A/N: Here it is, the first chapter. I promise this time the author's note will be short.

Not much to say, really. I take inspiration from the manga, anime, and especially the light novel, but there are some things that purely come from my imagination. Enjoy.

The Stray Girl and the Incompetent Mage

Chapter 1: Summoned

...

Sachiko blinks, her mouth opening in a small 'o', surprise and confusion filling her. In front of her there is a mirror. Well, at least that's what it looks like, because she can't see her reflection on it.

The mirror-like object has the form of an ellipse. It's large, around two meters tall and one wide. Sachiko stares. It has just appeared in front of her, while she was walking home from work, her recently repaired laptop inside her backpack hanging from her shoulder. She scans the object, and has to scrub her eyes, making sure she's seeing right, when she realizes the mirror is actually floating a few centimeters above the ground.

She bites her lower lip, glancing around. There are people on the street, but none of them seems to have noticed the mirror. In fact, it almost looks as if they can't see it, which is odd, because it's not exactly small, and its surface reflects the sunlight in quite an obvious dance.

She's not sure of what to do. Maybe she should ignore it, but another glance at it convinces her of investigating a little more. Her curiosity is stronger at moments like these. She looks at the other side. The mirror has apparently no thickness at all. Tentatively, she takes out the keys of her house and pokes the mirror with them, they sink pass the surface, and she retreats her hand, a little afraid.

She keeps staring, her mind running over a thousand possibilities. Maybe it's a trick of the light? I'm standing in the exact spot to see it unfolding unlike the others… or could it be real? In that case, what is this? Why has it appeared now? Is it… dangerous? She gulps at the last question. If that is the case, she would do better just turning around and not looking back. But she's too curious for her own good, and instead of feeling afraid, she feels a new resolution dawning on her.

I'll walk through it. That's the only way to find out if it really is just a trick of the light or something else. Puffing out her chest, she readjusts her backpack and raises her right foot… just to put it down a second later. She isn't very sure, after all. If it really is dangerous, I should make sure of that first. She nods to herself, kneeling and grabbing a pebble from the ground. She tosses it and quickly goes to see where it landed on the other side. When she gets there, there's no pebble in sight. This doesn't give me a good feeling…

She sighs, feeling some people staring at her with raised eyebrows, probably wondering what she's doing standing in the middle of the street. She ignores them. Slowly, she raises one finger and touches the mirror. There's a little current of electricity going through her at this action. Not enough to hurt, but enough to make her take away her hand and give out a long breath.

It's alright, you touched it and nothing happened, see? There's nothing to worry about. She's not sure if she really means what she thinks, or why she even feels compelled to cross the mirror, but she does, and she can't realize she's already making excuses. Nothing will happen if I just walk through it, I mean, what's the worst that can happen? Getting transported to another world? She laughs for a second, finding the mere concept ridiculous. This is not a manga. This is real life.

Taking a deep breath, she makes up her mind. She closes her eyes and walks before she can stop herself. The moment she does, she feels a piercing sensation going through her body. It feels a lot like the current of electricity she felt when she touched the mirror with her finger, but ten times worse. She thinks she screams in pain, but before she can get another coherent thought, consciousness slips from her grasp, and she becomes completely numb.

When she opens her eyes, she is no longer in Tokyo.

"Who are you?" she hears the voice as soon as she opens her eyes, before she can get them to adjust to the sudden light. She blinks, closes her eyes for a long second, and opens them again. This time, there's a figure towering over her. It blocks out the sunlight, allowing her to get used to it faster. She groans, her intention being asking the person to repeat the question, but just coming out as some unintelligible murmur.

She hears a sigh, and then the person is kneeling, letting the sun take its revenge on her cruelly. She covers her eyes with her arms, using the muscles of her abdomen to lift herself to a sitting position. Slowly, her senses return to her. She puts down her arms and blinks a few more times.

The person sighs again, and she turns towards the sound. The moment she sees him, her breath gets caught in her throat. It's a boy, young, more than her. Short, curly strawberry-blond hair frames his childish face. His eyes are an earthy red-brown, surrounded by impossibly long eyelashes. Full red lips are slightly open in what appears to be shock, a stark contrast to his white, perfect skin.

He's the most beautiful thing Sachiko has ever seen. She doubts even angels can be this beautiful, and for a moment she can do nothing else but stare. The boy raises an eyebrow when she doesn't say anything, and clears his throat loudly, annoyance quickly replacing the shock it adorned his precious face. Sachiko blushes, turning her face away when she realizes what she's been doing.

"And?" he asks. His voice is a perfect baritone, sweet, like that of a child, but deep and manly, sending shudders down her spine. "Are you going to tell me who you are?"

Her eyes open wide. That's right; he's the one who asked her that question as soon as she woke up. She opens her mouth unsurely. "I-I'm…" she clears her throat after hearing that horrible slur in her voice. Her face fires up. "I'm Sachiko. Hiraga Sachiko."

"Where are you from, commoner?"

