Reviews, Explanations, and Fun Things
I want to point out that Artemis, is a bit of a combination of different depictions I've seen throughout fiction and also a bit of the FGO version. Personally, I enjoy her in the Hades video game, so I did take a lot of inspiration from that a bit (Seriously, check it out, its great and she's great in it). Someone asked where Orion is, well, I guess you'll just have to wait and see. I will say that she knows a lot about that particular story, but thats all I'll say.
Also, to answer a question, yes, Shirou's coin, as well as the other nine in his old world, are considered one of the scriptures of the holy church. They take up one spot collectively, but they all have some differences depending on the wielder. That's all I want to point out at the moment, other than his coin is a sword when unsealed.
Ash Locks, l know about them and they are pretty cool. However, I had Shirou prefer the Black Keys over them. Considering he has unique Black Keys. I may use them sometime in the future, but as of right now, the rune gloves are the main form of hand to hand he has. Have you seen some of the stuff Bazett has pulled off with them? Insane. Both from Ataraxia and Prisma Illya.
Cliffhangers are where its at, I always enjoy a good cliffhanger, at least when its continued and not dropped. I enjoy giving a brief teaser of whats to come, which is always fun. Expect a lot more to come.
Now, to get on to some other things, I plan on doing RWBY after each chapter, though Marksman and Vanadis will be thrown in as well. After this chapter, it will be Marksman and Vanadis, unless I get a bout of inspiration. Also, the plan is to release my Demon Slayer cross in a week or two, after all three stories have a few chapters to grow. I did decide I wanted to do a Campione or Shield Hero crossover (leaning more towards Shield Hero), with Shirou and Luvia, maybe Gray, I haven't decided on that yet. Akashic Records will be coming as well. Just want to make sure I have most of the stories running by then. My Danmachi cross will happen as well, since I rather enjoyed coming up with both Danmachi and Demon Slayer versions of Shirou, ironically, both are female. Either way, more stories are inbound sooner or later. I don't want to bog down my stories when they haven't gotten off their feet yet. I also want to say that I will be going back and fixing the formatting and stuff from the earlier chapters soon. Clean up and such.
That's all for now, now, on to the story.
Chapter 14
One quick phone call and Shirou was able to get the girls to buy some groceries for dinner. It was supposed to be Le Fay's turn to make dinner tonight, but Artemis seemed determined to taste his food. He didn't what her dream was about, but he figured that he shouldn't deny the goddess. Needless to say, he was actually a bit stressed about the prospect of cooking for an actual goddess.
After his phone call, he looked up and noticed that Scathach had disappeared from the rooftop he had left her on. More than likely, she was hiding somewhere around the area and decided to watch his interactions with the moon goddess.
"Can I see your bow, Einzbern?" She asked him. Shirou responded with a quirked brow, considering they were walking back to the house in the middle of a busy street. "Fear not, they cannot see us, unless they have the power to break through the magic of a goddess."
"You can just call me Shirou, or Emiya, if you prefer." He replied, calling the black bow of his future self. He held it out and allowed Artemis to take it. She held it in her hands and inspected it closely, even pulling the string back.
"Hmm, interesting, very durable. Though, it feels a bit off." She said, scrutinizing it further. "It is yours, yet, not yours." Shirou looked over at her, a bit shocked at her words. "It is a good bow, but I think you can do better." She said simply, holding it in front of her, obviously done with it. The bow quickly dematerialized, though Shirou didn't understand her words.
"Are you implying I make a new bow? Before tomorrow?" Artemis shook her head. Her silver eyes narrowed slightly, before she spoke again.
"While I have no doubt that you could accomplish such a thing, if you were given appropriate materials, I am afraid asking such a thing would intervene with your cooking. So, it will have to wait until after my test, should you pass that it is." The last bit seemed to be added on after the fact, though Shirou was a bit too preoccupied to notice.
