Kenshin & Familiar Of Zero: The Wandering Familiar
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I do not own Familiar Of Zero or Rorouni Kenshin/Samurai X
AN: Hello again to everyone reading my story, and thank you to the people that have left me reviews.
Sorry it's been so long. Stuff happened.
*Action*
"Dialogue"
'Inner thoughts'
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Chapter Fifteen
To Albion
Tristan Palace, Training grounds.
Agnes and a handful of the other musketeers are currently running around the squarish perimeter of the training grounds. They are in their full uniforms with armor. They are all sweating heavily.
"Captain . . . . why are we doing this . . . . again?" A musketeer named Guinevere asks between breaths.
Agnes, herself, is also sweating. But, she has an extremely determined look on her face. She is several yards ahead of the rest of the girls. Guinevere was the closest to her.
"He told us . . . . . to get faster. If you're going to complain . . . . . then I will find something . . . . . much worse than this. . . . . . that you can do." Agnes replies with sincerity.
One of the other girls towards the back silently cries and tears stream down her face. Another one trips and gets herself back up.
Kenshin zooms past the entire group and catches up to Agnes. He runs side by side with her momentarily.
"Captain, if you wish to clash swords with me before my departure, then you have to do better than this."
With that, he speeds ahead without the use of his runes.
'How dare he!' The captain shouts in her head. She growls and pushes herself to move even faster.
"Do not take me lightly, Kenshin! I will not accept this!" Her fists tighten as she pushes on.
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Later on in the day.
Kenshin, while taking a break from another round with the musketeers (some of them swapped out for rotation purposes), he watches Agnes as she takes on her other musketeers.
A couple of them are off to the side and barely holding up against a wall. They show signs of fatigue, bruising, and dirtied.
Aimee, another musketeer that had swapped out in place of Guinevere, is currently in combat with the captain. She desperately tries to defend against her captain as she makes ruthless attack after ruthless attack.
Agnes herself is not even thinking about her comrades. Anger soars through her heart and her veins as she attacks Aimee.
Memories of her childhood race through her head of her hometown. She relives the moments while attacking Aimee. Visions of everything burning to the ground and dead bodies everywhere. Screams also fill her head.
Kenshin furrows his brow while drinking some water.
'This is not good, that it is not. I don't know what she is thinking, but she is not training them. She is senselessly beating them. One of them might get really hurt if she keeps this up much longer. I wish I knew what was bothering her, but she seems like someone that holds everything inside, that she does.'
Just as he is thinking this, he sees her make a move that Aimee was clearly not prepared for. He lets go of his water and rushes off. A chink is heard as his water hits the ground and splatters. Aimee looks in astonishment.
"Kenshin?" She says softly as she looks at him. He is right in front of her and within inches.
The girl could feel cold steel against her left cheek and a small line of blood begins forming. "I am sorry that I was not here sooner, that I am." Kenshin tells her as he casually looks back at her.
Agnes snaps out of what she was doing and backs up. She tries hard to hide the horror of what she just did.
Kenshin smacks her sword out of her hand and then smacks her across her face with the same hand. Agnes touches her cheek as she stumbles. A small red mark appears, and she glares at him. He glares right back.
"How dare . . ."
"Is this what you want, Captain. I can read your emotions like an open book. You are not training your fellow comrades. You aren't even here with them. I don't know what is filling your heart with so much anger, but you need to get it under control. You almost killed Aimee."
Aimee looks as if she wants to argue, but just looks to the side. "I am okay. . . . really."
'That was a half-ass attempt.' Aimee thinks to herself.
"Leave. I will take care of things from here." He sternly orders the captain.
"But the training."
"You have done enough for today. You need to go calm down. We can go over this tomorrow."
'I really did not like doing that in front of her subordinates, but it just kind of came out.'
Agnes gets up. "You will listen to every order Kenshin gives you. He will be in charge for now. I will be back to gives orders in a little bit." Then she storms off.
Kenshin turns back to the musketeers and gives them all a calm smile.
"Please forgive her. Something seems to be troubling her, that it seems."
"It has seemed like something is bothering her." One of them says.
Aimee nods.
"Are you all right?" He asks her. She nods in return.
A maid comes up with a cloth that Kenshin grabs and places against her cheek. He then takes her left hand and places it on the cloth. "Hold that there and sit off to the side."
"Thank you, Kenshin."
"I am sure that your captain with be fine. Do not lose faith in her."
