Author's Note: Yes. After almost Five Months of neglect, this story is back on track (Yay!)

Now, the reason that I have neglected this story for so long is that, frankly, I got a bit fed up of people poking holes in what I wrote. Plus, y'know, I had to decide where the story was going to go.

As to the little challenge I set at the end of last chapter, Cerxer1 and Donovan123456789 got one reference, the Second Hokage's Ultimate Finisher from the PS3 games.

Robo Reader 21 got the first reference, as well as the second one, the running monks from the Anime Maburaho.

Only one person found the third, unmentioned reference. Syoran's talisman magic (at least the incantation) has been borrowed for this fic.

See you at the end of the fic.

Enjoy!

Disclaimer: Zero no Tsukaima isn't mine.

"Saito" -Talking

'Louise' -Thinking/Telepathy

"Explosion!" -Spell

Chapter 3: Duel!

Half an Hour Later

Headmaster's Office, Tristain Academy for Magic

Saito stood in front of the desk and examined the man in front of him. Headmaster Osmand wore a black robe, had a long grey beard and smoked a pipe. His appearance, combined with the stave he carried around, screamed 'wise old sage' to the young mystic.

'I'd better be on my guard.' Saito thought to himself, 'This guy is likely an exceptionally skilled magic user if he's anything like the Grandmaster of the Onmyōdō Academy.'

He had been called up here after the Second Year class had been sent to lunch. Apparently, the headmaster had witnessed Saito's arrival and his subsequent annihilation of Guiche's Earth Valkyrie and wished to have a word with him.

"Ah, Hiiraga Saito you said you name was?" Osmand asked, "Well then…"

"Ummm…." Saito replied carefully, "The naming conventions of my country places the surname first, followed by the first name, so just call me Saito."

"Hmmm…unusual." Osmand mused, "And…what did you call the type of magic you use?"

"Mysticism." Saito replied, "It works slightly differently than your own magic."

"I see…Chuchu, where did you disappear to?" Osmand was distracted when a mouse suddenly appeared, climbing up his staff, "Oh, this is Chuchu, my Familiar."

"That's your Familiar?" Saito asked in astonishment, "Your Familiar is a mouse?"

"Indeed. I was originally a Dot Mage, specialising in Earth Magic." Osmand said with a fond smile at his mouse, "Back then, I didn't know what my primary element was, so I was full of nerves before I performed the Ritual. The selfsame Ritual Miss Vallière performed in order to summon you, my boy."

"A Ritual that enslaves people!" Saito bit out, his anger from thirty minutes ago returning.

"Ah, well, that's the thing." Osmand said easily, "Most beings summoned by the Summon Servant spell are rarely sentient enough to be aware of such things. Those that are self-aware usually have the choice of whether to walk through the gate. Was this not the case with you?"

"An accidental collision sent me flying into it." Saito replied, silently vowing to teach those monks a lesson when he returned to his world. This was all their fault!

"A pure accident? My…" Osmand chuckled, "In any event, that gate showed itself before you. That means that, out of every living being in the universe, you are the being most suited to being Miss Vallière's Familiar."

"I am well aware how a Summoning Rite works." Saito replied testily, "I just underwent my own Rite yesterday."

"Indeed?" Osmand raised an eyebrow, "In which case, where is your Familiar?"

"Mystics like me have two Familiars." Saito corrected, "And they come when I summon them, via these tattoos."

He pulled up his sleeves to reveal his tattoos, intricate geometric patterns that covered his arm from his wrists to his elbow. In the centre of his right arm, one circle had an unusual character '' (Ogre) in the centre, while a similar character '' (Devil) was emblazoned in a square on his left arm.

"My…those took a considerable amount of magic to create." Osmand said as he leaned forwards to examine them more closely, "Do tell, what do these odd characters mean?"

"They represent the species of the Familiars." Saito explained, "The one on my right arm means 'Ogre' and the one on my left arm means 'Devil'."

