A Demon Lord's Hero

by Fahad09

When I sold my soul to the Devil, I thought I was prepared for anything. I wasn't. I didn't expect him to be a her. Or dressed up as a magical girl carrying a pink wand tipped with a cheerful yellow star. Her being a prankster however didn't come as much of a surprise. You know, the Bible would have been a whole lot more interesting if they included stuff like this. Complete AU

14. Chapter 14: This is Serafall - Part 2

Author's Notes:

Now I'd like to add one quick thing before we start. Looking over the comments from the previous chapter it seemed that many people seemed to associate comedy with unimportance, lack of development or even crack. It's not. Just because something is light hearted doesn't necessarily mean that there isn't something meaningful happening. Just because it makes you laugh doesn't that there isn't some serious implications, some of it dark. You'll see it if you look for it. Just remember that I wouldn't make a character act out of character (at least my interpretation of them in this AU) just for a joke (that's what Omake is for).

Oh! A lot of answers to questions will be answered in this chapter, so this your last chance to figure things out before the mysteries get revealed.

Well that's all I have to say, so let get on with the chapter. I have been looking to writing this chapter for a while and I sincerely hope you all enjoy it.

*Story Start*

---

This is Serafall – part 2

No…no, No! No-no-no-no-no-no-no no. No, no! Just no. This can't be possibly happening. There is no way this is real. How? How could this happen? What could have possibly possessed Ilya into becoming a magical girl! She sure as hell wasn't like that when I left her with-

-Oh.

"Woman." I growled out as I turned to Serafall, the only one who could possibly be responsible for this. "What-did-you-do?"

Serafall, showing not even the slightest hint of remorse, shot me a wicked grin, "The Will of the Serafall conquers all."

"What does that even mean?" I asked in frustration. "When I left her with you Ilya was completely normal. And now, and now she's a…a…" I couldn't even say it.

"A magical girl." Sirzechs added helpfully from where he stood off to one side. He clearly intend on staying out of the way and just watching how things unfolded. And going by the amused smile he was wearing, he was enjoying himself immensely.

"Yes, that." Too out of it to even spare Sirzechs a glare as I began to deal with the revelation of my sister becoming a magical girl. I swayed back on my feet as the realization finally began to truly dawn on me. "Oh my dead God, my sister is a magical girl."

A comforting hand on my shoulder helped steady me as my mind reeled from the shock. I turned to find Sona giving me a look that was filled with just as much compassion as it was pity.

"Welcome to the club brother." Her voice was as solemn as I had ever heard it before, as she gave my shoulder a supportive squeeze. "Being related to a magical girl is no easy thing and it is a life full of hardships. It is not a burden we asked to carry but it is one that we must nevertheless bear for there is no running away from it. Trust me I tried. And while I wish I could tell you things will turn out ok, that things will get better with time that would be a lie. The only advice I can give is to abandon all your dignity now, before she takes it away from you and forces you to watch as she sets it on fire."

The hallowed and haunted eyes she look out at me with, something that I had only seen on the faces of veterans from the bloodiest of wars, told me that she meant every word she said. And not for the first time since I arrived in this world, I began to genuinely fear for my future sanity.

Would I end up looking like that in time?

"Onii-chan!" Whatever other morbid thoughts I might have had was put to an abrupt end when a pink and white missile tackled me from the side. I reflexively wrapped my arms around Ilya as I fought to stay on my feet, having almost been knocked onto the floor by the force of her charge.

"Onii-chan~, found you!" She cheered as she nuzzled her face into my side.

For the first time, I found myself drawing a blank when I tried to think of what to say to Ilya. Or is it magical girl Ilya now? Oh hell, please someone tell me she isn't going to start her own show too?

"Ilya," gently pushing her away by her shoulder until she stood before me, "what are you wearing?"

"Can't you tell Onii-chan?" She tilted her head up at me while flashing me something that was a cross between an innocent smile and a knowing smirk. A part of me began to suspect that she was enjoying my reactions just a bit too much. "It's a magical girl costume of course."

She took a step back before spinning in place to better show it off, her skirt flaring as she did so, before ending her spin in a curtsey. She rose up and held her arms wide open, giving me a clear look at her costume, "Onee-chan gave it to me. Isn't it great?"

"…Yes." No matter how hard I tried to hide it, the edge of my smile wouldn't stop twitching. "It's…wonderful."

"…Onee-chan?" I turned to find Sona with an indecipherable expression on her face. She was standing up a little bit too straight to be casual, her posture far more rigid than normal. She turned to Illya, her movements rather stiff, almost mechanically, before asking, "Did you just say Onee-chan gave it to you?"

"Hmm?" Ilya cocked her head at her, "Yes, Serafall-Onee-chan gave it to me. Why, is that a problem?"

"…No, not at all." Sona stood oddly still for a long while, staring blankly at Illya who stared back in turn while wearing a smile that was a little too innocent for me to completely trust.

My eyes kept jumping from one to the other as I sensed that something was going on between the two of them that I was entirely missing but for the life of me I had no idea what it was. And when they continued to silently stare at each other, one with a blank face and the other with an unrelenting smile, and did nothing else I began to get worried.

Just as I decided to intervene, Sona acted.

"It seems that our sisters are getting along well together." She turned to me, with a wide and jubilant smile on her face. "Isn't that great Shirou-Nii-chan?"

….what the hell?

The wide and clearly unnatural smile on Sona's normal stern visage was so disturbing that I'm not ashamed to admit that I took an involuntary step back away from her. Sona ignored my reaction and actually took a step forward as she continued to smile up at me.

*Snap*

A loud, resounding crack reverberated throughout the hallway as the red and star-tipped wand that Ilya held was crushed, snapped in two like a pencil in her grip. At first I was surprised, I knew how durable those wands were and I didn't know that Ilya had anywhere close to enough strength to even dent one, but when her smile began to turn into something far sharper my surprise turned to alarm as bells began ringing in the back of my brain, screaming at me to do something now.

Fortunately someone decided to step in.

"Could it be," Serafall stepped forward, the hand she held in front of her mouth did nothing to hide the utterly delighted smile she was wearing, "is my little So-tan by any chance jealous?"

"What! No!" Sona's face flushed a bright red as she turned to face Serafall, frantically waving her hands before her in denial as she did so, "Why would I be jealous of her calling you Onee-chan-"

Her hands quickly clamped over her mouth, cutting off the rest of her words, while her eyes widened as the realization of what she just said sunk in but it was already too late. The damage was done.

Serafall's eyes practically twinkled likes stars while her smile grew so large that it seemed to take half of her face. "Oh So-tan, you never need to be jealous. You'll always be number one in my heart. I promise."

"That's not what I meant!" She wailed. Sona quickly began looking around in panic as she felt the eyes of everyone in the hallway, Devils and humans alike, on her. "I swear I didn't, I'm not jealous."

"Geez, there is no need to be shy." Serafall walked towards her with her arms held open, her smile not diminishing in the slightest. "Now come, jump into your beloved Onee-sama's arms."

Sona's eyes kept frantically jumping all around the room, her face flushing even redder and tears were building up in her eyes when she realized that none of us believed her denials. That and the slight snickering of the gathered crowd was the final straw that broke the last of her composure.

"I-I-I…" her eyes were filled with tears as turned and ran away sprinting down the corridor. "Onee-chan I hate you!"

"No wait, come back. Onee-chan's Sorry."

I watched, not for the first time, as Sona ran away in tears while an apologetic magical girl chased after–huh? Wait a second, where did Serafall go?

Two arms appeared from behind, wrapping around my waist and pulling me into a tight hug. I could feel a face press itself into the middle of my back as I was embraced from behind.

"Serafall?" I asked, cranking my head around to try and get a better view.

"Just give me a second." A muffled voice responded. So I stopped my struggling and let her be. And as promised not a few seconds later she let me go.

"There, recharge complete!" She clenched her hands and cheered. She brandished her wand before pointing it straight down the corridor like a lance. "Now, let the hunt begin. Charge~~~! Kayahahahaha."

Serafall began cackling like a maniac as she ran down the corridor after her sister and soon started yelling out to her. "Sona wait! I'm sorry, Onee-chan won't do it again. Please come back!"

I watched in complete bemusement as Serafall disappeared around the corner, yelling out apologies all the while. The sound of her footsteps kept receding until they disappeared entirely only a few seconds later, leaving the corridor feeling oddly empty now that they were gone.

