Well... I'm back.
So for a start... I have a poll up on my profile concerning my WIP collection... I would appreciate it if anyone who was interested in that vote.
Next up... let's see about reviews:
There was a Guest reviewer who commented on this being a Fuyuki'd Fate/Grand Order and that made me remember that I had actually forgotten to explain where this idea stemmed from... but basically, this idea came from two sources:
Fate/Grand Order Fanart... and Gilgamesh's Big Damn Hero moment in Altera's route of Fate/EXTELLA.
Cue those merging into this.
As for putting this on Spacebattles... I don't know... I'm not a fan of posting stories in forum format since I like the whole 'not having to search for the next chapter' thing that this site and AO3 have.
Now, Blinded in a bolthole, I know Gilgamesh isn't the first hero, but he is the first known written example of a hero... as for "Opposition", that's not the point of this story. Sure there may be the odd action orientated section every now and then, but this is a Slice Of Life fic.
Anyway... that's the answers I'm giving for reviews... so let's get on with the fic.
Tuesday: 13th Jan 2004
Gray could do little more than yawn as she found herself waking up at sunrise.
Looking around, it didn't take long for her to remember just where she was.
The home of the boy that her master called Shirou Emiya.
It was certainly a big house, what with how there was enough room for most of them to have a room to themselves, with the servants included in the equation.
Despite that though, she had to admit, it had a certain homely feel to it that the dormitories and her master's apartment back in London lacked.
Releasing a sigh, she quickly found herself rising from her sleeping position and stretching in preparation to leave the room.
(~hihi, So, how does it feel to see someone else with your face?) a familiar voice asked from near her right hand and made her frown.
She had never quite understood why her master had been so uncomfortable seeing her face but now she could see why he wanted her to wear her hood most of the time.
She was the spitting image of Saber and for someone who had once fought against that servant, it was only natural he'd be uncomfortable around her.
But she shook her head clear of those thoughts and decided to not answer the voice, it wasn't like doing that would do any good anyway.
Moving out of the room, she wondered what she should do, her master, despite his claim to wanting to participate in the Grail War, had failed to make sure she was prepared to come to the country.
Well, at least everyone else seemed to be capable of conversing in the local language, she would just have to wait to learn what was being said from her master afterwards.
Looking to her right, she noted the large garden that she had noticed the previous night, which meant that she should be just in front of the living room and kitchen.
(~hihi, you smell that?) the voice from near her right hand spoke up quietly and she found herself closing her eyes and focusing.
There was a clear smell of food coming from the room but there were just so many scents that she couldn't tell what was what.
Her ears weren't any help either, what with how there wasn't enough noise to make out anything on the other side of the wall.
Swallowing nervously, she opened the door and looked at the room inside.
The first thing that stood out to her was the lack of people at the table, with only the Servant with long purple hair sitting there, though she was wearing far less revealing clothes, with a pink cardigan and a long skirt instead of the leather ensemble… though her blindfold remained.
The second thing she noticed was the pair that were working quietly in the kitchen, everything about their posture and the way they worked together telling her that they were perfectly comfortable in that situation.
They were both masters from what she recalled, with the red haired boy being Shirou Emiya and the girl that was working with him, Sakura Matou.
"おはようございます, Gray-san," Shirou called out upon noticing her and she found herself freezing in response… a response that clearly worried the boy, "だいじょおぶ ですか."
She could do nothing more than stand in silence before mustering up the courage to speak.
"I-I'm sorry," she didn't know if they'd realize what she meant but it was all she could do right now, "but I don't know any Japanese."
She gave a bow before a few seconds passed.
"Ah, sorry," the words came from the boy and she found herself looking at him in surprise, "I didn't know you couldn't speak Japanese."
He was speaking English.
Sure, it was filled with pronunciation errors and a clear awkwardness, but it was still understandable as English.
"Y-you can speak English?" she found herself asking with a tinge of hope, maybe she wouldn't be completely unable to communicate while she was here.
"We basically live with our English Teacher," the girl that was cooking with him spoke up with less awkwardness in her speech, "she made sure we were at least passable in her subject."
Gray found herself relaxing at that, at least she could communicate with the group even if it would be slow and awkward.
"So Gray-san," she didn't understand exactly what he meant by adding the san to the end of her name but decided it was probably not important, "why don't you take off your hood?"
