Tabitha's late, was the collective thought of Professor Colbert, Guiche, Kirche and Louise as the school bell rang 9 o'clock.
They were all in slight shock since Tabitha was never late for anything.
A few seconds later they could make out the form of Tabitha's wind dragon, Sylphid flying closer to where they were and on her back they could roughly see two people.
Slyphid gently landed in front of the group and her two passengers climbed off and walked up to the group.
"Where the hell have you been?!" demanded Louise as she stomped over to Mikoto and started yelling in her face.
Although she had to stand on her tip toes seeing as Mikoto was slightly taller than her.
"Do you have any idea how many problems you've caused me since you arrived here?!" glared Louise.
"First you arrive here with numerous injuries that needed to be treated, luckily for you since you got the injuries before becoming my familiar so I didn't have to pay for your treatment. Second I heard you watched the duel yesterday and halfway through you left WITHOUT MY PERMISSION! Don't you know anything! If you were awake you should have come straight to your master and awaited orders. Third I waited all day for you to return and you didn't! Do you know how irresponsible that is! What if something had happened to me and YOU weren't there to protect me! Especially with my other familiar recovering after winning the duel yesterday. AND FINALLY this morning during breakfast I find out that you disappeared from the infirmary causing everyone in the dining room to laugh at me and forcing us to search for you! JUST WHAT DO YOU HAVE TO SAY FOR YOURSELF!"
Mikoto exhaled slowly, back in the clearing by the lake she'd decided to get to know Louise before drawing any conclusions. She would be civil towards her until she gave her a reason not to be.
Well lets just say that reason came earlier than expected.
She'd made sure when she got off Sylphid her body language was open, even somewhat friendly as she approached the group. Although Tabitha's presence may have helped with that to do with that.
However she had not expected to be yelled at before she'd even introduced herself. As Louise had shouted she'd tensed, her face slipping into an emotionless mask and her eyes had hardening as she stood listening to what the shorted girl was saying.
After Louise had finished yelling there were a few seconds of silence in which both Tabitha and Professor Colbert tensed slightly both of them could see the way Mikoto was standing the way her face had gone from somewhat friendly to downright expressionless it was as if she was expecting to be attacked and if she was she would immediately be able to move out the way or retaliate somehow.
Guiche and Kirche were completely clueless as to what was going on although after what happened the previous night Kirche wasn't sure that shouting and blaming Mikoto for everything was the best idea.
Both Tabitha and Colbert watched with baited breath ready to step in at a moments notice as Mikoto took a deep breath.
"First of all my injuries were none of your concern, I will find and thank the people that healed me and fixed my clothes but that was not you. My reasons for leaving the duel between Blondie over there and the other boy are just that, mine. Now, I am not you servant, your guardian, your protector or your friend so your well being is not my concern. As for the black haired boy, it's his own fault for just standing there instead of trying to dodge attacks. As for this morning, I did not ask your peers to laugh at you nor did I ask for you to come and find me," said Mikoto in a calm emotionless voice with a slightly icy undertone causing everyone except Tabitha to flinch and for Louise to take and unconscious step back.
Louise growled slightly before grabbing her wand and pointing it at Mikoto.
"EXPLOSION!"
A huge explosion engulfed Mikoto and Tabitha who was standing next to her.
"Tabitha!" cried Kirche as black smoke covered the area Mikoto and Tabitha were standing.
Professor Colbert immediately used a wind spell to blow away the smoke, he was furious, Louise had just attacked her familiar and a classmate.
Although he couldn't really do anything if it was just her familiar the got hit, because miss Tabitha was in close proximity to the blast there was a possibility that she was hurt. Louise's thoughtless actions had potentially just sparked a war between Tabitha's family and Louise's.
Louise would have to be severely punished for this.
However as the smoke cleared neither Mikoto nor Tabitha were standing where the blast occurred. Instead they were standing directly in front of Sylphid who was sitting slightly further back, where she'd landed. Neither of them looked injured, heck neither had a hair out of place and their clothes didn't appear even the slightest bit burned or damaged.
Tabitha was looking up at Mikoto in surprise trying to figure out what she'd just done.
