Kenshin & Familiar Of Zero: The Wandering Familiar
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I do not own Familiar Of Zero or Rorouni Kenshin/Samurai X
AN: Hello again to everyone reading my story, and thank you to the people that have left me reviews.
Getting into a new arc.
*Action*
"Dialogue"
'Inner thoughts'
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Chapter Fourteen
The Calm Before The Storm
Outside of the Tristan Palace.
Kenshin casually walks towards where the stables are located. As he walks, he takes in all of the stuff going on around him. He can hear the sound of warriors training in the background. Guards go back and forth. There was plenty of light outside because it was only a partially cloudy day.
'This morning would be a good time to venture out to the nearby city. Miss Tabitha and Miss Henrietta have much to discuss, that they do. Maybe I will even run into that blue-haired girl again.'
His calm musing are slightly taken away as he hears someone running his direction from behind him. He turns his head slightly to the side and he sees Agnes coming his way from the corner of his eye.
He stops and turns. She stops within a few feet of him. He fully turns to her.
"Is there something I can do for you, Miss Agnes?"
She gives him a slight nod out of courtesy.
"There is something you can do for me. You can train me in your style of fighting."
He could hear anger and urgency in her voice as she asks.
"I refuse."
"What!" She practically shouts.
"I refuse."
"I know what you said, but you didn't even hear me out."
"I don't need to, that I don't."
He could tell that this frustrated her to no end as she grits her teeth.
"I am not a master."
"Even if you're not, you could still teach me what you know. I want to know how to take down my enemies like the way you do."
"That may be so, but I still refuse. Outside of what I have already told about whom my fighting style should be used for, there is something about you. You are holding anger in your heart. Anger like what you seem to be holding, along with my fighting style, would turn you into a monster."
"I'm fine!" She angrily shouts at him."
"That right there, Miss Agnes, Proves my point. I am not sure what is eating at your heart, that I don't. But, you need to figure it out. If there is something I can do to help you, then I will. I refuse to teach you though. I do think well of you though. Through the short time we have known each other and spent time together, I have grown respect for you and might even consider you a friend."
"Just not enough to teach me."
"I am sorry, that I am. I have learned a lot from my past. I was warned by my master when I fought in a war against a corrupt government. I was also used to make assassinations by a person I thought I could trust."
Steam practically comes out of her ears, but she also takes in what he said. She doesn't say anything despite all of the retorts that run through her head.
"However, because of how I feel about you, I may be will to give you and your musketeers some pointers with your own techniques if you desire."
She crosses her arms and taps an index finger against her arm as she gives it a thought for a moment. She lets out a small huff.
"Very well, Mr. Himura. That would be nice. Thank you."
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Kenshin sees Sylphid as he approaches the stables. She sees him and sits up for him as he approaches. He could see some of the scratches that she had gotten from her fight with the griffon. He examines the claw marks along her face. He also takes a look at the bite mark on her left leg that she also seems to be favoring slightly.
"Hello there. I was thinking of going to the city, but maybe I shouldn't bother. I would hate to take you out in this condition. I know that you went through a lot yesterday with that fight. I am sorry for that. I am really glad that you showed up though. I might not have gotten him if it was not for you."
She nudges her head against him. He smiles and strokes her head while she does this. Afterward, he goes to turn and walk away, but she stops him by nipping at the back of his collar. His eyes go wide in surprise.
"Oro?" He lets out.
'I am not letting you get away that easily. I might be a little wounded, ut that just means you're going to have to take me out.'
She pulls him back toward her and she lets go. He turns around and puts his hands on his hips while looking at her.
"You wish to go out?"
She nods.
'This dragon is a strange one, that she is.'
"Alright."
He notices a bag dangling from her neck like a necklace.
"I wonder what's in that bag. Maybe it'll give me a clue as to who you are."
After saying that aloud, he goes to reach for it.
She evades.
He goes to reach for it again.
She evades again.
"I guess you really don't want me seeing what's in there, that you don't."
She nods.
'I could just cut the rope of it, but I will leave it be. I guess even a dragon has things it wishes to keep private. Very well.'
He goes to get on her, and she allows him.
"You know, I do not know your name, perhaps we should come up with one."
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After getting to the city and taking care of things at the stables, Kenshin finds himself wandering around the city streets.
It doesn't take long before a blue-haired girl with a cloak to approach him.
"Well now. This is a surprise." He says to her.
As he says that to her, he gats a glance at her face within the hood and notices a few cuts along her cheek.
"Oh, my. Are you alright, Miss Sylphid?"
'Oh crap.' She thinks as she raises up her left hand to her face.
As quickly as she does that, she winces from the pain in her wrist. He quickly notices that her wounds seem to be in similar spots to the dragon's wounds.
