Alright, time for our 8th chapter, one day late for Fate: Fake Hero's 1 Year Anniversary. I expect gifts. Also, Happy Halloween!
All joking aside (I would still appreciate gifts), welcome back. After I'm done with this one, I'm working on my newest story idea (Maybe, I might drop it like I did with Wish Upon A Star. Unlikely, since I actually have plans this time and I'm excited for it). If you left a question in the Reviews, I'll try to answer it to the best of my ability. Unless it's a random guest review that's half finished or just random nonsense. But I usually delete those. They're the only ones I can delete, unfortunately. There are more than a few I'd like to be rid of… But one day, I'll make sure to fix that.
Enough about my diabolical plans to take over the website, you're not here for that. Probably. Maybe. …Possibly?
Okay, MOST of you are not here for that, you're here for the garbage I post and call a story. The same garbage that's thoroughly beat out Peace and Leisure, and is gunning for A Boy's Best Friend. It's a shame that the most popular stuff in this category hasn't been updated for so long (Like the latter. I miss you too, Upon The Throne.) or kind of suck (Like the former, and so many others. Looking at you, Twice Inheritor). If anyone likes Peace and Leisure or Twice Inheritor, I'm sorry to admit it, but neither are my cup of tea.
I'll be honest, the only reason my story is so popular is because it's the only Miyu!Shirou and MHA crossover to have 3+ Chapters. Well, the fact that I can write in decent English probably helps. And I'm not sticking to canon.
Note: I'm sure some of you have already noticed, but I've edited all the chapters to change Hakunon's name to Hakuno, because several of you have been complaining about it. With that said, I do like Hakunon better than Hakuno, because whenever I see 'Hakuno', I think of Last Encore, where the main protagonist is male. I used 'Hakunon' instead so it confused me less, and sounded more feminine.
Enough talk, time for story!
Chapter 8: Changes
Shirou continued to thumb at the crumpled letter in his hands, even while Hakuno vomited words at him in the empty Student Council room. Mostly about anything interesting that happened while he was gone. He did pick up something about a couple getting caught making out in one of the classrooms ("First, in a classroom? Really? Second, why make out at school and get caught? Do it at home, no one's gonna walk in on you like that. Less rumors, too." Or so his brunette kouhai argued), but it didn't really interest him at the moment. He cared more about the piece of paper in his hands right now, or which he had mixed feelings for.
The moment Nezu and Recovery Girl left, he crushed the envelope without hesitation and tried to throw it away. But Miyu stopped him before he could toss it into the bin. Admittedly, he was surprised by this. It wasn't everyday that he and Miyu had differing opinions, they usually agreed on things. He made it clear that he didn't want to be a Hero, and Miyu insisted that he used to want it. He frowned slightly, thinking about that conversation. Yes, conversation, not argument. His talk with Julian six months ago was an argument, this was nothing like that.
Thankfully, it wasn't that heated. He'd feel awful if Miyu got mad and slammed the door on him or something. He'd prefer a literal knife to the gut, thank you very much. He could heal from those very easily. Emotional wounds on the other hand? To put it in perspective, that look on Miyu's face when they reunited at the end of the Grail War still hurt. He didn't heal from emotional wounds nearly as well as the physical ones, he just got used to them. Suppressed them.
It wasn't physical pain that broke EMIYA, after all.
"…I mean, who would've expected Kazu and Aya? I was sure that Kazu had a thing for Sara, but then Lumi-chan walked in on the two of them in one of the classrooms getting all mushy with each other! I really wish you'd been there, Senpai! It would've been hilarious if you found them making out in the Janitor's closet or something!" Hakuno ranted with an excited grin, laughing at the memory.
"Hm." Shirou hummed, acknowledging her statement but not adding on to it. He didn't even look up, still focused on the letter in his hand. Hakuno noticed this, and in all of her lacking sense of personal space or manners, crawled over the table to look at what had him so distracted. Well, 'table'. It was actually just a bunch of desks lined up together. Either way, her action got him to look up, as one normally would when someone crawled on a table. "…What are you doing?"
"Trying to figure out what's got you so bothered today! You said you were looking forward to coming back, so what's got you so distracted? You've barely said anything!" She rebuked, crawling across the desks to him and looking straight down. She almost immediately saw the letter, it took her a moment longer to realize it was crumpled, and a second after that… "Senpai. Why do you have a letter with Yuuei's seal on it? And why is it so crumpled?" The sudden shift in attitude was unusual.
"Oh, it's a recommendation letter. Apparently, a Pro-Hero recommended me for Yuuei's Hero Course, and I got this letter delivered to me. I was going to throw it away." Shirou replied in an equally deadpan tone. Hakonon just stared at him blankly, likely processing his statement, pun intended. The fact that she actually needed to think about this was a testament to how bizarre it was.
"That's a lot to drop on me at once." She muttered, slightly overwhelmed by the details, before shaking her head and staring at him. She slammed her hands on the desks, causing everything on them to shake slightly. It was a wonder how she hadn't managed to knock any of them over yet. "First off, you got a recommendation!? And you wanted to turn it down!?"
"Why would you get a degree in medicine if you wanted to be a programmer? Why would you run track if you wanted to become a professional swimmer? I don't want to be a Pro-Hero, so I don't need to go to Yuuei. And get down from the table, you're gonna break something." He explained, hoping to cut the conversation off before it turned into a debate. Unfortunately, she did not drop the subject. She didn't even get down from the table, instead choosing to sit down as she pondered what he said.
