Author's Notes:

Hello again! You actually stayed to read the second chapter? That was unexpected. Regardless, here is the second chapter of my fanfic. I don't know how long it will be, but I hope it's satisfying for you. Like I said, I may do several chapters this week, so keep an eye out for those. So, without further ado, here is the second chapter that literally no one was waiting for! Enjoy!

Chapter 2: Preparations Part One

Everything was dimly lit in a faint yellow light. The only sound that could be heard was of water dripping onto the cold, hard ground. Metal tubes ran up the walls like vines run up a tree. Saito was confused. "Where am I?" he thought. He got up slowly. He looked around and noticed a dark hallway. He was, of course, extremely frightened. However, at this point, he decided to walk through it since he had no other options. As he slowly walked further down the hallway, the air was becoming hotter. The hallway narrowed to the point where Saito was forced to crawl his way through. It went like this for what seemed like hours, until eventually, the hallway opened into a massive room. Like the room he was in before, it was dimly lit with yellow light, although the source of the light was unseen. Unlike the room he was in before, the ground appeared to be made entirely of water. It was as if Saito was walking on a lake. The biggest difference, however, was a massive gate at the end of the room. It stretched across the width and height of the room, at least 100 meters wide and 200 meters tall. Behind the gate, it was dark and Saito couldn't make out what was there. However, he sensed a very potent presence and could tell that whatever was behind the gate was the source of the heat he was feeling on his way to this room.

He looked around for clues, but the room was completely empty. He then looked back at the gate. In the center, where the two, jail cell looking doors met, he noticed a large tag with writing on it. It was far to high for him to read. As he was reading it, however, a chill ran down his spine as he heard a voice speak to him.

"You there. Come closer, boy."

It was a deep, ominous voice. Saito was frightened. His instincts were telling him to run, but his curiosity made him inch closer.

"What the hell am I doing? This is too dangerous." Saito thought to himself. But he couldn't stop moving closer. The being behind the gate spoke once more, seemingly having a hypnotic effect on Saito.

"Yes, that's it…just a little bit more." Saito was only a few feet from an opening between the gate's pillars. At this moment, he felt a sudden wave of heat pass over him. He jumped back just in time. A massive claw thrust forward to wear his head had just been. He had only missed it by a few inches. When Saito looked up, he could see only one feature of the being behind the gate. It's glowing, orange eyes were staring directly at him, seemingly filled with hatred.

Saito asked in a huff, as he was out of breath, "What are you?" He was frightened, and could barely stand. The creature closed it's eyes.

"You'll find out soon enough, boy. Now wake up and leave this place. Bother me no longer." As quickly as the beast had stopped speaking, Saito woke up in his room in Japan. He looked around, his eyes filled with fear. Derf, who as Saito's partner could hear and feel what Saito felt, woke up. He saw how stressed Saito was.

"Partner, what's wrong?"

Saito slowly calmed down when he heard Derf's voice. "A nightmare." He said. Derf was worried. Saito normally never had nightmares. In fact, this was the first time Saito had ever had one since he met Derf.

"It was just a dream, Partner. You're okay." Saito finally calmed down enough to think rationally. He tried to convince himself that it was a dream, but he couldn't shake the feeling that it was no ordinary dream. The feeling that it was something more important. His thoughts were interrupted by Derf.

"By the way, Partner. Why did you pass out earlier in the first place? You mentioned some date and then collapsed. Your parents came in and tucked you in bed."

Saito sat, thinking for a moment. He then remembered everything. He tried his best to remain calm and then looked at his rune.

"Derf, I need to ask you a question."

"About what, Saito?"

Saito took a deep breath. "Do you know of any magic that could, for instance, alter time." Derf did not catch on, but tried to answer as best as he could.

"Only in legends, Partner. Legends that precede the first Gandalfr. It was said that 2 powerful beings once existed. Not human, not Elf, not any known being that exists today. It was said that one had the power to control time, and the other could control all objects in reality. However, no evidence of their existence was ever found. It was just an old fairy tale."

Saito was thinking to himself. "Space and time, huh?" He looked at Derf.

"Derf, try to take this as calmly as possible, but I think we've been transported back in time."

Derf was silent. If he had a face, shock would be written all over it. "Didn't you hear me, Partner? I said it was a fairy tale. It was never real."

