarmed the duo excitedly.

"That's amazing Louise!"

"You're working for Princess Henrietta? That's so cool!"

"I can't believe you stood up to that sketchy creep! That was awesome!"

"You too Sir Ryoga! That was so cool how you summoned that monster!"

"You looked so brave and handsome while doing it! It was like watching a hero!"

"And this little guy is so cute! I can't believe you have a pet like this!"

The girls continued to shout words of praise and awe while Ryoga and Louise stood stunned. Clearly neither expected such a reaction. Cat Shark of course enjoyed the attention as it rolled upside down in the air to be pet.

"Sheesh, I knew you two were hiding something, but this?" Jessica gave a bright smile. "Man, you two are one of a kind aren't you?"

"Y-You're not mad?" Louise asked.

"Oh sweetie, why would we be mad? It was obvious from the start you were a noble," Scarron said innocently. Louise felt like a sword stabbed through her, dumbfounded as to how he could have known. As if reading her thoughts Scarron wagged a finger and smiled. "It was completely obvious from that attitude of yours. Just how many years do you think we've been running this place? My eye for discerning people is top class."

Louise hung her head disheartened. So from the start hiding was pointless? She went through so much trouble because of it.

"Why didn't you say anything if you knew then?" Ryoga asked.

"Remember when I first brought you both in?" Scarron reminded. "You asked me to hide your real names because of circumstances, and here at the Charming Fairies' Inn there isn't a single girl who would expose a co-worker's past secrets. Right everyone?"

"Yes! Mi Mademoiselle!" The fairies declared in sync.

"You guys…" Ryoga couldn't help but smile. It continued to amaze him how many people in this world were so accepting of him and Louise, despite the problems they caused.

"Hey Louise, I think you won our bet," Jessica called out to the pinkette, motioning to the bags of money dropped from Chulenne and his men. "No need to count them all right?"

"Eh?" Louise blinked confused. "B-But that was just handed over for bribery. It's not a real tip."

Jessica wagged her finger. "Last I checked he handed it all of his own free will. And in my book that counts as a tip. Right papa?"

"Oui!" Scarron winked and lifted Louise's hand into the air. "It's official! The winner of the tip race! Louise-chan!"

Applause resounded throughout the inn. Louise looked speechless by the news before breaking into a warm laugh, her eyes watering ever so lightly. Even Ryoga clapped for her with a sincere smile.

"You deserve a reward too you know," Jessica said to the Duelist.

"I don't need anything. I just did what I had too to protect Louise and the inn," Ryoga said sincerely.

"Well aren't you the noble one?" Jessica jested. She then grabbed Ryoga by his collar and tugged him forward so that they were face to face, a huge grin on her lips. "But who said you had a choice?"

Before he could react Ryoga felt a soft and warm pair of lips press against his cheek and froze from the contact. Jessica pulled back a moment later with a loud smack and giggled at seeing the boy turn beat red and at a loss of words. Oh yeah, she still had it. Even if she had lost the bet to Louise it didn't mean she was going to let Ryoga go that easily.

After all, where else was she going to find such a cute little brother to tease?

---

The following day was filled with celebration. The inn opened its' doors happily and customers were given huge discounts and free drinks, bringing even more business than ever before. While this went on Chulenne and his men were kept in the basement under the careful watch of Sharktopus and Cat Shark, who were instructed to immediately knock out the noble and his men if any of them woke up. Cat Shark was even given Derflinger to perform the task with.

Despite the celebration, Louise was oddly not present for it. She said she was tired and simply wanted to rest that day, so Ryoga decided to let her be. It may have been a bit disappointing seeing as this would be their last day at the inn before delivering the corrupt tax collector to Henrietta, but it was her choice.

Night eventually approached with Ryoga finishing his work and returning to his and Louise's room. While walking down the halls the former king's mind went into deep thought. This entire event was one hell of an adventure that had given him a lot of time to think things over. Specifically in regards to the subject of Rio.

