My first story so DON'T JUDGE TOO HARD. Also English is not my first language so forgive typos and grammar errors.

So let's start by saying that I don't own either Familiar of Zero or Sekiro, but that is a given.

I did not finish Sekiro yet but I know Hanbei's Quest so I know how it can end. This Hanbei is from the variant in wich the Wolf doesn't kill him (my head-canon says it's because he became the closest thing there is to a friend for the Wolf). Also being italian I played with Italian Subtitles and descriptions, so I am inclined to using literal translations since I will not consult the wiki more that is strictly necessary, to avoid spoilers for the game.

Second is that Hambei knows "Halkegian" (the language of Louise's world). It is not stated immediatly, but I am planning of giving an explanation in the future.

I have not watched the familiar of Zero anime in a long time and I have not read the manga/Light Novel, but I read so many fanfiction that I at least know the major plot points/events and am planning to follow them.

I am not planning to abadon this fanfiction, but I could take breaks or not upload for a while. (update after I abandoned the fic: LIAR! )

I accept tips, but if you came here just to tell me how I suck go away, I already said that this is my first work and I never wrote anything before. So aspect that the characters from the Zero universe would act out of character sometimes if not all the time until i have an idea of how to write them.

There is the possibility that some dialogue or jokes are taken from other fanfiction o media, but is mostly because I am highly influenced by them more so than me straigth out copying the lines. (if you are not ok i am sorry and you can stop reading at any momet if you want).

I have not wrote any chapter in advance so the uplouading will be whenever I finish a chapter.

Dialog Types:

"Dialog in Helkigian"

"Dialog in Japanese"

(Louise's thoughts )

(Hambei's thoughts)

Magic

- The Summoning -

- Ashina Outskirts : Dilapidated Temple -

It was a day like any other. Silence reigned in the nearly abandoned temple. All the people who inhabited it had long since perished in the recent centuries. The scrape of the Sculptor's scalpel as he worked and the singing of the birds were no longer audible.

Even so, one "man" still remained. Unable to die but not really completely alive, there simply is Hanbei the Undying. Here he waits for someone to come by, much as they once had in the past, but even he knows that is unlikely. This place was unknown to most, its location lost with the deaths of those he once knew.

"If only you were here, my old friend..." he quietly murmured as he cleaned his sword in preparation for a fight that would likely never come.

So much time had passed since the Wolf had bid him farewell to embark on a mission for his master with the intent to sever the bond of immortality. He didn't know if he succeeded or not, but whatever had happened did not bring him back to the temple.

It's not like Hanbei didn't leave the temple once in a while. When the war in Ashina ended, he decided to try and travel through Japan and partake in some sightseeing, but the temple always managed to draw him back in. Part of him wondered how much time had passed since he returned. An eternity? If it hadn't been, it might someday be.

"I just wish something interesting would happen every now and then…"

As he uttered these words, a strange, green, round portal appeared right in front of him. From within, he heard the voice of a young girl speaking, the language seemingly foreign to him.

My servant that exists somewhere in the vast universe...

Well, that was a language he hadn't heard in a while. How was it called? Helke-something?

My divine, beautiful, wise and powerful servant, heed my call...

It sounded like someone was calling for him, but he couldn't be sure. It seemed strange that someone would want to reach out to him.

I wish from the very bottom of my heart that one would appear...

It seemed impolite not to answer such a desperate prayer. Worst case scenario, he would just die. "Well, maybe that would be the best case, rather than the worst..." He thought to himself.

And so, with the prospect of an unknown situation that could at least kill his boredom and at best kill him, he stepped through the gateway.

- Halkegia : Tristain Academy of Magic -

It was a day like any other for a short, young, pink-haired mage. Louise Françoise Leblanc de la Vallière woke up at sunrise with hope in her heart and just a bit of concern. Today was the day of the Spring Familiar Summoning Ritual, an occasion in which second year students have to summon some kind of animal to act as their partner for the rest of their life. This animal is known as a familiar and also symbolizes the mage's elemental affinity and power. She didn't know what she would summon yet, but she knew that it would be an incredible magical creature, perhaps a dragon or a griffin.

