I don't own Zero no Tsukaima
AN: Here is another chapter, with a big ass twist that I'm sure no one saw coming. Yay for surprises. Now to answer some questions.
Akayure654u0 – there will be pairing, but I won't tell you as that would take so much of the fun out of it. I could PM you if you really want to know, but it's more entertaining if you don't know.
Me. Y'know me the guy up top – do more of the "Dude, not funny" jokes, I find them hilarious. I will also make fun of you at times, and possibly threaten to make you a eunuch or something. By the way, like your review.
Sperance – yes, he is arrogant, and you are in for a surprise this chapter.
Now everyone, please read and review. It makes me happy and fills my soul with sunshine and lollipops.
Something was wrong. Saito stared at the screen of his computer, looking at the picture on his desktop. It was him and two other people. One was a girl, with jet black hair. She was wearing a small, nervous smile, with a pair of glasses on over her blue eyes. She looked nice, though a bit average. She lacked the raw sex appeal of Kirche and she lacked Louise's cuteness, but in the picture she gave off an air of familiarity. She was important, somehow.
The other was a boy, with light blond hair and brown eyes. He had a massive smile on his face. He was at the center, with arms around Saito and the girl. He knew him, for what felt like his entire life. He couldn't remember who the boy was. Saito knew that the blond boy was closer to the girl, though he didn't know how. As he stared at his desktop, trying to remember who they were, and not just know that he knew them.
Saito quickly opened the folders containing his pictures. He opened a folder within called "Quarterfoil." (1) It was filled with pictures. Saito didn't recognize anybody, but they all felt familiar. The blond haired, brown eyed boy appeared in almost all of the pictures. The girl appeared a few times, but not nearly as much.
These were his friends, some of the girls he had seen in the pictures might have been more. 'Why don't I recognize any of them? Why don't I know any of them?' Saito stared in shock, panic slowly welling inside of him.
There had to be a reason. People don't just forget all of their friends over five days. Guiche's golems didn't hit him that hard. It's not like he forgot about his family. He remembered everything they had taught him. Work hard, to do what he thought was right, loyalty.
Saito's eyes widened. He was going to be a marine. Semper Fi. Semper Fidelis. Always Faithful. The perfect servant and soldier. The perfect familiar. Saito knew he had to have been loyal to his friends, and that was why he had forgotten them. To make him a better familiar.
Saito began shutting his computer down. He quickly made his way to his bed, and opened his dressers. He took out his pistol, inserted a clip, and stuck the spare in his pocket. Saito put his pistol next to his knife in his pants, safety on with the chamber empty. Saito pulled out the dry box, and a few changes of clothes. He ran to Louise's armoire, and flung it open, throwing everything out in his search for a bag to hold his things. Once the armoire was empty Saito searched the rest of the room, desperately seeking a bag he could use. There wasn't one, at least not easy enough to carry.
Saito saw her knitting and sewing equipment, surprised that Louise would have such things.
'Improvise, adapt, and overcome.' Saito thought to himself as he grabbed a needle, thread, and rushed back to his dresser.
Saito grabbed his ugly Christmas sweatshirt. It was too big and the sleeves way too long. 'Perfect.' He thought to himself. Saito messily stitched the bottom of the sweatshirt shut. Saito tested its strength, it would hold. He tightly tied the sleeves together, and slung it over his shoulder, the perfect improvised satchel. Even if it did have snowmen and gingerbread men decorating it.
Saito began shoving his dry box in, stretching the neck wide open. He then shoved some of his clothes in, and last he grabbed his computer. He needed to get out of this place.
Louise was marching down the halls. How dare her familiar leave her room is such disarray. It showed a complete lack of respect for her. She began to wish that she had never gotten that stupid dog as her familiar. She'd be better off without it. It would be many times less humiliating for her if she had gotten a mouse. At least a mouse would obey her.
Louise saw the Zerbst woman approaching. "Have you seen my familiar?" Louise demanded.
Louise kept going right past the red-headed harlot even as she gave a mocking response. "Oh, did he upset you again, Zero?"
Louise didn't bother answering and kept going; she would find and punish her familiar. She never thought that she would have to use her whip to bring her familiar under control, but she was glad that she was ready. She had been far, FAR too kind with her disobedient familiar.
