Sorry everyone that this chapter's so late, moving apartment and being ill cut heavily into my writing time.

Chapter 2: The difficulties of a transfer student

Beams of light greeted Artoria as she woke to the sound of Kuoh preparing itself for the morning. For a moment or two she merely watched her ceiling as she readied herself for the day ahead. Prepared, Artoria made her way out of her bed and throwing on her running gear she packed her school bag. Suitably clothed, she left her bedroom and went about her morning routine.

Walking down the stairs, she noted that both her parents were thankfully out of sight, presumably still asleep. Letting out a breath of relief, she entered the kitchen and began to prepare a large but simple breakfast and lunch. Switching the stove on, the smell of frying onions quickly filled the room. Adding some of the previous night's leftover rice, a pair of eggs and several diced vegetables, her meal was soon ready. Packing her meal into her lunchbox, Artoria's bag was finally ready and after eating several slices of toast she was ready to head to the Academy. Slipping on her running shoes, Artoria left the house and began her run. Looking up to the mostly clear sky she smiled briefly to herself, it seemed she had an enjoyable run ahead of her.

The route was mostly empty as she ran, twisting and turning through the paths and streets that were dotted throughout Kuoh. As she ran, she considered what the day ahead would have in store for her. No doubt the student body would be curious about her and seek her out but fortunately she had some history with some of the students which should help curb any overly excessive rumours. Murayama would probably spend the day answering any questions that Artoria might have while also showing her around the school. With any luck she might even be able to practice kendo and potentially meet the members of the club. She'd been surprised when visiting the school that the facilities of Kuoh Academy were better than those at Kyoto. It was mainly due to said facilities that she'd moved schools as well as the scholarships offered by Kuoh and the greater support given to extra-curricular activities. Yet despite all this, she felt a deeper reason for her return to Kuoh. Her blood called out for the town and Artoria wished to know why.

Clearing her mind with a shake of her head, Artoria noted that she was nearing the end of her run and that the school's entrance was nearing. All around her students walked leisurely towards the school as they chatted amicably with one another, no doubt catching up after the summer holidays. A few smiled towards her seemingly recognising her from kendo, she returned their smiles with her own. She slowed from her run into a slight jog as she noticed, waiting at the gates for her, were Murayama and a pink haired girl she had occasionally seen at prior tournaments.

"Artoria! It's great to see you." Murayama's boisterous greeting brought a smile to her lips as Artoria finished her run in front of the girl. Flicking her hair back and standing straight she returned the greeting.

"And you too, Murayama, it's been a while." Turning to face the pink haired girl she reached out with her hand in introduction. "Who's your friend I don't believe we've been introduced."

"This is Katase, you've probably seen her around at the occasional kendo tournament. She's my best friend and my number two at the club. Well at least she was going to be before you decided to come and swipe my captaincy from me!" Murayama's face bore a slight pout even if her tone suggested she was joking. It was pretty clear that although Murayama was happy for Artoria to be running the club there was a slight undercurrent of envy.

"It's a pleasure to meet you Katase and I look forward to having you in the club." The girl returned the handshake with enthusiasm as she gave a bright smile.

"No, the pleasure's all mine Artoria. I look forward to learning from such a skilled kendo practitioner." Artoria gave the girl an encouraging smile before her brows rose slightly at the comedic huff that Murayama let out in response before letting out a boisterous laugh.

"Really Katase? I haven't even lost my title yet and you're already buttering up the competition. I see that our years as friends and partners mean nothing to you as soon as a better swordswoman pops up." Artoria watched Katase cringe slightly at the accusation before fully turning to her friend and loudly defending her actions.

"You know it's not like that Murayama." A wry smile suddenly appeared on the pinkette's face as she continued. "Besides I'm just looking forward to learning how to beat you in just one strike." Artoria backed away slightly from the two friends as sparks began to fly between the pair. As not to be outdone, Murayama too fully turned to her friend before letting out a sharp bark of laughter.

