I can't say I'm incredibly pleased about this chapter either, if I am fully honest to myself. I have some decent plans set in stone, and the pace of the story will soon slow down, as days pass by as entire chapters. At the moment I'm still in the introductory stage, so time needs to pass by as the Sekirei storyline catches up with this. Next chapter should allow me to move onto my original plans properly.

Amazingly I've not had any real negative reviews, despite a few warnings on how ferocious type moon fans are. The reason I haven't watched the series is that my internet runs at around 25KB/S… because I live in the middle of the English country-side. It cannot be improved, we've tried everyone. So an anime series would take about 3 weeks to download, assuming the connection stayed stable, which it does not…

There have been a few queries about the route… I can only say that it is Heavens Feel, but a variant on the established endings of it, I'm willing to spoiler it for people who feel they "need" to know, but for those who need only some brief confirmation it is HF, just not all stories have good endings...

I should also warn that because of my poor internet, my writing tool does not have spell or grammar check.


Chapter 2


This wasn't how I expected to spend my night. Shirou mused to himself as he stepped back to dodge a decaying claw that would have carved a gash out of his thigh. A quick slash with the blade in his right hand severed the limb as it continued its arc, spraying red blood onto the floor. A quick step forward and a thrust cleaved his second blade through the creature's face, a brutal twist of the blade cracked bone and cartillege aside as he tore the stained metal back out of his defeated foe. Sharp red eyes surveyed the scene about him, lingering over fallen bodies to make sure they were truly dead.

Well... deader... If that even made a difference to the apostles. Ahead of him he could hear more fighting as some of the other agents tasked to the area penetrated deeper into the sepulchre, towards the apostle who had caused this mess, leaving Shirou to deal with the mass of ghouls and living dead alone. He was better suited to the destruction of large amounts of unskilled enemies.

He'd received the call only a few hours ago from his common contact and somewhat-friend Marcus Blanc, one of his colleagues in the hunters. Most apostles prefered to keep themselves hidden as long as possible so as not to arouse their attention... so when reports of sightings of ghouls in Kamakura popped up they were quick to mobilise. Activity near a bustling population centre either meant the Apostles were truly confident of achieving something... or had gone insane. Neither was an appealing situation.

Marcus had known he wouldn't be able to say no, not when there were so many people in danger. And so many who have already died... His own tally was over twenty ghouls and five or six living dead no doubt all innocents living in the area who had mysteriously disappeared from the streets. Perhaps they were beggars or criminals or other undesierables who wouldn't be missed. But if this apostle was as foolhardy as he seemed, they could easily have been innocent bystanders. Either way, they were at peace now.

"Emiya this is M1, we're approaching the target. Secure the perimeter and make sure nothing escapes - over." Shirou grunted and pressed the small button on the radio attached to his breast.

"Understood M1." The two nameless blades fell from his grip as the od supporting them collapsed, nothing more than particles floating to the floor as the shape of a bow began to appear in his hands. The hunt was effectively over now, all that was left was to make sure no accomplices managed to escape in the confusion.

Minutes passed as he waited among the disfigured bodies of the innocent, like a statue of some mass murderer posing over his prey. It was the crunch of a bone breaking underfoot that ended his morbid thoughts, snapping his eyes towards one of the nearby crypts. Confidently he drew back on the bowstring, staring down the clean shaft into the darkness. Any of the hunters would have known to radio that they were approaching. A second passed and though his eyes could not pierce the darkness he knew that whatever laid within there could see him perfectly, it was not a peasant thought...

Seconds ticked by as no more sounds came forth, a deep breath escaped him as the realisation that it was a fully-fledged apostle that had come to him. Only they would have the survival instincts necessary to hesitate in the face of a threat such as himself. It was with that knowledge that he released the arrow blindly into the crypt, dismissing the bow and quickly tracing a single straight blade. His weapons might have the power of ages behind them, but an apostle could dodge a bullet after it left the gun, his arrows moved much slower than a bullet.

