Chapter 4:

Chapter 4, The First Lesson

Haruhi let out a low groan as she walked into the apartment she shared with her dad. Listening to the twins bicker about how the outfit she chose was to be made, the colors, and any accessory that might go with it was draining. It had taken Kyoya and Mori to get them to shut up and let her leave and as an apology for keeping her so long and for scaring her, Mori and Hunny offered to drive her home. She had tried to decline but ended up losing the argument to the Lolita's tears. She was partly grateful they had given her a ride because now it meant that she had a bit more time to shop at the market for food that week.

After placing her pack in her room, and glancing at her desk to see that her father had placed her mother's old college texts in a neat stack near the wall with the box next to her bed, she then changed into a pair of pants, a loose shirt and a loose coat. Once dressed, she walked out and paused. Standing on the table was a large white cat. She looked around the room and saw that neither the front door, or any windows were open.

"How did you get in here?" she asked walking over. "Did you sneak in when I walked in?"

The cat just yawned before laying on the table. Around its neck was a small and simple collar with a bell and a tag. Haruhi knelt in front of it and hesitantly held out her hand. The cat looked at it and then bumped its head against her hand and she began to pet it while looking at the collar a bit more closely.

"Vaska, huh?" she said reading the name.

The cat's ears perked slightly at it's name and meowed. Haruhi looked at the address on the tag and grimaced slightly at not recognizing the street name.

"You're a long ways from home huh, Vaska?"

Vaska meowed again.

"Well, let's get you home then."

Haruhi reached over and tried to pick up Vaska. Her eyes widened at not only the softness of his fur but his weight. A cat this size shouldn't be this heavy, she thought in shock. Maybe underneath this sleek frame is nothing but muscle...wouldn't surprise me...he looks like he's had a good chase after some mice or rats every now and then.

She grabed her wallet and carried Vaska out of the apartment only to have him jump out of her arms and start walking on his own. She noticed that he would walk several paces in front of her, pause to look back at her before continuing. It's almost as if he's leading me... Haruhi mused with a small smile. As they continued on, Haruhi took in her surroundings and noticed that they were mostly on back alleys and side roads that weren't really used by the majority of people.

After about an hour of walking, Vaska paused at a large iron gate before slipping through the bars. She looked passed it as saw a large, three story dark wood mansion with a pillared arch over the front door in the distance. Glancing at the gate she saw a coat of arms that looked like it had cats on it. I have a hunch as to whose house this is... she thought wryly. She saw a small panel by the gate and pushed one of the buttons on it.

"Are you expected?" a slightly familiar timbered voice came over the speaker.

"Um, probably not but I found a cat whose tags said he was from here," she replied.

The gate opened. "Please enter then."

Haruhi nodded and looked to see the white cat already walking towards the house. Quickly jogging to catch up to the cat, she took a brief look around. The lawn was well taken care of and there were a few flowering bushes along the walkway. After a few moments, they were both at the front door. When it opened, Haruhi let out an internal laugh. My hunch was right...

Standing in front of her was the tall, bald butler she met during Halloween the year before. He gave a slight smile in greeting.

"I thought I recognized the voice," Kadomatsu stated. "Welcome to the Nekozawa Manor, Miss Fujioka."

"Uh, thanks," she replied. "Not sure how he got into my house but I brought Vaska back."

Kadomatsu looked at the white cat and nodded. "Thank you for his safe return."

"You must be the little one," a soft voice called from the stairs, the accent making it hard to understand the words somewhat.

Haruhi looked towards the voice and felt her eyes widen. Standing at the top was a beautiful woman with waist length pale blond hair and shocking blue eyes. Dressed in a fitting black skirt suit with deep blue heels, the woman easily radiated authority.

"Um..."

"Apologies, little one. I am Alyona, lady of this house. Umehito has told me of you, and seeing you in person; well, I must say that what he told me is a little off. Kadomatsu, she will be joining me. I have much to discuss with her."

The butler nodded and motioned for Haruhi to enter. Hesitantly stepping in, she watched as Alyona knelt down and began to softly pet Vaska before rising. "This way, little one."