Realizing that the show was now over the crowd started to disperse, and not a minute later I found myself alone with Ilya, a thoroughly entertained Sirzechs and a shell-shocked Saji who didn't looked like he would be snapping back to normal anytime soon.

"Neh, neh Onii-chan." Ilya said as she insistently tugged on my sleeve. I turned to look, only to find her wearing a smile so sincere and open that I was immediately on my guard. "So, tell me about all these girls I've heard you've started living with."

…Oh Shit.

---

It fluttered its crystal like wings, blue light reflecting off its frozen feathers, slowing it's descent before softly landing on Ilya's wrist.

The synthetic falcon cocked its head side to side from where it rested on its new perch, scanning its surroundings with dead eyes that nevertheless still shone with something that might have been mistaken for intelligence were it not for the hollow coldness in them.

Still, with every passing second I found it harder to believe that it was not alive. It's every motion was so natural and life like, even down to the smallest details like the ruffles on its feathers that was pat down perfect, that had I not seen it constructed from nothing but ice and magic before my very eyes I would had no trouble believing it to be real.

However well it was made, it doesn't change the fact that Ilya had just cast magic in the middle of a hallway filled with ordinary people.

"Ilya!" I hissed, taking a step forward to block the sight of her, and the falcon, from view. "What are you doing?"

"Calm down, Onii-chan." Not even sparing me a glance as she stroked the falcon's chest, causing the bird to preen under her attention, "They can't see it."

To my surprise I found she was right, no one was looking at us. Or at least, no one was looking at the falcon. Ilya had been receiving her share of stares for a while now, understandable seeing as she was still wearing her magical girl costume, but no more than had before.

I looked down at her, then at the bird that had actually began cheeping as she scratched what appeared to be sweet spot under it's beak, "Illusion?"

"Yup, it's a pretty delicate one too." She turned to look up to me, the bird cooing in disappointment when she stopped her scratching. "It's so light that anyone with even the slightest bit of magic resistance will be able to see through it with ease."

"I'm impressed." And I was, she was nowhere this capable when we last met. Illusion was one of the more intricate fields of magic, and even Devils had trouble learning anything outside of the very basic spells. "I can't do anything near as advanced."

"Shirou, this isn't advanced at all. It's actually rather simple." She laughed a bit teasingly at me, "Then again, not all of us have a head filled with swords all the time so it can't be helped."

"Hey, I-"

"20,000 Yen." A yell echoed down the hall, cutting me off and interrupting our conversation. "Please Issei, it's all I have."

Pouring out from one of the nearby classrooms, a group of students emerged, yelling and clamoring over one another as they surrounded a boy who I quickly identified as Issei. He was hunched over something, protecting it from their frantic clawing hands, ignoring the handful of money that some of them were thrusting at his face while he tried to break away from the mob.

"I'll double it!" A girl, one of the few in the group made up almost entirely of boys, yelled out. Her eyes had almost a fanatic look to it as it gazed at the object held in Issei's hand. "40,000, all of my savings. None of you boys would know how to treat Onee-sama's body right anyway."

"Fine, 50,000 then." A shaved head boy yelled out, "I'll give you 50,000 Yen! I'll sell all of my DVD collection to get the money if I have to. Come on Issei, I'm your friend aren't I? You got to sell it to me."

A second, far more sedated group of people followed the rowdy students outside of the classroom. Dozens of shamefaced parents trailed behind their children, too mortified by their behavior to do anything but lower their head in embarrassment.

"Never!" One side of the crowd budged before parting, as Issei pushed his way through the mass of people with nothing but brute force. The instant he was clear of their grasping hands, he turned and sprinted down the hall, yelling over his shoulder as he did so. "Buchou's body is mine! I'll never let you have it."

The remaining students chased after him, breaking into a run to catch up to the boy, yelling offers and promises all the while, leaving their disheartened parents behind.

It was then that something caught my attention.

From the recently vacated classroom, lagging farther behind the others, a pair of parents emerged. The mother, a well-dress woman wearing a formal pink skirt and jacket over a white blouse, held her face in her hands as she moaned. "We'll never have grandchildren will we?"

However it was the father that had captured my attention. Despite being dressed up in a brown suit, he was a scruffy looking man. His tie hung loosely around his neck while the top of his shirt was unbuttoned. A small and scruffy patch of hair grew from his chin, too small and light to be called a beard. His frame was lanky, his limbs skinny, a body that clearly had not seen any exercise for a while.

All in all, he looked like an average salary man. Something that was a common sight in every city in Japan. Even the glasses that he wore over his brown eyes were of typical design. He would have blended into a crowd easy enough with nothing about his appearance differentiating him from the rest. Except for one thing.

He only had one arm.

The sleeve of his left jacket lay empty, hanging listlessly by his side.

The man wore an appreciative smile as he stroked his chin. "I don't know," he said as his face took a contemplative expression. "I mean have you seen that model? It's was a masterpiece I tell you."

He cupped his hand in front of his chest, bouncing it in a manner that left no doubt to what he was talking about. "Especially here, have you seen the size of those Br- AHH!"

He yelped out in pain when his wife stomped on his toes, causing him to hop in place as he cradled his injured foot.

"We'll never have grandchildren I tell you." His wife, still not lifting her face, moaned into her hands.

She ignored her husband even as he continued to hop around cussing in pain, "Then again," She raised her face, her eyes glinting, "I ended up marrying you. So maybe there's still hope, there could be another idiot like me out there."

With a determined nod she reached out and snatched her husband's hand, dragging him after her as she marched ahead, ignoring his protests. "Come on, let's start searching."

"For what?" The man asked as he hopped along.

"An idiot. It's a school full of teenagers, there must be hundreds of them here. All we have to do is find the right kind."

Just as she was about to drag her husband past me, his eyes met mine and he caught me staring. It hit me how rude I was behaving but before I could even think of apologizing, he flashed me a knowing smile followed by an understanding nod, and then he was dragged past me before I could respond.

It was not the first time I had seen an amputee of course, not by a long shot. Not with a neighbor like Raiga-Ojii-san who had more than a handful working for him at times. But for some reason I was caught off guard seeing Issei's father like that.

"I don't get it." Ilya stared uncomprehendingly after the last of the running students, "Why all that trouble over nothing but a doll? It's didn't even have any cloths on it. Don't they know that even the cheap dolls they sell in stores come with clothing?"

"I have no idea." I answered, staring after the fleeing group myself, "As much as I'd like to say it's due to puberty, no one in my old school acted like-"

I was cut off again, this time by the school bell going off, signaling the start of class. Around me, some of the loitering students began heading to class, more often than not with their parents tagging along after them.

Instead of following their example I decided to ditch class entirely. In a day like this I doubt the teachers would really care, and honestly at this point I was beginning to regret enrolling in the school. Despite enjoying the company of some of my fellow students, the classes themselves were the problem. They weren't even remotely engaging. Not due to the teachers but rather simply because I already learned the majority of what they were trying to teach, and the few topics that I wasn't familiar with I simply had no in interest in.

It reached the point where I was tempted to drop out of school entirely and simply join Asia and Xenovia in whatever they have been doing during the day. The only thing that's stopping me is the risk of another attack happening when I wasn't here, a small but realistic possibility. Not to mention having to deal with the inevitable fallout when Sona finds out I dropped out after all but strong arming her into letting me join the academy.

So after waiting for the bell to finally stop ringing, I turned to resume my talk with Ilya only to find her smirking knowingly up at me.

"What?" I asked defensively.

"Oh nothing," her smirk still firmly in place, "I was only wondering why you weren't heading to class."

"I'm not going. Ditching one class isn't going to hurt me, particularly when it looks like the teachers aren't even going to try to teach us anything today." And I knew I said the wrong thing when her smirk only grew wider.

"Really~? But you seemed so enthusiastic about getting to class last time."

Never before in my life had I ever been more grateful for the sound of the school bell when Ilya had begun to question me about Asia, Xenovia and even Gasper and Shirone living in my house, despite the latter not technically living with me and the former being a boy. Her reply of 'shotacons are a real disease' reminded me to add another mark to the very long list of topics I had to discuss with Serafall about what she was teaching Ilya when I wasn't around.

Nor have I ever run faster to class before. I had honestly been intending to ditch most of the lessons of the day once I found Ilya, but if I had a choice between spending my time in a boring class or to spend it with Ilya when she was in one of those moods the choice was easy. Hooray for education.

