a/n — on the forums there was talk about the "Zero Challenge". the premise is simple: do a one-shot where an EC kid gets summoned in the Zero no Tsukaima universe. run over a few plot points aaand done.

some people actually went for multiparts but i just had this one idea that got stuck in my head so here it is. unfortunately even though it features koyuki it has to do with less of her own reactions and more with the immediate aftermath of the summoning.

shrug.

.

Sub Zero

.

The first thing she noticed was not the dust cloud that obscured the summoning platform. Rather, the first thing she noticed was the size of the dust cloud that prevented her from viewing the results of the Summoning Ritual.

The petite student tightened her grip on the wand she held in one hand—trying with all her might not to let her disappointment show through either her expression, or the slight trembling of her hand. She almost wailed in frustration. No... not yet another failure...

A sudden gust of wind made her reflexively raise her arm to ward off the flying debris and protect her eyes. The gasps erupting from the surrounding crowds made her snap it back down to view the shocked faces of her classmates, the concerned visage of her professor, and—finally—the figure now rising from a crouch in front of her.

Four limbs, one head—no scales, feathers, or leathery hide. Not a magical creature by any stretch of imagination. Instead a pale-skinned woman in unfamiliar clothing stood quietly—easily several heads taller than herself, the pink-haired student noted darkly—and quietly surveyed her new location.

"Louise," the bespectacled man gently reminded his frozen student.

The pinkette jerked with a start and glanced to the side. "Professor?" she pleaded. "This must be some sort of mistake, let me try the summoning once more..."

Out of the corner of her eye, Louise saw the newcomer's attention focus on her.

Professor Colbert sadly shook his head. "I'm sorry Ms. Valliere, but the rules state quite plainly that—" He was interrupted as the strange girl spoke several words, none of which could be understood by either party.

Or by anyone around them, it seemed.

"Hah!" Kirche chuckled haughtily. "Trust Louise the Zero to summon a failure of a familiar as well. She's probably really just some brain-addled commoner who was paid to come here and try to save face for her master."

The girl repeated her question using the same, foreign language. Still seeing nothing but confusion from everyone else, she shook her head and reached into a small bag slung along one shoulder. From within she pulled out a strange, flat device that appeared to glow.

A few students lifted their wands warily, though the girl appeared to ignore them as she tapped at the surface at random. When she was done, she lifted her head and took one step towards Louise, only to seemingly change her mind as she spun on her heel and offered the strange contraption towards Professor Colbert instead.

"What's this?" Colbert muttered under his breath as he quickly ran through several spells, both to check for traps and to possibly divine just what the strange object was. Finding nothing he carefully accepted the device and held it up to his face.

Louise watched as his eyebrows shot up. "P-professor?"

"It's a note," Colbert said in surprise. "To you actually, but seeing as this young lady has given it to me..." He cleared his throat briefly and adjusted his glasses.

To: Louise Françoise le Blanc de la Vallière,

If you are reading this, then you have probably just summoned my sister to your world to act as your Familiar. Unfortunately your world's language is mysteriously—some would say magically—beyond our grasp to learn, so you'll need to provide a translation spell in order for you to understand each other. Fortunately we have someone here who's able to transcribe a written note for us, so here we are!

Please have that nice Prof. Colbert person do it (Colbert paused to cough into a fist) because we don't really want the poor girl to be blown up.

Aaanyhow. I suppose introductions are in order. The girl you're staring at while probably giving your wand a deathgrip is Koyuki Emiya. At the time this note was written she was a bit on the shy side... hopefully she's a bit better by the time this message actually becomes useful.

Yes; she can use magic.

Please stop screaming, it makes you look petty.

Colbert lowered the doohickey and arched an eyebrow at Louise. Beyond him, several students were rubbing their ears as Louise clapped her hands over her mouth, mortified. He lifted the 'note' once again.

No; she is not a noble... in our world at least.

Professor, please also stop shouting, it undermines discipline.

Now then, Louise, we know your first reaction towards having a familiar is to treat them as if they were a common—albeit reasonably intelligent—pet; let us hypothetically say. . . a dog.

Please do not do so.

Koyuki is very liable to do whatever you tell her to do, but her ego is as equally fragile as the next girl's (but not mine! hahaha. . . ahem)

The professor glanced towards the crowd and pointed at the flat device. "That was in the note, I'd never laugh at something like that."

If you do so, at some point 'Yuki will return home, and she will share her stories with us. And we will find you. Try to at least treat her as a peer, or at the very worst, like a maid. Speaking of maids we hear you have a very nice one at your school. You should meet her, I bet you two would get along swimmingly.

Now then, 'Yuki is probably still sitting there confused, wondering just what we had her give you to read, and you have a ritual to complete. She's already winged so you shouldn't have any problems, but juuuust in case, please don't be frightened out of your mind if she glows and grows wings. Other than that. . .

(Colbert turned green slightly) Make with the kissy-kissy. Koyuki likes hers with a lot of tongue. (She seriously does, no matter how much she tries to shove your face away. That's just how she shows her appreciation. Honestly.)

Have fun now! (^-^)/

K. Emiya (Plus one very helpful translator)

P.S. Prof. Colbert the runes you see probably mean exactly what you think they do. If you can, let 'Yuki what they mean if she gets them on her right hand instead of the left. She's got a soft spot for animals.

Louise blushed crimson as Professor Colbert wordlessly cast a translation spell on the newcomer. "Ah, 'Koyuki' is it?" he said as he handed her back her 'note'.

The girl nodded once, then took in her new master's face as she stepped forward and settled into a kneeling position before her. "You are correct. And judging by Ms. Valliere's expression, I assume my sister's note was rather... irreverent?"

Several years ago. . .

"Aaand. . . done!" Louise Françoise le Blanc de la Vallière, the Duchess of Emptiness, dusted her hands as she wheeled her chair away from the keyboard.

"I'll let her know to keep the file on her tablet and hold onto it 'just in case'." Karin grinned. "Should we make a second note for her to give out during the next day? By then a bit more should have happened to cement her reputation with the other students."

Louise frowned thoughtfully. "We. . . could. . . but how should we go about this?"

Eiko piped up from the opposite side of the room. "In ninety-five percent of the realities I've visited or otherwise heard about, the Familiar ends up dueling against Guiche. In another four percent, it's Montmorency. That last one percent is up in the air."

Karin pressed her hand to her chin, "Hmm. . . let's just say, 'by now she's shown that that blonde fop who's boss.' That should still be technically correct while keeping the right tone of omniscience."

Louise mulled it over, "Actually, I'm betting Guiche would be more likely to try to hit on your sister than to challenge her. I'd put money on Mon-Mon."

"Great! We can add, 'Hell-oo? Ice magic? Water affinity?' That should do nicely."

Louise nodded and began to compose a second note. "I'd still like to think this wasn't necessary," she sighed. "I wasn't that bad, was I?"

"Yes, yes you were," Eiko said bluntly, then checked the clock on the wall. "We still have a while before your Shirou finishes catching up with Daddy. Do you think we have time to make another note?"

"Ooh, ooh!" Karin clapped her hands. "Let's do Kaien's next! Ooh what I wouldn't give to see her face when she finds out about him!"