…Commoner? Sachiko's confused. She intends to ask what is it that he means by that, but another voice interrupts her before she can.

"What is this? What are you trying to do, calling a commoner using 'summon servant'?"

A chorus of voices starts laughing. Sachiko looks in that direction. She was so distracted by the beautiful boy in front of her she didn't notice anything else. She is sitting in an open field, fresh green grass under her palms. At a distance, she can see a dark, luscious forest. Nearer, a castle hovers over her, like those she usually sees in European photographs.

Apart from her and the boy, a group of people, all of them looking close to her age, stand. They have what appears to be a uniform: white shirts and black pants for the boys, blouses and plaid skirts for the girls. They are wearing what appears to be a cloak, black, and in their hands they're holding sticks. Upon closer examination, she notices the boy is wearing the same as them, holding a stick in his hand too.

He stands up, a fierce blush spreading across his face. "I… I just made a little mistake!" he shouts, apparently embarrassed, his voice carrying with a hidden potency underlying it.

"What mistake are you talking about? Nothing unusual happened."

"Naturally, after all, he's Louis the Zero!"

Their laughs get louder. The boy, who is apparently named Louis, trembles, his knuckles turning white around the stick in his hand. Sachiko feels bad for him. She doesn't understand the situation, but it seems like they're making fun of him.

"Mr. Colbert!" he calls. The crowd parts, revealing a middle-aged man with a balding head. He's completely draped in a black robe, and holds a staff of sorts. For a moment Sachiko doesn't know if to laugh because he looks ridiculous, or start getting concerned. She decides for the latter.

"What is it, Mr. Vallière?"

"Please let me try the summoning one more time!"

What are they talking about? What summoning are they referring to? The effect sleepiness had in her is wearing out, and she finally starts questioning what she is doing in this place. Let's see, I was on the street, and that mirror appeared…

"I cannot allow that, Mr. Vallière."

I crossed it, stupid of me, and I fainted. Then I woke up and this boy… Louis, he asked me who I am and where I am from…

"Why is that?"

And now it turns out there's a lot of people here. Come to think of it, aren't all of them foreigners? Where am I? How did I end up here? It surely is the mirror's fault, but that doesn't explain…

"It is strictly forbidden. Once you are promoted to a second year student, you must summon a familiar, which is what you just did."

Is this a school? It looks like it. But, are there really these kinds of castles in Japan? Could it be I'm actually in another country? On the other hand, even if I know where I am, that doesn't explain how I ended up here. Or what is this crowd doing here…

"Your elemental specialty is decided by the familiar that you summon. It enables you to advance to the appropriate courses for that element. You cannot change the familiar once you have summoned it because the 'Springtime Familiar Summoning' is a sacred rite. Whether you like it or not, you have no choice but to take her."

Maybe it's a movie set. That would explain that man's weird attire and why they are all dressed the same. Sachiko shakes her head. No, this is too big to be a movie set. Maybe it's a new theme park? But I don't see any games, and anyway, that still doesn't explain how I ended here…

"But I never heard of a commoner being summoned as a familiar…"

Laugh explodes once again, distracting Sachiko from her thoughts and causing Louis' blush to burn harder. He scowls at the crowd, but they don't stop laughing. Sachiko sighs mentally. The middle-aged man ignores them and continues talking to Louis.

"This is tradition Mr. Vallière. I cannot allow any exceptions. She" he points at Sachiko, and she's taken aback; "may be a commoner, but as long as she was summoned by you, it means she is your familiar" f-familiar? What does he mean by 'familiar'? "Never in history has a human been summoned as a familiar, but the Springtime Familiar Summoning takes precedence over every rule. In other words, she must be your familiar."

Springtime Familiar Summoning… summoned by… familiar… this, w-what is this? Sachiko is seriously beginning to get scared, now that she is actually listening to what they are saying. For a moment they sounded a lot like… Kidnapping! I've been kidnapped by some strange cult, and now I'm going to get sacrificed! The mirror was a trap! I… I need to get away from here!

"You got to be joking…" Louis' shoulders sag in disappointment. Slowly, Sachiko stands up; calculating the time it would take her to reach the forest. They shouldn't be able to catch me if I start running now, should they?

"Well then, continue with the ceremony."

"With her?!"

"Yes, with her! Now hurry up! How much more time are you going to make us waste?" everyone in the crowd voices their complaints, leading Louis to a corner. He grits his teeth, before turning towards his familiar. He catches her just as she is beginning to leave.

"Wait just a second!" he shouts, running and catching her quickly, roughly grabbing her wrist and turning her around. Sachiko winces, tries to get free, but he is surprisingly strong. "I can't believe this! You are actually trying to escape!"

More laughs are heard after this statement, but unlike the other times, Louis ignores them. He is as tall as she is, maybe a little taller, she can't be sure as he is dragging her to the center of the field, but even like that, he manages to impose himself over her without much difficulty. She no longer struggles and he releases her, the sudden halt forcing her to fall on her butt.

