I would like to thank Umashido, Lithium-Flower567, greyrocks, timisnotmyname, StormyMonday, MAGNUM777, and Seigetsu Ren for looking over this story. The final chapter is being sent out in little bits to all my editors as we speak, so hopefully I'll have to ready by next week. This here is the build up before the climax: the calm before the storm. The next chapter will have all the action you've been waiting for in a hurricane, so don't worry if this is all sentimental. I've been asked about lemons for this fic, but unfortunately I just didn't have time. This is more of a short story with a start, middle, and end. Hopefully it'll inspire other Saito/Tiffa fics. There just aren't enough of them, well actually there is only one I can think of. Anyway, thanks for your support and I hope you enjoy the latest chapter. Kudos to you guys for sticking with me. As always don't forget to review, though that goes without saying.

Part III: Magician and Familiar

"We got you, ya scoundrel!"

Saito tried to break free as the armored knights pinned him into an alley. He didn't understand what was going on but he knew he this wasn't good. Were they arresting him? Judging by the way a bum was looking at him from his side of the alley that seemed to be the case. Though Saito had absolutely no idea why there were doing this.

He hadn't committed any crime, he hadn't harmed anyone, and he tried his best to stay out of the way of these people. He had come to the bazaar every once in a while to trade for goods. He didn't recall ever cheating anyone, if anything someone always cheated him. He looked down to see the wood the girl had chopped for him vanishing as the knights collected it. He called out to them. The boy wanted them to give it back but it was no use.

He just didn't understand what they were saying and he knew they certainly didn't know what he was saying. So he struggled and fought as they dragged him down the bazaar street, past the gawking people, and right into the station.

They put him on a seat as soon as he got in and started questioning him. Saito became increasingly irate when he realized the police wanted answers. He couldn't give them an answer, of course, because he didn't know their language, but they wanted one just the same.

And after he couldn't give them that, after they realized his vocabulary was more than useless they shoved him into a jail cell and locked away the key. Saito yelled at them to let him out, but it was no use. He turned to a prisoner he had to share his cell with and glowered.

This wasn't good. The girl was still waiting for him at the edge of the town. If she found out he was here, would she come for him? He wasn't sure, but after that night a few days ago anything could have happened.

He leaned against the jail walls and looked at the barred window. It was getting dark and it would be night soon. He heard a rattle and saw one of the guards holding what looked like food. Saito smiled at that. At least they were going to give him something to eat. He reached out for the bowl and the guard carefully laid it down on the floor.

The Japanese teen was grateful and approached the food carefully.

He wondered if this was the part where the guard would step on it, but fortunately that wasn't the case. If anything the guard looked jolly.

He looked at Saito and kept pointing to his clothes and shoes. He was gesturing to things on Saito's form and even pointing to his hair. It was true that Saito stood out among the people here. His skin color, hair, as well as eyes didn't blend in very well. He also spoke with a different tongue and was known to do strange things by the standards of the people living here. Had he unintentionally angered someone important? Saito couldn't recall doing that, but he did remember giving one of those Dragon riders the cold shoulder when the guy grabbed him for money.

But what was he going to do now? How was he going to get out of this without the girl? He couldn't communicate with the people and the girl would probably wait. That was the kind of person she was; the kind that waited for others to get back no matter how long the journey.

He sighed into his hand and looked up at the guard who was still talking about him. Saito's eyes trailed across the prison and tried to find something he could use to escape. Escape came to his mind because he didn't know what else to do. He could be stuck here forever and the more time he delayed, the more his strength was going to be zapped. Plus, in video games the main character always found a way to escape.

His eyes went down to his hand and looked at the strange mark that had appeared on his hand. It was a strange dark rune. He couldn't make heads or tails of what it said, but it seemed to be fading away. The funny thing is ever since he got this fading rune on his hand he could do certain chores a lot better. He had gotten pretty good with the axe the day after sharing the girl's bed, and he didn't feel as tired.

Could this be some kind of magic spell? It must be, but how long was it going to last? The runes were fading and if he didn't use the powers of those runes now, what would he do then? He didn't want to think about it. He knew what he needed to do. He needed to get back to the girl and the only way to do that was to escape this guard.

