A/N: Due to popular demand, I've decided to bring this story back to my attention. I've tried with others and kind of failed. So, let's see where this goes.

Me: Alright, alright, we get it. NEXT!

Yuji Sakai: Today's turn is mine, correct?

Me: No no no no, today is Tohka's turn. Your's is next time.

Yuju Sakai: Oh, okay. (he smiles) Well then, miss spirit, if you'll please?

Tohka: I can get something to eat after this, right?!

Me: Focus on that after the disclaimer.

Tohka: Oh, sure... So, what do I say?

Me: Just read the paper in front of you...

Tohka: Ooh! That's easy! (clears throat) "The following material only belongs to the author in a sense that he wrote this story. The setting, most characters if not all, and core story belong to their respective owners, which I can't pronounce the names of."

Me: That last part's not in the script!

Tohka: Can we go eat now?

Me: -_-' ...

Chapter 7: A Hard Nightfall

Saito stood looking into his own reflection. He could see the image of a boy with black hair, blue eyes, wearing a blue hoodie with a childish look on his face. It was his own reflection, but then the image of blonde girl with long ears surfaced behind his own. Saito stood up and turned to the girl.

"You seem to be rather very wary of our companions here, Tiffania. Didn't I already promise you I would let absolutely no one hurt you?"

"Yes... You did." Tiffania slowly nodded in agreement. "It's... just..." She paused for second, her eyes closing halfway. "You see, I-... Saito, the words are hard to find."

"Don't go looking for the right words then." Saito smiled and planted a firm fist on his chest. "I'm going to protect you, like I said I would." Removing the goofy stature from his figure, he looked into Tiffania's eyes with seriousness. "You can tell me anything, Tiffania, I don't care what it is. I won't think otherwise of you, you saved my life."

Tiffania smiled. "Saito..." She nodded, more of to herself than to anyone else, signifying an affirmation in her decision. "Saito. The reason I don't want anyone to-"

"Saito..."

At those words, Tiffania and Saito's attention were drawn to the growling girl with pink hair, gripping a wand. She walked up to them and pointed it two inches from Saito's nose, nearly poking him hard. "Don't think you're off the hook yet... When we get to the school..." a smirk came across her face. "I've got some chores I need you to take care of... After all, you're still my familiar, and being dead doesn't excuse you from your duty, understand?"

"Yes... Louise..."

With a hmph, the shorter girl walked away, leaving Saito smiling pathetically before he turned back to the water. Tiffania merely stood next to him, holding her left arm with her right before looking off shyly to the side.

;-;-;

"So..."

Heavy boots came against hard tile flooring. A man with a large build and squarish face walked through an elegantly clothed corridor of blue marble and red drapes, finished with reflective tiling.

"The pieces escaped your grasp, my dear Sheffield?"

"Yes, they have..." responded a woman clothed in black, a purple rune shining on her forehead much similar to the kind of Saito's hand. "However, it won't be much trouble to go and try again, that is if you wish of me not to, grand one."

The man took to petting a small black dragon (the size of a beach ball) with bright blue jewel like eyes, and sharp features. "That won't be necessary. Gandalfr is very strong indeed." He chuckled. "Well, strong, but not that strong." He turned towards her. "I have something else in mind."

Sheffield lifted her head, a smile on her features. "And what is it you have planned, my lord?"

The man, King of Gallia, Joseph kept silent as he continued to pet the dragon, then a voice called forth, grabbing the creature's attention instantly.

"Smog." The voice was quite youthful, but it held a heavy vibe. Sheffield's gaze followed the flying beast until it carefully perched onto the shoulders of an individual wrapped in a black cloak. They appeared to be younger than her, if only by a handful of years, and wore thick black pants. White bandages were on his right thigh, the rest of his body blocked by the cloak. His face was covered by a shadow, only his chin was visable showing smooth skin and his eyes shown a bright dark blue, the pupils long vertical slits of pulsing black.

Joseph smiled. "So, are you ready to begin your assignment?"

"Of course. After all, I'm only after the elf girl, right?"

Joseph turned away, as if in confirmation. The youth's eyes closed in response. "Very well then, what of the other void mage present in that area?"