"You can contract such beings?!" Osmand exclaimed in shock.

"It has become uncommon in recent years, but yes I did." Saito confirmed, "It took a bit of negotiation, but I eventually convinced them to become my Familiars."

Osmand raised an eyebrow. "Negotiation?" he asked sceptically.

"Negotiation." Saito confirmed, "Not only do we utilise a spell that seeks out compatible beings, we also use a spell that permits communication between the beings and the contractor. They negotiate until a satisfactory deal is struck between them, then -and only then- is the contract finalised."

"An interesting way to go about it." The Headmaster said, "Then again, with two Familiars rather than one, you also have to think about compatibility between the two beings, as well as yourself."

"Precisely." Saito was relieved the man had grasped the concept so quickly. Then, a thought occurred to him.

"Headmaster-" he began to say.

"I'm not your headmaster, Saito." Osmand said with a chuckle, "Behind my back, everyone calls me 'Old Osmand', so feel free to call me that."

"…Right." Saito had to wrap his head around the fact that the Headmaster of a magic academy would allow such blatant disrespect. Even more baffling was the fact that he seemed to be encouraging Saito to be equally disrespectful. The Grandmaster would have any apprentice or initiates head on a silver platter for such disrespect.

"Anyway…Osmand," That was as close as Saito was willing to push it, "Can I ask why it is whenever I get angry about being summoned or forcibly marked as a Familiar, my anger just seems to be turned off?"

Osmand looked thoughtful for a moment before saying, "I believe that it comes from the rune on your hand, Saito. The magic of the Familiar Binding Ritual not only connects the Master and Familiar telepathically, it also changes the Familiar into what it needs to be in order to be with the Master. The Familiar is also compelled to serve their Master."

Saito was beside himself with anger. "So, not only do you enslave creatures, you use Mind Magic to alter who and what they are, and use Compulsion Magic to coerce their compliance!" he snarled, "In my world, the use of either of those magics results in imprisonment for twenty years for a single use of them!"

"Your world has harsh penalties for the misuse of magic." Osmand observed idly, "I confess that I personally dislike the Mind Magic component, and the Compulsion part is questionable at best, but in this world, it isn't illegal."

"All of a sudden, I feel relieved that Abe no Seimei made the rule that magic users were not to interfere in the running of the country." Saito muttered, "So, is there any way of sending me home?"

"You must understand, this is an unprecedented situation." Osmand told him, "Never before in the last five thousand years has a human been summoned, let alone a mage from another world."

Saito close his eyes for a moment. "So the answer is that you've never even tried to find a counter-spell for the summoning spell, correct?" he guessed.

Osmand looked surprised. He hadn't expected Saito to figure out he was giving him the run-around so quickly.

"I'm a fully accredited mystic, Osmand." Saito informed him, "Something we are taught is how to tell when people we talk to are prevaricating, stalling or avoiding telling us something."

"You are a fully accredited magic user?!" Osmand exclaimed, "Impossible! You can't be any older than the second years!"

"When do magic users begin their actual magic training in this world?" Saito asked.

"Officially, when they turn fourteen." Osmand replied, "But most, if not all, noble families give their children private tutoring on the basics of magic when they turn ten."

"I began my training when I was seven." Saito informed the old man, who looked startled, "That was after two years of lecturing on the moral right and wrong uses of magic."

"And…you are, in fact, fifteen right now?" Osmand probed.

"I'm almost sixteen." Saito confirmed.

"When did you graduate?" Osmand pressed.

"Just yesterday." Saito replied.

"My, my…" Osmand muttered, "It would seem that Miss Vallière is incredibly fortunate to have summoned you as a Familiar."

"What? Why?" Saito asked.

Osmand sighed. "In her entire time at the Academy, Miss Vallière has not ever cast a single spell correctly. Whether it is a household spell, a scrying spell or a basic fireball, every single one causes a large explosion, regardless of their effects."