Nodding softly, Haruhi followed the woman and felt slight trills go down her spine. This woman radiated power and she could feel it like a blanket had been wrapped around her. She tried to keep her heart beat steady as they continued down some halls towards what Haruhi could assume was a sitting room given all of the chairs and tables after the large doors opened. Alyona took a seat in a chair near one of the windows and motioned towards the chair opposite her. Once seated, Haruhi saw the maid she met last year as well.

"White Mint tea madam," Kuretake spoke with a soft bow. "Accompanied by sweet rice cakes. Please enjoy."

Once the maid had left, Alyona smiled. "No need to worry little one, I do not bite. I am to be your teacher after all."

"Thank you Nekozawa-sama," Haruhi replied, giving a respectful bow.

Alyone shook her head. "That title is for my husband and son. You may call me Alyona, little one."

Haruhi nodded and jumped slightly went Vaska hopped into her lap.

"He likes you," Alyona smiled. "Tis rare for him to be open with those he does not know. Normally he shies away from guests."

"Not sure why," Haruhi shrugged as she began to pet him causing Vaska to purr happily. "He seems like a nice cat. Just a bit heavy."

"That is because he is not a normal cat."

"Huh?"

"Vaska is a familiar. One of the three I regularly have near me at all times. The other two tend to stay close to the manor but Vaska likes to roam and get a better understanding of the area around him."

Haruhi looked at the cat in her lap. "A...familiar?"

"Think of him as a summoned companion," Alyona explained. "One that only listens to you, protects you from anything, and fights alongside you should you need the aid."

"Would I be able to summon one?"

"With some proper training but something tells me that you might be able to do so now. My son told me the books your mother had left for you. Have you looked through them all?"

"Not yet. I thought it best to read them in order of level."

Alyona smiled. "Smart girl. Have you already read the chapters of the Introduction?"

Haruhi nodded. "Yes. I think it briefly mentioned Familiars..."

"It would but, now I am going to help you call upon it. One of the first things that must be known is how to defend yourself and in your case, little one, it would be a good idea to start with getting your companion."

Tilting her head to the side, Haruhi stated. "I thought my lessons would be tomorrow. Not to sound ungrateful or anything, I'm just confused."

Alyona gave a soft smile. "Your confusion is understandable, little one. I teach you now because of Vaska. Normally he isn't so insistent about anything but he is for you. I trust his instinct and his instinct says that you need your familiar."

Could it be because of what happened this morning? Haruhi thought, worry marring her face.

"Given your expression," Alyona stated. "Something has happened recently to make you consider this more deeply."

Nodding, Haruhi explained what had happened yesterday and that morning. As she spoke, Alyona's eyes seemed to darken and her features seemed to close off.

"I see," she stated once Haruhi had finished. "You did well in being alert to your surroundings despite your lack of training and your use of one of the many escape spells was well done. Although, you probably should have looked before casting."

Haruhi turned red with embarrassment at the older woman's amused smile. "I did tell him I was sorry..."

"And I am sure he forgave you but enough levity. It is time to discuss how to call your familiar."

For the next hour, Alyona began to explain the different types of familiars, the forms they could take and the means to summon them. Haruhi nodded every now and then to show she understood and occasionally asked a question for clarification on something which Alyona answered with a smile.

*~*0o0o0o0o0*~*

Kyoya walked into his house and placed his school bag by the table in the living room. He then went upstairs to his room and changed out of his school uniform into a loose button up shirt with short sleeves and a set of dark jeans and boots. Once changed, he went back downstairs to see Tachibana waiting for him.

"Have you learned anything from it?" he asked sitting down.

"Yes, Master Kyoya," Tachibana replied. "It is a level 2 Shadow Familiar. We were able to trace it's relay back to an old house in Kyoto. While investigating the house, we came across some fairly battered Arcana Books. Upon closer inspection, the books were actually new but made to look like they had been there for a while. There were no traces of anyone who could have summoned the familiar in the residence. Even with a full sweep through the house, we were unable to come up with the signature of whoever summoned the Shadow. We are currently digging through the Shadow's own source to gain insight to its creation."

