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.

33. Love Sickness and a Prayer Book

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

---

Several days after Ryoga and Louise returned to the academy, the marriage between Princess Henrietta and the Germanian Emperor Albrecht III was officially announced. The ceremony would take place the following month, before the conclusion of the military alliance. While the initial alliance was now set in stone, its conclusion was to be held in Germania's capital of Vindobon, where the letter of agreement was to be signed by the Tristain prime minister, Cardinal Mazarin.

The day after the announcement of the marriage, a new Albion government was officially established, with Cromwell being named as the First Emperor of the Kingdom of Albion. Almost instantly, tensions sparked between the three countries, but Cromwell sent a special envoy to Tristain and Germania in order to sign a non-aggression pact. The two countries held a conference over the offer, and reluctantly agreed that even with their combined air force they still could not oppose Albion's more powerful fleet. Without much of an alternative, they agreed to the non-aggression pact, even with it feeling like a dagger pointed at their necks doing so.

Still, this offer was the best they could hope for.

However, peace was established in Halkeginia only on the surface. Politicians could not sleep day or night, and it wasn't just the nobles feeling this way. The commoners too tensely awaited each day, wondering what the future held in store next.

Tristain's Academy of Magic was no exception, though for certain individuals, the reasons were a tad different than one would expect.

---

Ryoga blinked a couple of times. Surprise openly showed across his face, linked with the confusion of a man who heard something so ridiculously impossible it couldn't be real.

"What?"

"C-Could you..." Louise's eyes refused to meet his own as she rubbed her hands together nervously. "Could you stay inside while I get changed?"

"…"

Okay, he hadn't misheard. Nobody could blame him for double checking.

It was still early in the morning when he finished getting changed and returned from filling a wash basin Louise owned, just in time for her to start waking up. Not being much of a morning riser, she sometimes liked to clean her face off in the basin to properly awaken. The exception to this was when something major was happening that snapped her to full readiness: the journey to Albion being a prime example.

Louise usually filled the basin herself since Ryoga wasn't her familiar and the academy servants were preoccupied with other things during this time. Occasionally the Duelist went out of his way to do it for her, like now for instance. He didn't have to, and it wasn't like Louise could force him, but he didn't mind if he felt in the mood. And with the two of them still recuperating from the aftermath at Albion, his mood leaned more towards helping whenever he could, both as a way of repairing their relationship and to try and be nicer.

That however did not explain what he heard. Every morning, whether Louise finished washing her face or not - which if she did, Cat Shark would clean up the mess afterwards since she tended to splatter water everywhere - Ryoga would leave the room and wait outside while she got changed. That's how it always went.

This time though as he headed for the door, Louise called to him and made the...baffling request that ground his feet to a halt.

"...Are you sick or something?" The former Barian finally asked after a minute or so. Louise's head lifted at the question.

"Huh?"

"Do you feel lightheaded? You didn't knock yourself against the headrest last night, did you? Tell me you at least didn't drink anything odd again."

"Wha- o-of course not!" Louise gave Ryoga an annoyed glare. "As if I would be that careless! Don't be stupid!"

"Given last time, I should be the one saying that. Why the heck would I want to watch you change?"

Louise's eyes grew wide as saucers as a bright shade of red blew up across her face and her mouth hung agape. "I-I-I didn't say to watch!" She shouted loudly. Ryoga imagined it probably woke up anybody still sleeping. She then spun around to hide her flustered state and threw an arm back to point a finger at the purple-clad teen. "D-Don't misunderstand! I-I just want you to stay here in case something happens!"

"Something happens...?" Ryoga deadpanned. His arms crossed over his chest as he shook his head. "What could possibly happen inside your own room that you need me to be here for? I'd literally be outside the door ready to barge if that was even the case."

"I-I don't know! But you need to stay regardless!"

Ryoga rolled his eyes. It was too early in the day to deal with this level of ridiculousness. He went to leave again only to find himself being stopped once more. This time by a pair of small hands clasping tightly over his.

"Wait." Louise's voice suddenly dipped into a low and shaky quality, catching Ryoga's attention. He looked back and saw her trembling as her head hung toward the floor, causing her bangs to block her face from view. "Please, don't go. I...I don't want to be alone right now."

Ryoga's expression softened.

Of course, Albion again.

Since the morning after their return, Louise's personality and attitude took a noticeable shift. The usual aggressiveness and pride she carried had dampened considerably, replaced with a much softer and more mellowed version of the noble girl. She was also far more docile and awkward with him, which was hardly a surprise after their talk the other day, and had begun treating him far more kindly than before. It was an odd change to be sure, but not unexpected given all she experienced.

With the change in attitude alongside being back in the secure environment of the school, Louise was starting to recover from the events that happened on the floating continent. It was a slow and steady process, but she was becoming more accepting over the tragedies.

That did not mean she was over the trauma it caused her.

Whenever she left her room her eyes were constantly in motion, searching for any signs of danger. She also stayed closer to his side when they walked together. Rather than be ahead of him like usual, she now placed herself either directly next to him or a little behind him. This was especially seen anytime there was a loud noise or somebody unexpectedly appeared from around a corner. Louise would immediately jump and draw herself right up against his back in fright. Some students who saw this found it silly or even cute, but only because they were ignorant of the cause behind it.

Then there were the nightmares. The former king was alerted to them by the commotion Louise would make. Just the previous night he was roused by her horrified screaming. Apparently she had been dreaming of the horrible things Wardes did to her, only the outcome was worse as she saw Ryoga die in front of her and Wardes mocked her further with his dead body. A gruesome and twisted nightmare to be sure.

Too scared to go back to sleep after that, Ryoga and Cat Shark stayed up with Louise on the bed and comforted her. Eventually, she was lulled back to sleep, but they remained at her side throughout the night just to be safe.

"Did she have another one?" The ocean-eyed teen wondered. If she did, he wasn't made aware of it. Last night consisted of no screams or panicked sounds, and Cat Shark would have woken him up if something did happen since it had better hearing. Either Louise had a peaceful sleep or she managed to keep quiet on it and wasn't telling him, probably to not worry him further.

A nice sentiment, but that ship had long sailed.

This kind of fear and mental trauma was one he personally confronted many times. He knew it could only be healed with time and patience, as well as the support of others. And right now the biggest support she had was himself, and he didn't plan on changing that anytime soon.

With a small sigh Ryoga removed his hand from Louise's grip and turned to her fully. "Fine. I'll stay."

Louise's head snapped up fast enough to induce whiplash. "Eh?"

"Don't make me repeat myself. And don't expect this to be the new normal. It's only for the time being. Now hurry up and get changed already."

Louise blinked once before slowly producing a big smile to Ryoga, seeming much happier and relaxed now that he agreed to stay. She rushed to her closet and started removing her nightgown, only to halt midway and look back at the Duelist. With a small squeak she grabbed her bed sheets and brought them up to cover herself. "F-Face that way and don't turn around!"

"Like I need you to tell me that!" With a grunt Ryoga moved to the corner of the room near his bed and faced the wall. His eyelids clamped shut for extra security. Last thing he needed was some stupid accident to make Louise angrier.

"Mrrow mrrow?" He heard echo to his right, sensing Cat Shark float next to him.

"I have no idea." Honestly, this girl's constant fluctuation with her emotions never ceased to baffle him, just like Yuma's unpredictable nature.

"Maybe it's that time of year for her?" Derflinger suggested helpfully from his hip. Ryoga snorted, knowing that wasn't it, but still having to hold back from laughing less Louise heard him.

Although come to think of it, this was the first time Louise actively told him to look away, wasn't it? Normally she didn't care about being seen. In fact, during the earlier parts of their time together she openly changed in front of him, despite the numerous times he told her not to. Something about not needing to think anything over being watched by a familiar, even if he was only pretending to be one.

She had thankfully toned it down since then - around the time of the Fouquet incident - now only changing minor pieces of clothes while he was around, such as socks or an extra shirt. Anything major like a full change or undergarments and he left the room, no questions asked or arguments made.

He chalked up another mark of the behavior to whatever nightmare Louise must have had. If it weren't for that he would definitely refuse to stay. Maybe some other teenage boys would find the fantasy of Louise getting changed right behind them alluring and forbidden, but not him. If anything, the most he would compare it to the times Rio got changed in the same room as him.

And no, that did not imply anything. Any idiot or pervert who thought otherwise would receive a one way ticket down Bahamut Shark's gullet.

---

The oddities didn't end at the dorm room. Rather they only seemed to continue upon reaching the doors of the Alviss Dining Hall for breakfast.

Cat Shark curiously watched its master and Louise from the side of the path leading to the dining hall. Usually by now it and its master would have arrived at the servant kitchen and obtained their meals from the nice Siesta girl. They would then eat alongside the other familiars and wait until Louise was finished.

This time however, just as they were about to head off, Louise took hold of Ryoga's jacket and said he would be joining her inside. He tried to refuse, but Louise was adamant and tried dragging him into the hall, to which he began resisting her efforts.

That was the scene currently presented before Cat Shark.

Personally the Xyz didn't mind the idea of going inside to eat, given the aroma of flavors already seeping from the open doorway. But in the end, it would always side with its master's wishes, even if its stomach wrenched at the grievous notion of missing out on many delectable treats. Although it did find the decision strange since its master ate inside the hall with Louise just a few days ago.

Humans were weird sometimes.

"Seriously, why is she being so stubborn about this?" Ryoga thought as he tried to pry Louise's grip off the edge of his jacket sleeve, but to no avail as her fingers were curled tightly against it. It wasn't helped by her constant pulling.

Past her, he saw several students and servants walk by to enter the hall, each one observing the display with oddity and confusion. Ryoga could hear them whispering among themselves and was already picturing the jumpstart of fresh rumors and gossip that would soon circle the academy. Add another check to that list of current problems he carried.

"Why is this such a big deal?" He asked the noble girl holding him. "I eat outside all the time. Better than spending time with a bunch of bratty kids. I actually like it out there," he said, hoping the reminder would garner an answer. A simple nightmare shouldn't be pushing Louise to where she needed him every second of the day. Even if she'd been sticking closer to him than usual, it had yet to be this bad. There must be some other reason for it.

Louise bit her lip. "E-Even so…"

"Even so?"

She thought for a bit before selecting her choice of words. "I-I want to give you proper meals now. That way you don't have to go off scavenging for scraps somewhere else. S-So…" She turned away, a heat crawling up her cheeks. "So from now on, eat at the table with me. Okay?"

Ryoga was momentarily dumbfounded. Any theory involving whatever dream or nightmare Louise experienced last night was now dumped out the window. Had this just been another way of her trying to be nicer to him? By allowing him to eat in the dining hall where larger portions of food lay?

That was...admittedly a nice offer.

But completely unnecessary.

He ate plenty thanks to Siesta and Marteau, and made it perfectly clear how he preferred eating away from the other students. It prevented potential troubles from popping up, like say another Guiche scenario. Plus the familiars, while clingy in their own ways, knew to give him space and privacy when he needed it. So while the offer was generous, it was something Louise didn't need to fuss over.

Ryoga prepared to decline the offer again, however the words halted in his throat when he looked at Louise. Her eyes darted back and forth between him and the ground, while her lower lip was squeezed between her teeth and her cheeks were puffed out. There was also a slight quiver to her form, which he could feel from how much tighter the grip her fingers became. Overall it gave her a very bashful and meek appearance.

"...She's really trying, isn't she?"

The sight was cute as it was telling about how much the pinkette wanted him to say yes. It probably took a lot of her pride and confidence just to present the offer. Anybody could see it.

