A new world… a new beginning. A new life to start over from scratch. What will become of Shiki as he adjusts to his new life as a 'Familiar' in a world full of magic?

"Zero" – Regular Speech

'Zero' – Thoughts

"Zero" – Unknown Speech

"Zero" – Spell/Technique

Shiki didn't sleep well that night. It wasn't that he wasn't tired or that his eyes were bothering him since he didn't have the protective lens… it was because of those red beady eyes that he saw that night that put him on edge. He knew that he saw something but it ducked out of sight before he could confront it. Then again, it's not like he could've done anything about it since this world was so foreign to him.

He didn't know how effective his Eyes of Death Perception would aid him and he wasn't too inclined in using them either since he didn't have his glasses to keep his power in check. He would need to moderate himself for the time being until he could find a suitable replacement. Thoughts on the subject brought his mind back to his sensei way back when, when he was just a boy at a hospital with an unknown disease.

He slowly started to recall the events that happened that day. He remembered how he wanted to show off his powers to the odd woman when he met her that day. He wanted to show her that he was unique… that he could do amazing things just like her with the stories she told about herself. She was an enigma to him and it was that day that he learned a valuable lesson about life and how to cherish it as if it were a fleeting moment in the world.

He delved further into his memory when he first met Arcueid on the street. He recalled how he slashed her into 17 different pieces and that somehow she magically appeared fine once again the next day. It was a scary scene when he found her on the sidewalk that day when walking to his school. He honestly thought he was going insane when he saw her on the railing, waiting for him the entire day. He learned all about vampires and the undead after that. He met Nrvnqsr Chaos one night and knew true fear. He figured out that he was just a replacement in the household family when the real SHIKI Tohno went insane and nearly killed him.

He recalled all of it. Everything from erasing his existence to recalling it all once again. He remembered his sister Akiha and the demon blood that ran through her veins… then again, she really wasn't her real sister… was she? No she was acting as his sister, hiding his truth from him to protect him. It didn't really matter much to him though, even when he found out he still forgave her and lived in that mansion peacefully… at least as peacefully as you could with five different females, each with their own quirks and talents trying to get into your pants. Regardless, all of that was behind him now. He knew from that point on that he would never be able to get back… he finally recalled his final day in his world when the portal appeared before him.

It was just an ordinary day. Any day could've done if you picture it but for some reason that day felt to be more genuine. Shiki had just finished taking care of some business with Acrueid and he was headed home for the day. He had made plans with his sister and his two maids to have dinner all together since they didn't have time to last week. Using this as his excuse, he quickly made his way home… it came to an abrupt end though when he turned the corner and rammed himself straight into the green, swirling portal which sucked him into this world that he was in now.

The deed was done and there was nothing that could be changed to prevent this from happening but for some reason he still felt that he could have avoided all of this if he wasn't rushing back. It seemed so stupid of him to just fall into a trap that easily. He wasn't the kind of person to be caught off guard like that and something so simple should have been avoided.

Curiosity soon turned to confusion which soon turned into anger which eventually went into rage. He was pissed at himself. He was truly angry with himself and his mistake which cost him everything in the other world. He wanted to spend more time with his family, regardless if they were his real family or not. He wanted to live in that mansion, in that town, with all of his friends and all of his memories.

Finally fully committed to his tantrum and noticing that he was clearly not going to sleep any time soon, Shiki finally rose from his hay bed and went to the windowsill. He stared out at the twin moons and let the fresh air brush up against his skin. It calmed his nerves for a bit and being able to stare out at the vast space without worrying about the lines piercing his skull made it all the better.

He stood there for a few more moments before a shifting in the corner of his eye caught his attention. He wasn't sure at first what it was but when he gained eye contact with the form below he noticed two familiar orbs right next to one another.

They were both red.

Feeling his blood start to pump through his veins, Shiki quickly took flight down the spiraling stairs and exited into the courtyard where he looked once again for his target. He looked haphazardly for a few seconds before finally noticing them again at the far end of the courtyard in the shadows. With his dagger in hand and his eyes pointed towards his target like daggers, he slowly approached the enigma with cautious steps. Each step he took he felt his heartbeat get a little faster. With each rustle of leaves against his feet he could hear the thumping of his vital organ against his ears and with each breath of exhilaration he took, he could start to make out the image in the shadows.

"Who are you?" Shiki finally said, as he stopped 30 feet away from the presumed enemy.

He didn't receive a response. In fact, he was starting to wonder if it could even respond back to him. He asked it once again to identify himself but once again he received nothing. With his dagger in hand and a few moments to think, Shiki stood his ground to figure out what he should do next. He hadn't felt this type of pressure since he fought Nrvnqsr. Actually, now that he thought about it he started to wonder if creatures like that existed in this other world.

With an unearthly chill running down his spine he asked the creature one final time to tell him who… or what… he was.

"Who… are you?" Shiki addressed the thing as it finally took a response.

The red orbs quickly dropped to the ground and slowly started to approach from the shadows as it took on the form of a wolf. It wasn't that the wolf was hiding or that it was standing on its two hind legs to look taller… no, this wolf literally started to form as it protruded from the darkness. This was exactly like the fight with Nrvnqsr which gave Shiki a striking fear like none that he had felt since he fought the vampire that day. Shaking slightly, quickening his breath and eyeing the shadow wolf before him, Shiki noticed something. This wolf had no lines of death on it. This wolf had no points on its body, at least that he could see, that symbolized the area of absolute death that he used to kill so many before it.