Moments before the explosion happened Mikoto felt something in the air change, thinking quickly she grabbed Tabitha and detonated the oxygen in front of her to set off the magic before it touched them whilst simultaneously doing the same from underneath her feet to propel herself backwards.
Thus completely avoiding the explosion.
Mikoto narrowed her eyes at Louise.
What was that? That's not a power I've ever faced before. It felt strange like it was ripping apart reality, heck the only thing I could possibly compare that to would be Imagine Breaker but Imagine Breaker only cancelled out my ability this completely ripped it apart, she's more dangerous than I first thought.
Mikoto blinked as a thought suddenly occurred to her, "What the hell were you thinking? Do you have any idea what could have happened if that had hit us?"!
Louise looked completely lost as she tried to stutter out a reply.
Mikoto's eyes narrowed and her frown deepened. This girl really had no idea.
"Your magic could've completely ripped our bodies apart. We could have died."
Although the last part was said in a whisper Louise flinched and everyone in the group paled, well all except Tabitha who just looked down at the floor.
"W-What do you m-mean by that?" stuttered Louise, "Do you know what my element is?" she asked as hope shone in her eyes, if she could just find out what her element was then nobody would make fun of her anymore.
"I have an idea."
"Then what is it?!"
"Look it up yourself."
Louise grit her teeth as her eyes narrowed and her face turned red in anger.
"HOW DARE YOU I AM YOUR MASTER AND I ASKED YOU A QUESTION, SO TELL ME WHAT I WANT TO KNOW!"
Strange if this had happened before the war then I would probably be feeling annoyed and also be shouting and getting into a heated argument but now I don't really care what she's saying nor do I like people shouting. Come to think of it I've changed a lot since the war, I don't get angry at trivial things anymore, I don't lose my cool in embarrassing situations, I don't rely on my powers as much anymore in battle, I now appreciate the things that most people take for granted like being able to relax and not constantly be alert waiting for an attack that may of may not happen and nowadays I prefer peace and quiet as opposed to large crowds and loud noises.
Turning towards Tabatha, Mikoto could see she was slightly confused at the warm smile she was giving her.
"I'm going for a walk, so I'll see you after class."
Tabitha nodded and Mikoto turned to walk away.
"HEY DON'T IGNORE ME!" shouted Louise frustrated at being ignored.
Turning her head Mikoto addressed Louise.
"Research first and if you still can't find anything, then I recommend being nicer to me before asking again." Mikoto's eyes suddenly became very intense as a powerful static charge enveloped the clearing. The change caused everyone to tense as they seemed to realise for the first time just how dangerous she really was. "Also unless you do something to earn my respect and make me want to serve you for the rest of my life then I will never accept being your familiar."
I could handle being your friend but not your slave, thought Mikoto, before turning and walking away followed by Sylphid.
With the potential conflict between Mikoto and Louise averted Tabitha opened her book and began making her way to class, causing everyone else to snap out of the trance they'd been in.
"Tabitha wait up!" called Kirche running to catch up with Tabitha.
Guiche quickly followed suit not wanting to be any later to class.
"Miss Vaillère," called Professor Colbert gaining her attention before she could leave. "Whilst I cannot say anything about you attacking your familiar, Miss Tabitha was within the blast range and if she had been hurt then you could have started a war between her family and yours."
This was a serious issue that Louise really needed to understand and if the way she'd paled was any indication she was starting to understand.
"I also cannot disregard what your familiar about what would've happened had they been hit, if your magic really is that dangerous then I need you to refrain from using it against other people. If you do use it against a student or teacher then you will receive detention and if someone gets seriously hurt then you will face the possibility of expulsion."
"E-Expulsion," stuttered Louise wide eyed.
"Yes expulsion, I'll let you off this time because no one got hurt but next time I won't be so lenient, is that understood?" said Professor Colbert in a tone that left no room for argument.
"Yes Professor," whispered Louise who was on the verge of tears at not being allowed to use her magic anymore.
"Good," nodded Colbert before going back to work, leaving Louise to slowly made her way to class silently wishing the day would be over already.
Mikoto was heading to the kitchens since she hadn't eaten anything, and one bowl of soup wasn't enough after days of malnutrition.