"Ah, my master told me to keep it up," she answered honestly, it wasn't like they weren't allowed to know why she kept her hood up after all.
"Why does he want you to keep it on?" the red head asked with a frown of clear confusion.
"… I think he doesn't like my face," she found herself responding uncertainly… that may be what she concluded but she wasn't entirely sure that she was right.
"Ah… well, it's okay if you take your hood off if you want," Shirou told her calmly and she found herself inwardly wondering whether she should do so or not.
"Thank you Mister Emiya, but I think I should keep it on," she found herself deciding that it was probably better if she didn't annoy her master even if she was being given permission by the owner of the house.
"Just Shirou is fine," the boy responded with a soft smile, "well, breakfast will be ready soon so feel free to take a seat."
"Thank you," she found herself responding before looking at the table.
It was low.
Very low.
And it was also surrounded by cushions.
It wasn't like any table she'd ever sat at before and she found herself wondering if there was a specific way she was supposed to sit at it.
At least there was someone already seated at the table for her to try and copy.
The servant of the young woman cooking with her host was not so much sitting, and more kneeling at the table with her knees resting on the cushions.
Hopefully copying that posture would be the right thing to do.
Kneeling at the table, she found herself looking at the servant once again, unsure of what to think of being so close to a being of such immense power.
The blindfold was strange but then again, she was a servant so she was likely more than capable of acting without her eyesight.
Time seemed to drag on as she waited for breakfast, there wasn't really much to talk about, the Servant that was nearby didn't seem particularly talkative and Shirou and his… girlfriend? Were too busy preparing breakfast to really start a conversation with her.
Eventually however, she found herself looking towards the door as it was almost slammed open and she found herself staring at the face that she was used to seeing in the mirror and not on another person.
"Master…" the Saber Class Servant didn't sound particularly happy given the way she almost growled out the title.
"Good morning Saber," Shirou spoke up and she noticed a hint of confusion appear on the Servant's face, "breakfast won't be long."
"Master," the blonde haired woman was still clearly unhappy with the situation, an unhappiness that only seemed to increase when he laid eyes upon the other Servant in the room, "it is bad enough that you refused to let me sleep with you," the girl that was cooking with Shirou seemed to jump at that claim before looking between the two with a large blush on her face, something Shirou seemed to share with her at the moment, "but to enter the presence of another Servant without me is beyond reckless."
"Saber," Shirou spoke up with a firm tone, "you don't need to sleep with me and I had to get up early to prepare breakfast."
That statement certainly did not appear to appease his servant who simply gave him a small glare before speaking up.
"You have invited potential enemies into your home," the statement was clear as the woman that shared her face continued without reservation, "I shall not sit by idly as my master proceeds to try and get himself killed."
"I'm not trying to get myself killed," the red headed teen responded bluntly, "and no one here is an enemy either, so there's nothing to worry about."
"They're magi," the girl that was cooking with him spoke up, "magi… normally can't be trusted."
Gray found herself quietly agreeing with that statement. Her experience at the Clock Tower had shown her that while there were some exceptions, many magi were more than happy to lie, cheat and murder to achieve their goals.
"But aren't we all on the same side here?" his response made her somewhat smile… it was refreshing to see someone who was just so… simple.
After dealing with magi for so long, it was definitely nice to see someone that she probably wouldn't have to second guess or question the motives of too much.
Unless this was just a ruse… if it was then that would be disappointing.
"Just because we were told we are on the same side does not mean we are," Saber stated firmly but it seemed her statement wasn't going to get through to the homeowner.
"Even so, for now, we're not actively working against each other, right?" he said with a frown, "so it's pointless to keep treating everyone like an enemy."
"BWAHAHAHA!" Gray found herself nearly jumping in shock at the bellowing laugh that permeated the upon the entrance of her master's servant, "well said Master of Saber!"
"Rider…" her teacher proceeded to groan out with a clear sense of defeat permeating his tone.
"Good morning Iskander," Shirou spoke up, "feel free to take a seat, breakfast should only be a minute or so now."
"Master!" it was clear that Saber was not appreciating her master's friendliness towards other people.
"Meh, lighten up a little Saber," Iskander spoke up with a clear sense of amusement, "there's no use making enemies when there isn't a need."
"Just because you don't understand the concept of being careful does not mean my master should practice the same attitude," the blonde servant stated firmly.