He stares at her for a long moment. Sachiko can't determine his expression. The closest she can come up with is dejection, but she thinks there's more to it than just that. She doesn't have time to wonder, Louis starts talking.

"You should count yourself lucky. Normally you'd go your whole life without a noble doing this to you."

She tilts her head. She's already noticed it, but this boy speaks in an odd way. He's already called her a commoner, and now he's referring to himself as a noble. He might be cute, but he is not quite right on the head. Well, he's part of this cult, so that should speak for itself.

He kneels down next to her, and she is reminded that this guy might be dangerous. She tries to back away, but he stops her, placing a hand on her shoulder. He sighs with an air of resignation, and raises the stick in his hand, waving it a few times.

"My name is Louis François LeBlanc de La Vallière. Pentagon of the five elemental powers; bless this humble being and make her my familiar."

He repeats the words a few more times, as if trying to assure something, before pointing the stick to her head. She closes her eyes, waiting for a hit, but instead, he simply touches her forehead with the tip. She's surprised. She slowly opens her eyes, just to find his face a few centimeters from hers. She panics.

"W-wait a second! What are y-?" she can't finish, his lips are already touching hers. The kiss is short, he retreats instantly and wipes his mouth, but Sachiko is left numb. She has never felt something so soft. Even if it was one pesky second, the sensation of his lips remain on hers, tickling her slightly and making her heart bump imperiously in her chest.

"It is done" he murmurs, not looking at her but to the ground. She blinks. Then, she realizes it. That was her first kiss. Her first kiss was stolen by this cute, foreign boy. Her face heats up. Louis' face is also red. Why is he so embarrassed? He's the one who kissed me!

She's angry now. "Hey you! Why did you kiss me brat?!" she yells. She doesn't often get angry. Or rather, she doesn't often show she's angry. Normally she just shuts up, enduring other people's comments about her with a smile, because her mother says women have to be more level-headed, and that guys don't like girls who get angry easily, but this is too much. First he kidnaps me and now he steals my first kiss. There's a limit to how rude can someone be!

Louis stands up, eyeing her with annoyance. His eyes show anger, but it's not enough to deter Sachiko. "Who do you think you are calling a brat, commoner? Be more respectful when in front of a noble!"

"And who do you think you're calling a commoner? When you're nothing but a religious fr-!" suddenly, she feels her body heating up. The heat concentrates in her left hand. She stands up with a jump, shaking it in a vain attempt to get rid of the pain. "It burns! What have you done to me?!"

"The runes of the familiar are being inscribed. Don't be so loud and just wait for it to end" he says in an irritated voice, crossing his arms. Sachiko shakes her head.

"No! It, it…" but then, as soon as it appeared, the heat is gone. She looks down to her left hand and gasps. There, where there used to be nothing but flawless skin, there's an intricate pattern. She touches it with her other hand. It's not hot, and it doesn't have a contour. It feels just like normal skin. She wants to cry.

"That was fast" the middle-aged man from before steps closer. He takes Sachiko's hand without her permission and examines the pattern. Sachiko wants to take her hand away from him, but she feels her knees trembling, and she's scared they're going to fail her anytime now. "Even though you failed 'summon servant' many times, you succeeded with 'contract servant' in the first try… these are very unusual runes…" he murmurs the last part mostly to himself.

"Of course he succeeded with summon servant! She's only a commoner!"

"Exactly, if it would have been some powerful beast, he wouldn't have been able to make it!"

"He is Louis the Zero. Do you really think he would have been able to summon some magical beast? Even asking for a mouse would have been too much for him!"

"I believe he would have had problems with that even!"

The crowd laughs. Louis closes his hands in fists. He looks as if he's about to explode. The middle-aged man intervenes before he can.

"Quiet! Nobles ought to show each other the proper respect!" at this the crowd quiets considerably. There are a few who are still snickering, but no one says anything else. Sachiko gets more confused the more she hears. So it's not only this Louis guy, all of them are crazy! What else did she expect? They're all members of some cult or new religion. She's sure she has to get away now, before it is too late. She steps back, now that they're all distracted. "Well, with this done, we should go back to class."

The man turns on his heels, and gently roses in the air. Sachiko gapes. Then, everyone else does the same. For a moment she's stunned. She whips her head around, looking for cables, anything, but she can only find grass, and the wide, clear blue sky.

"Who are you?!" she loses it. No one pays attention to her.

"You better walk back, Louis!"

"He shouldn't try flying. He can't even manage levitation."

"A commoner is perfect as your familiar!"

The crowd jeers at Louis as they float away. Sachiko can't wrap her mind around this fact alone. They are floating. What kind of cult is this, really?!

Once they are all gone, Louis looks to her. His mouth is pursed down in a frown, his shoulders shaking slightly. But he manages to talk in a calmed, if chilling, voice. "First, you are going to tell me exactly who you are" he raises one finger with each sentence; "second, you'll tell me where did you come from, and third, you're going to explain what right do you, a commoner, think you have, to talk to a noble such as me the way you did!" his voice isn't so calm anymore. Sachiko is not paying attention though. She walks up to him, grabbing his shoulders and shaking him.