"I mean, I guess that makes sense. But why wouldn't you want to be a Hero? They're so cool!" She exclaimed, but backtracked a bit with an awkward expression. "Well, some of them are. A lot of them are just annoying money grubbers, loud showoffs, or glorified celebrities. Mt. Lady." She admitted, whispering that last part annoyed. What was her problem with Mt. Lady, anyways? Shirou didn't like her all that much, but that was because she was a poor example for Eri and Miyu, not because of any personal issues she had with the woman. Well, aside from her lack of shame. Hakuno shook her head and looked at him determinedly. "But I know you wouldn't end up like that, Senpai! And you've got such a cool Quirk too! You could get in the top ten, easy."
Was it just jealousy? Like it or not, Shirou could understand her 'appeal', especially with her male fanbase. He knew some girls were super conscious of that kind of stuff…
Shirou dismissed that thought before the filter between his brain and mouth shut off. "I always admired Heroes growing up, but not the ones in the modern day, going around and beating up Villains. And not the ones from those old comic books that inspired today's society. You know the ones, they debuted more than a century ago." He explained with a shake of the head. "The ones I admired were far, far older than that. Fairytales and Storybooks. Myths and Epics. Songs and Fables. Legends. Heroes renowned for completing impossible tasks, which countless men have tried and failed. Slaying monsters that have terrorized a kingdom for years on end and standing victorious atop the remains of their foe. Leading armies to battle for the sake of their country. Declaring myself a Hero, no different from those legends, because of a license and a diploma? To me, that's just… wrong." He admitted with a frown.
Calling himself a Hero after four years of college, that was an insult to everything both Kiritsugu and EMIYA stood for. EMIYA only became a 'Hero' after forming a contract with Alaya and spending countless years as a Guardian of Humanity. Kiritsugu only became a 'Hero' after he was considered the Magus Killer, an Incorrigible Saint that killed the few to save the many.
And him? He already made his choice.
"Huh, I've never really thought of it like that." She raised a hand to her chin. "I mean, now that I think about it, our modern society feels like one big comic book, but it's all real." She crossed arms and legs, nodding to herself at her statement. Shirou slumped slightly, that's not where he was going with this.
And she was still sitting on the desks. He briefly considered reinforcing them, they weren't exactly new. Or especially durable. Not that she was heavy or anything, just… He had a point here, but he didn't know what it was.
"Anyways…" He stressed, trying to get back on topic. "Another part of it is because Heroism has been turned into a Profession, and that doesn't sit right with me either." He replied with a shake of the head. When she looked at him weirdly, he elaborated. "You said it yourself, so many of them are focused on the money, fame, or a chance to beat people up. They save people in danger, not because they are in need of saving and it's the 'right' thing to do, but because they get paid, they get praised, they get to beat up the bad guys with their Quirk. I wouldn't trust those people to save me if they were more concerned about their paycheck than my health. But they still end up saving people at the end of the day, so… meh." He shrugged.
That was actually a fair summary of his general feelings on the matter. The fact that they had such shallow reasons for saving people and called themselves 'Professional Heroes' in spite of that, it irked him. But they still save others, regardless of their intentions, so he'd accept them. He was more bitter when he first learned of it, but those feelings mellowed out over time. Now, all he felt towards Pro-Heroes was a mix of slight annoyance and apathy.
He didn't plan on becoming a Pro-Hero, despite his neutrality to it. He'd been on the fence about Kiritsugu's dream for years (Though that was mostly because he wasn't willing to sacrifice Miyu, nearly anyone else was still on the table for him), and it was all but abandoned when Miyu made her wish all those months ago. Then when Sakura died… Sakura… Dammit, he just killed his own mood. But when she died, he completely let it go. Even a world as idealistic as this wouldn't magically change that, it didn't undo his choice. If anything, it was a constant reminder that he abandoned his own world, and every man, woman, and child that lived in it.
Wait, no, he was making it worse.
He shook his head, reaching the end of his argument. "Regardless of how I view it, I'll always have the other side nagging at me. It's simultaneously 'just a job' and 'people's lives are in your hands', and I don't trust myself with that responsibility." He concluded. 'I don't deserve that responsibility, either.'
The bell rang, signaling the end of lunch, and the end of their informal reunion. "Aw, dang it. I thought we had more time to talk." She bemoaned, before grabbing her lunch from behind her and scarfing it down. Shirou had already finished his lunch, so he got up and grabbed his bag, stuffing the Recommendation letter back inside. "Can we hang out after school or something? I was hoping to learn more about those Yakuza creeps."
"Sorry, but it will have to wait. The lease on my apartment is coming up soon, and I gotta work it all out. I'm considering moving out, actually. There are a few other places that are more convenient for us to live. Closer to our schools, better facilities, ect. And I got a lot more stuff to pack than expected, so if I do move out, I'll have to start working on it soon." Shirou smiled awkwardly. Apparently, almost everything in that apartment was bought separately, Zelretch acquired them and put them there. So he had to get ready to move all those as well. "I'm also a bit surprised Issei and Arno aren't here today."
"Oh, Arno-senpai slept through his alarm today and decided not to come, and I think Ryuudou is at a dentist appointment." She raised a finger to her chin, looking up as she remembered. "I certainly don't mind, since I got you all to myself during lunch." She teased. Shirou turned around to look at her, his smile ever so slightly larger. "Oh, that reminds me! Remember what I told you to prepare for last week?"
"Um… It was a 'glomp', right? I don't have a clue what that is, though. I forgot to look it up, give me a second." He replied while pulling out his phone, somewhat confused. Eye of the Mind was blaring at him, signaling that he was in danger. But Hakuno had a non-combat Quirk, a pretty typical figure (Not to say she's unattractive, just not super athletic), and no weapons. So why was it reacting like this? The girl in question stood up on the desks. "Hakuno?" He asked, concerned, just as he finished typing in 'What is a glomp' into the search bar.