"Try not to harm her, if you can."

"And Gandalfr?"

Joseph just let out a small laugh, then walked away. "Sheffield, give him his orders specifically. I have things I need to do."

"As you wish." Sheffield rose and turned towards the cloaked figure. "Try to be gentle with your kind, after all, Miss Westwood appears quite fragile. Gandalfr is strong, do not underestimate him."

"Keep your opinions to yourself. Now, they were last sighted at the Queen's castle in Tristain, am I correct?"

"The familiar I have watching them has confirmed that to me as of this moment. They are ripe for the picking. Try to focus on attaining Miss Westwood, we don't want her bringing another familiar into this world that could complicate things any further."

"Of course..." The cloaked boy turned around and started off, his dragon letting a small hiss out. Sheffield merely smiled as their pawn went on his way.

"Soon... We won't have to worry anymore, my king."

;-;-;

Night skies were upon the castle of Tristain's queen. Saito sat on a chair in front of a fire place, a fire burning bright. Its flame's light reflected off of him as he rested his head on his chin. He was thankful he was able to convince Louise to let him stay by himself tonight. The last thing he wanted was to be doing another chore of the maiden. Louise seemed pretty okay with it, and he was actually surprised at how easy it was to ask her.

"Hey, Louise, I don't really feel comfortable sleeping in the same room with you tonight..." Saito told her in private.

"I can understand. I'll request of Henrietta to give you a room of your own to stay in." Louise merely tapped her foot on the ground in slight annoyance. "However, that doesn't mean you can just roam anywhere you please, got it? Be respectful."

Earlier today, she seemed different than usual, in fact, everyone did. All of his friends seemed to pay more attention to his actions today than he did himself, they seemed wary of him almost. Saito began to think more on it before disturbing thoughts started ringing into his head. With a shake, he picked himself up and walked towards the balcony, feeling the brisk cold air grace his body. It was cool night, and he always appreciated cooler weather. With a content inhale and exhale, he gazed at the two moons floating high above the ground.

Then, a sound came to his ears. No, not a sound. It was... "Music?" It sounded much like a harp, a soft melody was stringing through the night. "Who would be playing music out this late at night?" Saito slipped on his sweater and proceeded outside of his room. Looking to his left and right to make sure he hadn't woken anyone up, he began pacing towards the direction of the noise he had heard outside. In the hall way, the instrument was too faint to even hear, but as he headed his direction, the faintest trace of its hypnotizing sound came to grace his ears.

He smiled at the serenity of the melody, it was a really peaceful feeling. He almost felt complete with the melody, like all the worries of his life had just washed away. His smile vanished as soon as he reminded himself that he needed to discover this source. But something this peaceful couldn't be anything bad, at least he hoped. He kept going further ahead until he came up to the door he speculated the noise was coming from. The harp's strings were loudest hear, and they sounded like they were just beyond the wood.

He quietly gripped the door knob, turned it, and opened the door. He slowly stepped inside, and his eyes widened.

There on a balcony, a beautiful girl with long ears clothed in a tight green halterneck sat, gloriously illuminated by the bright moonlight playing a harp and singing with a soft voice a song he had never heard before. Her pose was graceful, full of elegance. An extremely welcoming aura surrounded her, her fingers delicately stroking each string carefully. The melody did as much to paint the picture as did her own voice. Saito's hand slowly dropped from the door, he could feel his legs getting weak. He stared at the elf, his eyes almost glistening.

Tiffania kept playing forward, appearing to not have noticed Saito standing at her door.

He silently walked in, closing the door softly behind him and taking his sword off his shoulder. The magical blade popped out of its scabbard with warning. "Try not to spook her, partner."

Saito merely nodded, and walked forward to her. She finished her lyrics and had now started humming them. The swordsman took a seat beside her and closed his eyes, listening to the rest of the tune. He had not understood a single word she had spoken, she may have been speaking her native tongue, but he did recognize the words "God" and "Gandalfr". There were other similar words, but he couldn't quite make them out just yet.

Then, the tune stopped. Tiffania opened her eyes, a smile present on her face as she slowly let the harp down. "Did you like the song?" she asked with a soft voice. Saito merely nodded his affirmation. Tiffania turned to him. "Why are you in here? Shouldn't you be with Louise?"

