Author's note – I had a helluva a time uploading chapter 3. It kept saying, "error: please report to the support team." For a straight week. It was painful. Well, it's finally uploaded now, thank goodness, so on with the show!
TzuiAssassian – Ha! New chapter in 3 or so days! How do you like them apples. (Pretty well, I expect lol) I'm glad I could get this up fast for you.
Daughter of ether – glad you liked it. Honestly, that was my least planned out chapter, so cool.
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Zazie woke up with a gasp. Trying to catch her breath, she wiped some moisture from her eyes as she panted. Today's nightmare was even more vivid than the last. Getting out of bed, she looked around and found that Mana was nowhere to be found.
"Oh, yeah, it's Saturday. She must already be out at the shrine."
Walking to the window, she let her bird in. It perched upon her head and let out a chirp in greeting. Letting out a small giggle, Zazie patted it on the head.
"Hello to you too."
Aside from Mana, this was the only friend she had. The birds she fed were fond of her, but only because she brought them food every day. The bond she had with this bird was special.
Turning from the window, Zazie went to go get dressed to prepare for the day.
Elsewhere
Lee leaped out of bed with a glint in his eye and a wild yell.
"Yes! It's SATURDAY!!!" Getting dressed at top speed, still yelling like a maniac, he barely noticed the pebble that rattled his window.
"Hey, sleepyhead! You up yet?"
Hopping to the window because he was only halfway done putting on his pants, he saw Asuna, Negi, Konoka, Setsuna, and the rest of the gang out on the lawn. He finished putting on his pants and opened the window.
"Yeah, I'm up! What's up?"
"Wanna come hang out with us?" Asuna yelled up.
"Sure, just give me a sec!"
Exactly one second later, how nobody knows, Lee appeared at the door to the boys dorm, dressed in what he wore the day of his arrival.
"Where are we going?" He asked. Asuna and the others were already walking away, though. Catching up, he repeated his question. "Hey, where are we going."
Asuna shrugged. "Who care's? It's Saturday, we'll go wherever we want!"
"Makes sense to me." Lee replied. And off they went.
It ended up just being a walk around kind of day. Negi and the others showed Lee around the campus more, periodically stopping to enter some shop or another to satisfy the girls. Lee developed a moderately accurate mental map of the campus during the walk, something he didn't take for granted.
It's nice to know where everything is, I'm really tired of getting lost, hehe.
Of particular interest to Lee was the area around the world tree. When they got to the plaza, he went to the tree and placed both hands on the trunk and frowned in deep concentration.
Coming up behind him, Asuna asked, "Whatcha doing, Lee?"
Taking his hands of the trunk, Lee sighed and looked up at the branches. "Nothing."
"It wouldn't have anything to do with that mission you're on, would it?"
"What?!?! How would you know about that!" Lee jumped and turned to face her.
"Negi told me, along with the others here. We're all his partners so we know about the magical world already."
Sighing, Lee turned back around to face the world tree. "Yeah, it does have to do with my mission."
Overhearing their conversation, Negi walked over to them. "What does the world tree have to do with your mission, Lee?"
Placing a hand on the tree, Lee spoke without turning to face them. "It's being tainted. Whoever the leader is, he's using the world tree to amplify his own power.
Negi put his hand on the tree. "You're right, I can feel darkness growing. Have you found any leads yet so we can stop them?"
Letting out a breath of frustration, Lee sighed. "No. And the nightmares are getting worse."
Zazie's POV
The sun was setting, and Zazie sat down on the bench in the empty world tree plaza. Slitting open a new bag of birdseed with her finger, she threw some out on the ground. Giggling, she watched the birds fight over the seed, pecking at the ground and each other. Her bird was among them, hungry even though he'd already been fed. Birds were like that, she supposed.
Soon enough, though, the seed was almost gone once again. Only about a small handful was left. Most of the birds had already left, except for a few and Zazie's own. Eventually even the stragglers left, and Zazie and her bird were alone at the plaza.
"Come on, there's barely any left. We have to get back." Zazie said, holding out here hand. Chirping, the bird pecked up the few remaining seeds and then hopped towards Zazie's outstretched hand.
All of a sudden, a shriek split the air. Snapping her head to the right, she saw a falcon diving towards her, talons outstretched. No wait, not at her. At her bird. Her bird.
"Looking back to her bird, Zazie yelled, "Come on, bird! Hurry up!" Cocking its head to the side in confusion, it stopped and looked at her.
"Come ON!!!"
Too late.
The falcon snatched Zazie's bird right off the ground, leaving nothing behind but a feather and a few drops of blood.