His eyes shot down for a moment, reading the first definition that he saw. 'A glomp is a lunging, enthusiastic, over-the-top, and potentially dangerous hug that often begins with a running start, like a tackle.' It was accompanied by a picture… which happened to be from an anime. That uncertainty suddenly made sense, and Shirou looked back up at Hakuno, who bent her knees. "Wait, hold on. You're going to hurt yourself-"
Before he could stop her, Hakuno had already jumped off the desks and leapt at him with her arms spread out wide. His first instinct was to step to the side and dodge the 'attack'. But that would mean Hakunon crashing into something, and he wouldn't allow that, as a friend. So he compromised, stepping to the side and grabbing her while she passed him.
She blinked twice, processing what happened. Her arms were outstretched, so she didn't grab Shirou. But she didn't hit the floor, either. She was still hovering above the ground. She turned to look at Shirou as everything clicked. "Wow, you're fast, Senpai." She said with a grin.
"I certainly like to think so." He replied, setting her down on the floor. "Well, I need to get back to class. See you later." The door was shut behind him. Hakuno left back for her class a few minutes later, after she finished grabbing her stuff. Their conversation did not leave either of their minds.
It was inevitable. They'd have to get back to it eventually, it was part of the reason they arrived here in the first place. It was why they were given Sapphire, and why a few strange occurrences were happening. There was a bit of abnormal weather last month, sudden showers of rain and hail popped up randomly.
"Adding imaginary numerical axis to the fifth instrumental variable."
Of course, Shirou didn't want to do it at the same rate as before. He wanted to make up for all the lost time in the past month.
"Preparing inversion. Confirming existence of multiple spaces. Fixation of centre co-ordinates complete. Forming a reflective path within a radius of two metres."
However, he wouldn't be sacrificing Miyu's health for it. She had a school life, and she was a growing girl. She needed her sleep. So he didn't bring Miyu with him for his 'overtime'.
"Performing partial inversion of Mirror world connection."
He was going by himself. He was older, bigger, stronger, and more used to long nights than Miyu. And he had a Servant's level of Endurance, he could handle it. Of course, he wasn't going completely alone.
"Coordinates are stable." Sapphire spoke in monotone, flying out of his grasp. Her wings turned to ribbons, and wrapped around his waist like a belt. Her 'head' was at his left hip, her handle was gone. "Transportation complete." Like this, he couldn't use any of her abilities except sealing the cards, which was perfectly fine with him.
"Thanks, Sapphire." Shirou muttered, observing his surroundings. He traveled out of the city to the location of the nearest disturbance that Sapphire detected. Meaning it was the location of a Class Card. Around him was an empty field, far away from civilization. Good, no witnesses of him entering or exiting the Mirror Dimension.
Roughly ten meters ahead, a black cloud blurred into existence. From it emerged a figure garbed in green and black. He looked sickly and pale. In his right hand, a long red spear. Gae Dearg, Crimson Rose of Exorcism. In his left, a shorter, golden spear. Gae Buidhe, Golden Rose of Mortality. The former could cut through the flow of Magical Energy, and the latter left cursed wounds that didn't heal. That made this Diarmuid Ua Duibhne, specifically as a Lancer. 'It's probably a good thing I didn't bring Miyu.' Shirou thought, eyeing the mole under the Lancer's right eye. The so-called 'love-spot' that charmed women into falling in love. He'd castrate the guy if Miyu were here.
Shirou traced two weapons, a short spear and a shortsword. A copy of Gae Buidhe appeared in his own right hand, and a nameless arming sword in his left.
Shirou stepped forward, intending on striking first. He knew how the Lancer would fight, so being on the defensive here wouldn't have helped him. A moment later, a crater was left in the ground, and Shirou lashed out with his copied spear. Diarmuid barely had enough time to block with Gae Dearg's shaft, a loud metallic clang reverberating through the night. He immediately tried countering with the same golden spear, but Shirou ducked under and planted his metal boot in the Shadow's gut, kicking him away.
Kicking forward, he charged in before Diarmuid could recover. Shirou thrust forward the longer weapon, cutting into the spirit's side. He clicked his tongue, it wasn't his target. Shirou fell to the side a second time, dodging a swing from the longer spear and deflecting a thrust from the shorter one.
He stabbed his spear into the ground and flipped away from Lancer, before tearing the spear back out and throwing it towards its true owner. It exploded in a burst of Mana before the spear wielder could deflect it. Another pair of weapons, both steel daggers this time, appeared in Shirou's hands.
The problem with lances is that they're good for keeping enemies away, and terrible at dealing with them up close. Knives and daggers had the opposite purpose, which is why they were good for assassination. Perfect for Shirou's current objective: Take away Gae Buidhe.
Of the two spears, it was more troublesome for him. Gae Dearg cut the flow of Magical Energy, which would screw up his Reinforcement if it hit, but wouldn't leave any lasting damage. It didn't dispel his Projections either, since they could last a while without him fueling them. Gae Buidhe would leave cuts that didn't heal, and that could be a problem for him. Muscles, tendons, entire appendages, possibly. Without a doubt, Gae Buidhe was the bigger threat here. So he would deal with it. How?
The same way he dealt with Zachary in the Grail War, through dismemberment. Of course, he could've done something more subtle and less extreme, such as severing the tendons in his arm (Strangely ironic, for some reason). But brutality was easier than subtlety when it came to Heroic Spirits.
Blue Circuits lit up across his body, and spread out into his daggers, reinforcing the blades with his Od. He also altered them slightly with Alteration, applying a concept to them that increased their overall sharpness. Tracing is the one spell he has to be mindful of, so he could use anything else almost without restraint if it helped. He was actually better at most of his spells than EMIYA, because his Circuits were always in better condition, and he could practice them more without anyone visiting his house. He didn't hide Magecraft from Miyu either, he just didn't bring it up, and she didn't ask.
