Lying on the lap of a woman who was dressed like a queen, with black hair so long that it touched the floor, was a man with long white hair, slightly dark skin and wearing a set of black clothes, being a long-sleeved buttoned shirt. on the front, tight pants and shoes also in dark color. Around her neck a necklace with a golden cross rested on her chest.
While the woman had blood staining the right side of her face from a large gash on her right shoulder, the man was at death's door with severe blood loss and a missing arm, having been cut by a blade in the decisive battle. through the Garden of Babylon.
The woman fondly caressed the head of the man, her master whom she had learned to respect and love, and could not help but be frustrated to see such a pure soul suffering so much.
The man slowly opened his eyes, and the first thing he saw was the face of said woman.
"Semiramis, where am I?" he asked weakly as he flashed a slight smile to the woman.
The former poisoner showed a smile of her own, not malicious as usual, but a slight smile showing all the affection and appreciation she had for the man resting on her lap. Lightly stroking his hair, she spoke to her master.
"Finally awake?" she asked looking affectionately.
Said man still confused, tried to remember the events that led him to his current situation.
"Assassin, I..." He said without being able to finish his sentence, using the name of the class the woman had.
Semiramis gave a light laugh as he tried to take his master's worries away, it was no longer necessary for him to be anxious, in a few minutes it would all be over.
"Perhaps you would prefer to continue sleeping, seeing your confusion Shirou. The truth is… that you're going to die" she said putting the hand that caressed his face, brushing her white bangs out of her eyes.
Shirou blinked in surprise, and closing his eyes showed a slight smile to Semiramis. "I think..." he said nonchalantly. No regrets hovered in his heart, he was prepared to kill and die for his dream, and he would fearlessly face his fate. Looking at his body, he noticed that he was missing an arm, and Semiramis noticing his confusion caught his attention.
"I cut your sensitivity to pain. Death is a little ugly otherwise." She looked into Shirou's eyes while showing a smile.
Said man looked back showing all his tiredness, but still unable not to feel touched by what the woman had done. "Thanks…but why am I on your lap again?" he asked confused.
Semiramis showed an expression of mild pride, and raising his head slightly, spoke without looking at Shirou's face.
"You should feel honored. - She looked at the sunset that showed on the horizon - There's still time until everything falls apart." she said with an air of finality.
Shirou looked at the ancient Assyrian queen and asked what was generating doubt in her heart.
"Are you mad at me?" he asked, catching Semiramis' attention. She looked into her master's face and gave a slight smile.
"Why were you defeated? Or why did you get it wrong from the start about making me an empress?
"Both" he said with a slight shrug.
She smiled again and looked at him trying to take her worries away. "Don't worry, I forgive you. I was also defeated. Anyway, I'm tired of being angry all the time. But do you want to see me angry?" she asked in a joking tone. Shirou smiled awkwardly as he looked at the beautiful woman. "Not really," he said with a nervous smile.
Semiramis looked at him fondly and asked a question that had been on his mind since the moment his master summoned her.
"Tell me just one thing." Shirou nodded at the same moment. "Going with the original plan, did you plan to keep deceiving me? The question surprised Shirou, and he promptly answered, his voice getting weaker and weaker.
"I meant to apologize, and if you didn't accept them..." As Shirou looked away, Semiramis asked him with a look of finality.
"Would you kill me?" she asked expressionlessly. Shirou looked at the queen in surprise, and with a tired smile finished his explanation. "No way. I would have offered you my life." Her words were sincere, making Semiramis feel touched by her master's words, and with a sad smile, she caressed her face.
"What a shy response from my master. You're an idiot." She said looking at him fondly. The great garden began to collapse, being suspended in the air by the magical energy of Semiramis, which came from its master on his deathbed, the strength of both were rapidly diminishing, and with that the whole structure was in its final moments. Shirou looked at Semiramis fondly and with his tired voice, he couldn't help but agree with his statement. "Maybe I be." he said in a slightly sad voice.
The former queen felt her anguish, and she didn't want to see the man who had won a place in her heart like this in his final moments. "Looks like the fool's dream will come true." she said with a look that showed him all the appreciation the queen had for her master.
Shirou felt tears welling up in his eyes as he looked at the sunset. "I would have liked to be able to see this world. The world after salvation…" He could feel his eyes starting to blur along with a strong feeling of tiredness. Semiramis followed his gaze, and in a shaky voice, he couldn't help but agree. "That will be your punishment. Accept this."