'W-what the hell are you…?' He thought to himself as he reacted to the initial lunge of the wolf by rolling to the side.

He lost sight of his target when he looked up once again to notice it was gone. He then went into a defensive stance and resorted to his next core sense to locate his target. The bristling leaves in the wind made it hard to detect where the enemy was however, before the wolf struck out again Shiki parried the attack and watched as the wolf collided into the ground due to it being pushed off balance.

Using this opportunity to his advantage, Shiki once again searched harder for any lines of death that should have appeared on anything that he could understand. It was obvious that this was no ordinary wolf but it still should've had an origin of being in which he could sever to erase it from existence. Using this as his base of understanding, Shiki once again scanned his enemy as he narrowly avoided a strike to his neck. It was then that he caught a small glimpse of it. It was just a flicker but he knew that he saw it. He saw the lines of death that outlined his target.

Jumping back and sliding against the grassy terrain, Shiki held up his knife in a reverse grip and brought it to his side. He waited, baiting his target in hopes of it leaping at him once again so he could finish the beast off in a quick riposte. As he had anticipated, the wolf did exactly what he wanted.

Lunging at its target with razor sharp fangs that could tear through steel, the shadow wolf leapt at the boy only to noticed that it had fallen into the trap. Before it could do anything to react, the trap was sprung and he was cut along his neck and sliced down his side, completely tearing him apart as if he were a stick of butter. With a howling sound leaving his corpse, the wolf disintegrated into nothingness as the bindings it had to this world were severed… in a matter of seconds, the shadow wolf was gone and Shiki was left alone in the darkness of the night.

It didn't end there though, Shiki knew that there was someone else out there. Someone else had been watching from the sidelines and within a matter of seconds the person showed their presence when they started to clap.

"Well done… Well done there boy." A male's voice said as he came out from the shadows. "I didn't expect that my wolf would have been found so easily but I guess nothing can get past those eyes of yours…" He stated as he took a keen eye to the boys irises.

"Those aren't normal eyes… that much is certain but what intrigues me even more are the runes upon your hands…" He said blatantly as he was truly intrigued at the person before him.

The man stood a tall 6'3". He had a semi-muscular build which suggested that he used a sword since he held a sheath at his side but with no blade in it. His face was obscured from view since he had a masquerade mask over the top portion of his face, leaving only his lips and jaw line in view. His hair had also been hidden as he wore a cloak over his head which concealed him even further. He wore a loose black blouse with a white shirt underneath with leather strapping connecting together the upper portions of the blouse. His trousers, which were a dark navy blue in color, were also loose and were held up by three separate belts that were all made of leather. Two of them were brown, one of them was black. His boots were also made of a leather-like material and to top off his attire he adorned a gold rosary with a red ruby in the middle where the cross intersected.

"Who the hell are you?" Shiki retorted with a glare as he looked to see the lines of death start to appear on the man's body like a jigsaw puzzle. 'Good… so he's human.' Shiki thought to himself, which put him at ease a little.

"Ah… I guess I have been a little rude in my introduction haven't I?" The masked man replied with a smile. "However, I must decline handing out my true name as it would complicate things as they are now… For now though, please refer to me as 'Shadow' for now." He stated with a smirk as the name had a certain ring with it that fitted him nicely.

"What is it that you want? There's no reason for you to be here at this time of night." Shiki accused the man of trespassing as he readied his blade in hand.

Shiki couldn't hold this stalling for much longer. His eyesight was already starting to bother him and the pulsing sensation in his cranium was starting to irritate his senses. Reaffirming his position he took a deep breath and steadied himself so as to not be affected by the persistent use of his eyes.

"Ah… well you are correct I am trespassing at the moment… but I assure you I have my reasons." He replied cryptically with the same redundant smile. "However it is about time I take my leave for the night… Please be sure to get some sleep, it's going to be a long day tomorrow." 'Shadow' said as he turned around to depart.

"Wait! I still have questions!" Shiki yelled at him.

"They'll have to be until next time… have a good night, Shiki Tohno." The masked man said before flicking his fingers and disappearing into the shadows like the wolf before him once did.

Standing alone in the middle of the courtyard, Shiki finally realized that the man had escaped. He wasn't sure if he was angry or relieved that he left but he was sure that things were bound to get interesting the following day. With a deep sigh he closed his eyes so he could be saved, if only a little, from the pain of his eyesight as he started to make his way back to the room. He wouldn't sleep well this night. He knew that from the start but maybe things would be better, god willing, if he could fix the problem with his eyes in the morning.

Opening the door to the room and slumping into the corner to rest against the wall, Shiki found that he was more tired than he thought and rested, if only for a little, until daybreak.

And there's chapter 3. Sorry for the wait, couldn't find enough motivation or inspiration to write this until just recently so thanks for understanding.

As to answer a couple of reviews and PMs which have been less than kind, I wanted to say that Shiki isn't weaker or stronger than he was when I saw him in the anime or in the games of Tsukihime. I wanted to at least make this fanfiction so it made sense. I remember one review said that he should've been able to cut the spell apart and that he was weak for not being able to. In my own opinion, if Shiki had never seen magic before and could only start to see the lines in the strands of magic that he wouldn't just instantly cut it and know what the outcome would be.

Either way, I'm going to keep on experimenting with ideas that I have received for this fanfic and I will also be allowing OC's into the story since I really don't like the storyline for Zero no Tsukaima that much… Either way, whether you like it, dislike it, or just want to talk about it, feel free to leave a review as it will help me shape this in a way that I want it to. Thanks for the support thus far, see you again next chapter.