YO! Here's the newest chapter of ZNA, enjoy! Also, my other stories are gonna come in pretty late, since tests are up. I'm actually pretty good, seeing that I scored first place more than once, but I still hate them.

This may be the only story that's gonna be updated for the next couple weeks, I think, maybe even the next month. Unless of course I find enough time to work on my other story. Well, as a bonus, I tried to make this chapter about twice as long as the other ones.

Well, please enjoy.

Chapter 3

Seductions and talking Swords

Gin cracked his eyes open yet again, this time being familiar with the walls that surrounded him.

He sat up and found that he was feeling well, much to his surprise. Normally, being beaten up by a metal warrior would have given most people intense pains. Guaranteed, his nature would have made him more resistant, but still….

Gin looked down at his body, and was surprised yet again to see his trench coat and shirt gone, revealing his well built chest which was covered with bandages, mainly around the places that had been injured in his fight with the blonde earth mage.

"You're awake!"

Gin turned.

It was Siesta, the maid that he had met the previous day. She was smiling in a relieved way, and holding a stack of towels in her arms, apparently for his injuries.

Gin grinned at the girl.

"I suppose so." He said. "How long was I out, anyways?"

"About a day and a night." Answered Siesta.

Gin frowned. That long? Had his healing rate diminished too?

Gin looked around to search for a certain hot tempered mage, and saw Louise sitting on a chair and lying with her upper body on the desk in front of her.

She was sleeping soundly, and there were dark rings under her eyes, indicating that she had suffered from a lack of sleep.

"Miss Valiere has been up almost the entire time, trying to attend to your injuries." Siesta said, and Gins eyes widened in surprise.

"Well then, excuse me." Said the dark haired maid with a small and polite bow. She walked towards the door, and left.

Gin swung himself off the bed and landed nimbly on the wooden ground.

He looked around for his clothes. They were hanging neatly in an open wardrobe, and looked like they had been cleaned recently.

He took them out and put the on, then looked over at his summoner, who was breathing softly in her sleep.

Gin sighed in an annoyed way, but had smiled softly.

Walking over to her, he took off his trench coat and put it over her small frame, making it act as a blanket. He walked over to her wardrobe, and took out her clothes.

Since she had taken care of him while he was unconscious, he might as well return the favor.

He walked out of the room, went into the gardens which were still slightly dark. The sun hadn't risen yet. He walked back into the building and walked out with a few washing tools, and got to work.

Time skip: Dawn

Louise woke up.

She felt strangely warm. She sat up, and noticed the trench coat that had been covering her.

"Isn't this…" she murmured, and stood up. She blushed slightly when she recognized it as the coat her familiar had been wearing.

"YO!" Someone yelled out from behind her, almost scaring her out of her wits. After calming down, she turned to see the offender.

It was Gin, Who was standing behind her with a large grin adorning his face. She was about to scream at him angrily, but was interrupted when he pointed at her bed.

"Clothes are cleaned." He said.

Louise looked at her bed, and saw that her clothes indeed neatly folded and stacked on it. She looked around again, and saw that her room was literally sparkling, without a single speck of dust.

"What happened?" She asked, a wowed expression on her face.

"I cleaned up." Said Gin.

Louise blinked.

"Why?" She asked. "Did you finally admit your status below a noble?" .

"Nope!" said Gin in a cheerful tone. "The day I do that is the day hell freezes over."

"Then why did you…" Continued Louise.

"None of your business!" Said Gin cheerily.

Louise glared at him in an unbeknownst to her cute way, but Gin pointedly ignored her. He looked at her again, still grinning widely.

"Should I dress you too?" He asked.

Louise opened her mouth to accept, but remembered what he had done the first time she told him to do that.

She gulped, and began to stare at him suspiciously.

"No." She said plainly, and continued to stare at him.

Gin sweatdropped.

'She doesn't trust me, does she?' He thought.

But the girl did have a point with that, so he couldn't blame her. He doubted ANYONE would let someone who had done a thing like that even stay in a ten meter radius, much less undress them.

"I'll just wait outside then." He said, and walked out the door.

After a few minutes Louise came out, now fully dressed in her school clothes. She looked at him with an angry blush, and began to walk away.

"Let's go, you stupid dog." She said.

Dog? That was rather much, but Gin did as he was told, if not with a barely suppressed popped vein emerging on his head.

"Anyways," He began. "I haven't thanked you for watching over me while I was injured."

Louis looked at him blankly.

"Are you misunderstanding something?" She asked snobbishly. "It's only natural for a master to worry about her familiar. Are you already forgetting your status?"

Gins eyebrows twitched angrily.

'Calm down.' He thought while going after her and leaving behind his coat, which he didn't need anymore. 'This is only for a day. Just ONE day.''

Louise went to her class, while Gin just waited outside with the other familiars again, not wanting to be caught up in another explosion, although he had the feeling that the teacher had learned her lesson.

That, and he didn't want to sit through those babblings. He had already heard enough of those back in hell.

He sighed, and looked at his brand. The signs on the pentagon kept reminding him of his past, something he didn't like to think about too often.

He looked up at the sky, bored. He looked at the brand again.

The Kanji that showed his emotions had changed yet again, this time reading 'Boredom' again.

He knew what it was for, seeing that one of the ways of losing control of demonic or angelic powers.

Not that he'd use the angelic ones anyways.

He sighed again.

After a while, the mages came out again, and called their familiars to their side. Gin looked at the creatures as they scurried back to their masters.

"I'm one of them, huh?" He said with a sweatdrop running down the back of is head. THAT was his value? An ANIMAL? He was a DEMON for crying out loud! And a reaper level one at that! A little more work and he could've achieved Satan rank!

Louise came out too, and Gin waved at her. She looked back at him and made a commanding gesture with her hand, telling him to come to her.

Yep, definitely an animal.

After multiple commands that made Gins pride fall drastically, evening broke in, and the mages went back to their separate rooms with their familiars at their heels.

