"Because, sometimes, what you need is not someone that understands you, nor someone who went through something similar to your own experience, but someone normal, that reminds you that yes, you are still alive and...
...you are still human."
Hi there! Deux-X-Machina here. This is the first fic I have decided to publish, ever. Mostly because I think my own work is crap, but also due to not really having the time to finish a single story so far. Meh.
This is gonna be a series of short stories, mostly, though they will all be connected somehow.
But anyway, you are not here to hear (read) me rambling so, enjoy! And if you could, please review to tell (write) me how good (or bad... probably bad) I did and if you feel like I could have done something different.
*Also, my English is not perfect by any means, so this works as a sort of self-improving exercise.
...it was so boring.
That was Shirou Emiya's thought process, as he strolled through the streets of Shinto, back from work.
He had actually left early, mostly due to a combination of the chores of the day being fulfilled and Neko's rather persuasive arguments.
"Emi-yan! You are free early, you finished your chores rather quickly."
Shirou looked at her. "Oh, but I don't mind staying for some time longer, you might need the help, after all."
Neko laughed. "Nonsense boy~a, get the hell out of there, isn't there anything you have to do on an afternoon? Maybe you could take a girl on a date, you know."
Shirou blushed at that. " W-What are you talking about, Neko? You know I'm not dating anyone."
Neko suddenly gained a sly look. "Well, Emi-yan, is never too late to start."
And so, the argument kept going for a bit, with Shirou denying any romantic interest and insisting in staying to help, and Neko continuously ignoring him and saying that he needed a life and to go on and find a cute girl.
In the end, he was thoroughly kicked out of the place, courtesy of Neko, and he decided to take a stroll through the city.
Shirou sighed, quite unsure of what to do at this time of the day. It was too early to go home and, if he was honest with himself, he didn't want to come back yet.
After all, coming back would mean different concerns and responsibilities, the likes of which no normal person would think a boy like Shirou had.
Seriously, fighting in a secret war was something that he could not help but feel overwhelmed with.
He sighed, again. Besides Tohsaka's continuous mocking, Saber's obvious disappointment in her Master, and Sakura having been revealed as a Master herself (of Rider of all Servants), Shirou's mental stability was in a rather fragile shape.
"Oh, Emiya! What are you doing here? I thought you worked at the Copenhagen?"
Shirou turned at the familiar voice. Behind him was the captain of the archery club Shirou used to attend, Mitsuzuri Ayako.
"Oh, Mitsuzuri, it's you."
"What do you mean it's me? Where you waiting for someone else? Oh my, do you have a secret date?"
Shirou almost face-faulted. "Wait what? No! Why are people assuming I should be on a date?"
Ayako smirked at him. "Hoh? It seems I'm not the only one who sees it, wouldn't you say, Emiya?"
Shirou blinked at her. "Hm? See what?"
Ayako sighed, she shouldn't have expected anything else. "So, what are you doing here? Shouldn't you be working?"
"Oh, well yes, but I somehow ended all my chores earlier than anticipated and my boss gave me (A/N: Read: Forced me to take) the day off."
"Oh, so are you telling me than the mighty "Fake School Janitor" was refused in his quest to help everyone?"
She laughed and Shirou grumbled. "Hey! There is nothing wrong in trying to help other people..." He was certainly not pouting.
"Hehehe, oh just relax Emiya, I'm messing with you is all. So, what are you doing now that you have the day for yourself?"
"Honestly?" He asked, and Ayako nodded. "I have no idea."
She blinked at him for a second, then, a rather very intimidating smirk made its way to her face. "Oh, is that so?"
Shirou gulped, in what was obviously a manly act of bravery and not being at the verge of a full out sprint.
Shirou sighed, for what felt like the thousandth time that day. After forcing him to take her to a restaurant, Ayako thought it would be a good idea to take the grumbling Emiya to a shopping trip, and by shopping trip, she meant the "make-Shirou-stand-by-while-she-tried-dozens(thous ands)-of-different-outfits-and-have-him-carry-all- her-bags" kind of trip.
Shirou stood outside of the changing boot, waiting patiently for Ayako to finish changing in "dress number sixty-three".
He was growing increasingly uncomfortable with all the looks the female population of the cosplay store was giving him. Of course, the fact that Shirou was dressed in something reminiscing of the Middle-Age was a big factor, in his honest opinion.
He had no idea how did Ayako actually convinced him to enter the store, saying she liked this stuff didn't really convinced him, but maybe what she wanted was to see him dressed in something embarrassing.
Yeah, that was probably the reason.
That train of thought was suddenly interrupted when Ayako called for him. "Emiya! Come here for a second, please."
He walked closer to the booth, curious. "I'm here Ayako, what do you need?"
The curtain was pulled, and Shirou gasped.
