All the grammar problems are intentional. Helps emphasizes the tone and accent of our Shirou.
Somehow, someway, I got in ta a higher grade. Odd ain't it? Mamma was happy as all hell when I somehow got ta high school. Now, by this time Jeanne wasn't livin with her papa no more, so I saw her around her grandma's. I was lucky we has been togetha so long.
One day was real weird, I must say. I was runnin like I always do ta her house. This was before she wasn't livin with her papa. Her house was like this big ol' farm. A lotta of corn, I gotta say! Every time I was there tryna look for Jeanne, I always see her papa touchin and kissin her sisters. It felt real strange to me, but Jeanne always told me ta not worry about her. One day, I saw she ain't there at our usual seat on the bus. So I ran ta her house and she was near the corn.
"Jeanne, where was ya on the bus?" I asked.
"Shhh, my papa takin a nap," Jeanne stated. Suddenly the door to the house opened and Jeanne took mah hand and we ran threw all those rows of corn. "Keep runnin Shirou!"
"Jeanne! Where ya at!?" A voice I guess was Jeanne's papa was yelling across the field. We kept runnin through em rows of corn until we found a small ditch of sorts. Jeanne came to a stop and we crouched down low.
"Come and pray with me, Shirou," Jeanne said as she put her hands together, "Lord, make me a bird and let me fly away...make a bird and let me be free..."
I heard a loud snappin noise in the distance and a loud scream. I saw em birds fly into the air like they was scared. I reckon I saw a white bird covered in somethin red flyin away too. I reckon that's the first time I ever got scared of Jeanne. She smiled real wide when that snappin noise rang through the air. I don't know what was goin on. All I recall is Jeanne didn't hadda live with her papa no more, though I don't know what happen to him either. The police just told me he was gone for good now.
Arthur was too horrified to even comment. He was too shocked to even move. For once, his entire body felt somber and chills ran down his spine. For once, he thanked the Lord that Shirou was as stupid as stupid could get. He didn't know how the boy would've reacted at that age if he wasn't so oblivious. He didn't want to know how Shirou would've acted if he wasn't so oblivious. Unbeknownst to Arthur, Shirou would figure it out in the future. It haunted the redheaded man till this very day, and probably till the end of his life. It was a stain on his memory of Jeanne and himself as a child. Unbeknownst to Arthur, the man in front of him was stuck in never-ending guilt and self-loathing.
I was barely passin by, mah grades were somehow average. Jeanne was happier than how I saw her when we were still kids. She always help me with everythin. She taught me a lotta things that I was too stupid ta learn on mah own. We was always sittin under this oak tree near one of the parks in our neighborhood. Good times, I tell ya. A lotta a times she would sneak into mah house at night. She always told me it was nightmares and mah mamma let her stay the night.
We was still good friends all the way through high school, but it was then when I met another friend in mah life. It was when I was in the fresh...the soph...whatchamacallit?...(what's the third year of high school again? Junior year, Shirou) junior year that I met this one boy who was also stupid as stupid could get. His name was Cú. Now, for some damn reason he was born with blue hair. It was kinda odd but lemme tell ya somethin! He damn sure knew how ta throw.
"Whadda ya doin o'er there?" Cú asked one day when I was runnin away from the Jefferson boys again.
"Just runnin," I replied. Unlike everyone else here in Alabama, Cú was from some place called Irishland, so his accent was different. Apparently, according to him, it was a gigillion miles across the world!
"Whadda ya runnin from?" Cú asked me. I pointed ta em Jefferson boys and Cú frowned. He musta hadda the aim of God or somethin, 'cause the next thing I knew, two of em Jefferson boys fell off of em bikes from hittin a rock outta nowhere! "Bunch ol' fookin shite bags of devil spawn. How do ya do? Me name is Cú Bisset."
"Mah name is Shirou Emiya, Cú," I nodded in his direction, "what ya doin there?"
"On me tod," Cú replied, "Jesus H. Christ! Look atta state o' you! Come in along now! We could get ya fixed up!" The Jefferson boys still got up, however, so Cú did the most logical thing he could do. He kept throwin rocks.
"Are they gonna be alright?" I asked.