"Tell me, Shirou,..." She was using his first name instead of Emiya, which was a bit interesting to him. "are you happy?" She asked him, though he was a bit caught off guard by the question. He wasn't expecting her to be asking him about his personal feelings. He supposed he might as well answer.
"I am, though my life has been pretty crazy lately. Partially my fault, though recent events have been beyond my control." He answered, focusing mainly on the three girls who appeared in his garden and the goddess beside him. He would confess that he wished life would slow down a bit, at least for a few days. Maybe after his test, he would get a break. Maybe he could take the girls on a vacation somewhere, he was pretty sure he could talk Sona into letting him off for a week. Then again, he sort of ditched her after the rating game, so that was a toss up.
"I see." She said with soft smile on her face. "When we reach your home, would it be alright if I rest in your garden?" She asked, casually revealing her knowledge of his home. Shirou mentally sighed, choosing not to be surprised any longer. They had been walking for some time, so they would be reaching it soon.
"Sure, that shouldn't be a problem." He replied to her. She hummed in response, choosing to walk beside him in silence. He noticed her looking around as they walked through the town, "You interested in the town?"
"I am a bit curious. It has been awhile since I've visited such places. Though, I do confess that I rather enjoy the atmosphere of this town. Though, I am positive that is only because of you." She said, before her eyes widened, "What I mean to say, is that you seem to have a natural ability to purify nature wherever you go. It is quite pleasant." She said quickly.
For the first time since he met Artemis, a small, amused smile appeared on his face. It seemed that even the goddess could get embarrassed. However, it was clear that Artemis noticed this. "Do my words amuse you? I'll have you know that it's not wise to laugh at a goddess." She said crossing her arms and turning her head. Though, Shirou noticed that her words lacked any animosity.
Despite the events that brought her here, Shirou found himself enjoying the time with her. She wasn't exactly what he imagined, though he only had second hand info from Atalanta of a Artemis from his world, but he thought she would be more like a god. He hadn't done much reading of the legends of this world, so he didn't know the exact details, but his view of gods had been biased because of his friends from home.
It was only the afternoon when Shirou and Artemis made it to the house. He noticed a note on the door when he walked up to it. 'Oh, don't have too much fun with the goddess, Shirou. You're my dance partner and only mine. I'll be back soon, went to the castle to pick up a fun toy for our dance routine. See you soon. S.' Followed by a cartoonish rendition of Scathach making a peace sign.
Shirou let out a sigh, before grabbing the note and sticking it into his pocket. 'Even when she's not here, she still manages to mess with me.' He thought to himself. He noticed Artemis looking at him with her head tilted to the side. "Sorry, just someone letting me know they won't be back until later." He offered with a smile.
She quirked her brow, before nodding. Shirou opened the door and began to make his way into the house. He noticed that the house seemed unusually quiet, despite Le Fay and Chloe supposedly being home. Rather than draw attention to it, he simply smiled and began to show Artemis to the garden. After reaching the garden, he noticed the aura around Artemis brighten greatly.
He was still quite new to senjutsu and how it worked, however, he was able to sense the auras of other people. With Flora helping him, he was able to bypass the learning curve a bit. At his current level, aura was the only thing he could sense, but, he was quite thankful for it at the moment. Artemis's aura had considerably brightened the moment she set foot in the garden.
He sat down at the porch, watching as she walked around, admiring each bed of flowers that had been planted. He then felt something hit the back of his head. He looked around and noticed that Le Fay had thrown a small pebble. Motioning for him. He looked back towards Artemis, before standing. She looked over and only nodded, seemingly already knowing his situation.
Artemis watched as Shirou walked back into the house, with a small smile on her face. She knew that he didn't notice, but she could see the very slight amount of disappointment on his face. 'Always so busy.' She thought to herself. She looked down at all the different types of flowers, though she focused on the ones that had been grown despite not being native to the land. Flowers that should be impossible to grow or even survive were thriving.