"Yah done with that lad?" the guard asked.

Saito didn't know what those words meant, but he understood the intent. He put the fork back into the bowl and was about to give it back to him when he realized something.

When he held the fork he felt stronger, faster, and lighter.

"Lad, give me back the bowl."

Saito put the fork behind himself. The guard did not look amused and opened the door to get inside.

"Lad, I'm not going to ask you again."

Saito made a dash for the open door behind him, as the prisoner who shared his prison bolted up to do the same. The guard was momentarily caught off guard at this and didn't know who to go after. Saito was too fast to go after though, so the man went after the first prisoner and yelled some kind of warning. Immediately the hall was storming with armored knights and Saito had to use all his speed and strength to dodge them.

He held the fork in his hand and stabbed it like a sword. It was completely and absolutely stupid but this was the best weapon he had. Even if it didn't work Saito acquired power from the tool and felt his body become lighter. His legs moved swiftly, his body agile, while his mind sharpened. He weaved in and out from the throng of guards, past the prison cells, and back into the office.

The person managing the office yelled at him and drew a sword but Saito ignored him and ran into the window.

"Kami that smarts!" He had gotten a few pieces of glass lodged in his arm.

Realizing he didn't have time to worry about that, Saito ran down the street as the armored knights chased him. He didn't look back, kept running forward, and yelled at anyone that got in his way. At some point, a guy jumped in front of him with a small knife and threw it at him.

To Saito's astonishment, he actually caught it and felt more power flow through him. Was this like a video game? When you got a weapon your attack points boosted? That must have been what was happening because his speed and strength increased even more after latching onto the knife.

He was running so fast that he could see the forest in front of him and the girl hiding behind the tree as well. "Run!" he shouted. "They might catch me!"

The girl still didn't move from her position, even as the guards were starting to catch up, and Saito had to curse himself for getting her into this mess. She didn't deserve this. She didn't do anything wrong. And why had the guards come after him? Better question, what was up with gaining power from metallic weapons? What game concept was this? Wouldn't it have been better if he had the super strength all along, and not have to touch something sharp to reveal any of his powers?

"Arrows! Fire!"

…

…

The girl didn't know what to do. She heard the villagers talking about capturing someone. Someone who the knights were hunting for, which meant they were going to be trailing him with a furious number of people. What they wanted, the girl had no idea, but it didn't take long for her to find out. With her large ears she was able to pick up the whole conversation, from her place among the trees, and what she heard frightened her.

Someone had found odd devices in the forest and, not only that, found some identification which revealed who the devices belonged to. The local nobles were more than just curious about the odd items and sent out back to hunt the person down. What worried the girl was how she fit into this. When she had taken the boy away from the tree, the place he almost died at, had she left something behind? She tried to figure out if she did and came up with odd memories. A black pouch had fallen out of his pocket, and something else too.

Some kind of black device made from material she wasn't aware of. At the time getting the boy to her cottage was the priority, so she didn't pay much attention to what she left behind in her wake. Now, however, she was starting to regret that.

Her actions had led to his capture. She knew he had been captured, because her ears picked up some conversation on them locating the boy, the fiend, or scoundrel, that the nobles wanted. The cover story was he had stolen something from the nobles, not that he held items the nobles were interested in, and the girl knew the longer they held him the less likely he was to break out of there. They would torture, beat, and mind-rape him until he confessed, and that would be a problem.

She knew perfectly well that they, the guards, would ask where he had been living, and if they found out where she lived, she would be dead. There were no two ways around that. Her only chance of survival was to leave now. Leave while she still could. But she didn't take it. She couldn't take it . Not when the boy she had saved was held captive.

Her mind played scenes of her saving him. She could run in, maybe hurt a few of the guards –wait that wouldn't work. She wasn't supposed to harm people. Her mother would be angry at her if she did that. She could ask someone for help by pretending to be human, but if the wind caught her the right way, her ears would be revealed.

As she pondered her options, they became more and more bleak. In reality, she couldn't do anything. She could only hope that by some miracle he managed to find his way out. She could only hope that the lingering touch from last night still gave him some kind of power.

"Arrows! Fire!"