"Don't worry, Shirou!" Cú stated, "I'll protect ya!" All of em eventually ran away for their daddies. "That'll show em, eh?"
"Really now? Ya got a lotta explainin to do..." That voice send shivers to mah bone! We felt triumphant for sendin em Jefferson boys away, but then Cú's mamma, outta nowhere, dragged him home by the collar of his shirt and told me to follow along. Too scared to think, I just followed her orders.
"That's how I met Cú's mamma!" Shirou explained.
"Really now?" Arthur chuckled. They had left the diner and were now stuck at...another diner. Shirou insisted on getting lunch even though they were just done with brunch. Son of a bitch was one hell of a glutton.
"Yessiree, she was a mighty fine woman," Shirou nodded, "she was real scary though."
"What'd I tell ya about assaulting other boys, eh Sétanta?" Cú's mamma was this tall woman with purple hair. She was a real pretty lady, but even that didn't help make her any less scary. It was real strange, I tell ya that. She was pullin his ear hard when I got ta his home, and she had a wooden spoon in one hand too!
"Those boys were tryin to hurt him, mama!" Cú tried to explain. Now, I don't reckon I had ever been more scared in mah life. Cú's mama looked madder than a wet hen! Cú himself looked like he was goin to hell in a handbasket!
"Really now?" Cú's mama was named Ms. Bisset, or at least that's what we was supposed to call her. I don't really know why, but she always forced us to call her Shishou Scáthach.
"Yes, that is the true ma'am," I nodded really hard.
"Bloody fookin hell, you's Einzbern's kid, now ain't ya, lad?" Shishou Scáthach asked and I nodded again. Goodness gracious, I reckon I shoulda stay home or somethin when I saw those eyes turnin on me! "I see. Ya a scrawny lad, ain't ya? Perhaps we could put some meat in them bones of yours!"
"Well-" Mah stomach started growlin right there and I hadda look down to hide mah embarrassment! "Excuse me, ma'am? Can I stay for supper?" For once she actually laughed!
"O' course!" Shishou Scáthach nodded, "just let me call yer mama."
"Well I'll be, I reckoned ya woulda died there and then," Arthur remarked, "Ms. Bisset one time had gone mental! Whipped me a new one! Hell, my little sister said Ms. Bisset gave me a worse lickin than our own mama!"
"It was 'cause you and that Lancelot boy of yours was always in trouble," Shirou replied, "mah mamma always said you two were like y'all were raised in a barn. At least Nero turned out pretty good."
"Hey!"
Cú wasn't exactly the richest of em folks, like he was in no ways poor, but he ain't got the same money all of em other kids had. However, his mamma was one hell of a cook! I don't reckon ya woulda find a better cook in a million miles over yonder. So I was just fixin to some mashed potatoes when Shishou Scáthach began askin if I had knew anybody that could teach Cú some basic stuff.
"He ain't the sharpest tool in the shed, I reckon," I said and Shishou Scáthach nodded, "well, I ain't as smart either. I am as stupid as stupid can get, ma'am."
"Well, that's a shame, Sétanta is a bit of git when it comes to school," Shishou Scáthach sighed. I could only nod. Then, a bright idea pop in mah head!
"I know a girl that can," I replied. Shishou looked rather surprised and she had such a devilish grin I was kinda scared.
"It was Jeanne, ain't it?" Arthur asked, "she's the only smart one outta your childhood."
"Yessiree," Shirou nodded enthusiastically.
Shishou Scáthach was a fisherwoman. She had her own boat and I liked ta help her out a lot. She taught me all the ways of fishin! We was livin in Mobile, so we was livin by the waters so fish was like everywhere!
"Be real patient with the fish, lad," Shishou Scáthach always said, "they're cheeky little bastards." Sometimes, she would even throw me straight inta the water to get her a lobster or somethin. She said that near-death experiences create good character.
"On a good day ya can catch a hundred to a thousand big fish, medium fish, little fish, and maybe even some oysters if ya lucky," Cú always said. He musta have been more enthusiastic than his mamma, 'cause he was always talking about all sorts of fish. He for some reason didn't like crabs. He said they was a poor man's lobster.
"Really now?" I one time replied while we was scrubbing Shishou's Scáthach's boat.