Which is why he now knew he couldn't ignore it. Despite the troubles anchored with it, he couldn't look past how hard she was trying to make things up to him. He would be quite the bastard if he did.

Well, more of a bastard anyways.

"Alright, I get it," he said, accepting his defeat. "Let's just hurry up with this. I don't feel like missing out on breakfast today."

As if matching his words there was a slight noise from the Duelist's stomach. Louise paid it no mind, her worries having vanished the instant she received his acceptance. Delivering another bright smile like the one back in her room, she didn't give him a second more to reconsider and tugged him toward the dining hall, this time finding no resistance as he followed. Cat Shark saw this and flew right behind them.

The trio entered the hall and walked past the other students and tables until they reached Louise's usual spot. She sat down and motioned for Ryoga to take the chair next to her.

"Come on, sit down quickly," she instructed, trying to hide the tiny bit of giddiness mixing into her voice. Ryoga took the seat as Cat Shark casually laid against the cool ground behind him.

Looks of surprise flashed across the surrounding students who saw this. They continued the whispers they started outside, wondering what was going on with the Zero and her familiar. One student in particular, a stout and chubby looking boy with blonde hair and blue eyes named Malicorne, gawked at them in disbelief before approaching.

"Hey, Louise, that's my seat. Why are you letting your familiar sit on it?"

Louise glared at Malicorne. "If you don't have a seat, then just go get a chair."

"Don't play around with me! Letting a familiar sit down while I have to go get a chair? That's just wrong!" Malicorne turned to Ryoga. "Hey, familiar, piss off! That's my seat. This is a dining table for nob-!"

Ryoga's eyes snapped at him.

"Eek!" Malicorne flinched back fearfully. He had tried to look intimidating, but had really been trembling and covered in cold sweat when he tried telling off the boy in purple. This was, after all, the legendary familiar who defeated Guiche and caught Fouquet, and was apparently a fallen noble of some kind.

"Hey!" Louise shouted as her hands slapped the tabletop, making the other noble jump. "Leave him alone. It's my decision to have him eat with me, and I'll have him sit here as long as I want! If you don't like it then find somewhere else to sit, otherwise shut up and grab a chair!"

"B-But that's-"

Louise grabbed Malicorne by the collar. "IS THAT UNDERSTOOD!?"

Terrified, he dropped his act and nodded his head repeatedly. "Y-Yes!"

"Yes what?"

"Y-Yes ma'am!"

Malicorne rushed off without another protest. With an unconcerned look, Louise sat back down. The whispering intensified, but she ignored them all and waited for the prayer time before the meals started.

Glancing over to Ryoga, she was surprised to see him watching her intently. "W-Why are you looking at me like that?"

"I did warn you," was the reply she got from him.

Louise crossed her arms and huffed. "I won't let anybody else decide whether I have you eat with me or not."

"I guess. Still, you didn't have to do that. I could have handled him."

"Y-Yeah well…" Louise looked away shyly. "I wanted to."

Ryoga said nothing to that, allowing the two of them to wait until the usual prayer proceeded and breakfast commenced.

---

Upon entering the first classroom of the day, Louise was quickly surrounded by her classmates. As it turned out, Kirche was not the only one to have witnessed the initial spectacle of Wardes arriving at the school gates and then departing with Louise and the others.

It wasn't exactly a quiet scene, so a great many number of students had caught sight of it. This kicked up rumors that Louise went on a dangerous journey and had accomplished some incredible feats during her absence. Now everybody was eager to know what happened, and only refrained themselves from asking her during breakfast due to the presence of the teachers.

"Hey, just where did you all go, Louise?" Montmorency was the first to initiate the inquiry. Having last seen Louise when she drank the antidote to the love potion, the blonde was left hanging on what happened to her, Guiche, and Katie when they disappeared the next morning. It was only due to the other students informing her of what they saw that she learned anything about it.

For days she waited without explanation, causing her nerves and anxiety to rise. Then when they finally did come back, Guiche greeted her with his casual cheeriness, acting as if nothing had changed at all. He even flirted with another female student right in front of her.

He should have known better.

It was after she stomped off and left him on the ground in tears from her shouting that she realized she forgot to ask why he left in the first place. She was at least glad to see Louise had made a full recovery from the love potion, but that didn't tell her anything else.

"You can't disappear like that and expect us to not want answers. We deserve at least something."

Louise kept her eyes down on the paper she was writing notes in. No matter how hard her classmates pushed and pulled, she refused to acknowledge them. They couldn't extract anything out of her.

Ryoga stayed quiet as well, though that was in part of the students being too afraid to approach him. Not that he would have said anything if they tried. Their commotion did however draw up a minor concern. Not for himself or Louise, but Katie, who he imagined might be going through something similar right now.

As a first-year, her classes were held in different rooms than the ones Louise attended. And unlike Louise, she had nobody to defend her from the pestering students. Ryoga mentally noted to check up on her the next chance he got just to make sure she was okay. And maybe make a threat or two.

Seeing how they weren't getting anywhere, the students eventually switched their target to Guiche, who just appeared at the class entrance.

"Hey, Guiche!" Montmorency grasped his arm and fluttered her eyes at him. "You left with Louise too. When you were absent from class, where did you go?" She asked while putting on as much charm as she could. She would not allow her temper to get the better of her this time.

Guiche, who liked being surrounded and fussed over, especially from his darling Montmorency, got carried away as expected. "You want to ask me, right? You want to know the secrets I know? Ahaha, what a troubled little rabbit!"

The other students perked up in excitement, only for Louise to break through the crowd and smack Guiche over the head.

"Ow!" Guiche grabbed his head in pain.

"What do you think you're doing!?" Louise berated him. "You'll be hated by the princess if you say anything, Guiche!"

That made the noble boy freeze, imagining the look of disappointment Princess Henrietta would give him. He glanced between Montmorency and Louise in debate before reluctantly pulling away from his fellow blonde and taking his seat, much to Montmorency's shock.

The classmates grew even more suspicious upon seeing this. They surrounded Louise yet again with more pestering.

"Louise! Louise! What actually happened?"

"Come on, tell us!"

Louise's eye twitched, indicating her rising temper. She took a deep breath before speaking. "Nothing at all. Old Osmond just sent me to the palace on an errand, that's all. Right, Guiche?"

Guiche nodded, his facial muscles tightening to keep his mouth sealed shut. Seeing that neither of the two were willing to speak, the classmates begrudgingly returned to their seats in defeat. Like a group of sore losers, they scowled at Louise and started muttering angrily about her.

"It's probably nothing important anyway."

"Yeah, it's Louise the Zero we're talking about here. I can't imagine what great feat she could possibly accomplish when she can't even use magic."

"If anything, her familiar was probably the one who did all the work. He at least has some talent."

Montmorency, still stunned by Guiche dismissing her and now irritated by the lack of information, joined in on the comments as she tossed back her curly hair. "Hmph, so much for worrying about you," she directed straight at Louise. "I shouldn't be surprised. When it comes to you, the only results that come out of it are you making things worse. Catching Fouquet must have only been a fluke, with your familiar just accidentally drawing out the power of the Rune of Destruction."

Louise bit her lip tightly, wearing an annoyed expression while still keeping silent. Seeing this, Montmorency walked off back to her seat. While not completely satisfied, she felt better now than before.

SHINK!

"Aah!"

Montmorency let out a startled yelp as something streaked right past her head, causing her to fall backwards and crash butt-first against the hard floor. The commotion drew the class' attention, them seeing her wince and rub her now pained rear.

"Ow! What in the world!?" She complained while searching for whatever almost hit her. It didn't take long to locate the perpetrator, yet upon doing so, Montmorency paled.

There, embedded in her seat, was a small and familiar rectangular object. One she distinctly recalled having a similar experience with in her room not too long ago.

"Sorry. My hand slipped."

Montmorency's head swiveled and found Ryoga, who was now standing over her. Anything she might have prepared to say died against the icy tundra gaze he emitted.

The two water users stared at each other without a word. Ryoga tilted his head to the chair, then back to Montmorency. As if understanding, the noble hastily crawled back away from him. He moved past her and retrieved the card he tossed; it being, of course, Big Jaws.

Montmorency gulped in recollection of the boy's threat to feed her to the familiar if she didn't cure Louise.

Seeing his message delivered, Ryoga pocketed the card and walked away. As the other students watched him, they had the same collective conscious thought about his cards.

"What are those things made out of!?"

Ryoga returned to his own seat and sat down, not noticing how Louise was looking at him with awe. Her cheeks warmed as she prepared to say something, only to stop when Professor Colbert entered the classroom. Quietly she took her seat next to Ryoga, trying to keep her face to the side to hide her blushing.

"Well, everyone, let's get started with today's lesson," Colbert addressed the students, sounding quite chipper as he stood at his desk. A stark contrast compared to when he first learned Fouquet had escaped prison.

The initial assumption that somebody within the castle helped break her out was a serious affair. He was frightened over it constantly and had remained on guard for any sudden activity. Then just the other day Osmond informed him of Miss Valliere and Mister Ryoga's trip to Albion, where he learned there was indeed a traitor in the form of Lord Wardes. To think one of the most well-known and respected members of the Mage Guard would be an enemy in disguise! How horrible!

But after Osmond told him that Wardes had been handled and that everyone who left the school was safe, the bald professor became relaxed and returned to his normal self. While the problems of Albion still lurked in the background, he was a man of knowledge, history, and research first, and left politics to the politicians. That was why he liked lessons so much. He could freely state the results of his research in an open-minded environment.

Which was why to open his lesson, he placed something strange on top of his desk.

It was some kind of machine composed of a long metallic tube with a metallic pipe stretching out of it. A pair of bellows connected to the pipe, while a crank was attached to the head of the cylinder and a wheel on the side of the cylinder. Finally, several gears were attached to the wheel and the box.

"Mr. Colbert, what's that?" One student asked as everyone focused on the object, wondering what sort of lesson was about to follow.

Colbert cleared his throat as he began his lecture. "Firstly, who can tell me the main characteristics of the fire branch of magic?"

All heads turned to a specific spot in the classroom, only to find an empty pair of seats. These were the spots Kirche and Tabitha usually occupied, since if one was speaking about fire magic, the redhead from Germania was the best person to reference. Unfortunately, both girls had yet to return from La Rochelle, leaving the classroom without an easy option.

"Anybody wish to try and guess?"

Montmorency raised her hand. "Wouldn't it just be destruction, sir?"

Colbert stiffened, his brows tightening as a small frown marred his face. The reaction was masked before anyone could notice. "Correct, however that is not the only characteristic. Passion too is connected with fire. But I think aside from that, being able to destroy is a bit lonely. It's all about the usage, everyone. Depending on how you use it, you can actually do some really fun things. Fire is not only for destruction, Miss Montmorency. A battlefield is not the only place where you will see it."

"Yes, sir. But you still have not explained what that thing you have is," Montmorency said while pointing to the object.

"Hehe. So you finally asked." Colbert adjusted his glasses with a smile. "This is something I invented. A mechanism that works by using oil and fire magic to cause a special reaction."

The students gaped, having never heard of something so strange. They stared at the object with newfound intensity as Colbert moved closer to demonstrate.

"First, we vaporize the oil in the bellows." Colbert stepped repeatedly on the bellows with his foot to start the process. "And then, the vaporized oil will go into this cylindrical tube. The next step after that is to heat up the oil. This hole here is where you cast the fire."

With a cautious look, he stuck his wand into a hole next to the tube and recited a minor incantation. The sound of a blazing fire could suddenly be heard inside. Unseen to everyone the fire ignited the vaporized oil, which changed the sounds into that of miniature explosions.