Gin looked tired, and not because of the chores that he had had to do today, although that WAS part of the reason.

Damn the gratitude code of the demon tribe.

No, the silver eyed demon was looking so tired because of the giant hole in his ego that Louises treatment had caused him.

His father would be weeping in shame. Gin wondered if his father would send the demon troops after him for this, but then again the honor of a demon was thought of highly, as they must repay the one who helped them for the exact time period.

They didn't measure it in actions, though. They were WAY too stingy for that.

'That's it!' thought Gin angrily. 'I'm telling her the truth tonight! I might be respected more after that!'

His intention was selfish, that he knew. But he doubted that anyone could stand this for even five minutes. His pride was at stake here, something that his kind thought of highly as well.

But then again, if he DID tell her the truth, he had no idea what her reaction would be. She could either piss her pants in fear, or the church would be on his tail for the rest of his life.

He sighed. Why was his life so complicated?

He entered the room, and cleared his throat to direct the attention on him.

Louise, who was changing herself with some difficulty, looked at him, slightly annoyed.

"What is it?" She asked him.

Gin smiled to himself.

Time skip. (After Gin has told her that he is a demon from a different world, but left out the part about his near execution.)

Gin was sitting in front of Louise Indian style again, a small smirk on his face. He was awaiting her reaction to his story.

"You…" Said Louise in far too calm a voice, and a twitch in her eye.

Gin grinned.

"YOU LYING DOG!" Louise bellowed at him.

Gin blinked. He had not expected a reaction like that.

"HOW DARE YOU LIE TO YOUR MASTER!"

"Ummm…. I'm not.."

Louise interrupted him with a glare that reminded him FAR too much of his uncle Mephistoteles when he had been served a vegetarian meal back home.

That poor, poor chef. No one had suspected that he would suffer like that…

He snapped out of his memories and looked back at Louise, who was looking EXTREMLEY dangerous right now.

He gulped.

"First, you disobey direct orders from me by fighting a noble, and now THIS?" Louise said coldly, then began to chuckle evilly while her bangs were covering her eyes.

"Now that I think about it, I never did punish you for what you did to me on your frst day, did I?"

Gin gulped even louder, and mentally cursed the seduction lessons that he had been taught by his succubus aunt.

Louise looked up at him with fury written in her eyes, and an evil smirk on her cute face.

"How does this sound?" She said. "Tonight, you sleep outside!"

A look of horror passed over his face, and he pointed a finger at her dramatically.

"You can't do that!" He shouted, and shivered when the look on his summoners face intensified.

Two minutes later, Gin was lying outside on his hay bed and looking up at the ceiling while shivering every time a cold draft passed through the hallway. He wondered what he would have done in this situation, then shook his head.

'Don't think about that guy, Gin.' He thought to himself. 'He betrayed you remember?'

'But what if he just went missing…?'

'No, he didn't. He betrayed you, and left you for the dead.'

'Maybe it wasn't …'

'It was. He is a traitor to you.'

Gin shook his head again, trying and failing to ignore his inner turmoil.

Lucky for him, a voice called him out of his thoughts.

"Gin-san?"

He looked up.

It was Siesta, the maid from yesterday. She was looking down at him with a slightly concerned expression, seeing as he had been staring blankly into space for a few moments.

"Ah, Siesta!" He acknowledged her with a smile.

She smiled back at him.

"I'm sorry if I was interrupting anything." She said apologetically.

Gin shook his head.

"Not at all." He said.

Siesta smiled in relief.

"Would you mind following me to the kitchen, Gin-san?" She asked.

Gin looked at her with a slightly blank look on his face, and blinked.

After he had followed her for a while, they had reached their destination, and Siesta led him into the kitchen, where multiple commoners were working, cooking meals, baking cakes and so on.

As soon as he entered, all attention turned to him, the people regarding him with interested eyes.

A burly man came forward, whom Siesta introduced as the Chef cook. (I don't remember his name either, deal with it.)

"There you are, our Fist!" Said the man in a proud voice, while Gin looked at him stupidly.

"Fist?" He asked with a blank look, and looked back and forth between the Chef and Siesta, who were both smiling.

The Chef nodded.

"Correct!" He said. "The way you took care of that noble was amazing! The way you used nothing but your own body and a sword to defeat an aristocrat! Actually, we were planning on naming you 'Our Sword', but since you mostly used your fists we decided on that."

Gin stared at him, swearing he could hear a cricket chirping in the background.

"Right.." He said, not knowing what else to say.

"So," Said the Chef. "Are you hungry?"

Gin shook his head with a polite smile.

"Not at all." He said, but suddenly turned green in the face and fell to the floor with a thump.

A loud growling was heard from his stomach.

"Well," Said Gin, embarrassed, "Maybe just a little bit."

Soon, Gin was sitting in front of a table, stuffing his face with various foods at almost inhuman speeds, while crying tears of happiness. The others stared at him in amazement, having never seen someone eat so much before.

The Chef just looked happy that he was enjoying it.

"This is incredible!" Said Gin, still weeping happily.

The Chef chuckled.

"Of course it is!" He said. "I may not be able to perform magic, but if there's one thing I know is how to make food a magic itself!"

Gin grinned like a child while stuffing his face. After a while of eating, there were stacks of plates in front of him, and the cooks were still looking at him in amazement at the speed of devouring foods, while the Chef had hearts in his eyes, being moved from the show of love towards his food.

Gin belched loudly.

"That'll do for now." He said, a content smile on his face.

"For now?"

Everyone sweatdropped.

The Chef looked at him again.

"What were those movements you used to defeat that arrogant noble, if I may ask?" He said eagerly.

Gin looked up at him and blinked. Didn't they know what martial arts were?

"Just basic Martial Arts." He said.

"Martial Arts?" Questioned the older man with a confused look.

Gin nodded.

"Martial Arts are basically the usage of your own body instead of a weapon to fight." He said. "There's a wide range of styles, like Karate, Kung Fu, Taekwondo, and so forth. Anyone can learn them, even if it DOES take a while."
The others looked at him with wide, amazed eyes and oohed.