"Yessiree," Cú nodded, "anyway, like I was sayin, fish is the fruit of the sea. You can barbecue it, boil it, broil it, bake it, saute it. There's uh, fish-kabobs, fish creole, fish gumbo. Pan fried, deep fried, stir-fried. There's pineapple fish, fish rice, coconut fish, pepper fish, fish soup, fish stew, fish salad, fish and chips, fish burger, fish sandwich. That, uh...that's about it."
"Ya ever think about catchin some shrimp? I like shrimp," I said.
"Shrimp is good too, but fish is the heart of the sea!" Cú exclaimed.
His mamma had a habit of throwin spears at the water, and she be pulling like seven fish and a lobster every time. She was real good at it! I tried one time and I almost hit mah neighbor. Shishou Scáthach took anythin pointy away from me 'cause she was afraid Imma hit somebody!
"Is y'all stupid or somethin?" Jeanne asked one day. We was tryin to tell her we was going fishin. It was only rainin a little. There was a flood warnin in the area if I can remember. It didn't look too bad at first. We was taking a little rowin boat and was fixin to some fishin!
"Don't worry, mate," Cú reassured, "me and Shirou will be alright!" Jeanne looked so skeptical of us when he said that.
"Whatever the hell suits your fancy," Jeanne had said. She was right about us bein stupid, 'cause next thing we knew, we was in the middle of like a hurricane or somethin! It had gone down ta absolute hell!
"We's gonna die, Cú!" I screamed through the winds and waters shootin outta nowhere! It was like the devil was beatin his wife harder than usual! We was about ta go overboard and the boat was floodin with water! It was like that one big ship that sank in 19-somethin, we just needed a damn iceberg. "Heavens ta Betsy, Cú! Where is the shore!?"
"I don't know, lad!" Cú replied, "bloody hell!" Cú was suddenly smacked in the face with a fish. Then another fish. And another fish. I believe a dolphin smacked him too. I reckon he got smacked by fifty flyin fish on that day! The waters were cruel! It was salt and fish sprayin into our faces!
Suddenly, when we thought the Lord had forgot about all of us and we's as good as dead, a miracle happened!
"'TIS THE SEASON TO BE JOLLY! FA LA LA LA LA, FA LA LA LA LA!"
"Shishou Scáthach!" I exclaimed, "wait...what in tarnation, it ain't even Christmas!" Cú kept spittin our water 'cause it was salty and all. I found it kinda funny.
"Really now!?" Cú asked, "yay!" There we saw her, in a little paddle boat of her own, with just a flashlight and red raincoat on, one booted foot on the very edge of the boat. Through some miracle, the boat wasn't tippin over! Shishou Scáthach on the other hand...well, she gone mad!
"YA AIN'T FOOKIN SHITE YE BASTARD!" Shishou Scáthach laughed maniacally, "YA CALLIN THIS A STORM!? COM'ON NOW YA CUNT, I HADDA SEEN FUCKERS IN FRANCE PUTTA UP A BLOODY FIGHT BETTER THAN THIS!" She then gotta a large red spear outta the boat. Me and Cú was scared as all hell.
"My mama is gonna kill us both, Shirou!" Cú screamed. We was huggin each other 'cause in that moment, we thought was gonna die. I mean, when ya see a crazy woman ridin in the sea in a middle of a storm carryin a spear pointed at yer direction, whatcha suppose to think?
Thank the lord he had mercy on our souls, 'cause Shishou Scáthach somehow managed to hit both of our shirts, and with a yank since the spear had a rope connected ta it, threw us in the boat!
"YA FOOKIN ARSE, COM'ON! ONE ON ONE YA BASTARD!" Shishou Scáthach yelled. I thoughta she had gone completely mad! Cú would later tell me it was 'cause Shishou Scáthach was Scottish.
By the time we got back ta shore, the storm was gone. Sunny skies and rainbows! But another storm was brewin. Shishou Scáthach looked mad as all hell.
"We lived!" Cú yelled happily. We hugged each other and jumped up and down from pure joy. We was drenched in water, but we lived! But then again...
"Really now?" Shishou Scáthach said in a very scary tone.
I reckon we musta been on the news, 'cause everybody in town was confused on why was we runnin for lives while Shishou Scáthach ran after us. She was as fast as a horse! We was jumpin over fences, over cars, runnin across corn fields, we even took a kayak and she still caught up to us!