"Watch carefully, everyone! Inside the metallic tube, the power from the explosions are moving the piston up and down!"

As if on cue the crank attached to the top of the cylinder started to move, turning the wheel along with it. The spinning wheel began moving the gears inside and opening the door on the box.

"The power is transferred to the crank which spins the wheel! And then…!"

A few seconds later the process was complete and a snake puppet sprang out from the open door.

"Look! The snake then comes out to greet us! How interesting!"

The students who were watching enthusiastically immediately lost said enthusiasm.

"And?" Guiche asked. "What is so special about that?"

Colbert blinked and took note of his students' faces. He felt pained by how his invention - which he took much pride in working on - was being chastised rather than praised. With a cough in his hand to compose himself, he tried explaining. "In this example, only a snake showed up. But say for instance this kind of mechanism was placed on a carriage. Then, the carriage could move even without horses!" His eyes filled with excitement. "It would also work on the side of a boat by turning a water wheel! Then there wouldn't be any need for sails!"

"You could just use magic in those cases," another student said. "There's no need to use such a weird mechanism."

The other students seemed in agreement, not getting what was so special about the object.

"Everybody, listen carefully!" Colbert's voice rose as his hands planted on top of the desk and he leaned forward. "If it is improved upon, this could run machines even without magic! I relied on my fire magic to ignite it, but say flint was used and a way to ignite it every so often was found. Then you could perform the same actions almost anywhere, even if something should happen that prevents you from using magic. It could revolutionize the way things are for Halkeginia!"

The professor went on a tangent about the different ways his invention could be used, clearly passionate about the ideas he had. Sadly, none of the other mages in the room held any desire for it.

Instead, the only other person to take interest was the non-mage.

"That device…" Ryoga's brow furrowed, his eyes locked onto Colbert's invention. "If that's what I think it is, then…"

Seeing that he wasn't getting through to the students, Colbert decided to try a different approach. "Alright then, perhaps operating the mechanism yourself will demonstrate its potential. Who would like to give it a try? It's very simple! Just open the hole in the cylinder, then put your wand in and recite the ignite spell repeatedly. The timing is a bit tricky, but once you get used to it, it will be easy."

He repeated the same process as before, stepping on the bellows with his foot and sending a stream of fire into the tube. Explosive sounds echoed throughout the classroom while the crank and gears moved until the snake showed itself again.

"And like that, the joyful snake greets us!"

Even with a second viewing, not a single student seemed keen on volunteering. This made Colbert's shoulders drop in disappointment.

"I'll try it."

Just then, Ryoga spoke out, making the whole class turn to him.

"Ryoga?" Louise looked at him surprised.

Colbert's face lit up. "Mister Ryoga! You have a fascination with my mechanism?"

"Something like that," the Duelist said as he made his way to the center platform.

"I see, I see." Colbert started getting excited again, but then seemed to consider something. "But wait, aren't your ca-" He caught himself and readjusted his question. "I mean, isn't your magic centered on the water element? You will need fire to make my mechanism work."

"I have an idea for that. Just let me worry about it."

Colbert was curious but stepped back, eager to see what the boy from another world would do. Upon reaching the desk Ryoga set his full attention on the invention. He gave it a once-over before pulling out his Duel Disk and sliding it on. This got the students to lean closer, especially those who had yet to witness how his magic worked.

Ryoga activated the Duel Disk as he copied Colbert's previous actions, pressing down on the bellows with his foot to start the vaporization of the oil. He then drew the top card of his deck, its back to the other students so they couldn't see what it was. He placed the card on the Duel Disk and positioned it next to the device where the tube for casting fire was supposed to be.

"Now let's try this out." He closed his eyes and concentrated. The professor was right about him having no fire abilities or cards with that element, so igniting the vaporized oil would normally be impossible. The card he set was only a bluff to disguise his true plan.

BA-BUMP!

The Barian pendant echoed as a small and near invisible current of crimson energy flowed from the Duel Disk and into the tube. While fire was out of Ryoga's hands, the power of Chaos was not. Its capabilities were limited only by the one who wielded it, and being the former king of an entire realm built on Chaos, the power shaped to his will to act as a heating agent for the oil.

It worked as miniature explosions sounded out and the invention's parts started moving. When everything finished the box opened and the snake puppet was let out a third time.

"You did it!" Colbert shouted in joy and clapped his hands. "Excellent! Well done, Mister Ryoga! Well done indeed!"

The rest of the classroom didn't share the professor's attitude. Whatever interest they had in Ryoga dissolved once he finished, with many disappointed they didn't get to witness anything big happen. Louise meanwhile was relieved that he succeeded and didn't hurt himself.

"As you all see, Mister Ryoga managed to make the joyful snake appear! Despite being an expert at using water, he demonstrated precisely what I said about how anybody can make my invention work." Colbert gave the boy a happy smile. "Thank you for your assistance and participation, Mister Ryoga."

Ryoga put away the Duel Disk and card, having already cut off the power of Chaos, and repaid Colbert's smile with his own. "No, if anything I should be thanking you, Professor."

After all, he'd just discovered something incredible. This wasn't any old device Colbert had created. It was an engine. A steam engine at that!

Perhaps the first steam engine to exist in this world!

What was viewed as a toy by others was actually immeasurable in wealth. Colbert's comments on carriages and boats moving on their own were mere baby steps compared to the future laid out for this invention of his. A future where the descendant of this device was used to power a personal item of Ryoga's from Heartland: his D-Wheel!

Whether Colbert knew it or not, this was a historical event in the making. He stumbled across something that if he continued to research and improve his efforts on, would turn him into the Thomas Savery or James Watt of this world!

"Wait, who?" Ryoga was suddenly thrown aback by his own thoughts. Those weren't names he was familiar with, yet somehow his brain told him they belonged to men who were tightly connected to the earliest years of steam engineering. "Since when did I know stuff like that?"

Perhaps Rio told him about them once at school? It sounded like something she'd know; history was a specialty of hers. But it was weird he'd remember it when that kind of topic was one he most definitely would have ignored. Then again, he did carry memories from several lifetimes ago. Maybe it wasn't so weird.

Still, he didn't expect to be so passionate about it. Did seeing something so familiar from his world, even if ancient compared to the technology in Heartland, just overwhelm him?

Yeah, that had to be it.

"Now then, who would like to try next?" Colbert asked, now feeling far more confident about his invention and yearning to keep showing it off. "How about you, Miss Montmorency?"

Montmorency grimaced at being called out and gave a pitiful whine. Today was not her day.

---

Night took over as the day came to an end and Ryoga and Louise returned to their room. When Louise prepared to change for bed, Ryoga tried to leave to give her privacy, only to be reminded about earlier when he agreed to stay inside the room from now on. After some back and forth on the matter, a compromise was made.

"Just stay there, okay?" Louise ordered with a blush, hiding behind the bedsheets that were now hanging from atop her bedpost. The sheets were meant to act as a curtain to hide the bed, that way she wouldn't have to fret about accidentally being seen.

"Right, sure," Ryoga said back, facing away from her and keeping his eyes closed.

Louise made sure he wasn't peeking before she went to the closet, grabbed her nightwear, and returned to bed. The ruffling of clothes was heard as she got changed behind the curtain, while making sure to watch Ryoga from out of the corner of her eyes. When she finished she pulled down the bed sheets. "O-Okay, I'm good now."

Ryoga turned back around to see Louise in her normal negligee. She avoided his gaze and started combing her hair with her hands, as if trying to make it smoother for some reason. She then laid on the bed and shut off the lamp on the bedside table. With the room now bathed in moonlight, Ryoga went to his makeshift bed on the floor, Cat Shark curling up next to him.

"Hey, Ryoga?"

Just as he readied himself for sleep, he heard Louise speak. "Hmm, what's up?"

Louise leaned over the bed to look at him. "Always sleeping on the floor is a bit extreme, don't you think?"

Ryoga glanced over his pillow, blanket, and pile of hay, and gave a shrug. "Not really. I told you before that I've slept in way worse conditions."

"You did. But, well…" Louise hesitated for a moment before resuming. "I think it's wrong to have you keep sleeping there after all this time. So I..."

Ryoga raised a brow. "Yes?"

"…From now on...you can sleep on the bed if you want. With me."

If he weren't already lying down, the former Barian might have tripped and fallen over from shock. Instead he shot straight up from his position with a floored expression. "Huh!?"

"Don't get the wrong idea! I'll hit you if you do anything strange!"

Ryoga's eye twitched at the threat. "Like I'd do anything in the first place! What kind of person do you take me for?"

Louise looked away, the darkness helping hide the color of her cheeks. "T-That's not important. I just thought it would be better if you had a proper place to sleep from now on. Sleeping on the ground is more for an animal."

"Mrrow?" Cat Shark's head lifted from the floor.

"Oh, right. Sorry, Cat Shark, that wasn't aimed at you."

"Mrrow mrrow." The spirit accepted the apology.

"Regardless..." Ryoga continued. "I won't complain about getting a better place to sleep, but you don't need to sacrifice your bed for that. Having one of my own would be fine enough. Even a mattress will do."

"There's no place to fit another bed, and I don't want you sleeping on the floor anymore," Louise swiftly rejected both options.

Ryoga exhaled loudly before growing firm. "Louise...are you sure you're not forcing yourself?"

"Eh?" Louise didn't seem to understand.

"You still remember everything from when you were under the love potion, correct? So you remember the time when you tried having me sleep with you."

The pinkette grew flustered at the memory. "W-Why are you bringing that up?"

"I said then I wouldn't do it because of how morally wrong and improper it was. Another reason I didn't mention was how if it was the normal you, not only would you never do anything like that, but you wouldn't feel comfortable with it either. Like I bet you're feeling right now."

Louise's eyes widened, letting Ryoga believe he nailed the guess on the head.

"I get what you're trying to do, but if you went through with those actions back then you would never have forgiven yourself or me. And doing it now isn't any better when you're pushing yourself to the point of discomfort," he stated with a stern tone. He didn't want to hurt her feelings, not after what he saw from her today, but he had to make clear how he felt about the matter. When Louise's eyes dipped and she started shaking Ryoga felt he got the point across, though he wondered if he may have sounded too harsh. "Look, if you don't want to do this, then don't," he spoke more mildly. "Forcing yourself will only-"

"That's not it at all!"

Ryoga was interrupted by Louise's shout, catching him off guard. Her eyes rose to meet his, filled with nervousness but also a refusal to back down. Combined with the moonlight accentuating off her body that showed off her natural beauty, it was a sight which would make any normal man's heart flutter.

"I...I want you to sleep in my bed, okay!? This isn't because of the love potion! I'm not forcing anything! I just want you to stay with me! I want to wake up knowing you'll be there! So…!" Louise's head lowered. "So...don't make me say the same thing again."

Silence permeated between them. Louise crawled to the other edge of the bed and faced the window, wrapping herself up in her blanket. Ryoga kept staring at her without a word, still startled by the outburst.

Eventually the shock wore off and the Duelist released a breath he didn't know he was holding in. He needn't reflect long on what happened to recognize the mistake made, and he internally cursed his stupidity for it. "Dammit, you'd think I'd learn by now."

Louise could be defined in many ways, but one clear trait of hers was how she wasn't the type of person who could be forced to do things. Whether it be her pride as a noble, her moral beliefs, or a mixture of the two, every action she took was her own.