Everyone nods.
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Tristan Palace.
While a certain wanderer is resting in normal palace guest quarters, a certain princess sleepily makes her way to his room. She is wearing a light-blue nightgown that goes all the way down to her feet. It actually slightly drags because it was made for someone slightly taller than the very short girl that is wearing it. She has a fine, and very fluffy, white blanket wrapped around herself as she traverses the corridors.
'I can't sleep knowing that he is here. How troublesome. I want my sleeping partner.'
Following her in tow, is a very distressed musketeer assigned to her as a guard.
"Um . . . . Excuse me. . . . . Your highness?" Aimee asks.
Ignoring the musketeer, Tabitha sets her eyes on her goal and eventually gets to the door to Kenshin's room. She sighs in relief while closing her eyes momentarily. She knocks on the door.
"Kenshin, It's me. I'm coming in." She softly announces.
After looking at herself, she thinks. 'This is troublesome.'
She looks back to the musketeer that had been with her the whole time.
"Please." She simply says.
Aimee looks at her dumbfounded for a brief moment.
'What the hell does she mean, please? And after ignoring me this whole time. What nerve. Wait. Does she want me to open the door for her?'
She opens the door for Tabitha.
"Thank you." Tabitha kindly says to her and her a polite nod of her head to Aimee.
'Well, maybe is she kind of nice.' She closes the door behind Tabitha as the blue-haired girl enters. Then she gets a mischievous grin. I wonder if they're gonna do it. How naughty of you princess. Don't worry, your secret is safe with me, your highness.'
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Tabitha walks in and up to Kenshin's bed, except she finds that he is not in it. She turns around and finds him sitting down on the floor near the window.
"Miss Tabitha, what brings you here at this hour?"
She gives him a look that asks him 'Are you seriously asking me that?'.
She takes one of her arms and extends it out to point at the bed. Her hand was still holding onto the blanket, so part of the blanket flaps out with her arm as she points.
'It seems to me that she probably wants to sleep next to me like she has before, that she does. I doubt that it would be for the other reason a lady would ask a man to go to bed with her.'
As he gets up, Tabitha slips out a wand and uses a spell to take his covers off the bed and drapes them over a chair that was in the room. The covers were nice, but they were not as nice and warm as the one she currently has wrapped around herself. The room, as a whole, has a completely duller feel to it than the room that Tabitha was in (despite it still being in the palace.
She climbs onto the bed before he does and lays down.
'Need to make room for him.' She thinks as she shuffles the covers around to make room for him. When she sets it up, she lifts it for him to show him to get in.
As soon as he settles in and lies on his back, she nestles her head onto his chest and drapes a leg over his.
"I've missed this." She admits softly.
"I must also say, Miss Tabitha, that this is oddly comfortable for me as well."
"Kenshin."
"Yes, miss Tabitha?"
"Stop leaving me. It is troublesome. I am at ease when you are around. I . . . . want you around."
"I have to go. Did I not say that I was going to help you?"
"Then let me come with you."
Once again, Tomoe pops into his head.
"I will not allow that. You are very brave and very strong. Perhaps if circumstances were different, I would not mind you fighting by my side."
"What is so bad about me fighting by your side? Is this about your previous love?"
'She is a smart one, that she is.'
"Perhaps that has something to do with it, but there is plenty more."
"Inform me. What is more important than being by your side and fighting my problems together?"
'I already know what he is going to say. I just don't really want to hear it. This is not fair. This is not right. This is not just.' Anguishes Tabitha.
"You are a princess, that you are. An heir to the throne, just like Miss Henrietta. You have much more to worry about than being by my side. You may not be fighting direct battles with me, but you will still be fighting battles. You have to make backup plans. You need to work together with your mother and the princess to take care of the larger aspects of your uncle's messes. Let us not forget the Pope."
At first, she does not respond. Eventually, she lets out a hefty sigh though.
"I cannot deny your logic."
"You are very strong." He tells her.
Her hand grips his shirt. "I am stronger with you."
He touches her hand. "You have to let me do this."
"Leave me with something to remember." She tells him.
"I don't really have anything to give you."
"Take me." She says in a demanding tone.
His eyes go wide in surprise and he is quiet. 'How do I respond to this?'
"Am I not good enough? Is it because I do not have a large chest?"
"Miss Tabitha, you are very beautiful. You are like a flower. It has nothing to do with your chest."
"Then what is it?"