Mamma only gave me adisappointin look when I got home for supper. She didn't even need to punish me at all. Shishou Scáthach gave me a real goodwhippin already. I reckon I'd rather see the wrath of God than Shishou Scáthach's fury again!
Arthur meanwhile, was laughing his ass off at the fact Shirou nearly got himself killed in a rainstorm. To be fair, when you're in the military for a while it gives you a dark sense of humor.
"We live in the South! 'Course there's gonna be heavy rain, Shirou!" Arthur laughed, "that's like sayin Nevada don't got a desert!"
"It looked like a good day," Shirou said simply, "clouds were a bit cloudy, that's all."
"Cloudy around here means hell," Arthur stated, "I thought ya woulda know that."
If there's one thing I noticed when I was growin up, it was that Jeanne was gettin prettier and prettier by the day. Mah mamma would always let her stay over for supper, and eventually, even Cú came along, though he would usually drag Shishou Scáthach 'cause he don't trust no one's cooking except his mamma.
One day at supper, I had been noticin Jeanne was a lot more jumpy than usual.
"What's wrong with Jeanne, mamma?" I asked. Mah mamma chuckled like she was pityin me or somethin.
"Lookee here, Shirou," Mamma whispered and pointed at Jeanne, "smile at the gal." So I did. Jeanne had turned mah way, and next thing I knew her head turned the other way. At the time, I sure as hell didn't know why her face was all red.
"Why she red in the cheeks, mamma?" I asked.
"Oh, what am I supposed to do with ya?" Mamma cooed, rubbin mah cheeks like the day I was born. "I'm so damn proud of ya, Shirou. Ya only one year away from finishin high school. Yer daddy woulda been so darn proud."
"Ya think so, mamma?"
"I know so," Mamma smiled like she always did. Her smile always loved it when mah mamma smiled. It reminded me that even when times is rough, I can always depend on mah mamma.
It made me sad after supper was over, though. I sat there wonderin how Jeanne grew up without a mamma. Her papa, from what I could tell, ain't that nice. Her sisters and her was separated too. She only had her grandma now, and even then I coulda see that sometimes she was starvin and weak-limbed.
But mah mamma was the best. She tried to make sure Jeanne didn't hadda go to school hungry. Mah mamma always gave Jeanne advice and what to do and what not to do.
"I'm always here if ya need me Jeanne," I said once. I wanted to show her I was here for her too. Even at the time when I didn't know what went on with her, I could still see she had a lotta pain inside. I don't like that. I don't like seein folks in pain. We was sittin on mah front porch. It was a real starry night and there was a full moon too. For once, Jeanne looked like she was truly at peace for once. She smiled at me and gave me a warm hug. She leaned on mah shoulder and wrapped an arm around mah waist.
"Thank ya, Shirou," Jeanne said to me, "well I'll be, look at that Shirou! Over yonder!" She pointed at the sky and I saw a bunch of streaks of light zooming through the sky.
"What is that, Jeanne?" I asked.
"Meteors, Shirou," Jeanne explained, "also known as afallin star. Go on now, Shirou. Ya can make a wish!" Now, I didn't actually know what I had wished for that day. I just remembered it involvedmakin Jeanne happy, mah mamma happy, and everyone I cared about happy.
"Say, when did em football coaches listed ya down as a prospect?" Arthur asked, "that's how ya got into college right?"
"About the same day I met yer sister," Shirou stated, "not Nero...but Lily."
"Really? I'll be damned," Arthur smiled.
I remember it was like the beginnin of the last year of high school. Golly, it seemed like the last year was a lotta more relaxin than the one before. One day, me and Cú were runnin again. Not from bullies, but some crazy girl named Medb. Why? 'Cause she wanted to do weird things to Cú, things I don't understand and things I don't want ta really know!
"COME BACK HERE MY LOVE!" Medb would scream.
"GET THE BLOODY HELL AWAY FROM ME YA HAG!" Cú shouted back. We were runnin for our lives. This gal was rich, so she had her butler chase after us in a limousine! The other day, she hadda an army of men in suits chase us with machetes. The day before that, she tried chasin us on a motorcycle! There we was, runnin so hard dust was pickin up from underneath our feet.