A good example was the time at the Charming Fairies' Inn. Scarron's condition of Louise working as a servant maid was something she could have easily slapped away, though if she had Ryoga would have tried convincing her otherwise, since their circumstances at the time didn't leave many options. But it never came to that, as Louise was the one who accepted the offer. She was reluctant and embarrassed by it, but it was still her choice.

That wasn't to say she was perfect in sticking with those choices. She did stop working for a time because the pressure was too much and she got depressed. But after that she went back to work with even more determination than before. Sure, Ryoga may have lent a hand in that by berating her for giving up and not considering the feelings of her co-workers, but he never forced her to return.

At the end of the day Louise did whatever she felt needed to be done or thought she had to do. Even if pressured by a situation or other people, she stuck true to that nature. The entirety of today proved that point, with each decision being something she clearly put a lot of consideration into. All for his sake.

And thanks to his stupidity, he made it sound like he was throwing those decisions back at her.

"Great going, genius. And after I already decided not to ignore her efforts, real smart move there."

"Mrrow?" Cat Shark sensed its master's frustration and nuzzled him. Ryoga petted the Xyz to ease it before standing up and walking over to Louise's bed.

"Louise," he called out. Louise didn't make a sound, the only reaction he got being a single twitch from under the blanket. Ryoga sighed and took a seat on the opposite edge of the bed from her. "Louise..." He tried calling her again.

"...What?"

Finally there was a response.

"I'm sorry," Ryoga simply said. "I made a wrong assumption about what you were doing and why. It was my bad."

"...It's fine, don't worry about it," Louise replied with a small voice.

"You say that, but you're not looking at me."

The blanket twitched again. Slowly it was pulled down as Louise gave Ryoga a minor glare that was paired with a cute pout. "There, happy?"

"Meh, could use some improvement." Ryoga's quip was not appreciated, evident by the glare intensifying. He cut the joking and got serious. "I wasn't trying to upset you, alright? I just didn't want you doing something that you'd feel worse about later on."

"I said it's fine. Don't keep bringing it up." Louise lost her ire and began to fidget. "Just… Are you going to lay down or not?" She asked embarrassed and with a low tone. "I can't do anything else for you right now, and you…h-heard what I said already, so…"

The former Barian observed her fully before releasing another sigh. "You really sure about this?"

"Y-Yes, so hurry up already!"

The answer was given, with a huge sign that any refusal on his part would be very much ill-advised. With no room for argument and not wanting to screw things up again, Ryoga did as asked and got into the bed. It was large enough for both of them thanks to their small sizes. Ryoga took the right half of the bed while Louise took the left, both laying on their sides with their backs to one another and the blanket covering them.

Once more silence filled the room. Ryoga just laid there, sleep not yet claiming him due to the tensity he still felt, as well as the awkwardness of their position. He wondered if Louise was already asleep or if she was feeling the same right now.

"Ryoga?" As if to answer, Louise spoke up again.

"Yeah?"

"I…" There was a pause. "Are you comfortable?"

Ryoga raised a brow at the question. "I guess? It's nice enough. A lot better than the hay, that's for sure."

"Good. That's...good."

Louise went quiet after saying that. Ryoga waited to see if she would ask anything more, but nothing came of it. After a while he began hearing a steady pattern of soft breathing. Turning over to check, he saw Louise fast asleep. It seemed she drifted off shortly after receiving his answer.

"Really, this girl..." Ryoga let out a huff and shook his head. It didn't take a genius to see that Louise really wanted to ask him something else, but held back for whatever reason. "Though I have a pretty good guess what it was about."

He said he'd wait until she was ready to talk, and he meant it. He put no expectations on when that would be, as that part was up to Louise to figure out. It could be tomorrow, a week from now, or even several months down the line. But he would wait regardless. And while today wasn't that day, the young noble's actions were the first step toward that foreseeable moment.

Looking over Louise again, Ryoga saw how the moonlight from the window mixed with her innocent face and pinkish hair, giving off the impression that they were shining brightly. It was quite picturesque, displaying how despite her attitude she really was a beautiful girl. One who seemed to attract all kinds of complications and drag him along into them.

But he would not turn away from her. Like he told Wardes, he would make sure to protect Louise, regardless of whatever issues the future prepared.

Ryoga gently brushed aside some stray hair from Louise's face, an action he used to do on Rio when she slept. Louise twitched a little but did nothing else, which got a small laugh out of him. Now feeling relaxed he closed his eyes and laid back on the bed, allowing the tenseness to ebb off his body. Soon his breathing evened out, signifying his descent into slumber. Cat Shark brightened from seeing its master no longer stressed and drifted off as well, now claiming the full hay bed for itself.

Once they were both asleep, Louise's eyes opened. She slowly sat up, making as little noise as possible, and looked at Ryoga. She reached up and touched the hairs Ryoga moved, her face failing to hide how crimson it burned.

"Dumb jerk," she whispered with tenderness. "I was even pretending to sleep."

Why did she do such a thing? What was there to gain from- no, that was a lie. She knew why. She wanted to see if Ryoga would do anything without knowing she was awake. Like he did when they left Albion and he held her close.

But she wasn't expecting something so...so…

Louise hugged her pillow tightly. What Ryoga did was so simple that it shouldn't be worthy of note. But that mattered little when lately every touch of his made her feel like her body was ablaze and her breath was short.

This wasn't the only time she experienced feeling this way. It was a new constant almost every second of being in his presence. Not only today, but also the day before, and the day before that, and so on.

It was so strange. Too strange. This wasn't normal at all, right? She had to be sick or something. After all, Ryoga being himself and sleeping with her was bad enough, but then he goes and brushes her hair while thinking she's asleep, and suddenly those feelings soar to such heights that she had to restrain from nuzzling against his hand.

What kind of person does that? Not a noble, that's for sure. She shouldn't be like this at all. The only way it would make any sense was if…if she was…

"I don't understand. I don't understand anything anymore." Louise rested her hands on her chest where her heart pounded away, feeling afraid and confused.

All she wanted was to apologize and make up with Ryoga, who had saved her many times and continued to treat her kindly despite her cruelties. Now everything she thought she knew had changed. For the first time in her life she felt these feelings for someone of the opposite sex and didn't know what to do. Her former admiration for Wardes was a pale imitation to what she was carrying now.

Once she recognized these feelings, Louise became embarrassed, which affected her interactions with Ryoga. The mere thought of him looking at her skin made her feel self-conscious. It was why she set up the curtain for changing; she didn't want him to see her and realize anything. But she was also afraid of being alone and didn't want him out of sight, which created a conflict for her.

"When did I start having these feelings for Ryoga?" Louise wondered. "Probably...yes, since that time."

The second encounter with Fouquet, when she was about to be killed by the thief's golem because she wanted to prove herself. Ryoga jumped in and saved her from that fate, and despite her yelling at him about how he didn't understand why she was trying so hard, she was the one who really didn't understand.

She watched him fight and was blown away. She was awed by how strong he was, how unafraid he was, and how he never gave up hope of winning. Her heart throbbed during that time. Even with the possibility of them all dying, her heart beat loudly.

There was also the celebration shortly after. Her dance with Ryoga was a memory she would always hold dearly, for it was the first time he said they were friends. She already had Henrietta as a childhood friend, but up till that point in her life nobody outside the princess had ever been her friend. Having that all change in that very moment made her feel like she was on top of the world.

And obviously there was no need to go over the trip to Lagdorian Lake or Albion. Though without a doubt her heart beat the fastest when she was being carried in Ryoga's arms as they rode on Black Ray Lancer. After that, she found it difficult to look at the purple teen without ending up the same color as a tomato.

"I wonder...what does Ryoga think of me?" Louise mused. "With everything I've done, does he think of me negatively? Am I just an unpleasant girl in his eyes? A selfish and mean person?" Her chest tightened at the ill notion. She didn't know how she'd react if it were true. "But...that can't be. He told Wardes I was still his friend. He said he'd protect me." The ill feeling melted into warmth as she blushed and hugged her knees. "Does that mean he likes me? Does he maybe feel the same way I do? I wonder which one it is. I want to know. But do I deserve to know with how I've been?"

She watched Ryoga's sleeping form, taking in his features. The way his hair locks curved up at the end like hooks, yet were soft to the touch. How his skin was healthy and soft, but at times appeared pale and worn. His body which, even with blankets and clothing covering it, was quite fit for someone supposedly younger than her.

She traced the entirety of the mysterious boy with her eyes, eventually reaching his face. She outlined every shape of it. His ears, his eyelids, his nose, cheeks, chin, and his...mouth.

Her heart skipped a beat.

Louise's vision locked on Ryoga's mouth, as if a sudden temptation was in front of her.

She briefly glanced around. Other than the moon, nothing was looking at her. She tapped Ryoga's pillow a few times. He didn't wake up from it. With a gulp, she cautiously moved closer until her face hovered above his and she had full view of his lips.

Watching the way they moved with each breath, Louise thought back to how she first summoned Ryoga and tried making him her familiar. At the time she just wanted to seal the contract and get it over with. She wasn't upset about it anymore like she was initially, but if she got her chance back then she would have taken it. And that...well...

She wasn't sure if Ryoga knew this - and since he never asked about it, she imagined not - but the way a familiar contract was sealed was by kissing the familiar. It was the final catalyst necessary to connect the summoner and familiar.

Meaning if she sealed the contract with Ryoga she would have had to...k-k-kiss him. To give him her first kiss.

Something that would have been embarrassing to do and would have angered her then.

But if she were to do it now...

"How would they feel?"

Her eyes half-lidded, Louise's own mouth parted as her breathing picked up. Her pulse quickened as her head inched toward Ryoga's.

The Duelist groaned.

Louise's eyes snapped open and she drew back in a panic. She remained frozen on the bed and watched fearfully for any sign that Ryoga was waking up. When no such result came she let out a sound of relief, then became overwhelmed with shock.

"What am I doing!?" She yelled internally "Was I about to...t-to…!" She grabbed her pillow and buried her face in it. "Idiot! I'm such an idiot! What am I thinking!? How could I possibly want to do something like t-t-that to him! And when he's sleeping!? That's not something a noble should do! It's disgraceful, dishonorable, cowardly! And it would have been my first too! Was I really about to give it away like that to him when I don't even know if I...if I…"

Louise peaked over the pillow to Ryoga. He continued to sleep soundly, unaware of what nearly occurred. She traced her lips with her fingers, her chest squeezing tight as her cheeks heated like hot iron.

By Brimir, was this really true?

"Is this...what they call love?" Louise whispered as she closed her eyes. "How can I find the answer to this question? I don't want to be left not knowing…"

---

The following day Louise found herself outside the headmaster's office. Her first class had only just started when the professor unexpectedly informed her that Old Osmond wished to speak with her and that she was excused from classes for the day. Not certain as to what reason she was being called, she made her way to the office as fast as possible.

Standing at the door to the room, Louise started to fret. Not because of the suddenness of being called, though she was curious as she didn't believe she was in trouble, but rather because Ryoga wasn't with her.

Last night's unplanned…"escapade"...served to only worsen the difficulties in dealing with the Duelist. She couldn't even face him properly this morning, as doing so sent her mind immediately back to her near sinful act, shattering any composure she tried holding together. Not wanting to risk Ryoga discovering what almost happened, she sent him away, saying he could have the day off and do whatever he wanted.

"And the dumb idiot tried to refuse because he was worried about me. Stupid, stupid, stupid kind jerk..." Louise blushed heavily as her hands came together above her heart. She then registered what she was doing and cut those thoughts off before she lost herself in them again. With a deep breath she recomposed herself and knocked on the door.