"You saw that, didn't you? They all flew! Flew! Who are you? Where are we? Why am I here? And what's with this about nobles and commoners and flying-!"

"Don't touch me!" he pushes her, almost managing to throw her on the ground again, but she finds her balance and remains standing. Louis dusts his shoulders, as if he's disgusted. "My name is Louis François LeBlanc de La Vallière. I am a noble mage and you're in the Tristain Academy of Magic. You're here because…" he looks down, this time his face showing real embarrassment. The expression is kinda cute, and Sachiko can't help but feel herself easing a little; "you're here because I summoned you to be my familiar… now answer my questions!"

"Ah" it's not enough; this doesn't answer anything she's asked. "I still don't get it. Academy of magic you say, and that I'm your familiar, but…"

"Oh, for the love of…" he drags a hand down his face with impatience. "Yes, I am a mage and you're my familiar. Now answer me. Who. Are. You."

He speaks slowly, as if he's treating with an animal. This makes her angry again. She straightens her back, showing as much dignity as she can. "I'm Hiraga Sachiko, I already said that, and… I still don't get where I am…"

"But how!?" he looks at the sky, exasperated. "From what kind of backwoods do you come from? You don't seem to understand anything!"

"Backwoods? This is the backwoods! Tokyo is nothing like this!"

"Oh, so now you are cooperating" he rolls his eyes and crosses his arms; "and where is Tokyo anyway? In what country is it?"

"Japan."

"Never heard of it."

"Oh, please!" this is ridiculous. It feels as if they're not speaking the same language. "And by the way, I still don't get half the stuff you said earlier. What do you mean that I'm your familiar? Shouldn't familiars be… not human?!"

"That's right, but for some unfortunate reason it looks you are mine. Ugh, this is so unfair. I wanted something cool like a dragon or a manticore or a griffin. Even a cat or owl would have been a thousand times better."

"Dragon or…? Do those things really exist? Along with the mages?" things are starting to connect in Sachiko's head. After everything she saw and felt; could this really be true? Could this mean she's… she's…

"Well, you've probably never seen them before" Louis says, real pity in his voice.

Sachiko stares blankly at him. Then, she faints.

For a second time, Sachiko wakes up in a different place from where she lost consciousness. She can see a dark ceiling, dancing forms on it indicating the room is illuminated by a candle. At least she thinks she's in a room. She feels cold, and when she moves a little she realizes she's once again lying on the ground. She groans, sitting up and stroking her head. For some reason it hurts.

"What happened?" she asks to herself.

"Finally" another voice says. She freezes, not having expected that. "I was beginning to think you would sleep until morning."

She whips her head, seeing a foreign boy sitting at a table a mere meter away from her. He has a piece of bread in his right hand. There's an oil lamp next to him, the source of the light. Sachiko stands up with a jump. She backs away in fear.

"Who are you?!" she screams. The back of her knees suddenly hit something, and she ends up sitting on a bed she didn't know was behind her. The boy stands up immediately, anger shining in his eyes.

"Hey, don't sit on my bed!" he stomps towards her. Scared, Sachiko jumps from the bed and keeps backing until her back crashes with a wall. She's trapped, but she shouldn't worry too much, as the boy is no longer approaching her, instead looking at her with a frown and slightly concerned expression. "What's going on with you? What are you so scared of?"

She gulps. Is he really asking that? She wakes up in a strange room, his bedroom apparently, and he still wonders why is she scared?

As if reading her mind, the boy rolls his eyes and crosses his arms. "Don't tell me you have forgotten everything from this afternoon?" he asks in a jaded tone. Sachiko frowns, but she's too afraid to talk. She simply nods, at the same time trying to remember things on her own. "Great, now we'll have to pass through all that again. I just hope you don't end up fainting again" he walks back to the table and sits down, taking the bread he left and eating little pieces as he talks. Sachiko notices a few empty dishes and a wineglass too. He must have just had dinner. "I summoned you this afternoon during the Springtime Familiar Summoning. After the contract was made, you suddenly lost your mind and started asking stupid questions, like where we are and why mages fly" he rolls his eyes, as if finding Sachiko's worries ridiculous. "You fainted after that and I had to carry you here. End of the story" he pushes his dishes to the center of the table once he's finished, and looks at her with a raised eyebrow, waiting for her to talk.

Sachiko is astounded. She is slowly remembering the events of the afternoon. Even though she should be scared, confused or in shock, the only thing she can think of is the moment they apparently made the contract. Of how sweet his lips were on hers, and how, looking at him now, she wishes she could approach him and lean in for a proper kiss.

She shakes her head, surprised she can even think about something so trivial when there are more important things to worry about. She bites her lips, daring to give a step forward.

"So, that wasn't a dream?"