Arriving at the kitchens she knocked on the door and waited. She could hear the previously loud chatter hush as someone walked over to the door and opened it. The moment Marteau saw her he gave her a wide smile.
"Hey if it isn't the kid from yesterday, I take it you're here for breakfast, come in come in don't be shy," grinned Marteau ushering her inside and leaving to Sylphid lay down outside.
All attention was on Mikoto as she entered the kitchen.
"Hey everyone, this is one of the commoners that Louise Vallière summoned, her name's, ...er" he looked at Mikoto expectantly.
"Mikoto."
"Mikoto! well Mikoto I hope you won't let the nobles push you around just like our sword didn't."
Mikoto smiled, "I have no intention of letting anyone push me around regardless of who they are."
"HAHAHAHAHA! That's what we like to hear!" said Marteau leading Mikoto towards a table.
"I'm just gonna heat up the left overs, sit tight I'll be done in a couple minutes," Marteau turned and moved back to the stove.
A few minutes later he returned with a plate of food and glass of water.
"Thank you," said Mikoto as she dug into the food.
Halfway through her meal the door to the kitchens opened and a girl with short black hair wearing a maid outfit walked in.
"Good morning Siesta, your later than usual today," greeted Marteau.
"Sorry about that I was taking care of Saito, his injuries aren't healing very well and I'm afraid he'll fall into a coma," cried Siesta as tears started falling down her face.
The whole kitchen had gone silent and Mikoto could feel the sadness quickly replacing the liveliness.
She was also worried about this boy, if something wasn't done soon then the chances of Saito surviving would decrease.
Marteau gently lead the crying Siesta over towards her and she moved over to let Siesta sit down.
"Come on Siesta don't cry, our sword is strong no way is he going to let a few injuries keep him down. He'll wake up soon, I just know it, in the mean time how about some food I promise it'll make you feel better," asked Marteau trying to cheer Siesta up.
"Yes, thank you Marteau," sniffed Siesta.
Marteau smiled before rushing back to the stove and bringing Siesta back a plate of food and some water.
"Now eat up, you need to stay healthy otherwise our sword will worry when he wakes up," and with that Marteau made his way back towards the stove.
"He's right you know," said Mikoto causing Siesta to jump.
Quickly turning towards her voice Siesta gasped, "I'm so sorry, I hadn't realised that someone else was sitting here please excuse me for not noticing you earlier, that was so incredibly rude of me," Siesta rambled as a light blush appeared on her face.
"It's fine," assured Mikoto waving away her apology. "I'm not offended."
Siesta breathed a sigh of relief, "I'm Siesta, one of the maids who works at the academy."
"Mikoto."
Siesta smiled, "Hh miss Vallière's other familiar, I fixed your jumper."
Mikoto nodded, "Thanks, I owe you one."
"Oh you don't need to thank me I was just doing my job, you don't owe me anything it was no trouble really," came Siesta's embarrassed reply.
Mikoto smiled before she moved back to her meal prompting Siesta to start eating hers.
Around 30 minutes later Mikoto had finished her meal and gave the dish to the young boy who was doing the washing up.
"Thanks Marteau it was delicious," called Mikoto from over everyone else's conversations. Marteau gave her a wide smile and a thumbs up. Moving back over to the table she addressed Siesta who was still eating.
"I'm gonna head out now so I'll see you around."
"Alright, well it was nice talking to you Mikoto-san," replied Siesta.
"Yeah you to, bye," said Mikoto who walked out of the door towards Sylphid.
"Hey Sylphid, you're still here?" murmured Mikoto when she got close enough and started stroking her head.
"Kyui," replied Sylphid leaning into Mikoto's hand.
"It must get pretty boring waiting for Tabitha to be done with class," said Mikoto as she stared up at the main building.
Sylphid nodded whilst Mikoto's eye's lit up as an idea suddenly popped into her head.
"Hey, can we go flying for a bit whilst Tabitha's in class?" asked Mikoto with a big smile on her face as she looked expectantly at Sylphid.