Louise made her way outside. She knew her familiar had to be here. It's not like it would run away or anything. Familiars never run away from their Masters.
Louise saw the servant girl that she knew she had seen with her familiar before. "You! Servant! Did you see where my foolish familiar went!"
Louise could see that the servant girl was terrified of her. "Th-the kitchen." She meekly responded.
Louise quickly made her way to the kitchen. She was seeing red. So this was why her familiar wasn't fazed by her threats of taking away his meals! He was stealing food! He was stealing from the Academy!
Louise was going to see to it that anyone helping her familiar steal food was punished. Subverting the will of the Nobility was not something any Noble would allow any mere commoner do. There would be repercussions!
Siesta was running as fast as she could in her uniform. She had to warn Saito that his Master was coming after him. She didn't know what he had done to upset her, but she knew that his Master's wraith would be unforgiving. Siesta had led the Noble woman to the kitchen, but she knew that Saito had already left. However, she had a good idea of where he was.
The Fountain came into view. It was right next to the drying house, and Saito was filling a bottle with the flowing water from the lion head spout as she approached. His peculiar satchel had some bread and two bottles sticking out of it.
"Good evening Siesta." Saito hastily said. He was closing the bottle, sealing it shut with a cork. "
"Saito, why is Miss Vallière searching for you?"
"Ahh damn it. I left her room a complete mess. I have less time than I thought. I should have cleaned it. God I'm stupid." Saito said with a groan. "Well, I guess I do have everything I need, so I should be fine."
"Less time than you thought?" What was he talking about? Why was Saito racing against time? What was going on?
Saito grabbed his satchel and tied an extra knot, raising it up a bit as he flung it over his shoulder. "I'm getting out of this place. Gotta find a few things I lost, and I can't find them here." Saito said with a forlorn look in his eyes.
Siesta could tell that he didn't want to reveal more. "Will you come back, Saito?" She didn't want him to leave. He was able to defeat the nobles! He was a hero! He wouldn't abandon them. Siesta knew that he would tell her that he would be coming back.
"I don't know." Siesta felt her spirits drop. He didn't know? How couldn't he know!
"What do you mean?" It wasn't supposed to go like this. This wasn't what she expected the hero would do. She wasn't even sure why he was doing this. She couldn't look at him.
Suddenly Siesta gaze turned as a hand gently gripped her chin. She was staring into her hero's eyes, and a gentle calmness flowed through her. "Relax Siesta, I promise you that once I find what I lost, I'll do everything I can to get back here. This isn't goodbye. Not yet." He told her with his ever confident smile. "So don't look so sad. I'd rather remember your pretty face decorated with a smile instead of a frown."
Siesta smiled as she stared into his eyes. He would come back, she could believe in the commoner that was greater than any Noble.
"WHERE IS THAT STUPID DOG!" It was Saito's Master.
"That's my signal to leave. Don't worry, I'll be back!" Saito said as he reached behind him and pulled out his signature dagger, then ran off at a speed no normal person could go.
"YOU! SERVANT! WHERE IS MY FAMILIAR!" This had gone on for far too long. She needed to discipline that stupid dog. No one did this to a Vallière!
The servant was terrified of her. That made Louise feel slightly better. "He-he's leaving."
Louise's eyes widened. "Wh-what did you say?" Louise barely whispered. That servant girl couldn't have said what she thought she had said.
"Saito is leaving. He just told me."
Louise backed up. This was the last thing she had expected. Familiars didn't just leave. They never ran away. Ever. Louise turned away from the servant and began running as fast as she could to the Academy's nearest exit. She couldn't let her Familiar run away. That would bring her failures to a new level. She would be the first mage to have a Familiar run away. Louise's mind raced with what could happen if her Familiar succeeded at escaping. She could forget about being married off, as horrible as that was, for her family's political gain. No, her family would disown her for this kind of unprecedented failure.
Louise doubled her pace; she had to get to the gate now. If she didn't stop her Familiar her life would be over. As Louise reached the gate of the Academy she frantically searched for anybody. The large steel gate of the Tristain Academy was still firmly sealed. Louise tried to calm herself down, he couldn't escape right now. Nobody can get in or out of the Academy at night unless they can fly or are reckless idiots.