Louis, that's his name, she remembers, gives her a dry smile. "Unfortunately, yes, it was not a dream."

They remain silent after that. Sachiko's mind is rallying. She was summoned by this boy. She made a contract, unwillingly, with this boy. People started floating. Dragons exist. And mages… and the boy that summoned her is a mage…

"Well" Louis stands up; stretching once he made sure Sachiko didn't have anything else to say. "Now that this is settled, it's time for bed" he approaches a wardrobe and opens a drawer. Sachiko blinks in surprise. So that was it? No explanation, no apology, no… nothing?

"So, where are we, really? You didn't explain anything at all. There are a lot of things I don't understand. To be honest, this is the first time I ever heard of real mages" she admits, hoping he would see he owed her a few explanations. She tries to remember her elementary and middle school geography classes and if she ever learned of a country with mages, but she can't remember any of that. But then, maybe it's a secret country? The thought somehow excites her.

Louis frowns, taking out what looks like a robe. He turns towards the bed and places the garment on top of it, before starting to unbutton his shirt.

"You're kidding, right?" the shirt is halfway open. Sachiko politely looks away, a soft blush spreading on her face. "From all the things I've heard you say today, this is certainly the most ridiculous. How can it be you've never heard of mages before? Of the Tristain Academy of Magic?" Sachiko feels something hitting her back. She tries to catch it, realizing once she has it in her hands that it's his shirt. "I want you to wash that for tomorrow."

"Excuse me?" she can't help but ask. She feels another thing hitting her back. This time it's his pants. "Stop that! Why should I wash your c-!" she plans on screaming at him, but the moment she looks at him she freezes. Louis is completely naked except for his underwear.

She swallows, not knowing where to look. It's not the first time Sachiko sees a half-naked man. She has seen many of her male classmates wearing trunks for the beach during their field trip last summer, and even if she's not used to hanging out with guys, there's no reason for her to feel so nervous. But she does. Louis looks strong, with lean muscles that are not chiseled but show he is of the sporty kind. His posture is elegant, and she can't help but think the word 'noble' does fit him in that regard. She glances away, trying to hide her blush and reprimanding herself again. This isn't like her. Usually she would wait until she was sure he wasn't looking so she could stare.

Louis raises an eyebrow at her silence. He crosses his arms and decides to ignore her strange behavior. "Because you are my familiar" he's answering her question, so Sachiko looks again, interested. "Laundry, cleaning and other menial tasks, are naturally your job" he glances down, murmuring to himself; "after all, I don't think you could do much more" but for the way he doesn't lowers his voice enough, it's clear he doesn't care if she listens or not.

Sachiko scowls, offended; "as if I would do that! I'm not a servant, you know?" she tosses the clothes back at him and stands straight. No matter the situation, he couldn't simply tell her to start doing his chores. Besides, he still needs to explain a lot of things to her.

Louis stays still for a moment, the clothes he didn't catch sliding down until they hit the floor. Looking at his eyes, Sachiko can't help but fear. He approaches her fast, yanking her left wrist and twitching it until the back of her hand is at her eye-level. She groans in pain, but he doesn't seem to care. "You are a servant. This runes mark you as mine, in other words, I'm your master, and if I tell you to do something, you will do it. Do you understand?"

He releases her. Sachiko hugs her wrist, caressing the soreness away. He turns around again, grabbing his robe. She pouts involuntarily. "I never accepted being your familiar…"

"You crossed the portal. That is enough acceptance" he puts on the robe, before letting out a sigh. "Listen, I don't want to have to be cruel to you. It's obvious you like this situation as much as me, but right now we don't have much of a choice. So I say, let's try to do this as bearable as possible. You do your chores and treat me with the proper respect, and I promise I'll do my best to make you feel comfortable. I'll support you and, if you behave properly enough, I could even give you a little allowance. I'll let you visit your family during vacation too. So, what do you say?" he turns around, trying his best to give her a smile.

She is nowhere in the room. The door cringes with the wind coming from the hallway. It is slightly ajar.

A few seconds pass.

"THAT FAMILIAR!"

"Familiar or not, there's no way I'm going to stay here just to become a servant to that arrogant brat!" Sachiko descends the stairs while saying this. She might be in a secret country full of mages, but that doesn't mean she can't find a way back home, right? She managed to retrieve her backpack from under the table. In it she only has a few yens, her laptop and a bag of candies. She's not sure how she's going to do it. She never thought she could be in a situation like this. But she has no one to help her, and she trembles just thinking what can happen to her if she stays with that guy and really does become his servant.

She reaches the end of the stairs and she's lost. The hallway opens up in both directions. After a quick look, she sees lights on the right. She decides to take that path, being careful to be fast but quiet. Before reaching the door, she can already hear the voices.

"I don't know if it would interest you, but I always receive a lot of compliments about my soufflé. If it's alright with you, would you like to taste it?" a girl's voice says. Sachiko can see a couple in the illuminated hallway. The girl is leaning against the wall. She has chestnut hair and a brown cloak. The boy is blond and wears a black cloak. He has one hand resting on the wall, next to the girl's head in a classic flirting position.