Without taking his gaze off the sunset, Shirou asked her doubtfully. "Punishment? Oh, yes… A lot of things happened." he said with a tone of resignation.
Looking now at his master, Semiramis looked at him fondly. "That's why I will give you a reward."
Shirou looked at her in surprise, and Semiramis kissed him lightly. The kiss didn't last long, but for both of them it seemed like an eternity, neither of them was ignorant, they both knew it would be their last chance to show how they really felt for each other, and the ancient Assyrian queen used that moment to subtly inject poison into her lover, she wanted him to leave painlessly, and she would make sure he did.
Pulling away from her lover, Semiramis looked at him fondly as tears began to well up her face. Shirou felt his strength draining away, and soon understood what the woman had done. He didn't feel betrayed by the action, on the contrary, he knew of Semiramis' intentions and wanted to show it in his last moments.
"Thank you... Semiramis..." He looked at her fondly, while Semiramis returned the look showing all the love she felt for the man she met so recently.
"I should be thanking you after you accepted a poisoner's kiss." she said in a shaky voice, while Shirou raised his single hand towards the woman's face, trying to stop her tears. Semiramis tenderly took her hand and brought it to her face, closing her eyes as she cried.
Shirou felt that the time had come, and before surrendering to his fate, he looked fondly at the woman he had learned to love, and said what was in his heart. "Thank God… I was able to meet you. That was… A real blessing." And with those words, his strength drained away, his eyes closed, and he stopped breathing.
The hand that semiramis held threatened to fall, and she soon held it again, now not holding back all the anguish she felt, crying intensely.
Amakusa Shirou Kotomine, the man who dreamed of saving the world, had taken his last breath.
Semiramis lovingly caressed her late lover's face as she felt her connection to the world slipping away for lack of a magical source to keep her a servant. Looking lovingly at Shirou, she continued to caress him, enjoying her final moments with her lover.
"My sympathy, my body, my love… These were the things people looked for every time they reached out to me. The only one who asked for my strength to fight by your side was you, Shirou. You were the only one who didn't look away while calling my name."
Stopping caressing her love, she looked at him with anguish in her heart as she continued to cry. "But why do I always end up in this situation, watching the one I love die before my eyes?"
His body began to disappear emitting a faint blue light, showing that his time was up. With affection, she looked one last time at Shirou's body as she caressed her face.
"Oh my... How unpleasant." And with that, her body completely disappeared, leaving the body of a man alone in the chair the couple was in.
For a few seconds, everything was morbidly silent, only for the entire structure of Babylon's Hanging Gardens, once recognized as one of the wonders of the ancient world, begin to rapidly fall apart.
And that man's body, before being crushed by the stones that would hit him, was enveloped in an orange light, disappearing soon after.
He existed before time and space, saw and created everything that existed in his reality, and over the countless years he watched humans and Pokémon grow and evolve together. He saw wars and moments of peace, benign and evil deeds from humans and Pokémon alike. And for a few moments during mankind's long history, Arceus defined people in particular with a title of extreme importance.
The chosen.
The one who would be directly watched by the legendaries, with the responsibility of defending the world against the threats that would arise, these were the champions of Arceus.
Everyone chosen shared unique characteristics, such as immeasurable compassion with Pokémon, the pure heart that did not have any darkness, the kindness to always help others and the courage to never back down even in the face of the greatest adversity.
Those who had these characteristics were very rare, as practically every human being was born with a little darkness in their heart, those who were born and kept pure were very rare and until the present moment, the number of these individuals has not passed the double digits. .
The one chosen by Arceus in the current era was a young man with messy hair, with 'z' marks on his cheeks and who aimed to be a Pokémon master, traveling the world alongside his faithful companion, his Pikachu. They faced many adversities, always coming out as winners. The boy helped several of his esteemed children, and for that the boy had the respect of the vast majority of those who were considered to be legendary.
But Arceus feared that perhaps just one chosen would not be enough to keep his world safe.
Times were dark, forces that not even Arceus had control of were starting to interfere in his world, starting with small and seemingly harmless actions, but the omnipotent being knew that it was all a facade, and at some point they would show their true colors. intentions.
But which Arceus would choose? No other human on the planet fit the required traits, not even the friends of his chosen one.
And with a desperate act, Arceus looked to other parallel realities, looking for any alternative to help his world prosper.