"That…that shouldn't be possible." Saito stammered, "Don't your spells have safety features built into their framework to prevent that sort of thing?"

"They do." Osmand confirmed, "Miss Vallière seems able to bypass that portion of the spell."

"She can't be miscasting every single spell." Saito thought aloud, "How much magic does she have?"

"You mean her willpower?" Osmand asked, "I'm afraid I have no idea."

"No, not how strong her will is, how much magical power she possesses." Saito corrected him.

"That's what I was talking about." Osmand replied, slightly confused, "We have never been able to find a way of quantifying and measuring an individual's magic, so we just call it 'willpower'."

Saito shook his head in disbelief, "In 5,000 years, no-one has been able to devise a spell to quantify a person's magic? What kind of idiots are spell researchers in this world? That spell was invented thousands of years ago in my world!"

"Magic has, I suspect, made us lazy." Osmand admitted, "Judging from the unusual garments that you wear, as well as the unknown materials they are weaved from, I would say that your world is far more advanced than this one in regards to mundane affairs, correct?"

"Yes~" Saito said slowly, not seeing the connection.

"Because your world is not totally dependent on magic, something that is able to accomplish nigh impossible things, your world is able to retain its drive and curiosity." Osmand explained, "Your mages -mystics as you call them- also retain their desire to keep magic ahead of technology, meaning more and varied spells are created."

"Huh." Saito had to admit, that made sense, "I've never really thought about it that way, but you have a point."

"With age, my boy, comes the need to think deep thoughts, then inflict them on others." Osmand chuckled, before becoming serious.

"My point, if you can recall what I was originally talking about, is that Miss Vallière could certainly use your assistance." he said seriously, peering at Saito as he stroked his mouse Familiar, "She has been isolated from her peers because of her…disability. The expectations that she is under are quite high as well. She has, as a result, retreated into her room unless she is eating or attending classes, preferring to bury her head in books rather than risk constant ridicule.

I understand that you have no desire to be either in this world or a Familiar, but Miss Vallière is in dire need of both a friend and a teacher. I would ask that you would consider being both for her."

Saito stared at him for a moment, face set in a deadpan expression. "I'm sorry, what?" he asked.

Osmand repeated the last sentence he had previously spoken.

"Right, that's what I thought you just said." Saito said as he pinched the bridge of his nose in an attempt to stave off the headache that was beginning to make itself known to him, "With respect, she will have no reason to listen to me. Thanks to these damn runes, I am her Familiar, someone beneath her, not someone to listen to or go to for advice."

"Unfortunately true." Osmand admitted, "Nor will any of the students believe that you are a fully accredited mage. Their own egos will not permit them to see things clearly."

Saito snorted. "Of course not. They're teenagers. At our age, we are ego personified."

"'Teenagers'? What does that word mean?" Osmand asked.

"A word to classify any person aged between thirteen and nineteen." Saito replied.

"Ah,, yes…interesting…" Osmand stared into space for a moment before snapping out of it and returning his attention to Saito, "Well now, there's the thing. They are unlikely to believe you are a fully accredited mage, so I believe the best way to solve that is to prove that you are."

"It would be nice to not be stuck as a student -again- while I try and figure out a way home." Saito said reluctantly, "But how would I go about proving I am fully accredited?"

Osmand smiled craftily at Saito, who reminded himself to be careful around this old man. The look on the old mage's face was promising hardship for a certain Hiiraga Saito.

"Why, in a time honoured Halkaginian custom of course." Osmand said, his smile becoming positively diabolical at this point, "A duel."

"SAY WHAT!?"

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Two Hours Later

Academy Duelling Arena

Saito was not happy about this, not one bit. The canny old fox of a Headmaster had convinced him -eventually- to play along with his plan, and had then crammed his head full of knowledge about the way mages were ranked in this world.

At the bottom, there were Dot Mages, who could only use a single element in their spells. Next, there were Line Mages, able to use two elements either separately or in combination with each other. Triangle Mages were the next step up, using three elements either in unison or separately. The strongest class of Mage that existed today was the Square Mage, able to weave four of the elements together into a single spell or use any four elements separately.