"I'll be delighted. If it's something sweet Katie has made especially for me, I'm sure it will be the most delicious soufflé in the world" the boy has charm, Sachiko can feel it in his voice. She kneels down and starts crawling towards the other end of the hallway. Being so enraptured in their talk, they surely won't notice her if she's silent enough.

"Really? You're not saying that just because?" the girl is bubbling with happiness. Sachiko almost reaches a door on the left. She hopes it will lead her to the exit.

"Of course; there can't be any falsehood in my feelings for you" that's a cliché line and even Sachiko knows it, but the girl seems content enough with it.

"Guiche…"

"Katie…" there's a little silence. Then; "hey, isn't that the familiar Louis summoned today?"

Sachiko curses under her breath. She sees no point in kneeling anymore, so she stands up, dusting herself up.

"Oh, yes, the commoner. It is big new even among the first years" the girl says, eyeing her curiously.

"What are you doing here?"

"Um, well…" she turns around, finally looking at the two. The girl is pretty. She has big blue eyes and her straight hair reaches her shoulders. On the other hand, the boy is gorgeous. Golden curly hair and baby blue eyes that makes him look like an angel. Ok, what is it with this place and his boys? Whoever's running the genes factory for males here seriously needs to stop… or at least share some of their secrets with Japan. She clears her throat, trying not to stare… again. "I was wondering; do you know where the exit is? My… my master asked me to do… a thing… outside, but I don't know how to get out of this building…" that is a poor excuse. She closes her eyes, waiting for them to find out and take her back to Louis. Instead, something else happens.

"Oh, in that case you just have to follow this hallway until you reach the entrance hall. There's a fountain there, you can't miss it" the boy tells her kindly. She feels like she could kiss him, and not only because he's breathtakingly good-looking.

"Thank you so much!" she bows down before bolting in the direction he indicated. Guiche and Katie watch her run until she disappears around a corner. They look at each other.

"Such lack of elegance…" Guiche sighs. The next second, they hear steps approaching them. They look in the other direction in time to see Louis appear. His hair is disheveled, and it looks as if he put on his clothes in a hurry. "Oh, Louis, just now, you familiar" Guiche starts saying flamboyantly.

Louis shakes his head, getting closer. "Help me catch her" his voice permeates with a bit of anxiousness. Guiche frowns.

"Catch her?"

"Yes, she's running away" he's getting irritated. He doesn't like when people don't get things at once. Guiche blinks.

"But, didn't you ask her to do something for you outside?"

"I didn't. That's what she told you? In any case, that doesn't matter, help me catch her."

Guiche thinks for another second, before he bursts out laughing. He holds his stomach and wipes a tear from his eye; "a familiar running from its master? Truly, these things only happen to you, Louis the Zero" his voice no longer carries mirth. He's staring at Louis mockingly.

Louis finally loses his patience. He takes out his wand, pointing it at Guiche's head. "I won't repeat myself anymore. Help me catch her, or I'll blow you up."

"O-Ok, there's no need to resort to violence!"

Sachiko is already passing the fountain, gleefully noticing there's no one around. The next thing she has to solve is how to get out of the castle, because she's sure she's inside that castle she saw on the field, and then find a town where she can get a hold of a phone and call the police. She jumps down the short steps separating the courtyard from the hall, and runs in a random direction. It'll be better if she hides until Louis stops searching for her.

She doesn't manage to reach far, before her feet suddenly and without explanation separate from the ground. She gasps, her backpack sliding from her grasp as she floats in the air.

"Ahhh! What's going on?! Put me down!" she screams, scared.

"I would like to do that, but I appreciate having my head attached to my body too much to do so" a voice she recognizes says. Even though she can't see him, Sachiko knows it's that guy, Guiche.

"Very funny Guiche, now put her down" the one speaking now is Louis, and Sachiko would groan if not because she's still floating in the air. A second passes, and then her body is rocking from side to side. She lets out a whimper of fear. "Hey, I told you to put her down!"

"What? I'm doing you a favor by disciplining your familiar, so she doesn't attempt to escape again. Besides, it's only a bit of good-intentioned fun."

"Good-intentioned my butt! Put me down immediately, this is-!" Sachiko finds her voice again. She's getting angry, but it only takes her one look at the night sky to shut her up definitely.

"Well, it's enough already. Put her down" Louis demands after a few seconds had passed. Sachiko has not move at all in that time, and he's worried she might have fainted again. Guiche shrugs, and with a flip of his wand dissolves the spell he put on her. Without trying to diminish her fall at all.

"Ouch" the groan is soft despite the height she fell from. Louis frowns at Guiche.

"You could have been a little gentler."

"You need to complain about every single thing, don't you? Relax, she's fine. Look! She's even standing!" more than standing, what Sachiko really is doing could be described as crawling. She uses her elbows to prop herself up. The fall is taking its toll on her, but she's glad it at least managed to wake her up from the state of shock she fell into when…

Her eyes swell with tears. She can't help a few sobs from escaping her mouth. She sits up and covers her face. Louis and Guiche are left speechless.