After the lesson had ended and I found her waiting for me outside of the classroom she seemed to have dropped the topic. For now at least, I was under no delusion that she had forgotten about it. Ilya was many things but merciful she was not. The girl knew how to hold a grudge better than anyone else I knew.

"Speaking of classes," I frantically tried to change the subject, "how did your Middle-Class Devil examination go?"

To my surprise it actually worked, Ilya's appearance turned to one of a genuine excitement. She spun around and began walking backwards as we made our way down the corridor.

"I passed it, it was so easy too. Those examiner tried to make such a big deal about how hard and difficult the exam was and how much of an honour it was for me to even take it at such a young age but the moment I showed them my magic they ran away screaming. They even promised to give me a pass for the rest of the examination if I'd just go away."

"Ilya. What did you do?" Even though I was almost positive that I didn't want to know the answer, it had to be asked.

"Nothing I swear." And going by the confused look on her face she honestly believed that. "I just summoned one of my puppets to prepare for my test. I didn't even command it to do anything, it just stood there, but the next thing I know I looked around to find every single examiner cowering in one corner of the room begging me to make it stop."

I turned a skeptical eye on the tiny bird that had at some point leapt onto her shoulder and appeared to have fallen asleep, tucking its head underneath one of its wings. "That little guy was able to make High-class Devils cower in terror?"

"Oh no, I didn't summon Pala here." She replied while cheerfully rubbing her cheek against his sleeping form, "I really wanted to impress them so I decided to go with something a little bit bigger, the best puppet I got."

"Something a little bigger? Ilya, what did you summon- no, wait don't tell me." I held up a hand as my common sense finally kicked in, "I don't think I want to know." I've had more than my share of surprises for one day. Finding out about whatever insanity she decided to summon can wait for another time, like when I was dead and buried so I wouldn't have to worry about my heart stopping from the shock of it.

"Speaking of getting a little bigger, have you been growing taller again?" While it was barely noticeable, for someone who hadn't grown at all in years even the smallest change made a large difference.

"Yup," She puffed her chest out and crossed her arms with pride as if she had achieved some kind of incredible feat. "Two full inches in total now."

Two inches, a difference in height so small that for anyone else it would be negligible but for her, who had a body that could never grow, it was a miracle.

Even though she no longer had an Evil Piece in her, the effects from her reincarnation remained. She had a new body, one that was neither a homunculus nor a human but a Devil's, free from the defects of her old one.

Though it was rarely done, the Evil Piece could be removed. Once reincarnated the transformation is permanent, and not even the absence of the Evil Piece would cause Ilya to revert back to her old body. However without the Evil Piece to provide them with Prana, Reincarnated Devils are simply not capable of generating the necessary energy to support their new bodies and will eventually fade and die as a result. Often in as little as a few short days, faster if they exert themselves.

That is why when Evil Pieces are removed, it is only ever done on older and powerful Reincarnated Devils, those whose magic system has developed and grown strong enough since their reincarnation to support themselves without aid. The amount of Prana needed to fully support even the weakest body of a Devil is so high that it is believed to be beyond the capability of even the most powerful of human mages.

It was fortunate then that Ilya was not a human but a homunculus. A homunculus that was capable of generating dozens if not a hundred times more Prana than the average human mage. It is the greatest of ironies that her status as a homunculus, something that had caused nothing but suffering in her past life, was the very thing that allowed her to roam and live freely here.

It was then, as I watched Ilya discover that she was growing that I knew for certain, that I had made the right choice all those months ago. Wearing a fragile look of uncertain hope on her face, along with a thing that was too hesitant and uncertain to be truly called a smile, as if she was too frightened to hope for fear of only having it snatched away again, not able to believe that after years of resigned acceptance of her demise, that she may finally be allowed to live. It was as I watched how the fragile smile grew more solid with each passing week, growing more certain with every month until it blossom and turned to carefree one it became today, that I knew it had been worth it.

To protect such a smile, all I had to do was sell my soul to the Devil.

Given the choice I'd do it all over again.

Serafall had kept her word all those months ago. In exchange for my soul she had saved Ilya's life by resurrecting her as a Devil, using two of her Bishops pieces only to have them removed as soon as Ilya's body had stabilized.

While Serafall was many things, a trickster and prankster and much more, a liar she was not. It was only my soul that was bargained away, not Ilya's, so she had only taken what was promised to her and nothing more.

It was better this way. Not only had Serafall not wanted to add another member to her Peerage, but neither did any of us want Ilya to have to bear the burden of becoming a part of a Maou's Peerage. She had enough of dealing with unwanted responsibilities in her old life, in this one I just wanted her to live happy and carefree, something that she never gotten to experience in her old childhood. Not since the Fourth War.

Maybe later that can change, not now but when she's older. There is a reason why I made sure to keep my only mutated piece, a rook, in reserve just in case. But that's for the future. For now I plan to let her roam free for as long she needs to.

"W-Whaa~", my hand shot out to Ilya just as she tripped, letting out a squeak of surprise as she pin-wheeled her arm in a desperate attempt to regain her balance. I caught her wrist just before she fell over, pulling her up and lifting her off her feet.

"And this Ilya," I said, setting her down on the ground again as I did so, "is why we don't walk backward."

"Mou~ Shirou. Don't treat me like-" Ilya puffed her cheeks at me, making her look like a chipmunk as she complained, only to stop halfway in her tangent as she caught sight of something behind me. "Shirou, what's that?"

I turned to around to look at what she was pointing at, only to instantly regret my decision.

Gasper, in spite of my best efforts, had been refusing to leave the house. While he had been beginning to open up to his fellow house-mates, he was downright terrified of setting so much as a foot outside.

It wasn't that he was anthrophobic, though that was certainly a part of the problem, it was because he was afraid of hurting someone. He, more than anyone, was aware of how dangerous his Sacred Gear could be. And with abysmal control he has over it there is a real chance he could accidentally end up hurting someone. All he needed to do was glance at a car driving on driving on the highway and he risked causing a pile up. So while he was beginning to leave his room and interact with others, he was still more or less a shut-in.

That was partly my fault as well, for in my efforts to make him comfortable in his new home I might have done a bit too good a job of it and made him so comfortable that he didn't want to leave. He had everything he owned in his old room transferred to his new one - and for some reason I cannot understand he insisted in moving into the basement – and now that he had some people he could interact with he saw no reason to venture outside.

While I had been working on a solution for the Forbidden Balor View I haven't made any real progress. I was no Sacred Gear expert, and unless if Azazel ends up conveniently walking in on us and decides to help us on a whim, an unlikely prospect at best, there was no way I was going to find one to help us.

The only solution I could discover was nothing more than a stopgap measure at best. By covering almost his entire body in metal plates engraved with seals, I could temporarily force his Sacred Gear remain dormant without harming him in any way.

Unfortunately not only where the metal plate bulky, making him look like a tin-man, it was also eye-catching which was naturally a problem for someone as painfully shy as Gasper. To top it all off, the seals will only function for a few hours at most before fading, and then his Sacred Gear will activate again.

All in all it was not a realistic solution. And though I kept on searching, it honestly looked like that Gasper wouldn't be leaving the house for the foreseeable future.

It was only when I heard the normally well-behave and polite Gasper cussing like a deranged maniac as he was playing one of his video games that I came up with a solution.

With the combined efforts of myself and Gremory, we were able to convince Gasper to leave the house and come to school at least for this one day. We were even able to force Sona to bend the dress code this one time. The hard part was getting Gasper to walk out in public instead of hiding in the clubroom, and after many hours of pleading we were able to come to an agreement.

This was our compromise.

It approached us on heavy feet, the sound of its footstep echoing through the corridor as it boots beat against the tiled ground. Ever motion was accompanied with the sound of rattling plates as he stalked through the crowd, who willingly cleared a path at his approach.

Metallic plates covered the majority of his body except the face, where a burnt-orange visor masked his features from view. The gaps between the armour plates were covered in black, hard looking material that flexed along with his movement, not obstructing or hindering him at all. An assault rifle, which had I not crafted it myself I may have wondered if it was real, was gripped tightly in his hands while his head moved from side to side as he made his way to us, his visors reflecting a distorted image of the world around us.

It was an armour that was known and welcomed all over the world. Something out of modern tales and legends brought to life.