She turned her head to the left. There he was. He was running to the forest, running toward her, and she could see the panic in his movements. He was desperately trying to get away from them with everything he had, and within the next few seconds he would collapse. There wasn't any way he could keep up his current speed.

"What are you doing!" he yelled. "Run!"

That was another problem. If she ran now, he would fall. If he fell, he would be captured. If he was captured, he would reveal her secrets. But, most of all, she would lose someone who could stand her. She would lose someone she could spend time with, and someone who her OTHER self seemed to favor. Why? She knew why. She knew why her OTHER self favored him. His power, his hidden power which could shake the very foundation of their culture.

But now wasn't the time to worry about that power. Now she had to save him. His knees buckled, as an arrow hit them, and he was going to fall. Making a quick decision she jumped off her place on the tree and ran towards the guards. With speed greater than any human could hope for, the girl caught the boy before he fell to the ground.

"Let me go!" he yelled. "No sense if both of us are caught." He glared at her, but she could see relief there as well. She knew he knew she was powerful, strong, and quick. She smiled nervously underneath her hood, and looked ahead of the people coming toward them. They paused for a second, only to analyze how much of a threat she was, before charging again.

Deciding that fighting would only end in trouble she turned her back to them and was about to run, when what she feared happened. The wind, the violent ghastly wind, picked at her hood and flung it back. The boy was too tired to look up, so he didn't catch it, but the town's people did. She turned away from them, but it was too late. They had seen her ears.

"It can't be!"

"Monster!"

"Demon!"

"Perhaps we should stop…" They did so. The legends of what her race did to people were solid. They were true, and she knew that deep down, she could do what her mother could do. They had the right to be afraid. But now what was she going to do? Now they had seen her. They wouldn't leave her alone. Her breathing quickened at that realization, and she could feel sweat pour down her forehead. Mistake. This was a horrible mistake. Her house would be burned down, they would come for her, and she would be hunted down like a dog.

"They aren't chasing us," the boy huffed, still looking down. "Never mind! Let's run for it." He stood upright and grabbed her arm. "RUN!"

Without thinking she put her hood back on, and let him drag her. His speed was much slower than her own, but they were making good distance. She took a glance behind herself to see if they would follow, and saw that they didn't. No. They would come later. They would come with a larger army, and they would kill her while she was most vulnerable.

…

…

"We need to talk," Saito said. He opened the door to the cabin and looked back at her. She looked away, not meeting his eyes, like she always did, only this time there was a hint of guilt in her movement. Emotions, like expressions, are interpreted by those who see it, but Saito was especially in tune with how this girl felt. He needed to know why. What had she done to him to make him align with her. What had she done to him to tie Saito to her this way?

"You know what it's about, don't you?" he asked her. She nodded, knowing exactly what he meant. He let her pass, and she walked into her home, paused to look around, then found herself a seat on a chair. It was the chair closest to the fire place, the place with the most amount of warmth. This told Saito that her story was going to be long. He nodded. This was fine with him, if she needed a long time to explain things to him, then so be it. He needed answers immediately.

"When we were chased, well, when I was chased, they got a glimpse of you, didn't they?" he asked.

She nodded.

"And when they saw your face, they stopped." He let that sink in as he took a seat in front of her. There wasn't a seat there, but he managed to borrow a stool from nearby. "I want to know why."

She opened her mouth, or at least from what he could tell. That cloak of hers was seriously a bother. He waited for her to say something, and waited some more as she fidgeted. This wasn't good. Saito wasn't stupid. He knew the town's people were going to come after them at some point or other. Now that they had a trail to follow, they would find them that much faster.

"I need to know," he said. "Please, you need to tell me everything you've been hiding from me."

She stopped fidgeting long enough to look at him, then looked at him some more. She watched him for a moment and Saito looked back. The shadow within the hood had a face, and in the afternoon light he could see the outline of that face. It was soft, smooth, and she had blond hair that covered her eyes. She was a rather striking girl, if he did say so himself. For all he knew she was just a very young looking woman. Still, he could dream, couldn't he?'

"Well," he asked. "Will you tell me?"