"Um, well, Katie is waiting for me so…" Guiche is fast as he enters the dormitory and disappears from sight. He practically leaves marks on the ground. Louis follows his retreating form with narrowed, angry eyes. He turns to look at Sachiko, and his expression changes. He looks very uncomfortable as he approaches her and kneels next to her.

"So…" he clears his throat. Sachiko stiffens, but she doesn't look at him. Her hands are covering her eyes so he can't see her tears except for when they roll down her face, joining and hanging on her chin until they fall to the ground because of their weight. "Are you hurt somewhere?"

She shakes her head, but she doesn't uncover her face. For some reason this is making Louis angry. He takes in a big mouthful of air, willing himself to calm down. His mother and sisters would hang him if he leaves a girl crying alone, even if she's just a familiar.

"What is it then?" he's not good at comforting people. He doesn't know what to do. He knows though, that if she doesn't stop crying in the next five minutes, he'll have to forcefully drag her back to his bedroom. They can't spend the whole night outside after all. Luckily for the two of them, Sachiko sniffs before finally pulling her hands from her face. Her eyes are closed, her face still facing the ground, but she doesn't need to look at him to point skywards, her hands trembling slightly. Louis looks up, and frowns. "What are you pointing at?"

"The moons" she whispers. Louis is confused.

"Yes… what about them?"

"There are two… one red and the other blue…"

"…Yes, there are two moons… Why is that important anyway?" Sachiko lets out a dry laugh, shaking her head softly and finally meeting his eyes. They're puffed, and some tears are still hanging from her eyelashes.

"I get it now. This is not my home. This is a completely different world. I… I'm trapped in another world" she feels like laughing. Before crossing the mirror she joked about that, but she never thought it would turn out to be true. At the thought she actually begins to laugh softly, nervousness dripping from her voice.

Louis raises his eyebrows. "So, you're saying you… come from a different world?"

"Yes. That's exactly what I'm saying."

They stare at each other for a few minutes, maybe trying to measure the other's reaction. When it starts to become unbearable, Louis opens his mouth.

"Liar."

"It doesn't use any element of magic, you say…"

Back in Louis' bedroom, the boy is sitting in his desk. In front of him there's a strange object, something that looks like a silver book made of metal. It is opened at an odd angle, but the most impressive thing about it is what he can see in it. It's like a magical mirror, but instead of reflecting him, it is showing him the image of a mountain covered in snow.

Sachiko nods vehemently. "No magic, pure technology" she makes some grand gesture with her hands that manage to make Louis' frown even deeper. He leans back on the chair, crossing his arms and pursing his lips. "So, do you believe me now?" she grabs the book, presses a button and the mirror's surface becomes black. She closes it and looks at him expectantly.

Louis lets out a pensive hum. "I don't know… it sounds so strange…"

"Oh, come on! Have you ever seen anything like this before?" she points to the book still in her hands.

"No, but…"

"Then believe me please!" he growls in annoyance at her insistence. Ever since coming back inside she's only been going on and on about coming from a different world where there's only one moon and magic doesn't exist and they have this thing called 'technology'… he's seriously getting tired, so, to prevent her from continuing endlessly, he sighs loudly, throwing his hands up in the air.

"Fine, I believe you. Are you happy now?"

"No, now you have to send me back."

"That's not possible, I'm afraid."

"Huh? Why?!" she shouts, slamming the laptop on the desk. Louis isn't thrilled.

"Hey, don't you dare yell at me you commoner!"

"Who the hell are you calling a commoner?!"

"You, of course!"

"I am not a commoner!"

"Well, you can't use magic, can you? That means you're a commoner!"

"Ugh, this is ridiculous!" Sachiko pulls at her hair. Louis huffs angrily and crosses his arms.

"I agree with that. Let's get this conversation over with" he stands up and walks towards his bed. Sachiko looks at him with narrowed eyes.

"Can you at least tell me why can't you send me back?"

Louis groans, starting to unbutton his shirt, making Sachiko glance away again. "There is no spell that can connect your world and this one."

"If that's the case, how did I end up here?"

"I wish I knew!" he throws the shirt at the floor, next to her feet. Sachiko growls. "Normally 'summon servant' is only used to summon creatures from within Halkeginia, or in its defect, other parts of the world. This is the first time I've ever seen it working on a human, more so one from another world!"

"Don't talk as if this has nothing to do with you. Now then, why don't you just use that 'summon familiar'…"

"Servant."

"Whatever it is again!"

Louis snorts, beginning to put on the robe. "And why should I do that?"

"It might send me back."

"I highly doubt so" he sits on the bed and crosses both his legs and arms. "Summon servant is a one way spell. It is useful when you want a familiar, but only then. Besides, even if I do use it again, it will be useless. The spell only works at the moment of summoning. In order for it to work again the first familiar you summoned has to be dead."