As he observed the infinite possibilities, he came across the life of a white-haired young man, who fought for the dream of a world without conflicts, and for that he fought. The young man had blood staining his hands, but he always kept his heart immaculate, he never ignored what he did and was always willing to take the consequences. But not everything went as expected.
The boy failed and was fatally wounded, along with the servant who faithfully accompanied him in his pursuits. Arceus watched his final moments and saw that the boy named Amakusa Shirou Tokisada had no remorse, regrets or any negative feelings with the way he was ending up. He was perfect, and Arceus would bring him into his world.
Out of respect, he waited for the boy to take his last breath before taking him into his world. He intended to bring the woman as well, but she didn't qualify as alive, so she was outside the Pokémon God's domain. As soon as Shirou passed away, he brought him into her domain, causing the swooning body to slowly fall in front of her.
Leaving his throne, Arceus crouched to the young man's height and placed one of his paws on his face, causing the wounds to be removed. For greater efficiency, Arceus forced the body back, leaving the man now looking like a 15-year-old. His once long hair shortened to messy spiky hair, his skin color was maintained and his clothing shrunk to fit his body, keeping him with the set of dark clothes and the cross around his neck, with two earrings in his ears. diamond-shaped silver.
Having finished working on the body, Arceus now needed to bring him back to life, and he did so, forcing the deceased's soul back into his body, which prompted a now-young Shirou to let out a sharp sigh as his eyes widened. .
Looking where he was, he soon came across a four-legged creature with white fur, with a golden adornment on its body that had emerald gems on all four ends. Her hooves were golden and she was slightly llama-like.
Quickly Shirou felt the immeasurable magic power emanating from the creature, and he was frozen in place.
Arceus sensed the boy's fear and tried to assuage any anguish. "Young Shirou, I know you must be wondering how you are alive, and that would be my fault. I am Arceus, God of this reality and you, my young man, are my chosen one." Said the creature to Shirou's surprise.
His mind analyzed the possibilities, and after testing his connection to Alaya, Shirou realized that he was not in his reality, as the entity no longer had any power over him.
Impressed and a little appalled at the power Arceus must have had to accomplish such a feat, Shirou decided to listen to what he had to say before taking any course of action.
"Chosen? Could you elaborate better? If what you say is true, I would be in a world without any knowledge so if possible enlighten me on what I need to know." Said Shirou trying to look as friendly as possible. Arceus sensed the boy's intentions, but he didn't care, it wasn't malicious at all and frankly, the fear made sense.
"Since the creation of this world, two species have lived in harmony, humans and Pokémon. The humans of this world are similar to your world Shirou, but the Pokémon are an existence present in my world that does not occur in yours. Anyway, for eons, I defined specific people to defend life and the planet itself, because where there is light, there will always be darkness, and that means that there will always be threats that can lead to the destruction of everything that exists. The Chosen Ones have done a good job and defended the world, but in this current age, I fear my Chosen will not be enough for this arduous task."
An image appeared showing a young man with messy hair, and Shirou's blood boiled. Looking indignantly at Arceus, he raised his Katana and prepared for combat.
"How dare you send a child to fight for humanity! He's just a young man with a whole future ahead of him, and you throw him into danger after danger. I fought and died for a world where no one needed to suffer, and I come across an apparent "God" who throws children into danger." Amakusa said with apparent disgust to Arceus.
The Pokémon God did not feel insulted, on the contrary, this reaction confirmed that he had made the correct choice in bringing Shirou into his world.
"Young man, if I could, I would never choose anyone, least of all a child, for this arduous task. But I have no choice, and the boy was simply lucky, or unlucky, to be the one qualified for the task. And that's why I brought him here Shirou, I need someone to help the boy, as much as he has been successful in his endeavors, I fear that there are threats where he alone will not be enough. So, Amakusa Shirou Tokisada, will you accept to be the second chosen of this era and help the world keep peace? "Arceus asked expectantly.
Shirou looked at the creature in amazement, and very much wanted to decline the offer, but helping people was in his blood, so reluctantly, he accepted the task.
Arceus then briefly explained about the world, talking about the difference between Pokémon and humans, implemented in Shirou's mind the knowledge to read the world's writing and soon after informed him where he would appear to start his walk.