"Hah! You think I'm not going to be learning just as much from Artoria? You'll never be able to catch up with the third best sword of Kuoh Academy." As if to prove her point further, and Artoria could scarcely believe her eyes, Murayama took up a herculean pose. Hoping to prevent the pairs outbursts from growing any further Artoria intervened.

"As much fun as it is to watch your two's friendly rivalry I really ought to have a quick shower and change from my running outfit into my school uniform before school starts." In response the two girls' staring contest immediately stopped as the pair turned towards her and then looked around before eventually sharing a look. Murayama was the first to speak.

"You should be alright today Artoria but you probably shouldn't advertise that you plan to shower so openly." Murayama then continued in a hushed tone. "There are plenty of perverts in this school who no doubt wish to catch the new girl off guard. Well I won't let them, my blade has bled them a thousand times and I'll bleed them a thousand more before I let a single one of them disgrace you."

Artoria paused for a moment, mild shock preventing her from replying, as she tried to guess whether or not Murayama was serious. Yet as she watched the girl leaning forwards without even so much as a giggle as she spoke, Artoria began to feel a growing sense of dread.

"Surely she exaggerates Katase? You cannot be seriously suggesting that I should not shower for fear that some teenage boy might try to look at me?" The pinkette looked between her and Murayama before letting out an exasperated sigh.

"Well I doubt she's made them bleed a thousand times but it's probably not too far off as a rough estimate. The school has quite a number of issues with the boys in the school as they only recently became co-ed." In response to Katase more measured response Murayama lost her more calmed.

"Yeah it's getting pretty tedious and unfortunately the student council and the administration seem hesitant to do anything more than give detentions and suspensions." Artoria watched as the two girls looked at one another sheepishly before adding an extra detail to their story.

"Plus it probably doesn't help that when we do go to complain the culprits tend to be pretty badly beaten up."

"We tend to lose our tempers and take matters into our own hands by which point we could easily be accused of assault. At least with have Kiba to help balance the scale."

"Well for the time being I shall simply have to make do. But I am unwilling to see this continue, this whole situation is ludicrous. Would either of you two be willing to show me the way to the changing room?" Murayama nodded in response.

"Sure, Katase and I will tag along and just double check that the perverts aren't in their usual hiding spots. But I'd be surprised if they do as no doubt they plan to catch us off guard now that the summer's over and plan intrude after tonight's practice." With a shake of her head and a sigh escaping her lips Artoria began following the two girls toward Kuoh Academy's changing room. She was not expecting such difficulties to arise from simply wanting to shower.

After a brief shower

With her shower over and wearing her school uniform, Artoria made her way towards class. Followed by the pair of girls, Artoria made her way towards her new classroom, class 2A. The corridors were fairly busy as various students walked towards their respective classes however Artoria and the girls with plenty of time to spare.

The class was around half filled as students sat in their groups catching with one another with the occasional crossover between the groups of students. As Artoria observed the room, Katase and Murayama both started walking towards their desks where several other girls sat who happily greeted the pair. Following them, Artoria nodded in greeting to the girls recognising a few of them from her earlier run. Placing her bag onto an unoccupied desk that was next to Murayama she turned to look at the girl in question raising her brow.

"Yeah it's a free desk Artoria plus this is a new classroom for all of us so you can have any seat you want."

"Ah good, I didn't want to cause a needless commotion by mistakenly claiming someone else's desk." With the matter settled, she sat herself down and placed her various books on her desk before patiently waiting for the teacher to show.

She did not need to wait long as after several minutes of listening and idly introducing herself to her fellow students the teacher entered the classroom. She was an unassuming woman, in her early thirties and wearing a plain black suit. As she entered Artoria watched her gaze roam across the room before landing on her and with a brief but noticeable smile in her direction the teacher then began to talk.