The story goes that Medb liked boys a lot and they usually liked her. But Cú didn't like her, he said if his mamma don't like her, he don't like her. Also Cú liked fishin more than he liked women.
Medb, everybody could tell she had gone mental because of that. She started stalkin and spyin on us. She started threatenin Jeanne but Jeanne is real tough. Medb tried to touch me and Jeanne gave her one good punch to her gut and she was unconscious for the rest of the week!
"Cú, who is that pink-haired gal outside your window?" Jeanne asked one time, "and why does she have a camera? And is that a wrench? Why she have a wrench?" Cú's mamma threw her spear at Medb and she ran away, but she always tried coming back for more.
"Stay away from my son!" Shishou Scáthach started threatenin her with a loaded rifle and that's only when she started to stop comin to Cú's house, "I'll put a bullet in yer arse, ye fookin whore!"
"Ya don't understand, future mother-in-law! It is meant to be! It's true love!" Medb would say as she ran away. I don't reckon I ever saw Shishou so damn angry! Medb started to come over to mah house and even mah mamma started gettin angry. When mah mamma started getting angry, she gets angry!
"Hure! Hündin! Schlampe! Geh von meinem Rasen runter!" Mamma would yell while she chased Medb with a sword she got from mah papa long ago. She would always resort back to German when she's mad. "Bleib weg von meinen Kindern! Du verdammte Hure! Sterben! Stirb du Hure, STIRB!" Sometimes mah mamma chased her with a loaded shotgun!
Medb wanted Cú alright. Also, she kept tryin to hit him with a whip, and we thought that was just plain wrong since days like that in the South was over!
Now, I don't reckon I have a clue on why she wanted to get Cú so bad. Cú liked girls, he sure did. But he always had this sayin that if "mah mama don't like you, then why the hell should I like ya too?"
His advice was pretty accurate, 'cause a lotta of em girls he rejected I found later workin in weird clubs and doin somethin called LSD and crack all the time.
But anyway, while she was chasin us, I told Cú we should go different directions! Now, for some damn reason, she thought I was Cú! I kept runnin and runnin till I got to this one fence and I hopped over it, but Medb kept followin! Apparently, there was a football game goin on, but I didn't care, I just wanted to survive!
Arthur remembered that game. He was in the stands with and his grandpa, who was the coach, and a few college scouts was in the stands. Once they saw that boy runnin, they were amazed. Even the football players were so amazed they all stopped in their tracks.
"Holy shit, who the hell is that?" One of the scouts asked.
"Shirou Emiya," Arthur's dad replied, "he's the local idiot."
"Local idiot or not, that boy can run hella fast!" The scouts laughed like they had found their man, "trucks like a bull too!"
"Ya ain't thinkin of makin him a prospect, are ya?" Arthur's grandpa questioned.
"Why the hell not?" The scouts laughed.
So I kept runnin and runnin until I saw the limousine was not there no more. I jumped and yelled in triumph, only to realize I was lost. Gosh. So I kept wanderin around Mobile, not knowing where I was headed. Then that's when I met your sister.
"Ya lost or somethin?" I turned around to see a pretty blonde girl about mah height askin me. Her green eyes were pretty appealin (That's my sister! Shut up, Arthur and lemme tell mah story!) and she was the prettiest thing I had ever seen. Uh, no offense to Nero. She's third (I thought ya said Jeanne was first? Didn't ya say Nero was second? Stop tryin to confuse me, Arthur!).
"Indeed I am, ma'am," I nodded. She smiled at me and laughed heartily.
"Well, no need for that, for I reckon we's around the same age," She said, "my name is Lily Pendragon. And your's?"
"Shirou Emiya, miss," I nodded solemnly. Mah voice was almost a whisper! Why? I was nervous! Real nervous. "I know who you are, miss. It's nice meetin ya." I felt heat comin to mah face and believe me, Arthur, I was tryin to make sure I didn't stutter.
"Emiya, eh? How's your mama 'n em?" Lily asked.
"Doing mighty fine, miss," I replied.