"And what's the name of the styles that you can perform?" Asked Siesta, who had also become interested in the conversation.

Gin blinked again.

"Sorry, but I don't talk much about that." He said, a slightly sad look coming to him face. "My clan taught me all I know, and it doesn't allow their members to talk about their secrets. They'll probably have me killed if I did. Like they haven't already tried….."
"Oh, I'm sorry." Said Siesta, worried that she might have gone where she shouldn't.

"That's alright." Said Gin reassuringly.

"But.." Said the Chef, "You skill with the sword is quite impressive as well, though."
Gin looked embarrassed.

"Sorry," He said. "But that was pure coincidence. I've never been good with blades."

"As expected of a true hero." Said the Chef proudly. "How modest."

Murmurings erupted through the crowd, agreeing with the burly man.

"As a show of gratitude, how about I give you a kiss, young man?" Said the Chef, hugging Gin and leaning close him.

Gin grinned evilly, and began to crack his knuckled menacingly.

"If you even think about that, I swear that I'll rip off your pride as a man." He said, still grinning, and the cook could have sworn that he saw a glint in his eye.

The Chef laughed nervously. "What do you know! Modest AND Honest! He is indeed a true hero, indeed!"

The others nodded.

"Indeed!" They chorused.

Gin sweatdropped, then got up.

He looked at the Chef and nodded respectfully.

"Thank for the meal." He said. "But I've gotta get back to my bed. If Louise notices that I'm missing, there's no telling what she'll do to me."

The Chef nodded in understanding.

"I see." He said, and looked at the younger one with a grin. "If there's anything you need, feel free to ask."

Gin grinned back, and left the kitchen, with Siesta alongside him.

Outside on the way to the large school building, Siesta looked at Gin, and with a happy smile, said, "You should come up more often. Everyone likes you here, Gin-san!"

Gin sweatdropped again. "I can see that." He said. "I just hope that I won't have to worry about anyone sneaking into my bed at night."
Siesta smiled at him again, then began to look serious.

"Gin-san, you are actually lucky to be alive, you know." She said. Gin looked at her blankly.

"Miss Valiere bought an expensive Elixir to ensure your well being, as you were almost on the brink of death."
"Is that so?" Asked Gin thoughtfully. He sighed to himself. It looked like he really owed that girl a lot.

"Anyways, I've really gotta get going." Said Gin, and began to walk towards the building.

"Ano… Gin-san?" called out the maid. Gin stopped and turned to look at her.

"I'd really like to talk to you again some time. It was fun." She smiled brightly.

Gin blushed, then shook it off and smiled back.

Back in the hallway, he peeked around first to see if Louise had noticed that he wasn't in his bed.

Seing no on there, he sighed in a relieved ways, then looked back at the hallway again, this time seeing something.

A gigantic, red Salamander was looking at him eerily. Gin recognized it as the familiar of that redhead, Kirche.

The salamander looked at him evilly, and hissed.

Not that Gin cared though. He had seen much scarier beasts than this.

But back then he had still possessed his demon powers, but now he was at almost no power.

Frowning at the animal, he decided to try and channel his demon energy, better known as Kuro Youki again, only to fail miserably.

It seemed that his body still hadn't accustomed itself to the environment. It would take quite a while to regain his powers.

The salamander stared at the boy again, who turned to run. It leapt up and came crashing down on him, immobilizing him. It then grabbed the collar of his shirt with its teeth, and began carrying him away, ignoring his protests.

"Let me down!" Roared Gin, now slightly scared. "I'm not that tasty! I'll probably give you diarrhea for a month!"

The large lizard simply paid no attention, and continued dragging him away.

Gin gulped.

Was this how he was gonna end? As lizard feed? How degrading. Father would kill him.

The red familiar stopped in front of a door, and nudged it open.

Gin closed his eyes tightly.

If the third rate movies he had watched back home were any indication, (Yes, they have movies in hell.) this was undoubtedly the part where he was thrown out to the creatures babies, and after rolling around in their nest would manage to escape them, narrowly avoiding being swallowed.

Gin sweatdropped.

Hadn't that already happened to him?

Oh right, with that Roc bird. Ha, he had shown that feathered bastard who was boss…

He snapped out of his thoughts when he sniffed the air.

Scented candles?

He blanched. This was familiar.

Looking up, already knowing what he would see, he sweatdropped and groaned, something that he seemed to be doing a lot more often lately.

Kirche was looking down at him seductively, wearing VERY skimpy clothing that showed off her breast size and…. other appeals.

Gin felt his nose bleed a little. Damn overreacting hormones. THIS was why he kept staying away from the demonesses at home.

He looked up at her.

"What are you doing?" He asked, trying to sound innocent, and if the slightly bleeding nose was a give away, the Germanian didn't point it out.

"I see that you must be wondering why I called you hear at this time of night." She said.

Gin looked around, and saw the lit scented candles he had smelled earlier. The room was slightly lit, throwing an orange hue at the walls.

It was obvious what she had called him here for

He turned back to Kirche, who was eyeing him like a wolf would to a helpless lamb.

But Gin was for from helpless.

"You see, I've been named 'The Ardent' for a good reason." Kirche was saying. "And I've fallen in love! That's right, with you!" she pointed at the boy for emphasis. "And so, 'The Ardent' changed to 'The Passion'."

Gin looked at her blankly.

"Riiight…." He said.

Kirche closed in on him. He backed away slowly, and tried to move to the door. Kirche smiled at him, and took a wand from her desk, raised it, and pointed it at the door, which fell into its hinges with a loud clicking sound.

Gin blanched again, but then gained a blush when he saw the oversized cleavage nearing him. Maybe this wasn't so bad…. DAMNED HORMONES!

"Well then," sad Kirche as she continued to close in on him. "Let's make this a night to remember, shall we?"

She leaned forward and closed her eyes.