"Heh, yet it's a good attitude to take," another voice cut in and Gray found herself looking at the blue haired caster as he appeared at the entrance of the room with his summoner standing close by, "after all, it's much easier to make alliances if you don't burn your bridges as soon as you come across them."
That statement seemed to make the Saber Class servant consider the situation before releasing a sigh.
"You make a good point Caster," she admitted, "however I doubt that is what my master is aiming for."
Gray quickly found her attention drawn away from the conversation as a series of very large bowls of rice and vegetables were laid down on the table by the purple haired girl that was helping out in the kitchen, before the red head put a pair of large bowls of what she was certain were scrambled eggs and toast down as well.
"Can everyone stop arguing," Shirou spoke up, drawing attention to the table, "breakfast is ready."
And with that, he and the girl moved back to the kitchen and picked up another couple of bowls each.
It didn't take long for the table to be filled with dishes of all sorts, ranging from sausages and bacon to what looked like soup with large white cubes floating in it, while a couple of pots rested in the centre containing what Shirou claimed was tea and coffee.
"This is quite the selection Emiya," the Fraga woman seemed to be surprised by the variety of dishes before them… Gray couldn't blame her, she was just as surprised by the variety.
"Thank you McRemitz-san," Shirou responded easily, "but I did have Sakura helping me, so I only had to do the Western dishes."
Looking at everything on the table, Gray quickly decided what she wanted to try and made to reach for some of the toast before a familiar voice spoke up.
"Be careful Gray," her master's voice called out and she found her attention drawn to him, "make sure you check everything you eat for any foul play."
She found herself frowning at that.
She was certain Shirou wasn't the type of person who would try something like that… but he was her master so she probably should listen to him.
"What do you mean?" her attention was drawn to Shirou but instead of her master answering, the girl he had been cooking with spoke up.
"He thinks we might have poisoned the food or something similar," the girl seemed to understand what her master was talking about and didn't seem at all phased by it.
"Why would we do something like that?" the red head seemed confused at the explanation.
"Because everyone thinks everyone else is a potential enemy," the girl spoke softly and with a clear air of unhappiness about her.
"… well… then I guess it can't be helped," and without any more words, the red head made his own way to the table and started to gather his own breakfast.
Upon seeing the boy doing that, Gray immediately started to analyse the food she was going to collect to her plate… and slowly came to the realisation that she could find nothing wrong with the food she was picking up.
There were no harmful substances added, no traces of magical energy or anything else of that nature infecting the food, beyond that, everything seemed to be cooked to near perfection from what she could tell.
It didn't surprise her that there was nothing wrong with it, but the apparent skill that went into cooking it was a little surprising.
Then the door practically slammed open.
"おはいよございます!" the loud call of the red coated servant with raven hair came out clearly and almost gave her a heart attack at its suddenness.
"Good morning Demon Archer," Shirou spoke up, causing the servant to stall and look at him in confusion, "Gray here can't speak Japanese… uh… you can speak English right?"
"Of course I can!" the red eyed girl responded with clear annoyance at his question, "all Servants know all languages thanks to the Grail!"
"Good morning Emiya," Gray found her attention drawn towards the Demon Archer's master… Luviagelita Edelfelt.
It was strange seeing her in a situation like this, after all, they hadn't exactly started off on the right foot the first time they met… mainly because her master was someone that the girl disliked with a passion.
The relationship had grown far less hostile since then but being threatened with death wasn't something she was going to forget all the quickly.
"Good morning Miss Edelfelt," Shirou responded, "help yourself to some breakfast."
"Thank you Emiya," the girl in blue answered without hesitation before taking a seat and collecting some food.
Gray found herself watching her closely, wondering if she would perform any analysis of the morsels laid before her and noted a few movements that were not exactly obvious unless you were looking for them, indicating that she was indeed checking the food before tasting it.
The one named Demon Archer didn't seem to have the same hesitation.
"Archer! Why aren't you checking it before eating?!" Luvia practically hissed out quietly.
"Why would I?" the raven-haired servant asked with a raised eyebrow.
"Because it could be poisoned!" the blonde-haired girl stated with a hiss earning a sigh of annoyance off Shirou.
"It isn't," the brash servant stated firmly, causing her master to stall in confusion.
"And what makes you so certain of that?" it was clear that the Edelfelt magus was confused by that statement by the red eyed servant.
"Well, he summoned a Knight right?" the way the servant said that like it was obvious made most of the magi at the table frown, "why would someone compatible with a Knight use underhanded tactics like that?"