Kyoya gave a small nod. If one was unable to learn anything about where a familiar was summoned when it came to the one that summoned them, searching through the magic that made the familiar was the next best thing. Although very messy, it always procured results.

"Very good. Let me know when you find anything."

Tachibana bowed and left the room. Once he was gone, Kyoya opened his laptop and began looking over everything he had gained until that point. His stock levels were good, the sub-company he created to monitor his father's ventures was doing well, meaning his father's businesses were fine, and the reports from his familiars and small patrol team were in the clear. Letting a small smile cross his face as he read the report concerning Haruhi, he leaned back in his chair. A little early but if that cat is the one that leads her, she'll be fine. Sitting forward, Kyoya sent a message to the familiar to get a months worth of groceries for Haruhi and her father since he believed that the lessons would go well passed the time the market closed.

*~*0o0o0o0o0*~*

Hikaru and Kaoru smiled as they placed the last touches on the rough design of Haruhi's outfit. It was a mix of whites, golds, and blues. The top looked like it was a tunic with long billowing sleeves that would go well passed her hands. The pants were styled like traditional hakama but with a set of buttons to keep them on her hips instead of ties and a pair of boots that went about half way up her shins made out of durable leather.

"Should we add anything else to this?" Hikaru asked his twin. "As it is, it looks great and I am sure it will look even better on her."

Kaoru looked at the rough design. "Maybe a belt to go over the top to keep it closed and make the tunic a bit bigger so that it still hides her gender? I know we don't need to anymore but..."

Hikaru tilted his head to the side before nodding. "Sounds good. I think we should also add a hood to it. Adds an air of mystery to the look."

"All right. Let's finish up then head down to dinner. We can begin making it during the weekend."

Kaoru nodded and began making the slight alteration that would allow a hood to be attached while Hikaru started on the hood itself. Once done, they smiled at each other before heading down to eat.

*~*0o0o0o0o0*~*

"Are you ready to try and call your familiar?" Alyona asked.

Haruhi nodded and stood to stretch. She had been sitting through the entire lesson and wanted to get some feeling back into her legs. After walking around the room a little, she came to a stop at the chair she had left and gave a few pets to Vaska who had taken over the seat, causing the cat familiar to purr happily.

"All right, little one. I want you to tap into your Arcana, just as I explained, and focus on the attributes you want your familiar to have."

Haruhi nodded and closed her eyes. She entered a light meditative state to begin looking for her pool of Arcana. Her power reacted almost immediately and she felt the slight hum and warmth of the Arcana that swirled inside of her. With the pool found, she began to list the attributes she wanted. Strength to handle any adversary with grace and ease. Patience to see through the problem and wisdom to accurately solve the issue with minimal damage to themselves or any around. Kindness and understanding to aid those in need. And finally, empathy and humility to be alongside any and all. She noted almost absentmindedly that these traits were like a combination of her mother and a few of the hosts, mostly Hunny and Mori with a little bit Tamaki when he wasn't being a spaz.

Alyona watched with a bright smile as the glow around Haruhi got brighter as she focused on the attributes she wanted for her familiar. She glanced at the door when she heard it open and placed a finger to her lips when she saw her children.

Nekozawa paused at the door in awe when he saw Haruhi surrounded by a faint blue glow and felt Kirimi bounce excitedly next to him. As he watched, the glow got a bit brighter but it wasn't enough to send him away in terror and even if it was, he doubted he would be able to flee from the beautiful sight in front of him. To be witness to the first Summoning of a Familiar... he thought with a smile. Such an honor and it will allow Kirimi to see Arcana at its best since she couldn't witness her own summoning. He glanced at his little sister and smiled softly at the look of awe and wonder on her face. He gently placed a hand on her shoulder to keep her from bouncing too close.

An unseen breeze seemed to wrap around Haruhi as she continued to focus on the attributes she wanted her familiar to carry and soon felt a weight along her shoulders and something wrap around her body. In her heart, she felt that whatever it was, possessed no danger to her and smiled softly as her list continued through her mind. After a moment, the weight seemed to solidify and the breeze went away. When she opened her eyes, she saw a look of stunned awe on Alyona's face.