"My original chosen one of this era has made many friends along his journey, but none of them have as much potential as the last young woman who accompanied him through the lands held by my son, Rayquaza, and also through the lands ruled by my naive daughter, Mew. She has separated from the chosen one and is in her hometown at the moment, and there I will send you. Shirou, I will entrust you with Rayquaza as your Pokémon companion during your journey. Others of my esteemed children will seek you out in the future and perhaps others will want to ally with you, so use the power of Rayquaza wisely and well, beware of his temper, he tends to be one of my troubled children." He said arceus while summoning the deity of Hoenn.
A giant green dragon with yellow accents hovered around the room, looking at the other residents with intense eyes.
First he spotted his father, whom he had absolute respect for, both for his strength and his compassion. And when he looked at the other resident, he hoped it was one of his brothers, not a pathetic human.
He hated humans, and he just didn't attack them, because his father loved them unconditionally.
Arceus looked at his son, and telepathically sent back memories of the conversation he had with Shirou. When it was over, Rayquaza was outraged by his father's order. He, the strongest being in his land, be a battlemate for a human? Even being his father, he wouldn't accept that, and getting close to the human, he lowered his head and looked into the boy's eyes, who returned the look without any tinge of fear. This impressed the legendary dragon, but he had to see what material this new chosen one was made of.
"So my dad put me up to fight alongside a pathetic human, if it hadn't been for my dad saying that I would have laughed at the joke. You don't have what it takes to make me fight you." Said Rayquaza in a tone of finality. He expected many things, that the boy would insult him, tremble with fear or attack him, but he didn't expect the look of indifference.
"I don't need your strength to carry out such a task, if you don't want to, you can go your way, I don't care." Said Shirou looking at the dragon. Rayquaza was outraged at the human's insolence, and seeing his father smiling at the boy's speech made him even more unnerved, his father for some reason believed the boy's claims, and that meant that maybe this human was something to behold. Begrudgingly, he decided to play along for a while and see what would happen.
"Well, at least you didn't faint or run in fear for your life, that's a start. I will accompany you, but I hope you will not make me regret it."
Seeing his son's positive response, arceus spawned a strange white and red ball, which was thrown at Rayquaza's head and to Shirou's shock, the large dragon disappeared, being sucked up by the strange object.
The ball floated and hovered in front of Shirou, who fearfully took the object, making Arceus smile slightly and say what it was.
"This is a human invention called a Poké Ball, it is used to safely store Pokémon with trainers, as I explained to you earlier. Keep this with you, and only use it if necessary, believe what I say when I tell you that the attention of owning Rayquaza will not be of any benefit to you, so keep this from becoming public for as long as possible."
Shirou agreed and after a few more conversations, Arceus made a portal appear and looked at the chosen one.
"You will be sent to the residence of the human who accompanied the ancient chosen one. You'll pass out from the time travel, but don't worry, you'll be in good hands. I wish you luck, and I'll be watching you until the moment we meet again. See you soon, Amakusa Shirou Tokisada." And with that Shirou was thrown into the portal, which sucked him and soon after Arceus was alone in the great hall of time.
It was late in Petalburg when the Maple family returned from the market, as they needed to replenish their groceries on account of their daughter's appetite. Both she and her younger brother arrived within three days of their journey through Kanto and would enjoy whatever time they had left together before their daughter left on a new journey.
The older man was burly, with short black hair, a perpetually serious look that made anyone in town nervous, given his reputation for scaring any boy who threatened to get close to his daughter. He wore a red long-sleeved jacket with a white shirt underneath, black pants with white accents on the sides, and wore a pair of brown flip-flops. The man was grudgingly holding on to all the purchases, he hated doing it and couldn't wait to get home.
Beside him was his wife, a jovial woman with brown hair with two side braids, wearing an orange short-sleeved shirt, white knee-length skirt and white sandals. She was happily holding her husband's left arm oblivious to his thoughts about shopping.
Just behind the couple a couple of young men followed them. The youngest was a 9-year-old boy with short blue hair, so dark it looked black, he wore glasses and wore a green short-sleeved shirt, along with brown shorts and green sneakers. This was Max, the youngest son and self-proclaimed Pokémon geek.
Beside her was a young woman with brown hair just like her mother, tied to a red bandana and falling in two side strands at shoulder length. Wearing a tight red short-sleeved shirt that hugged her well-developed body for her age, she wore a pair of black gloves along with a yellow fanny pack at her waist. She wore thigh-high leggings along with a white skirt a little shorter than the leggings, ending with a pair of red sneakers and black socks.