"It's not locked. Please, come in," echoed the voice of the headmaster.

Louise opened the door and stepped inside. She spotted Osmond sitting at his desk per usual, absent-mindedly twirling his beard while reading an open book in hand. "Headmaster, I heard you called for me, so I came as quickly as I could," she announced with a bow.

Osmond looked up from the book and smiled. "Oh, Miss Valliere. Your haste is much appreciated." The older noble placed the book down and stood up, spreading his hands to welcome the petite visitor. "You look rather well. Have you gotten some well-deserved rest after your tiresome journey?"

"Yes, I have," Louise replied.

"That is good to hear. I know it was quite a harrowing experience for you. If you need anything at all be sure that you inform me or one of the professors. We will do our best to aid you," Osmond said in a soft voice.

"Yes, sir."

"And allow me to say once more, good work. Your great efforts ensured the alliance's safety and prevented a crisis in Tristain. Next month in Germania there will finally be a wedding ceremony held for the princess and Germania's emperor. It's all thanks to you. Be proud of yourself."

Louise stilled hearing that, her spirit faltering. While the mission was a success, the end result was still something she greatly disliked, made only worse knowing her childhood friend was going to be used as a political tool. Even though there was no other solution to secure an alliance, Louise's chest tightened whenever she recalled the sad smile on Henrietta's lips. Her friend was sacrificing her future happiness and love.

Osmond noted Louise's downed state and frowned. It seems his wanting to express thanks for her dedication and efforts made her uncomfortable. Perhaps she was not as well off as he thought.

As he considered what to say next his eyes drifted down to the book at his desk, remembering the reason he sent for Louise in the first place.

"Now then, onto the matter at hand," Osmond called to get her focus back on him. He picked up the book and held it out to her. "Here, this is for you."

Louise examined the book carefully. The cover, sheathed in old leather, was so worn out that it looked like it would tear from a single touch. The pages had a tawny color to them, marking their age and exposure to many elements.

"What's this?" She asked with suspicion.

"The Founder's Prayer Book."

Louise's eyes grew large. "The Founder's Prayer Book? This?"

She knew the tale. Six thousand years ago, Founder Brimir offered a prayer to God and wrote down his spells using magical runes as letters, creating a book that contained all his knowledge. After his passing the book was given to the royal family of Tristain and handed down to their members throughout the ages. It has since been known as a legendary book.

But was this old and crummy-looking thing really that very book? And if so why did Osmond have it?

"It was delivered from the palace earlier this morning," Osmond spoke, as if knowing what Louise was thinking. "According to tradition in Tristain's royal family, when a royal family member is wed, one aristocrat is chosen to take the role of the bridesmaid. Following the imperial edict, the selected bridesmaid is traditionally given the 'Founder's Prayer Book.'"

"Uh huh," Louise, now studying the book with oddity and unaware of such detailed palace etiquette, replied blankly.

"And the princess has chosen you, Miss Valliere, to be that bridesmaid."

That captured her attention. "The princess?"

"That's right. The shrine maiden must also come up with a written edict when receiving the Founder's Prayer Book.'"

"Ah...ah! I must think of an edict?"

"Indeed," Osmond confirmed. "Of course, there is still certain palace etiquette that you need to learn. Traditions can be rather bothersome like that. However, Miss Valliere, the princess is looking forward to it. This is a great honor. So follow the palace regulations and write the edict, because something like this happens only once in a lifetime."

Louise seemed to finally grasp what was being asked and was awestruck. Henrietta wished for her to become the bridesmaid. To stand at her side and support her during a time that while joyous for the kingdoms, would secretly be filled with sadness for her childhood friend.

How could she possibly refuse knowing this?

"Princess…" Louise straightened her stance and looked at Osmond determined. "I understand. I will obey respectfully to the wishes of the royal family."

Osmond smiled. "You are willing to undertake it. Good, good. The princess will be pleased."

Louise accepted the book from the headmaster's hands. Feeling its delicate state made her a little nervous, but she didn't let that deter her and opened it to look inside and see what she was working with.

What she found left her perplexed.

"It's...blank?"

From the size of the book there were about three hundred pages. And as Louise flipped through each one she found the same thing: they were all blank. Nothing was written on any of them.

"Yes, it is," Osmond said, having already checked the book before Louise's arrival.

"But, sir, t-this… How can that be? Is this a fake?"

Fakes were all too common with "legendary" artifacts. There was only one true Founder's Prayer Book that existed in the world, but that didn't stop people from saying otherwise. From rich nobles, to temple priests, and other noble families of all countries, many claimed to have the "real" Founder's Prayer Book. But regardless of each one's authenticity, all of them were collected in the library as genuine articles.

"I thought the same," Osmond admitted, having seen the "Founder's Prayer Book" several times before on numerous occasions. The runes always seemed to leap from the pages. However, he never saw a book with no characters like this one. If it was a fake, it was an awful one. "But since it came from the royal palace directly under the order of Princess Henrietta herself, I would like to think it is genuine."

Louise couldn't argue with that reasoning. If Henrietta was the one who sent the book then there was no doubt about its authenticity. But that just made her more confused.

This was the artifact which contained all of Founder Brimir's knowledge, correct?

So where was the knowledge then?

---

"You're sure I don't need to threaten anybody?"

"I'm quite sure, Sir Shark."

"I only need a name and body."

"Sir Shark, please!"

Ryoga sent a sly smirk towards Katie, who despite her protest was holding back a laugh. The two of them were walking together in the open Vestri Court as Cat Shark floated above them lazily. The nice breeze and warm temperature outside was a welcome extra companion.

Being given the "day off" as Louise so eloquently put it, Ryoga was at first uncertain of what to do with his sudden freedom. Not from not having things he could do, as there was plenty he could think of, but from his concern over her.

He was the first up between them this morning, and after recalling why he was in Louise's bed he waited for her to wake up so he could face the music. He fully anticipated her forgetting what she said last night and start freaking out with accusations about him sneaking into her sheets or something equally stupid. Instead Louise became almost meek as a kitten and told him to do whatever he wanted for the day.

With how adamant Louise was about keeping him close, he couldn't not feel suspicious about the abrupt change in routine. Especially after yesterday. Louise assured him nothing was wrong and that she'd be fine without him, but she was definitely hiding something; and not discreetly either with how badly she was stuttering and refusing to look at him. And given the new...sleeping arrangements...he would have been alerted right away to any nightmares. In the end Ryoga figured she was probably just embarrassed over actually going through with the act.

Louise refused to bend on the matter though and so he was left alone for the day. Eventually he decided to use the opportunity to do that check up on Katie he planned. It took some asking around to learn where her classroom was, as he hadn't visited the place before today, but eventually he managed to find it.

By the time he got there the morning classes had already started, leaving Ryoga to wait outside until they were finished. Once the ending bell rang he was able to enter, and bore witness to the students inside jumping from their seats and swarming Katie with questions and interrogating her about her trip, just like Louise's class did with her. Luckily all it took was his presence and signature glare to make them back off. He and Katie then left together to hang out until her next class.

"It's fine though, really," Katie told him. "My classmates might be a little zealous right now, but they weren't doing anything wrong or harmful to me. They're just really curious about our trip."

"That doesn't excuse the way they acted," Ryoga countered.

"I know, but it is not as if I can blame them for how they feel. I think I would be the same if I was in their position."

"You mean like how you are with me?"

Katie blinked at the comparison. "Oh… I suppose it is the same, isn't it?" She said a bit embarrassed. Even with her promise, she constantly wondered about her dear friend and wanted to learn more about his mysterious past, and kept having to resist the urge to push on that desire out of respect for him and his privacy. Which only became harder to control after what occurred at La Rochelle.

Sphere Field. Duel Monsters. Xyz Summon.

Concepts and words that were foreign to her, spinning in her skull since witnessing Sir Shark and Fouquet clash. What rules regarding magic she thought she knew were flipped upside down in ways originally thought impossible, like summoning multiple familiars and then using those familiars to summon even stronger ones. Even the magics that made some sense or were tied to the element branches acted abnormal or beyond what she knew they should, such as the large structures of earth dissolving into light and the giant vortex Sir Shark called forth.

It was overwhelming, and Katie would be lying if she pretended not to want an explanation to all of it. She wanted to ask Sir Shark why Fouquet had cards and a gauntlet-shield like he did. She wanted to know why his magic was called "Duel Monsters'' and how it worked. Why was such an intense battle considered only a "duel"? Why did Miss Tabitha seem to be the only other person who could grasp what was happening; a fact that made her slightly jealous. And how was it all connected back to the hidden past the Water Spirit spoke of?

Yet even faced with all these numerous questions...she wouldn't ask a single one.

She trusted Sir Shark. Told him she trusted him. And she wanted to return that trust in kind. For as much as she sought to find the truth, her feelings and friendship with the water user were much stronger. So she would hold true to her promise of not telling anyone, and would wait until he was ready.

"It is the same," Ryoga's voice cut into Katie's thoughts. "But compared to other nobles I've seen, you at least know restraint and will respect privacy when asked. And you don't gang up on me with others just to find out." He raised a brow in suspicion. "Unless there's a secret mob I don't know about somewhere?"

"Sir Shark!" Katie flushed red and whined in further embarrassment, eliciting a chuckle from the boy.

"See? That proves my point and adds on to what already makes you better."

"B-Better?"

"Yeah, obviously. If I didn't think that way about you, we wouldn't be talking like this."

Katie grew redder. "O-Oh! O-Of course!"

"In any case, just be sure to let me know if any of them get too pushy. I'll take care of them for you."

The kind offer along with the previous compliments got a smile out of the first-year. "I know you will," she said softly. Her violet eyes stared at Ryoga intently as a swirl of happiness rose in her chest. When he started to notice she immediately broke away. "S-So, um, how are you doing? Have all of your injuries healed properly since then?" She asked, wanting to make sure he was alright but also hoping to distract him with a different topic.

"Yeah. Been good these last few days," Ryoga answered.

"That's good to hear. I know you said that you heal fast, but I was still surprised by how well you looked when you returned with Miss Louise. Especially after what you said happened with Wardes."

Ryoga grunted. He could still feel the phantom attacks from that bastard's magic and the Duel Monster he summoned. "Next time I'll be sure to remove more than just an arm."

Still, he could take a guess how Katie's mind was working based on how she was examining him. The state his body was in now was exactly the same as when he returned from Albion: perfectly fine without a scratch to be seen. Like he hadn't been fighting for his life only days prior.

Potions and healing magics could reach the same result, but they weren't instant fixes that brought a person back to full health. Mostly they helped to speed up the process and relieve any pain while patching up major injuries. The body still needed time to naturally heal on its own.

He had access to none of that when he went to rescue Louise, and with the state he left in and the description of the battle he relayed to Katie, Guiche, and Tabitha, the suspicion was warranted.

"It's just how I've been," Ryoga claimed with a shrug. A poor excuse, but the only one he could provide without divulging the power of Chaos.

Katie hummed a little before nodding in acceptance. Again her curiosity egged her on for more details, but her will remained strong and resisted. She was simply happy to not find more marks on Sir Shark like those he received from Fouquet.

Thinking back to that time had her flashback to when she was caring for him in the clinic. Recollections of his body up-close for her to view and the feeling of her hands on his skin struck her brain, causing her to nearly trip mid-step while her face steamed up. It only worsened when she started fantasizing more explicit ideas about those sensations.

"R-Right!" Katie squeaked as she turned away, trying to lock the images deep inside the recesses of her mind. "W-Well I won't complain about it. I do like you more when you're not injured." Her eyes widened as she realized how her phrasing could come across. "I-I d-don't mean that in any w-weird way!" She stammered out. "J-Just as a friend! I l-like you as a friend! That's all!"