"Oh is that for me?" A young feminine voice laughed as a girl who couldn't be older than eighteen stepped out of the dark. Realistically she must have been over a century of age and had possibly evolved from a victim so very long ago. Shirou lowered himself into a stance as he kept the blade pointing towards the apostle. He'd learned long ago that gender and apparent age mattered little, he wasn't an amateur to be swayed by a pretty face and an innocent voice. "Nothing to say handsome? I guess all you hunters are the same... so damn boring." She shook her head in a disappointed manner before all traces of amusement fell from her. "Very well, let's end this then."

Even after ten years the speed at which these monstrosities could move continued to amaze him, one moment she had been stood in a casually dismissing manner, and the next she was striking down on him with her hand extended into claws as if to bisect him from head to toe. Taking a controlled step back he swung his blade up towards her hand, the move bringing to his mind the blonde tutor who had first taught him formal sword fighting.

She'd been a heroic spirit though, and the difference between her speed and his showed as the apostle gracefully swayed out the way, tucking her arm into her body as she lunged forwards to disembowel him. He was fatally over-extended and he knew it. The apostle knew it too.

The sound of the impact was not unlike a car crash, metal screeching against metal as cloth and skin gave way but the cold unfeeling swords beneath did not. The moment of hesitation, of complete confusion, was what he had been waiting for. The sword that had been extended skyward reversed and stabbed downwards, piercing between her shoulder blades and driving her flat into the ground. A metal tipped boot smashed down onto the uninjured arm as he leaned down and violently twisted the blade by the hilt.

The corpse shuddered in agony, before going still.

I am the bone of my sword... After so long, some aspects of it could occur instinctively, like a normal person tensing their muscles in anticipation of a blow. The sensation spread quickly through him as emotions and thoughts dulled, his expression falling into apathy as he surveyed his opponent with an emotionless gaze. Over a hundred years of experience, all of it meant nothing because for one brief second she had been caught off guard. It was almost unfair how the world could be lke that...

"Shirou!" The rebuke caught his attention as a grizzled man strode towards him, so the main apostle had been defeated? That was good, he supposed... "Shirou, enough. End it!" The man stopped three feet away from him sparing a quick glance for the unmoving apostle, before returning his sharp gaze to Shirou's. "Snap out of it boy, the battle's over."

That was something he needed to do wasn't it? Before that itching feeling beneath his skin got worse, already it felt as though something was bubbling up inside him. Something important... A quick shake of his head drew his mind back into focus as he took a deep breath, shutting down his circuits and wincing as feeling came back to his body... blood began to slowly seep from the wound on his stomach, but it was torn skin only.

"I'm fine... it just caught me off guard for a moment." He let a wry grin come to his face as he shook his head. The man seemed to look at him for a few more moments before slowly nodding his head, satisfied that he had returned to normal.

"I shouldn't have contacted you about this. You need this time off Shirou."

"It's fine Marcus. I was less than an hour away, is there any evidence there's a cult in the area?" That would effectively draw his vacation to an end, but if the apostles were mustering in force in Japan then.

"No." Marcus interrupted with a firm shake of the head. "No plans, no big evil. Just an apostle gone mad... he was cursing and raving when we found him. We can't even find any notes on what he was up to, we're pretty sure he just went over the deep end." Shirou nodded in response as he finally dismissed his blade, wiping his blood-stained hands on his shirt as he inspected his wounded stomach. The bleeding had already begun to slow down, no doubt from Avalon's help, but it always took a while for wounds from creatures so powerful to fade.

"You get yourself gone Shirou. I can handle the clean up with the others, get yourself to a hospital in that Shin Tokyo place of yours. We won't call on you again."

This wasn't how he had expected his night to go at all...


"You're lucky this wasn't worse Emiya-san." The white robed man scolded as he continued to tie the bandages around Shirou's waist. The redhead endured it with the patient understanding of a man who'd been in that situation many times before. "I've let the authorities know there's a wild dog on the loose, are you sure you can't remember what breed it was?"

"No. I'm sorry Oto-sensei. It was dark and it caught me by surprise. I didn't expect to come across a wild animal in Shin Tokyo…" Especially not of the vampiric kind, but the man didn't need to know that. Avalon would have been enough to keep him healthy, but the more important thing that was on this day, Emiya Shirou was nowhere near Kamakura. Instead he had been on a night out in Shin Tokyo where he'd been attacked by a wild dog. He trusted the hunters to eradicate whatever traces they could of their hunt, but there was always a chance that some small sign might remain especially with the ever increasing technology available to the police.

