Like I said, it's time to go shopping! Every girls' heaven and every boys' torment. At least that's what cartoons and anime think. Well, enough talk, go and enjoy the fanfic.
Chapter 4: The Right Fit
"Remind me again why we're going to the village?" Danny asked as he jogged next to Louise, who was riding on a horse that the Academy provided.
The reason he was kicked off was because he accidentally groped Louise's chest. That, and he commented that there was nothing to grope. That comment made him jog instead of riding on the horse.
"I told you, we're buying you a weapon," Louise said, still mad about the chest comment. "I don't want my familiar to be defenseless."
"What part of me is 'defenseless'?" Danny asked with a deadpanned tone.
"Look, you got lucky with Guiche and Count Mott," Louise said in an annoyed voice. "But what if the next one you face won't underestimate you, you need a weapon."
"Well it's not like I have a choice," Danny said to himself.
He was a little cranky since Louise woke him up abruptly. He was snoring happily, but then she pulled him from his bed made of hay and demanded to get up. He tried to sleep, but an explosion in the face woke him up.
Louise stared at Danny, wondering how he can keep up with the horse. He wasn't even winded. He was a real mystery to her. A goofy, rebellious Commoner who can take on a Noble with ease. All her life, she never heard of a Commoner like Danny before.
Even though she was annoyed by him, she was still interested in him. He was like something out of a story book her older sister used to read to her, about a hero who wasn't afraid of anything.
She was snapped out of her thoughts when they realized that they were near the village. After putting the horse in the stables, they started walking through the crowded village. As Danny was walking, he was staring at the people, who were buying, selling or just browsing.
He smiled at the peaceful scene. This was the first village he went after coming to this world, and he liked it. It was better than Count Mott's castle. The air was filled with fresh baked bread, people happily chatting and children laughing.
As his mind wandered, he suddenly thought of his family. He missed his over protective sister, Ghost talking father and black belt mother. He remembered how surprised he was when he learned that his mom was half Japanese.
When he learned that, his mother started teaching him about Japanese culture. He was reluctant at first, but with so much free time and no friends, he studied what his mom told her. He was fascinated with Japanese culture, especially the Japanese manga.
Soon, he started studying anything related to Japan, from their culture to their weapons. His mom was really happy that he saw her son embracing his other culture, especially since he was looking very lonely.
Danny came back from his thoughts when he and Louise stopped in front of a shop. From the window, he saw swords, axes and shields being displayed.
"Here," Louise said, handing a pouch to Danny. From the jingling, he could tell that it was money. "Go and buy a weapon. You know about gold, silver and copper, right?"
"Does a bird fly?" Danny said as he took the pouch. "Where are you going?"
"I'm going to buy you some clothes," Louise said, looking at the worn shirt Danny was wearing. "I can't have my Familiar wearing rags all the time."
"I feel so special," Danny said in a deadpanned tone. Though he had admit, he wanted some new clothes.
"Don't spend all of that, alright?" Louise said before walking away. Danny just shrug before entering the store. It was filled with a lot of weapons from swords to knives to axes and other weapons. Behind the counter was a stoic man with a face that reminded Danny of a rat.
"Welcome to my shop," the man said as he noticed Danny entering his shop. "Can I help you?"
"Yeah, I'm looking for something to defend myself," Danny said as he walked towards the counter. "You got something good?"
Danny noticed the look in his eyes, the look of a swindler. The man got off the counter and walked towards the display.
"Well I might have the thing for you," he said as he took a double edge sword. It was an ornamental sword: the hilt was gold studded with gems and the blade was silver with graceful carvings and a lion's head as a hilt. "This is my most expensive sword in the shop."
Danny grabbed the sword and swung it around. The man had to duck when he almost lost his head. Danny then returned the sword to the shop owner. The weapon was weak. It wasn't meant for battle, but to make someone look pretty. If he used this, the sword would shatter under a minute.
"Thanks, but I prefer a weapon, not an accessory," Danny said as the shop owner shakily took the sword back. "Got something else?"
Suddenly, they heard laughter. Surprised, Danny looked for the source and a barrel full of old swords. He noticed one of them shaking.
"I like this kid," the sword said with a chuckle. "Finally, someone who knows the difference between a sword from a decoration."
"Quiet, Derflinger!" the shop owner growled.
"A talking sword?" Danny said in an interested. "Never saw that before."
"You want it?" the shop owner said in a hopeful voice.
"Nah," Danny said. "I'm looking for something different. No offense," he added to the sword.
"Don't worry about it," Derflinger said with a chuckle. "You may be Vindalfr, but you're no Gandalf."
"Gandalf? Vindalfr?" Danny muttered in a confused tone.
"So what kind of weapon are you looking for?" Derflinger asked.
Danny thought about it. He wanted a weapon that gave a long reach, a powerful strike and use for offense and defense. When he told that, Derflinger started thinking about it. The weapon he asked about sounded very familiar.