Clapping her hands to her mouth, Zazie's eyes filled up with tears. All the special memories she's had with that bird flashed through her mind in the space of a few, short seconds.
A few seconds to remember a lifetime.
"Zazie?"
Turning her head, she saw Lee behind her looking at her with a concerned expression. Kneeling down, Lee asked, "Zazie, are you ok? What happened?"
Unable to form a sentence, it was all she could to gasp out, "My…bird…falcon…died…" before she collapsed into Lee's arms and cried into his chest.
Lee's POV
After all his friends had gone back to the dorm, Lee went to go take one last check on the world tree before going back to his own dorm. However, when he got there, He saw none other than Zazie on her knee's with her hands over her face, sobbing.
"Zazie?"
She turned around, and he saw tears in her eyes. The sight nearly broke his heart.
"Zazie, are you ok? What happened?"
She panted and sobbed, and finally managed to gasp out, "My…bird…falcon…died…" before she collapsed into his arms and buried her face into his chest.
His mind racing, and somewhat scrambled by the fact that a very cute girl he liked had collapsed into his arms, he raced to think of something to cheer her up.
What to do, what to do! I could get her a new bird… no, she would just get reminded of her old bird… damn, WHAT DO I DO!!!
Wait… that's it!
Checking the position of the sun to determine the time, he consulted his mental map of the campus.
Damn… not much timeI'll just have to hurry.
Prying Zazie from him, he looked at her tear-filled eyes, strengthening his resolve. "I'll be right back Zazie. You stay here and wait for me. Please?"
Still choked up, Zazie could only nod.
"Good. I'll be right back."
And then he was off, sprinting at full speed. Looking over his shoulder, he saw the sun dipping towards the horizon.
Damn, I'm not gonna make it!Unless I use THAT.
But is it worth it just for a girl?
He remembered the sight of Zazie, cold stoic Zazie, broken down into tears.
Hell yes it is.
20 percent should do. Don't want to kill myself
And the suddenly Lee increased his speed past a full sprint, until he was running more than twice as fast as before.
Good. Now I'll make it with time to spare.
Zazie's POV
Sobbing and crying Zazie wondered why Lee ran off so fast. Pulling herself up until she was sitting on the bench again, she buried her face in her hands and just cried until she felt like she couldn't anymore.
An hour later, she heard the sound of Lee running back. He carried a cage in his hand, which he was careful to keep steady despite his speed.
"Good! I'm glad you waited, Zazie."
Wiping tears from her eyes, she looked at him curiously. "What's that?"
"Oh, you mean this cage?"
"Of course I mean that cage!"
Laughing to himself, Lee set the cage down and opened the door. "Zazie, I'd like you to meet a new friend."
Zazie got down on her knees and bent to see what was inside the cage.
It was a kitten, so small it was barely larger than her foot. It was pure white except for a small streak of black down one eye and a small dot of black under the other. (Like Zazie's tattoo's)
Reaching out a hand, Zazie beckoned to it. It came out of its cage and sniffed her hand. Satisfied that this person didn't smell like an enemy, it started licking her hand. Zazie giggled, letting her first smile come to her lips after her bird's death.
Gathering the kitten up in her arms, she hugged it to herself. More tears formed in her eyes, but these were tears of happiness. The kitten crawled out of her arms and up onto her shoulders. It rubbed itself against her, purring ever so softly. Zazie giggled again, and looked up at Lee, who'd been looking at her apprehensively.
"Do you like him?" He asked.
In answer she threw her arms around him and hugged him tightly. Somewhat surprised, (again), he tentatively put his arms back around her.
"Thank you so much. No one has ever done something like that for me." Zazie said.
Shrugging a little self-consciously, Lee said, "First time for everything."
Giggling, Zazie pulled away and smiled at him. "Thanks."
Smiling back, Lee bowed, "Anytime."
That Night…
Mana came back from the shrine to find Zazie curled up on her bed playing with her new pet.
"Where'd you get the cat from?"
Giggling, Zazie watched the kitten sleep. "From a friend."
Eyeing her suspiciously, Mana said, "From a friend, huh? Does this friend have a name?"
Turning to face Mana, Zazie smiled. "Yeah, it's Lee."
"That idiot?"
"Mana! He's not an idiot. He's very nice, in fact."
Smiling, Mana commented, "Oh, I see. So it's like that, huh?"
Blushing furiously, Zazie threw a pillow at her friend.
"Shut up, Mana!"
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My index fingers are worn out. I gotta stop hunt and peck typing.