I had to cover my eyes with a hand to block out the sight of the armour as I felt nothing but regret fill me for the part I played in this travesty.

"Gasper." I called out to him as he neared us.

He halted with near military precision just as he was about to walk past me. Without moving his body his head swirled towards me until I found myself staring into my own image reflected on those visors of his.

"Sir?" Despite his attempt to deepen his voice, it was still rather high pitch and I could easily identify it as Gasper's.

"Gasper-" I began only to be cut off.

"Master-Chief." He interrupted.

"What?" Baffled, I asked.

"My designation is Master-Chief, Sir." He clarified with utmost seriousness.

I found myself staring at my own incredulous face as it was reflected on his visors. I knew that Gasper tended to take his video games a little too seriously but wasn't this going overboard even for him? But nevertheless I decided to humour him. "Master-Chief."

"Yes Sir?"

I tried to force myself to look him over but had to quickly avert my eyes. "What are you wearing?"

"A MJOLNIR Powered Assault Armour, Sir!" He answered, banging a fist on his chest as he did so.

"I know what it is Master-Chief, I built it." I rubbed my eyes, trying to erase the stinging sensation it was feeling. "What I meant was, why is it pink?"

There standing before me, the once forest green armour plate that I had finished creating just a day earlier was now painted a bright neon pink.

"…Because it's cute." Gasper replying in his normal voice.

"You know what? Never mind. I don't really care anymore." I waved him off with one hand while I used the others to rub my eyes, "I'm already numb from everything I've been through today. I don't think anything can faze me any more. Just be warned if you run into some die-hard fans they me be just a tad upset."

"Then they can kiss my titanium covered, certified Spartan ass, Sir!" He barked while cocking his gun.

"Carry on then."

"Thank you Sir!" He barked out. He swirled his head forward again before announcing. "Time to kill some Covenant scum."

Gasper began to march forward, a confident swagger in his steps that I could not have ever imagined seeing from his normal self. The crowd parting at his approach before closing behind him and hiding him for my sight.

"You know Shirou," Ilya blinked in confusion as she stared after Gasper, "I thought I saw a lot of weird things when I starred in your show but this was something else."

"Yeah, I know what you mean." I rubbed my forehead, "As weird as things get sometimes Gasper is a league of his…wait." I levelled a suspicious gaze at Ilya when I noticed something very wrong with that last statement, "What did you just say?"

Ilya cocked her head in confusion "…but that was something else?"

"No, not that part." Shaking my head, "Before that, I thought I heard you say something utterly insane."

"…I saw a lot of weird things when I starred in your show?" She obediently replied, still looking perplexed.

Yes, I was right, it was utterly insane.

"…My what?" I deadpanned.

"Your show." She repeated, giving me a look that she usually reserved for when I did something unusually stupid. However when I keep shooting her a deadpanned stare her eyes widened in comprehension, "You mean you don't know? Shirou, how can you not know about your own show? It's a huge hit in the Underworld."

"How can I even have a show if I don't even know about it?" I countered, "Hell, how can I have a show if I'm not starring in it?"

"Well," Ilya traced circles on the floor with her foot while she avoided looking me in the eye, a habit she had recently developed whenever she's done something wrong, "it's not really you who's starring in it but the other you."

"That explanation made so little sense that I'm even more confused than when we started."

"Here, I'll just show you. It's easier that way." She held a hand out and a summoning circle appeared over it before a tablet computer dropped out of it and onto her hand. I walked up to stand beside her and looked over her shoulder as she messed around with the tablet until a video clip started playing, "There, this trailer should explain everything."

At first I found myself staring into a blank screen but before long, words written in a white font appeared accompanied by a gruff voice.

I am the Bone of my Sword

For the second time that day I heard my Aria spoken by someone other than myself.

On the screen the black backdrop was replaced by a red desolated landscape littered with nothing but swords as far as the eye could see. Black boots appeared on the screen as someone strode forward, slowly revealing the form of a white haired man dress in a crimson red coat. The scene was accompanied by some background music, a peculiar mix of wordless vocals and instruments.

Steel is my Body and fire is my Blood

Oh no, I was wrong. It's wasn't my Aria that was being spoken. It was worse. This was Archer's.

The rest of the clip rolled on, playing the rest of the Aria and showing Archer as he traveled from battlefield to battlefield, fighting monsters and rescuing people only to end up being hated by those he saved. Yet still he carried on, uncaring for praise or scorn – accompanied all the while by a familiar white hair magical girl as his plucky side-kick.

So as I Pray, Unlimited Blade Works

As the final scene, Archer going down on one knee as he prayed, finally began to black out and be replaced with the show's title, a voice came announced:

Come watch the season's biggest hit, a tragic tale of a hero who follows his ideals only to be betrayed by it in the end. It is a show filled with adventure, action, romance, tragedy and magical girls! – The last bit was added by an excited voice the sounded suspiciously like Ilya's.

Unlimited Blade Works – Episode 1: The Hype is Real.

May the Gar be with you!

The screen blanked out as we finally reached the end of the trailer. Setting the tablet down, Ilya excitedly turned to face me.

"Well, do you like it?" She asked, "We even got a famous musician to write your theme song. We're calling it 'Emiya'." Her enthusiasm however imminently dampened when she took a look at the blank expression on my face. When she carried on speaking there was a clear note of trepidation in her voice. "Well, what do you think?"

What do I think? I think Archer is going to kill me. No I mean he'll literally kill me. Forget wishing for salvation, forget trying to escape his existence as a Counter-Guardian, if he every finds out about this he'll dedicate the rest of his existence into hunting me down and ending me. I have no doubt that in the next Holy Grail War he gets summoned to, he'll abandoned his goal of killing his past self and simply slaughter everyone between him and the Holy Grail in a bloody frenzy and when he lays his hands on it he would wish himself into this dimension all so that he could get the chance to kill me.

And honestly? I don't blame him, because at this moment I knew without a doubt that I ended up getting the better bargain when I sold my soul.

"So?" My attention was dragged away from my musing to find a worried Ilya staring nervously up at me, "what do you think?"

"What do I think?" I repeated in a bland tone. "I think it's absolutely brilliant."

"Really!?"

"Yes really." And I was being completely honest.

True, when I sold my soul I didn't think Serafall planned to copyright it and turn it into a script for a show. But what the hell, I could shrug it off by thinking it was Archer in the show instead of me. Because at this point I could no longer bring myself to give a damn, not after suffering through so much crazy today. At least this way I'll get to laugh at Archer's face when he finally comes to kill me, because by the dead god this is the most embarrassing thing that could possibly happen to him.

"Wait a second," I frowned as a thought occurred to me, "by any chance did Serafall start selling any merchandise of the show? Like, T-Shirts by any chance?"

"Yes." Ilya nodded, "I remember seeing Serafall shipping an entire crate full of different shirts to you. That's why I was sure you knew about the show."

…Well, at least I now know where Asia keep getting all of those T-shirts from...and why do I get the distinct feeling that I was being pranked.

---

The groan of metal filled my ears as I pushed against the door, forcing it open as its bottom edge scraped against the concert floor. As I stepped out onto the rooftop I was forced to quickly shield my eyes as bright sunlight shone on my face.

Allowing the door get pulled shut behind me, I walked forward towards the end of the rooftop where a waist high railing lined the edge and preventing anyone from slipping off. The sound of people, talking and laughing, began drifting up from the courtyard, rising with every step I took.

Once I reached the fence I had a clear sight of the grounds bellow, where tables with food and drink was set up for the day's visitors. Parents and teachers alike mingled around the tables, holding cups or plates of food in their hands, while the students gathered at the edge of the courtyard or wandered around in small groups around the school.

The school day was finally over, and now the after-party had begun. Unlike the school visits, where visitors got to observe their children live out their school day, the purpose for the party was parents to get to know and interact with each other. This left the students free to wander freely to what they willed for the rest of the day and most of them simply wandered around with friends.

I looked over the courtyard as it was painted in shades of yellow by the setting sun, and at the crowds of relaxing parents. Looking at it now, it was hard to imagine that just a few short weeks ago this place was a crater ridden battlefield. There was no sign of any of the death or destruction it had witnessed, looking nothing more than an ordinary school to the unknowing eye.