She then straightened, feeling something strange, before looking behind her at the porch. She gave a small smile and saw a dark skin girl with rose white hair. "Hello, what's your name?" She asked, though she knew the girl was on guard.
"You first." The girl replied with narrow eyes. Her outfit was red and blake, almost like a copy of a certain someone she knew. The girl did take after her brother in some ways. Artemis kept smiling and looked down at a one of the purple flowers nearby. 'Hmm, might as well.' She thought.
"Arty, call me Arty. It's what your brother calls me." She said, taking a few steps toward the girl. "I am guessing you are one of Shirou's sisters?" Artemis noticed the girl's demeanor lighten. She was still defensive, though, she seemed a little less suspicious.
She nodded, "Yes, I'm Chloe, the oldest of the three sisters." She crossed her arms as she looked closely at Artemis. "What are you here for?" She asked, narrowing her eyes, though Artemis's smile never left her face.
"You're brother invited me, though, the real reason is a bit more complicated than that." Artemis then let out a sigh. "I need his help with something, if I wanted to put it in a simple way." Chloe only raised an eyebrow.
"It can't be anyone else?" Chloe asked, though Artemis quickly answered causing her to flinch.
"No." Artemis seemed to catch herself, before she coughed into her hand. "Sorry, I didn't mean to do that. It has to be Shirou and no one else." She smiled at Chloe, "I know that you have no reason to trust me, but I ask that you give me a chance to prove that I don't intend to harm your brother." Chloe looked at her skeptically.
It seemed her brother was very popular here. He didn't even seem to notice it for the most part. Honestly, she was a bit surprised by that fact. After spending time with Le Fay and hearing about some of the things her brother had been up to, well, she realized that he must have been destined to attract trouble. Trouble and women. It was a bit of a shock really.
She let out a sigh, "Fine, I suppose that I can do that." It was the least she could do she supposed. "As long as you aren't like Scathach." She muttered to herself, though she was pretty sure she saw Arty's eyebrow twitch slightly. 'Odd.' She thought to herself, unknowingly showing how similar she was with Shirou.
"Well, now that we have that cleared up, may I ask you where your other sisters are at the moment?" Artemis asked, choosing to change the subject. Chloe brought a hand to her chin, adopting a thinking pose.
"Actually, I have no idea. They should have been back by now." She replied.
Unknown to Chloe, her two sisters were currently walking with Asia and Shirone, choosing to ditch Kuroka, who was currently arguing with someone named Bikou. They didn't ask questions when Shirone suggested they ditch her.
The four girls were currently on their way back home. Asia decided to slow down a little bit, wanting to talk to Illya. She noticed that Illya seemed a bit more subdued than the rest of her sisters. "Are you okay, Illya?" She said in her usual soft and angelic voice. Illya looked towards Asia and saw the smile on her face.
"Um, yeah. It's just, I'm having some trouble adjusting. Chloe and Miyu seem to be adjusting to everything well, but I'm not. It does have a lot to do with missing home, but..." Illya paused for a moment, before continuing, "I feel like I'm hurting Shirou." Asia's eyes slightly widened, before she centered herself.
"Why do you feel like that? You should know that Shirou cares about all of you a lot." She gave Illya a comforting smile. "How about you tell me about what is bothering you? I like to think I know Shirou pretty well, so maybe I can help." She offered. Illya looked up to her with her red eyes.
"Well, I know that Shirou cares about us, but I noticed that he had a sad look on his face when he saw me. It's not there all of the time, but when it is, I can tell." She said with a sad look on her face. Asia only patted the young girl on the top of her head.
"He just needs a little time to sort some things out. I promise that it isn't you." Asia thought to herself for a moment, wondering what the best way to help Illya would be. Her idea was a bit of a selfish one, but now that she wasn't a nun, she didn't have to worry about it too much. "You know, maybe all you need to do is spend some family time with him. Maybe in a day or two, the three of us can spend some time together. I know that Shirou would be more than happy to." She said with a smile.