"What is the meaning of this, Kirche?" Said a voice coming from the open window.

Kirche made a disappointed 'Tch' sound and turned to the window, seeing the man who had said that.

The man was floating in front of her window, an indignant look on his face.

"Oh, Styx!" Said the red headed woman, unpleasantly surprised.

"Who is this man?" He asked angrily. "I came here to check on you since you did not appear on our arranged timing. And now…"
"Then let's postpone it to two hours." Said Kirche calmly. "That wasn't the plan!" Styx called back. Kirche frowned at him and raised her wand, this time pointed it at a candle, and flicked it. The candle flame grew and took a snake-like shape. With a loud hiss, the fire serpent rushed at the mage who was floating in front of the window, crashed into him and he fell like a rock.

Gin blinked.

"Umm.. who was that?" He asked, already having an idea.

Kirche looked at him seductively again.

"Just a friend." She said. "Now…" She moved closer to the silver haired boys lips, with her own lips puckered.

"Kirche!" Shouted out another voice coming from the window.

They turned.

It was another mage.

"What are you doing with that man? You said you would be heating the night with me!" He said angrily.

Kirche, who this time didn't waste her breath on small talk, waved her wand, and made the mage end in the same way Styx had.

Gin now had a deadpan look on his face.

"Was that another one of your friends?" He asked.

Kirche nodded.

"Yes, he was." She said, and closed in on him again. "And now…"

"Kirche!"
The two turned AGAIN towards the window, this time seeing THREE mages floating in front if the window, pushing each other out of the way.

"What are you doing! You said you didn't have a lover!" They shouted simultaneously.

"Manican! Ajax! Grimly!" Said Kirche, now beginning to slightly panic. "Ah.. six hours from now alright?"

"That'll be morning!" They shouted again.

Kirche 'tch'ed again, and looked at her familiar, who was still crouching behind Gin.

"Flame!" She said in a commanding voice.

The familiar reared its head, and blew a stream of fire out of its mouth. It hit the three mages, and they fell down in a ball of flame.

Gin sweatdropped. He had seen some girls like this, but this was WAY too much.

Kirche leaned forward, and pushed Gin down on the carpeted floor. She leaned down, letting her oversized cleavage push against his chest and began to kiss him.

Gin couldn't move. He was too shocked. Why did this always happen to him?
The door clicked.

Kirche stopped kissing him, much to his relief, and looked up. It was Louise, who looked INCREDIBLY pissed off.

"Oh, fucking son of a bitch." Cursed Gin under his breath.

Louise looked at Kirche coldly.

"Whose familiar do you think you're seducing, Zerbst?" She asked angrily. Kirche looked at her haughtily.

"Oh please, Valierre." She said. "Just because he's a commoner doesn't mean that you can treat him like a dog! He has rights too. And the way your treating him is pure tyranny. After all. He IS a human too! Isn't that right, darling?"
Gin took on a grumpy look.

"Well," He said, "I don't really like being called a human, and I…" He was interrupted when Kirche hugged him to her chest, squishing him between her breasts.

Gin blushed again. "Th-that's right. Tyranny." He stuttered out. He really hated his hormones.

Louises eye twitched angrily.

"Fine then." She said, and both Gin and Kirche blinked in surprise. "But you DO realize that tomorrow, about ten nobles will be after your head."
Gin gulped. She had point. He got up.

"Are you going already, darling?" Asked Kirche in a sad voice.

Gin looked at her. She was looking up at him through large, glimmering eyes.

'Cute…' thought Gin with a blush. Louise grabbed his ear and began dragging him away, paying no heed to his indignant shouts of pain.

Kirche looked after the two, and smiled. She HAD to have him.

Back in Louises room, the cute pink head turned to look at him angrily.

"What were you doing?" She asked angrily. "You're not allowed to do that!"

Gin looked at her, and noticed a pink tint to her cheeks.

He smirked.

Louise was about to raise her hand to punish her familiar, but was shocked when Gin grabbed it with both of his own.

He looked at her wit a charming smile.

"I'm sorry I didn't realize it earlier." He said charmingly.

Louises had face turned completely red at the boys look.

"What do you..?" She asked, trying to sort her words properly.

Gin smiled again, and softly pushed her onto the bed, causing her to yelp.

"You were jealous, weren't you?" He breathed into her ear. "Don't worry though.."
"Wh-what a-are you ta-talking about?" She asked, still blushing. "I just didn't want my familiar to be seduced by that stupid Zerbst! It could have been anyone, but not her!"

Gin sweatdropped.

"So.. it could have been anyone else and you wouldn't have cared?" he asked.

"YES!"

Gin looked down at her.

"Embarrassing." He said, and leapt back onto the ground. He saw the slowly emerging dangerous look in her eyes, and knew he had to get her mind off that by changing the subject.

"So why not kirche?" he asked hurriedly. It worked. Louis calmed down and looked more serious.

"The Vallierre family and the Zerbst family have been enemies for decades. Even giving them a pebble would be a disgrace."
She frowned, and went to her nightstand. She pulled at a drawers knob, and reached inside. After rummaging around for a bit, she took out a thin, long object. She clutched it in her hand dangerously, and made an evil grin.

"Wh-what is that?" asked Gin nervously, getting a bad vibe.

"It's a dog whip." Said the noble. "It's made to discipline disobedient dogs like you." She cracked the whip in her hand, emitting a whipping noise.

Gin gulped.

"AAAAAAH!"

Five minutes later, Gin was lying in the ground, barely gripping to his consciousness and covered in numerous slash marks. Louise humphed and turned around, making her way back to the large bed near the window. She lay down and went to sleep almost instantly, breathing in a hypnotic tone.

Gin got up from his fatal position on the floor, dusted off his clothes, and looked at the girls desk, where his trench coat was still hanging limply.

Gin sighed.

He would have to burn that thing someday. After all, he was no longer one of them.