"AHHHHHH!" Louise gazed through the barred gates of the Academy, as her Familiar sailed through the air. He had jumped off of the wall that protects the Academy. That thing was insane! It slammed into a tree, and it grabbed it with all its strength.
"DON'T GO!" Louise screamed. It couldn't leave; this could not be another mark of failure for her.
Her familiar looked down, a slightly confused look on its face. "Louise?"
Louise glared up at her familiar; she could not let this be another mark of failure on her. "I'm not letting you leave." Louise said as she pulled out her wand. Saito began climbing down the tree, and Louise stiffened as she saw that it was holding its signature dagger. No. She would not be weak here. This was her Familiar, it was going to listen to her. It got to the ground, and it turned away from her. "GET BACK HERE!" Louise screamed as she let loose some of her magic power, placing an explosion right in front of her Familiar, throwing it back.
Her Familiar got up, an enraged look decorating his face. It made its way to her, and asked a very simple question. "What do you want Louise?"
"I'm not letting you leave. I will be disgraced FOREVER if my Familiar runs away. So you will stay here!" Louise said with as much conviction as possible.
Saito stood, staring at Louise indifferently through the steel gate. "That it?"
"What?"
"That's all you have to say? Really Louise, you should probably try a different approach." Saito coldly said, hate in his eyes.
Louise backed up, shocked at its coldness. What had she done to deserve this? Louise got ready to say something, but nothing came out.
"I can tell that you hate me, and I hate you. You are selfish, annoying, and mean. You look down on me, and what right do you have to look down on anybody? You're completely incompetent at magic, and that's the only thing that makes you damn Nobles special. But what's worse is that when you look at me you don't even see a person. I'm not a "him," I'm a fucking "it" in your eyes. Even then, that is not the reason I'm leaving. I'm leaving because you ripped me out of my home, my family, my friends, my future, my life. I'm leaving because your terrible magic is twisting my mind, and wiping memories out of my head. Hell, you probably didn't even consider that I had a life before I got here. You are insensitive and self-centered. I'm leaving and nothing you do can stop me." Saito calmly said, before he turned around and began to walk away.
Louise just stood there, in shock. She didn't know what to do. She had never felt so low before in her life. She kneeled down and started to sob.
Saito groaned as he stopped walking, she was crying. He couldn't just walk away now. He felt like he was a monster. He didn't need to say something that mean. He walked back, and sat against the gate. Saito didn't know what to say, so he kept thinking, trying to think of something to say that would make her feel better.
"Wh-what are you st-still doing here?" Louise said, still sniffling.
Saito sat there, and said the first thing that came to mind. "I'm sorry, I wasn't thinking when I said those things." Saito silently wondered if it was him talking, or the runes.
"Is that supposed to make me feel better?" Louise asked with a sad look in her eye.
Saito turned around to face her and gazed into her eyes. "Yes. What I did was mean. You aren't a bad person Louise. You are determined, and you keep trying even when everyone else says that you can't. If you keep trying, I'm sure that you'll find your place in the world."
"You said you hate me." Louise said with a pathetic look in her eyes.
"You hate me, after all I'm a dog." Saito joked, smiling as Louise gave the barest hint of a smile.
"A devil dog?" She gave a tiny giggle.
"Besides, you are a dangerous mage. Nothing's more dangerous than a well place explosion; you should try and take advantage of that." Saito said with a calm gaze, as he reached through the bars and pulled Louise close. "Also, you must be powerful if you can destroy an entire classroom and summoned a man that can beat down a mage."
"You can't leave." Louise quietly said as Saito held her close.
"I can't stay." Saito said as he pulled himself away. "I'm sorry but I need to leave."
Saito turned and ran as fast as he could away from the academy. He couldn't stay near Louise any longer or he would have lost the will to leave. Saito felt horrible leaving her, but it had to be done. The runes were still affecting him. He needed to get as far away from that place as possible. For all he knew the remorse he was feeling is being produced by the runes. He needed to try and be as rational as possible.
"Old Osmond, sir." Osmond looked up to see Colbert enter his office. "We have a bit of a problem." Colbert was very nervous.
"Miss Vallière's familiar, Gandálfr." Colbert paused, unsure of how to continue. "The Gandálfr ran away."