Yes, just a friend! Nothing more!

Nothing at all...

Ryoga gave the brunette a questioning stare, not sure what to make of her strange reaction. And what did their friendship have to do with his health?

"I-In any case!" Katie continued once she got a grip of her pounding heart. "How about Miss Louise? Has she gotten any better?"

There was a flinch in Ryoga's form, his expression sharpening. The questions didn't surprise him, as he figured they would pop up eventually, but that didn't lessen the weight in having to answer them. "In some regard she has. She's been getting back into her usual routine, interacting with others well enough and attending classes like normal. She's also had fewer nightmares, so that's a plus." His eyes transitioned into a glare that wasn't aimed at any one place or person. "Even so...Louise is still recovering, still afraid. You wouldn't notice unless you were watching her closely. She's been trying her best to endure and hide it, but well..."

Katie understood what he meant and looked down sympathetically. "I guess it was too much to hope that she would be completely fine after such a short time."

"There's nothing wrong in hoping for that," Ryoga said. "And like I said, she is getting better. It's just that she needs more time to get herself back together."

"I still can't imagine what it must have been like for her."

"Probably for the best. Louise watched the prince die right in front of her and was attacked by that bastard Wardes. That's an experience that would traumatize most people, and wouldn't be so easy to just get over."

"But you have, haven't you?"

Ryoga sent Katie a minor glare at the accusation. She didn't falter from it and met him straight on; not in challenge, but in concern. He clicked his teeth and broke away. "I've just seen enough shit to know that it doesn't bother me anymore."

Liar.

"Sir Shark…" Katie's tone communicated how she felt about such a statement. Ryoga put a reassuring hand on her shoulder.

"Hey, don't worry about me. I got used to dealing with things like this a long time ago. I'll be fine," he told her. "Louise on the other hand hasn't, at least not yet. That doesn't mean she won't get there eventually. She will, and if I'm being honest, even with all those issues I mentioned, it might be sooner than we think."

Hearing that made Katie perk up. "You think so?"

"I do. Louise is improving a lot faster than I expected. That she's already returning to her usual self and taking things in stride speaks for itself. Sure, it could be her just trying to stay strong, but it's still a sign of recovery and shows her wanting to fight back against what happened, rather than stay afraid and depressed all the time. If you ask me, I'd rather have that side of her out here."

Katie's lips curved up. "Miss Louise can be pretty amazing like that."

"Heh, only when she needs to be, which isn't very often."

Despite his jest, Ryoga completely agreed with her. After all, Louise endured all the crap Albion and Wardes threw her way and yet was still somehow able to protect the letter they were sent to retrieve. The way she held onto it, even while unconscious, showed how determined she was to not give up or fail Henrietta. That took a special kind of amazing to accomplish.

Or crazy. Probably crazy.

"Like I'm one to talk," he thought humorously before speaking again. "But yeah, Louise will be fine. She just needs a little more time, and we just have to keep watching out for her and do what we can, when we can. Let her handle the rest."

Katie nodded, feeling heartened by his words. "You're right! If Miss Louise is still fighting, then I have to fight as hard to support her!" She declared, her fist pumping up and down with positivity. "Though I do still wish there was something else I could do." She looked thoughtful and put a finger to her chin. "Just something more personal to help her maybe? Even if only a bit."

"Trust me, you caring for her is already doing more than enough." As he told her that Ryoga's brain concocted an idea. "Although…if you really want to cheer Louise up, you could try and make some sweets for her. I'm certain she'd like them."

"You think so?" Katie asked, surprised by the suggestion but certainly not disliking it.

"Why not? They always taste great when I have them and help me feel better when I'm down. Cat Shark can agree with me on that front, right, buddy?"

"Mrrow!" Cat Shark, hearing the subject switch to food, flew down beside the two with sparkling eyes. "Mrrow mrrow, mrrow!"

Ryoga smirked at the feline-fish's action. "I think that answers for itself, don't you?

Katie giggled. "I guess so."

The two of them laughed before suddenly the school bell sounded throughout the courtyard, signaling the end of the free period.

"Well, looks like time's up," Ryoga said.

"Oh… I suppose it is." Katie frowned, feeling disappointed that she already had to head back inside. Time always seemed to fly whenever she was in Sir Shark's company, far too quickly for her taste. Part of her was tempted to pretend she hadn't heard anything and continue talking with him, but she knew better than to do that. There was already enough work to makeup from the classes missed due to the mission. She couldn't risk adding more onto that plate, even if she secretly wanted to. "Perhaps we can meet up tomorrow and talk some more?" She asked hopefully.

"Assuming I'm given the 'day off' again, sure. And if not tomorrow, then whenever we get the next chance," Ryoga promised. "Just remember, if anyone else tries giving you more crap, you let me know."

"Hehe, I'll consider it," Katie said gladly. "Until that time, please take care of yourself and Miss Louise, Sir Shark. And you too, Cat Shark."

"Yeah, we'll be fine. You make sure to do the same."

"Mrrow!"

Katie bowed and began walking back to the school while Ryoga and Cat Shark departed in the opposite direction. She stopped however after a few steps. "Sir Shark, one more thing," she called back to the Duelist. He stopped and turned around.

"What is it?"

"I just wanted to let you know that I'm really happy you and Miss Louise are starting to make up with one another. I knew you would."

Ocean-blue eyes widened. Ryoga's expression shifted, becoming unreadable for a moment before he shook his head. "I don't know if I would put it that way. Louise and I still haven't talked properly about everything, and there's a lot that needs to be said."

Katie looked confused. "Huh? Wait, you haven't talked with each other yet? Not even about...you know?"

"No, not yet," Ryoga told her. "You could call what we have right now a neutrality more than anything, with me helping her out like I mentioned, and her being...well, kinder than usual. But in regards to any actual conversation, sorry to say but nothing like that has happened."

"Oh…" Katie fidgeted in place, now feeling awkward for her assumptions. "I-I'm sorry, I thought perhaps with everything you mentioned about Miss Louise that you two had already…"

"No worries," Ryoga said, waving off the mistake. "Anyone looking from the outside would have thought the same, especially with how Louise has been lately. For now I'm just sitting back and giving her the proper space she needs. When she's finally ready to sit down and talk, I'll be there to listen." He let out a heavy breath. "Though that kind of discussion probably won't be for a while, and even when it does, I have no clue how it'll turn out. I figured out what I'll probably say, but truthfully I don't know if it will be enough."

"I think it will be."

Ryoga blinked. "What?"

"I think whatever you choose to say will be more than enough," Katie reiterated, giving him a very gentle smile. "Even if the two of you haven't said anything directly yet, your actions speak for themselves, don't they? Your care for Miss Louise has never fallen even for a second, and Miss Louise has started treating you more nicely since we got back. That's what you said, right? To me, that means she has already forgiven you, and if you talk to her the same way you do with me, she will tell you so. I'm certain of it."

Such belief overtook Ryoga momentarily, before being settled down with a chuckle. "Sheesh, you do this every time to me. It's a wonder how it keeps happening," he muttered quietly, enough that Katie couldn't hear him.

"Huh?"

"Nothing." He looked back at her and smirked. "You know talking to you and talking to her are completely different in context, right?"

"It's still the same thing when you get down to it. And don't think you can argue that against me!" Katie said with a pointed look, showing she wouldn't be tricked.

"Wasn't trying, believe me. Just pointing it out," Ryoga admitted. "But you don't need to worry, I already knew that from the beginning. Like you said, actions tend to impact stronger than words, and I don't plan on stopping anytime soon."

"Mrrow!" Cat Shark seemed to be in support of his statement.

Katie smiled. "Good to hear." Just then the bell rang again, making her grow wide-eyed in panic. "Ah, I-I need to get going! Sorry, Sir Shark, Cat Shark! We'll speak again soon, hopefully!"

The first-year quickly sprinted off before Ryoga could say anything back. He laughed in amusement and started walking away with Cat Shark, thinking positively on the time spent and the conversation that passed.

"You two would have gotten along very well, Yuma."

---

After departing from the courtyard, Ryoga paid a visit to the staff kitchen to see if Siesta was around. He hadn't gotten to talk with her since his return, and wanted to correct that and catch her up on everything that happened, as well as show her he was fine. Sadly, Marteau informed him that she was out in the capital getting supplies with some others, and probably wouldn't be back till later that night. He offered to lend a hand, but the older man politely declined, saying things were slow for the time and that it wasn't needed, but that he could try again tomorrow.

With that option no longer available, the former king debated on what to do. He eventually decided to spend the rest of the day in the library. While this was partly to go back over his notes from Tabitha's lessons and reinforce his memorization of the material, it was also to cross-check for any reference or hints to a particular word.

Gandalfr.

While his focus lately was on Louise, he hadn't forgotten about the mystery Wardes' left him. The former griffin captain's constant use of the term, along with the description told to him at La Rochelle, had been a subject Ryoga kept in the back of his head until he was ready to explore further. Now was the perfect time to do so.

From what he could recall, Gandalfr was some kind of legendary familiar that was not only human, but could use any weapon. Of course Wardes' could have been making up the story as part of the plan to mentally taunt and offset him. But Ryoga didn't imagine that to be the case. Not with how insistent the bastard was on the subject, especially during their brawl in the church. Wardes seemed to truly believe he was this familiar.

But what did that mean? If a human familiar existed in the past then why did nobody know about it? Wardes claimed the information came from the Imperial Library, but more than likely he was told by whoever he was working for in Reconquista.

Whatever the case, Ryoga finally had a lead on a situation that matched his own. If there really existed proof about a past human familiar, he needed to find it.

Unfortunately, nothing in the notes or books Tabitha gave him had anything on the subject. The head librarian didn't seem to know anything either. He tried looking up books on familiars to see if they would help, but got nowhere with them. The idea of a human familiar really was nonexistent to modern mages. It made him remember how Osmond and Colbert did their own searching and found nothing to go on.

Still, if Wardes believed such a legend, there had to be something to it, so Ryoga kept searching right up till the library closed.

With the day over he made his way to Louise's room, admittedly frustrated at ending up empty-handed. He knew it couldn't be that easy, but it would have been nice to find even one clue.

"My best chance might be the familiar runes," Ryoga considered. According to the books he read, once contracted, runes were magically engraved on the familiar's body. Each one was different based on the summoner and familiar, and were descriptions to signify the type of bond made as well as benefits the familiar was given. If Gandalfr was real it must have had its own set of runes too. "If I were an actual familiar I would have those runes myself. Not that I plan to change that, but it would give me some clue on what to look for."

It was something to consider. For now though, he had gotten back to the room, meaning time to rest and recover for the next day.

"I'm back," Ryoga announced as he entered.

"Mrrow!" Cat Shark flew in from behind him.

He found Louise sitting on her bed, dressed in her night attire and with something in her hands. Her head snapped over to him and she gasped, quickly hiding whatever she had under the blankets. She wasn't quite fast enough, as he caught a glimpse of what looked like an old, big book, making his brow rise up in curiosity.

"Seems like I wasn't the only one interested in reading today."

"Where have you been? I've been waiting for you!" Louise said a bit heated.

"I was at the library," Ryoga replied, deciding to ignore whatever the pinkette was up to. "Just doing some research and catching up on Tabitha's notes." He decided to leave out his investigation. No need to bring up a topic related to Wardes without having anything to back it up. That would only complicate matters.

"You should have been back before nightfall, or at least left a note for me. I didn't know where you were!"