Diarmuid rushed forward impatiently, his lack of ego removing his careful planning skills. That was something else he noticed about these 'Shadow Servants'. They didn't really plan things out, they basically just threw their abilities around without restraint. Casters, for example, just threw out attack spells and tried basically nothing else until it was too late. It didn't change the strategies for wild Berserkers, and Servants with higher Parameters were still troublesome, but weaker ones dropped like flies without their ability to strategize.
In their fight with Medusa, she tried deploying her Noble Phantasm, but ultimately lost when Shirou crossed the distance between them unhindered and stopped her. If he was somehow more predisposed of, like tangled in her chains or slowed through other means, it might've made more sense. But she just tried deploying it all of a sudden after jumping away, still close enough for him to attack.
It seemed Diarmuid was the same, preparing for a charge with the twin roses in hand. Rather than intercept like he did for the youngest Gorgon sister, Shirou stood in waiting, reversing his grip on the twin blades he held. Diarmuid took it as a challenge, and picked up speed. Ten meters. Five. Three.
Lancer thrust forward with Gae Buidhe first, a mistake he would be regretting in a moment. Before it could strike any of his vitals, Shirou dodged right, almost teleporting out of the way with his right arm extended up. He squeezed the handle of his knife, and without a single moment of hesitation, swung down. The arm was cleaved off cleanly, and before Lancer could recover, Shirou spun around and stuck his other knife into the Shadow's back.
He continued to push, knocking Lancer to the ground. Another knife was stuck into his back and neck in quick succession. Lancer's body began to fade away until only a card remained. Shirou picked it up, and brought it down to Sapphire. He shut his eyes and envisioned chains wrapping around the card. "Card has been sealed. Let us return, Shirou-sama."
"Of course…" He muttered, though he made no move to grab the wand at his side. He looked around at the sky, the ground, the distant trees. "Hey, Sapphire… Why hasn't the world started to collapse yet?" He tensed his body in preparation, eyes scanning the surroundings.
"I do not know, Shirou-sama… Hold on, there is something else- Alert! Enemy Servant Detec-" Shirou was already moving, anywhere away from his previous position. Not even a second later, a large explosion of Mana turned his previous position to a hot crater. Shirou could only see his second opponent for a moment. The cloak was familiar to him, and the staff was a dead giveaway. Medea of Colchis. Witch of Betrayal.
And one powerful Caster, if the large, large Magic Circles in the air were any indication. This went back to his earlier point. These Shadow Servants, they focused more on wiping out their attacker than protecting themselves. Of course, he still had to actually deal with those attacks. He couldn't use Gae Dearg, since it only interrupted the flow of Magecraft when in contact with the source and cut through any kind of Magical Barrier. It wasn't actually that great against most types of attack spells, such as a fireball or a laser. He also considered using the Caster's own Noble Phantasm, Rule Breaker, but those were better for severing contracts or enchantments, not negating attacks.
So, he would do the same thing he did in his own Grail War. Evade. And he had just the Noble Phantasm to help.
He was being lenient enough with his Tracing, so the migraine hadn't kicked in yet. And his 'condition' was much better compared to the time he fought Asterios, so he could make a lot more than before without 'aggravating' it. So… might as well give it a shot. He'd have to do it fast, since most of those Magic Circles were lighting up like it was Christmas.
The Circuits in his arms lit up like a machine, and small sparks of blue lightning danced at his palms. Those small blue sparks soon turned red, and went rampant. That red thunder took form, the form of a red and silver broadsword. The sword that symbolized royalty.
Her name was Clarent. The very same sword that brought an end to the King of Knights. When wielded, it 'amplified the king's aura'. Specifically, it increased all three Physical Parameters, as well as one's Charisma Skill, by a single Rank each. It also 'amplified' other things, which allowed Mordred (The Knight of the Round Table, not the blonde tomboy foreigner that's only two years older than Miyu) to create 'Clarent Blood Arthur' using the sword and her own feelings towards the sword's original owner. So he was now even faster, with higher Strength and Endurance as well. Perfect for what he needed.
Four beams of raw destructive power surged through the air, scorching the air and carrying enough power to leave not even ash behind. "Shirou-sama, look-" Before it even reached the Magus, he vanished, leaving behind a trail of red. The Witch of Betrayal could only look on in shock, not expecting Shirou to move so fast. And understandably so, a modern day human wasn't nearly fast enough for that. Sure, he dodged her initial attack, but it was hardly her fastest or strongest. Even the Caster Card User of his Grail War had faster spells, and he was a total amateur when compared to the original, weakened as she may be.
A booming crack of thunder sounded from behind the Witch, and she turned around to see a Clarent-wielding Shirou, seemingly floating in midair. In a way, it wasn't an incorrect statement. He was technically floating midair, just not literally. In truth, he projected a shield midair, and used it as a foothold for him to land on.
He got the idea from Miyu when she finally figured out a way to 'fly', using Sapphire to create footholds of Magical Energy and essentially walk on air. He later suggested to her, since she was so keen on using physics instead of her imagination, to have those footholds actually propel her in a given direction. For example, she could create one at an angle and propel herself diagonally instead of making a sort of magical staircase to do the same thing. Essentially, he told her to turn her footholds into launchpads. She took to it like a fish to water. Or nearly anything else because she was unnaturally good at learning new things.
Seriously, he projected a guitar for one afternoon out of a passing remark from his little sister. The next morning, he woke up to her playing 'Here Comes The Sun' by the Beatles! How did she even know that song? It was actually a bit ironic. They were both Japanese, and she chose 'Here Comes The Sun' despite that.