He waited for her to say no. If her secret was really that bad, he doubted she would divulge it to him. Though the town's people might trigger something. She might need his help, well, he certainly needed hers. So working together was the best course of action. The problem was he couldn't work with her unless she trusted him. That's what he was asking for. He was asking for trust, for a bit of information, and faith. He wouldn't betray her, betray the secret she had. She was all he had in this strange new world.

"I," he heard a voice. "I…I…I…" It was soft and timid. "I…I…I…" It was stuttering and scared too. "I…I'm not sure what to say." The girl looked down. "I've never had to tell anyone this before."

Saito was too stunned by the gentleness of her voice to get the last part, but when he did he could only reply in a "What?"

She shook her head. "I'm not sure where to start." She rubbed her arms together and continued to stare down. "I just…never had anyone to tell this to before."

"Then you can start from the beginning," Saito said. "Start with what you are exactly." He had figured out that she wasn't human, that much was for certain. Those strange mutations that he saw in the shadow of her hood could be anything between horns or spikes on the sides of her head. He didn't want to get a good look at them, but he wasn't going to be fooled by some demon. Video games always portrayed demons as deceivers. He doubted she was trying to trick him, but you could never be too careful.

"Please, I don't want to tell you that."

"Why?" he asked. "Are you some kind of monster?" He looked at her back, and checked for wings ready to sprout and gouge out his eyes. "Because even if you are, I don't care. I need your help and you need mine. You need to tell me why you live in this forest."

She looked up, trembling, and shook her head. "No. I can't."

"Yes you can!"

"No! I can't!"

He stopped. He had never heard her yell before. It wasn't a loud shout. He had heard worse. But the way her voice cracked as she screamed at him told him of her pain. She was terrified beyond reason to tell him her secret. It must have been bad, really bad. For a moment he thought of pulling back, giving her some space, but then he heard the sound of villagers in the back of his mind.

He resolved his emotions. "No. You need to tell me who you are."

She turned away. "I don't think that's such a –ahhh!"

He pulled at her hood. She was faster than him, so he almost missed his chance, but he had the perfect opportunity. She was close and had her guard down. He hated doing this, but he needed her to face the music. She wasn't just risking her life not telling him what she was, but his as well. He needed to know what she was or he couldn't protect her.

"No!" She covered her ears and shoved him away. Her hat clutched on his hands, he tumbled to the floor. Quickly he looked at her as she backed onto the wall, still covering her ears. His back hurt, his hands hurt, and he could feel his ears ringing. But this wasn't the time to lie down. "Sorry," he said. "But I don't have time."

He got up and watched her trembling face. It was pretty, no, beautiful actually. He had seen pictures of supermodels from America, Europe, and other places in the world. She had that kind of face. It was round, lean, and still angular. Her eyes were blue, like the sky, while her hair was long and blond. It was straight at the sides, but curled at the front in a very fashionable set of bangs. Her nose was upturned, and her cheeks were puffy and deep red.

Over all she seemed like a perfect model.

Except for her ears.

"So that's what they were," he whispered. "He looked at the ears she was covering with her hands. Those strange points that came out from the hood." He shook his head. "That's what you were hiding from me…" He let that hang.

She nodded. "I didn't want you to see." She slowly let go of her ears. She couldn't cover them. They were just too big, and her hands were far too small. "I was afraid."

He blinked. "I don't understand," he said. "Why would I be afraid of an…elf?" He didn't know if that was the correct term, but figured that was the best answer.

She stood there, just looking at him, her eyes blinked several times. "Aren't people afraid of elves?" she asked.

Saito shook his head. "No. I'm not afraid of elves, but why would people be afraid of them?" He had never seen an evil elf before. Even in video games elves tended to be the good guys. The only evil elves he had seen were the dark elves from Record of Lodoss Wars, and that dark elf had been smoking hot, all lean, tanned, and bleached hair –he was getting off track.

"You really don't know?" she asked. Her eyes looked at him in surprise. "You really haven't heard what elves do here?"

Saito looked out the window, it was getting dark, or it would be dark soon. "No. I have no idea." He bit his lower lip. "But I'm guessing it can't be good."

She nodded. "It's not, Mister, but it's a long story."