"Come on, I know where ya live," Lily smiled, "I always have ta walk past by ya house 'cause my brother can't ever wake up early." So we did. I forgot about Cú for a while 'cause it was fun walkin with Lily. She was a kind gal with a big heart and she was always calm, but she had the 1000-yard stare a lotta of the time.
"Is Arthur doin alright?" I asked.
"'Course he is, I'd be surprised if he ain't," Lily had told me, "he's an idiot, ya know that? And a glutton too, can't last two minutes without eatin like it was his last meal till Judgement Day."
"I know somethin about idiots," I said, "I am known as the town idiot accordin to all em kids at school?"
"So I've heard," Lily shrugged, "don't matter to me. As long as you's nice, why should anybody come along and hurt ya? We need nice people in this world. I rather have an idiot with a good heart than a smart bitch with a heart of horse shit."
"Me too," I nodded.
"Besides, I don't reckon ya that stupid," Lily said, "I just reckon ya a bit slower than em other kids. Not to mention we's in Alabama, people here are kinda slow. Hell, I'm damn sure half of em kids have parents that are cousins or somethin."
"Well, where ya from, Lily?" I asked.
"Virginia," Lily explained, "I don't like folks there either. Even with my Southern roots, I always felt this part of America is backwards. Look over yonder, Shirou." She pointed at two water fountains. I was confused. I never been to this part of the city.
"Why does it hava sign that says 'colored', Lily?" I asked.
"'Cause folks around here don't like black folk," Lily frowned, "or anybody who don't have the same skin and eyes. You's a Jap, ain't ya?" I nodded and Lily sighed. "America is an oddity. I can't understand it. How can ya call yourself a land of freedom and opportunity if ya treat ya own citizens like shit just 'cause of the color of em skin and not 'cause of the content of their character?"
"I think folks are just stupid in their own ways," I replied. Lily turned her heads towards me and gave me a smile.
"Ya right, Shirou, ya absolutely right," Lily chuckled, "come along now. We's gotta get ya home."
It was on that day I learned about racism. I feel kinda ashamed for not noticin it after livin down South for so long. I reckon folks bullied me 'cause I was a Jap too. As we walked, I finally noticed all em colored signs. I finally saw those black folks sittin in restaurants of white folks bein yelled at. I finally saw a lotta things. Lookin back, I reckon I still got a lotta things to learn.
I found it real easy ta talk ta Lily. She was a good listener and she always told good stories. She was like a teacher too! As night fell, she pointed and named stars and constellations in the sky, told me about the moon, and was kind enough to teach me some German while we was gettin back.
"Shirou!" Mamma ran out the door and hugged me. She checked everythin like I had gone through a hurricane or somethin. "Where were you!? Are ya hurt!?"
"I was just walkin, mamma!" I tried to tell her. Then mamma noticed Lily and stomped on over to her. That was the first time I saw Lily scared. Did ya sister ever get scared (No...like, never! That's the first time I ever heard of it.)?
"What the hell did ya do to my son?" Mamma questioned.
"Ich verstehe nicht?" Lily squeaked. I learned she speaks German when she's scared.
"Was hast du mit meinem Sohn gemacht!?" Mamma began shakin Lily by the shoulders and everythin, "Sag mir! Willst du sterben?"
"She walked me home, mamma!" I yelled. Mamma stopped and looked at me like I was crazy.
"Really now?" Mamma asked. I nodded. "She ain't like her brother?"
"I'm actually educated, ma'am," Lily said tremblin from bein nervous. Mamma looked scared. Not of Lily or me, but herself. She looked into Lily's eyes and looked away fast. She hit herself a couple o' times, callin herself an idgit.
"I see," Mamma said slowly. Suddenly, she was happy again! "Aw, shucks! Golly, was that mighty rude of me, where are mah manners? I truly apologize." I could tell mamma felt real guilty and angry at herself. I reckon her love for me overrode her sense of reasonin. "Come along now, Lily, we gonna get ya some supper! I gotta thank ya for takin care of mah son."
But there was somethin else I noticed. Lily looked like she had just seen hell. I noticed she was strugglin real hard to breathe normally.
"Nah, I'm fine ma'am-"
"You're going to eat supper young lady."
"Yes, ma'am!" Lily nodded quickly. As we walked inside, we found Jeanne was cookin in the kitchen. Cú was sobbin his eyes out in his mamma's arms at our kitchen table.