In front of him, Ayako Mitsuzuri stood, clad in a blue, long-sleeved medieval-styled dress that had white strips running along its sides. The skirt concealed the totality of her legs, and it had white frilly pieces of fabric in the end of the sleeves. The girl in the outfit had a rather smug looking smirk in her face, and she directed her mischievous eyes to the redhead face.
"Well, Emiya, what do you think?"
Shirou couldn't talk, nor think, properly. Not only Ayako looked really pretty in that dress, but he couldn't help but think in another blue dress-clad girl.
The Black Giant roared, his madness obscuring any thought, any logic. He swung his stone weapon, a strange combination between an axe and a club that was easily as big as him, and he did it like it weighted nothing. Such was the strength of the strongest Servant, a mad beast against which there was absolutely no hopes of winning in close-combat. Even then, the Giant's opponent kept trying to hurt him, using some kind of invisible weapon. However, it was not to be, as the individual couldn't do so much as to scratch the invincible foe that stood before them. With a deafening roar, the Beast swung his axe again, and his enemy was sent soaring through the air, a trail of blood coming from them.
And the redhead couldn't do anything but watch, as this was a battle no human being could even start to hope to fight. However, there was one thing he could do, and he did it.
He screamed.
"SABER!"
Shirou shook his head, trying to keep such thoughts out of his head. Brood about it would solve nothing, and he was not someone to cry over the spilt milk.
"Emiya…Emiya? Emiya!"
"Uh…huh?" He intelligently asked.
In front of him stood a red faced Ayako, who seemed way more flustered than before.
"I-I asked you a question, and you sort of kept there, s-staring and me." She fidgeted.
"Oh…Oh! Sorry, hehe."
He then remembered what Ayako was wearing.
He blushed, and turned around, his face almost steaming. "Y-You look really good."
Now was Ayako's face turn to get even redder. "T-Thank you."
Right now, Shirou was carrying what amounted a three times his own weight in shopping bags. While that could be considered an amazing feat in itself, he felt like he was just carrying a light weight.
Reinforcement was handy like that.
He looked ahead, at Ayako, who was lightly skipping along the path with a very satisfied look in her face. She had, after buying the blue dress (of course, Shirou paid) made him took pictures with her, like a knight and her maiden. Of course, Shirou ended even more flustered and embarrassed and she ended even more smug-looking.
She turned to look at him.
"Are you sure you don't want me to carry some of those bags?"
He narrowed his eyes at her. "Do I actually have a choice to that?"
She seemed pensive for a moment, putting her hand in her chin. "Hm... " Then, she smiled. "…nope, not really"
Shirou sighed, time one thousand and one. He smiled back. "Yeah, thought so."
"Well then, let's get these bags to my place, there are still some places I want to go, yeah?"
One thousand and two.
After leaving Ayako's new stuff at her place, they returned to Shinto.
"So, Mitsuzuri, where are we going?" Asked the redhead.
"Hm? Well, since you have so much free time, (Shirou grumbled) and you know next to nothing about modern things (the grumbling redoubled), I'm taking you to an arcade!"
"An arcade? Hum, I don't know Mitsuzuri, I'm not very good with games" Shirou argued.
"Oh don't be a coward~! Just because I'll beat you in every game doesn't mean you won't have fun!"
True to her word, Ayako beat Shirou at almost every game, with one or two victories to the redhead favor (mostly thanks to luck), that is until they played fighting games in which Shirou, showing surprising skill, utterly decimated his friend with almost frightening ease.
He looked sheepishly to Ayako's gaping face. "Don't look at me like that, I'm just as surprised as you are."
She didn't know what to say at that, so she huffed and turned around, crossing her arms. "Whatever, I'm bored. C'mon, let's get go."
"Where are we going now?"
She blushed a little and looked shyly to the floor. "Let's go get an ice-cream or something, okay?"
He blushed as well, after all, not only did she look really cute like that, but it definitely sounded like they were in a date. "Ah! Hum, okay, let's go."
After getting an ice-cream (Shirou paid, again), they ended up walking around the city for a while, looking at the shop windows and chatting with each other. After a while they ended up coming back to Miyama. It was getting pretty late, so Shirou took Ayako home.
"Well, it was fun Emiya." She smiled at him.
"Shirou."
"Huh?"
"Call me Shirou." He scratched the back of his head, smiling sheepishly.
She flushed slightly and smiled. "Well then, call me Ayako."
They smiled at each other, a red hue on both of their faces.
"Well, aren't you two a cute couple?"
They both turned to their left, blushing madly, though, when Shirou looked at who had interrupted them, he paled.
In front of them, a white haired little girl stood. Her red eyes almost seemed to shine in the fading light.
"It's been a while, Onii-Chan."
Ayako gaped at Shirou. "You have a SISTER?"
On his part, he couldn't answer. Illya's presence meant bad news, especially after their last encounter.
The little Fairy look-alike smiled pleasantly. "Unfortunately, I'm afraid I have to cut this meeting short."
Shirou gulped. Oh f-
"Berserker!"
-uck.