Saito relaxed and gave her a smile. "I've got time." He picked up his chair and slowly put it in front of her. He directed her to sit down. "Take a seat."

She looked at her seat carefully and froze. "I need to know," he said. "I'm sorry for what I did but I need to know why I can talk to you, but no one else."

She reluctantly nodded and took a seat as he had directed. "Where should I start?" she asked resentfully.

"Tell me about elves, why are they feared here?"

She looked down. "Elves are dangerous. They can bring down armies of men."

"Mages too?" Saito asked. He had seen the magic users in these parts and they were nothing to laugh at.

She nodded. "Mages too."

Saito mulled that over. These elves must be pretty powerful to be able to do that. "How can elves do that?"

Here was where she closed her mouth. "I don't want to say."

"It has something to do with me doesn't it?"

She stiffened, but refused to look at him. Saito rubbed the back of his skull, he shouldn't have blurted that out like that. He guessed the elves had their own brand of magic, otherwise he wouldn't have healed as quickly as he did, nor would those strange markings on his hands appear.

"I'm begging you, I need to know what kind of magic elves use." He considered putting a hand on her shoulder, but didn't want to risk it. She didn't know him very well, and despite how pretty she was, Saito liked to stay alive for the next battle. He wouldn't be taken in by her looks, he was too scared for that. "Please!"

She sighed and said "Elves use ancient and…void magic."

That got a raised eyebrow from Saito. "Void magic?" He had travelled through a void to get to this world, or at least from what he could remember. There were wormholes and holes in reality from where he was travelling from, and he could only guess this Void magic had something to do with it. After all, he had been sucked from his world from a gap in reality.

"Void magic," the girl said softly, "is a magic that cancels out other magical spells."

"Oh." Saito didn't know how this part related to him. "Okay."

"It's the legendary fifth element too, I think."

"What?"

The girl looked at a wall, giving him a brief profile of her face. She was pale, paler than snow, making her red lips stand out against them, like blood against a white cutting board. It made him feel a bit uncomfortable. No one should be this striking, it just wasn't fair.

"In this land, there are five elements," she said. "Earth, Water, Wind, and Fire."

"You only said four," Saito pointed out.

She nodded. "And then there is the fifth, Void."

"Which is the canceller of all four based on what you said."

She looked at him timidly, and nodded again. Saito felt better seeing her reactions. At least it told him she wasn't hiding her meekness behind that hood. Sure, her face was bright red from the proximity she had to him, but this was probably good for her. The girl probably hadn't had many people to talk for, well, ever.

"I think so," she said, "I don't know for sure. I've only read what my mom left me."

Saito looked at her ears. "Your mother?"

The girl realized where his eyes were headed to. "Yes," she said quietly. "My mother…the elf."

This was the part he had been waiting for.

"I guess I should tell you why I live here," she said timidly.

"That's a good place to start," Saito said cheerfully.

She bit her lips. "Alright," she rubbed her hands together, while she shook her knees. "I'll tell you why I'm here."

Saito nodded and leaned back on his chair. This was going to be interesting.

…

…

The girl took a deep breath and explained her situation to the traveler. She started with her name. Her name was Tiffania Westwood. She was an elf. No, she had corrected herself. She was only a half elf. Her mother had been an elf, while her father had been a human. She had no idea how, or why, her father accepted her mother, or vice-versa, but she was sure they loved each other. Of course, that wasn't the whole story, not even close.

For the traveler to understand her situation, Tiffania had to start at the very beginning of the tale. The start of the Elven Wars, when mankind battled these thousand year old creatures into the pits of the desert. She had to start with the history of the founders, and go even deeper to the secrets of the world. Secrets that were held by only a few scholars. And she would have to say this quickly.

So she gave him an abridged version. "Elves are the natural enemies of humans. Or at least I think so. A long time ago there was a war. Many people died, and in the end the elves were driven to the vast desert. I think they wandered for a while, but they eventually built their own small kingdoms there." She paused to let that sink in. "However, the relations between elves and people haven't been good."

"What do you mean," Saito asked. "The humans won, didn't they?"