Originally he thought it was when Louise asked about Rio that his mind locked onto the memories of his sister, but after thinking it over Ryoga realized that he had actually been this way ever since he showed the Absolute Zero card to Tabitha. He tried to ignore it at first, but every time something happened he was just reminded of another way it related to something between him and his sibling. It was even the real reason he gave Louise that name as a disguise. Only when Louise asked who Rio was did he realize what he was doing and how engulfed in the memories he was getting.

He already knew he shouldn't be dwelling on the past, but the recent reminder of his sister alongside the still fresh reveal of the Black Hole card only continued to make him do so. And not just of her, but of the others back in his world. He kept wondering how things were back in Heartland City, and how much had changed since his latest death.

Was Yuma handling himself okay? Was he still trying to be a Duel Champion? Did he finally notice Kotori's feelings for him? What about Astral? Did the spirit fix the damages done to the worlds? Was he still interacting with Yuma? Did they managed to bring Kaito and everyone else back to life? Was there finally peace between the worlds?

It was only now after everything was settled, that Ryoga finally realized why he kept going back to these thoughts and obsessing over them.

He was homesick.

He missed Heartland City. He missed the pointless school days, the bright lights and colors, the stupid scenarios he was constantly dragged into, and of course real Dueling. But most of all he missed everyone. He missed Yuma and Astral. He missed Kotori. He missed that cocky bastard Katio. He missed the seven emperors, except for maybe Vector.

Hell he fucking missed IV. IV of all people!

He just missed them all.

He just…he missed his family.

That's the real reason why he obsessed with knowing how the Black Hole card arrived in this world. Why he was constantly thinking about his sister and had gotten so depressed when Louise brought the subject up. Why he allowed it to affect him so much. And now that he realized it, he realized that Jessica was right all along and that he was acting stupid.

He missed his family sure, and he especially missed Rio, but even if she and his other friend's weren't around that didn't mean the bond built between them didn't remain. They would always be with him even in this world, and it was his interactions with Jessica, Scarron, and the girls of the Charming Fairies Inn, and watching them all be a family that reminded him of this fact.

It also served to remind him that he didn't just have those bonds either. He had new bonds with people of this world. Louise, Siesta, Katie, even Tabitha was growing a spot now with how much time they spent. They weren't the family he had in Heartland, and they never would be, but they were still people he trusted and cared for just like how Scarron and Jessica cared for the other girls, and because of that he knew he wasn't alone anymore.

Rather…he was never alone to begin with.

"Wonder what you'd think of me right now Yuma," Ryoga closed his eyes and gave a light laugh, feeling like a great weight was lifted off his body. Spotting the attic floorboard he pushed it open and stepped inside.

Instantly he noticed something different. The room looked to have been swept clean, and pretty well seeing as not a speck of dust fluttered about. The piled-up junk which had been neatly arranged to give more room was now all in one spot, while the room had been adjusted so it actually looked like someone could possibly live there.

"There you are. I've been waiting all day."

Ryoga looked over to the voice, and upon doing so his eyes went so wide they seemed ready to bulge from their sockets,

A table was set up in the room with two chairs adorning it. Food and wine lined up the top alongside a candle that illuminated the room. But it was the figure the light shined on that truly stood out.

Louise sat on one of the chairs, her legs crossed and hair done in a barrette that showed off the entirety of her face. What she wore however was not her normal sleepwear, and could only be identified as the "Charming Fairies Bustier". The black bustier fitted her perfectly, making her body lines far more pronounced than the standard uniform of the inn. The line of the center of the bustier became a mesh along her upper body, allowing her white skin to peak through, while the considerably short-lengthened pannier was overturned around her waist at an apologetic level.

Ryoga couldn't create cohesive words. He was too busy gaping at what he was seeing.

"How long do you intend to put on that stupid expression?" Louise said in an awkward tone.

"What…is all this?" Ryoga asked, finally able to find his voice again.

"I made this. Jessica helped teach me," Louise admitted embarrassed.

"I don't mean the set up…well okay I guess I do. But I mean what is…this?" Ryoga threw his hands out for emphasis.