"Good morning class, I trust that you all had an enjoyable summer. I'm sure that you all have plenty to catch up with so let's get introductions out of the way and then you can all enjoy homeroom until your first lesson begins. My name is Miss Miyuri and as I'm sure you've noticed there are a couple of new students joining you this year. Please make them feel welcome and show them around if they desire it. Now let's get on with the register." With her new homeroom teacher's introduction out of the way Artoria began to take notes on how she planned to both teach and lead the kendo club.

Once the register was over and Miss Miyuri began browsing her computer, the class began to chat. Both Murayama and Katase were busy talking about their summers with their friends which thankfully gave her plenty of time to make notes and compare what she had written to how she had been taught in the past. Whenever Murayama attempted to bring her into the conversation she would talk for several moments before allowing another to take over the conversation and returning to her notes. From what she could gather it seemed that most of her fellow students were planning to wait until lunch before they truly interacted with her, that suited Artoria fine.

After homeroom ended Miss Miyuri left with a quick goodbye before another teacher entered and began their lesson with little fuss. Their teaching method was not dissimilar from Kyoto Academy's own although she noted that their classroom discipline was laxer than what she was used to. As although Murayama and Katase seemed to be working diligently others nearby talked quietly and passed the occasional note.

Other students in the classroom would occasionally glance her way before returning their attention to their own conversations. For the most part she was thankfully left to her own thoughts and the odd conversation with Murayama. But, in the rear of the class sat a pair of boys who frequently attempted to garner her attention through overacted gestures. Fortunately, the teacher at the time noticed and was far from impressed quickly giving the pair several stern words for attempting to distract the new student.

The school day continued with little change and eventually the lunch bell rang. Bringing out her lunch, a feast in comparison to what her two friends were eating, Artoria settled in. Boxes of rice, chicken and fried vegetables alike disappeared, much to the astonishment of Murayama and Katase alike. Their own small sandwiches seeming somewhat pitiful in comparison. Unfortunately, it quickly became apparent that despite the meal that sat before her, Artoria's classmates wanted gossip. And so for the next half an hour she succinctly answered her classmates' questions all the while trying to finish her food within the allotted time frame. Thankfully, she managed to both finish her lunch and satisfy the brunt of her peers' curiosity before their next teacher entered the room for afternoon classes.

When the final bell for the end of school rang Artoria could barely hold a relief filled sigh. The day had been rather tiring, especially the inquisitive nature of her peers and the annoying pair of boys who had thankfully backed off after Murayama walked over to their desk, annoyance clearly visible.

Packing away her books, Artoria turned to the other girls only to stop when she noticed the large grin on both their faces.

"Well at least that's over." Stated Murayama with a chuckle. "I honestly thought we'd never have a moments peace at lunch or during the day."

"You're telling me." Continued Katase. "I forget what this school can get like when there's new gossip. Although normally their worse, I guess you convinced them to keep themselves in check Artoria."

"I somehow doubt that. No doubt they were simply busy catching up with one another after the summer. Tomorrow will probably be a continuation of today's questioning." Artoria stated with a shake of her head.

"Well tomorrow's me can deal with it, right now I'm ready for some kendo! Let's head over." The excitement in Murayama's voice brining a laugh out of both Katase and Artoria. Picking up her bag, Artoria followed the other two girls as they headed towards the kendo club's building.

The kendo club's building was a medium sized building that sat slightly away from the main school. The building itself was mostly wooden with an off white exterior and several trees dotted around it. Artoria had noted that it was a surprisingly pleasant building when she first came to a tournament hosted by the school. At the time she had been surprised that a school in such a small city had a dedicated building for kendo. Now she was aware of the large quantities of private funds the school received, it was only due to her sports scholarship that Artoria was able to attend. Clearing her head of her musings, she entered the building. Wooden floorboards and well maintained walls surrounded her and racks of high-end gear stood proud in the afternoon sun. Taking a deep breath, Artoria smiled, this was why she was here.