Sachiko gulps, unconsciously taking a step back. Louis gives her a grim smile. "Do you want to die?"

"I-I think I pass…"

A heavy silence falls upon them. Sachiko bites her lips and looks at him from the corner of her eye. Even in this situation, she can't help but find him so incredibly attractive. Not even in Japan she found boys who were as handsome as him. She feels a bit deflated that she has met him in this kind of situation. On the other hand, even if she had met him in her world, as an exchange student or something, she most likely wouldn't have had the courage to talk to him.

That had always been her problem. She could talk with boys when they didn't hold her interest or when they already had girlfriends, but give her a good-looking, single guy and she wouldn't be able to put two words together. The only reason she was able to talk to Louis now was because there was something more important to worry about than being in the presence of a beautiful guy.

That's right, this is not Japan. What should I do? Should I leave this place as soon as I have the chance? But… that doesn't change the fact I'm trapped in a different world. There's no way I can find my way back on my own… that only leaves her with one option: staying with Louis, learning everything she can about this world and then go looking for a way back to hers. I don't like that idea at all, but I've got no choice. Well, who knows, maybe I can even convince him to search for a way back to my world with me. He seems to want me gone as much as I do.

She sighs. "Fine then, I'll become your familiar."

"What was that?"

"That I'll be your familiar" she repeats, louder. Louis narrows his eyes.

"Mind your language. If you're going to be my familiar from now on, you'll have to learn to respect me, is that clear?"

"Yeah, sure, hey, what does a familiar do?" she ignores him and he growls, but answers her anyway.

"Nothing too extravagant, really. A familiar is a mage's companion. It helps its master in various tasks, like granting an enhancing in vision and hearing, or searches for special reagents…"

"En…hancing? Reagents?"

"It doesn't matter. You can't do that anyway" he dismisses the matter with a wave of his hand. Sachiko frowns. "But, the most important task for a familiar is to protect its master at all costs! Nothing is more important for a familiar than the safety of its master" he frowns then, glaring at her, "of course, you can't do that either…"

"Since I'm a human..."

"A powerful magical beast would almost always beat its enemies, but I don't think you could even beat a raven."

"Shut up."

"That's why you're only going to do things you're capable of; meaning cleaning, laundry and other menial tasks."

"That's offensive. I don't want to do any of that."

"Oh, really?" his tone of voice is daring, as if talking to a child who refuses to eat vegetables. "That's funny. Tell me, who do you think it's going to support you? Who's going to give you food? In whose room are you going to sleep?" Sachiko bites her tongue. She can feel her face flushing from anger. "Good, now that that's clear, I'm going to sleep" he pulls the covers from the bed, ready to get inside it. Sachiko has one more thing to say though.

"Um, Louis…"

"Don't freely use my name" she resists the urge to roll her eyes. Clearing her throat, she tries again.

"Then, master…"

"Yes?"

"If it's time to sleep… can you take this off me?" she points at the leash wrapped around her neck, which is attached to the wall. Sachiko has no idea why he even has something like this, but she prefers not to think about it.

She hears a snort. "And risk having you escaping again? No thanks."

"I won't escape. Where would I even run off to?"

"That didn't stop you the first time."

"I didn't know I was in another world!"

"Whatever, I prefer not taking any chances. Now sleep" he snaps his fingers, and the light from the lamp dies out. So the lamp is magical too…

"Where do I sleep?"

"I gave you a blanket. Use the floor" Sachiko is about to protest; "complain once more and you can forget about breakfast tomorrow!"

Sachiko closes her mouth, her body shaking. She kneels, grabs the blanket and pulls it over her head. Luckily the night it's warm, but that barely makes up for anything.

This guy, he's really annoying. Do I really have to be his familiar? What other option does she have? In a world she knows nothing about, without anyone to rely to, Louis is really the only person she has, and that thought manages to make her sick to the stomach. I shouldn't be so pessimistic; it's only been a few hours since I arrived here. Only time will tell how things will evolve. In any case, I wonder what my parents are doing. They're probably very worried now…

She can only imagine their reactions when they notice their little girl is not coming back home, as the night draws on and on… Ugh, don't think about that. There's nothing you can do. In any case, I need to solve this thing as soon as possible, that's the only thing I can do. Meanwhile, I can pretend I'm an exchange student or that I'm in some manga or something… that's better than just moping and getting worried, at least. She sighs again, trying to make herself comfortable. In this situation she's completely helpless, but worrying will take her nowhere, and she needs all her energy so she can quickly find a way back to her world.

As she thinks of this, she feels a little better. She falls asleep, not having realized how tired she actually was, after all the stress she passed today.

A/N: This turned out longer than I expected it, but I'm quite happy with it. I'm using the present tense because I find it easier to write like this.

Well, this is it for now. I'm not sure when I'll bring the second chapter. Let's hope soon. Any opinion or thought is well-received, just make sure to be polite.