Saito opened his eyes as well. "No. I told her I wasn't going to sleep in the same room as her tonight, I wanted some time to myself. Now that I'm a chevalier, I thought maybe I could become at least a little more independent."

Tiffania laughed slightly. "That would make sense..."

"So... What was that song anyway?"

Tiffania looked up. "I guess... you could say it was about you."

"About... me?" Saito's expression turned into genuine curiosity and shock. "You wrote a song about me?"

"Well, it isn't exactly about you, but it also is... It is a song about the Tools of God."

"Tools of God?" Tiffania nodded.

"Yes, the Tools of God. Haven't you ever heard anyone call you something other than Gandalfr, Saito?"

Saito tried to recall any moments, but nothing really came to his mind. "I'm sorry, I'm not exactly the most perceptive person in the world."

"I guess it would only be an Elven name then... To me, you're known as the "Right Hand of God". Gandalfr, master of arms." Tiffania looked down to the harp.

"The Right Hand of God, huh?" he put a finger to his chin. "That sounds like a pretty handy title. Do elves believe in God too?"

"You can say we do, yes." Tiffania nodded at him with a smile. "Although, it may be of a different vision than you have of God."

"Well, that's to be expected." Saito leaned back. "So, there was something you wanted to tell me earlier?"

Tiffania's smile vanished. She turned her head, avoiding his gaze slightly before sighing. "I... hope you understand what I'm about to tell you..."

"Of course." Saito encouraged.

"Do you remember... how I was like when we... first met?"

Saito looked up. "Now that you mention it, you did seem a little strange. Scared actually. Why is that?"

"Humans and elves don't really... get along."

Saito's eyes perked. "I don't understand."

"Humans and elves hate each other. Most of them do anyway... Humans kill elves normally on sight and it is the same with us. We live in our own divided territories and the two have continuously been at war. I don't really understand why, all I know is both races persecute the other. I was victim to it in the past."

Saito's eyes widened. "So... that's why you-"

"Yes..." she looked up at him. "That's why I was so afraid of coming here, of showing what I really was to everyone. But..." she turned back to the ground, her eyes gleaming and smile gracing her features. "You said you'd protect me... I've always wanted to see the world, see what it was like. I trust you, Saito. I trust that you'll protect me, like you said you would."

Saito looked down. "I will... Now that I understand your situation, you can bet I'll protect you with everything I've got, but... I don't think you should hide who you really are."

"Huh?" Tiffania turned to him, surprised by his claim.

"If you want to see the world, you should be able to do it without hiding yourself. Prejudice is a horrible thing, there was plenty of it in my world. I guess one form or another of it exists in every world." He clenched his teeth. "Damn. I hate people like that... But I believe in the people here of Tristain. I'm positive if you reveal yourself, you won't be discriminated against, at least not by everyone. But lying is no way to gain trust."

"But... Saito... What if I do what you say, and the queen orders I'm to be executed."

"Henrietta is not that kind of person. Trust me. She'll warmly accept who you are, it doesn't matter what you are, it is who you are that counts. And Tiffania..." The elf looked up at him. "You are the nicest girl I have ever met." He took her hands into his. Tiffania's face turned a shade of pink, her ears perking up in excitement. "With what you told me, about how elves and humans constantly kill each other, you, an elf, took me in and nursed me. What else more than that can say what kind of person you are... You are a loving individual, and you are my friend."

"Saito..." She smiled. "Alright. I'll trust you. I'll tell the others what I am tomorrow. I promise."

Saito smiled. "Good to know."

A sudden screech hit their ears. Tiffania covered hers while Saito flinched. He looked up into the sky to see a small black dragon speeding at them, talons armed.

"Look out!" Saito wrapped his arms around Tiffania and pulled her to the ground. Saito took the brunt of the fall, the big breasted blonde resting on top of him. He looked up to see the dragon circle around and make its way up the roof. Saito followed it to see it land on the shoulder of a cloaked figure standing on the sleep slope, straight forward as if the gravity of the world had no effect on him.

"Greetings..." His shining blue eyes narrowed. "Right Hand of God..."