XD- So I got a guaranteed scholarship. Downside? I had to add to my workload to get it. So I lost a lot of my free time. A crazy amount of free time. But like, money is already in my account. It's an opportunity I didn't plan for, but definitely can't pass up. I promise my muse for this story didn't end. I'm still very into this story.

XD- And then I lost my muse, but it seems to have returned.


Hate

Fear

Envy

Want

This feels more normal. More like myself. I've never tried to meditate with the curse seal before.

There's still something off, but I think, without Louise here, or there being any real target that involves her, I can avoid being so obsessed with her.

There's still the matter about how I get stronger with a weapon in hand. It doesn't seem to change my mindset. But I haven't held a weapon with my seal activated since that fiasco at the academy.

I grasp a kunai and the growingly familiar power surges through me. My senses enhancing, my chakra seeming to grow, my power increasing just a bit more with the whatever reaction the growth of my chakra causes. I can't see magic with my sharingan, but I can't help but feel as if I can sense the magic flowing within me.

"Wait, what?" The strain. There's no more strain from the curse mark. It still changes my mind, but my body is free from the marks burden. I activate my sharingan, and it still has an effect on my chakra, but I could keep this on forever, and not strain my eye at all. That was never an issue anyway, why would I ever have my sharingan on for so long? Regardless, this magic binding prevented or healed stress.

{ I feel the connection getting stronger! I'm sure this is Sasuke! I'm going to wack him so hard when I find him!}

What? Oh, so even if I still cared about being found, I wouldn't really have a choice in the matter. Connection. Actually, I can feel her. Do I let her get close? Can I talk back?

{ Following me with magic, Louise? And no, you will not lay a single hand on me.}

Shock, joy, anger, and what I think is hesitance. I'm getting feedback on her emotions. That is most likely mutual.

{ If I can't lay a hand on you, I will explode you to the heavens! I can sort of feel your location. If you can feel me getting closer, hurry up and make the trip shorter, Sasuke.}

No, I don't think I will. She can come here. I let go of my kunai, and turn off my curse-mark. I no longer feel a connection to Louise, but she clearly felt one to me before I started meditating. The benefits of being the master. I can't help but grit my teeth. What does she even hope to accomplish?

What do I hope to accomplish? Louise can hurt me. I have to assume Colbert and Osmond can too. Guiche was a 2nd year, right? So 2nd years can be assumed to be on his level, maybe ten times stronger if they are a serious anomaly. Like the girl who summoned a dragon. Actually, no, she might be a Louise type of exception. I despise it, completely. This magical place I'm stuck in. How can I avenge my clan while playing butler to a spoiled brat? How do I kill Itachi!

I need to do something. I can't go with her, grovelling, begging to not be punished for losing control. I'd rather fight this whole world to my dying breathe. I need a balance of respect and fear. I need to focus on something useful, not what I've lost.

Louise's training. She can't be associated with me, while being a lazy dead-last. She's so desperate she came running after a loose canon? Well, I'll make her earn my return, make her earn her place in her school. If it jut so happens to let me burn off some steam, who can judge me?


I sigh. My attempts at talking to Sasuke are likely failing. They better be. I can still sense him, however. What is that sound?

" Louise!" A painfully familiar voice yells from a distance.

I stop my horse, and can not fathom why this cow followed me, and why she and Tabitha are only just now close enough for me to hear her show off dragon. I have been on this horse for hours.

I simply stare in confusion and anger as they get closer.

" Louise, I don't know if I should help you, or stop you!" Kirche shouted. Help me? When as she ever helped me?

The beautiful dragon lands. Kirche jumps off swiftly, running to me. Tabitha looks me in the eyes. Something about the exchange unnerves me, so i turn to Kirche.

" Please, leave me alone. I have to do this. Please, Zerbst, I can not deal with you right now." Kirche von Zerbst gains a conflicted look.

" Your familiar is too dangerous. He injured a professor, he threatened Guiche's life for mere insults, and doesn't listen to you. Vallière, chasing him is playing with your life." Kirche grabs my hand, with an almost pleading expression.

What is this? Am I supposed to believe that she cares?

" I have no choice but to go control my familiar! I will not be stopped, and I don't need your help. Go back to the school, Zerbst." I yank my hand away from her, and get hit in the face with a blast of wind. I fall over, hearing Kirche gasp.

I stand up, wiping at my eyes, and Tabitha is off her dragon, her staff pointed at me. Before I can work up the nerve to speak, she lowers her staff.

" What is your plan?" Tabitha asks.

" What?" The nerve of her! To assault me and ask that question so nonchalantly. For a moment, it almost looks like she is annoyed.

" How do you intend to control your familiar? How will you walk a way from this alive?" Tabitha walks up beside Kirche.

Those are good questions. But I have no valid answer, so I remain quite.

