Authors note: Merry Christmas and special Thanks to all my patrons! J. Zinkan, F. Ebering, Biktur, A. Marteddu, R. Baer ChauDavis, Lord Marksman, Adam, Ummy, Manic, Auntee Monica, PocketRat, B. Bowler, Leaored.
These fine people get early access to all of my chapters (barring ones designed to come out on holidays), a monthly newsletter, along with exclusive art, and their names in the acknowledgments section of my novels when they go up for sale.
Chapter Start
Snow fluttered down in flurries though none managed to stick to the ground for long.
Snow viewing had long since been a pastime for Shirou and Miyu. In fact, it had all but become a tradition for them. The two sat out on the porch wrapped in blankets and sipping on tea, watching the snow in silence.
Shirou spared his sister a glance, Miyu's school life had improved if her attitude and the girls she spoke with as she left the grounds were anything to judge by. In fact, he'd never seen her look brighter. What's more, she was all but absorbing lessons that had taken him weeks and even months in days or weeks. The best part, however, was the smile on her rosy face.
Adjusting himself, Shirou glanced at the tree visible through the window. They had decorated it to the nines with colored ornaments, tinsel, even a paper chain. Not to mention the multitudes of candy canes they'd hung in all sorts of flavors ranging from Nerds to sweet tarts. What exactly was wrong with the classic peppermint, he didn't know. But Miyu quickly pointed them out, and Shirou didn't feel it necessary to disagree.
Below the tree wrapped in the festive papers were the gifts. It was a new experience for Shirou. To the best of his knowledge, he'd never celebrated the holiday and honestly had no intention of doing so when Miyu approached him about it the previous week; however, he found himself nodding along.
Though that might partly be because he'd found multitudes of reasons to avoid going out with Raven for the last two weeks. And it wasn't like he was lying. He did have work. Thankfully he hadn't run into the girl again nor any villains who might want to use him for something. Two, the house did need repairs, the chimney needed a bit of TLC, and it turned out a decent amount of replacement river rock. Three, there was no way to get around the fact that he had to patrol. He'd even gone so far as making an effort to Patrol further from the Titans than he usually would though from time to time, he would swing by and banter with Raven and Robin for a minute before stopping the villain for them or moving on. Then, of course, they'd give chase, but it never lasted very long.
When he'd explained the fact to his sister, she seemed to accept it, but something about the way she was looking at him told him it wasn't anywhere near being over. It didn't even seem to matter to her that Raven was out to prove that he was Fable, so if Christmas stalled her for a little while, well, the more, the better.
Honestly, he just hoped she liked the gifts he'd gotten her. But, if she didn't, well, there was one surprise that he had kept aside for the end, and he was willing to bet that she would jump on it the first chance she got.
"Shirou?" Miyu asked. When Shirou looked back over to her, he found that she still hadn't looked away from the clouds. "Do you ever miss Japan?"
Immediately he shook his head. "No, there's nothing there for me anyways. Why?"
She shrugged, "just felt like asking." Then, without another word, she snuggled deeper into the blanket and fell asleep against his side.
"Goodnight, Miyu." He said and turned his attention back to the falling snow. He felt a peace settle in him and relaxed as the tension began to bleed from his shoulders.
He knew the future would bring hardships, it always did, but at that moment, he felt more at peace than he had when he'd defeated angela and sent Miyu to this world.
Shinji slammed his hand against the desk as he stared at the chained beast on the opposite side of the room. Countless chains held it in place, each created by his Grandfather and placed by the doubles he had within. "Dammit! Why won't you obey me!"
The wolf merely growled its response. It had long since stopped trying to break free of the chains, simply choosing to sleep.
Taking a vial into his hands, Shinji turned and hurled it at the corpse rotting in the corner. "Dammit, gramps! You're useless, useless, useless!"
The vial cracked and sprayed the fluid across the decaying corpse. However, it might as well have been a vial of water for all the harm it did. Shinji began to pace. He'd been working to control the creature for weeks. He'd followed each to the step-by-step instructions his GrandfatherGrandfather had noted—each attempt resulting in a failure.
"I barely won, just barely. I'm weak. Weak, weak. I need more. More, more, MORE!" Reaching up, he began pulling on his hair until entire chunks were being pulled free. He dropped the strands, letting them twist in the minor airflow that existed in the room before they reached the floor. "If I don't have it, I won't be able to kill him!"