'No. There is no way. Dragons don't turn into humans.' He muses.
"I will ask again. Are you alright, Miss Sylphid? Those wounds look pretty nasty."
"I suppose they do. They do kind of hurt, but I'll be fine."
"We should get those checked out, that we should."
"It should be fine. I really want to hang out with you. Wait, maybe you should take me out somewhere because you feel sorry for me. Yes."
He crosses his arms.
"That is very assuming of you, that it is."
She pouts and looks away.
"Do you want me to leave you alone then?" She asks with a slightly disappointed tone.
"I would not live with myself if I left you like this."
She looks back to him and smiles.
"Perhaps we can go find something to do, but only after we get you checked out. Let us find a doctor."
She pouts.
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The two of them come out from a small building for a local doctor and she now has some bandages around her wrist. The area where the scratches were at on her face look a little cleaner as well.
"I am glad you came across me. I had only just gotten into town, that I did."
'I suppose I should have waited a little longer, but I just couldn't wait.' She muses.
"I am glad that animal didn't do anything worse. You should be careful when going outside of the city."
"I get it. So, what are we going to do now.?" She asks to quickly change the topic.
She latches onto his left arm with right one and leans against him.
"What are you doing?"
"Just give into me a little and spoil me. I'm hurt, remember?"
He sighs.
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After wandering around a little, the two of them find themselves at the enchanted fairy. Jessica notices them and makes sure to personally go up to them.
"I see that you came back, and you are here with your friend, too. Is your wrist okay? It's all bandaged up."
"Yes, it'll be okay. He took me to a doctor. I'm a quick healer, too." Sylphid replies to Jessica.
"Well that's good. What can we get for you here at the enchanted fairy today? Would you like the meal of the day?"
"I'm sure that'll be fine. I would also like some wine." Says Kenshin.
"Coming right up."
It doesn't take long for their food and his wine to come.
"Hey, Kenshin?"
"Yes?" He asks after taking a drink of his wine.
"Could you cut my food up for me?"
He decides to cut it normally for her.
As they start to eat, he overhears a couple of men talking to each other.
"Hey, did you hear about Albion?"
'Albion. That's the place where Henrietta was going to send a letter to for that guy names Wales.'
"What?"
"I heard that is some crazy stuff going on over there."
"You mean about people trying hunt down the prince?"
"I heard that there is another faction that's going against Reconquista. Do you think it could be another faction helping out the Prince?"
The drunk man waves off his friend.
"Nah. It's probably some inner struggle or some crap like that. You know how all those political groups are. They're never all on the same page and they're all crooked."
They both laugh and clink their drinks together.
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After eating, Kenshin and Sylphid are walking together outside.
"Hey, Kenshin?"
"Yes?"
"I don't wish to pry, but who are you? Where are you from?"
"I am a wanderer, that I am."
"That's a load of crap, Kenshin. You do seem to not be from around here, but you aren't just some wanderer. I've seen you do too many things for just some wanderer. Yes."
He smiles.
"That's a pretty bold statement, that it is. What if I was some kind of mean nasty person that would just kill you for knowing who I might be?"
She shakes her head.
"Someone who would save a child like the way you did, couldn't be that kind of a person."
"I suppose that is a good deduction."
"I'm not trying to ask for a lot. I just want to know a little bit about the person that's been so nice to me and everyone around him. Yes."
He strokes his chin a little.
"Believe it or not, I am a wanderer. It's just that my wandering happened to bring me far from home."
"Are you some kind of warrior?"
"I suppose you could say that I once was."
"I think that you still might be. I bet you were to that little girl and her mother. Those men you fought off probably think so, too."
'Probably that blue-haired girl as well.' She also muses to herself.
"I don't really think of it that way, that I don't."
She shrugs.
"I like how you're not a noble, but yet you still show no fear to stand up to one."
"I stand up for my beliefs and what I feel is right."
She gives him a cheeky smile.
"I think that makes you even more handsome that what you already are."
He gets a slight blush.
"You flatter me, that you do."
"You deserve it. What about that scar of yours? How did you get it?"
He lightly touches it and his face gets slightly sullen.
"I'm sorry. Did I bring something bad up?"
"It is not for you to worry yourself over. This is the reason why I live my life the way I do. How about you? Why don't you tell me about yourself?"
'I would like to know a little more, but it must be something pretty bad if he changed his attitude like that. No matter. I see him for who he is now. Well, I did see him all bloodied. So, saying that doesn't really help much. But he did take out someone pretty bad though from what I gathered.'
"I suppose that would be fair." She replies.
'I suppose it's still not quite time to tell him that I am a dragon and I've been the one helping him out. Yes.' She muses.
"You could say that I am on a journey to find my life-long partner. There have been some pretty slim pickings though. I also want to eat all kinds of food. There is so much great food out there."