The young Onmyoji had almost had a heart attack when Osmand had told him that none had been born in the last 5,000 years able to use the fifth element, so there were no Pentagram Mages.

Void Magic. This world had Void Magic.

As soon as he was alone, Saito had used a standard test to determine the strength of the ambient magic in the area, as well as the strength of each individual magic, and was astounded to see that all five elements of the original Onmyōji Godai were at almost twice the strength of their counterparts back on Earth. Even Void magic was shown and it was half again stronger than the other four magics.

'Well, that explains why there are so many magic users here.' Saito mused. He was standing at one end of the arena, waiting for the Headmaster to get on with it. He was dressed in his ceremonial Onmyōji robes, but he had forgone the hat.

A study back in the early Edo Period had shown that the higher the level of ambient magic in an area, the more mages are born in that area. The earth power lines, referred to as the Dragon Veins by Onmyōji, were the source of most ambient magic. Many times, the Ministry of Onmyōji had had to intervene in various construction schemes in order to prevent the Dragon Veins from being damaged.

The highest concentration of Dragon Veins was in Kyoto, in a top-secret location only known as the Dragon's Nest, thus the number of Mystics from Kyoto was by far the highest in the entire nation of Japan. The readings he had received from this area however were far stronger than even the highly classified readings of the Dragon's Nest he had seen.

'I need some time to myself to think.' The young Onmyōji thought wearily, 'This world isn't mine and I want to go home. Oh? Looks like Osmand has finally gotten everything sorted.'

Hiiraga Saito drew himself up with a small sigh. Time to put on a star performance.

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With Louise

Louise was confused. Why had the headmaster summoned her entire year to the Duelling Arena? Duelling practice was in the Fourth Year Curriculum.

"Ah, Mr Colbert." Old Osmand greeted the teacher with a smile, "I believe I will take it from here. You have preparations to make."

"Of course Headmaster." Colbert nodded and walked off towards the Arena.

Old Osmand turned his attention back to the Second Years. "Now class, as you are all aware, Miss Vallière here accomplished the previously unheard of feat of summoning a human as her Familiar."

The class began to mutter as they recalled Saito's impressive display of magic. Guiche looked rather sour as he recalled how easily his Valkyrie had been destroyed, his girlfriend Montmorency lending him a supporting hand. Kirche had a familiar, sultry look on her face, making something in Louise flare up in anger. Saito was her Familiar! After all the teasing and casual bullying Von Zerbst had inflicted upon her, there was no way she was getting her grubby paws on Louise's Familiar!

Even if she hadn't wanted to contract him in the first place, he was hers now.

"I have interviewed young Saito and discovered that he is a fully accredited 'Mystic', which is what his land calls Mages." Osmand continued, causing a stir in the class.

"That's impossible!" Guiche declared, "He cannot be more than a year older than us, if that!"

"He tells me that he will be turning sixteen soon, but that is beside the point, Mr Gramont." Osmand said, quelling Guiche's outburst, "In his world -yes, World!- Mages begin their training at the age of five. He has received ten years of training and graduated from his Academy just yesterday."

"So he says." Kirche said with an eyebrow raised in challenge, "Does he offer any proof?"

"He has a certificate, written in characters I cannot read." Osmand replied, "He also has a jade amulet that apparently only those who have graduated his world's Academy may wear. Nothing conclusive, I am afraid."

"Headmaster, why is this relevant?" Montmorency asked in a bored tone, "Who cares if the Louise the Zero's Familiar is a graduated student or not?"

"Ah, but Miss Montmorency, if he is a student, I would be required to put him in your class." Osmand said chastising, "Students must be taught, after all."

"He's just a Familiar!" Guiche protested.