That seemed to make everyone freeze in surprise.
Gray even found herself wondering why no one else had thought of that… a Knight, a warrior bound by honour and required to follow the code of Chivalry was not someone that should be summoned by someone unscrupulous enough to poison their guests.
"BWAHAHAHA!" Iskander roared in clear amusement.
"Heh… seems we got very lucky last night," the Caster spoke up with his own amused grin.
"What's with all the noise so early in the morning?" suddenly, Gray found herself freezing just like her master, the Fraga and Luvia as someone else entered the room.
The vibrant red haired woman that her master had told her could utilize the Fifth True Magic… Aoko Aozaki.
Sure, she didn't understand what her master meant but his explanation that she was a magus capable of destroying anything was enough to make her worried.
"Good morning Red," Shirou didn't seem anywhere near as worried as the woman proceeded to take a seat at the table with her servant nowhere to be found.
"'Morning," the response was clearly sleepy and the way she immediately started to eat without checking her food was something she found herself surprised at, "so… why is everyone speaking English?"
"I'm sorry… but I can't speak Japanese," it was definitely starting to get old having to explain the reason for the language shift, especially given how it kept making her the centre of attention.
"Which raises the question of why your master hasn't taught you," Luvia spoke up while glaring at the very person in question.
"To be fair miss Edelfelt, it isn't exactly easy to learn a new language," Shirou spoke up, making the girl look at him with a raised eyebrow.
"Do you mean that you learned English the normal way?" she sounded half surprised by that little possibility.
"Well, yeah… I didn't even know there was another way," the boy responded with confusion in his tone.
"I suppose that does explain your awkwardness and terrible pronunciation," Luvia admitted out loud, causing the boy to blush and look away, "… I suppose it shall fall to me then, given that Lord El-Melloi II doesn't seem to be taking an active role in teaching his apprentice anything of use."
The way her master seemed to just grumble without actually disagreeing made her frown.
"I assume your master did not teach you the basics of learning a new language using the magus method," the blonde girl stated and Gray found herself nodding slowly, she didn't remember him ever explaining how to do something like that before after all, "then I shall deign to teach you and Emiya the proper method."
"Ah," Gray found her attention drawn towards the girl that had been cooking with Shirou, "could I join the lessons as well?"
"Didn't your family teach you the method?" it seemed that the blue clad girl was surprised by that possibility.
"… my grandfather raised me purely to participate in the Grail War," the girl answered with a downcast expression.
"I… I see," Luvia seemed almost uncertain of how to respond to that but quickly shook her head, "but there shouldn't be an issue with you joining in on the lesson."
"Thank you," the purple haired girl bowed her head in response.
"おはいよございます Shirou-kun," a completely unfamiliar voice called out from the door leading to the main entrance before it opened to reveal a woman with short, light brown hair, wearing a yellow top with black stripes and a green dress over it.
Upon seeing the group currently at the table, she seemed to freeze.
"Good morning Fuji-nee," Shirou spoke up as he looked at her.
"Eh?" the woman seemed confused… and oddly fixated on Iskander, "EH?! Rider-san! What are you doing here?!"
Wait… what?
"Oh?" the servant sounded surprised at her question before a look of realisation crossed his face, "well, if it isn't young Taiga!"
"Wait, hold on," the homeowner spoke up, "you know each other?"
"Rider-san here was the person that inspired me to become an English teacher in the first place!" the woman spoke up with a firm confidence even if her speech was littered with mispronunciations like Shirou and his girlfriends was.
"I… I see," Shirou sounded surprised by that revelation and Gray honestly couldn't blame him… to find out that his English Teacher was inspired by a Servant wasn't something that could be easily predicted.
"Still, as good as it is to see you again," the brown haired woman spoke up before her expression suddenly darkened, "why exactly are you in my little brothers house?"
Gray almost felt threatened by the question and the tone behind it but found herself looking at the Saber class Servant that rose from the table.
"That would be my fault," the blonde servant stated firmly, drawing the attention of the teacher, "I am an old friend of Kiritsugu's, so when our group discovered our hotel bookings had been fraudulent after losing most of our belongings, we came here to see if we could stay for a few days... to find out that Kiritsugu died and had a son was a surprise but Shirou was kind enough to let us stay here."
That explanation seemed to make the brunette frown before releasing a sigh of defeat.