Ever heard of Hiroshima and Nagasaki? Yeah, the US dropped the 'sun' on Japan twice during WWII.
A more tame example was how quickly she took to cooking when she was still very little, or how good she was at reading. Was it some kind of trait from her birth family? Natural perfection at whatever they learn? That was unfair. Still, it was a good talent. She could go into almost any profession, if she wanted to pursue it.
He was getting off track. When Miyu created her 'propulsion steps', he took inspiration from that, and created a new way for him to maneuver. He had limited telekinesis over his creations, thus allowing them to float and fly like guided missiles. He could also leave them floating in the air. So he decided to take advantage of that, and create shields solely for the purpose of swift maneuverability.
A second shield appeared opposite of his own, and slightly to the left. Shirou kicked off the shield he was standing on and landed on the second, striking Medea with his sword once as he passed with another trail of lightning following behind. He repeated the process again and again, protecting more and more shields without even dismissing them. From an outsider's perspective, it looked more like the Witch was being struck by lightning.
Two more shields appeared. One was directly ahead and tilted upwards, and the other was straight above Medea and facing down. He shot across the first, delivering a strike to sever Medea's hand and get her away from her staff. He jumped up to the final shield with a flip, dispelling all the other shields, and pointing the silver sword straight down. Parts of the sword folded down towards the guard, and the red lightning only became more intense. He jumped forward, intent on striking down Medea before she could try teleporting away.
A red thunderbolt struck the earth, and Medea was caught up in it. When it cleared, it revealed scorched earth, and Shirou kneeled in the center, his blade stabbed into the ground. A few stray jolts bounced off the earth or down the sword, but the job was done. He dismissed Clarent, and raised out a hand to catch the Class Card as it drifted down. He lowered the card to Sapphire, and sealed it. He let out a sigh of relief when the world began to collapse, a rather odd reaction out of context. "I probably showed off more than I intended to… well, I kept the number of Noble Phantasms on the light side, so I can keep going." He muttered, grabbing at his impromptu belt. "Sapphire, get us out of here."
"…I must admit, I am impressed, Shirou-sama. I wish Miyu-sama showed such creativity in combat." The Mystic Code replied, returning to her normal state and activating the return spell. Eventually, they returned to a more normal looking field of grass, with no signs of such wild battle. "Are you sure we should continue, Shirou-sama?"
"Certain. We need to make up for lost time, and no offense to Miyu, but she can barely handle herself with one of these guys a day. I'm the most capable between the two of us, and I won't have to worry about any headaches if I'm sparing with my Tracing." He explained. "Now, where's the next one? Remember, we're doing this in order of when you detected them, I don't want to give any potential Casters any more time to prepare than I have to."
"…The next disturbance I detected was in the forest by Kamino Ward." She said reluctantly, slightly worried about the teen's health. Still, he had a Servant's level of Endurance, so perhaps she could worry a bit less? This wasn't her current master after all, who was young and a relatively normal human. This was basically a living, breathing Servant.
"Got it." With those words, he departed to the next card.
Shirou snuck back into his room through the window, with half a dozen Class Cards stored and sealed in his pocket. Lancer Diarmuid, Caster Medea, Assassin Hassan-i-Sabbah (A few dozen swords dealt with them swiftly), Archer David (Steel beats a stick and stones, enough said), Berserker Nightingale (She seemed more focused on curing her 'taint' than fighting him, strangely enough. She went down without too much of a fight, and her card seemed 'delighted' when she was sealed), and Rider Francis Drake. If he hadn't used so many Broken Phantasms on the last one when she tried using The Wild Hunt, he might've gotten more.
Still, six in one night was very impressive, in his opinion. The last time he pulled something like this off was… well, it was his Grail War, actually. Huh.
Congrats to him.
Sapphire put a small distance between him and herself. "Shirou-sama, my creator has wished to contact you for some time. Is now a good time?" She asked in a hushed voice.
"Wait, Zelretch wants to talk with me? About what?" Shirou asked quietly, crossing his arms. The Kaleidoscope was usually very busy, so getting to meet with him more than once a year, especially since they were in parallel worlds… "I assumed he'd be more busy."
"My version of my creator has taken on an apprentice in my home world. Because of that, he has been staying there for longer periods of time, and returning more often. He said he wished to check in on your progress." The Kaleidostick explained.
"Okay… I guess now is a good time." He muttered. "So, how would I go about contacting him? Does he have some kind of interdimensional phone, or…"
"You can speak to him through me." The moment she finished speaking, she changed form, the star being replaced with a flat surface. On the front was either a speaker or a receiver, and on the back was some kind of screen that showed the signal. On the top was an antenna not unlike the ones on a radio phone.
"Um… Zelretch?" He asked hesitantly.
"I can hear you clearly, young Emiya. Or was it Sakatsuki?" The familiar voice replied, always with a degree of mirth in his tone. "I can see you clearly as well. Perhaps you should consider getting a haircut sometime soon? It's getting a bit long. Though I suppose it's good to know that your abnormal hair goes down to the roots." Shirou blinked at this, and projected a mirror to look at that patch of white. His hair had grown much longer, and that part of his body simply grew white hair naturally. Abnormal in a biological sense, but nothing too unusual in the mystic sense.
"Wait, you can see me? Does Sapphire have some kind of camera or something?" Shirou spoke in a hushed tone.
"My Kaleidosticks are some of the most advanced Mystic Codes to exist, if you exclude all the weapons that later became Noble Phantasms. Applying normal logic to them is like applying low-level Projections to a True Magic. I mean, I'm contacting you from a parallel universe, am I not?" Shirou could hear the smirk. "But yes, they do have a function somewhat similar to a camera. Since they do not have a screen however, they must rely on a projector as a display."