He went back to the hay stack that was his bed, and threw himself on it, trying to sleep for a while. He listened to his summoners steady, hypnotic breath, and felt his eyelids getting heavy. He closed his eyes, and drifted off to a deep sleep.

Splash, splash.

A five year old boy with silver hair and silver eyes was running through an alleyway, his feet splashing in numerous puddles along the way.

It was dark, and he could hear the angry voices of multiple pursuers behind him, them being hot on his heels. He started to pant slightly, feeling his energy running out. He turned around a corner, and his eyes widened when he saw a wall blocking his path to escape.

"How Cliché." The boy couldn't help but mutter even in the dire situation he was in.

He turned to face his pursuers, who were each holding a different kind of weapon, with each one radiating power. His eyes widened when he saw the leader of the mob.

It was a beautiful, blonde haired woman with blue eyes who was holding a bow with an arrow already in it, pulled back, ready to shoot. Her beautiful face was contorted in rage and hatred, making her look as ugly as a gargoyle.

He stepped back against the wall in shock.

"Mother.." He said, barely audible.

The woman gave him look of pure hatred, and pointed her arrow at him. The weapon began to glow in a golden light, illuminating the dark walls of the alley.

"DON'T YOU DARE ADDRESS ME IN THAT MANNER, YOU ABOMINATION!" She said in disgust, and let loose her arrow.

It flew towards the boy, and landed in the middle of his chest, just missing his heart, and began to envelop the boy in a golden light.

He coughed, and a large blob of dark blood fell from his mouth. He staggered, and fell onto the pavement, his head bouncing of the cement with a crack. He lay there, and didn't move.

The crowd cheered, and made their way to their separate homes, each laughing in accomplishment. None of them noticed the boys eyes open slightly, rage written within them. And it wasn't the tantrum like rage that most children of his age would have given, but a look that screamed hatred at the world.

The scene changed.

Gin was standing in an empty void, darkness consuming every corner. He looked around, and shapes began emerging from the shadows.

First, a man with black hair emerged, and looked at him with a sneer.

"Fool." He said. "You actually thought I was like a brother to you. Foolish.."

The man began to laugh insanely.

Gin looked at him with terror in his eyes.

"Why?" He cried out, his voice switching between his own and the voice of a five year old, as did his face, which turned from his angry look to a weeping child. "Why did you leave me to DIE?"

The man stopped laughing, and turned to look back at him. His face changed, this time assuming the form of a horned, muscular man, who looked at him with disgust.

"Old man.." Said Gin, relieved.

"You're pathetic, you Halfling." Said the man, and raised a clawed hand. "I SHOULD JUST KILL YOU NOW!"

Gins eyes resumed their look filled with terror, and he stepped back, tripped, and fell to the ground.

The horned man rushed towards Gin, and swung his arm, penetrating his chest.

Blood spurted from the wound, and darkness consumed the young demons vision.

Gin shot up, and gasped for breath.

He looked around.

He was still in his hay bed, and Louise was lying on her bed, breathing steadily. Gin sighed, and wiped sweat from his brow.

It had been a dream. The same dream, again.

He looked outside the windows. The sun was already in the sky, and beams of it's glow fell on Louises sleeping form.

Gin blushed.

She WAS pretty cute when she slept. He went to her to get a closer look. He just couldn't resist.

After he had stared for a while, Gin snapped out of it, and shook her shoulder, and the bed shook from the amount of force he was using.

Louise sat up and yawned.

She rubbed her eyes cutely, and looked sleepily outside. She suddenly yelped a little, got off her bed, and began looking for her clothes.

Gin quirked an eyebrow.

"You O.K?" he asked.

Louise looked at him angrily.

"Why didn't you wake me up sooner?" She asked. "I was planning to go and buy some things in town!" she pouted cutely and went back to looking for her clothes.

Gin sighed and went to the drawers, where he pulled out Louises clothes.

"I'll dress you." He said.

Louise blushed.

"NO!" She all but screamed. Clearly she didn't trust him yet.

Gin gave her a reassuring smile.

"Don't worry." He said. "I'm not gonna try anything weird, alright?" he put on his best gentleman smile, and Louise blushed. After a few more arguments and struggles, the girl was fully dressed, and ready to go.

She pointed at Gin.

"You're coming with me." She said.

"What? Why?" Asked Gin. He had really planned to relax while she was away. This was pretty disappointing.

"We're getting you a sword, of course." Said Louise as if she were stating the most obvious thing in the world. "You ARE a swordsman, are you not?"

Gin shook his head negatively.

"No, I'm not. The thing with Guiche was the first time I actually even handled a blade properly." He said.

Louise gave him a skeptic look. Gin knew that she didn't believe him, but at least he had tried. And she didn't believe him when he had told her about his origins, too. How annoying.

The sign on his brand changed to frustration.

Gins eye twitched. This was getting WAY too annoying.

After Louise and Gin had exited the academy building, Louise went to a horse that was tied to a post. It was their ride, apparently. Louise hopped onto the creature, while Gin untied the rope holding, after he was finished, he stood beside the horse and bent his knees slightly.

After a while, he noticed Louise staring at him, and returned her look with a slightly annoyed one.

"What are you waiting for?" He asked. "Let's go."

Louise looked at him with a skeptic face again.

"Get on." She said, and seeing that Gin looked at her questioningly, sighed in exasperation. "I already told you that you're coming with me, didn't I?"

Gin chuckled slightly, and gave her a smug look.

"I'm not gonna ride." He said. "I'm gonna run."

Louise looked at him and scoffed.

"You would actually try to outrun a horse?" She asked. "Are you always this stupid?"

This time, Gin was the one who gave an exasperated sigh, and an idea popped into his head.

He smirked.

"How about a bet, then?" He asked. Louise looked at him with a raised eyebrow, trying to hide her interest in the offer. "I manage to outrun your horse at some point, and I don't have to do your chores for two days. Should the horse outrun me, you can make me do whatever you want."

Louise looked triumphant.

"Alright, then." She said.