Her name was May Maple and she was the eldest child of her parents. She had returned from a two-year trip with her friends Ash and Brock, and was now preparing for her first solo journey, following her longtime rivals to contests in Johto. She still felt bad for having considered Drew's comments about Ash being to blame for his defeats at the last big festivals, and deep down she knew the boy did it out of jealousy of his friend. Unlike Ash, she wasn't dense, and she knew that Drew had a crush on her, and May admitted to herself that she also had a crush on him for a while, but it was all just a passing thing and soon she moved on, no thinking it would work out a relationship with someone who flirted with any pretty girl he saw.
In the end, her decision to leave her friends was motivated by her desire to prove herself by traveling alone, but also to get away from Ash. Don't get me wrong, she adored her friend and mentor, but she was also angry at how dense that boy could be, sometimes she couldn't believe he was 17. Since the events with Manaphy and the Sea Temple, she has gone out of her way to hint that she liked the boy, but he only thought about Pokémon and never noticed her feelings, and that hurt her. She couldn't bear to travel through yet another region with the boy she had a crush on and see him being dense, she feared it would make their friendship fall apart and May didn't want that. And for that reason, she made her decision.
Looking at her brother, she thought about bringing him along on her journey, but she immediately went against the idea, it wasn't that she didn't like to travel with Max, but he was 9 years old, and needed to stay with his father to prepare, because the following year he would be able to have his Pokédex and travel the world on his own journey. Also, she was a 15-year-old girl and knew how to handle herself.
May snapped out of her reverie when her mother screamed in fright, which caught the attention of her family. They had arrived at her house, and had alerted a boy passed out beside the entrance. He had shoulder-length white hair and wore an outfit similar to what some religious do, with a golden cross around his neck. Her father who would normally have spanked the boy surprisingly did nothing of the sort, perhaps realizing that the boy was probably a religious person, and that type of person hardly had any ill intentions.
His family approached the boy and Norman quickly opened the door to his house to put the groceries inside, while Caroline ran into the living room preparing the sofa to lay the boy down.
May looked curiously at the boy, she now noticed that he had a slightly dark skin, but he was extremely handsome in her opinion, he looked peaceful while he was unconscious, and for a moment she considered leaving him there, just to punish herself. mentally by the idiotic thought. He needed help, and leaving someone passed out on his doorstep wasn't the right thing to do.
His brother, on the other hand, knelt down and started poking the boy's face, only to look his sister in the eye and speak with a tone of finality. "May, his skin is that color, I thought he painted himself."
May looked in disbelief at what her brother said, if anyone heard this they would think he was racist, but she knew it was just her little brother's lack of social tact acting up again. She quickly lost her mind and furiously punched her brother in the head, causing him to fall to the grass holding a swelling on his head, crying comically.
His mother returned to the backyard and, seeing her youngest son on the ground, looked at May having an idea of what had happened. May tried to shift his mother's attention and tried to lift the boy up.
Caroline helped her and then they put him on the couch. Norman returned to the living room and next to his wife was looking at the boy.
"What could have happened to this boy, from his clothes he looks like a priest, but we don't have any religious centers in Petalburg. Caroline, we're going to keep him here until the boy wakes up, and after he's conscious, we're going to ask him why he came here." Said the Petalburg gym leader with a serious expression.
His wife nodded, and then mother and daughter took turns caring for the unconscious young man.
It was early evening when Shirou started to wake up, and when he opened his eyes, he found himself lying on a couch. He looked at the room he was in and tried to sit up, only to have a bad headache and put a hand on his face. His growl of pain caught the attention of the family in the adjoining kitchen, and May was the first to see that the young man had woken up.
She ran in front of him and looked at him curiously, and seeing him holding her face in pain, she was a little worried.
"Excuse me, we found you passed out in front of our house and brought you inside, my name is May Maple by the way. Are you feeling any pain? We have aspirin at home if you want it." May said worriedly. Shirou took his hands away from his face and looked at the young woman in front of him, realizing that she was pretty for her age, even if he disapproved of a young woman wearing revealing clothes. With a smile, he introduced himself, scrambling to his feet, bringing his left arm across her chest to bow in a sign of respect.
"It's a pleasure to meet you, Miss Maple. I have no words to thank your family for such kindness in taking care of a humble boy like me. My name is Amakusa Shirou Tokisada, and I am eternally indebted to you and your family." She finished introducing herself, only to hear applause from a lady who was looking at them smiling.