"Hey old man," Derflinger said, getting an annoyed look from the shop owner. "Go and bring out that 'special' weapon."
The old man stared at Derflinger before shrugging and went towards the backdoor. Danny waited and heard a lot crashing and breaking in the backroom. The door suddenly opened, revealing the old man covered in dust and carrying something long covered in rags.
"What is it?" Danny asked as the old man started undoing the rags.
"It's an old weapon that was in this shop for decades," the old man said. "My great-great-great-great-great grandfather brought this, along with that loud mouth."
"She's a beauty," Derflinger said, looking a little red. "Too bad she can't talk…or think…or feel…but she's still beautiful. Vindalfr himself crafted her from a dragon's fang. He named her 'Ryu no Kiba', whatever that means."
"Fang of the Dragon?" Danny said in a surprised tone. When the shop owner removed the rags, Danny's eyes widened. It was a black wooden pole that was polished well with a wooden, curved sheath. It also has a red cloth on the bottom, looking like a tail.
"A naginata?" Danny said in awe as he stared at the weapon. He's seen naginata in museums and books, but this one looked beautiful and strong compared to those. He could also feel something in the weapon, it was like his Ghost Powers were reacting to the weapon.
He gingerly grabbed the polish wood and felt something warm spreading across his body. Danny took the weapon and removed the sheath. The blade was curved and as black as obsidian. A silver handguard connected the blade and shaft.
He started twirling it around. The naginata felt like an extension of his arm and it felt amazing. He could feel his Ghost core tingling with excitement. Soon, he started moving gracefully in the room, acting on instinct as the runes on his hands started glowing.
"How much?" Danny asked as he placed the weapon on the counter.
"Take it," the shop owner said quickly. "That weapon is curse. Everyone who wields that weapon ended up losing an arm, or worse."
"Cool," Danny said with a grin, not minding the curse thing. He went against bad luck before, literally. "You got a strap for it?"
A minute later, Danny was leaving the shop, Ryu no Kiba strapped on his back. He was grinning happily, having a real naginata as a weapon. He could also feel something from the weapon, like satisfaction. He didn't really know about that, but he dealt with weirder things.
He was looking for Louise and found her in a shop full of fabric and clothes. He entered it and saw her holding a fancy looking shirt.
"You're done?" Louise asked before noticing the weapon on his back. "And you decided to spoil yourself, didn't you?"
She was giving Danny an annoyed look with puff cheeks. Danny would have commented that she look cute, but he had to resist. They might accidentally destroy the shop.
"Actually, I got her for free," Danny said, showing the pouch to Louise. "Here you go, no interest."
Louise took the bag and saw that not a single copper was lost. She stared at Danny before pocketing the pouch. She then showed her the shirt she was holding.
"Try this on," Louise said, handing the fancy shirt to Danny.
Danny stared at the shirt before at Louise, giving her a look that says 'there is no way I'm going to wear this'. The two stared at each other before Louise took the shirt and went to get another one. Twenty fancy shirts later, Louise was sitting on a chair as Danny went to get his own clothes.
"Excuse me?" Danny asked the shop owner, an old lady. "Do you have some clothes that are durable?"
"How durable?" the old lady asked kindly.
"Armor durable," Danny replied.
"Well…I don't have armor," the lady said. "But I may have something."
She walked to the back of the shop. Danny was starting to wonder why all their best stuff was in the back. A minute later, the lady came back carrying a set of dark blue clothes. Danny was asked to put on the clothes and was dragged to the back of the shop.
A few moments later, Danny was back, wearing a dark blue shirt and dark blue pants that went well with his red sneakers and red hoodie. The naginata was strapped on his back. Danny looked at his new clothes and touched them. It felt like leather, yet it was flexible, allowing him to fight freely. And most importantly, it wasn't tight.
"What do you think?" the old lady asked as Danny twist and stretched around.
"I'll take it," Danny asked with a grin. "How much?"
"Just forty silver coins," the old lady said with a smile. "I have so many leather that it's filled my back room."
"Really? Can I have two more pairs?" Danny asked with a smile.
The lady packed two pairs of clothes and Louise paid a hundred and twenty silver coins. Once she was paid, Danny and Louise excited the shop, Danny carrying the bag filled with his new and old clothes.
"Now that we got what you need, let's go before you cost any trouble," Louise said to her familiar.
"Don't you want to stay for a bit?" Danny asked. "You know, relax a little. Take some sunshine and take a deep breath."
"We are going home," Louise said, this time as an order.
"Fine," Danny said. He didn't really mind her attitude. It actually reminded him on how Valerie used to act. At first, the girl was his enemy, but once her family had that financial problem and when she got used to it, she became nicer to be with. Though because of her being a Ghost hunter and having multiple jobs, he couldn't be friends with her.
Louise acted how Valerie was when she was cooping for that financial lose, so he knows that Louise would mellow down, he just didn't know when.