He lifted the stainless steel stool beside him and raced across the room to begin slamming it into the remains of his Grandfather'sGrandfather's mutilated head. Maggot coated grey-matter surged into the air, some even splattering across Shinji's face, not that he cared.
Finally, after minutes of nonstop bashing, he'd reduced the broken skull to a pulpy mess of bone and brain Shinji slowed.
"He has the rest. But to get the rest, I need you." He said and turned to the beast. "You, your power, I need it. Add it to my own, and then he will fall. She will die. They'll be mine."
The wolf chuffed before its eyes slid closed.
Raising the stool, Shinji heaved it across the room, only for the wolf to snap it from the air and toss it to the side. It never opened its eyes.
"You will be mine!" He stopped and looked down at his stomach, where numerous bloody red trails remained. "If you say so much as a word, I'll see that I cut you up even more! I'll kill you!"
Breathing heavily, he stopped and whirled to look toward the doorway. He could barely hear them, but they were there. Footsteps.
"You are rather easy to track. A trail of bodies is hard to miss after all." A smooth voice came from the darkness.
They crept closer at a steady pace. Something about it screamed of strength and power to Shinji's senses, and he pulled several dirks from his cloak. "What do you want? Do you want me to kill you? Who are you?" He asked in rapid succession.
"I see, you have fallen to madness," the intruder said. "A pity, really, but how far gone are you?"
Shinji laughed and knocked on his gut. "Get out here and kill him." He cackled and spun as another set of footsteps drew closer from behind him, but there was no one there.
Slowly three bodies pulled themselves from him. Two tall and lanky, the final of them average in height but built rather bulkily. They took a step forward each before a pair of golden swords ripped through them from above and buried themselves into the ground as the corpses fell to the ground.
A second much taller, much more feminine figure moved through the shadows to stand beside the first. A third joined the first a moment later.
"You see, you've stepped into something that you just don't understand. But that's fine." He snapped his fingers, and the two females beside him moved forward.
"I'll find a use for you."
Her eye twitched, again and again. The reason was simple. The entire living room had gone through a drastic change overnight. A Christmas tree stood in the center of the room decorated with lights, including ones that looked like the talking M&M's from the commercials. Presents lay around the base of the tree. Beside them, a green dog was sniffing and nudging one or another. Starfire was flying around the room wearing a Santa hat while Cyborg set the table with huge stacks of pancakes, all of which looked like reindeer heads or snowmen.
She felt Robin approach from behind her. "You said we weren't decorating this year."
"I know, and I meant it at the time, but I changed my mind. I figured we could all use some festive cheer."
Turning to look at the Titans leader, she fought the urge to burst out laughing. Instead, he wore a traditional Santa's elf outfit with the addition of his domino mask. "I guess that's fine."
She made her way over to the table and took one of the reindeer head pancakes, a cup of yogurt, and set to eating. She knew she was in a time crunch, one that had nothing to do with her team's questionable eating habits. No, she just had to go before she got swept up in their celebration. Unfortunately, she couldn't afford it.
As she finished her meal, she stood.
"Can't you hang out with us? Just this once? It's Christmas." Beast Boy whined before shoving a small stack of pancakes into his mouth.
"Yes, friend Raven! Please join in the festivities of Earths Santa Claus!"
"You have been spending quite a bit of time on that project of yours," Robin added.
She started to respond when Cyborg stepped in for her. "Guys, don't push her, seriously. Beast Boy, she didn't tell you not to trick or treat this year, though you really shouldn't have. Starfire, she hung with us all weekend."
Raven offered the mechanical hero a small smile. "Merry Christmas."
"Wait!" Beast Boy said, jumping up and rushing over to the tree where he plucked two boxes from the pile. He ran back and offered them to her. "These are for you."
She quietly gave her thanks as she took the gifts and left the room. Indeed Christmas was a bother. Happy ran rampant trying to get her to celebrate, which wasn't going to happen, but the emotion was rallying within her as she opened her door.
Her friends had gotten her gifts. Happy was squealing in delight at the fact even though she knew they would. She had gotten them something as well, but it wasn't as if any of them had a lot of money. Super Hero-ing just didn't pay well.
She could only hope they like them. Raven looked at the packages in her hands and quickly set to open them. Beastboy had given her tickets to a play, "Ripper, the life of Jack." She rolled her eyes at them before setting them aside. Cyborg had chosen to gift her with a crystal ball. She allowed herself a smile as she settled the orb onto her bed. It was useless for anything except starting a fire if left uncovered, though she could fix that. Robin's was an interesting one, once again showing just how well he knew her. His box was slightly smaller than Cyborgs but contained a copy of Frankenstein, a good thing too, as her own was more than a little worn. Finally, she lifted the last present and pulled the wrapping paper away to reveal a box of chocolates. Chocolates that just so happened to be shaped like the titans.