"We have discussed this before, that we have. You deserve someone better than I. Another nobleman. That, I am not. A princess cannot be with someone like me."
'Damn these rules. I don't even care about them.'
"Then I have an order for you."
"An order?"
"You are my Ivaldi, my knight. I order you to kiss me."
"Playing a little unfair, that you are."
She sits up slightly and looks back at him. After a stare, she gives a nod.
"Kiss me. It's not like you haven't before. I will not ask for more."
'At least for now.' She secretly muses.
"Since you will probably bother me to no end, then I guess I can oblige you."
She smirks. "I am the princess."
She leans in and closes her eyes. Her lips begin to touch his. They both could feel warmth from the simple act. But then she quickly, and boldly adds more to the kiss.
'Everything feels right about this.' Tabitha thinks.
'I am not sure how I feel about this.' Thinks Kenshin.
After about 30 seconds, they stop, and she slightly pulls back.
"Thank you, my Ivaldi. That will do." She whispers and lays back onto his chest.
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The next morning, the training grounds.
Kenshin walks by and finds Agnes already doing some training by herself.
"Already at it, Miss Agnes?"
She stops and walks over to him.
"Kenshin, I am sorry for my behavior yesterday." The sorry portion of her sentence was soft, but he heard it.
"That sounds like it was hard to swallow, that it does."
"I don't like making mistakes, but yesterday, I went too far. My anger got the best of me."
"I am sorry for doing that in front of your subordinates."
"I will deal with the consequences of that. How did you see my attack going like that though?"
"Your emotions were all over you and I could read your attacks like an open book. If you were attacking me, then I would have slain you. May I ask, what is troubling you? If you do not wish to talk about it, then it is none of my business."
She goes on to explain to him about what happened to her home village.
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Tabitha had heard that Saito was at the palace with Louise, and she summons Saito to meet with her. He meets her at an outdoor gazebo where they are currently sitting across from each other. She sips at some raspberry tea.
"Saito, I know that you seem to know the most about Kenshin than anyone else here. Could you please tell me more about him?"
He scratches the back of his head.
"Yeah. I guess I can tell ya what I know."
"Thank you." She replies politely.
"It's weird though, my memories of my research seem to be a little foggy right now. It's kind of odd."
'Why would that happen all of a sudden?' She wonders.
"Magic?"
"I don't think so." He scratches the back of his head again in slight confusion.
"He seems really focused on calling himself a wanderer."
"There are actually a couple terms that Japanese people have for that. It's called ronin or rorouni. The former is a master-less samurai. The means that either their master was killed, or they left their master. The latter term came around for Samurai that not only didn't really serve a master, but served common folk. It was also said that many rorouni were like that for spiritual enlightenment. Some instances of rorouni were said to have been caused by deaths. That is how that whole rumor about him killing his lover came about. I can't exactly verify that though when I was doing my research."
'Little does he know how true that is.' She muses to herself.
"What exactly is a samurai?"
"That actually has kind of a long-winded explanation. So, I'll try to explain it simply. They were warriors that generally served under lords. They were considered middle and mostly upper class. Like a military nobility, as one might say."
'So, he is a noble. I could be wed to him.' Ponders the girl.
"Is there anything else that you can tell me?"
"There is where my memory seems to be fogging up. I thought that I remembered reading that he did pop up again years later through some accounts that were passed down through hearsay and descendants. But I am feeling like I never read that stuff anymore."
"Odd."
"Now it feels like a dream or like my memory is being rewritten."
"Even if it was a dream, what happened to him?"
"Well, he just disappeared."
"Disappeared?"
"I assume he just quietly died. He was known as a merciless killer, but many accounts came up as making him be a hero."
"Thank you, Saito. Please tell me more when your memory seems to be less foggy."
"You're welcome. I will. I'm just glad that he is not against us. I don't think that there would be any way I could survive against him even with my abilities."
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"Miss Agnes, don't allow your emotions to cloud your judgement. I did that and paid the price for it many times over. You do seem to have calmed down since yesterday, that you do. I will give you a few pointers before I leave."
"Make sure to come back safely. It seems like your princess would miss you greatly."
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Afternoon.
Tabitha ties her old school ribbon to his sword once again and gives him a kiss on the cheek.
"Kenshin. Please hurry back. I do not want you to miss my coronation. There is also something very important I wish to announce at my coronation, but I need to discuss something with you first. I have made up my mind about something, but I cannot proceed without discussing it with you first. It would only be right."