Louise's cheeks dusted red. "W-Well I…I w-wanted to…apologize," she stuttered as she began playing with the hem of her outfit nervously. "I…I ended up bringing so many problems to us because of my pride and…and I screwed up because of it. You were only trying to help but I kept shoving it back in your face. And then when I brought up your sister you must have…" Louise paused to take a deep breath. "I…I made all of this as a way of apologizing. And to ask if you…if you'd…"

Louise looked unable to finish the sentence but Ryoga had a good idea what she was asking. His expression softened as he walked over and placed a hand on the pinkette's shoulder.

"I forgive you."

Louise's breath hitched. Her hair shadowed her eyes as she lowered her head and began trembling. Ryoga moved his hand to her head and rubbed it gently, which she lightly nuzzled against. They stayed like this for a good minute or two, the only sounds being soft hiccups and sniffling from the pink-haired noble, before she collected herself and wiped her tears.

"W-Well…what are you waiting for? This food won't eat itself," Louise looked back up, eyes red and a happy smile across her lips.

"Heh, right," Ryoga smiled back and took the other seat across from her.

"H-How do I look by the way?" Louise asked, her cheeks rosy from more than just tears now.

Ryoga blinked, now feeling like a spotlight was on him. "Uh…well I mean, can I ask why you're wearing that? That is what I think it is, right? You know you'll have to give it back tomorrow."

"I know. But I…" Louise turned redder. "I wanted only you to see it," this time Ryoga was the one who became red, though only slightly. "S-So…how do I look?"

The former king wished he could disappear right now, but since that wasn't likely to happen he decided to truly look over the noble's appearance. Obviously the outfit she wore was designed to attract people's attention and make them like her, but he didn't feel anything like that. It wasn't that she didn't look…attractive he supposed, but he didn't feel any magical reasoning to it. Maybe the power of Chaos was helping him resist or something.

Seeing Louise grow more uncomfortable from the silence he figured he should give an answer. "You look…well…" Ryoga scratched the side of his cheek trying to think of the best word to use. "You look…really good."

A simple answer for most was more than enough for Louise who shyly smiled and felt her heart skip a beat. The feeling faded when a thought crossed her mind making her worried again. "Ryoga…I know you forgave me and all, but I still want to apologize for before. With bringing up your sister I mean."

Ryoga twitched but quickly relaxed, having already settled the issue moments ago. "It's fine. You didn't know after all."

"That doesn't make it right. Even if I didn't know I shouldn't have intruded upon such a painful memory. I couldn't even begin to imagine losing my own sisters, and for you to have gone through that is just-Ow!" Louise yelped at the feeling of a finger lightly flicking her forehead.

"Sheesh, you can really be as bad as him sometimes," Ryoga joked. "Like I said, it's fine now. It was long ago and I've gotten over it. If anything I should be the one apologizing, I acted unfair to you and pushed you aside just because I was too lost in the memories of Rio. You were struggling and needed someone to extend a helping hand, but instead I purposefully ignored you. I was a total ass."

"Yeah, you were," Louise huffed, though both of them knew she wasn't too serious about it, as evidenced by her smile. "I guess we both messed up, huh?"

"Heh, that goes without saying," Ryoga chuckled. "But we also learned something. You got to walk in the shoes of a commoner and experience what it means to endure and work for a living. As for me…" his hand caressed the shark tooth-shaped pendant around his neck. "I've remembered that even if Rio isn't here with me physically, she'll always be where I need her most."

Hearing that struck a chord in Louise. The amount of love and care Ryoga spoke with for his sister reminded her of all the times she spoke of Cattleya to other people. It brought warmth to her bosom that made the pink noble smile gently.

"Ryoga…could you tell me about Rio?" Louise asked. Ryoga looked surprised for a moment before giving his own smile and nodding.

"Sure, and in exchange you can tell me about these sisters of yours."

The rest of the night was spent talking about the unforgettable stories and memories regarding their sisters, as a new bond formed between the Zero and former Barian.

---

Inside a dark prison cell moonlight shone from a single barred window upon the form of Fouquet, who laid on a shoddy looking bed in agony. Having finally been captured the thief was to be charged for her actions in court the following week. Given the amount of shame she brought to nobles all over the country, she would most likely either be exiled or sentenced to death. Either way she wouldn't be in Tristain much longer.

Not that it mattered to her as the green-haired woman's focus was on enduring the pain received from the wound Ryoga carved into her skin. It still burned with a wrenching fury that left her in a weakened state.