Gin grinned.

"Ready… set… GO!"

Louise kicked the animal in its side lightly, and it began running towards her goal. It may have been childish, she admitted, but she wanted to teach her familiar his place, and prove her superiority over him. Anyone would do that, right?

She looked back, and chuckled to herself when she saw no one.

"Oi."

Louise looked beside her steed in shock.

Gin was sprinting gracefully alongside the horse, hands in his pockets, and didn't even look like he was trying.

"Are you SURE that thing's gonna run faster than me?" Asked the silver haired youth, and gained even more speed. Louise frowned, and kicked the horses sides again, this time harder. It sprinted forward, almost catching up with the boy, who was a good few feet ahead of her now.

How was he so fast?

After a few hours, the horse was running at full speed, and looked slightly tired, while Gin was STILL in front of them, sprinting calmly while whistling a merry tune. He turned and looked at Louise, then pointed in front of them. The outskirts of the town were already visible, and closing in fast.

Gin stopped running for a moment, and Louise was confident for a minute that she would win, but her hopes were crushed when Gin went sailing by her in a giant leap, ant landing beside a random house in the small town.

He turned back to her and made the peace sign, smiling victoriously.

The horse came to a halt, and Louise climbed down. Slightly stunned, she turned to her familiar.

"How did you do that?" She asked.

"Years of practice, Louise." Said Gin proudly. "Years of practice."

Back in Tristain academy, Kirche, who had seen Gin and Louise leave the border for the academy, was running towards her friends room.

Tabitha was quietly reading a book in her room, and when she heard the loud footsteps, she took her staff and tipped it towards the door slightly. At that moment, Kirche burst in and began yelling something, but no sound escaped her throat. Tabitha had cast a silencing spell. Seeing her friend continue babbling, Tabitha took out her staff and waved it again, this time making Kirches voice hearable.

"…. And I know how much the day of the void means to you, Tabitha, but you HAVE to help me!" Kirche was yelling.

Tabitha, who had figured out what the girl wanted, shook her head. Kirche looked at her pleadingly.

"Please Tabitha! I'm in love! I HAVE to have GIN!"

After a while, Tabitha nodded.

Kirche clasped her hands together gratefully.

"Thank you, Tabitha!" Said Kirche. "I'll never ask you for anything ever again!"

Tabitha didn't show it, but she certainly hoped that Kirche meant what she said.

The stoic girl closed her book and got up, then walked to her window. Putting two fingers in her mouths, she took a deep breath and made a whistling sound. After a few moments, a screech filled the sky, and an azure dragon dove down. The dragon was non other than Sylphid, Tabithas female wind dragon familiar. It landed in front of the window and lowered its head.

Tabitha climbed onto the giant head, and motioned for her friend to follow. Kirche smiled to herself.

Time to see what her darling and the zero were up to.

Louise, who was still pissed at losing her bet, stomped towards a small shop that was decorated with a few weapons that were either standing outside or hanging on the walls, with Gin following her, feeling proud with himself.

They entered.

A bald man with buck teeth and a red nose was sitting behind the counter.

"Hello, dear customers," He said. "How may I…. Oh, you're a noble. Look, missy, I've already paid all of my taxes, so.."
"Were here to buy a weapon." Louise interrupted him abruptly, and gestured towards Gin. "For him."

The shopkeeper smiled. Finally, a paying customer. And they didn't look like they knew too much about weaponry either.

Jackpot.

Louise looked around.

"Give us your finest sword." She said, unsure of herself. The man smiled and rummaged behind his wooden counter for a bit, then pulled out a sword.

It was beautiful. The blade looked as if it were made out of gold, and the hilt had a ruby studded in it. The blade looked sharp, and very expensive.

"This is on of our finest models." Said the shopkeeper proudly. "It was said to have been forged by the greatest Germanian Alchemists, and can cut through steel like butter." He handed the fine looking blade to Gin, who held it in his hands with awe. He held it close to him like a baby would do with its favorite teddy bear, and made a few happy squealing sounds.

Louise and the shopkeeper sweatdropped.

"How much is it?" Asked Louise, being the first to come to her senses. The shopkeeper smiled.

"Only 60000 gold." He said.

Louise gasped.

"But you could buy an entire CASTLE with that!" She said, stunned. The man looked at her with a business like smile, which looked unfitting due to his buck teeth.

"Well, if a sword can protect an entire castle, it's bound to be expensive." He said.

Louise frowned, and pulled out a small bag, and spilled out its contents in the counter. A few coins lay on it now, but only covering the wooden object slightly.

She looked slightly nervous.

"But I only have 100 gold." Said the girl. The shopkeeper snorted.

"With that much money, I doubt you'd even be able to buy yourself a plain weapon." He said.

"Is there anything that I can get for this much money?" She asked, almost desperate. The shopkeeper frowned.

"Well, there is one thing." He said.

Gin was holding a rusty blade in his hands, looking slightly disappointed. Strike that. He looked VERY disappointed.

The shopkeeper cleared his throat.

"Well, that's probably the only thing that'll be bought by that a little amount of gold." He said. "I'm sure that if you care for it properly enough, the rust may be removed." He added helpfully.

Gin frowned.

Louise didn't look too happy either. She had wanted her familiar to wield something that would impress the crowd, not some rusty two bit sword! She frowned again. There was nothing she could do about that now, anyways.

"I'll buy it." She said reluctantly, while Gin stared at her in horror. This rusty old thing?

Outside, the two made their way back to their horse, which they had tied on a pole near the borders of town.

"You couldn't have brought along more cash, could you?" Asked Gin, sounding pissed off. Anyone would be in his situation, though.

"Well, sorry." Snapped Louise. "But I had to spend most of my savings for other purposes.

Gins eyes widened slightly.

Siesta smiled at him again, then began to look serious.

"Gin-san, you are actually lucky to be alive, you know." She said. Gin looked at her blankly.

"Miss Valiere bought an expensive Elixir to ensure your well being, as you were almost on the brink of death."