An eyebrow raised, she pulled the first of the treats out, a chocolate beast boy, and smirked as she bit his head clean off. She spit it out a moment later. Not out of cruelty or even dislike, but because of the flavor inside—pork sausage and mustard.
Then, after taking a drink from a thermos of tea she kept in her room, she mumbled. "I should've known better."
Once she was reasonably sure none of the taste remained, she looked back over the gifts or, more specifically, the crystal ball. The right spells could turn the mundane item into a handy tool. A scrying orb, for example, is an item that would let her track her targets much easier than before.
The line of thinking just brought her back to Shirou.
Raven wasn't quite sure what to do. She'd followed him multiple times, and as best as she could tell, he was nothing more than an average handyman who was dedicated to his younger sister. A good and decent person by any standard.
Yet, he had put off their date.
She blushed and rapidly shook her head. It wasn't a date. It was a meeting, something she could use to help her determine if he was Fable or not. Added to the fact that said vigilante seemed to be going out of his way to avoid the Titans as a whole, well, she wasn't any closer to determining whether the two were the same person. Shirou seemed smart enough to realize that it might be suspicious if they both started avoiding her.
She doubted he'd make that mistake.
Unless he was making said mistake on purpose, knowing that she might dismiss it for that very reason, she shook her head and hard. "Don't go down that path. One Robin is enough."
She narrowed her eyes and took a deep breath before slowly releasing it.
Granted, his sister arranged it, but still, an opportunity was an opportunity and not something one should waste. She'd even got there early the first few times only to get a message saying that he wouldn't be making it citing work or something else along those lines.
Ding-dong.
She ignored the doorbell as she settled herself into a cross-legged position and slid her eyes shut. One of the others would get it. It was reasonably likely BeastBoy had ordered another pizza.
"Azarath Metrion Zinthos." She chanted and began focusing her power to slowly lift herself into the air.
She had determined he wasn't lying, but it seemed no amount of rescheduling was going to be enough to get him there.
Ding-dong. Ding-dong.
She glared at her door, willing whoever was out there to go and get the door. A video game couldn't be more important than a visitor! And what of Starfire? She loved answering the door!
Ding-dong.
Growling, she stood and slipped into her own shadow, popping out right beside the door. She took the barest of moments to school her emotions before swinging it open, revealing a man wearing a delivery driver's jacket.
"Good afternoon," he said between chattering teeth, "I've got a package to deliver., For you, I believe."
Raven eyed the man warily; what kind of company ran on Christmas? She was under the impression it was a day that the majority of people got off to spend with their families. "It's Christmas."
The man smiled wryly, "Yeah, I know. My boss thought it would be an amazing idea to work through the holiday, and you know, overtime and holiday pay." But, he shrugged, "it ain't something I'm about to turn down."
He held out a wrapped package and a clipboard. "If I can just get you to sign, it's all yours."
She stared at the man a moment longer, trying to assess some kind of trick or another before picking up the pen and scrawling her name through the signature area. Then, taking the package, she slipped back into her shadow as soon as the door had finished sliding closed.
She stepped from her shadow into the common area expecting to find Cyborg and Beast Boy duking it out on "The best of the bad." The game she'd picked up for Cyborg, and Robin in the midst of trying to manage another of Starfire's food crises. It was the only reason she could think that none of them answered the door. However, upon finding the room empty, she was forced to realize the other option. None of them were home.
A quick inspection of the room led her to a note.
Friend Raven
Friend Cyborg has invited us to aid him in the spreading of the cheer of holiday, so we have gone to Carol Ling. I have asked them who this Carol Ling is, but none have explained.
~Starfire
Raven rolled her eyes before making her way down the hall. Robin would explain it, and if he didn't well, she'd do it when they got back. After which, she decided she would have a chat with the boys.
Once more, in the safety of her room, Raven tore the brown packing away to reveal what could only be called a Christmas present topped with a card. She glanced at the gift before flipping the car open.
Hi Raven! Merry Christmas.
I know my brother has been busy lately, but I've taken care of the problem.
He'll be waiting at Lune Irisée at 7:30. January third.
Oh, and I hope you like your gift!