"Such will," she muttered softly. "To call upon something as old and powerful as this...you are truly blessed little one."

Haruhi tilted her head to the side only to hit something solid. She turned slightly and saw scales. Her eyes widened as she followed the scaly body and stared in awe at the face that gazed back with bright gold eyes. She felt the weight around her body shift and unwrap from around her and stood in awe at the sight before her.

From head to tail, it was probably about ten feet long, covered in pale blue and green scales and each of its four feet had four inch long talons. Its face seemed to have a golden mane around it which trailed all of the way to the tip of its tail and a mouth full of razor sharp teeth that ranged from two to three inches.

"Fujioka-san," Nekozawa spoke in awe, causing her to spin and look at her shocked blue-eyed senpai and an equally shocked Kirimi. "You...you called...you called a Dragon..."

"Not just any dragon," Alyona stated. "But one of the oldest."

Looking of the dragon Haruhi started to go through what all she knew about mythology and fantasy. Her eyes went wide and she gazed up at the dragon. My familiar is a Chinese Lung? she thought in awe.

"I am indeed young one," she heard in her mind, causing her to jump. "Fear not, child. You called upon me to guard and protect you."

"What...what is your name?" Haruhi asked tentatively.

"I am called Qurdox. I possess control over Storms. I can breath Ice, Mist and Fire. My scales are harder than Steel and Iron, my teeth and claws are sharper than any blade. I am your ally until death."

Haruhi nodded and looked back towards everyone else. "Um...do you have a smaller form?"

Qurdox nodded and began to shrink to about the same size as Vaska, which prompted the cat to come over and sniff the now miniature dragon. Qurdox let Vaska sniff him and learn him as he did the same.

"How would I take care of him?" Haruhi asked in awe.

"Dragons are carnivores by nature," Nekozawa explained. "Any form of raw meat would feed him well."

"How much would I have to feed him?"

"That depends on his size. As he is now, a plate the size of what you yourself normally eat would be enough. If he were his full size, he would have to go hunting to feed himself but that would be rather hard to do here in the city. For now it would be best if he remained small."

"Does his size affect his power?"

"It does not, child," Qurdox answered. "Regardless of my size, my power remains the same. It just limits the effectiveness of physical defense."

Haruhi nodded. "I see."

"You must be hungry, young one," Alyona spoke after regaining her composure. "Dine with us tonight and we shall see to it that you get home safely."

Haruhi was about to protest but her stomach decided to voice it's own opinion causing her to blush.

"Bookworm is hungry!" Kirimi yelled. "Come on Bookworm."

Haruhi sweat-dropped at the nickname the 6 year old gave her last year. "I'm never going to be rid of that nickname, am I?"

"I am sure she will stop calling you that as the lessons progress and she gets more familiar with your name," Nekozawa offered in sympathy.

"I hope so."

Haruhi followed Nekozawa through the halls and stopped in awe of the large dining room. In the middle of the room was a long table covered in a black table cloth with gold embroidery and trim. The table could easily seat thirty people but only had ten placements. At the head of the table was a man with light auburn hair and deep brown eyes. He gave a soft smile that reminded Haruhi of the smiles that Nekozawa would give every now and then towards his little sister.

"Welcome," the man said in a baritone a little deeper than Nekozawa's. "You must be the friend Umehito mentioned. I am Katsuro Nekozawa, father of Umehito and Kirimi."

"An honor to meet you Nekozawa-sama," Haruhi said with a bow.

"Please." He motioned towards the empty seats.

When seated, Haruhi noticed that Nekozawa sat to the left of his father with Kirimi next to him then herself while Alyona sat on his right. Next to Alyona were four empty plates and one next to her. Soon a group of servants entered and placed some dishes in front of everyone as well as the empty seats. Haruhi was about to ask about that but when she saw the lids of the empty seats opened, she saw that they had raw meats or fish on them. After a moment, she saw Qurdox climb on to the seat next to her and saw a flash of white across from her. She looked over and saw Vaska sitting on the table waiting to eat the fish.

