A/N: Definition of FanFic: FICTION (a non realistic story) made by a FAN (an ardent follower and admirer) of another person's work, using that person's ideas to make an original story. As such, the only thing that the FAN owns is their respective original story and original characters; NOT the object(s) of their FANdom.
It was as if the child was on fire, her entire body writhing in pain in her semi-conscious state. The pain was unbearable, the only thing worse being the nightmares that plagued her mind while the pain scorched her body. If she had been fully conscious, even she would have been begging for death, this girl who feared virtually nothing and whose determination knew no bounds. She could not tell what was going on, thoughts were flying around her mind faster than her brain could interpret them. As such, she was almost completely oblivious to the voices that surrounded her.
"-be fine, she's not a mage, so-"
"-take her in, we-"
"-agree, but what if they-"
"-to worry, the DNA-"
"-not a mage, then why-"
"-secret, she doesn't know herself-"
"-her past? Is there-"
"-of darkness. I'm going to-"
"-the doctors? And identification-"
"-taken care of. I'll still be by her side-"
"-least tell us her real name! We can't-"
"-is Testarossa. Fate Testarossa. Beautiful, isn't it?"
"-that's too obvious. But, I think that we can still-"
"-agree, I like it. Then, it will be-"
"-take care of it. I'm entrusting her to you while-"
"-protect her like we do Hayate. The two are-"
"-of her emotions. I won't say why, but-"
"-aren't you telling us? You said she's not-"
"-and she's not. She's...special. I'll tell you-"
"-fair enough. Are all of the papers and-"
"-started then. I'll get started then."
The last thing that she was aware of was the most sincere apology she had ever heard and the lightest of sensations on her forehead, and then everything faded to nothingness...
"What's on your mind, Shamal?" Signum noted the deep look Shamal had as she stared out of the window. She had watching the short haired girl for a while now, but Shamal had just kept staring out of the window as she subconsciously shuffled the papers that she held in her hands.
Shamal sighed, and looked over to Signum. "I'm just looking at all of the information that Iris left me about that child. I can't tell you much because of the magical agreement that we made, but..." Her words drifted off as her gaze moved to the blond child that was once again laying peacefully on the bed, seemingly now asleep.
It had surprised everyone when the girl had suddenly began convulsing as she was held by the silver-haired girl, Iris. However, what surprised Shamal even more than that was the feeling of horror and pain in her chest she had felt. And she still didn't know why she had felt that way.
Signum noticed the look on Shamal's face as she gazed at the blond child, and her eyes widened ever so slightly. It was very similar to the look that was on her face whenever she was watching over Hayate. At first, she hadn't recognized what the look was the her companion was expressing. However, after time, she realized that it was a look of warmth and compassion. Two feelings that Wolkenritter rarely showed. In fact, it was Hayate herself that reminded them that they had those emotions, just by her simple kindness. "...Both you and Hayate-sama were very adamant about taking in the girl. What is it that makes you two so determined about it?"
"...For Hayate, I think it was because she saw herself in the child. Someone else who was all alone and needed help. Someone who might also be the first real friend that she has. As for me...Something about this girl draws me to her. It's a strange, warm feeling. A feeling that makes me want to protect her, and make sure that nothing ever harms her. Of course, after reading what Iris left me about her, that feeling has increased drastically..."
"A feeling of wanting to protect her? Similar our duty as Wolkenritter?"
Shamal frowned slightly, "It is hard to explain the difference. As Wolkenritter, it is our duty to protect and aid our masters. It is something that we have to do, no matter what. Well, with Hayate, we also want to protect her, to repay her kindness to us. However, with this girl, it is not a feeling of duty, rather something more like a need. A need to protect and take care of her. A desire to protect and take care of her."
"Hm." Signum thought deeply about the way that Shamal described her emotions, a frown etching her face slightly as she looked at the blond child lying on the bed. Shamal's statement had verified something that had been bothering her, as well as coincided with some of the emotions that were running through her. "I think I understand what you mean. I think that you're not the only one who feels like that. When we brought her here, I noticed Vita display a similar sort of affection for the girl, although not verbally. Shamal...who is this girl? I find it very hard to accept that this girl is not some kind of mage when she can make even us feel like this. Not only that, but she seems...familiar, somehow..."