"She's insane mama! Mad! Mental! Completely mental!" Cú sniffled, "she chasin me on horses, she chasin me on cars, and just yesterday she was chasin me with a bloody machete! I can't take this no more, mama! I'm afraid to go outside! Hell, I don't think I can sleep at night no more! She nearly killed Shirou here too!"
"There, there," Shishou Scáthach soothed him. However, her eye kept twitchin a lot. I felt a heavy presence in the room. It seemed like God almighty was rumblin up a storm!
"That girl is gonna die tomorrow," Lily whispered in mah ear.
"Shirou! You're back..." I don't reckon I had a clue back then why it happened, but Jeanne dropped like seven plates. It shattered al over the floor and we could only stare at what just happened. "And...Lily Pendragon is with you...oh, I'm so sorry!" She began picking up the pieces of ceramic from the floor and Lily came along ta help. Jeanne looked like she didn't want Lily around, but she didn't say much anyway.
"Shirou, hand me a broom, will ya?" Lily asked and so I did, "push it to the side for now. Judgin from your driveway, I reckon the garbage been already put out, yeah? And judgin from the empty bin over yonder, no one's put a bag in."
"Well, ain't ya observant," Mamma remarked. Lily gave mah mamma a genuine smile. But it was sad and not happy. I didn't like that. I don't like seeing folks sad.
"Ya learn a couple things when ya mama's Catholic and ya papa's Jewish," Lily said quietly. Lily didn't live with her parents. Her parents died about two months after she was born. So she lived with an uncle down mah street, while Arthur lived with his grandpa just across mah house.
That was until mah last year of middle school. Her uncle was apparently murdered. Mamma told me he was found stabbed to death and somebody kept hackin his body to pieces with an axe. They never caught the culprit. So, Lily then moved to your house, Arthur, and lived with you and Nero. I believe she got a lot better then.
Lily was a quiet gal at school. She was the smartest girl in the school, but she was real humble and never backed down. When I was younger I would always see bruises on her and sometimes even scars on her arms. I didn't know what was goin on in her house. She'd get bullied around a lot, but she always held her own. A lotta of em folks in town always said mean things about her. While you, Arthur, said you was a Protestant, Lily always identified herself as a Jew. Either way it made no difference. If she was Catholic, folks would hate her for not being Protestant. If she was Jewish, folks would hate her for not believin in Jesus.
But I knew she was hurtin. Real bad. While Jeanne fooled me with her smile and I was too dumb so I believed all her lies, Lily always looked sad. She never talked much until she moved outta her uncle's house. Even then she looked scared half the time. I hate myself for never reachin out. I didn't reach out 'cause I was scared. I was shy. I had the gitters in mah stomach every time I saw her. Until Cú, I was too scared to be friends with anybody else except Jeanne. Maybe Imma bigger idiot than I thought. I could never see things when they're right in front of me.
"Lord, let me be a guidin hand for these children before I die," Mamma whispered ta the Heavens as she looked at Lily. I saw Jeanne blush when she looked at me before we all managed to take our seats. I sat next to Lily and across from Jeanne. I saw pain in her eyes. It made me sadder than usual.
"What's for supper, Mrs. Emiya?" Jeanne asked.
"Beef stew and bread," Mamma replied. After a while, everyone looked cheerful. I was happy to see both Jeanne and Lily smile and happy to see Cú stop cryin and askin for more food.
Life was eventful. Things happen outta nowhere. I made two new friends and learn new things about life. Then again, mamma always said, "life is like a box of chocolates. Ya never what ya gonna get."
A/N: I finally started working on this after like 2 years. I made the decision to add in more Fate characters as well create some dark contrast to the supposed naivety and cheerful tone to the last chapter. The story is essentially Shirou's journey on discovering the world and his adventures as the years go by. Cú is presented as Shirou's first friend beside Jeanne. Their adventures will get pretty hectic later on. Some of Jeanne's backstory is also revealed, and that'll play into later chapters. Lily is another character that'll be central to chapters to come. Both her and Jeanne, with their personal problems and backgrounds, will be a major point in the plot.
Thanks for reading. Who else would you like to see in the story? I recall I haven't shown Nero yet.