May was blushing heavily at the unusual treatment she received, she had read novels when she was younger and watched many series that portrayed polite boys, but she had never talked to anyone who acted like Shirou. Her name was long and felt like royalty, which made her even more embarrassed. And it got worse when her mother came over and smiled at them both.
"Wow, who knew you would be such a polite boy. No need to thank you, we just did what anyone would have done, my name is Caroline Maple, and I'm the mother of May and my son Max, it's a pleasure to meet you Shirou, can I call you that? If you don't like it, feel free to let me know." Caroline informed as she smiled faintly at the young man.
Shirou repeated the action he did with May and greeted his mother in the same way. "I am honored to meet you, Ms. Maple. It makes my heart happy to meet such a kind family, and I make the words spoken to your daughter valid for you as well. I am eternally grateful for what they did for me, and as for my name, feel free to just call me Shirou if you prefer, I don't mind." Said Shirou as he smiled at Caroline. Said lady gave a light laugh and looked playfully at Shirou.
"Ara ara, call me Caroline, ma'am makes me look old." Said Caroline waving her hand and smiling slightly.
Shirou returned the smile and was surprised when May spoke to him. "Shirou, call me May, no Miss Maple, I'm not used to anyone talking to me like that." She said embarrassed. Shirou smiled and held the girl's right hand, surprising her even more when he lightly kissed the upper cheek of her hand, only to release it right away and look into the eyes of the girl who was turning red like her clothes.
"If a lady asks me for something like that, I will grant her wishes. It will be May from now on." Shirou was unaware of the impact her actions had on the family present in the room.
Caroline put her hand on her face and laughed slyly, while Max gaped at the scene in front of him. Norman was wondering if it was an exaggeration to strangle the boy as May looked at his hand that had been kissed and the boy who was smiling softly at her, and not holding back the embarrassment, said goodbye to Shirou and ran to the kitchen, which made Caroline giggle lightly. before looking at Shirou.
"Now that we've introduced ourselves, do you feel any pain or discomfort? We want to know why you showed up at our house unconscious, but your well being comes first." After Caroline said that, Shirou said he had a headache, and Caroline went to the kitchen to get some aspirin and a glass of water. Shirou thanked him and drank the medicine water, and then answered the matriarch's question.
"I can't remember what happened before I saw you, my head hurts every time I try to remember something, I'm sorry if it's not the answer you were hoping for, but I assure you I don't have any ulterior motives with your family, I I am truly grateful for what you have done, and whatever you demand in payment, I will gladly accept such a burden." He said looking at everyone seriously.
Caroline looked at him pityingly while Max was sad to hear that the boy didn't remember anything. May who had come back from the kitchen looked sadly at Shirou, while Norman forgot some of Shirou's previous actions with his daughter, but he was still a father and even if the boy didn't look dangerous, he would show that May was out of reach. .
Approaching Shirou, Norman looked at him intensely, which caught the boy's attention. "I'm sorry for what happened to you, but if you kiss my daughter's hand or do anything else like that, I'll split your neck in two, are we clear?" Norman said, only for Caroline to slap the back of the head and look reproachfully at her husband. May also looked at her father angrily, but she knew her mother would scold him for both of them.
"Norman! The kid just woke up from a faint and the first thing you think about is this? You will sleep on the couch tonight for being so insensitive." Said his wife angrily, just for Shirou to try to settle the argument, he didn't want a fight to arise from his actions.
"Please Caroline, don't fight with Mr Norman, I completely understand your distress as a father, and I'm glad he's so protective of his daughter." Her smile fell and a look of sadness appeared, worrying everyone because they thought Norman had overdone it.
"No need to worry about me doing anything for your daughter, I wouldn't dare do such a thing, especially since my heart only belonged to one lady." He said as he sat looking sadly at the floor.
Norman felt bad for the boy, but something in what was said confused him. "Shirou, you said 'belonged', what does that mean? If you don't want to answer I totally understand, it's your personal thing after all." Norman said trying to avoid another beating, because Caroline was preparing another slap and stopped at the last moment. May was also curious. She was dismayed when she heard from Shirou that he already had a girl, no one could blame her, he was handsome and acted the way any teenager dreamed of, so it was normal for her to be interested.