"There's not exactly a lot of places I could go. And you were the one who gave me the day off, remember? It wasn't like I had a curfew to follow. Or are you saying you would have gone after me if I didn't show up?"

"Of course I would have!" Louise's admittance surprised Ryoga. She looked away as her cheeks started glowing. "I-I told you that I want you to stay with me from now on when I'm sleeping now. I can't go to bed without you!"

Ryoga twitched, his own dusting of red showing due to how such phrasing could sound to anyone listening. "Be careful with how you say things, idiot," he mumbled while laying Derflinger against the chest of cards. He took off his jacket and went to place it next to the hay bed - now officially claimed by Cat Shark, who was curled up on it - but stopped when he noticed the laundry basket near Louise's closet was empty. Odd since he recalled it being only half filled yesterday. "You sent the laundry to the servants already? I thought that wasn't for another day or two."

Louise shook her head. "No, I washed them."

Ryoga spun around to her. "Excuse me?"

"I washed them already."

A hush captured the former Barian. Since when did Louise do laundry herself? Hell, for that matter when did she know how to do laundry? Far as he knew, her basic understanding of modern living was still pretty bad, even after the experience gained from the Charming Fairies' Inn.

"W-What?" His staring started making Louise blush.

"Are you sure you're not sick?"

Louise blinked, then bristled in irritation. "O-Of course I'm sure! I just felt like doing some cleaning! Do you have a problem with that now!?"

"I never said that." Not that he would, less he desired to incur the chibi's wrath. "It's just...nice, I guess, to know you're being more proactive about cleaning your own stuff for a change," he said honestly, with a bit of praise thrown in to try and appease her.

Louise's redness returned. She averted her gaze from Ryoga's, searching for anywhere else to look. Her pink orbs stopped on the jacket he was holding. "You know...you wear those same clothes all the time," she commented, a curiosity growing in her. "Don't you have anything else to put on?"

Ryoga glanced down to the jacket and grunted. "Not like I have much choice. I was summoned here with only the stuff I had on me."

Aside from the one outfit he bought while working for Scarron, he didn't own any other clothing. He had plenty of money to buy some thanks to Osmond, but he much preferred his own clothes to the ones in this world due to the material and fit, and would rather save that money for an emergency. So instead he made sure to wash his clothes as frequently as possible. Thankfully Siesta always offered to help him out with that if he was busy.

"What is it made of?"

Louise's question drew back his attention. "Pardon?"

"Your jacket. I've never seen one like it before. What is it made of?"

"Not sure myself. But it feels nice enough that it never bothered me. It's thin and not overly weighty, but still provides enough warmth and cover to enjoy. It's always been my go-to whenever I need something to wear."

"Go-to?"

"That's a phrasing where I'm from. It means something you can always have with you and feel fine with in any circumstance."

A sound rose in Louise's throat as she eyeballed the jacket. "C-Can...I try it on?"

Once again Ryoga was caught by surprise. "What?"

"D-Don't read too much into it!" Louise shouted as she refrained from making eye contact. "I-I just want to try something else on! That's all there is! If you think anything else, I-I'll punish you for it!"

Ryoga stared at her, unclear where this sudden interest was coming from or how to respond. His sense of trying to understand the pink noble had already departed. He glanced over to Cat Shark, wondering if it had any clue. The Xyz spirit tilted its head, indicating its own puzzlement; assuming it understood to begin with.

With an exasperated sound he unfolded the jacket and tossed it at Louise. It hit her square in the face, startling her and nearly making her fall over. She quickly tore it off and glared at the Duelist, then paused when she saw what she was holding.

"Just don't mess it up or anything. I only have the one," Ryoga warned.

Louise was flabbergasted. She didn't actually think he would let her try on his jacket. She made the request on a whim, and felt utterly embarrassed afterwards. She prepared to tell him it was a joke to try and save face, but now she was holding the jacket and was...going to put it on…

By Brimir her heart was going too fast right now!

With a loud gulp and trembling hands, Louise carefully slipped into the jacket, her arms sliding through the sleeves with ease. With her size being not too dissimilar from Ryoga's, the jacket seemed to hug her rather nicely, though the end of the waist bit was a little large on her.

"...It does feel light," Louise complimented after a minute. She started moving around on the bed to get a good feel for the material. "It's not restrictive, and it fits nicely too."

"Told you," Ryoga said with a bit of boast.

"But..." Louise's brow tightened as she grabbed the edge of the jacket and held it out. "It's also a mess!"

While the jacket's condition was decent, there was some noticeable damage and cuts throughout it. Some were small and faint like scars, but others were quite large and stood out. The section between Louise's hands had a particularly nasty rip.

"Look at this, it's got holes and tears all over it!" Her pink orbs flared as they inspected Ryoga. "And now that I look more closely...you've got tears all over yourself!" She pointed at his current attire, all of which shared similar markings. "Just what do you think you're doing? You need to take proper care of yourself and your appearance, or else people will think you're some beggar off the street! Is that what you want?"

Ryoga crossed his arms and snorted. "Hmph, not like they'd be completely wrong," he said quietly. The time he lived on the streets of Heartland, he might have easily become a beggar had he not risen up to become a fighter instead. Louise frowned, though it didn't seem she heard him and was instead concerned by his response. He sighed and spoke evenly. "What did you expect? It's my only outfit, and after these last few months are you really surprised it ended up like this?"

Louise hadn't considered that, but hearing it now, she realized he was right. Since his arrival Ryoga has been constantly fighting, and each time he never got out completely unscathed. His body would heal back up, but his clothes couldn't. They retained the damage they sustained.

"Even so, if you keep wearing those clothes you'll eventually be left with nothing but tatters and rags," she said informatively. "Why not get rid of them and buy something else? I can go with you to-"

"I refuse."

"Huh!?" Such a fast answer. And a rejection at that! "W-Why not?"

A forlorn look covered Ryoga's face. "Because they are one of the last things I still have from my wo-...my home."

Louise froze in place.

That… What could be said to that?

Being a noble, she owned many expensive dresses. Her closet was full of them, though the majority were the academy uniform. Some she had not even worn, merely having them because they looked nice and she bought them or because her family sent them to her. For her, getting rid of any of these outfits and replacing them with something else wasn't even worth a thought.

"But Ryoga can't." Louise looked down at the jacket, its emotional weight making it a lot heavier to wear now. "No… He won't get rid of them."

Her fingers rolled around in the fabric. These clothes were part of his homeland. The same homeland she took him from. She didn't know if it was the Heartland place he told her about or the United Lands the Water Spirit mentioned, but that didn't really matter. There was absolutely no way Ryoga would get rid of these clothes, and now learning this, she wouldn't ask him to.

"I-I see..." Louise straightened herself, trying to regain control of state and look proper. "I-If that's the case then I guess it can't be helped. But I still do not approve of you looking like a mess. If you insist on keeping that outfit, then I have no choice but to take it upon myself to help you."

Ryoga's brow rose up. "What does that mean?"

"I was taught how to knit and sew by my mother," Louise explained, much to the water user's unexpectedness. "If you give me some time I can fix up your clothes for you. I can't say they'll be perfect since your clothing is so different, but I can do my best."

"Huh, didn't know you knew how to knit."

Louise grew a bit shy. "I-It's a hobby of mine. I haven't been able to do it lately because of...everything."

Ryoga understood, needing no further explanation. He considered the offer. Given the pinkette's past record with handling "normal" jobs, part of him held serious doubts about how skilled she actually was. But the way Louise looked at him - the same look recently carried each time she tried doing something for him - he already knew how this would go.

"Fine, I get it," he said, trying to sound uncaring. "If you're that insistent then do whatever you want."

Worse case scenario, Siesta can hopefully undo and fix whatever Louise messes up. Obviously he would prefer she do well, but best to be safe.

Louise's heart thumped loudly, which she did her best not to show despite the red cheeks and smile forming on her person. "G-Good! Then tomorrow I'll get started, beginning with this jacket!"

"Whatever you want. But take your time and don't rush it, okay?"

"I know that!"

With those words Louise considered the conversation done. She switched off the lights and buried herself under the covers. She heard Ryoga murmur something followed by some other noises, most likely of him finishing up getting ready for bed. The sheets then moved and her bed creaked, indicating that he joined her.

As the dark room and warmth of the bed started lulling Louise to sleep, she was suddenly roused by a strange smell tickling her nose. Confused, she sniffed around to see if she was imagining things, and the scent hit her harder.

It was a strong odor, signifying that the source was close by. But contrary to that, the actual smell was cooling and fresh like air. There was also a tinge of salt to it. The strange mixture led to an oddly calming scent that relaxed Louise. It honestly reminded her of...ocean waves at a beach...

Her eyes widened. They moved downwards and did not lie to her. Displayed in her vision was Ryoga's jacket, still covering her under the blankets. She forgot to take it off and give it back before jumping into bed.

"Then this is...Ryoga's scent!"

For a split second, the entirety of Louise shut down. When she did reset, a war waged inside her on what she was doing. Was this a crime she was committing? An invasion of personal space? Should she be mortified, embarrassed, appalled? Should she rip off the jacket and toss it to the end of her room, or maybe right at Ryoga?

The scent hit her again and suddenly all her fears evaporated. Without conscious thought her hands moved to pull the collar of the jacket up closer to her face. Her nose buried in the collar and inhaled deeply.

Her heart fluttered rapidly.

"It's...not so bad…"

Louise closed her eyes and embraced the scent. Her body curled under the blankets, wanting to bring Ryoga's jacket as close as possible to her, hoping to catch more of the scent. Warmth flooded her face as her lips bent up, showing content and happiness that could not be disturbed.

"Hey, Louise, you're not going to fall asleep with my jacket on, are you?"

…

…

…

Louise's body became a new shade of red.

---

"Well, this is certainly a sight to come back to."

Unbeknownst to the pair, a figure hovered outside Louise's room window. The light from the twin moons showed it to be a large blue and white wind dragon. Not just any wind dragon either.

It was Sylphid, Tabitha's familiar, and sitting on top of her back, as usual, were Kirche and Tabitha.

Having just returned from La Rochelle, Kirche for once felt happy to see the school again. Being stuck in a clinic was not as thrilling as one might think. It had taken longer than expected for her to be cleared by the doctors due to how badly she had been injured, as well as them wanting to examine the nature of her burns, since they seemed unusual compared to what most regular burns should be like.

"There was certainly nothing usual about what happened." Kirche's hand moved over her stomach, a small flinch of pain going through her body.

"Okay?" Tabitha spoke quietly. Even reading a book, she could tell what Kirche was thinking about.

Kirche giggled and ruffled the blunette's hair. "I'm fine. Nothing you need to concern yourself with."

Pushing those thoughts to the side, the redheaded beauty returned to watching the scene in the window. Louise was frantically yelling in a panic while Ryoga tried calming her down. Louise was also wearing Ryoga's jacket for whatever silly reason.

Seeing the both of them acting normal with each other made Kirche smile. Well, more so seeing her darling act normal. He really was much more handsome and fun when that raging storm in his eyes was active. It made her glad that she confronted him about his bout with Wardes and issues with Louise.

And after hearing from Tabitha what Ryoga did after she lost consciousness, her flames of passion for the purple-clad teen became reinvigorated. Not that they lessened in any way before, but now that the Albion thing was over, she was determined to get back into routine and resume her chase even harder than before!

Except...

"It is not looking good."