"Damn you boy," Fouquet cursed as she clutched the bandages covering her body. She wanted to hate him. By Brimir she wanted to hate that boy so much for her being captured and leaving her in such pain, but she could only blame herself for underestimating him despite seeing his power at the academy.

At the same time a small part of her couldn't help but think back to the moment where they confronted each other at the end. She didn't understand why she spoke with him or revealed as much to him as she did. Why she said she would have told him her story had things been different. It made no logical sense since they barely knew each other.

Yet there was something about the figure named Kamishiro Ryoga that called out to her. It wasn't just the way he defended her on the wagon or the way he spoke, but something about the look in his eyes. They reminded her so much of-

"You look terrible."

Fouquet's head snapped to the cell door in alert as she spotted a black cloaked figure standing in the shadows. She didn't even hear anyone approach. She must have been in more pain than she realized if her senses were this diluted.

"Heh, it's a bit late for visiting hours, isn't it?" Fouquet joked despite her condition. The figure only gave a cold stare in response, giving the thief a chance to look over the person. Outside the cloak a white mask covered the figure's face, though from the body shape and size it was probably a man. Judging from the long wand visible beneath his cloak, he was definitely a mage.

Assassin. That was the immediate conclusion in Fouquet's mind. Some nobles she'd stolen from must have thought sentencing her in court was too much of a hassle and decided to hire someone to kill her. Heck, some of the items she'd stolen were likely stolen goods to begin with, and the families couldn't allow such truths to surface.

"Well as you can see this isn't exactly the best place to entertain someone. But somehow I don't think you're here for a cup of tea, right?" Fouquet accused, readying herself for whatever may come.

"Are you Fouquet the Crumbling Dirt?"

The figure's voice was strong and youthful, and very much non-joking.

"Not sure who gave me the nickname, but yes, I am Fouquet the Crumbling Dirt," the thief replied as she struggled to push herself up.

"Easy. I am not here to harm you. I actually have something that I would like to tell you."

"Hah. What would that be?" Fouquet asked rather surprised. "Don't tell me that you're going to speak on my defense. Good luck with that."

"I'd be more than happy to speak in your defense, my dear Matilda de Sachsen-Gotha."

Fouquet's face became completely pale. That…wasn't possible. That was a name long forgotten, rather forced to be forgotten. Nobody should be alive that should know that name. So how?

"Who are you?" Fouquet demanded, her eyes narrowed with suspicion and fear.

"My name is unimportant right now. All you need to know is I have come here to ask a question," the man said as he approached the cell doors. "Matilda, do you wish to serve Albion again?"

Fouquet lost her cool in an instant. "Never! I will never serve those who murdered my father and annexed my home!"

"Don't be mistaken," the man raised both hands to show no hostility. "No one is asking you to serve the Albion royal family. They're going to be overthrown soon."

That made the green-haired woman pause. "What do you mean?"

"A revolution is taking place. We're going to overthrow the weak and powerless Imperial family, and succeeding them will be more…capable nobles like ourselves."

"But aren't you part of Tristain's nobility?" Fouquet asked confused. The man's accent sounded to be Tristanian enough. "What has Albion's revolution got to do with you?"

"The group I am associated with is a consortium of nobles without borders. We all share a fear about Halkeginia's future, and wish to unify Halkeginia so we can regain the holy land that founder Brimir once set foot on."

Fouquet released a disbelieving scoff. "Please stop talking nonsense. If that's the case why does your 'consortium of nobles without borders' need me? I'm just a prisoner."

"We need skilled magicians now more than ever. And you happen to be very skilled," the man extended an arm through the cell bars. "Will you lend us your help, Fouquet the Crumbing Dirt?"

Fouquet laughed bitterly and leaned back against her cell walls. "Please stop dreaming. You wish to unify Halkeginia? The Kingdoms of Tristain, Germania, Albion, Gallia, and a number of smaller kingdoms which are constantly at war with each other? Unifying them would be like a midsummer night's dream," she gave another laugh. "Getting the holy land back…how would you fight against the all-powerful elves?"