~Miyu Emiya
Raising an eyebrow, Raven moved to the present and gently pulled the wrapping paper off to reveal a white box. Within were a Chiffon Shawl and a black dress. She was sure another girl would have found them to be gorgeous… and maybe she did too, just a little.
She was going to have to find a moment to talk to Miyu. Yes, her brother's handsome, but she wasn't looking for a relationship. There was too much she'd to think about without bringing love into the mix.
Shirou's eyes flashed open at the sound of his doorknob turning. He threw the blankets aside and rolled free, magic energy flooding through his muscles and bones as the door opened wide.
"Onii-chan!" Miyu called, "It's time for breakfast!"
He froze, a small smile playing across his face as he relaxed, "I'm coming," he answered and slipped his feet into a pair of slippers before making his way out of his room.
A fire danced merrily in the fireplace, and a veritable feast lay across the table—plates of pancakes, sausage, bacon, slices of toasted bagel, fruits, and yogurt. Not to mention three different pitchers, which he'd guess one of which was tea.
The smell was mouthwatering. Still…
"Uh, Miyu?" He asked, eyeing the spread, "isn't this a little much?"
Miyu blushed "maybe, but I wanted things to be perfect."
Reaching out, he patted his sister on the head and settled himself down at the table. "It's fine; I'm sure there are some people out there who could use a decent meal."
His sister beamed, and Shirou began setting up his plate. To start, he took three pancakes, several slices of orange, yogurt, and a bagel.
"You know, I think most people open their presents first."
Miyu's smile intensified, "maybe, but I can wait, can't you?"
Shirou laughed and nodded. The two fell into a comfortable silence as they ate, though Shirou couldn't help but notice Miyu looked down at her cellphone quite a bit. Her brows were furrowed as she rapidly tapped the buttons.
"Can I ask what's caught your attention? Did Melody ask for your homework again?"
The speed at which Miyu shook her head was nothing short of amazing, and Shirou was sure if he attempted such a thing, not only would he get dizzy, but he'd leave himself with a headache for his troubles.
"The guy who took the card." She said, "he was in the Steel City hospital."
Shirou popped to his feed in a heartbeat and took place behind his sister. Naturally, the first thing he looked at was the date. Nearly a month had passed since the incident. But a single glance confirmed it was, in fact, Shinji.
"It can wait until tomorrow Miyu." He said as he moved back to his seat. A month was a long time. There was no guarantee that Shinji was still in the town.
Miyu looked unsure before slowly nodding, "okay, I'll get online later and see if I can find anything."
He took one of the metal decanters and poured it into the cup, and found himself not looking at tea, nor coffee but hot cocoa.
As soon as they'd finished breakfast, they moved to the couch beside the tree, and Shirou handed Miyu the first of her gifts. He watched as she shredded the red and green wrapping paper with glee and nearly tore the box as well before squealing in delight as she pulled out a rabbit onesie.
"It's so cute! I love it! Thank you, thank you, thank you!" She cheered as she dashed forward and gave him a hug.
Shirou chuckled and held up another gift for her to take as soon as she pulled away, but she shook her head. "It's your turn."
She bounded beneath the tree and came away with a box wrapped in paper featuring a small army of snowmen on a gold backdrop. "I saw this and had to get you it." She chirped, extending the package.
Shirou pulled at the corners to save the paper, but apparently, it was too slow for Miyu's liking, and she took hold and tore it away. It wasn't a box at all, but a cookbook titled, "Asian American Fusion! The wave of the future."
"Thank you." He said, gathering her into a hug, and as he was setting her down, a thought jumped out at him. They hadn't been to a bookstore to go shopping. "Miyu, when did you get this?"
She smiled, "I saw it online a while ago and ordered it."
At that moment, Shirou had a sinking feeling that he would have to keep a better eye on his sister as she looked at the world wide web. Still, that too was a problem for tomorrow.
He lifted the second box and extended it to her. She dove into the present with as much gusto as the first. She came away with a second onesie, this one in the form of a panda bear. "It's soooo cuuute." She squealed and bolted through the room and into her bedroom.
She emerged a moment later dressed in the outfit, and Shirou couldn't deny Miyu looked adorable.
When she'd retaken her place, she passed Shirou another package, and the process continued.
In the end, she had received a third onesie, this one cat-themed, several plushies, a pack of four notebooks, and an anime one of the female clerks said was a hit with girls Miyu's age.