If there were one thing about the Wolkenritter, it was their ties to each other. They could count the times that any one of them had hidden something from the others on one finger. However, both Signum and Vita, and even Hayate knew of the promise that Shamal had made with the silver-haired Iris. Iris had given Shamal information. What that information entailed was known only to Iris and Shamal. However, Shamal, in accordance to her promise, was not to reveal any of the information she had received, except under predefined conditions. And with her agreement to the conditions, a magically binding promise was made. Everyone else was fine with this arrangement. The fact that at least one of them had information about the blond child was enough. Knowledge was power, and they knew that Shamal was the best person to use this information to keep them all safe.
That's why none of them had any problems with the fact that Shamal often chose her words slowly and carefully when it concerned the small girl. "All I can say...is that this child is special. Especially to us. While I can't say how, this girl is...similar to us. Although I know for a fact that she's not a mage, as this child does not have a linker core."
Signum nodded in acceptance. "I'll leave you alone with her then. We don't want to crowd her when she wakes up. It's going to be hard enough on her as it is. I'll ask Hayate-sama and Vita to give you some space as well."
Shamal nodded as she watched Signum leave the room. With a sigh, she turned back to the other occupant of the room, and let out a startled gasp. The blond child whom had been the main topic of the conversation was sitting up on the bed, gazing at her with no expression whatsoever.
Shamal's face brightened as she slowly walked over to the bed, sitting on the edge of it. "I'm glad to see that you are finally awake! We were worried about you."
The blond girl looked at her questioningly, her eyes full of curiosity and confusion. Shamal smiled sadly at her.
'So her memories were really erased.' "That's okay, let's just take it slowly. My name is Shamal Yagami, and this is the Yagami household." At seeing her nod, Shamal continued, "There are a lot of things that I need to tell you, but there is something that you need to know and understand first, okay?" Shamal was speaking softly yet firmly, signifying to the girl that what she had to say was very important.
The girl looked directly into her eyes and nodded.
Shamal slowly took the girl's hand into her own. The child flinched for a second, but didn't pull away from her. "There were a lot of things that happened that you don't have any memories of. A lot of bad things that if I could, I would make it so they never happened to you. But now we will take care of you and won't let anything hurt you ever again. Now, you're part of the Yagami family as well...Tessa Yagami."
The child's eyes widened in surprise as Shamal embraced her gently, yet tightly. Even if she had no memories, her body told her that this was a gesture that she was unfamiliar with. And yet at the same time, it was a pleasant, warm feeling. It was as if her body and soul were crying out in happiness at that moment. And then it was Shamal's turn to be surprised as the child embraced her back.
The embrace lasted a long while, both enjoying the warm feeling until at last they were brought back by the lightest of sounds from the child's tummy. Shamal immediately jumped up, "Oh my, of course you must be hungry! I'll get some food. You just relax here for a moment, Tessa. I'll be right back."
After watching the woman depart, the child simply sat on the bed, looking all around the room that she was in, taking note of all of the little things, until her eyes stopped on a mirror near a desk.
After a few moments of deliberation, the girl slowly and carefully climbed out of the bed. She noted that her body was bandaged all over. Touching them, she winced slightly as she felt a dull pain. Shaking it off, she got to her feet, and almost immediately fell to the floor, her face heading right for the desk! "!"
*thump*
"Geez, what are you doing? You could've hurt yourself!"
Vita had just entered the room when she saw the girl fall. With blinding speed, she moved over and caught her just before the child could crash into the desk. "Are you all right?"
Slowly, the child opened her eyes and Vita saw the most beautiful shade of red she had ever seen as she gazed into her eyes for what seemed like an eternity. Finally, she came back to reality as the girl broke her gaze looking down at her own legs. Vita followed her look. "Your not fully healed yet. You shouldn't try to get out of the bed." Lifting her up, Vita placed the girl back on to the bed and helped her to get comfortable. After she did, the girl gave Vita a gentle smile followed by a questioning look.