What is important is that she would not be called that despicable nickname any longer-Louise the Zero, with zero successful spells casted in her time at the academy. She will laugh in the face of everyone that made fun of her, especially that presumptuous red-headed Germanian.

All this cheerfulness changed into anger when the little mage was descending the stairs to get to the courtyard for the ritual and heard the voice of her aforementioned rival.

"Oh! If it is not Louise the Zero! Are you going to the summoning ritual to entertain the other students with some fireworks? Now that I think about it, your explosions are not that colorful, so it wouldn't be a very good show." Says a tall tan woman with long, straight red hair as she crosses her arms, holding up her big "assets".

"What do you want, Kirche? I am trying to enjoy my day and head to the courtyard to summon my familiar. I suppose you and Tabitha are going as well." To that statement, a small, blue-haired girl with glasses nodded from beside Kirche, even though her face was hidden behind a book.

"I guess you are right, even if you don't have any reason for coming since I don't think explosions are considered familiars."

"Are you implying that I can summon only explosions? I bet you that I will summon a beast that will put your familiar to shame!" Louise spats angrily.

"Oh, so you think you can summon something better than mine? Well we will see when we get there, won't we?" Kirche speaks with a malicious grin, as if challenging the pinkette.

At that Louise, reacted by storming away in the direction of the ritual's location. She will summon something great and powerful. After all, she had to if she wanted to continue her studies at the academy.

- Academy : Main Courtyard -

"Ok, have you all summoned your familiars?" Asked a bold man with glasses and a long staff, his blue robe signifying his position as a teacher.

"Not everyone, Professor Colbert. Louise has yet to summon hers." Kirche spoke up with a sinister smirk on her face.

"Ah, yes! You're right, Miss Zerbst. Miss Vallière, would you please step up and summon your familiar?"

A chorus of different voices came from the rest of the class.

"The Zero? she can't cast a spell to save her life!"

"Hold onto your seats! Here comes another explosion!"

"Why is she still here anyway? She's better off leaving."

Ignoring all those hideous taunts, she stepped in front of the summoning circle and started to speak the incantation she had spent hours memorizing. Yet, each time that she finished, nothing happened. Nothing, not even the usual explosions, as if the world itself was telling her to just give up and return home to become the trophy wife of some noble, the only fare for a failure available to someone like her.

As if sensing the struggle in the mind of the pinkette, Colbert spoke up "Maybe you should try another incantation? I have heard of mages that had problems using the standard lines and found using their own words to be more effective."

"O-of course, professor! I'll try again."

And with that, she closed her eyes, trying to focus on creating an incantation in her mind. At this point, she would have been satisfied with literally anything she could think of, even an ant would have been enough for her. Then, after a couple of minutes, she started to recite the words she managed to pull from the bottom of her heart.

"My servant who exists somewhere in the vast universe..." (Wherever you are)

Everyone in the class perked up ad the odd choice of words.

"My divine, beautiful, wise and powerful servant, heed my call..." (Anything, anybody! Doesn't matter what or who!)

The summoning circle began to light up with a pure white light.

"I wish from the very bottom of my heart and that one would appear..." (Please, I beg you to appear!)

And than what everyone expected happened. There was an explosion-a BIG explosion, perhaps the biggest explosion to date for the young mage. Everybody fell back just from the force of the wind created by the spell.

Louise was the first one to stand back up, hoping that whatever she summoned didn't die in the conflagration. After the smoke cleared, she could see it: a war-weathered, middle-aged man, given the number of scars she could count on the exposed parts of his skin. He wore ragged clothing with a style of plated armor she couldn't recognize and the mask on his face covered his mouth. A sword hung at his hip and she found herself staring hard at the blade. (He must be a soldier...)