For a short while I allowed myself to just stand there, shutting my eyes and relaxing as the sounds from the party slowly wash over me. There was something soothing about it, listening to the dull murmur of people talking and laughing. In a way that I could not quite explain, it was somehow calming being surrounded by the sound of peaceful life, in a way that wasn't too dissimilar to the effects of taking a warm bath.

A part of me delighted in it. Knowing that because of my actions these people could continue to live their peaceful and happy lives. That I played a role, no matter how small, to help maintain the peace of the world. That even if only a little bit, I made it a happier place.

That is why I needed to remember this feeling, so that I wound never forget what I was fighting for. No matter how difficult it was to carry on at times.

I opened my eyes and gazed down at the world below me, a world whose colours were gradually beginning to shift from yellow to red as the sun continued it's descent. And though I did not intended them to, before long I found my eyes drifting to the spot that I last was him.

I won. I know I did. I had achieved all of my goals and ended up saving everybody, just like I had wanted to. There was no reason for me to grieve and every reason for me to be satisfied.

But I wasn't.

He died with a smile on his face, I knew that. He left this world with not a single regret, content in the knowledge that his duty was complete. Yet still, even though I saved him in the end, it doesn't change the fact that it was here that I ended up killing a friend.

That made my victory a bittersweet one.

"Knowing only victory tainted with bitter defeat…huh?" The words came to my lips unbidden, but I could not think of a more appropriate line.

Long ago, in a world so similar yet irrefutably different to this one, I first spoke those words. My Aria, words that in a way was a reflection of my inner self. At first I had intended to speak Archer's, not knowing that it would not work for me. But I realized that truth just as I had begun chanting and before I knew it I was changing his Aria into my own.

And what emerged was something I did not expect.

One verse stood out more than the others.

Knowing only victory tainted with bitter defeat.

While I had not thought of it that way before then, I could not deny that it held a certain truth in it. In a way I have always won, at least when it matters. But each time I did, it came with a cost. A price so heavy it made my hard sought victory a bitter one.

Even when I win, I lose.

The first time was in the Fuyuki City fire. I did not know it at the time, but I should have died then. The fire born from Angra Mainyu should have killed me, the wound it gave me too grave to be healed by mundane means. But by reaching Kiritsugu I survived. I healed and flourished when I should have perished. I won.

But at a price.

I still remember them, the burning corpses, people begging for help that would never come. I remember the sound of their screams, the taste of burning ash in my mouth and the smell of burned flesh burning my nose.

I remember having to walk past them, ignoring their cries of agony, so that I may survive.

It haunts my dreams to this very day.

And then there was what I didn't remember. I could not remember my mother. Though I surely must have one I remember nothing of her. Not her face, not her name, not even the scent of her hair. Something so fundamental as a person and it was taken away from me, as if it was never there to begin with. My mother, father, family and home. Even who I was.

All those things were taken, burned out of me in that fire.

I had entered that fire as fully living being only to come out as an empty one, a blank slate.

I lived but at a price.

There was a time, when I was reckless with my magic. Despite all of Kiritsugu's warning I pushed too much, took too big a risk when I was wasn't ready. In my frustration at my lack of progress I made a mistake. One that should have killed me.

I gazed into my very soul.

For thirty days I was trapped in there, oblivious to the danger I was in while my body continued to wither and fade until it simply disappeared. But I didn't, I survived. And in the process, I gained something invaluable.

What I saw there in the void of my soul, where nothing but swords exists, change me. For the better. It was in there that my Ideals were born. Not Kiritsugu's, not Archer's but my own. I had found my purpose, one that I would spend the remainder of my days following. It was my only path.

But again it came at a price.

For on the very day I had gained my ideals, I opened my eyes-

-Only to be greeted by the sight of a dying Kiritsugu, wearing a smile so similar to the one he wore on that day we first met.

Thus twice I had won only to lose something in turn.

Then came the war.

_I ask of you. Are you my Master?

It was there that I met her.

Saber.

If there was one defining moment, one single instant that change my life it was then. When I first met her, it that broken down shed that was my workshop. After that nothing in my life was ever the same again.

In a battlefield where heroes out of history and legend roamed we fought by each other's side. And despite all the odds, we won. Together we emerged as the victors and put a stop to that senseless war once and for all.

In the end there is something I must tell you.

Then in the light of the coming dawn…

Shirou, I love you.

…she was gone.

That was the third.

Really, even when I win I lose.

And finally, there was Ilya. Fading, dying Ilya.

After searching for her for so long, only to watch her die after knowing her only for a little more than a year…That was unfair, completely unfair. After suffering so much, after going through all of that, this is the ending that she gets?

I couldn't accept that, no, it was more accurate to say I refused to accept it.

I searched for an answer everywhere, did everything in my power that I could, tried everything that I could think of but in the end all I could do was watch her as she faded away. Seeing her die little by little with every passing day. Ilya was dying and there was nothing I could do to stop it. And through it all she smiled.

And it appeared that I have lost.

Another day of parting seemed to be inevitable.

But then when all hope was lost, a miracle occurred.

Ilya was saved.

I had won.

And at long last I thought I won. At last I had a true victory. I had finally saved someone without losing someone in turn.

I had finally won.

I was wrong.

It was only later, when it was far too late did I realize the price I paid. I was in another world, in a different universe. It was only later did I truly realized what that meant.

Where do souls go when we die?

I remember something Saber told me long ago. No, she did not tell me. It was something I had seen in a dream. A memory of the past, her memory, given to me through the dream-cycle.

A memory about our promised meeting.

The magus told us this:

For you two, whose time is so far apart, one miracle is simply not enough.

If you want to meet again two miracles must occur.

One must wait continuously, one must pursue endlessly.

Only after that can the miracle of your meeting can come to be.

Though it was small, so tiny that it may as well not exist, the possibility of our meeting was not zero. It was not impossible. So long as I keep searching, so long as she keeps waiting, we may one day end up meeting again.

But that was no longer true.

Where do souls go when we die?

In the same world, surely there is a chance they may end up in the same place.

But what about here? In another world, in an entirely different universe, governed by a completely foreign set of laws? There is no way that can happen.

In this world, by coming here, by selling my soul, I have assured that the two of us will never meet again.

And now, even the small miracle of our meeting was lost to me.

That day will never come to pass.

Thus the sword and its sheath will never meet again.

And so once again I have lost.

Thus once again, I stand utterly alone.

Unbidden, laughter erupted from my throat. It was a dark, bitter broken thing, something too painful to be called a laugh. Even to my own ears it hurt to listen but I couldn't stop. I just laughed and laughed up at the reddening sky.

Truly, even when I win I lose

---

Recommended - Play OST

'Umineko no naku koro ni BGM – Hope (your favorite version)'

Then she came –

"Ah~, what a sad laugh you have there Shirou."

-Like she always did.

At sound of the door creaking open I turned around to find her walking towards me.

Eyes of such startling violet focused on mine as they glittered under the light of the sun. Her hair, fashioned into twin tails, fluttered and swayed in the wind. Still dress up in her magical girl costume, though she had ditched her wand somewhere, she approached me with slow steady steps as she held her empty hands behind her.

She opened her mouth to speak only to stop half way, a peculiar look on her face. However it quickly shifted into an appreciative one as her hand rose to her mouth, only half covering the creepy smile that appeared there.

"Ho-Ho~, you look good in that uniform." I resisted the urge to roll my eyes as I could almost feel her eyes roaming over me, knowing that would only encourage her.

"Really?" I looked down at the Kuoh Academy uniform I was wearing. It mainly consisted of black and white colours with a ridiculous looking striped tie. "I personally think I look kind of stupid in this thing." I told her while giving the collar around my neck a quick tug.

"No, no, you look good in it." She continued to approach closer, that creepy little smile on her face still half covered by her hand. However that smile turned to a full grown grin as her eyes lit up in a way that I quickly recognized as her getting one of her ideas.

"Strip." She commanded.

"Wait-What!"

"I said strip." Her hands reaching for my jacket in an effort to pull it off.

"No!" I took a step back, out of the reach of her prying hands, and reflectively warped my arms protectively around myself as I did so.

"Not your pants you perv!" Serafall, bent over laughing at my reaction, explained. "I meant your jacket."

"…Oh." I could feel my cheeks burning as she continued to laugh at my reaction. Somehow I had the feeling she did that on purpose.

"You could have put it in a different way." I muttered, complying and obediently took my jacket off.

"I could have." She agreed readily, snatching the jacket from my offered hands and walked past me. "But then I wouldn't be able to see that adorable blushing face of yours."