"Ah, that's right, I almost forgot. I'm Vita. Vita Yagami. I came in here to meet you, since you're part of our family now. Did Shamal tell you already?"
The blonde nodded, and opened her mouth to reply, but no sound came out. Surprise and worry lit her face.
"It seems that you still can't speak yet, Tessa." The two girls turned around as Shamal, Hayate, and Signum entered the room. Shamal set a bowl of soup on the desk. "I had a feeling that this might still be the case, so we bought something for you."
Moving over next to the bed, Hayate pulled out a thin gift wrapped box and handed it to the girl. "It's nice to finally meet you! My name is Hayate. Hayate Yagami. Go ahead, open your gift!"
Nodding, the girl slowly and carefully opened up the gift to reveal a beautiful sketchbook along with a very nice set of colored pencils. The girl looked at them (or rather, Shamal) in confusion. Understanding, Shamal gave her a warm smile, "It's a sketch book and colored pencils. You can use it to draw, as well as to write out things that you want to say."
Understanding lit her eyes, as well as happiness as she took out a blue pencil and opened the sketchbook to the first page and began writing. After a few moments, she put the pencil down, and turned the sketchbook so everyone could read what she wrote: ("It is nice to meet all of you! Thank you for your gift, as well as including me into your family! My name is Tessa. Tessa Yagami. Please watch over me!)
Shamal and Vita smiled in satisfaction, while Signum nodded, "It is nice to meet you too, Tessa-san. I am Signum Yagami. If you ever need any help, do be sure to ask."
"Um..."
Everyone turned to Hayate, who was looking at them questioningly. "I can't understand what Tessa wrote. What kind of language is that?"
Shamal looked at the sketchbook again. "Ah! That's why! Tessa-chan wrote it all in Mid-Childan. Tessa-chan, are you capable of writing in Japanese or English?"
Tessa (now that she has acknowledged herself as such) thought about it for a moment, then shook her head and wrote some more. This time, Signum spoke up. "She says that while she can understand what we are saying just fine, she can only write in the one language, which is Mid-Childan. She also apologizes to you Hayate-sama, for not being able to properly reply to you in a way that you can understand."
Hayate's eyes opened wide with surprise. It was the first time someone her age had actually been considerate of her feelings openly. Pushing herself out of her wheelchair, she climbed onto the bed with Tessa and hugged her tightly. "Thank you, Tessa," She whispered in her ear, "it makes me happy that you're concerned about my feelings. I just know that we're going to be the best of friends!"
While Signum and Vita watched the two of them with a small smile on her face, Shamal made a mental note about what she needed to teach Tessa first. 'This means that I might need to teach her Belkan before anything else. I'm glad that everyone seems to like her.'
With that, the night went on, everyone eating and talking with each other until it was time for Hayate to go to bed. At first, she had been adamant about sleeping in the same room as Tessa, but Shamal managed to get her to agree to sleep in her own room, at least for that night. Coincidentally, the room that Tessa was in was Shamal's room.
Tessa was staring out the window at the stars when Shamal returned to the room. Tessa smiled at her in greetings. Shamal smiled back, and then raised her hand. The moment she did so, a green aura enveloped the room. Tessa looked at her questioningly, but unsurprised.
"It seems like you still recognize magic. That's good." She sat down on the bed next to Tessa and took her hand. 'Can you hear me, Tessa-chan?'
Tessa's eyes lit with surprise. Shamal hadn't spoken a word, but Tessa could hear her perfectly. 'Um...yes, I can hear you just fine...can you hear me? My thoughts..?'
Shamal nodded. "Yes. Now that I've connected our minds, we should be able to speak to each other by using our thoughts. I told you earlier that there were a lot of things that I needed to tell you, and even more things that I need to teach you. While a lot of our lessons will be during the day, the more important ones will usually take place during the night, like this. There are several reasons, but the most important one is that no one else is to know the things that we're going to be learning and discussing. Like I said, it is very important that you do not talk about anything we learn in front of the others."
'I understand, Shamal-san.'
"Okay. Next, I need to tell you something else. Have you noticed the circlet that's on your head?"
