Tsukaima no Chrono

Chapter 12: There's something to look forward to

In the darkness, hot flashes of pulsing heat rolling like tidal waves beneath the skin, a ripping feeling like slashes spiralling out of his centre causing a dull throbbing pain that left an uncomfortable hollow sensation. Ow... What happened? Ah, that's right, I was fighting that idiot Guiché. I remember I won then blacked out. I haven't felt this since I last exhausted my mana pool but since I didn't actually use that much magic, it can only be that the effects of the familiar contract had attempted to use my mana in an inappropriate way. Like learning different martial arts, as the muscles aren't used in the same way, you are only left with pain until they have adapted to the range of movement. I need to wake up!

Groaning, Chrono slowly opens his eyes and winces at the light that bombards him, blinking away the tears caused by the pain from the change in brightness, Chrono focuses on the offending source and recognises it as the early morning sun.

Rolling off his back away from the window to relieve himself of the ache and sticky warmth that pervades when sleeping too long. Chrono comes face to face with the maid Siesta who is staring at him with a half lidded expression, not because she's tired, but of the unamused variety. His previous experiences this expression got him thinking. Uh oh... This can't be good, she found out that I could use magic as well. Although that isn't really her business, females always take it the wrong way when they believe you've hidden the truth about something from them.

Attempting to apologise pre-emptively in order to control the damage, Chrono tries desperately to speak with no sound forthcoming as he retches from the extreme dryness of his parched throat.

"So you're awake..." Siesta drawls out in a flat tone as she retreats from the bead to a fully standing position.

Chrono at this point manages to painfully squeeze out the words "Wait! I can explain."

Siesta bluntly replies. "Explain what? There's nothing that you need to explain to me."

Throwing off the blanket covering him, Chrono jumps off the bed into the stance of the crouching tiger(1). "I'm sorry for not telling you that I have magic! I just don't know how to use it like everyone else here does! Everything else I've told you is true."

Turning her head away with a slight blush on her cheeks, Siesta closes her eyes then clears her throat. "You're forgiven, it is an honour for me to be able to serve nobles such as yourself remember? By the way, you aren't dressed."

Chrono raises his head from its position on the floor and looks down at himself to find himself in only his underpants and promptly turns entirely red as he makes a mad dash for his clothes which were hanging from a nearby floor standing coat hanger.

Chuckling amusedly at the scene of Chrono frantically getting himself dressed Siesta speaks in a much kinder voice. "You were asleep for three days and three nights."

Walking up to the now fully dressed Chrono, Siesta further messes up Chrono's messy bed hair indicating towards Louise who Chrono now sees is sleeping at her dressing table and continues. "Miss Vallière must have tired herself out. She ordered me to bring all her meals here along with yours. She didn't sleep one bit while taking care of you."

Looking towards Louise, Chrono blanches and thinks. I know it! When she wakes up, she's going to blast me, she probably just took care of me like that out of some misguided sense of duty. She's probably going to punish me with something a lot worse than laundry since I've hidden the truth, disobeyed her again and made her take care of me for this long.

Hands resting on Chrono's shoulders, Siesta looks down at him and asks. "What's wrong? Why are you trembling?"

Answering in a soft voice, intending not to wake Louise up by accident, Chrono replies. "I think she's going to be angry at me when she wakes up. Who knows what sort of punishment she'll give me."

Nodding in understanding then entering a thoughtful pose, Siesta says slowly. "I really don't think she's angry at you, if anything she was really happy that you could use magic."

A moan startles the both of them as Louise begins to stir, causing Siesta to let go of Chrono and him to dive into the bed while covering himself completely with the blanket, cowering. You all are probably wondering why Chrono's so scared when he has proven his strength, he knows well that the Mid-childan saying 'there is nothing scarier than an angry female.'(2) is true.

Smiling at Louise's sleepy visage as Louise opens her eyes, Siesta reports."Miss Vallière, your breakfast is ready. You'll be happy to hear that Master Harlown is also awake and is currently hiding under the blankets on your bed."

Becoming fully awake in the instant she hears this, Louise stands up so quickly the chair she was sleeping in toppled over.

Glaring at Siesta from a slight opening underneath the blanket, Chrono thinks. Traitor!

Turning his attention to the figure of Louise stalking towards the bed he has hidden himself on, Chrono breaks out in cold sweat. Insert appropriate swearword here(3) Chrono's thoughts are cut short as the defensive instrument known as the blanket was removed with ease. Preparing for the worst, Chrono raises his hands defensively in front of him to no avail as his small body is promptly crushed into Louise's nonexistent chest.

"Thank the founder you're alright Chrono." Louise half sobs out as she continues to hold him gently.

Staying with Chrono in that position for a while Louise smiles as Siesta excuses herself from the room. Releasing Chrono from her hold, Louise wipes the tears of relief that had formed in her eyes. Leaving Chrono stunned and relieved. Regaining her composure Louise stands up straight and starts pacing in front of Chrono. Taking a deep breath and schooling her expression into one like a strict teacher, she begins to lecture. "It brings me great pride that you have revealed yourself to be a noble and having defeated your opponent. Despite that however, you are my familiar, and for you to disobey and worry your master in such a way, you need to be punished."

Chrono shrinks in on himself, depressed as he hears this. making his young body look even smaller than usual. "As such, in regards to your new found status as a noble, you will continue to wash my clothes until I say otherwise."

Chrono sighs and accepts his fate, at least this isn't as bad as he feared.

Louise stops her pacing and puts another smile on her face. She didn't know what it was, but seeing Chrono like that, Louise couldn't keep herself from comforting him.

Hugging Chrono again she says. "Cheer up! There's something to look forward to. You will be enrolled in this academy to learn how to use magic properly, isn't that great?"

Chrono immediately brightens at this.

-Author's Notes-

Hello all, hope you enjoyed chapter 12 of TnC. I must apologize for the delay in getting this chapter out as the difference between the light novels and the anime confused me to such a great extent that I forgot that this story was supposed to diverge even further. I had actually finished this chapter 4 weeks ago but I had wanted to get it proof read since I no longer can rely on the anime to provide in character speeches, unfortunately, neither of them had gotten back to me.

Notes for this chapter are:

(1) Reference to Ranma 1/2, Genma's signature move when he needs to apologise for something.

(2) Parody of "Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned." Since Chrono isn't actually from earth, I needed to change this saying a bit.

(3) Chrono doesn't swear in English or actually at all in the anime, so I have no idea what he'd actually use, maybe you could give me an idea.

Thanks everyone for their reviews as usual.

Skurosagi I have not yet read the manga unfortunately, but I believe that you are right despite there being no mention as such in the anime or light novels. I'll just use the excuse that Chrono's Mid-Childan magic and that of the ZnT world are not yet compatible.

Eromancer Chrono possibly being out of character was exactly why I hesitated in posting out this chapter actually. His character isn't majorly focussed on in the anime or in the mangas. I mainly just like him due to his character design. It's true that Chrono has a mouth on him so to say, but other than the Lieze Twins he only uses it to people in his generation or younger that he's familiar with. As for him fainting, that's just laziness on my part, it'd be so hard to end that section otherwise. Bear with me.

sakurabender Sorry to say, Chrono's devices won't be seen again until he acquires Derflinger. As that might already be too much of a spoiler, I won't say how many chapters ahead that's planned for.

Thanks for reading and see you next time.