"A Familiar who is a human who possesses the ability to use magic, Mr Gramont." Osmand replied sternly, "Now, Mr Hiiraga has expressed a disinclination to attend more classes and has protested that it is not his fault that no-one from Halkaginia can read his world's script. I have taken this into account and have proposed a test."

"A test? What kind of test?" Louise asked suspiciously.

"Young Saito has agreed to a duel with Mr Colbert, in order to determine the extent of his magical abilities." Osmand explained casually as he gestured at the Arena Floor, where Saito stood.

"But Mr Colbert is far more experienced than Saito!" Louise protested, "There's no way this is a fair contest, especially if he only graduated yesterday!"

"Well reasoned, Miss Vallière." Osmand said approvingly, "However, Mr Colbert has agreed to limit himself to the capabilities of a Dot Mage, and both participants are forbidden to use lethal spells. I can assure you that neither Mr Hiiraga or Mr Colbert will be harmed in this match, Miss Vallière."

Louise looked at Old Osmand for a moment before nodding. She quite liked the old man, despite his perverseness. He had never lied to her, either by omission or a straight out lie.

"Excellent. Ah, looks like the two of them are ready to get started." Osmand said, gesturing at the area floor again, as Colbert strode out of a door and moved towards one of the two designated spots in the centre of the field, prompting Saito to do the same.

Louise gulped nervously. Duels were serious affairs in Halkaginia, especially between the high nobility. Even with the restrictions he was under, Colbert was not going to go easy on Saito. To do so would be an insult of the highest order.

'I really hope Saito knows what he's getting himself into.' Louise thought as the Mystic reached his position.

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Back With Saito

"Mr Colbert." Saito greeted his opponent with a nod.

"Mr Hiiraga." Colbert also inclined his head, "Do you know how the duels here work?"

"Osmand explained the rules." Saito assured him.

The rules for a duel like this were simple. The object was to knock the opponent out of the meter square borders that surrounded them by any means without causing severe damage to the opponent. Easy to say, hard to do.

Specific kinds of magic were not allowed to be used in this duel type. No magical constructs, wide area spells or mind magics. Saito didn't know any spells in the last two categories, but it was good to know that almost no spells he knew in Shikigamijutsu were allowed. Nor were any spell like his Suiryū Kōbaku, which was irritating. Quite a few spells in Onmyōji Mysticism were based on manipulating the elements into animal constructs and then used to attack the opponent.

A tough, but not insurmountable, obstacle, in Saito's opinion. He'd just have to make up for the lack of flexibility with tactics and planning, that's all.

"Ah, I'm relieved to hear it." Colbert said, "I will be limited to Fire Magic for the duration of the duel, just so you are aware. You do not necessarily have to win this duel, you merely have to give a good showing of yourself."

"Pretty hard to do when about seventy percent of my spells are not allowed to be used, but I'll give it my best shot." Saito replied with a crooked grin.

Colbert looked surprised, but drew out a small bronze circle. "The duel will begin once this coin strikes the ground, alright?"

Saito nodded, but regarded the coin with interest. He was going to have to find out about the world he was in at some point, so he might as well start now.

"What is that coin called?" he asked.

"A pfennig." Colbert replied, "It's a Germanian coin."

"Ah." Saito nodded, "Well, I'm ready."

He sheathed his hands inside his sleeves and awaited Colbert's move.

The teacher raised an eyebrow at the unusual stance, but mentally shrugged and flipped the coin. The metallic chink noise echoed across the now silent arena, the Second Years quiet as they stared into the arena, waiting for the clash to begin.

'A duel of any kind is almost never a drawn out affair.' Saito repeated what Osmand had told him in his mind, 'If two Mages of equal skill and power clash, it can take some time, but most duels rarely last longer than five minutes, if that.'

The coin struck the packed earth with a dull [Thud!].

Simultaneously, Colbert and Saito launched their first attacks.

From the tip of Colbert's stave, a large jet of fire emerged and was launched at Saito. This was Colbert's favourite spell, Spirit of Fire.