Old Osmond sat there, stunned. The legendary familiar ran away? He couldn't believe it. What could have been the greatest accomplishment of The Tristain Magic Academy had just become its greatest failure. "Why wasn't I told sooner?" His voice came out uneasily.
"It has happened just now. There has been some mention that he was somehow disgraced in a duel with Mister Armagnac, which seems very unlikely to be the reason he left."
Old Osmond sat there is silence. He didn't know what to do.
"Old Osmond, sir, what are we going to tell the palace?" Osmond could hear the concern weighing down on his colleague.
"We can't tell them. We never told them about Gandálfr being summoned in the first place, and no one but us knows that he was the legendary familiar either. If the palace finds out that we not only lost a legend but also kept it from them…" Osmond shivered at the thought. "Thank Brimir that they don't know."
"Alright Sai-Sai, are you ready for your first day?" My mom cheerfully asked.
"N-no." I was nervous, it was Kindergarten. I wasn't ready for school. Not yet.
"Don't say that. You're nice, you're smart, and you never give up, I'm sure you'll make lots of friends."
I sniffed, trying to hold in the tears. I didn't want her to go, but I wanted her to leave before I started to cry. Crying always seemed to make her sad. I turn away from her, knowing it's what she wants. "Al-alwight. I-I'll b-b-be good an-and have fun." I was terrified, all those other kids.
"Don't worry Saito, you'll have a good day. I promise." Those were the last words mom said before she left for work.
I walked over to the lego box and stood there. I didn't know what to do. I sat down, and the tears were getting ready to flow again. I held them in. I was a big kid now, I couldn't cry.
"What's wrong buddy?" I turned around and saw blond and blue eyed boy, he was in a yellow shirt. "why do ya look so sad? You shouldn't be sad."
I quickly stood up and faced him."H-h-hello. I'm Hiraga Saito."
"Saito." The blond boy said, testing the name. "I like it! It sounds kung fu-y. Let's go an' play somethin'!" He exclaimed with a giant smile.
I cheered up instantly, my fear replaced by a friend. "Thanks a bunch! What's your name?"
"I'm -! But you can call me -!"
"I'm -! But you can call me -!"
"I'm -! But you can call me -!"
"DAMNIT!" Saito screamed. "WHAT WAS HIS DAMN NAME!" Saito turned around and slammed his fist into the tree behind him. He froze in place as his eyes widened. "AHHHHH! MY HAND!"
Saito lay on the ground, cradling his hand. It was nice, the pain. It took his mind off of the problem at hand. As the pain faded into a dull throb, Saito turned to his computer. He had just turned it on, the first time since he left Louise's room. He was staring at a picture of him and the blond kid, after the first day of Kindergarten. They were at the blond kid's house. Saito went to the next image, this time with the girl whose name also eluded him, however he could feel in his gut that she was important to him.
This was wrong; he always remembered someone's name. Always. Saito closed the picture viewer, and looked at the desktop's background. Saito clawed at his mind, desperately trying to figure out who the boy and girl were. All he knew of him was what he could scrounge from his head. The blond kid was his first, and his best, friend. The girl was the blonde's next door neighbor. Unfortunately no matter how hard he tried he couldn't remember who he was.
Saito shut off his computer. He had already looked through a lot of pictures before he left. He didn't remember any of his friends' names; at times he didn't even recognize the people in the photos. He couldn't bring himself to look at the pictures any more.
Saito shoved his computer into the improvised bag he made. It didn't look nice, but it was strong. In the bag he had 2 wine bottles he had filled with water and sealed shut, his computer, his dry box, a loaf of bread, and a few changes of clothes.
Saito sat down against the tree that had earlier abused his hand. He needed a rest. A real rest. Too much has happened. Being away from home, family, everything that was familiar. Saito had never felt so alone. It hadn't even been a week (2). Saito just wished that there was one other person from earth, just so he'd have someone to relate to.
He wasn't ready for this. He knew he was strong, clever, and smart, but he wasn't even a boot (3) yet! He didn't know if he could survive here.
Saito looked down on his left hand, and gave a glare. His fingerless glove covered the runes that marked him as something less than human. It marked him as a familiar, as an "it" instead of a "him." He knew those runes were too good to be true. Sure they made him stronger, faster, and numb to nearly all pain, but at the cost of who he was. Saito gripped his head, trying to remember the friends he had. There was nothing but a few scrapes for him to cling to.