Saito shook his head. "The story about the boy in the elevator dying happened 2 and a half years ago. Only a week or so before we were transported to Halkeginia. The time on my computer is from 2 and a half years ago as well. That's why everything seems too normal. My parent can't be worried about my disappearance because I never disappeared in the first place."

Derf didn't know what to say. "That's impossible! There has to be some kind of mistake!" Saito was quiet for several minutes whilst Derf was muttering to himself in shock. He stood up and paced around the room. After a while, his Father and Mother walked into the room, clearly worried about him. His Father spoke first.

"Saito, are you okay? You were in really bad shape last night." Saito looked at them, his eyes devoid of emotion.

"I'm okay, Father. I just…need to be alone for a while." His Father was quiet for a while, but then nodded.

"But Yuguro, he's-" His mother began in protest. However, Yuguro, Saito's Father, cut her off with a gentle pat on her shoulder. She understood that he meant it was for the best, so she left the room with him. Derf, who finally calmed down, spoke after several minutes of eerie silence.

"What are we going to do, Partner?" Saito thought for several minutes, wondering what the best course of action should be. Eventually, he came to a conclusion.

"Derf, it was my destiny to become Gandalfr, right?" Derf was silent, which Saito took as a confirmation. "If it was my destiny to become Gandalfr, that means that the portal to Halkeginia will appear again in about one week." He looked at his rune. "I'm going back. We are going back."

Derf sighed, knowing that it was pointless trying to stop him. Regardless of that, Derf wanted to go back too because although Louise was a pain for him, he loved her as a Father would love his Daughter. However, a thought crossed Derf's mind.

"Partner, you realize that if we go back, we will have to do it all again." Saito chuckled and smiled.

"I never thought I'd say this, but I'm looking forward to Louise's whip." He then became serious. "There is a problem though. How should we go about this? Should we make sure everything happens the way it did, or should we change everything since we already know what will happen."

Derf had been thinking about this for a little while. "If you change things, you may not end up together with Louise. But at the same time, you may end up with her sooner rather than later. It's up to you, Partner. It's a matter of deciding to go with the safe option, or the risky option. Whichever it is, I'll help you." Hearing Derf say this brought a smile to Saito's face. He got up, full of energy.

"Right! I guess we should prepare. Derf, you need a vessel, right?"

"Yes!" Derf sounded excited. "God knows what I would have to witness if I stayed in your hand any longer!" Saito's face burned red as he realize what Derf had just suggested. He simply chuckled a bit and scratched the back of his head.

"Let's go to an antique store. I'm sure they have some cool swords lying around." Saito got dressed very quickly. He looked in his closet and opened a shoebox where thousands of dollars' worth of Japanese Yen were piled up and tied together with rubber bands. He looked at the box with hesitation. He never thought that this is how this money would be put to use. He grabbed a few bundles of cash and hid them under his jacket. He then hid the box again and went downstairs. He saw his parents sitting on the couch discussing the news. He warmly smiled at them.

"Mom, Dad, I'm going out!" His parents were shocked.

"Are you sure you're feeling okay? You've been acting so strange", they said in unison. Saito smiled, in complete contrast with his personality when he woke up. "I feel great! I'm just going out for a walk. I'll be back soon. Love you!" With that, he ran out of the door. He grabbed his bicycle, which he had not seen for years, and rode away from the house.

He rode for several minutes, completely silent. After a while, Derf spoke up. "Where are we going, Partner?" Saito spoke in a strained voice, as he was pedaling as fast as he could. "We-We're going to an old antique store my dad us-used to take me to…" Saito rode for several more minutes before stopping in front of a small shop. It didn't look taken care of. The paint was chipped, the walls cracked, and the roof had several holes. Regardless, Saito walked inside. He rang the little bell on the counter. After waiting for a few minutes, an old woman walked slowly from a back room and walked to the front counter. She looked at Saito closely, observing his features. After a moment of uncomfortable silence, Saito decided to speak up.

"H-Hello, Mrs. Aiko. Long time no see, huh?" He smiled uncomfortably. Her face didn't change as she looked at him with suspicion. After a while, she spoke up in a surprisingly strong, but gentle voice.

"Where have you been, Saito?" Saito was confused.

"Well, at home I suppose. Sorry I haven't visited for a few months." Mrs. Aiko shook her head.