"It's a nice building isn't it?" Murayama stated with a knowing smirk. It seemed that despite seeing the building several times in the past Artoria hadn't quite been able to suppress her obvious liking of her surroundings.

"It is. After the nature of today it's nice to remember why I transferred here." Even as she spoke Artoria walked over to one of the shinai and removed it from the rack. Swinging the bamboo blade several times her thoughts began to rest on the previous night's battle. Stepping out into the centre of the room, she noted that both Murayama and Katase had moved to rest against the wall as they watched her.

Ignoring their presence for the time being, her mind focussed on her breathing and her blade darted forwards. Even as she did so, she recalled her prior opponent's deflection and her blade responded as if blocked. All too easily did the fight that occurred the previous night replay itself and although Artoria knew the ending she could see no way to change the outcome. As the fatal strike her opponent landed occurred Artoria released her breath and lowered her shinai to her side. The tension that had surrounded her fled and she turned to the other two girls with a smile, even as she enjoyed their expressions of surprise.

It was then that she noted the unfamiliar third figure that had joined the two girls. The blonde hair and attractive features made it readily apparent as to the identity of the third, nevertheless Murayama introduced him as Artoria walked over to the three.

"Once again Artoria you have to rub it in my face just how much you outclass me. But this time I've come prepared, Kiba Yuuto, this dastardly villain is none other than Hyoudou Artoria. I ask that you, Kuoh's prince, defend my honour against this barbaric upstart." At Murayama's antics, Katase responded with a light shove before Kiba spoke.

"It's a pleasure to finally meet you Hyoudou. Murayama has complained endlessly about how often you have stolen her rightful title as the best sword in Japan. Although there has been some doubt as to if she truly deserves said self-proclaimed title." Kiba's tone was both lighthearted and welcoming and as he bowed to her Artoria responded in kind with her own.

"It's a pleasure, I've heard similar stories of your own prowess with a blade from Murayama. Still I find it hard to believe that one could be so skilled and yet not be a member of the kendo club." Shaking his hand as she spoke, Artoria noted the slight bristeling of Kiba's swordsman pride. A promising sign.

"True, but unfortunately what free time I have is needed in the Occult Research Club. Still, I find the occasional free time for a friendly spar." At the mention of ORC, Artoria could barely withhold her chuckle. But it seemed her efforts were needless when Kiba's normally friendly eyes narrowed slightly. Heedless of the slight tension in the air, Murayama let out a shout of joy.

"Let's get this battle on the road!" With a nod of affirmation at Murayama and a polite bow to Kiba, Artoria returned to the centre of the room as she watched Kiba make his way towards the weapon's rack and arm himself with a shinai. Both Murayama and Katase stood on opposite sides of the impromptu arena to referee while Kiba returned, his shinai firmly at his side. With another set of bows between them the duel was ready to take place.

Author's Note:

I'm wondering how to resolve the perverted duo as characters. On the one hand, in the Fate series Artoria doesn't particularly seem to care about nudity quite the same as others might. And I can't really see Artoria beating the two up like the other kendo girls might do in Highschool DxD. I'm leaning towards her maybe just seeing it the whole thing as frivolous and distracting the club from kendo and concludes that either the club needs to sort it out themselves or she ends up frustrated by the whole thing and goes to the school council or teachers to get it sorted. Something along the lines of: "You want a good kendo team and I need my time not to be wasted so deal with them before I do." etc. Any suggestions?

Also another brief note, people have been asking why a DNA test hasn't been done and it's a fair point that I've planned to take into account as the story progresses. As most of you guessed Artoria's conflict with her parents isn't going to be a major part of the story but it will cause minor issues as the story continues, at least early on. As a result, I've got a couple of ideas in the works that should come out in later chapters and hopefully lay to rest some of your concerns.

As always any suggestions are definitely appreciated, and I've already started working on the next chapter so it shouldn't take nearly as long as this one did.