Tiffania shook her head. "I don't think so, I told you they were driven back to the desert, and many people had died." She bit her lip. "Elves died too, but for every one elf thousands of humans had to be sacrificed." The boy's eyes widened. "And back then nobles were sending scores of people to deal with elves."

The boy shook his head. "Impossible." He looked into her eyes. "How can that many people die from a single elf?"

The girl looked down. On it was a ring. The ring carried a stone. "Ancient and Void Magic." She looked up from the ring, noticing him staring at it. "I've read my mother's books and I've read what elves could do."

The boy nodded. "And they could do just about anything I think. They could move faster than the wind, they could burn down towns with a wave of their hands, and their physical capabilities were immense." She smiled grimly. "You've seen how fast I am. My mother was much faster, much stronger, and far more silent. You wouldn't even know when she was behind you…"

The boy looked a bit nervous. "That's why we had to hide from everyone." She sighed. "If we were caught, they would send armies to capture us."

The boy interrupted her. "You just said US as in you were more than one person."

Tiffania nodded. "Back then it was just me and my mother. Before I lived here I used to travel with my mother from place to place. We could never stay in one location because we would always be discovered." She had something in her eyes, but she held them in. "My mother wanted to resolve her problems peacefully, but she was never given the chance."

The boy frowned. "I can see why, if what you say is true." He rubbed the back of his head. "Was she really that powerful?" He still looked unconvinced.

The girl took a deep breath to steady herself. She couldn't blame him for not knowing. He was an outsider, a summoned creature of sorts, and it would take him a while to get used to this new land. She had no idea where he came from, so he couldn't be held responsible for not knowing the political climate of the continent. "When I was six, a group of villagers found our home." She wrapped her arms around herself. "They were banging on our door and demanding we come out." She paused to let him understand that. "I was scared that they were going to kill us, but mother reassured me she wouldn't let that happen, so she went outside."

The boy looked worried. "Was your mother alright?" Saito didn't like the idea of a single woman having to face that many people. "She wasn't killed, was she?"

Tiffania shook her head, ignoring the faux pas he made about the 'killed' comment. "No, she wasn't, but people died that day."

"Who?" the boy asked.

"Everyone who came knocking on our door. Men, women, children, and the elderly." She sighed. "They were outside telling us to leave, and mother refused. She told them she wanted to resolve the problems peacefully, but then they threatened us with death." She looked at him pleadingly. "You have to understand that my mother was not a bad person. What happened next wasn't her fault."

The boy nodded. He looked like he knew what was going to happen. He was chewing his lips in distaste and grimacing as she told her story.

"They drew weapons," she said, "but my mother drew her own weapons as well."

"Magic," the boy said, "the Ancient or Void magic you were talking about."

She nodded. "And then I heard screaming." She trembled a little. "And then they were gone."

The boy didn't say anything to that. What could he say? The girl had just told him she had heard villagers come for her head when she was younger, and her mother had turned the tables on them. She had killed women and children with a flick of her power, and allowed her daughter to hear it. Perhaps that wasn't her intention but the end result was the same.

"I see," the boy said. He let a moment pass between them. "I'm sorry."

She didn't answer.

"I don't know what to say."

Tiffania shook her head. "You don't have to say anything Mister…"

The boy smiled. "Saito."

The girl smiled back at him. "I like that name." She tilted her head. "I don't know why."

Saito laughed.

"You know, that still doesn't explain why I can talk to you," Saito said. To be honest, it wasn't so much talk as it was communicating. He just knew what she was saying, and she likewise. "There's gotta be a reason for that."

The girl nodded. "I suppose I should start with Void."

"The Fifth element?"

She nodded. "The last Void user had two familiars. The first was the Right Hand of God, and the other was the Left Hand of God, the Gandalfr."

"You said that to me," Saito whispered. "Back while I was asleep, you whispered that, and marks on my hands started to appear." He looked at his hand. "It's gone now but for a while I felt like a super hero." He smiled. "Was that some kind of spell?"

The girl shook her head. "No, that was close contact with me. You see I'm a Void user and you're…"

"I'm?"

"You are…"

"Yes?"

She looked down. "You're a Gandalfr."

Silence. Saito blinked several times, because he couldn't be hearing her correctly. He wasn't a familiar, he wasn't an animal, and he sure as hell wasn't a Gandalfr. "I think I heard you wrong."