The rooftop echoed with the sound of her laughter as she removed the ribbons from her hair, causing her now unrestrained hair to spill down her back, before swinging the jacket onto her shoulders. She quickly slipped her arms into the sleeves before reaching behind her and pulling her long hair free and allowing it to spill onto her back.

"So? How do I look?" She twirled around until she ended up facing me. She held her arms wide open, her entire body framed by the backdrop of the golden-red sky behind her. "Think I can pass as a student?"

The size of my jacket was simply far too large on her tiny frame. The sleeves hung past her hands, not even the tips of her fingers showing, making her look even smaller than she really was, almost like a child wearing their father's sweater. While the bottom of the jacket fell past her waist, reaching all the way down to the back of her knees, acting like a second skirt.

Her raven locks, now freed, cascaded down her back like a waterfall, swaying with the gentle breeze on the rooftop. She smiled expectedly at me, waiting for my response.

"What are you doing?" I finally asked, shaking my head at her actions.

"What?" Her gentle smile still in place, looking so different form her usual teasing ones. "Is it so wrong of me to want to pretend to be a student?"

She twirled around in circles a couple of times, giggling like a child as the jacket flapped around her. "Besides I'm jealous, it's not like I ever got a chance to wear a uniform of my own before. I never got the chance to go to school like you and Sona. In my time we were all home schooled."

She walked over to the railing, crossing her arms and leaning on them as she looked over the mix of partying parents and teachers. "I had to sit through a string of the most boring private tutors you can imagine. And they were nowhere near as entertaining as these bunch." She nodded her head at someone below, beyond the view from where I was standing, just as laughter erupted from courtyard. I identified Yamato's voice mixed in with the crowds and had no trouble imaging him cracking jokes.

"…Really, I'm jealous." She spun around and leaned back on the railing, strands of her hair drifting in front of her. "It would have been really fun coming to school with you."

"You would have also driven the teachers to tears in an almost daily bases. Not to mention what you'd do to poor Sona." I told her wryly.

"True," She nodded shamelessly while her shoulders shook with repressed laughter, "but it would have still been rather fun. I guarantee it." Her shoulder's shaking finally tapered down before she looked up at me, a knowing smile on her lips.

I said nothing, letting silence take hold of us as I stood on the windy rooftop just watching her, as she in turn watched me with those far too violet eyes of hers. The silence continued to stretch, thought it wasn't an uncomfortable one, until she decided to break it.

"You were thinking about her again." Despite how she phrased it, I knew it wasn't a question. Her eyes reminded locked onto mu own, "Your Saber. Your lost treasure."

"…Yes," I nodded, seeing no reason to deny it. "I was."

The smile she gave me was equal parts sympathetic as it was accepting. She turned her eyes away from me, to look at the empty hand that she raised to her side.

"I've heard it said, that we are all born with a purpose. That every living thing, no matter how small or large has a reason for existing, that all of us came to be for some greater purpose. That all our lives have meaning since the very start."

She shut her eyes for a moment, letting the words sink, in before clenching her hand. "But that's wrong," Brilliant violet eyes turned to me, "that's completely wrong. Life has no meaning, none of us are born with a meaning. We are just born, and that's it. Life has no greater purpose than living, no matter how much the poets and philosophers like to tell us otherwise. The truth remains that there is no reason why we come to exist."

A tiny smile, nothing but a small upturn of her lips. "But that's OK. Just because we are born without meaning, doesn't mean we can't find one."

She leaned back on the railing and stared up into the sky. "In this world we are all born with no purpose, but surely if you look for it, if you search hard and long enough over the course of your life, one day you'll surely find something of value. A treasure, one for your very own.

"And when you find that most precious of treasures, when you hold it in your own two hands, at the time you'll surely realize 'ah, so this is the reason why I was born. This is my life's purpose'.

She lowered her eyes again, but this time she didn't meet mine. She turned her sad eyes to the two empty hands she held before her, "A treasure…I had found one, once. So very long ago, but I lost it. My treasure, my Evelyn." She shut her eyes, her voice dropping to a whisper. "And I thought, that was it. The story is over, I lost. The world once filled with colours turned to a world of grey, as without her my life held no meaning."

Her eyes slowly drifted open, unfocused, "Then a miracle happened. It was a tiny one, something that happens all around the world all the time, but to me it was a miracle unmatched by any other. A little miracle called Sona."

A chuckle escaped her throat. "Did I you know I hated her once? When she was first born, I honestly detested her and wanted nothing to do with her. But the stubborn little thing wouldn't leave me alone. Heh, she never did listen to what I told her, not even then. Despite how badly I treated her, she's follow me around almost like a second shadow, doing her damnedest to help me no matter how horrible I was to her.

"And when I finally snapped and asked why she wouldn't just leave me alone, do you know what she told me?" Violet eyes rose to meet mine, an amused smirk twisting her lips. "She looked up at me with those large doe eyes of hers and said 'It's because you look so sad'."

Serafall snickered a bit, before she carried on with a smile, "And that Shirou, is how I found my second treasure." Her smile dimed. "But that wasn't enough, for as much I wanted her to be, Sona wasn't mine. Not really. She wasn't mine to keep, not for long anyway. I was only holding onto her for safe keeping, until the day she belongs to someone else and I'll have to give her away."

Her eyes looked to her left, "So I decided, to look for it again. A treasure of my very own. I had found it once, and maybe, just maybe I could find it once again. But I didn't.

"For the longest time, I thought that was it. That I lost my chance once, I'll never get another. I searched this entire world for a treasure of my own, one just for me but I could not find it. No matter how hard I looked, no matter how far I searched it simply wasn't there. And then I finally came to realize, that it did not exist, that I could not find it because in this world there simply didn't exist a treasure for me to find. I don't think I've cried as much as I did on that day for a long time."

"But I was wrong," her eyes turned back onto me, and they were as serious as I had ever seen them, "for you appeared."

She pushed herself off the railing and approached me, her eyes not once leaving my face.

"Of course I could not find you, how can I? You who came from another world. You who are without any doubt my most precious treasure."

"Serafall–" I interrupted her, though before I could get so much as a word in she cut me off.

"Sera." She demanded, the name she insisted I call her. The stubborn look on her face told me she wouldn't budge on this one.

"Sera," I conceded, "I already told you I can't-"

"And I told you I refuse to accept that." Cutting me off again, her eyes blazing in the sunset. "All your rejections, all your denials and refusals, I reject them all."

She reached a hand out and, with far more gentleness that it warranted, cupped my cheek. "I understand," rubbing her thumb beneath my eye, "I understand the pain of losing someone you hold dear, above anyone else I know all to well how that feels. That is why, I'll wait. I'll wait and wait and wait as long as it takes. Until the day comes that you can look at me the way I look at you."

She released me, slowly walking backwards as she did so. Her eyes never leaving my face. "It is precisely because I understand that feeling that I'm not willing to let you go. I made that mistake once before, and I lost her because of it. I will not lose you too. I refuse to."

"That is why I won't hesitate." Her eyes blazing with determination as it bore into mine. Her backward walk stopped as she neared the railing. "This is my second chance, one I waited two hundred years for and I will not let it slip by. I won't make any mistakes this time by waiting, by hesitating, by being cautions. I'll run full steam ahead I until I finally catch you. No hesitation, no regrets, I'm going to make it clear right from the start."

With that she gave me a determined nod before she turned around, jacket spinning after her, and stomped determinedly toward the railing. Propping one foot on the rail, so hard that the metal rang, she looked down at the large gathered crowd in the courtyard below before, without the slightest hint of hesitation, she began to take a deep breath.

Realizing what she was about to do, I reached out to stop her. "Sera! Don't-"

Too late.

"I, Serafall Leviathan am in love with Emiya Shirou, and will continue to love him and only him till the day I die!" She yelled out at the top of her lungs.

Her words were so loud that they echoed off the opposite wall, reaching every corner of the school grounds and making sure that without any doubt that everyone had heard it.

Silence filled the air, the crowd bellow having grown quite at the unexpected declaration, before they broke out in cheers and applause. Some people were actually whistling and yelling her on.

I was pretty sure I heard Sirzechs's laughter and cheers mixed in the others.

Jacket swaying behind her as she turned to look back at me, her cheeks flushed as she lifted a hand to her smiling face, giggling with a mix of nerves and giddy excitement. Her expression was one of embarrassment, nervousness, excitement and pure elation.