"That's understandable, it must have been frightening. Honestly we get some injuries like this but they're usually from overly playful pets." Cold fingers prodded at the wrapped bandage as Shirou made the appropriate sounds an injured person might.

"I think this will convince me to hold back on getting a pet for myself. Will I be okay to get back to work today?"

"I'd really prefer you didn't Emiya-san. If necessary I can provide a note to an employer?"

"That's okay I'm self-employed. It should be on my file." The man took a moment to settle down and work on his computer before typing in a few details. The Clock Tower were very strict on ensuring that all their members were on public databases, at least maintaining self-employed jobs that would let them pass beneath the radar. In today's world missing records stuck out, anomolies were identified and investigated. The nail that stuck out after all…

"Ah that's fine then. You've just come from England? Are you going to be staying here permanently now?"

"Maybe." He admitted with a shrug. "England was nice and all, but I was born in Japan and I always seem to do better for myself here. We'll just have to see."

"Well everything seems to check out Emiya-san." Once more the man rose to his feet and shook his hand. "I've updated your medical record on the system, and the information's going to be passed through to MBI when they take over." That tidbit caught him off guard.

"I'm sorry, what was that last part?" The doctor spared him a confused glance, Shirou forced a polite smile out in an attempt to hide his frustration. "About my records being passed on to a third party, isn't that illegal?"

"I'm afraid I don't deal with that Emiya-san, I can pass on your concerns to MBI directly... I'm sure they would be willing to have someone explain..."

"No, I'm sure it's okay. All for medical science, right?" Though he let it out with a laugh inside he was more concerned. It was one thing allowing his records onto the public database, but they would be used for little else than record-keeping there. As far as he could tell MBI was a medical research facility...it was their job to prod and investigate, and they might be able to find something unusual about his blood or DNA... But if he caused a scene they would only pay more attention to him.

"Well if there's anything else please get in touch Emiya-san. If you need any pain killers please feel free to ask at the front desk while you're paying."

"Of course, thank you again." He bowed as he left the small office, dredging his wallet from one pocket. It was already gone two in the afternoon as they'd needed to perform some tests to look for any infection. Thankfully he'd not scheduled any repairs for the day knowing he would need rest after the night's activities, it was just a shame it wouldn't come in the form of a long sleep.

It shouldn't be such a problem that his information was being passed onto another company. Though the Clock Tower was far behind the standards of current medical science they had conducted very thorough... research... into the genetics of magus. As much as it disgusted him to condone their actions, if there truly was any purely genetic connection between a human and their ability to become a magus, then the Clock Tower would have discovered it by now. There was obviously some form of hereditary connection, it was one of the only ways to explain the increasing number of circuits within the more well-known families, but the actual spark - if one could call it that, could be found in almost everyone.

The real danger might come from the effects it had on his own body... he was still rated as a rather pathetic magus despite his abilities and accomplishments. Many referred to him as an idiot savant, who had only managed to achieve such powerful skills as a result of a terrible fluke. Whatever the cause, his body was not that of a normal twenty-five year olds. Even ignoring the numerous scars of what should clearly have been near fatal wounds, his nerve endings were cruelly damaged from misuse, and his blood had an iron content far too high to be considered healthy... That he could stay standing through such adverse conditions would surely be just the kind of medical anomaly MBI would be looking for...

It was a testament to how lost in his thoughts he was that the first sign he had of someone approaching him was when a dainty finger prodded into his cheek. Reddish eyes widened at the close contact before he stumbled back in alarm, unsure how someone had gotten so close. His eyes settled immediately on the most distinctive aspect of the person before him… it was unfortunate then, that these happened to be her rather sizeable assets.

Guiltily his eyes traced up her body towards her smiling face, the long sideways ponytail of the woman he'd seen on a recent repair job filled his vision. The grin on her pink lips said she knew exactly where he'd been looking.

"Uzume-san?" He hedged, fairly sure he was remembering the name correctly but unwilling to stake his reputation on it. She was the kind of woman that was truly unforgettable, but it certainly wasn't for her name… Her grin seemed to widen into something less teasing at his greeting.