Tiffania shook her head. "I know it's hard to believe but you have to listen to me." She took a deep breath. "When a Void user summons a familiar they can either get one of two familiars. The Windalfr and the Gandalfr." She let that sink in. "My mother's books said the Gandalfrs are from far, far away, but it was never specified where exactly they came from."

Saito rubbed the back of his head. "You're tellin' me." He grimaced. "And being a Gandalfr let's me form some kind of bond with you?"

She nodded. "We make contracts with familiars, and, well, that's what I almost did that night." She looked embarrassed. "I'm sorry."

Saito shook his head. He knew she wasn't in the right state of mind at the time. He had long come to the conclusion the girl had more than one personality. The aura that OTHER Tiffania projected was far more powerful, sensual, and wise. This girl, the half elf, was mostly human. "No, that's fine I know that wasn't you."

The girl blinked. "What?"

"I said I know that wasn't you." He pointed to her head. "There's another person living inside of you, isn't there?"

The girl looked surprised. "How did you-"

"In video games it's not uncommon for the heroine to be possessed by some spirit. Especially if they are half demon and what not."

The girl paled. "I'm not a demon."

"Never said you were," Saito said cheerfully, "just pointing out that happens in a lot of video games."

"Video games?" she asked, tilting her head.

"Yeah, video games! You know, like the Legend of Zelda, .hack/, Final Fantasy, Fate/Stay Night, those kinds of things." He gestured to the cottage around her. "Isn't this all just one big virtual reality world?"

"Virtual reality?" she asked. She was looking less and less embarrassed and more confused. "I don't understand what you mean." The elf girl frowned and uncurled a bit. Her tension eased as she tried to process what the boy said.

Saito laughed. "Ahh, you don't have to be shy. I figured it all out. C'mon. It wasn't hard! Castles, magic, nobles, knights, dragons, and now an elf trapped in a forest?" He grinned. "This must be some new virtual reality game promo." He frowned though. "Still, it would have been nice if they gave me a warning before they sucked me into this game."

"I…I don't think this is a game, Mr. Saito," the elfgirl said quietly.

Saito snorted. "Right, like I'm really gonna fall for that." He looked around, then bent over to whisper into her long ears. "Hey, are you getting paid to act the part, or are you a player too?"

The girl blinked. "I'm not playing if that's what you mean."

Saito nodded. "Ahh, so you're taking your role seriously. Awesome, maybe I should do the same thing." He scratched his chin. "You've made a pretty good back story. Your mother is an elf, and your father was a human." He stopped. "Who was your father?"

She looked down. "I don't want to say."

"C'mon, this might be important to defeat our enemies. It might trigger an event."

She looked up. "What?"

Saito snorted. "Look, when you play a game, you have to do a certain task to get a certain item. By falling unconscious I met you, by getting captured I learned your secret, and now by talking with you, you might help me unlock some kind of power. Maybe the power of love, something that'll help."

The girl blushed. "The power of love?"

Saito nodded. "Oh, don't act that way. You know what I mean. When the main character is in trouble, the power of guts and love prevails. Sometimes they get stronger, sometimes faster, sometimes they can even do magic." Saito shrugged. "All I know is I'm halfway there."

"Halfway where?"

Saito smiled. "What do you think? Falling in love," he said proudly. "You've saved my life, taken care of me, and even helped rescue me when I was in trouble." He laughed. "How could I not fall in love with you, or at least feel some affection."

The girl's face reddened. "You're saying this all so seriously." She put her hands to her face. "Mister Saito, I hardly even know you."

Saito waved her off. "Ahh, Tiffania, this is a game. Play with me here, we can't get to the next level unless I do something like confess my undying love for you, or say I'll promise to protect you." He gave her a wicked smile. "Well, can I?"

The girl didn't know what to say. Everything coming out of the boy's mouth was so confusing. She didn't know what a virtual reality game was, nor did she know what triggers or events meant. All she knew was the boy had confessed his undying love for her. "But! I'm an elf!" she protested. "How can you love an elf?"