"That's… an awfully strange flaw to have. I mean, Sapphire changed forms to include an oversized speaker, an antenna, and a small screen that shows the radio signal. I feel like a screen wouldn't be that difficult, if you could include a projector." He shrugged. "Anyways, you said you wanted a progress check?"
"Indeed. It's been a few months short of a year, and I'm curious to see if you've been slacking off or overworking yourself on my 'assignment' for you. If you want to mention anything else, however, I wouldn't be opposed to it. I am curious how you're adapting to this world."
"Alright, then. In total, we've collected 38 of the Class Cards. I'm not listing them all off by name and class, since it's a lot. Admittedly, it's less than what I could've gotten, if that stupid thing with the Yakuza didn't happen…" He muttered that last part to himself.
"Yakuza? Oh, you must mean the Eight Precepts. Or as you'd probably know them, the Shie Hassaikai. I didn't expect them to give you any trouble this soon… Did you perhaps save a little albino girl by the name of Eri?"
"Yeah… I'm guessing she's a constant in the worlds parallel to this one?" Shirou asked, half-familiar with the idea of Parallel Universes due to a few strange Anime and Manga and surfing on the web. The protagonist was almost always the protagonist, and a lot of side-characters have functionally similar 'roles'. He doubted it was the exact same in the Kaleidoscope, but it was better than nothing.
"Yes. In the 'proper timelines' as I like to call them, her body is used to develop the complete versions of the Quirk-erasing bullets, and a large number of Heroes storm their base with a few students in their internships. Overhaul is defeated at the cost of Sir Nighteye's life and Lemillion's Quirk. You seem to have stopped that plan far earlier in this timeline. Interesting… You mentioned that you might've grabbed more of the cards if you hadn't gotten involved?"
"We were put in witness protection for a month. We didn't have nearly enough freedom to let us collect any Class Cards. I've been trying to make up for lost time. Just tonight, I collected six." Shirou pulled out the hand of cards in his pocket.
"Just you? Did your sister not participate?"
"No. I'm not sacrificing her sleep or school life to deal with this any more than she has to. Sapphire's been about as cooperative as I expected, but it's enough for me. Admittedly, I would've liked to rely less on EMIYA's abilities than I already have to, but Installing other Class Cards for too long makes me feel like I just projected my entire Reality Marble at once." Shirou sighed, that was another problem he had. If it was for a brief minute or two, he didn't feel that bad. But he once kept up an Install for a bit over an hour, and everything hurt for days. EMIYA wouldn't shut the hell up in that same time. Zelretch was strangely quiet. "Zelretch? Are you still there?" A long sigh was his response.
"I should've seen this coming. I suppose after enough time, anything is possible. Still, for me to make a mistake like this is just…" There was an uncharacteristic frustration in his tone. Shirou couldn't help but worry, Zelretch never got frustrated. "It appears that I've screwed up, and you're suffering for it. I apologize for that, young Sakatsuki."
"What do you mean? What's going on?" He pressed, concerned. "What's happening to me?"
"…Let us say that you and Counter Guardian EMIYA are two bodies of water. And the water is the experience. Yours was a small puddle, while his was large as an ocean. Then all of a sudden, a river appeared between the two of you, and your puddle became a lake." Zelretch began his explanation. "Now, because he has an ocean of experience, and you had only a small puddle, that experience came rushing in like a typhoon. That's why you were able to use all his abilities almost immediately, and why you have such major drawbacks. When I modified his card and integrated it into you, I effectively 'built a dam' between the two of you, slowing down the flow of experience. Do you follow me?"
"I do." Shirou replied.
"Good. Now, every time you use his abilities, you start to drain that lake of experience you have. Eventually, the lake runs dry. So you have to open up the dam to let a bit more flow in. Eventually, the lake fills back up on its own, and it ends up a bit bigger with time." Shirou nodded, that would explain why his 'upper limit' on Tracing was going up. And why he got a headache when he reached that upper limit. "This is actually good for you, somewhat like training a muscle. And then we get to using the other Class Cards."
"Let me guess, Installing another Heroic Spirit puts a hole in the dam?" Shirou threw out randomly.
"No. A second river appears, parallel to the first. It is much smaller and slower, it carries much less experience with it. And its source is much, much further away. For the first few minutes, all is well and both rivers can coexist. However, after enough time, the first river starts channeling into the second, avoiding the dam entirely. When the card is Uninstalled, the first river goes back into its original route, and goes back to the dam. But you're still spending several minutes with the first river flowing into you without restraint. It would get even worse if you started using those powers while Installed as another Heroic Spirit."
"I've been careful not to do that, at least." Shirou muttered.
"Still, the damage is done. For a time, EMIYA's experiences are flowing into you without restraint, as they did for the duration of your Grail War. That, however, brings up another problem. You don't seem to have any more of his 'taint' than you did when we first met, though it seems to have shifted its place around a bit. That leaves us with one question; where has it been going?" Zelretch left Shirou a minute to consider the question, who only came up with only a shrug. "Well then… would you like to tell us anything, EMIYA?"
Shirou looked at Sapphire in confusion. EMIYA wasn't here, he never was. At most, he gets an annoying voice in his head. So why was Zelretch addressing him? Eventually, a deep, grouchy voice echoed through his head.
Hmph. I thought you were smarter than that, Shirou Emiya.
"…What?"
"So kind of you to join us, Counter Guardian." Zelretch greeted, unsurprised by this development.
…I should have known. Nothing slips past you, does it Old Man Kaleidoscope?
"Of course not, EMIYA. I am well aware of who you are, it wasn't hard to figure you out. In fact, my newest disciple is still contracted to an instance of you here, and the Grail War ended eight months ago. So, you've been staying quiet, slowly developing yourself inside your younger self's Reality Marble?"