But there was not a even a single hint of regret anywhere to be found.

Really, I don't know why I was even surprised. After all-

This is Serafall.

She pointed a finger straight at me, her frame backdropped by the setting sun and her knee length-hair swayed in the breeze.

In the sunrise I lost her. In the sunset she appeared. Opposite as night and day.

"Emiya Shirou," She declared, walking towards me, "I love you."

"You've been saying that since the very first day we met." Even to my ears, my voice held an emotion I could not understand. "How long are you going to keep saying it?"

"Until you believe me." Blazing aqua eyes met my golden ones as she answered me, drawing nearer with her every step. "And then forever more after that. I'll keep saying it until the sun itself goes out and time ends. And even after that I'll keep saying it. Because in the world full of lies, this is the only truth.

"Serafall Leviathan will always love Emiya Shirou."

She finally reach me, standing so close that there was hardly any space between us. Standing up onto her tip toes she reached out and cupped my cheek once again.

"You are mine." She declared, voice resolute, eyes unbending, "When you sold your soul to me you became mine. And exchange for that I'll give you my soul as well, so that I'll be yours in return. You will be my sin, this I so-" Serafall stopped, a displeased expression on her face.

"Why do you have to be so damn tall?"

"What?" I slipped out, thrown off balance by the unexpectedness of her words.

She released my cheek and latched onto my tie. "You're too tall. How am I supposed to talk with you when you're way up there?" She tugged on my tie, forcing me to bend down. "Sit down."

In an effort to avoid being choked I complied, allowing her to drag me to the ground and forced me to sit cross legged.

"There, much better." She beamed proudly down at me, hands on her waist. "Now-"

Again, she stopped midway through her speech.

Cupping her chin, she leaned forward and examined my face, her expression a contemplative one. "You know," her eyes narrowing, "up close you're not really that good looking as you are from afar."

This woman!

I stopped myself midway through a retort as I caught sight of her mocking grin. I groaned and covered my eyes with a hand. I can't believe I fell for that.

"Hahahaha," She threw her head back and laughed. "There! That's that blushing face I was looking for." She turned to look back down at me, smiling unashamedly all the while. "I have waited two hundred years just to find you. Even if I have to wait for another two thousand years, I'll gladly wait that and a million more for the mere chance of having you fall in love with me."

And before I got the chance to say a thing, she walked around me. The next thing I know I felt a weight fall on my back as Serafall leaned back onto me, before sliding down on to the floor so that we sat back to back to each other.

She shifted her head on my shoulder so that if I strained I could see her twinkling eyes as she smiled up at me. "Rejoice Shirou, for love has found you again. Whether you want it to or not."

Then she looked away and before I knew it, did the most embarrassing thing I could possibly think of.

Serafall started to sing a love song of all things!

---

Song : Genesis of Aquarion – Accepella (just before the one minute mark)

I remember sitting with you

Underneath the Tree of Life

Sona's head perked up from where she was hunched over her desk, pausing halfway through writing a report as a peculiar sound caught her attention. She looked towards the door, cocking her head to one side so that she could listen better, as what sounded like singing reached her ears.

We listened to every faint cry

Of the Creature there on the day the World began

Yes, there was no mistaking it. That was definitely singing she was hearing. She turned to look at the stack of reports that still needed to be filled. With all the training she had been squeezing in she had fallen far more behind in her work that she would have liked and didn't need any further distractions right now.

However as the singing continued, Sona released a sigh of exasperation and pushed herself up from her desk, sending her chair rolling back. She had better take care of this now before it escalades into a bigger mess, as things had the tendency to do in her life. Besides, though she did not care to admit it, she was mildly curious of the source of the singing.

Looking at everything that I've lost

And almost everything that I've loved

Sona stalked out of the room, only to pause as she reached the empty corridor. Looking left and right down each side of the hall, Sona shut her eyes and listened carefully, before opening them and, with a decisive nod, turned to her left and made her way quickly down the corridor. She walked past not one but two stairwell, not slowing her pace in the slightest, and absently noticing how easily her footsteps echoed in empty the hallways.

I'll hold them all tightly in my arms

Wondering where I am, so please tell me where to go

Finally pausing at the foot of the third stairwell, Sona walked up to the railing, placing both her hands on it and leaned over the edge to peer upwards, trying to catch sight of the source of the song. A moment later, she found herself walking up the stairs. She climbed the flight of stair with quick efficient steps, taking two at a time, only stopping until she reached the very top, at the platform where a door that lead to the rooftop was.

All of the answers you seek lie hidden in the Sun

If I hadn't met you my life would have been in the Darkness forever

Sona cautiously examined the steel door for a second before approaching it. The singing grew noticeably louder with each step she took, assuring her that whoever the culprit was, they were behind the door.

Sona placed a hand on the door and was just about to push it open, but stopped at the last second, as she finally recognized the voice of the person singing. She ended up blinking incredulously at the door as a suspicion began to dawn on her.

In my wings are the powers of immortality

So, instead of simply shoving the door wide open, Sona squatted down and gave it a gentle push instead, opening a gap just barely wide enough for her to peer through.

Placing her eyes along the gap, Sona was forced to blink away the spots that appeared as the bright red sunlight shone into her eyes. However when she finally regained her sight, she felt her eyes widen and jaw drop slightly.

But by meeting you my whole life has changed

You light to me, hope to me, strength into my life

Sona blinked, blinked again, then blinked once more when the sight won't go away. But her surprise quickly turned to amusement and she had to slap a hand over her mouth to muffle the chuckles that threatened to escape her.

All this time these twelve thousand years

I know Aishiteiru!

(I Love You!)

Kicking her legs out before her as she leaned onto his back, Serafall had a large smile on her face as she sung happy for all to all hear.

Wrapped in a jacket simply far too large for her to wear, the sleeves of which hung several inches past even the tips of her fingers, she nevertheless swung her arms widely in the air as she tilted her head back and continued to sing.

Her long unbound hair pooled on the ground around her, painted red by the light of the setting sun as it filled the view of the skyline behind them.

Eight thousand years since the time that I've met you my love grows strong than ever before

Words can't say of this time I've been waiting to share my love with you

Sitting opposite her, their backs touching, was Shirou. He was hunched over slightly, the bangs of his hair masking his eyes from her while he covered his mouth with a hand.

But even in the crimson light of the sunset couldn't hide how red his face had turned.

I'd give you my life,

I would give you the world to see you smiling every day

"Yeah," Sona smiled at them, "Those two are going to end up being just fine."

One hundred million and two thousand years from now Aishiteiru

Quietly, so that they won't hear her, Sona shut the door again before rising from her crouch. Giving the door one final look, she shook her head as a tender laugh escaped her before turning and walking away.

As she began to make her way down the stairs, she could not help but give her head another shake as the song continued to echo of the walls of the stairwell, accompanying her all the way down.

I want you to know since you came to my life

Every day, every night, you give light into the darkest

Skies

---

Out in the courtyard the dinner party was still going strong. Laughter was occasionally intermixed with the noise of talking as parents socialized with their fellow parents and the school's faculty. Some even chatted about the recent public confession, reminiscing about their own youthful escapades as they did so.

However in their enjoyment, none of them realized the danger that strode in their midst.

He slipped between the milling masses of the crowd with remarkable ease, each step light, unnaturally graceful. Long grey hair held in a ponytail drifted behind the youth as he strode confidently ahead, not sparing anyone in the crowd more than a passing glance.

Dressed in an immaculate male Kuoh academy uniform, the youth was a peculiar sight to anyone who saw him. Yet in spite of his clothing, many had trouble identifying his gender. The length of his hair, the softness and paleness of his skin, his slim almost delicate form and the grace he held himself with all pointed to him being a girl.

But one look at his face would have dissuaded anyone of that notion. His features were too sharp to be called feminine, to severe to be beautiful. Where there should have been soft curves on edges were found instead. His eyes were narrows to thin slits, hiding his pupils from the world, masking his thoughts.

And for all his grace, his posture held a certain arrogance, a domineering aspect to it as he strode through the crowd. Then there was his smile –

-it was an empty thing.

All in all, he was completely androgynous.

Ignoring the people around him he made his way past the crowd and towards the doors of the school, silently slipping in when he reached it. Taking a moment to orient himself, he peered around before once again he continued to confidently walk down the hall.