Gin chose to remain silent. Normally, he would make a smart remark, but now… he just didn't feel like it. Why? He wondered. Was it gratitude? Respect? … Affection?

He tried to beat the last reason out of his head. 'It's not attraction, right?' he thought. 'I mean, she DID take care of me for a while…. And she does have her soft sides, even if they ARE rare…" he calmed down after that, although he did keep talking to himself for a few more minutes, resulting in some of the by passers to look at him oddly, while his master looked embarrassed. His ordeal (CoughDENIALCough) continued, until he bumped into someone softly, jerking him out of his reasoning.

"Ah, sorry.." He mumbled, but trailed off when he saw Louise standing in front of him, unmoving. He poked her back, and began to worry when he received no response.

"Louise, what's wrong? You O.K.?" he asked tentatively, poking her back. Still receiving no reaction, he walked beside her, and saw her face. She looked like she had just sucked a lemon. Slowly, she raised her arm and shakily pointed in front of them. Gin followed the direction the finger was pointing at, and raised an eyebrow. He didn't see anything.

"I don't get it." He deadpanned.

"The…. Horse…" said Louise.

Gins eyes widened slightly. The horse that they had tied at the exact same place as this one…. Was gone.

Louise turned to him slowly.

"You DID tie it up, right?" She asked.

Gin thought back for a while, and then gulped, and smiled nervously. He chuckled awkwardly.

"I… I forgot." He admitted. Louise rounded in on him.

"YOU WHAT?" She shrieked.

"Hey, I thought YOU had done that, O.K?" he retorted lamely. Truthfully, he had just been too lazy, but he knew that if he told her that he'd be practically digging his own grave.

Louise threw her small fists in the air with frustration, and stomped her feet on the ground.

"How are we going to get to the academy now?" She said. "We can't just…" she stopped when she felt a hand grab her thin waist and hoist her upwards. Gin had managed to get her to sit piggyback on him, and held her tightly.

"Wh-what are you doing, f-familiar?" Asked Louise, blushing slightly.

Gin turned his head and gave her a wide smirk.

"Well, since the horse can't bring you home, then I have no choice but to carry you there, right?" He asked, than turned back to look front. "And… I also still owe you a lot, so take this as a 'thank you' gift. Just this once, though."

Louises blush deepened, then she humphed and turned away.

"Whatever." She mumbled, but couldn't resist to look at him through a half closed corner of her eye.

"Let's go!"

Gin bent his knees slightly, and began to run. Louise felt the wind blowing through her hair with great force and shielded her eyes with one arm while holding on for dear life with the other. She managed to look slightly to her side, and gasped in amazement. The landscapes were flying by, and her familiars feet barely touched the ground, almost as if he were flying. She smiled widely, enjoying the ride.

"Hold on tighter!" Called Gin.

Louise didn't know what he meant by that, but chose to do as he said. She managed to look front.

The tristain academy walls were closing in rapidly. The walls had a medium height built, being almost five meters high, but it was at least five feet thick. If Gin were to slam into it, they would be squashed like bugs.

"Look out!" She called, but wasn't sure if he had heard her, as he continued his pace.

She closed her eyes, readying herself for the painful collision. After a while and feeling nothing, she opened them slowly. Her eyes widened.

They were flying. The academy was at least Sixty feet below them.

She looked at Gin, surprise and amazement in her eyes.

"You can fly?" She asked.

Gin chuckled.

"No!" He said. Louise looked at him unbelievingly.

"Then how…."
"I jumped!" he called back. Louises lower jaw nearly unhinged itself. Jumping this high? Was that even possible? Wait….

"Does that mean that we're not going to land softly?" Asked Louise with a deadpan look. Gin sweatdropped.

"Well… probably not." He said. Louise was about to retort, but Gin interrupted her quickly, sparing her the trouble. "Don't worry though, nothings gonna happen to us." He said, and Louise sighed in relief. "We just might break a few tables is all."

Louise blinked. Tables? She looked down, and saw the nobles having tea again. Since they had no schooling today, they would of course have tea earlier than usual.

And just as it happened, they were headed towards Guiches table, who was sitting with Montmorency, apparently trying to console her from what had happened a few days ago.

"….And so, you are the.." he was saying, but he never got to finish.

"HEADS UP!"

The nobles looked up, just in time to see a humped figure land on the blonde flirts table, cracking it, then jumping and landing in front of it, the wooden piece of furniture falling apart behind the figure.

Guiche, who had managed to get up along with Monmorency, turned to glare at the figure.

"Who do you think you are?" he called.

The figure turned, revealing itself to be Gin with a slightly dizzy Louise on his back. Guiche gulped, remembering the face instantly. Gin let Louise slip off his back, and turned to the others.

"YO!" He called, and walked calmly towards the dorms. The nobles stared after the retreating figure, the turned to Louise.

"What was that?" Asked Montmorency. Louise ignored her, and began to shakily follow the boy.

In her room, Louise let herself fall on her bed, trying to shake off her queasiness that she had gotten from the wild ride. After the unpleasant feeling had disappeared, and she felt that she could walk properly again, she sat up and looked at Gin, who was lying on his usual hay bed, and trying to sleep. Beside him was a stack of clothing that he had finished cleaning.

"Gin." She said, wanting to grab his attention. The boy looked at her through one eye.

"What's up?" he asked. She frowned.
"Back then. That speed you used, and the way you jumped.. how did you do that?" She asked.

Gin grinned.

"Simple; I'm a demon." He said, trying to make her finally believe him. Louise snorted.

"Tell the truth, you lying dog." She called. Gin sighed, seeing that there was no way to get the truth through her head.

"Actually," He said, "Any human can do it with the proper training." He said. That was actually quite true, seeing that he only used his fists before he joined the demon ranks when he had been…. In his hate phase, as he called it.

"What kind of training?" Asked Louise. Gin chuckled darkly.