Illya was a bit surprised at the suggestion, but she liked the idea. It helped that she felt really comfortable around Asia. For some reason, Illya felt like she was similar to her mom in some ways. She thought that it had to do with the loving aura that Asia seemed to exude. She nodded her head, "I would like that." She replied, before looking down at the sidewalk. Without thinking, her hand reached up and grabbed Asia's.
Asia was a bit caught off guard, but noticed that Illya seemed to have done it unconsciously. Her eyes slightly widened, but Asia only smiled at the girl as she continued to walk with her, hand in hand. Illya was a bit embarrassed, since she hadn't walked with her mom like this in awhile, but she enjoyed the comforting feeling it brought her. Asia made her feel safe, just like Shirou.
Beside them, Miyu and Shirone were walking beside each other, though the two were generally quiet. However, Shirone, seeing Asia taking a step in getting closer to Shirou's sisters, decided that it would be a good idea to do the same. She reached into the pocket of her sleeveless hoodie and retrieved one of the many lollipops Shirou had bought her. She looked at it for a moment, before looking towards Miyu and extending her hand out.
Miyu looked at Shirone, before tilting her head slightly at the display. "I noticed you looking at the candy shop earlier. Shirou often takes me there to get candy, so I wanted to give you this." Miyu had to admit it was still a bit jarring to hear the way Shirone talked, despite speaking with her the previous night. She noticed that she seemed a bit more lively too. Miyu reached out and took the lollipop from her, seeing the small smile on Shrine's face.
"Thank you, Shirone." She said, smiling in return. "Um, can I ask you something?" She asked Shirone, who only tilted her head slightly, before nodding. "Has Shirou always been, well, how he is now?" Miyu asked quietly, making sure to not allow Illya to hear her. Shirone seemed puzzled by the question, before understanding dawned on her.
She shook her head, then gave Miyu a small smile. "After I met him, Shirou was often melancholic or serious. He didn't smile all that often and rarely made jokes in the beginning. When he did, it was always to comfort us or to make me and Asia happy. I didn't understand at first, but I realized that it was because Shirou was broken."
Miyu's eyes widened, realizing that it sounded similar to her Shirou. "What do you mean by broken? Did something happen to him?" She asked, genuinely worried about Shirou. Her's had been involved in an accident, but he never really went into detail. Shirone looked a bit saddened at her question.
"Shirou said that he was in a fire, that killed over 500 people. He said it was caused by something called the holy grail." Miyu's eyes widened at her words. "Shirou said that everything about him was burnt away in it. He lost all memories before it. That coupled with everything else that lead to him ending up here, well, I could see Shirou was scarred."
Shirone brought her hand up to the red shroud hanging around her neck like a scarf. "I wanted to help him, but I didn't know how. Then, I realized that I could do something, but I was scared. Senjutsu was something I was terrified of back then. But, I knew I could help him, so, I used senjutsu when he was asleep to heal him."
Miyu was a bit confused at the terminology, realizing that senjutsu must be a system of magic in this new world. "I don't understand, why were you afraid of using it?" Miyu asked.
"When you use senjutsu, sometimes the malice of nature can become too powerful and cause you to go berserk. My sister used it to save me and send me here, to the human world. Though, at the time, I had thought, like many others, she had simply lost control. I didn't want that to happen, but I couldn't let Shirou to suffer anymore, so I used it." Shirone replied, her voice was quiet but firm. Miyu could tell that it must have been a tough decision for her.
Unknown to Miyu, Shirone had never confided in anyone about the first time she used senjutsu. "My plan was to use the healing of senjutsu to help Shirou heal."
"How would that help Shirou? I don't understand." She said, furrowing her brows. She thought about it, but couldn't think of anything.