Not quite. When they were all created, the Class Cards were run through a sort of 'filter' that cleared up most of the Heroic Spirit's identity, allowing the user to wield that power without risk of being overwritten. That golden prick had a strong enough ego to resist it, so he remained. I, however, was called forth into a card that never went through that process. Effectively, the boy summoned a copy of me straight from Alaya's grasp and planted me into that card.
"Wait… Does that mean… you're free? From Alaya?" Shirou asked, still processing everything.
Annulling my true self's contract with Alaya is impossible. Believe me, I've tried everything you could think of and more. But this specific instance of me, the one who lent you my powers and is speaking to you right now, is out of Alaya's hands. And since neither her nor the Throne of Heroes have a major presence here, she can't get me back. Essentially, I'm retired. Really, this is the best result I could've hoped for.
"So… what happens to you when I die, or whatever?" He asked, pulling his rational thoughts together.
Who knows? Still, even if it's only this version of me, I'm finally free… I don't really know what to say.
Shirou grinned slightly. "You've been trying to escape from Alaya for countless lifetimes, and when you finally manage it, you don't know what to say?"
I'm just as surprised as you are, boy. There I was, waiting for my next call. All of a sudden, I hear my younger self's voice calling out for help, for reasons beyond becoming a Hero. I accept, and the last thing I remember is waking up inside your soul, without any connection to Alaya.
Zelretch took that moment to cut in. "Well, this is certainly an interesting development. If EMIYA weren't here, I would've stopped by the next moment I could and adjusted the card. However, since he is with you, I'm sure you two can work something out. I expect great things from you, boy."
"Ruby, if you somehow broke out of that root-damned box, then I swear to- L-L-Lord Zelretch!?" A second voice appeared over the line, clearly feminine and somehow slightly familiar.
"Ah, apologies for showing up out of the blue, disciple of mine. But I needed to borrow this old stick for a quick call to one of your boyfriend's counterparts. Care to say hello? This is one of the versions who never met you." Zelretch explained calmly.
"S-Shirou isn't my… wait, counterparts?" Shirou heard the distinct sound of heels stepping forward. A shocked gasp. "…Emiya-kun? What happened to you?"
"Now Rin, that's hardly your place to ask. I was just about to hang up, actually. Why don't you go say hello to your idiot, while I hang up on this one?"
The call cut off before anything else could say anything. Sapphire 'bowed' and flew out the door into Miyu's room. Shirou sighed and sat on his bed, exhausted with today. "…You're still here, EMIYA?"
It's not like I can leave. And I'd prefer it if you called me Archer. EMIYA sounds… awkward coming from your mouth.
"Don't you mean our mouth?" Shirou smirked. "After all… We are the same person." He switched his voice to match Archers for the latter half of his sentence. He heard the red bowman sigh.
You and I are fundamentally different, from beginning to end. But we are the same person, so I'd have to agree. The tired Counter Guardian replied. There was almost no chance of you becoming me, so I decided to lend a hand to a version of myself I actually approve of. Letting go of your old dream for the sake of your loved one… I wish I was selfish enough to do the same. I suppose I owe you a 'thank you', I couldn't be here like this if it weren't for you.
"And because of me, you're stuck in my Reality Marble for the foreseeable future. Should you really be thanking me?" Shirou replied.
How pessimistic.
"Pot, meet kettle."
Of course I'm a hypocrite, it's just part of who we are.
"Sure… By the way, if you don't mind me asking… What was up with before? You making fun of me after I overused your powers, I mean?" He'd been meaning to ask.
That wasn't intentional. After using too much of my powers at once, your mind essentially integrated my 'self-deprecating' aspect and brought up unpleasant thoughts at your most peaceful moments, the same way mine does at times. If it was in my voice, then you must've felt that it would be worse than hearing it in your own voice, at least on a subconscious level. I actually like you quite a bit, compared to some of our other counterparts.
"Yeah… I guess that makes sense." Shirou sighed tiredly, falling back onto his bed. After a moment of taking in the silence of the night, he heard a few footsteps come up to his door. And judging by the weight of the steps… "Miyu, you should be in bed by now. It's a school night." He heard a fumble. Was she trying to be sneaky? Well, it wasn't working. "Fine, come in." He sat up, patting a spot on the bed next to him. Miyu timidly walked into his room and gingerly hopped onto the spot he gave her.
Then she suddenly tilted over, planting her head on his lap. He thought it was a bit unusual, but decided it was just her feeling a bit more clingy and started stroking her hair. He absently noted that it was as soft and smooth as ever. "So… what's bothering you, kiddo?" He asked quietly, still stroking her hair. He felt her shift in his lap. "I'm your older brother, Miyu. I can always tell."
"…Why don't you want to be a Hero anymore?" Her voice was barely a whisper. But on a night this quiet, it might as well have been a shout. His hand froze for a second.
I'll… give you some time to yourselves.
A sigh escaped his lips. "This question again?" He wasn't upset or annoyed at her. He couldn't be, he doubted it was even possible. "I thought I already told you when you asked last time."
"…please…" She whimpered, and he felt his heart ache.
"Miyu, I… can't be a Hero. I just can't. Not after all that I've done." He explained reluctantly.
"But what did you do? You didn't do anything wrong." She pressed. This was the hard part of their discussion, the only thing he did that could be considered 'wrong' was saving her. But he'd never regret it, not even in a million years. "You can still be a Hero."
"A Hero… is someone who can stand up to adversity without hesitation. Someone who stands above others, who inspires and leads the people who can't protect themselves. Someone who can save everyone within their reach. Someone who's done good to protect the world and the people who live in it. Miyu… you were the only person I could ever save. Everyone else from our world, everyone else I wanted to protect… They're all gone."