'And what might that be?' Sylphid wonders jealously as she watches them.
"It seems odd that you would need me, but I will make haste and come back as soon as I can."
He climbs onto Sylphid.
"I almost forgot. You will need this." She hands him a document with a seal on it.
"What is this?"
"It is a special document to get you into Albion. There is currently a limitation on travel to and from Albion. You will need this to get in. Henrietta has done the same for Saito and Louise. She informed me that they will also be going on the same ship as you."
"Hmm. I am not sure how to feel about this."
"They are going with or without your permission. Please just accept it."
"Very well. I promise to be back, miss Tabi-Charlotte."
Tabitha goes to the front of his blue colored dragon companion and touches the side of her face.
"Please protect him and bring him back safely."
'You don't have to tell me, but this guy is a handful.' The dragon muses to herself.
"Excuse me, but you can't leave without saying bye to me." Comes another voice. Kirche pops out and gives a smile to Kenshin and her friend.
"Miss Kirche?"
"Yes. I have come to say goodbye as well." She uses her wand and makes herself levitate up to Kenshin and also gives him a kiss on the cheek. "That is for good luck."
"Good luck to you, too."
"Oh, I will. I will keep a good eye on my best friend. I will also make sure she is good and prepped for your return." Kirche says with a giggle.
"What do you mean?" He dumbfoundedly asks.
Tabitha blushes profusely as the thought races through her head. And she gives her friend a stare.
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After a few days of travel, Kenshin and his group come to the port city at Albion called Rosynth. The port city seems busy with not only travelers and traders, but there seem to be many guards around the docks.
They get in line as they get off the ship they were on that leads to a tall burly man with a very distinguished mustache.
"Present your documentation." He instructs a person before them. He has a germanian accent in his voice.
The person, whom is wearing a cloak, hands over a paper to the tall man. The tall man looks at the paper, and then he pulls out a clipboard and checks against a list that he had.
"Very well. All is well." As he says that, two guards come around and arrest the guy."
"Hey! What's the meaning of this?" The man asks.
"You know very well why you are under arrest. Take him away." The tall man instructs the guards.
Kenshin and his group get to the man.
"What did he do?" Saito asks.
"He was on the wrong list."
"Saito, he has an accent like Kirche's." Louise says to Saito. "Sir, are you Germanian?"
"Yes, I am."
"What is a person from Germania doing here?"
"If you must know, I was hired by prince Wales to check who comes into and goes out of his country."
Louise and Kenshin hand him their documents. He looks them over and nods in approval.
"You three must be here on some pretty important business to be brought in by princesses. Come to me if you need anything."
A guard comes over to the man.
"Friedrich, an urgent message just came in for you."
Friedrich takes the sealed document, opens it, and then reads it.
"A dismissal from my post, this is odd." He mutters aloud
"Are you sure that is a legitimate letter?" Adds Kenshin.
"Of Course, it is. It has the seal to prove it."
"Mr. Friedrich, I would find another way of checking that, that you should."
"What are you saying, Kenshin Himura?"
"He's saying that maybe that document was faked." Saito interjects.
"That's absurd, but it is worth looking into." Friedrich returns.
"I am sure a great many people would benefit from not having you here to protect the country. Faking a document would be a great way to get rid of someone like you." Adds Saito.
"It wouldn't be the first time I have ever seen something like that happen." Says Kenshin.
"You are right. So, does this mean that I should double check your credentials, too?"
'Oh shit.' Thinks Saito.
A similar thought goes through Louise's and Kenshin's heads.
Friedrich starts laughing hard at their reactions.
"You're fine. Now. Get going before I change my mind.
'Prince Wales, I hope that we can find you without running into any other trouble.' Kenshin thinks to himself as they head into the city with Sylphid in tow.
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A/N: Thank you for reading another chapter of my fanfiction.
Here is a list of my other stories
My 'Monster Musume: Smith Loves His Coffee' story is at chapter 4 (Sequel to Drago's Quest)
My 'History's Strongest Devil Disciple Kenichi' story is at chapter 24
My 'Kenichi: Not Just Her Disciple' story is at chapter 11 - Complete
My 'Monster Musume: Drago's Quest' story is at chapter 4 - Complete
My 'Familiar Of Zero: Saving Grace' story is at Chapter 79 - Complete
My 'Teknoman And A Succubus' story is at chapter 8