*nod*
"That circlet is very, very important, and doesn't come off at all. And also, it shocks anyone that tries to forcefully take it off. It really hurts, so don't try to take it off, okay?
'Yes, ma'am. Why is it so important?'
"That I don't know. I just know that it's a part of who you are, and should never come off. Now, the first thing I want you to do tonight is to look at this book. I need to find out if you can read what is written in it."
Holding out her hand, a dark colored, large book appeared in Shamal's grasp and she handed it to Tessa.
The moment it was in Tessa's hand, the circlet on her head began to glow for the briefest of moments; likewise, the book did also.
Tessa could feel that there was something about this book, something that was strong, and yet also felt...off, somehow...
'Shamal-san...what is this book? I can feel a strange power from it, but something feels...off somehow. I don't know how to describe it...'
Shamal's eyes widened slightly. She was surprised that Tessa could sense the power of the book. "This book is an ancient, magical book from the old times. Tessa-chan, please open it up to the first page and see if anything appears on the page. If it does, please read it to me, word for word."
With a nod, Tessa opened the book like she was told. And as she began to read off what was on the page, Shamal's eyes widened more and more with each word.
'Silver Cross External Administration Activated.
Administrator: STROSEK IRIS: Confirmed.
Administrator: DRIVER TESSA YAGAMI: Confirmed.
Administrator Access: Acknowledged.
Tome of The Night Sky: Administrator Mode
Current Master: Hayate Yagami.
Current Guardians: Belkan Knight: Signum, Belkan Knight: Shamal, Belkan Knight: Vita.'
By the time Tessa finished, Shamal was embracing her tightly. Tessa was confused, but didn't question it. At the same time, a thousand thoughts were flying through Shamal's mind, but they all came back to the same one in the end. 'So Iris was really telling the truth. But...why didn't any of us know about this..? How can she know more about the Tome of The Night Sky than us, its guardians? And, How is Tessa wrapped up in all of this? Why did it refer to her as a 'Driver'?' "Tessa-chan, can I see the book, please?"
The moment Tessa handed the book back to Shamal, it began to glow, and reverted back to its 'normal' mode. 'As I expected. If it's anyone other than Tessa, it returns to normal. I definitely need to look into this as soon as Tessa is able to. I have a feeling that We're missing more information about the Tome than we realized.' "Alright, Tessa-chan. For now, since you still need your rest, we'll just talk about some of the simple things. So let's talk about all of us. Um, Tessa-chan?"
Tessa, who had been messing with the underneath of her shirt jumped. 'I'm sorry, Shamal-san. I was distracted by...'
Shamal noticed the slightly confused look on her face. "Tessa-chan, is there something the matter? Are you still not feeling well? If there is something wrong, please tell me. I care about you."
Tessa blushed slightly. Her whole body felt warm for some reason, and she couldn't help the smile that came to her face. 'Thank you, Shamal-san. I'm fine, I was just curious about something. Shall we continue with our lesson?'
Shamal nodded, and the two of them talked for a long time about the Wolkenritter, Hayate, the Tome, and various other things. By the time they were finished, it was clear that Tessa needed more rest than she had realized and drifted off to sleep. Giggling to herself, Shamal prepared herself for bed, and gently moved Tessa over to one side of the bed before she climbed into it herself, turning off the lights as she did.
After a couple of minutes, Shamal felt something she wasn't used to. Turning to the source, she found that Tessa had moved over and cuddled up to her, seeking warmth in her sleep, her arm wrapping around the older woman. As for Shamal, she had never felt the protective feelings that she was feeling at this moment, and all she knew was that she would protect this child with everything that she could. Instinctively, she pulled Tessa closer; as she did so, she noticed something that caught her sharp mind. On Tessa's right side, just below her ribcage was a small marking in the shape of a purple butterfly. If it was just that, she might not have been too concerned. If it was just that. However, there was a very good reason why it caught and retained her attention. And in actuality, that reason was the same reason that Tessa had been preoccupied earlier.
That butterfly mark hadn't been there before.
A/N: And, were done. I've got lots of ideas where to go from here. Tell me what you think.