Saito pulled a thick sheaf of talismans from his left sleeve and threw them into the air, the talismans glowing with his power.

"Yata no Kagami! (Eight Hand Mirror!)" Saito called out, causing the talismans for form a defensive wall before him and form a shield that glowed green with magic.

The Spirit of Fire struck the Yata no Kagami head on, the explosion making the onlookers flinch back due to the intensity of the light. When it faded, the flames of Colbert's attack had faded and over half of the wall of talismans had been burned up.

Saito, wasting no time, withdrew a single talisman from his right sleeve and threw it on the ground before him.

"Talisman of Earth, come to my aid!" Saito chanted, "Nadare! (Avalanche!)"

The ground under the talisman trembled and a wall of earth was launched at Colbert, who responded by tapping his stave on the ground, creating a wall of flames that burned so hot that the earth rapidly turned to ashes.

"Nice spell." Saito called, "What's it called?"

"Wall of Flames." Colbert replied, before he renewed his assault, launching a pair of fire streams that curved around to strike at Saito from either side in a pincer manoeuvre.

Saito responded but throwing another pair of talismans out, one of each side.

"Talismans of Water, come to my aid!" Saito chanted, "Sōsuiryū! (Twin Water Streams!)"

A large jet of water erupted from each talisman and slammed into the centre of the incoming streams of fire. After a bit of effort, Saito's water blasts extinguished the fire and then shot towards Colbert, reversing the situation completely.

Frowning slightly, Colbert reignited his Wall of Flames and altered it so the flames completely encircled him. The twin streams of water beat valiantly at the fiery defence, but eventually the magic powering the talismans was exhausted and they were swiftly evaporated by Colbert's defence.

Saito narrowed his eyes. This was tough. Obviously, Fire Magic was Colbert's specialty, regardless of the fact he was a Square Class Mage. He didn't require a lengthy incantation as most Western-style Mages usually did and he used absolute economy of movement, with no useless gestures or flourishes, when he cast.

Colbert was also thinking hard. Saito's Mysticism was very different from any Mage he had ever encountered. It was versatile, swift and he obviously knew the spells well enough to cast them on pure instinct like he had with the Water Magic spell he had used to counter Colbert's own Flame Impetus spell mere moments ago. What concerned the teacher was what Saito had said before the duel had begun, that seventy percent of his spells were not allowed in this duel.

The water dragon spell that Saito had used shortly after his arrival in this world had been very, very advanced magic. It was high level Water elemental manipulation, combined with a slight amount of Wind manipulation to help maintain the dragon's form. Colbert had seen very few such spells in his time and could only use one himself at a much lower level of power.

If almost all of the boy's magic focussed on constructs, then he was at a more severe disadvantage in this duel than Colbert had originally thought. Yet he was still holding his own against him.

Both combatants thought 'Time to get serious.' at roughly the same time.

This time, Saito made the first move.

"Talisman of Wind, come to my aid!" Saito chanted as he threw a talisman into the air, "Arashi! (Tempest!)"

The talisman unleashed a blast of wind that shrieked as it flew at Colbert, who hitched an eyebrow at this tactic. Wind fed fire, so why was Saito using it? Giving another mental shrug, Colbert cast his Spirit of Flame at the incoming windstorm, his spell absorbing the wind and becoming enormous.

It was here that Saito launched the second stage of his plan.

"Talisman of Fire, come to my aid!" Saito commanded, his brow furrowed in concentration. What he was attempting was high-level magic, even for the Onmyōji: using a talisman twice. Only the very best practitioners of the Onmyō Arts ever succeeded in using the technique, known as Nijū Eishō (Twofold Incantation) or, more commonly, as Doublecast. It permitted the Onmyōji to launch a sneak attack in just this sort of situation and was considered proof of the caster's mastery of talismans.

"Honō no Ya! (Flame Arrow!)" Saito completed the spell and send a mental prayer to the gods that the spell didn't backfire on him.