"Umehito," Katsuro called. "Call Beelzeneff. It is time to eat."

Nekozawa nodded and soon Haruhi saw a beige sphinx hop onto the table.

"Beelzeneff is an actual cat?" Haruhi asked surprised.

"He can take whatever form I need him to be," Nekozawa replied. "I usually have him as a puppet outside of the house because most places do not allow animals. I could show you how to form your familiar into an inanimate object before you leave if you like."

Haruhi looked at Qurdox concerned. "Will it hurt him?"

"I will not be harmed, child," Qurdox reassured. "As I told you, my form does not hinder my power."

"It will not," Katsuro voiced. "Each familiar has a living and an inanimate form. It is my feeling that your Dragon will form to a piece of jewelry of some kind. Although Lungs tend to be less materialistic than most other Dragons, they still do enjoy the beauty that is."

Haruhi nodded. "Okay."

She glanced at the two empty seats next to Beelzeneff. Soon another cat hopped up on the table. This one was blacker than night and had cold blue eyes. It's tail flicked back and forth in irritation as it tried to stare down Qurdox. His response was to let some smoke slowly rise out of his nose. The black cat hissed and Haruhi heard Katsuro clear his throat causing the cat to look at him.

"Behave, Ankoku," he stated, staring down the cat. "They are our guests and will be so for some time."

The cat let out a huff but stopped trying to glare at Qurdox as a small white kitten was placed on the table by Kuretake. Haruhi looked at it curiously.

"That is Kirimi's familiar," Alyona explained. "She made her connection to her companion during her tutoring today."

"What is your kitten's name Kirimi-chan?" Haruhi asked.

"Karen!" the little girl smiled.

Cute? she thought with a smile. Well, it is a cute cat... "That's a nice name Kirimi-chan."

Kirimi smiled and looked back at her plate. After Kuretake had stepped out of the room, Katsuro sat back and smiled before taking the first bite, thus allowing everyone else to eat. Haruhi ate slowly, minding her manners as well as savoring the food. She really had no idea as to what she was eating but it tasted good. I wonder if they will be willing to let me take some home with me for my dad...

"Ano..." she hesitantly asked. "Is it okay if I take some of this back to my dad so he can have something to eat for when he goes to work?"

Katsuro paused. "That will be no issue. I'll have the staff make up a box for him for you to bring back. If I may, what does your father do?"

"He works at a bar downtown," Haruhi answered. "He's a cross-dresser."

"What of your mother?"

Haruhi looked down sadly. "My mother passed away almost eleven years ago. She was a lawyer."

Katsuro's eyes softened slightly. "Apologies, child. I didn't mean to incur painful memories."

Haruhi shook her head. "That's okay. It may be a little painful at times to remember her since I was so young but all of the memories I do have of her are good ones."

The Nekozawa patriarch nodded in understanding and the meal continued on in silence for the most part, each lost in their own thoughts. Once the meal was done, Nekozawa walked with Haruhi towards the front door.

"The spell is a simple one," he stated. "All you need to do is focus your Arcana and ask your familiar to become an object. Once they accept, all you need do is say the incantation: ''ቅርጽ ( k'irits'i )." *

Haruhi watched as the beige cat that followed them nod and slowly shift and shrink before falling to the floor in the form of the puppet she had always seen him carry.

"See?" He said picking up the now puppet-formed Beelzeneff. "You try."

Haruhi looked at Qurdox, who was perched on her shoulder, as he nodded to indicate he was ready. She began to focus her magic.

"ቅርጽ ( k'irits'i )," she muttered.

She felt Qurdox shift around on her shoulders before she felt the small weight of a chain around her neck. She opened her eyes her eyes and saw that Qurdox was no longer perched by hear head. Nekozawa smiled and guided her towards one of the mirrors situated in the entry way. Her eyes went wide as she saw a small but intricately formed Dragon on a silver chain made entirely out of jade.

"Wow..." was all she could say.

"The spell also works in reverse."