"Senjutsu can be used to heal both external and internal injuries, which includes mental injuries. So, one night, I decided to use it and heal him. That was when I felt it, the pure feeling of nature around him. Nature just seemed to be at peace around Shirou, which allowed me to use senjutsu without feeling any negative thoughts. I laid next to him and began treating him. I didn't expect to feel how badly Shirou was damaged." She said with a deep sadness.
Miyu even felt a deep sadness beginning to form in her heart. She had never thought about how much Shirou may have been suffering, both hers and this one. He had been shouldering it and pushing forward for their sake. However, she was happy to know that Shirone had helped him. She wondered if Shirou himself knew. "What do you mean by that? Was it that bad?"
Shirone nodded, "The physical injuries were all healed, leaving only scars. However, Shirou had lingering curses embedded deeply within him. Asia and me healed him in secret at night and did everything we could to show Shirou how much we cared about him. After about a year, he became more like he is now. Le Fay and Kuroka helped with that. Now, you, Chloe, and Illya are a part of our family now too." A smile then appeared on her face.
Miyu had to admit that hearing about Shirou did sadden her, but it also made her happy to know that he was better. After Shirou spoke to her that morning, she was still slightly worried about everyone else, but it seemed like everyone in the house had already accepted them too. Shirone had told her that her and her sisters were now a part of the family. Her eyes began to mist up, however, she managed to blink it away.
"Thank you, Shirone." She said simply, before a thought occurred to her. "Do you think, you could teach me to do what you do?" Shirone looked at her with a raised brow, before figuring out what she meant. She sniffed the air for a moment, before finally replying.
"You smell similar to Shirou." She said simply, which surprised Miyu. She didn't know what that meant. "If Shirou says it's okay, then I will. I am not as good as my sister just yet, but I can try to teach you some things." She answered. Miyu's face brightened up. "You can train with Shirou, he is just now learning how use it too. I think it would be fun."
Miyu nodded with a smile on her face. She figured she would ask him when she spoke to him next time. She wanted to know more about him, much like her sisters. Though, she wanted to also spend time with Shirone too. She was their sister too, as she had the same last name. She was excited to spend time with her new family. The new world was frightening to her, but, it seemed that her new family would do all they could to make her feel safe.
Already, she could tell how much everyone seemed to love and care about everyone in the house, though she knew that Shirou was the one they all cared for deeply. He was like a pillar for them all. Honestly, she was still surprised that he attracted so many people to him. From what she had been able to gather so far from everyone, everyone was very different but they still called each other family. A holy maiden, a devil, a youkai, a witch, a reincarnation of a hero, a fallen angel she had yet to meet, and now her and her sisters.
She idly wondered who else would join them, considering her brother's current company, it would be something outrageous. She smiled to herself, not knowing that Illya and herself were about to meet a goddess.
Shirou had just finished explaining everything to Le Fay, who was frantic about him bringing a goddess to the house. She seemed hesitant about the whole deal, but she was one of the strongest magic users in the world and could protect everyone if anything bad happened. Shirou was actually a bit surprised by Le Fay's attitude towards Artemis.
After he managed to talk her down, he decided to head back to see her. "Flora, do you have idea about why Artemis is here for me?" He asked her, knowing that the only way to understand a goddess was to ask another. There was silence for a moment, before she answered.
"I don't know for sure, though I will say that her vision must be of some importance, otherwise she would have kept it to herself, Sir Shirou. Artemis is not the same as Diana, despite what many people believe. I'm hoping that will work in our favor, however, we will be ready to respond should anything happen, Sir Shirou." She replied, surprising Shirou with the reveal that Diana was different from Artemis in this world.
"Flora, my connection with nature, is it really as big of a deal as you and Artemis make it out to be? I don't feel like I deserve any of this." Shirou said, looking at his hands. He closed his eyes, feeling the air around him, the flow of nature, and the energy that nature seemed to be sharing with him. Avalon was now with Asia, yet, he felt like his connection was stronger without it. "What am I?"