For hundreds of years the holy land had been in the possession of the elves living east of Halkeginia. Countless crusades had been attempted to get back the holy land, but each failed as miserably as the last. The elves, distinguished by their distinctly pointed ears and unique culture, had long life spans and were highly proficient with magic. As such they were highly effective warriors and defeating them would be nothing short of an uphill battle.

"I have no love for nobles and I have no interest in Halkeginia. As for regaining the holy land, the elves can stay there for all I care!" Fouquet shouted, only to cringe and grasp her shoulder. She could feel warmth flow through the bandages. She probably reopened the wound again. "Wonderful."

The man in the black cloak watched for a moment before drawing out his wand. "I was told to give you a choice, Fouquet the Crumbling Dirt. Now I am giving it," he pointed the wand towards her. "Either you become our comrade or…"

"Or I would immediately perish here? Am I correct?" Fouquet finished staring at the wand.

"That is correct. Since you already know our secret, you cannot be allowed to live."

Fouquet let out a bitter and defeated laugh. "You nobles are a really conceited bunch. You'll never consider other people's feelings. To put it nicely, you're inviting me to join you, but in reality there was never a choice was there?"

The man gave his own chuckle. "Unfortunately correct."

Fouquet laid down on the bed and stared up at the ceiling. "Good luck with that then. Even if, and that's a big if, I wanted to accept, I'm not going anywhere with this injury," she motioned to the bandages covering her body.

The man stayed silent for a moment before nodding. "I see. It's a good thing we prepared for such an outcome," he said lowering his wand. He then reached into his cloak and pulled out something that made Fouquet gasp and immediately sit back up in alarm.

Resting between the cloaked man's fingers was a card that was glowing with a dark purple aura. But not just any card. It was a card exactly like the ones held by Kamishiro Ryoga.

A Duel Monsters card.

"How…" Fouquet uttered.

"What say you now? Will you join us?"

Fouquet didn't respond at first, her gaze fixed on the card. She then began to shake before her lips broke apart into an open laugh.

"Hahaha! Well now, you certainly know how to get a girl's attention," Fouquet brushed her hair aside and held her head with a grin. "Fine then. Let me be a part of your consortium. I hate people who do not know how to give orders anyways."

"Let's go then," the man pointed the card to the cell door, which began to glow in a similar aura as the card.

"Before we do, might I know the name of your organization?" Fouquet asked seductively.

"Depends. Do you really wish to join us, or are you just toying with me?"

"I just want to know the name of the organization I will work for from now on."

The cell bars dissolved into dust, allowing the man to step inside and reveal his dark smirk in the moonlight.

"The Reconquista."

---

So apparently my writing juices went into overdrive or something. Maybe they got hooked on "Write me High" because I was writing nonstop for this whole time and was able to get THIS out this quickly. Sure I had to do a lot of rearranging, rewriting, and my beta reader who is a friend helped me fix and add things but just...wow...I'm impressed with MYSELF of all people.

But yeah, new chapter. And this fast. Again I promise nothing for all my chapters but I am happy I got this to you guys this quickly. And as you can see in this chapter, many things happen. Ryoga got to have an internal look at himself and was feeling homesickness, something he never truly grasped until now. Louise got to learn about his sister and what it means to actually struggle and work for a change, and now has bonded with Ryoga in another way they relate to each other, their sisters. And as for the ending...seems things are happening in the background aren't they? *grins evilly*

Also I'm sure you guys noticed some distinct new scenes and changes from the anime...wellllll...that's because I FOUND THE LIGHT NOVELS FOR MATERIAL BABY *BEGINS CELEBRATING WITH CAT SHARK!*

That's right! I got the light novels as material now, meaning my story is now going to grow even further than before! Now because I've already been using the format of the regular Anime version, I'll probably still stick with the timeline events up to a certain point. Probably either the end of Season 1, or a little after Season 2. But with the new light novel material, I promise things are going to change FAR more than I had planned. And I. CANT. WAIT!

Also even better news! I HAVE OVER 100 FOLLOWERS! HAHAHAHAHAHA! I'M SO HAPPY LIKE YOU WOULDN'T BELIEVE!