The soldier stood there, choking on the thick smoke. "That-" He coughed harshly. "Was an impressive display of firepower. We are lucky it was I who answered that call or else who knows what would be of the unlucky man or woman in my place." The man spoke with a gruff voice in a language she couldn't understand.

"Ah-ha! Leave it to the Zero to summon some dirty commoner who doesn't even understand our language!" Shouted a student.

"Look at him! You could easily confuse him for a corpse!" Laughed another.

(A commoner...of everything that could have come out, why did it have to be a commoner?)

Hanbei surveyed the surrounding area. He seemed to have found himself in a garden of a castle. Around him where what looked like children, all wearing the same strange clothes, possibly a uniform of some sort. In front of him was petite, pink-haired girl who appeared to be both confused and angry at the same time. (Ah, right...from what I heard before, they don't speak my language.)

"Hello and good morning to all of you. May I ask where I am and why I'm here?" He spoke Helkigian with a strange accent.

At the sound of his voice, everyone stopped laughing and stared at him in dumbfounded silence until the professor spoke up.

"Ah, sir. You are in Trintain's Academy of Magic. The students are currently performing the Spring Summoning Ritual to summon their familiars." He gestured to the pinkette. "This girl is the one who summoned you, though it is uncommon for a human to be summoned instead of an animal or magical creature."

(So they are a school of magic. I have never heard of it before, but it has been a while since I have travelled, so I can't exclude that one wasn't founded, even if the study of it was quite rare at my time and the closest thing we had was Ninjutsu. But still...)

"What is a Familiar?"

This time, it was Louise who angrily answered. "A familiar is a magical creature or animal that a mage summons to protect and serve them for all their life. A commoner like you should feel honored to be a noble's familiar!"

"So I would have to devote my life to protecting this girl..." the man mused aloud, to which the professor informed him, "Yes, sir, that is what the familiar contract entrails."

A moment of silent followed as the samurai seemed to consider his options. He could say no and try to return to the temple, but, really, what was there to return to? Peace reigned in the lands and no one visited the temple any longer. Some gut feeling told him that, if he were to stay here, he will at least have to fight for the pinkette at some point, and who knows if magic was powerful enough for him to discover a way to finally die.

"So be it! I will serve you to the best of my abilities, little pink-haired girl." To that comment, the aforementioned girl blushed with anger.

"I am not a little girl! I'm sixteen! Of course a commoner mongrel like you would accept!"

(Note to self : she's self-conscious about her childlike appearance.)

The professor cleared his throat loudly, interrupting him from his thoughts.

"I'm sorry to interrupt, but Miss Louise needs to complete the contract."

"Ah, right!" She said, closing her eyes and pointing her wand at the Undying.

"My name is Louise Francoise Leblanc de la Valliere, pentagon of the five elemental powers. Bless this being and make it my familiar!" She than gestured for him to lower his head and, when he did so, she begrudgingly kissed him on the cheek before stepping back.

Hanbei then started to feel a burning sensation on his left hand as strange markings engraved themselves into his skin. For any other man, the pain could have been unbearable, but he was used to suffering. After a couple of seconds, the pain creased and the familiar runes were fully formed. He eyed them warily and almost didn't notice Professor Colbert getting closer to look at them.

"With this ritual complete, please return to your dorms. Lessons today end here."

And with that, everyone started walking towards the main building when Louise spoke to Hanbei.

"Come, Familiar! Let us go to my room!"

"As my lady commands." He answered with reverence, following close by.

And there it begins, a weird and interesting story of this strange duo of Master and Familiar.

- end chapter -

So. This is the first chapter.

What do you think? I think it's not that bad as first tries go. I am not about sure about the past tense for the narration, maybe i will try in the present next chapter and se how that goes.

Anyway next time it will probably be just Hanbei assessing the situation, and maybe the obbligatori Guiche fight if I feel like it.

Until next time! Bye!

Thank you very much to my new beta irithyll for editing the chapter