" We will follow you to your familiar, we will let you handle this your way, but if it gets out of hand, we kill him." The blue haired mage states, as if talking about the weather.

" Absolutely not!" I roar. Kirche seems to find her footing.

" Absolutely yes! If you can't handle your familiar, you have to kill him, Louise. There is no other way. I have no clue how you haven't been expelled already. We follow him, find him, speak to him, and if that fails, we kill him so you can try again." Kirche looks so passionate while saying that.

I almost can't believe what I am hearing, almost. In the worst way possible, it makes sense. But there is no way we could. And I think I would rather die, then kill a noble who I forced away from their home. Even if said noble is cursed by a demon.


The smell of seasoned cooked pork and rabbit, alongside some wolf and bear corpses hits the trio of mages. They follow the smell, Louise growing anxious, Tabitha determined, and Kirche inspired.

They do not get very close to Sasuke's campsite before he jumps down from a tree. The trio are startled, but compose themselves before the ninja speaks.

" I probably should've guessed that you would bring tag alongs. But why the red head?" Sasuke asked.

Louise climbs off her horse.

" They followed me. They don't matter. Sasuke, I am sure there is much I don't understand, but it is clear that you are compelled to be offended on my behalf. That is my fault, I must take responsibility. Return with me to the academy. We managed to communicate with each other over a distance, surely I can find some way to help you not be so reactive." There it was, her best foot forward.

" I have no clue how your magic works, so maybe your right about being able to fix that over reaction issue. That is major roadblock with living my life in your country. However, there is something I care about more, at this moment." Sasuke folds his arms.

" And what is that, Sasuke?" Louise begins to walk towards Sasuke. She stops when his eyes turn red, his gaze intense.

" Osmond and Colbert explained to me that your familiar is a representation of not just your quality and category, but your character. That despite me being an anomaly, that I should be no exception to this general rule. I am an avenger, I am constantly pushing to the next goal, and I am not to be trifled with. I haven't seen the type of power or resolve required for you to be any type of representation of who I am, let alone deserve to have a position of power over me, regardless of what wealth your family has. I got this curse mark from a man who promised me power, and he delivered. It's time to see if you can do the same, Louise." Sasuke's posture was self explanatory. he was about to attack.

Tabitha and Kirche were quick to prepare themselves, while Louise simply watched in horror, as Sasuke's hands moved at rapid speeds in-front of his chest, before raising to his mouth.

Sasuke jumped back, and let loose a stream of fire. The heat was immense, Tabitha and Kirche shot back a combination of wind and fire spells, while Louise managed to snap back into reality, trying her hardest to cast fireball. The jutsu clashed with the three spells, and exploded horizontally, decimating grass and trees, sending debri all over.

" This is between me and Louise. Nonetheless, congrats on surviving that. Might as-well test all 3 of you, while I'm at it." Once more, Sasuke performs hand seals, but this time, when the fire releases from his mouth, a blast of flames is directed at each girl.

Tabitha completely blows the fire ball aimed for her away. Kirche pauses and dodges the attack with one of her own fire balls, and Louise protects herself by yet again accidentally blowing it up.

Instead of waiting for Sasuke to tire them out, Tabitha goes on the offensive. Ice spikes appear and rapidly shoot at Sasuke. He dodges, kicks, and burns many, but Tabitha doesn't stop.

Kirche's Salamander jumps off Sylphid's back, and joins it's master in shooting flames at the Uchiha. The boy is constantly moving, not harmed by a single one of the many spells being thrown his way, but also having no covering that the trio don't destroy.

Finally having mustered her courage, Louise aims her wand, trying to line up with her reckless familiar.

" You want power, Sasuke? Then fine, don't come crying to me when I deliver what you asked for." Louise shouts.

All of her failures, all of her self loathing, envy, hate, sadness, fear, determination, every last drop of emotion and power surged through her.

Sylphid began to stir, as if she was about to attack Sasuke herself, but Tabitha shouted her blue dragon down.

Sasuke could tell Louise was about to attack, and figured it was now or never. Either she survived a serious attempt at burning her to death, even with friends helping her, or this partnership was never going to work out anyway.

His earlier attacks were all handicapped. This one would not be, and would be aided by his curse-mark.

Tabitha, Kirche and her salamander performed a combination of wind and fire magic, Louise screamed with al her might, but instead of trying to perform a fire spell, focused on trying to explode Sasuke into submission.

" Explosion!"

Jutsu met magic, and everyone lost their ability to see, while being all to severely reminded of the sensation of pain.


Author's Note

It should go without saying, that if Sasuke decided to make this an up close confrontation, they all would of been whacked in 1 second, with no sharingan, no curse, and no Gandálfr rune. He intentionally pressed them with long range attacks. Anything else is up to you decide why you think he did what he did.

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