"Your eyes, Saito. You've been through much. I may be old, but with age comes wisdom and experience. What exactly are you hiding?" Saito began to panic. "I think you're overreacting Mrs. Aiko." Saito chuckled nervously. Suddenly, the mysterious woman grabbed his hand. Looking intently at the rune burnt into it.

"And what is this?" Saito heart skipped a beat.

"It's just a tattoo I got. Nothing much…" He was trying his best, but even on his best days, Saito was an awful liar. Mrs. Aiko inspected the rune more closely. Clearly unconvinced. It therefore came as a surprise when she let him go and shrugged.

"If you say so. Sometimes as old crackers can get a little delusional." She started laughing. Saito wasn't sure whether to laugh, or be frightened. He simply let out a light chuckle as relief flooded his body. Mrs. Aiko smiled at him.

"So what can I help you with, Saito?"

Saito cleared his throat. "Im looking for a sword. Not a trophy sword or decorative sword. I genuine sword meant for battle."

Mrs. Aiko didn't look surprised, which was alarming to Saito. She simply nodded. "Going on an adventure are we?" Saito was clearly confused.

"I beg your pardon?" he asked. Mrs. Aiko brushed him off. "Ah nothing. Let's see what I have in stock."

She walked through the door she came out of earlier. When she was out of earshot, Derf spoke up.

"She's onto us, Partner." Saito looked at the rune. "What?! But how?" Derf was quiet, pondering this question.

"I don't know, but tread lightly. I don't know if she knows about our situation. Just play it cool, got it?" Saito nodded. After a few minutes, Mrs. Aiko came out with six cases. She set them down on the floor.

"Each of these is an old sword supposedly made for Samurai in the 1400's. I'll leave you with them to decide which one you want." She walked back through the door she came through, leaving Saito alone.

He looked at the swords for several minutes, but didn't feel that any one of them was special. He looked at his rune, hoping for some answers.

"Hey Derf, do any of these feel special to you?" Derf was silent and spoke in a serious manner. "No." Saito was discouraged, however, Derf began to speak again. "However…there is something in that room that the woman went into. I don't know what it is, but it feels…different." Saito looked up at the doorway. Mrs. Aiko was nowhere to be seen. He got up slowly and walked through it. It was a dark hallway leading to a massive warehouse. It smelled of mold and rotting wood, but Saito kept walking. His rune suddenly began to glow faintly, as Derf was becoming excited. Saito reached a large pile of old tables, lamps, chairs, etc. It was there Derf told him to stop.

"It's in there." He said. Saito looked through the pile of discarded furniture. He could very faintly see the sheen of metal through the several pieces of wood. Without a second thought, he began lifting pieces of furniture and putting them aside, creating a small tunnel that he could put his arm through and use to pull the sword out. It took upwards of 30 minutes, but eventually he managed to grab the metal. He slowly and carefully pulled it out. When he managed to do so, he quickly ran back out of the warehouse. In the light of the room he was in before, he examined the sword. It was what he recognized as a shinobigatana. The metal itself was pure white. The hilt was made of what appeared to be obsidian wrapped tan leather for grip. A small Sapphire was inlayed into the tip of the hilt. Saito was in awe at its majesty.

"So is this the one, Derf?" Saito's rune was glowing brighter than it ever had before. Before Derf could answer, a voice was heard from the doorway.

"Quite the tattoo you've got there…" It was Mrs. Aiko, looking extremely serious. Saito was shocked. He simply laid the sword on the ground. He went on his knees and bowed.

"I am terribly sorry, Mrs. Aiko. Please forgive me for trespassing." Mrs. Aiko was silent for a few moments. She sighed and picked up the sword.

"I will forgive you, child, on one condition. Tell me what is going on. I want to know everything."

Saito gulped. He knew there was no way out, so he stood up. "Okay. I'll tell you everything. But please, sit down first. It's a long story."

Author's Notes:

Okay, that was a long one. I'm sorry. I know it's probably a bit sh*t right now, but I hope you'll stay with me for the next few chapters. It know the story is a bit slow right now. Tell me what you guys think. Where can I improve? Review and comment. I don't care if it's nice or mean. Any feedback is much appreciated! I hope you enjoyed the chapter! I may be write another later today. Let's see. Thanks again!