Sylphid nodded and lowered her head allowing Mikoto to struggle her back. Raising her legs still caused a small amount of pain. Once she felt secure she nodded to Sylphid and the dragon quickly took off, flying high into the sky and over the forest.
Mikoto loved flying, it was a shame her powers only allowed it when she was near the ocean. But flying on Sylphid made her feel free for the first time in ages.
If only Tabitha were here, thought Mikoto.
"Hey Sylphid," called Mikoto gaining Sylphid's attention. "Next time we should bring Tabitha with us."
Sylphid let out and enthusiastic sounding noise as they both continued flying through the sky.
A few hours later and the clock on the tower chimed letting both Mikoto and Sylphid know that it was almost time for Tabitha's lunch break.
Sylphid gently landed in the courtyard where a few older looking students in purple cloaks were sitting around talking whilst maids brought them food and drinks.
Mikoto dismounted Sylphid and they both sat against the stone wall where Tabitha usually reads. Mikoto smiled happily, stroking Sylphid's nose as she was purred.
A crash brought Mikoto's attention away from her thoughts of flying and she stopped petting Sylphid who also turned her head towards the crashing sound.
Siesta was on the ground obviously having been knocked over by the tall boy with red hair standing over her.
The whole courtyard had gone silent and everyone was watching the scene intently wanting to see the drama about to unfold.
Mikoto narrowed her eyes at the angry expression on the boys face as he started throwing insults at Siesta. Exhaling slowly she got up and began making her way over towards the red head. Sylphid let out a concerned sounding noise from behind her, but she ignored it and quickened her steps when she saw the boy reach for his wand.
Just as he pointed it at the wide eyed Siesta Mikoto grabbed his wrist and forcibly turned it away.
"That's enough," came Mikoto's deathly calm voice as everyone looked on in shock. "You've said enough, what happened was an accident and you have already taken it too far."
The boy roughly pulled his arm out of Mikoto's hold.
"Who the hell do you think you are to give me orders commoner!" he spat.
"I'm not ordering you to do anything, I'm merely requesting that you stop making such a big deal out of what was clearly an accident," glared Mikoto.
"How dare a lesser being like you talk down to a noble like me!" he growled.
"There is nothing noble about you."
The boys eyes widened as his face turned red in a mixture of embarrassment and anger.
"That's it I challenge you to a duel, Vestori Square 10 minutes," and with that he stormed off.
Once he'd gone Mikoto turned towards Siesta who hadn't moved from her position on the floor and held out her hand.
"You alright?"
"What were you thinking?!" demanded Siesta shooting up, having snapped out of her trance. "You're a commoner, he's a noble, a 3rd year noble, you don't stand a chance!"
"I'm sure I'll manage," replied Mikoto casually.
Siesta just stared at her in disbelief.
"Mikoto," came a quiet voice from behind her.
Turning Mikoto saw Tabitha, Kirche, Louise, the blond boy who lost the duel and a blond girl with who was clinging to the blond boy.
The blond boy and girl were looking at her with a look of shock as if they couldn't believe that she'd just ended up in a duel with a 3rd year.
Kirche was muttering something about déja vu.
Tabitha's face was stoic but her eyes gave away her worry.
Louise had the most over the top reaction. Her shoulders had slumped, her jaw had dropped, and her eyes appeared to be bulging out of their sockets. She couldn't even get a coherent word out due to her disbelief.
"I'll be fine," assured Mikoto.
"I know, just be careful," whispered Tabitha.
If she's anything as strong as the woman uncle summoned then I have nothing to worry about, thought Tabitha.
"Now if you will excuse me, I need to get to Vestori Square within the next 5 minutes," cut in Mikoto as Siesta tried to protest. She was ignored as Mikoto turned and started making her way towards the square.
As most of you know I'm at Uni so my updates will be few and far between since it has to take a back seat to my assignments.
Heck there was one that I should be doing but instead I chose to write this.
I'm sure I'll finish it even if I have to pull an all nighter.
If you haven't watched all of The Familiar of Zero episodes then I suggest you do so you understand Tabitha's past.
Again I don't own The Familiar of Zero or Toaru Majutsu no Index or Kagaku no Railgun.
Please review and let me know what you think.
Thanks, till next time.