As the two walked through the village, Danny spotted something in a small booth. It was an ocarina. He had something like that back home, a gift from his sister, saying that playing music will help him relax.
He looked at the ocarina so much that the lady tending the shop noticed.
"Would you like to try it, sonny?" the old lady asked with a smile, showing a few missing teeth.
"Sure, if it's no problem," Danny said. He took the ocarina and marveled on how well made it looked. Louise noticed Danny stopped following her and looked back. She was about to call him when Danny started playing.
Soft music filled the air as Danny played the ocarina. Every around them stopped whatever they were doing as they listened to the slow and peaceful tone. Louise actually smiled at the music. She never felt so relax before.
Once Danny was done playing, there was a round of applause. He looked around and saw that he gathered a crowd. He blushed from the attention and rubbed the back of his neck.
"Excuse me, but how much for the ocarina?" Louise asked, surprising Danny.
Louise paid two hundred copper for the instrument. Danny was surprised and asked why she bought it. She said that she liked how it sounded and wanted him to play it for her whenever she wants.
Danny just nodded. At least he found something to help her relax. As the two went to the stables, they weren't aware that they were being followed.
Kirche heard that Danny and Louise went out to the village, she was worried that they were going out on a date. So with Tabitha's help, they followed the two by dragon. Though the day was a letdown when all they did was shop for weapons and clothes. And she enjoyed the music Danny played.
Though she had to admit, Danny looked good in leather.
"I can't let Louise get in the lead," Kirche said as Tabitha was quietly reading a book. "I need to do something…"
She got an idea and quickly dragged Tabitha to the weapons shop. Two can play at this game.
"Excuse me sir," Kirche said, getting the man's attention. "What is your finest weapon?"
The shop owner got a glint in his eyes before walking towards the display. He then grabbed the same sword he tried to sell to Danny.
"This is the finest weapon in my shop, crafted by masters and decorated with the finest jewels in the land," the shop owner said in a dramatic voice.
"Good, how much?" Kirche said with a smile.
"Two thousand gold coins," the man said.
Kirche just smiled at him.
"How much is it?" Kirche asked again as she leaned on the counter, unbuttoning the top of her shirt.
"Uh…One thousand gold coins," the man said as he stared at Kirche's chest with a perverted grin.
"How much is it?" she asked huskily as she sat on the counter, lifting her skirt a bit to show some leg.
"Five…five hundred gold coins…" the man said with a bit of drool.
"How much is it?" Kirche asked again in a husky voice, moving her finger under the man's chin.
"It's…free…" the man said with a giggle.
"Great!" Kirche said before grabbing the sword and walking away with Tabitha behind her. "Thank you."
The man just stood there with his perverted grin, giggling and blushing. Suddenly, his eyes widened and looked for Kirche, but found that she was gone.
"You really need a woman," Derflinger said in his barrel, laughing out loud.
"Shut up!" the man exclaimed in anger. Derflinger just kept laughing. He met someone interesting and saw the old man give two weapons for free. It was good entertainment for a hundred year old sword.
"Sly…" Tabitha commented to the grinning Kirche.
"Why thank you," Kirche said as they walked back to Sylphid. "I hope Darling would like this present."
Tabitha didn't comment. She just read her book as her dragon flew back to the Academy. Though she did like the music Danny played with that ocarina. She wanted to hear it again. Maybe Illococoo could ask him and she could be coincidentally be near them when he played.
Meanwhile, Danny was jogging beside the horse, a red hand mark on his face. Louise was blushing angrily, staring at her chest.
"I said it was an accident…again," Danny said, his face throbbing painfully.
"Shut it, you perverted dog!" Louise exclaimed in anger.
"…Is this about the flat chest comment?" Danny asked. He was whacked on the head by a horse whip. He was going to take that as a yes.
"Do you want to say something else?" Louise said threateningly, holding the whip.
"…Drink gallons of milk, I heard that helps with height and bust," Danny said, he was holding that one for a while. He ducked as Louise tried to hit him. He started running ahead to avoid Louise hitting him.
"Come back here!" Louise exclaimed as she made the horse go faster.
"Massaging them helps too!" Danny said as he ran faster.
Louise screamed as she made the horse go faster. Danny just laughed at her expression. It may hurt, but seeing her flustered expression was worth it. It was like how he teased Jazz when they were kids. This really turned out to be a relaxing day to him.
"Get back here, dog!" Louise exclaimed. "Why are you faster than a horse!?"
"I drink milk!" Danny shouted with a grin. Louise growled, her face turning red by either anger or embarrassment. He was going to get it when they reach the Academy.
And there. Sorry if it's short and uneventful, but I don't see anything exciting happening in a village. Okay, there are, but it wouldn't fit the story. Well, hope you enjoy a little comedy, shopping and more comedy. Also, we had seen why Danny is so interested in Japanese culture, since he's part Japanese. At least in this story.
Well, next chapter, the princess and the thief appears. See you later!