The youth laughed. "Are you kidding? Where I come from who doesn't like elves? Especially ones as nice and kind as you!"

The blond felt her heart race. It was beating faster and faster with each compliment he was giving her. He was saying this so boldly too, without a hint of hesitation. Did he really love her? Did doing all that earn his love? If so, Tiffania didn't feel worthy. She had only done what was expected of her, and she certainly didn't expect any reward to come out of this. Yet this boy said he would protect her, or said he would say that later on. Her mind was in confusion in all this, and she had to look down, lest he saw liquid gathering in her eyes.

"What's wrong?" Saito said. He sounded worried. "Did I do something wrong? Guh! I need an instruction manual. I hope I didn't do something to offend you. I don't know how humans are supposed to address elves."

Tiffania smiled warily. "I'm not sure either. I've never met one, aside from mother."

Saito nodded. "So elves are Void magicians?"

She shook her head. "Not all of them. I'm no expert at this."

Saito shrugged. He let a few moments pass between them, as he thought of his next course of action. There was no way in hell this couldn't be a game. Everything just fell into place. He had a mission, which was to protect the elf girl, and he had a purpose. He was supposed to be some kind of Gandaflr. But there was one thing that bugged him.

"My Gandalfr powers. It's gone," he said. "How do I get them back?"

She bit her lip. "I've never given them to you in the first place. Contact with me activates some of it, and allows me to communicate with you, but, aside from that, you haven't received the true powers of the Gandalfr."

Saito nodded. "Then give it to me." He pointed to himself. "Make a contract with me, if that's what you're supposed to do."

She blinked. "Are you serious, Mister Saito."

He nodded.

"If I do this they'll come after you too."

"I know."

"If I do this you're stuck with me."

"I know."

"I don't have any money."

"I don't care."

"You might hate me."

"Maybe."

"But-"

Saito laughed. "Look, I'm glad you take this game so seriously, and maybe you're being paid to act like a virtual reality elf, but let's be real for a moment. For me to progress to the next level I need to win against the villagers. I'm a serious gamer and I refuse to die in the first level. This is the most realistic game I've ever been in, in my life."

He looked at her carefully. "Tell me, do you want o live?"

She nodded.

"Well, that settles it." He held out his hand, while kneeling on one knee. "Lady, make me your champion." Saito smirked to himself. He had seen Griffith do the same thing in Berserk, and the girls always swooned at this action. Maybe it'll have the same effect on other female heroines in this game. The elf girl was pretty cute, but she was a bit insecure. He didn't want to force a relationship with her, not yet. He needed her to be stable, to help him win the game, and, who knows, maybe he would go out with her in the real world.

"I..I…" The girl was stuttering uncontrollably as she processed the information he laid out. He was offering to be her champion, to protect her, to be her emissary. The elf girl felt unworthy of such a thing, but she knew she had to get her emotions under control before the villagers attacked. If they didn't buckle down and get ready for the hurricane, it was going to blow everything, including their lives, away. "Are you sure?" she asked one last time."

"Positive, my Lady," he said, making an exaggeration with his hands. "I will fight all the enemies that come before us and defeat them with my sword." He looked around the room. "Or with my axe, whatever I can find."

She laughed a little. "And if you come to hate me?"

He smiled. "Lady Tiffania, I doubt that'll EVER happen." He looked down. "Though, I'm guessing I can't interest you to a movie if we get back to the real world?"

She blinked. "Um, I don't know what you meant for the last part, but, I, um, accept."

He looked up and gave her a grin. "Then make the contract. Make me your Gandalfr."

She took a deep breath. Before she would make the contract she would get a good look at him. He was a simple looking person. He had black hair, blue eyes, and average features. He had a blue shirt, as well as odd pants which were made out of unusual material. He smelled nice, and he looked kind. As far as familiars went she could do worse.

She gave him a smile and closed her eyes. "Close your eyes."

He did. He closed his eyes and thought about nothing but being covered in armor. He thought of being able to fly, to break mountains, to run faster than the wind. He thought of using magical powers, and summoning creatures to fight evil. He thought of protecting the girl who had protected him, and thought of riches as well. What he didn't think of was a set of lips touching his own.

And the horrible pain that came after that.