Kirche snorted. The scene playing out might be comedic, except that was not what she and Tabitha entered on. They - or rather just her, as Tabitha was busy reading - had been here for a good while, and although Kirche couldn't hear anything being said, she could read the body language of Ryoga and Louise and got a general idea on the atmosphere between them.

She hated it.

"Really, I'm gone for a few days and suddenly this happens?" Kirche bit her thumb in vexation. "First that commoner maid, then that silly first-year, and now Louise? He doesn't treat me seriously, does he? Every time I approach him, I get rejected. It makes me worried against my will."

Ryoga being the first person to refuse her had shaken her. His accusation of her not knowing love disturbed her. His own passion and determination, as well as strength and power, frightened her.

He was so different from others. Until now there was no man who would refuse courting her. It was Kirche's pride. So when Ryoga rejected her, she saw it as a positive thing. The game had been so easy before, but now she had an actual challenger. Capturing his heart would prove just how good she was, that nobody could resist her charm, and would be a major victory over the Valliere.

But the more time she spent with Ryoga and got to know him, the more things had started changing for her. She still desired him, certainly, but it was for more than a victory of pride, although pride still played a major role. She wanted to spend more time with him. She wanted to know more about him. She wanted to be at his side.

A new passion had been born, one she didn't understand or even know. But it burned brightly, and she was determined to make it hers!

Only that passion had now been mixed with an icy cold wrath!

Kirche was irritated. No, she was way beyond irritated. She was being ignored and two-timed. Her pride was shaken. She was defeated by a commoner girl, and she was defeated by a first-year. Now she was defeated by Valliere of all people!?

This made her name of "Ardent" cry in agony! Truly, she felt forgotten like an inconvenient thing.

"This cannot stand!"

Kirche arms crossed over her impressive bust as a wicked grin formed on her lips. If this was what things were coming to, then challenge accepted! She would not falter! Let those other girls try their luck. She will plunder Ryoga away from them all, especially Louise, by any means possible. Snatching away La Valliere's lovers was an old Zerbst tradition after all, and this victory would be the sweetest one yet.

"Yes, though plotting isn't my specialty, I can still think of some strategy. Right, Tabitha?"

Tabitha shut her book and pointed at Kirche. "Jealousy."

Kirche stilled, for a moment looking like a statue. Then her face matched the color of her hair as she lost her composure.

"D-Don't say that!" She protested in a surprisingly cute and nervous voice. "I'm not jealous! I cannot feel jealousy! A game! This is just a game of love!"

"Jealousy," Tabitha repeated, not convinced in the slightest.

"There's no way it's that! No way at all!" To prove her point, Kirche half-turned from Tabitha to look back to the window, just to see what her darling and Louise were doing. That way she could show it didn't affect her in the slightest and-

Ryoga was rubbing Louise's head.

"..."

A strange pain stabbed Kirche's chest as her expression became completely calm. Too calm.

"Oh...it is on now, Valliere."

---

Hey guys, no jokes or anything this time. Wanted to just talk seriously and get to what's been going on.

So, I am still alive, haha. The stuff in the world didn't get me, thankfully. But I can imagine some of you might have been worried about me given my last update was exactly one year ago. And I wish to apologize.

I should have had more updates sooner, and I wanted too. But after my last chapter update, a LOT happened. My workplace changed out it's schedules and had brought me back with changes I had to adapt to. Then my friend, who wants to write too, had a breakdown and needed my help with a lot. THEN my mind hit constant roadblocks due to the pressure of all the stuff going on and stress.

...And then my grandmother was diagnosed with cancer.

She IS better now, thankfully. She's fully healed thanks to chemotherapy and is good now. But because of that my mother had to move in with me for a while so she could take care of my grandmother, which meant my time was divided even further.

So as stated...a lot happened. And I'm sorry I left you all waiting and without even a warning on my condition.

But I am back, and I'm glad to see you all again with my update. Now onto another announcement.

I am planning to help my friend write his own actual book. Not a fanfic, but a book on a story he's been wanting to write for a long time. He is a fantastic story teller, but has some trouble mentally that makes it hard for him to focus when it's not something he likes, and while he likes storytelling and rping, actually writing the story is hard for him to focus on. So I am now going to be his co-writer, and in some ways, co-author, as we have both built up his world together and are basically partners at this point (Though I give full credit to him. It is his world and story, and I won't take that from him.)

Also...this is unconfirmed, so take with a grain of salt. But my friend, as well as others I know, have talked about how my focus on one story can be detrimental when I hit roadblocks, cause then I cannot progress any further until the roadblock is done. But they have said if I had another story to write, I could switch between them to maybe help with ideas.

So...I will be debating writing another story.

NOTE: THIS IS NOT CONFIRMED. I WOULD NEED TO GATHER A LOT OF BACKGROUND INFO, READING MATERIAL, AND SET PLANS FOR THE STORY BEFORE I EVEN START. SO IT WOULD NOT EVEN BE ANYTIME SOON.

But...I will think about it. And it will probably be one of the crossover ideas I've had. (Although my friend wishes me to write a...well, original story I have created and he loves. But I am not sure on that yet.)

Now for Review Time.

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REVIEWS FOR THIS CHAPTER!

MAJORMATT1234: Thank you very much. Like I said previously, the intention was not originally meant there with the chapter, but the timing just ended up being perfect, and was a message I think needed to be spread.

Louise and Ryoga are also slowly repairing their connection, as seen in this chapter as well. But yes, they're both still themselves, which means they will still make mistakes or do silly things (Especially with Louise being...Louise, hahaha). But Louise is also learning, as you see in this chapter. She will hopefully learn more.

In any case, thank you and I hope you are well, my friend.

Onishin Tsukitenshi: Who can say, hahaha :) But you will have to wait and see. Hopefully you have been enjoying the story though, and I hope you enjoy this chapter. Thank you for taking the time to read my story.

Stay safe and be well in these times.

gold crown dragon: Hahahahaha! Well, it wouldn't be a Yugioh Story with those kinds of villains, haha! I hope that means you enjoy my story. Thank you for the support.

Hope you are well and good. Make sure to care for yourself.

KolyaIO: I am always happy to reply to everybody's reviews. It makes me feel more connected to you guys, and hope you guys feel the same with me.

Thank you for your comments on Shark. He is a very unique character, even among Yugioh characters. And because of his experiences, he is kind of an adult in a young body. Hence why he can think differently and say these things, and have them still make sense. The lessons he gives to the characters can hopefully help them grow and shape up to become better than who they are.

And of course, Yuma will always be part of that experience.

Thank you so much for your support of my story. I hope the plans I have prepared will have you even more interested for future events.

I also do like Sevens because of how relaxing and funny it is. Sure, the characters and tone is more childish, but that's not bad. In fact, it's made me feel more relaxed and just enjoy the crazy, haha. But I do like the characters. Romin, Rook, and Yuga are my favorite, though Prez does make me laugh. And while Romin didn't go the way I expected, I still enjoy her very much, while Yuga continues to make me curious, in the way Yuma did.

I hope you can get through this to continue this support and see what I have. I would hate to lose you.

Mefist Dragon: Ohhhhh...just you wait and see, heheheh!

Keep well, old friend. I always enjoy seeing your comments.

Omega Porunga: Ryoga knows with how things are, secrecy is slowly becoming a problem more than an aid, and with what's to come, Henrietta needs to be prepared. And Louise is slowly trying to rebuild what they had, as shown in this chapter. While also dealing with her new feelings she can't control.

As for the cards...see my above comment with Mefist Dragon, haha.

Thank you for your care, by the way. You've been one of my oldest supporters, and I am happy to see you always. Let's continue living and keep this going! I won't let you down!

Evil-Mech Lord Apex: Like I said before, that scene, while unintended, ended up being perfect to all that was happening, and showed that even in hard times, you cannot give up. Fight on, stay strong, and live. Never stop living, especially for those who can't.

Well the major stuff in the world has settled down, but we need to keep ready just in case. Don't let your guard down yet.

ALSO YES! FOSSILS! ABOUT DAMN TIME! AND EVEN BETTER THAN EXPECTED! I MAY NOT PLAY THEM, BUT I LOVE THEIR DESIGN AND AM HAPPY THEY NOW EXIST!

In any case, hope next update won't take to long. Until then, live my friend. Live and fight on!

Guest: Hahaha, sometimes the simplest comments are the best. Thank you. I intend to do so.

Keep well wherever you are.

Guest2: I intend to! Don't think I've given up or died! I plan to live and make sure this story does too!

You do the same, you hear me!

kamenriderzio218: I'm glad you enjoy it. I hope you enjoy this chapter as well.

IWAE! THE KING OF ALL KAMEN RIDERS HAS COME TO BLESS THIS STORY! THE ULTIMATE RULER OF TIME, KAMEN RIDER ZI-O! BY HIS COMMAND THIS STORY WILL REMAIN FOREVER!

Axion: Hahaha, thank you for the support. I hope you still kept my story. This update is a big one and I would like you to read it.

Enjoy it in your spare time while you keep safe and well.

Omega Porunga: *Blinks* Didn't I just send you off a little bit ago… Yes I did. Ah well.

I am doing well. A lot better now, actually. I don't know what will happen this year, but I will stay strong. You do the same, Omega.

REVIEWS FROM OTHER CHAPTERS!

Phantom Thief of Hearts: The leader of the phantom thiefs has come to see my story… I am honored! I hope you stole my heart to help me finish this chapter and overcome my problems!

Thank you for the support, and I can only hope you will love what I have planned. Stay tuned, and keep your own heart safe out there.

Axion (Both comments): Hahaha, I didn't realize you reviewed other chapters too! Makes me glad...though Chapter 2 still sits alone T-T

But haha, glad you enjoyed that fight! And while Exodia would be fun, not sure I could fit it in. Besides, Exodia and Shark….naaaaaaah. If I wanted something obliterated, I'd have Louise do it.

But thank you again for the reviews and support. Hope you enjoy the future with me in this story.

Ayayacchi: It is, haha. Surprise, I know, but this story was my first. And I do intend to see it through to the end. I don't know how long that'll be, but I will do it. You have my word. And if I die or something happens, i can only hope you enjoyed it as long as I could continue.

I'm glad you enjoyed the duel too. It was tough, but worth it. And more will come of equal quality I hope, don't you worry.

Thank you for the support, stay well and safe.

---

Well, that's it for now. I'm going to take a mini vacation with my family next month for my birthday. When I get back, you can bet my writing will be stronger than ever. For myself, you guys, and my friend. I can't promise anything on updates, but I will keep going!

Until then… LET'S CARVE OUR ROAD AND PRESS ONWARD!

TrueHeartKnight

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*Preview shows Louise in frustration as she tries to knit something*

Ryoga: Things have gotten quiet lately. I won't complain about that, it's good to be able to relax for now.

*Kirche is seen with a huge smirk as she leans over Louise, who looks flustered.*

Ryoga: Though some things are not too pleasant, at least it's not something I can't handle.

*A large airship is shown with a bunch of men on it, their symbols signifying the Albion air forces. A second scene is shown of Henrietta crying in her mother's arms*

Ryoga: With the wedding coming up, everyone has plans it seems. But that matters little to me when there's still the knowledge of what's going on in Albion.

*Siesta gets closer to Ryoga as she discusses something. Ryoga listens in with fascination and curiosity.*

Ryoga: Tarbes? Oh right, your hometown. Wait, isn't that where…?

*Siesta and Kirche glare at one another, imaginary flames surrounding the two.*

NEXT TIME ON BARIAN OF THE VOID!

FEMALE RIVALRY

Ryoga: What's going through your head, Louise?

*Louise looks down, with guilt and sadness, a tremble to her form.*