"Well if it isn't the repairman of the night. And I'm surprised you remember me Shirou." He had to fight back the urge to raise an eyebrow at the unimaginative title she gave him, though he was honestly surprised she'd remembered the name of what was effectively a random man. "Whatcha doing at the hospital? Were you attacked by an angry air conditioning unit?"

"Close." He laughed good naturedly as he rubbed the back of his head. He couldn't help but think this teasing must be a core part of her personality, to so easily talk to a stranger like this. "A stray dog caught me across the stomach, I've just had a check-up in case it was infected." He lifted the hem of his shirt to reveal the bandages wrapped around his waist.

"Oh Shirou… not your toned stomach." She grinned as she gave him a sly look, despite her tone he could see a small amount of concern in her eyes. "It really was the only reason we even hired you… what shall we do now?"

"Somehow I'm sure you'll survive." He quipped back with a gentle smile, it was somehow relaxing to talk with someone who seemed to have so little worries. "How about you, you're not hurt are you?"

"Heh, I'm healthy." She bounced in place as she said it, making sure to draw attention to the double entendre she was making. Yes, she certainly was a very healthy girl. Again he dragged his eyes away from her frankly ridiculous bust.

"So if you're not here because you're injured are you perhaps stalking me? Should I be concerned?"

"Heh, in your wildest dreams. I work here as a volunteer. Some of the people in there … well, they don't have much to be happy about." Their quiet banter trailed away awkwardly at that proclamation. Internally Shirou found himself impressed with this young girl… not many people were willing to dedicate their time to others, least of all people as young as her.

"That's really commendable Uzume-san. I'm honestly impressed you'd be willing to do that." Despite his kind words, the young woman's expression only seemed to turn more pained at each word. He looked for something he could say to end the strange silence that had come between them. "Are you finished for the day?"

"Hmm… planning to take me out for a drink?" Her head tilted to one side even as her grin went back into a more teasing quality. Despite the toying quality to her words he didn't hesitate in his answer.

"Sure. Let's get a drink."


For Uzume, the situation was more awkward than she had expected it to be. Oh she'd innocently flirted with plenty of men and women, but it was always just teasing – she would always be loyal to her Ashikabi. So sitting down at a table being gifted with a meal and drinks by a handsome man was not how she'd expected a quick visit to Chiho to end. Kazehana would laugh herself under the table at this… Despite that, she was surprised to find how easy it was to talk with the man in front of her.

"So how are things at Izumo? I hope you've managed to keep the place in one piece since I was last around…"

"Heh, sorta…" She giggled as she took a quick sip of sake. The two of them had finished their meal a few minutes ago and were relaxing with a small ceramic bottle of sake between them. Normally she'd have been a little suspicious of a guy trying to ply her with drink… maybe it was because he seemed so much older, and more mature, than most men… but she couldn't imagine him coming onto her. He just seemed so… disinterested in her body. "Actually we have two new tenants, and things have gotten a bit insane since they dropped by."

That was one way to put it. Minato and Musubi were pretty fun to watch, but they seemed to have no sense of presence. If something could be broken, they'd find a way to do it. It was fun to act so carefree around them though, even though she knew one day she'd take them out of the game. Her face dipped at that sobering thought, and her companion seemed to catch it.

"Are they causing trouble for you?" She shook her head as she downed another cup of sake, feeling the fiery liquid spread through her body. Normally she only went drinking with Kazehana and they would talk about the Sekirei plan. It was both nice and painful that she could talk to someone who knew nothing about it… in some ways she could be honest…

"Nah, they're okay. It's just a little annoying to see how easy they have it y'know? I mean it sounds bitter, but there's lots of people at the hospital who don't have that same freedom. Chi- one of the women I see there… she's in a bad way…." But it was difficult lying so much to him, particularly with the alcohol clouding her judgement. She hadn't meant to turn this into a rant.

He didn't seem to catch her small slip though, instead he was staring into space with a look she'd seen on his face at the hospital. There was no discernible expression on his face, yet she could sense a small amount of melancholy… or bitterness, coming from him. Perhaps it was the eyes that had tightened slightly… or maybe it was her own weak amount of psychic ability. All Sekirei were to a certain degree empathic creatures, they fed on the love of their Ashikabi in a sense, so it made sense that they could feel some emotions around them…

"No. I know what you mean." The words came out as his face morphed back into a more gentle expression as he took a sip of his drink. For some reason she didn't doubt his comment… still, the conversation was rapidly moving into dangerous waters. She decided to fall back on her default ice breaker.