Haruhi simply nodded as she continued to look at the necklace.

"If anyone with no magic asks were you got it," Nekozawa spoke. "You might want to say that it was a gift from your late mother or a distant relative. I am sure you can tell your father the truth and I am sure the Host Club will figure it out."

Haruhi nodded and looked back towards the door when someone cleared their throat. She saw Kadomatsu holding a couple of bento boxes and smiled.

"Thank you," she smiled. "I'm sure my dad will enjoy it."

"Understood, miss," he replied. "The bottom box is a bit more meat for your companion to eat."

Haruhi nodded. "Thank you."

Nekozawa walked her to the car and helped her in. Once he stepped away, Kadomatsu placed the bentos in her lap and shut the door once she was seated. After a moment, she felt the car begin moving. Sending a quick wave out the window towards a sleepy Kirimi, she leaned back and waited for the car to arrive at her home. Today was a long but good day, she thought with a smile. But because of that impromptu follow the leader with Vaska, I didn't get to go shopping...I guess I'll have to do it during the weekend...

*~*0o0o0o0o0*~*

When the car pulled up to the apartment complex, she thanked the driver and got out. She wished him a good night and went upstairs. She took a deep breath and opened the door. Haruhi paused when she saw her dad about to walk out.

"Hi dad," she said softly.

"Hi sweetheart," Ranka said in surprise. "I was just about to go look for you."

"Sorry about that," she muttered. "I ran into one of my senpais while out. They bought me dinner and I have the left overs."

Ranka looked at the boxes in her hands before stepping aside to let her in. Once inside, she placed the top bento on the table. As she leaned over, Ranka caught sight of the jade dragon around her neck.

"Haruhi..." he called, trying to remain calm. "What is that?"

She turned and saw that her dad was looking at the necklace. "This is Qurdox."

Ranka tilted his head to the side and Haruhi sighed. She closed her eyes and muttered the spell and Qurdox reformed as a living dragon about the size of a ferret on her shoulder before dropping onto the table. Ranka watched in awe as the necklace changed into a real dragon and land on the table with a thump.

"This is Qurdox," Haruhi said again. "My familiar."

"He's beautiful," she heard her father utter. "It is a he right?"

Haruhi nodded with a smile. "Yeah. I had a run-in with Nekozawa-senpai and his family. His mother offered to teach me. One of these boxes has raw meat for him for the morning and the other is for you."

Ranka opened both boxes eagerly. When he found the one that had the raw meat in it, he placed the lid back on and placed it in the fridge before going back to the other. He ate roughly half of it before becoming full and placed the lid over the rest.

"I'll take the rest of this with me to work," Ranka stated. "It's really good. What about for your lunch tomorrow, dear?"

"I'll wake up early to make it," she replied. "But right now, I'm going to take a shower and then head to bed."

"Okay, sweetheart. What about him?"

"Let him explore and learn the layout, I guess. Lady Alyona explained that it is best to let a Familiar wander around a new area so they can get a feel for where they are and make sure everything is safe for their Summoner."

Ranka nodded and went to his room to get ready for his shift at the bar being sure to leave his door slightly open so the dragon could come in and look around if he wanted to. Qurdox looked around the apartment and started exploring every nook and cranny he could get into without getting stuck. When Ranka came out, Qurdox was looking at the shrine holding Kotoko's picture.

"I'm not sure if you understand me," he said calmly. "But that was Haruhi's mother, Kotoko. She passed when Haruhi was only a little girl but even though she was only in her life for a short span of time, they were always happy times."

Qurdox turned when the door to the bathroom opened to show Haruhi drying off.

"I'm off, sweetheart," Ranka said with a smile. "Sleep well and I will see you tomorrow."

Haruhi waved to her dad as he left and went into her room with Qurdox following.

"Your home is comforting," he stated. "It is full of love and peace."

"Thanks," Haruhi replied tiredly. "Let's get some sleep."

Qurdox nodded and watched as Haruhi went to her futon, flopped down, and almost instantly fell asleep.

A/N: Spell translations

ቅርጽ = Form ( k'irits'i )