Tears started to form in Shirou's eyes, worrying everyone, as he brought his hand to his face to wipe his eyes. "She was beautiful, long hair as black as night, and everyone was afraid of her authoritative attitude, it was to be expected of a queen after all, but when someone reached her heart, she was the loveliest woman I could ever meet. As for what Norman said, don't worry, I don't mind commenting on it. Semiramis was her name, and she passed away some time ago. It hurts me to comment on this, but it's something I must get over someday." Shirou ended while Norman felt guilty for asking such a thing.
Caroline cried and went to hug the boy with pity, while May looked sadly at Shirou, while her eyes got wet. She envied this Semiramis for having such a loyal boy to call her own, but she also felt sorry for Shirou. She'd never been in a relationship and wasn't foolish enough to think she'd ever truly loved someone, but she couldn't imagine the pain it would be to lose someone so important in her life. She hoped that would never happen to her.
The moment of sadness was broken when a loud noise echoed through the room, and everyone looked at May, who was blushing in embarrassment because her stomach had betrayed her again.
Shirou smiled at that and stood up, catching everyone's attention. "Maple family, as a thank you for your actions towards me, I would like to make your meal tonight if you will. I would be grateful to do that for you." He said smiling slightly.
Caroline looked surprised, and smiled slightly wanting to see if the boy really knew what he was doing. Only she in her family knew how to cook, and both her children and her husband could not fry an egg for food without destroying the kitchen. There was also a selfish side, after all, Shirou was a polite and handsome boy, and she saw how May reacted to the boy's actions. As a mother she had to try something and the opportunity just came.
"Of course Shirou, feel free, let's go to the kitchen, I'll show you where the groceries are and you can continue from there."
Shirou nodded happily and followed Caroline into the kitchen, with the rest of the family following along.
Caroline quickly informed him of everything he needed, and before starting Shirou asked the family if they had any food preferences, and when they said he could do what he thought was best, he started.
No one doubted that Shirou could cook, but none of them expected what was happening.
The boy was working as a professional chef while a shocked Caroline looked on in awe. Shirou moved in perfect sync and no action was wasted, and when the aromas of food emerged, everyone's mouth watered.
After an hour everything was ready, and a real feast was available for everyone. Caroline looked at the dishes in amazement, she didn't know any and they all looked delicious.
When everyone sat down, surprised that Shirou was still standing, he smiled at the family and started to serve the dinner entree.
Everyone looked confused at the dish and Shirou was amused by it, deciding to clarify doubts, presented the dish.
"Ladies and gentlemen, I present to you Foie Gras, a French delicacy, I recommend consuming the meat together with the sauces for a better taste, and as they would say in the land of origin of this dish, Bon Appetit." Said Shirou in perfect French. None of them understood much, but it sounded like the dish was foreign from Shirou's accent, and May, being the hungry that she was, was the first to taste the dish.
When she took the first bite, she almost choked with the sensations she felt, that was the best thing she had ever eaten, it was incredible, and before she knew it, she had already devoured everything, she felt happiness and anger, because it was so little food. and she pouted angrily.
Everyone laughed at May and when they ate, they didn't have much different reactions from the girl. Caroline in particular was jealous of Shirou's culinary talent, and she was sure to get the recipe for this Foie Gras guy later.
When everyone had finished eating their dinner starter, Shirou collected the dirty dishes and replaced the table with a new set, starting to serve a meat dish, with mushrooms and potatoes cooked next to the meat. This was the main course and it was in the largest amount on everyone's plate, to the delight of May, who was dying to eat, but controlled herself waiting for Shirou to present the dish, it seemed to be something he was used to doing, and he started to the feeling of a renowned restaurant chef, which made her afraid to do anything that would offend him.
"For the main course, I present to you Boeuf Bourguignon, it is a traditional dish from Burgundy, France, and very popular throughout the country, consisting of champignon mushroom, potato and beef. Its preparation was based on red wine, but don't worry about the children, all the alcohol content was lost by the steam, leaving only the grape flavor that also had the effect of tenderizing the meat, Bon Appetit." When Shirou finished his presentation, Caroline looked impressed at the dish, even she couldn't use wine for meat preparation, and if this dish is at the same level as the entrance, she would need to take lessons from Shirou.
May was again the first to eat and when she took the first bite, she almost fell out of the chair she was sitting on. The meat was tender and even the mushroom she didn't usually like was amazing, the potatoes tasted like the meat and the whole set was so tasty, she never ate anything like this, felt like in a fancy restaurant so much so she wasn't attacking eating as you normally would, but eating normally savoring every morsel.