Shirou had accumulated a small pile of his own, a package of high-quality knives, a mezzaluna, a second book on cooking, specifically Italian cuisine, a thermos, and a blue jacket with alpaca lining.
Finally, only one bag was left under the tree, and Miyu shoved it into Shirou's hands. Shirou pulled the tissue paper out to find a white box inside. In it was a suit: black dress slacks and shirt, a purple tie and vest and a black jacket.
"It's for your date with Raven! It's at Lune Irisée this Friday at 7:30."
Shirou sighed and pressed his fingers to his head. "Miyu." He took to his feet and shook his head, "I asked you to stop."
She looked away before straightening. "I know the Titans are trying to catch Fable, but that doesn't mean Shirou can't be with Raven. "
"Miyu."
"Fine," she huffed and turned away, though Shirou could see the grin on her face. "I won't try and set you up with Raven anymore after you go on your date."
Shirou's eye twitched. He opened his mouth to respond and quietly closed it and started again, only to have the same result. "I really don't-"
The doorbell rang.
Shirou quirked an eyebrow. He didn't notice anyone through the bounded field.
"Miyu," he started meaning to send the girl to his office as, since the time of Shinji's appearance, he had fortified the room with every spare scrape of magecraft he could find. Including a rune set tied into the words inscribed on the door. If read, they would compel the person to leave as if they'd just come face to face with a Hydra.
Too late, however, as a voice called, "Friend Miyu! Would you like to join us in the spreading of the cheer of holiday?"
Shirou recognized Starfires voice immediately, as apparently had Miyu. She bolted by him toward the door and hauled it open so quick Shirou was half-surprised she didn't manage to create a sonic boom.
"Starfire!" Miyu cheered as they came into view, looking as if they walked off of an old English play. Cyborg looked like Ebeneezer Scrouge, Robin like Tiny Tim, and Beast Boy looked a lot like the chimney sweep from Mary Poppins. Just green.
"Can we go, big Brother?" She asked.
His first impulse was to say no but stopped himself. He could hardly say no without putting a major damper on the day. That didn't make it any safer to travel anywhere with trouble magnets like the Teen Titans, though.
Shirou spent several moments arguing both sides before relenting. "Go get bundled up. We can finish the discussion when we get back."
She smiled wide threw her arms around him before bounding off toward her room.
"Dude, was she wearing a Panda Onesie?" Beast Boy asked.
Shirou hung his head. It was already shaping up to be a long evening.
"This is what you wanted, isn't it?" He asked, "he's the one?" The shadowed man turned to the shorter of the two women who accompanied him.
His answer came in the barest nod from his compatriot, and he nodded himself before turning his attention back to the center of the room. He wrinkled his nose in distaste at his newest compatriot.
He sat bound to a stool, a number of ropes and chains binding him in place as he cackled to himself. Then, speaking in hushed whispers of how amazing it would be when he slipped his bonds and killed them.
Shinji was just as foul as he expected him to be. The young man seemed to be the embodiment of avarice and crazed besides. Thrice he'd returned to find the young man yelling at the corpse that lay to the side of the room or one of the mangled bodies his partner had created upon their entrance, telling them of his greatness, of their uselessness.
A ringing emanated from his pocket. He wasted no time retrieving the object.
"Yes?"
"Is everything going smoothly on your end." A silky sweet voice responded.
"Of course."
"Perfect, then we will begin in the next few days. First, I'd recommend sending out your agent."
He rolled his eyes as if he lacked the common sense to do just that. "Of course, please make sure you don't find yourself in her way... She can be a little destructive in achieving her wants."
"You're worried about us? How sweet of you." The sarcasm was thick enough to be cut with a knife. "But you needn't. If your toy gets in our way, she'll fall like the rest."
The line went dead, and he shook his head, the conversation was worth less than the air used to make it, and he hated wasting anything. He turned back to his partner and pointed toward the door. "Go, bring her to me, and he's yours."
"Remember your promise." She spoke quietly and made her way back up through the house and out into the night.
Chapter end.
Authors Notes:
Merry Christmas! I hope you enjoyed the chapter, folks.
So this chapter feels like its truly lacks something. Still I hope you all enjoyed the chapter and I apologize that it took me so long to get it up today.
Now I do have some news! I am revamping my P.a.t.r.e.o.n. Page including the way I'm writing my rotation. I will be writing several chapters of any one story before moving on to the next. You have a chance if you have a story you'd like to see updated. Patrons will get to vote for the story of their choice.