She emphasizes that last part throwing her hands in the air spread out.
This elicits a little bit of a lough from Kenshin.
"You certainly do like your food. How are you going to buy all of that food?"
"Well, that has been a little bit of a problem."
"Are there no places for you to work? What about that place that we just ate at?"
She crosses her arms.
"No way. You should already know that that is not a line of work for me, even though they do have good food. My job would be over pretty quickly as soon as one of those men would lay their creepy eyes on me."
"I suppose that is true, that it is. I probably shouldn't have even suggested it. Maybe you could work for the palace in Galia for Princess Charlotte."
She laughs.
"Yeah, right. You do realize how far away that is? You act like you know her."
'I've got to fib a little. Yes. I know he does, but he doesn't know that I know.' She tells herself.
"And what if I did?"
"Well, maybe I'll just show up there and say 'Hey, this Kenshin guy told me to come here.'"
He laughs.
'I bet Claire would like the help.' He muses.
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At the Palace in Galia.
Claire was dusting off a table when all of a sudden, she sneezes.
"Oh my, where did that come from?"
Then she ponders on it and her eyes go wide.
"Oh, no. He isn't talking about me, is he?"
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After coming back from his little trip, his presence was requested by Tabitha and Henrietta. He goes into a private study where there is a large desk, bookshelves lining one of the walls. There are also two couches in the room across from one another with a large coffee table between them.
He could visibly tell Henrietta was very upset. Her eyes were slightly red from crying and she was sniffling a little bit. When she sees him, she tries to calm herself down.
"Should I come back another time?" He asks politely.
"No. Please come in." Henrietta says to him.
"What is the matter?"
"She is worried about her cousin."
"I had heard some news while I was out about another group causing problems in Albion. Would this have something to do with that?"
Tabitha nods.
"This is troublesome though. I do not recall reading anything about this in my uncle's notes."
"Perhaps this is something that has arisen since his death." Proposes the battousai.
"That is possible." Replies Tabitha.
"What do we know?"
"It looks like my uncle was going to have Reconquista take over once Wales was killed."
Henrietta looks away from the both of them when Tabitha says this to try to hide her face. Her words hit Henrietta's heart pretty heavily.
"A man named Cromwell was going to take over Albion. It also looked like my uncle had another plan though. After Cromwell took over, he was eventually going to have him killed as well and have his familiar, Sheffield take over."
"Another human familiar?" Kenshin questions.
Tabitha nods.
"What happens when the person who created the bond dies?" Kenshin asks.
"The familiar loses the bond. That is all."
"Hmmm." Mutters Kenshin.
"Kenshin?" Tabitha utters softly.
"Yes, Miss Tabi-Charlotte?"
His sentence generates a small laugh from Henrietta.
"Still can't get past calling her Tabitha?"
He scratches the back of his head and chuckles slightly himself.
"I had it pretty stuck in my head, that I did."
Then he looks to Tabitha.
"We were probably going to have to go to Albion to take care of this. That is, unless you do not wish to go with me." The blue-haired princess says to him.
"As I have said before, I will be with you through this. Actually. I would suggest that you stay here."
"You aren't really trying to tell me to stay here while you do the dirty work again, do you?"
"Yes."
"Denied." She quickly retorts.
"Albion is no place for either of you to go. In fact, that is probably what they would want. Think about what would happen if Reconquista or this other possible group could do if they got their hands on either of you."
Many horrible thoughts come to both of the princess' heads.
"I still do not like this. This all my uncle's underhanded work. I should be the one to take care of the problems that he has caused."
"I would never forgive myself if something would happen to you over there. Besides, the two of you should figure out a backup strategy. If Reconquista, or this other faction succeeds over there, then the two of you may need to ban together against them."
Tears begin to form again around Henrietta's eyes at the thought of Wales possibly dying. She steadies herself long enough to speak to Kenshin.
"Couldn't I at least send some help with you."
'Maybe I could send Saito and Louise.' Henrietta thinks to herself.
"I will take that idea into consideration, but you already know that I work alone."
Tabitha Glares at him angrily as conflicted thoughts run back and forth in her head.
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A/N: Thank you for reading another chapter of my fanfiction.
Here is a list of my other stories
My 'Monster Musume: Smith Loves His Coffee' story is at chapter 3 (Sequel to Drago's Quest)
My 'History's Strongest Devil Disciple Kenichi' story is at chapter 23
My 'Kenichi: Not Just Her Disciple' story is at chapter 11 - Complete
My 'Monster Musume: Drago's Quest' story is at chapter 4 - Complete
My 'Familiar Of Zero: Saving Grace' story is at Chapter 79 - Complete
My 'Teknoman And A Succubus' story is at chapter 7