Seeing May eating calmly surprised Norman, as his daughter ate faster than his Slaking, and when he took the first bite, he couldn't judge her. It was amazing, and he didn't even taste the alcohol in the wine, which relieved him as he had fear that your children will eat something with alcohol content. The boy had talent and Norman began to wonder if he was some renowned chef before he lost his memory.
Max was eating happily, everything was amazing. He had eaten food prepared by Brock and thought he was the best cook after his mother, but Shirou left them all far behind. Everything was amazing, even the vegetables he hated were tasty.
It took a few minutes before everyone finished. Shirou picked up the plates and replaced them with smaller plates, going to the fridge and taking out a large bowl containing cookies of different colors. He distributed 6 cookies to each of them, and each of them was a different color. Soon after Shirou filled their glasses with orange juice and presented the dessert.
"To close the dinner, I present you Macaron, the real French sweet. They are cookies made with almond flour and meringue. It is called royal candy because it was brought to France by Queen Catherine de Medici. When the recipe appeared, it was kept under lock and key by the imperial court, being a delicacy belonging only to the royal court. But at some point the recipe was discovered by Carmelite nuns, and they started to reproduce the candy and sell it to the common population. Today Macaron is a French national delicacy. Bon Appetit." When Shirou finished his explanation, everyone was surprised that they were eating a dessert destined for royalty, and by the appearance of the cookies, they looked delicious.
Max, like the candy fanatic he was, quickly attacked his plate, and at the first bite, his eyes widened. It was the best cookie he had ever eaten, and each one tasted different. The orange juice made everything better, and even though it ran out quickly, it left him satisfied and happy to eat something so delicious.
The feeling was shared by everyone, who were extremely impressed with Shirou's gastronomic qualities. Everyone was so impressed that Norman stood up and put his hands on Shirou's shoulders, looking at him intensely.
"Boy forget what I said before about breaking your neck, if you date my daughter I'm the first one to support you. No one who cooks so well can be a bad boy." He said seriously, only to be hit by a punch, coming from a red-faced May, while Shirou and everyone laughed at the father-daughter interaction.
After dinner Shirou was going to wash the silverware, but Caroline refused, saying that he had already made a wonderful dinner and the least they could do was wash the dishes. She asked for the meal recipes, which Shirou happily passed her on, and after a few hours, everyone was getting ready for bed.
And at this point they came to a dilemma: Where would Shirou sleep? He would normally sleep in the living room, but Caroline turned out to be a woman who held a grudge, and Norman would sleep on the couch over Shirou's unfortunate comment. Max only had one bed in his room and Shirou would not sleep in Caroline's room out of respect for the couple, which had left only May's room left over.
He politely tried to refuse, saying he didn't mind sleeping on the floor. And in an act that surprised everyone, May took Shirou by the wrist and practically dragged him to her room without giving room for discussion.
Arriving at May's room, Shirou saw that it only had one bed. "May, I sleep on the floor, you take the bed." he said simply, and as he was getting ready for bed, he was practically thrown on the bed by a May embarrassed by what he was going to say.
"I don't want to sleep on the floor, but I won't let you sleep on the floor after the amazing meal you prepared. You are going to sleep with me!" She said red with embarrassment.
Shirou was uncomfortable sleeping in the same bed as a lady he'd just met, but he knew female wrath all too well, and being uncomfortable was better than being assaulted.
He reluctantly agreed, and unconsciously removed his shirt, showing a defined chest as he kept his cross around his neck. May had gone to the bathroom to change, and she returned wearing a pair of thin pink full-length pajamas with her hair hanging loose for the lack of a bandana, letting them fall to her shoulders. When she saw Shirou shirtless, lying on the corner of the bed and already with her eyes closed, she was paralyzed and blushed furiously, and walking in an insecure way, she lay down on the other side of the bed and pulled the covers over both of them, while trying to get calm down to sleep.
The day had been very chaotic for her, but she wasn't going to complain, she had met a lovely boy, who knew how to cook wonderfully and handsome too, everything she wanted in the perfect boyfriend.
That thought made her blush again, and half an hour later, she fell asleep.
A fateful meeting between people from different worlds marked the beginning of what would be an epic story that would change the course of the world as they knew it, for better or for worse, only time could tell.