"To be one with nature as you are, is something that many have sought throughout the years. She calls to you, to us, to be the guardian of her children and of the world. Gaia sees something in you Sir Shirou, something you cannot see just yet, but Artemis and myself, we can feel it. I will do all in my power to help you in your journey. If you do not feel like you deserve it, then become worthy of it, Sir Shirou." Shirou felt like something was enveloping him when those words were shared with him.
He was not of this world, yet, this worlds version of Gaia had chosen him? He closed his eyes, yet, even with them closed, he could see the flow around him. With what Kuroka and Shirone had taught him, he allowed himself to follow it. It reached deep into the world, where the flow became stronger and stronger. He could feel the malice of the world, yet, he remained unaffected. It was as if it was simply ignoring him.
Finally, he felt at peace, a warm feeling washing over him. He opened his eyes, yet, the sight remained the same. He could see the flow of nature, or Ki, as Kuroka and Shirone put it. However, he realized he was no longer in his home, he was in an open field of flowers. He took a deep breath, feeling a revitalized afterwards. "Flora?" He called out.
No reply came. He looked around, before noticing someone touch him on the shoulder. Normally, he responded quickly, but he felt like whatever it was, didn't intend to harm him. He turned around and laid eyes upon a woman with green, vine like, hair with flowers adorning it was standing before him with a big smile on her face. She was beautiful, Shirou had to admit, appearing to be a woman in her thirties. One of her eyes was green, while the other was brown. Her body type was similar to Bazett, Shirou noted.
She brought a hand up to his cheek, "You finally came, Shirou. I have long awaited your arrival here. I apologize for the lack of a proper greeting, but you appeared rather unexpectedly. It doesn't matter, I'm just glad to see you, my child." Shirou's eyes widened. He was about to speak when she brought her other hand up and placed a finger on his lips to shush him.
"I know you have many questions, Shirou. However, for now, allow me to indulge myself." She spoke, before wrapping her arms around him. "I'm so glad to see you have been doing well. You even managed to make it here yourself on your first try. Out of all my children I have chosen, you have managed to surprise me the most. I expect great things from you in the future." She pulled away, still maintaining that same warm smile that seemed to make Shirou feel at peace.
"Flora and Artemis sure are a handful, so I ask that you be patient with them. Though, I will say, do be careful around their kin. They have no appreciation for the nicer things in life, but I know you can handle it." She stepped back and Shirou finally noticed the white and green dress she was wearing. Her bare feet seemingly gliding across the ground wherever she stepped.
"Now, to answer some of your questions, this is my home. Not unlike yours, though, I don't have as many swords." She said, revealing her knowledge of his reality marble. "Reality Marble? Hmm, kind of catchy, I like it. Yes, this would be the equivalent of that." She was reading his mind. Who was she? Her eyes widened slightly, before she let out a laugh.
"I apologize, I forgot to introduce myself. It wouldn't do for my own child to not know his mother's name." What? Mother? He wasn't of this world, so she must mean it in an adoptive way, or something equivalent. "Hmm, yes, think of it that way. You'll understand in time, Shirou. How very special you are." She said as she walked back up to him and patted him on the head. "You are my first human child after all. Anyways, onto introductions. I have been called by many names, but, I prefer the one you know me as. I am Gaia, the earth mother. It's nice to finally meet you after all this time." She said with a smile.
And done. Apologies for the delay, I had problems with my internet service, which then caused me to lose some of the work I had done on the other chapters. Then, I had some personal stuff, doctor appointments and such. Oh well, its all fixed now. Anyways, hope you enjoyed the chapter, it has been slow, but trust me, things will begin to ramp up soon enough. Big things are happening and Shirou will have to figure out how to do his best to protect his family. Obviously, the enemies of peace are always just around the corner. Needless to say, Shirou will have to overcome some hurdles in the future. After all, some gods are jealous, paranoid, and arrogant, and Shirou is an anomaly. Lets just say, one of his future hurdles, will be love. Up next, RWBY followed by Vanadis. Now, see y'all next time.