"- and now I have no idea what to do with all of these DVDs."

The voice drifted down the corridor as a blond hair boy walked around the corner, a stack of DVDs in his hands. He was talking to his companion, a white haired wisp of a girl, who showed no signs of listening to him as she focused the entire of her attention to bar of yokan she was eating from one hand, while the other hand cradled an entire pile of the treat.

The youth spared them no more attention than he did anything else as he continued on his way, the polite empty smile still pasted on his face.

The two groups steady approached one another, each of them heading to their own destination, neither one paying any mind to the other as their footsteps echoed in the otherwise empty corridor.

And at last they met, right in the halfway point of the corridor-

-only to pass each other without incident.

The youth continued to walk the down the corridor, showing no outwards sign of even being aware of the pair's existence. With the other group the blonde continued to stare perplexedly at the DVDs in his hands.

"I mean how am I supposed to watch all of this?" he picked up the case at the top of the stack, a completely blank DVD casing, and flipped it over to peer at it's back as if an answer would be written there. "Do you have any idea Koneko?"

He looked to his side as he questioned his tiny companion only to stop in midstride as he realized she wasn't there. "Koneko?" He swerved his head left and right looking for the girl, only spotting her when he looked behind him.

His eyes widened in shock as he took in her state. "Koneko! What's wrong?"

Her eyes were almost entirely white, so wide were they open. Her cat ears, normally carefully hidden from view, were standing straight up in stiff attention while her body shivered, trembling so hard that it was easily visible to see.

Her food dropped from her nerveless hands, spilling onto the floor though she paid them no mind, too scared to move as she stared blankly ahead with wide horrified eyes.

"…" her mouth moved, trying to form the words but nothing came out at her. She tried again, but the words came out garbled from how hard her teeth chattered, "…D-D-Dra-"

Then the youth turned around the corner, walking out of view and beyond hearing range.

He continued to walk all the way until he reached the end of the hall, where a staircase was located, before turning and making his way up the steps. He climbed the stairs with long confident steps, not a single movement wasted, a hunter's stride.

The only question was, who was his prey?

Just as he was about to pass from the second floor platform and make his way up to the third he paused, one foot already on the next step.

A slight furrow made its way to his brow as he cocked his head to the side, listening intently as the sound of distant, faded voices drifted in the air. His eyes widened in recognition revealing his pale grey eyes while a hate filled sneer crossed his face, the first sign of genuine emotion he revealed all day, before it disappeared, quickly replaced once again by that meaningless smile of his.

He stared upwards for moment, contemplating something, before with an almost unperceivable nod, he lifted his foot off the step and reversed his course, walking through the entrance to second floor hallway.

The once faded voices began to progressively grow louder as he strode through the corridor, stopping when he reached a classroom door where the voices were originating from. He raised a hand to the door's handle, silently pulling it down and swinging it open.

"Hey Issei." the voice came from a trio of boys who stood off to one corners, the shaved hair one in particular. He was staring at another boy, one with brown hair, in confusion. "What are you doing?"

"I'm thinking." He had his arms crossed before him while he shut his eyes, his entire face a mask of concentration.

"Issei." The last member of the group, a nerdy looking teen, sighed as he pushed his frames up his nose. "How many times must I tell you, trying to decide which hand to use when watching porn doesn't count as 'thinking'."

Issei slammed his hands on the desk, standing up from his seat as he yelled out. "Motohama! That's not what I was thinking about!" He then paused, his offended expression turning to a thoughtful one as he cradled his chin and dropped back into his seat. "But that does raise a rather philosophical question. Which is better, the left or the right?"

"You really haven't change a bit have you worm?" A voice cut into their conversation. Though the tone it was spoken in was a jolly one, there was a hidden undertone of loathing for those perceptive enough to notice it.

The trio of boys looked up to find the grey haired youth standing on the opposite side of the room from them, leaning on the wall next to the door with his arms crossed before him as he smiled at them with a smile that was too empty to be described as pleasant.

"Oh no, not another bishounen." The bald one, Matsuda, bemoaned. "What's with your kind popping up everyplace today? Wait!" He perked up, looking at the youth cautiously. "Don't tell me you want more of our porn? Well forget it." He crossed his arms so they formed an 'X', "We gave enough of our stash already to Kiba. You're not getting any more of our porn."

The empty smile turned just a little bit sharper at those words as his slits opened minutely. "No, I'm not here to take away your precious porn." He rolled the word off his tongue in a manner that could have easily been interpreted as mocking. "I'm only here to see how the little worm is doing."

Motohama, easily picking up the insult, frowned at the boy as he pushed his frames again. "Issei do you know this guy?" When he didn't get a response he repeated, "Issei?" Turning to look at his friend only to blink in confusion.

Issei had gone completely pale white as he stared at the new arrival, his skin drained of so much color it looked like snow. For a long while he didn't move, didn't dare breathe as he stared at abject terror at the boy, before he finally recovered enough to speak.

He swallowed audibly, his throat having gone dry, before he managed to stutter out, "N-N-Nee-san."

"Nee-san!" Both Motohama and Matsuda exclaimed it surprise as both their head swirled to the 'boy' in question. With their well-practiced eyes were now able to easily notice the slight swelling on her chest now that it was pointed out to them. Matsuda carried on, "Wait he's a chick? No wait, you just said Nee-san. You have a sister and you didn't tell us?"

"Oh, did the worm forget to mention me." The now identified girl cooed mockingly as she pushed herself off the wall and began to navigate her way through the sea of desks towards them. "Well, we can't have that, now can we?"

She made her way around until she stood behind and to one side to Issei, before bending down and throwing her arm around his shoulder and pulling him to her a half-hug, ignoring the way he had broken into a terrified sweat at her mere touch.

"Allow me to introduce myself," she tilted her head in a very minute manner, in what might have generously been called a nod. "I am the worm's twin sister and the eldest child of the Hyoudou household. My name is –"

Then something that had far too many teeth to ever be called a smile made its way to her face.

"Hyoudou Karasuba."

Beware; A Dragon has entered the Halls of Kuoh Academy!

---

*Story End*

…I am so so sorry.

I'd also take this opportunity to announce that this fic now official had several bad endings routes. I'm being serious here, so many times in my head the plot ends with Karasuba standing over a pile of corpses of the main characters while she laughs like a maniac. Why can't stories have save points so I can restart if I take us down the wrong route?

Now, in all seriousness can you imagine anyone fitting the definition of a dragon (this fics definition) better than Karasuba? Would you guys take a moment and sit back and imagine a DxD with Karasuba as a main character. It will probably be the shortest anime in history, probably ending with the destruction of the world, but it will be one hell of a ride.

I'm sure many of you have some questions about the pairing, well I just want to say that…I deny everything. Is it a single? Multiple? Harem? or the dreaded Gen? Who knows (I do but I'm not telling), but never fear because figuring it out is half the fun.

Now as I'm sure you all noticed I have a lot of characters running around in this story. Let me say I spent a lot of time developing every character that is or will become a part of Shirou's Peerage along with many others of the cast including villains. So if your favorite character didn't get a lot of screen time don't worry they will, it's just that I can't cram every single character into every chapter without shortchanging them. (I have suddenly gained a whole lot of sympathy and respect to what Gabriel blessing had to go through writing in-flight, what with the huge case of main characters.)

And I have noticed a couple of people wanted to write a reading of this story. Well for those of you who do, go ahead, you have my blessing. In fact, I official grant permission to anyone who wants to write a story using the rules of my universe (Not the plot or characters – sorry) so long as you source me. The original purpose of this story was to encourage more original pieces of work (no more killed by raynare and resurrected as a pawn by Rias), so nothing would make me happier than knowing that I helped inspire someone else's story. We can never have enough good fanfics after all.

Don't want to clog up the AN too much, so I'll post the rest of my opinions on this chapter in my forums. Remember, while I can't talk about future events or spoilers, I'm more than happy to answer any questions about the mechanics of the universe or clarify any events that happened in past chapters.

I'll be honest here I'm really nervous on how this chapter turned out. So, tell me what did you think? The interactions between Serafall and Shirou? Serafall herself? The reveal of the Boosted Gear wielder? And how many of you want to see the UBW: episode one + magical girls?

And remember that the only way I can only know if I'm doing something right or wrong is if you tell me.

I hope you all enjoyed the chapter, and thanks again for reading.