"Deadly training, Louise." He said with a shudder. "DEADLY training." Louise sweatdropped and decided to not press the matter any further, but she couldn't help but wonder what kind of training that had been.

After a few more hours of lying down and thinking, evening came in.

A knock on the door caused her to look at it, and Gin to sit up.

"It's open." Called Gin. The door was flourishingly opened, (Is that possible? Flourishingly opening a door, I mean? Don't answer that.) revealing the busty fire mage and her blue haired friend.

Kirche was holding a wrapped object in her hand, whilst Tabitha was, as usual, reading a book with a monotone expression.

"Hello, darling!" Called Kirche, letting her breasts bounce up and down. Gin stared, and blushed a little.

"What are you doing here, Zerbst?" Asked Louise with narrowed eyes. The red head looked back at her indignantly.

"What's it to you, Valiere?" She said in a haughty voice, which she seemed to use often when talking to her. "I came here for Gin." She turned to him and leaned forward seductively.

"Darling, I have a gift for you." She said, and held out the wrapped object to him. Louise didn't look too happy when Gin accepted the present with a thank you, butshe let it slide. Gin unwrapped the object, and gasped. It was that sword that Louise couldn't afford, and it glinted in the candle light.

"He doesn't need that!" Said Louise. "I already bought him a weapon!"

Kirche looked at the sword that was resting beside the hay stack, and snorted loudly.

"Please, that rusty old thing?" She asked. "That wouldn't last a day."

"Thank you." Said Gin under his breath.

"Well, he doesn't need that sword anyways! As my familiar, he's grateful to only me!" Retorted Louise. "How could you afford that thing anyways?"

Kirche rolled her eyes.

"I'm a noble; I have my ways." She said.

Flashback

"That'll be 60000 gold." Said the buck toothed shopkeeper from earlier.

Kirche blinked, then smiled and got on the desk in a seductive pose, and unbuttoned her shirts first button.

"I'm sorry, how much?" She asked huskily.

The shopkeeper blushed.

"I mean.. 6000 gold." He said. Kirche unbuttoned another part of her shirt, now

revealing the tanned skin above her cleavage. The shopkeeper blushed even more, and scratched his cheek.

"I'm sorry, it was 1000 gold." He said.

Kirche reached to her skirt, and lifted it up a little.

"Are you sure it wasn't 500 gold?" she asked. The shopkeeper began to drool a little, and coughed a little.

"Now that you mention it, I'm sure that it was only 200." He said.

Kirche slammed down the money on the counter, and sauntered away, Tabitha following her. The shopkeeper looked at the money, then at the door, and back t the money again.

"DAMN IT!"

Flashback End

The to mages continued bickering, and Tabitha sat down and continued to read her book. The fighting mages turned to the young demon.

"Well, darling?" Asked Kirche. "Which sword are you going to take?"

Gin gulped. There was no questioning when it came to beauty and elegancy, but Louise had also done a lot for him, and he didn't want to hurt her feelings.

"I couldn't just take both, could I?" He asked nervously. The response from the two was a kick to his face from each of the two.

"NO!" They yelled, and continued fighting.

"Would you shut up, you stupid women?"

The two slowly looked at Gin with murder in their eyes. Gin gulped.

"What did you say?" they asked eerily, and went forward to teach him a lesson.

"Sword." Interrupted Tabitha.

The other individuals turned towards the object, and were surprised when they saw the blade half out, and the clap beneath the guard moving in sync with a stream of chuckles.

"You just HAD to interrupt my sleep, didn't you." Said the sword. The others continued staring, until Kirche sighed.

"My, a sentient sword." She said. "How annoying."

Louise looked disappointed, but went forward.

"Gin, give me that." She said dejectedly. "Maybe we can get our money back and..."

"Incredible!" Said Gin, excited. The others turned and stared at him this time, disbelievingly. Gin raised the sword upwards.

"I'm keeping this one!" He announced. Louises expression brightened, while Kirche looked a little disappointed,

"Well, darling, if you're sure.." Said Kirche. Gin grinned, and turned to his new sword.

"So, what's your name?" He asked the object.

"Derlflinger." Answered the blade proudly, and seemed to grow in size in pride. "And what's your name, partner."
Gin grinned again, and pointed at himself proudly.

"I'm Gin Kurogami, Reaper-ranked demon!" he announced.

Silence ensued.

Kirche turned to Louise.

"Demon?" she asked with a raised eyebrow. Louise rubbed her temples.

"It's a delusion he has." She said, and Gin looked at her indignantly, his pride hurt. He stood up and pointed his blade at the two.

"It's not a delusion!" He called angrily. Louise and Kirche and even Tabitha raised an eyebrow at that, and Louise snorted. Louise snorted, and took on her noble posture again, sticking out her hips.

"Then why don't you prove it?" she asked with a smirk.

"It takes a while for a demon to get accustomed to new environments, O.K?" Said Gin. "My full strength could return in weeks, months, or even YEARS!"

Kirche squealed.

"Oh, you have such a wild imagination, darling." She said. "I LOVE a man like that! They always come up with the best… ideas!"

Gin slumped to the ground in defeat. No one would ever believe him.

"Anyways, I've got to go now!" said Kirche. "Good night, darling." She went out of the door, jiggling her perky breasts while walking. Gin stared after them, a small amount of blood escaping his nose. Tabitha followed suit.

Gin sighed and let himself fall to the ground, placed the sword beside him so that it leaned on the wall, and tried to sleep. Gin opened his eyes when he heard a snapping sound. Louise was standing above him, the dog whip in her hand.

"Lou..Louise, what are you…" Stuttered Gin nervously.

"What did I tell you about lying, you stupid dog?" She asked. Gin gulped. Yep, no one would ever believe him.

"Fuck my life." He said before the whip came swishing down.

Chapter End

OK, hope you enjoyed this one. Please review and all that. (I would normally give out death threats, but I'm not in the mood.)

Next time:

Zero no Akuma Chapter 4

Saving a Friend, the Death Fist revealed!