SPECIAL THANKS TO FRANK HORRIGAN FOR BEING MY 100TH FOLLOWER! AND THANK YOU EVERYONE FOR BEING SO SUPPORTIVE!

Now onto the reviews!

ZFlame1: Funny thing, I had to have a conversation with my friend regarding this. We came to this conclusion - Return from a different dimension is a card that returns any of your monsters back to the field for 1 turn. In theory this means you are returning something that was lost in the duel and banished back to YOU. Ryoga could not use this card to return to his world because what the card would do is bring back anything that was taken from the dimension he's in now, aka Zero no Tsukaima, and bring back to the Zero no Tsukaima world.

So no, he could not use it to bring himself back. Sorry to disappoint.

gold crown dragon: Yup. Like I said, last chapter was a cool down. This one kind of was but still had stuff going on, especially with the end. Hope you liked it.

ivan0061509: Thank you :D

Catboy41: Can't say who will be summoned due to spoilers. But trust me when I say I think you and everyone else will enjoy my selections. Least I hope so. But still thank you for the support and enjoying my story.

Also the idea for Arc-V Kaito...tempting...very VERY tempting. BUT I do have Kaito planned for a different world (see chapter 16 bottom previews) I'll have to think on that.

duskrider: Glad you're enjoying the ride. As for the world gate spell, who can say. That's still a LONG ways away, but is something to consider, so keep your chin up.

xXx: XANDER CAGE? IS THAT YOU? hahaha kidding. In seriousness, thank you for the support. I wish I also had more reviews and other people follow or favorting, but I've known since the start that crossing these two worlds wouldn't get much attention. The fact that you think I've blended them so well together and made this story work though makes me happy and wanting to keep going, and I definitely will!

In regards to your comment on Derflinger, I will admit I probably should have been a bit clearer, and I apologize for that. But in retrospect, when Ryoga and Louise are in their room together, that usually means Cat Shark and Derflinger will be there as well unless specified otherwise. I'll be more careful for the future though.

Omega Porunga: SURPRISE! UPDATED SOON! haha. But yeah, I'm glad you enjoyed what I put down. And while the lax period will still be on for a little while, as you see things will start picking up VERY quickly, so keep your eyes open.

Frank Horrigan: Hahaha, I see. Well thank you for the support and hope you enjoyed the chapter.

Guest: Thank you for the support dude. I however do have something to mention. First don't worry about me not knowing Ryoga's cards. Since I'm using him at the end of ZEXAL I know his whole deck and strategy, so no need for worry. As for your advice, my friends believe you were trying to be a troll, but I believe you are sincerely trying to help. However I think you misunderstood something regarding what's going on.

Right now Ryoga's deck is staying towards his human deck before he became a Barian. Meaning I will be sticking mostly with the cards he has owned and used. This doesn't mean new cards won't show up, cause they will, but adding random cards like Soul Charge without good reasoning wouldn't make sense storywise. I may involve it somewhere down the line, but not unless I come up with a good reason. Sorry.

In regards to Instant Fusion, while designed and used in meta gaming for Xyz Summoning, uses Fusion Monsters. Ryoga is a straight full Xyz User. He doesn't use Fusion. Therefore adding that single card for that single purpose would not make any logical sense or reasoning.

As for the third combo, there are three big logical flaws. One: Ryoga uses sea creatures, not really amphibians, though I may add them. Two: Mochi Toad (Toadally Awesome) is not exactly something in Ryoga's style of Dueling. Three: Mochi Toad is "Frog" support. Ryoga is a "Shark" user. Kind of a big difference in animals. And final flaw: 47 is a Numbers. Because of what happened in the time Ryoga was taken, he doesn't have the Numbers. Astral has them all. Meaning no 47 is appearing.

I do appreciate your help and advice, but I believe you were doing so from a Metagaming perspective. This story doesn't follow that style of Dueling. I apologize, but I do appreciate you trying to help.

Well that's everything everyone. Hope you enjoyed this chapter. I can't say when the next one will come out since...well I did go insanely fast with this one. But I hope I'll be just as efficient. And if not, I at least hope I'll be able to make you all enjoy it when it DOES show.

Until next time! *Cat Shark waves goodbye*

TrueHeartKnight