"But you saved Eri-chan. You saved those suit guys when those bird guys showed up. You saved that fat guy in the hoodie from the punching guy." This was a side of Miyu he didn't get to see that often. The side of her that should've been natural, the emotional kid. Even at her most comfortable, she always showed off a degree of maturity. It was times like these that he needed to remember that Miyu hadn't even gotten into her teenage years yet. "You can save a lot more people, too. You can save lots of people, more than any other Hero. You'd be the best."
"Just because I can doesn't mean I should, Miyu. I've already made my choice, there's no going back." He pressed one last time, this was the last argument he had, really. He silently prayed that Miyu didn't have a counter-argument.
For a while, she didn't. They just stayed that way, silently sitting on his bed as his clock counted the seconds. Eventually, she opened her mouth again. "Isn't saving people the right thing to do?" She muttered. Shirou briefly considered that to be a dangerous thought process. "It can't be wrong to save someone."
"…Sometimes, it can be. What if the person you save goes to hurt a bunch of other people? If you didn't save that person, then everyone else would be okay." He gently chided. He wasn't sure where Miyu was getting these ideas (That last one was hauntingly familiar to him), but it was best to stop them before they take her somewhere dangerous. "You can't save everyone, Miyu. You can't save people who don't want to be saved, and you shouldn't save someone if they aren't worth saving."
"Why not?"
"…Because it's impossible." He sighed again, the conversation got derailed quickly. "Why are you so insistent on me being a Hero?"
"Because you're so sad, Onii-chan. You don't smile a lot, not for yourself. You're always smiling for me, or for Eri-chan, or to make other people think you're happy. But you're not, I've seen your happy smiles." She replied honestly, shocking Shirou with her perceptiveness. "But when you can reach out and save someone in danger, when you get to be a Hero… I always see a very small smile… A real one…" She didn't speak again after that. After a few minutes of silently stroking her hair, he realized that she fell asleep, her eyes a little wet. He frowned, and carried her back to her bed. A minute later, he closed her door behind him, then closed his own after stepping back into his room.
"A very small smile, huh?" He fell back onto the bed, raising a hand to look at his palm. "Do I still want to be a Hero? Even after everything that happened?" His hand fell back to his bed with a sigh. It was a question for himself, one he didn't know the answer to. Any other day, one could ask the same question and he'd shoot down the idea with ease. Just this morning, he explained why he didn't want to be a Pro. Why was he so uncertain about this now? Was it because of Miyu?
Judging from your uncertainty, I'd say you still want to be a Hero, at least to a degree. But you care too much about this family of yours, and you don't want to ruin it with those damned ideals. Archer began. He was mildly surprised, he'd forgotten Archer was here. Still, it was a question for himself. And they were the same person, so… He supposed it was fair. Your world would've reached its conclusion one day, regardless of how it happened. Humanity would've been wiped out long before that, even if they evolved to survive on a dead planet for a few more centuries. All those Ainsworths could've hoped to do is to prolong the inevitable, and that's assuming they were being honest about their goals. And something tells me that they weren't.
"You sound awfully sure of that."
They're Magi, there's no guarantee they weren't going to use her for their own gains. Just ask Kiritsugu, he was the same way with both of his 'children'. That decision of yours at least managed to save one person. For all you know, they could've wiped out an entire country or just abandoned their world and moved on to another.
"What, the exact same way I did? That doesn't really make me feel better, Archer." He spat out.
No, they'd be doing it to save themselves. You did it to save that sister of yours, and you just got caught up in it.
More silence. Eventually, Shirou got sick of it and opened his closet, grabbing his 'work clothes'. If all he was going to do was sit and mope, he might as well use it for something else. After he finished changing, he reached out for the window, but paused. "What… what do you think I should do?"
About what?
"Being a Hero. Going Pro. Whatever. What do you think I should do? You're the expert here." Shirou sighed, opening the window.
Hmm… Your argument against it is that you're undeserving of it, most Pro-Heroes are glory hounds, and you don't trust yourself to save people you don't care about. If I were to debunk them in order… First off, I'm far from deserving of a title like 'Hero', but I'm part of the Throne, aren't I? It may be through the Counter Force, but my point still stands. Secondly, they aren't you. Just go Underground if it bothers you so much, like this world's version of our old man. And thirdly, if you became a police officer or a doctor, it would be much the same, would it not? It's much more extreme than any other form of law enforcement, but it's a profession nonetheless. It may be strange coming from me, but you might as well give it a shot.
"You're right, that does sound strange coming from you." Shirou leapt from the window.
If you want a different explanation, just look at it a different way. You said you couldn't become a Hero, and you said that Pro-Heroes aren't true Heroes. Just because you become one, it doesn't mean you're part of the other group. So, if you become a Pro-Hero, are you becoming a True Hero in the process? I'd think not.
"That's an awfully convenient way to look at it."
All it took for me to want to become an Ally of Justice was a few sappy words and a smile.
"You were completely empty."
That's why it's gonna take a lot more to convince you, because you aren't. Ultimately, I don't care too much about what you end up being. But you're already taking down criminals to make a living. Why not make it your real job, instead?
"…I'll give it some thought."
Sorry I'm a day late, I somehow managed to pass out at 8 P.M. last night like a moron instead of posting this. Then I had to get up early this morning, so I didn't have time to look it over.
I feel a bit awkward about that ending, especially my introduction of EMIYA. But I've planned on bringing him in one way or another, eventually. I don't think it's too bad, just… awkward. But Shirou hasn't magically turned his life around, EMIYA just put him back on the fence. He's still gonna need another push. Leave a Review if you want to talk about anything important, if it doesn't include spoilers.
Alright, I'm gonna work on my new thing now.