The storm of fire froze in midair, flickered and then reversed course, compacting in on itself as it went until it became no longer than a teenager's arm and no wider than a sausage.

"I highly advise running, Mr Colbert!" Saito called at his opponent urgently. Colbert seemed to agree, as he turned on the spot and sprinted off for a moment before he cast Levitation on himself, zooming away as fast as he could go.

Saito stood firm, threw more of his talismans into the air and shouted, "Kongōheki! (Adamantine Wall!)"

The new talismans reinforced the old ones and their glow became near blinding, just before the arrow struck the ground. The explosion was truly massive, reaching a good ten meters beyond its point of impact. The arena was equipped with a set of powerful shields to prevent stray spells from hitting the audience, but even they were stretched to their limits to contain the explosion to the arena floor.

Osmand and the students stared in shock at the conflagration that had taken up residence in the arena. The entire fight had been amazing, but the ease at which Saito had turned Colbert's spell back on him was more than a little frightening.

Osmand was certain he had mad it clear to Saito not to use lethal attacks, but to judge by his surprised face before he shouted the warning to Colbert, the power in this spell was very much a surprise to him as it was to Osmand.

Kirche was shivering, not in fear, but in lust. That had to one of the most powerful Fire spells she had ever seen! The sheer power that the Zero's Familiar had to possess must be off the charts to create that kind of conflagration. He had to be smart as well, because the busty redhead was certain that Saito had deliberately used that Wind spell to lure Colbert into his trap.

'Oh yes,…this will be an excellent conquest…' she purred to herself.

Tabitha regarded the arena with her usual lack of emotion on her face, but her mind was working faster than quicksilver. She knew that new spells were rare, let alone entirely new systems of magic. She also knew her uncle, the current King of Gallia, would soon hear of Saito and his 'Mysticism' magic. It would be a short step from that to him ordering her to capture Saito and bring him to Gallia.

Princess Charlotte of Gallia, known in Tristain as Tabitha, internally cursed her uncle to the deepest pit of hell and back for making her his attack dog.

Guiche and Malicorne made a silent vow to never piss off Saito. He could destroy them!

"What's that?" Louise shouted, pointing at a blue glow in the middle of the flames. The glow was around about where Saito had been standing before the flames washed over him.

Suddenly, the fire began to be drawn towards the blue light, as well as becoming smaller. Soon, the glow was revealed to be Saito's severely battered barrier, which had become a dome. Within it, Saito held up a talisman that seemed to be absorbing the flames like a sponge. The Onmyōji looked exhausted, but he valiantly kept chanting an incantation.

Finally, all of the flames were absorbed by the talisman. Saito sagged in relief. He had been pushed to the limit to defend against his own attack! Crazy. What was odd about the entire thing was the spell had been far more powerful than he had intended.

'Oh…damn. I forgot to take the higher ambient magic into account. Oops.' Saito thought, guiltily. He had created the talismans so that if he used them for a Fire spell, they would draw in slightly more power than his other spells.

Meh. Live and learn.

Saito looked up at the watching crowd. "I win, I think." he called up at them.

"Indeed." Osmand called down. Colbert appeared at the Headmaster's side as he spoke, "I think we will need to talk about what happened with that Fire spell, but I would say that the Second Years now acknowledge that you are a fully accredited Mage. Right, class?"

"Yes Headmaster!" The second years chorused.

"Excellent. Now, could Miss Vallière and Mr Hiiraga join me in my office. There are things that need discussed." Osmand said, his eyes gleaming with mischief.

Saito let out a small groan. What was the old fox scheming about now?

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Next Chapter: Settling In

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Author's Note: Well, that's a wrap.

People should really not jump the gun when they review, especially when only two chapters have been uploaded. Just saying.

Now, you might have noticed the pairings have been updated to include Tabitha and Siesta. This is something I want to ask your opinions about: those three - Louise, Siesta and Tabitha- are locked in. Should I also include Tiffania?

Later.