Saito mind wandered to thoughts of Louise. He couldn't help but wonder what she was thinking right now. How sad she was. Saito felt his spirits fall, knowing that it was his fault. He wondered how Louise looked at him now, hoping that she saw a person. He quickly shook the thought out of his head.
Being at a loss of memories would have been fine, but even his own mind was trying to make him into the perfect little servant. His freedom was slowly being stolen, the memories of his family were all that was left untouched while the rest was gone. His identity as a human was being eroded by those damn runes.
Saito looked back at his improvised bag, and gave a small grin. If it weren't for his computer, he would have never known that his memories had been stolen from him. Saito reached back and pulled out his knife and pistol, scowling as the runes activated, numbing the pain in his sore legs and feet. He had been running almost nonstop since he left the academy, only taking a break to get a drink of water or munch on some bread. Now, he needed to sleep. Saito closed his eyes as the warm sunshine acted as his blanket. A grin grew over his face as he entered his dream world.
Louise awoke with a long, tired yawn. It was the day of fire. She sighed as she got out of her bed, still damaged from her familiar. A look of shame covered her face at the thought of Saito.
She was a Vallière. She had one of the greatest pedigrees in the all of Halkegenia. Her father was Duke de la Vallière and her mother was the legendary Heavy Wind, both square class mages. What was she? It was fine not being able to use magic, Louise realized that now. She would trade everything for that to be her only mistake. But no, the Founder saw fit to heap more trials and tribulations upon her. There has been precedence of Nobles being unable to use magic or having a disobedient familiar, and they had children who excelled.
A familiar running away. Never before in recorded history has a familiar run away from their master. She was the first. She would be remembered in history as the mage who lost her familiar, a permanent stain on her family's name.
Louise prepared, knowing that ridicule was waiting for her when she went to class. Louise steeled her resolve, and buried all of the uncertainty that resided in her heart.
She left her room, and made her way to the dining hall. She made her way there, a dark cloud seeming to follow her where ever she went.
"Yeah, I humiliated it in a duel. That stupid commoner better not show its face to me or I'll give it another thrashing."
It was that stupid Fézensaguet boy, and he was gloating over a non-existent victory. Louise couldn't stand for that, since insulting a mage's familiar was equal to insulting the mage. Even if that commoner ran off he was still her familiar.
"Now I find that very hard to believe. I can't see you being skilled enough to best Saito." It was Guiche. Louise couldn't believe her ears, he was defending her familiar?
"Like you can talk Guiche, you were in bed a week (4) recovering!" Roger quickly defended in a panicked tone.
Louise came up, ready to strike the final blow. "Roger, why don't you show us some of the magic you used against my familiar?"
"Well, uh…"
"Now I remember, my familiar beat you after only two punches, and he took your wand." Louise said with a grin, practically begging Roger to try and prove otherwise.
"Well, at least my Familiar listens to me."
That was it, Louise had never, in her existence, felt this kind of anger. Her blood began to boil as her fists clench. She looked up to see a self satisfied smile on Roger de Fézensaguet's face, and the next instant Roger's smile was gone.
Louise turned and continued on her way to breakfast, smiling at the fact that Roger was laying on his back, unconscious.
"Louise, where is your Familiar at the moment, I'd like to have a word with him." Guiche innocently asked.
Louise stiffened. She needed to come up with a lie. "I sent him off to gather some reagents for me." She couldn't let the others know what happened.
(1) Quarterfoil – a four pointed decoration that goes on a Marine officer's dress or service caps. It originated from the olden day of the big wooden ships, and the soldiers wore the symbol so that during CQC the snipers could identify friend from foe.
(2) This is a week from Saito's point of view, using a seven day week. It has been five days for him in the new world
(3) Boot – A derogatory term for men who have just gotten out of Boot camp
(4) This is a week for a Halkegenian. Their week is different. The days go earth, water, wind, fire, void. Guiche was unconscious for four days. The light novels and anime never really elaborate on the way the days of months work.
AN: The end of another chapter. I enjoyed it. The events also probably surprised a lot of people. I hope you all enjoyed it.
Anyway, read and review.
This is Lee, and I'm out!