"So, enough about what's going on in my sordid life. What about yours? You got any special woman we're cheating on right now?" She'd meant it to be funny, meant it to make him laugh or stutter or embarrassingly say that he was single. But the expression that came over his face made her heart fall into her stomach. His face went blank for a second, his reddish eyes seemed to flash with some uncertain emotion before closing softly for a good few seconds. When they opened again they were clear once more, but she didn't miss the quiet exhale of breath he let out. His head tilted to the side as a lopsided smile came over his lips.

"Is that a proposition Uzume-chan? Trying to ply me with drink and take advantage of me?" She choked out a laugh in response but it sounded hollow even to her. I'm so sorry… She wanted to say that to him, but it was obvious the moment had passed, and they would both be expected to act like it had never happened. I don't think I ever want to see that expression on his face again…

"You've caught me bro. Guess my plan's bust. You won't escape me next time!" They laughed together, both knowing they weren't fooling the other, but content to follow the motions anyway. Even if it was filled with deceit, she reflected, it was a comfortable time she spent with him. Away from the Sekirei plan, away from Miya and Minato. Even away from Chiho.

It was… refreshing.


"Ara what is thi- Uzume-chan!?" The lavender haired woman gasped as the busty young Sekirei fell into her arms, for a moment panic reigned in her thoughts before she recognised a smell she would normally have associated with Kazehana. "Oh dear Uzume-chan. Don't tell me you were out with Kazehana again?" That girl really was a bad influence on her younger companion; she would need to take her to tas-

"Not Kzana…" The brunette slurred into Miya's chest. "I was out with Shirou – I liked it – he's fun." The name meant nothing to her for a few moments as she wracked her brain in thought. The only Shirou she knew was the young man that had performed some repairs a few days ago… she idly wondered how the two had come across one another.

"My, my, Uzume-chan. I hope you enjoyed your night out, you'll certainly regret it when you wake tomorrow..." She continued to help her tenant up the stairs towards her room, she didn't quite trust the inebriated Sekirei on the staircase.

"I don't… want him to know… Miya. Please?"

"Ara. Who are we talking about here Uzume-chan?" Surely she wasn't referring to Minato-kun, perhaps she felt he would have some teasing potential on her should he see her like this.

"…he doesn't know bout the Se-sekrei plan. So don't let him know kay?" Miya sighed to herself as she allowed a patient smile to bloom on her face.

"Of course Uzume-chan. We always keep it a secret around strangers though, you don't need to worry." She must have been talking about this Shirou-kun now. Though why she felt the need to even ask was strange enough, Miya would never let anyone know about the plan if she could help it.

"H-he's my fren now… Miya… so can't let him get hurt. Juss a normal guy so no no… stuff." Miya stifled a small laugh as she helped tuck the woman into her futon. Uzume was such an innocent drunk, it was almost endearing in a sad way. The girl really didn't have many real friends… Despite playing the oblivious landlady Miya knew what went on amongst her flock. Uzume kept herself apart so she wouldn't feel the emotional pain of having to fight a close friend. For her to find a normal person to be friends with, who wouldn't be in danger, and who wouldn't be scared or lustful towards her?

"It will be fine Uzume-chan. He's in no danger, right?" Her question went unanswered, the girl now lightly snoring into her pillow. As soon as she had been laid down she had fallen into a deep slumber.

It was time Matsu earned some rent. And Miya had to know more about this man who had forced his way into their lives.


Good Lord, I think there were four changes of perspective in there, as well as three time skips… sigh… Still, the foundations have now been laid so the story can begin in earnest next chapter.

Pairings are still open, and trust me, that was not an Uzume romance play I'm afraid. I tend to be a very realistic writer, so romance and fights will work around that. Much like how Shirou fought the apostle. At the end of the day Shirou isn't Archer, he can become him, but doesn't have those skills. He also doesn't have the augmentation of a Heroic Spirit or Counter Guardian, so there's no real suggestion that he should be able to react at the speed of an apostle… or a Sekirei.

He has to use his other abilities to his best.