"That… definitely sounds like something Shirou would do," Gray found herself blinking at that, the fact that this woman seemed perfectly willing to accept the possibility of such an altruistic reason did give a good indication of the type of person Shirou was, "so, you said you lost most of your belongings? Is that why some of you are wearing such weird clothes?"
"Yeah," Gray focused on her master as he acknowledged that, "we're a LARP's group but someone," the small look he passed onto the Archer class servant made it clear he was implying her, "forgot to collect our things when they were assigned to that."
Gray found herself somewhat thankful that the raven haired Archer didn't seem to be paying any amount of attention to him and instead was more focused on guzzling down the food she had taken for her breakfast.
"I… see…" the woman named Taiga seemed like she understood where they were coming from but released a sigh anyway, "how long do you plan on staying here?"
"We're actually thinking of moving to Fuyuki," Lord El-Melloi said with a shrug, "so we were going to see about possibly staying here until we can get more permanent accommodation sorted out… it shouldn't take long, we have resources available back home that we can use."
"Wait! You're going to be moving here?!" the English teacher seemed genuinely surprised by that claim… with a somewhat excited air about her as well before she started to frown, "I hope you aren't planning on taking advantage of my little brother's hospitality to freeload off him."
"Don't be ridiculous!" Gray found herself looking at Luvia upon the European magus crying out with a tone that made it clear she found the possibility insulting, "I at the very least fully intend on contributing to this household in any way I can for as long as I remain here."
"And with how rich your family is, I'm sure you won't have any trouble providing," Waver Velvet spoke up without hesitation, earning a firm nod of agreement from the blonde haired magus.
"Wait… did you say rich?" the teacher seemed to perk up at that.
"I am the heir of a long line of European Aristocrats… money is no issue for me," Luvia responded without hesitation.
"… if money isn't an issue for you, then why are you here anyway?" Taiga asked with narrowed eyes.
"Convenience," the response was quick and simple, "because of the time when we discovered our bookings were fake, we didn't have time to figure out if anywhere else would be available."
"Come on Fuji-nee," Shirou spoke up once more before continuing, "I have room and I'd rather they didn't have to waste their money on a hotel."
The frown that adorned the woman's face was clear.
"… fine…" it was obvious the woman wasn't happy with his statement but would deal with it anyway.
"Oh… and Fuji-nee… there are still a few more people who are still in bed… so don't be surprised when they come in," The red head stated with a sigh.
"Even more…" the woman seemed almost concerned… before immediately rushing to the table and filling a plate with a large amount of food.
"Fuji-nee, don't be greedy, leave some for everyone else," the boy stated with narrowed eyes.
"No," it was a firm and simple statement from the woman and Gray found herself wondering just why the woman would make that decision, "if my little brother isn't going to cook enough for everyone then I'm going to make sure I get enough for myself."
"Fuji-nee, I cleared out everything to make all this," Shirou stated bluntly, "I don't have anything else to cook if it runs out."
That statement seemed to give the woman pause.
"Hmm… it's not good to horde food to yourself just because you're greedy," the giant red headed servant stated with a frown, "everyone needs to eat so you should learn to share."
After looking at the giant of a man for several seconds before looking at the dish he had himself, the woman finally seemed to relent.
"Fine… but make sure you buy more than enough to make up for this, do you understand Shirou?!" and the woman seemed to hold the boy responsible for this situation.
"Yes Fuji-nee," the defeated tone the boy gave only made it clear that he wasn't even going to bother arguing about it.
"So, Rider-san," the woman seemed more than happy to return her attention towards the King Of Conquerors, "how are you doing these days?"
"Hmm… I still have much left to accomplish," the Servant of the Steed stated with a firm nod before grinning broadly, "which means there are still many things that I can focus my efforts on!"
"I see," the woman named Taiga responded with a clear and firm nod of acknowledgement.
Further conversation was prevented when the door was opened once again, this time revealing the member of the church who wore glasses.
"Morning," Gray found her attention drawn towards the Aozaki woman as she spoke up before anyone else had the chance to do so.
"Good morning," Ciel didn't seem phased by the sudden greeting but quickly turned to Shirou before offering a small bow, "I am sorry for being so late but I had some business to take care of on the phone."
"Ah, that's not a problem Ciel-san," the red headed boy spoke without any hesitation, "help yourself to some breakfast."
"Thank you," and with that the short haired girl proceeded to help herself to the food that was available though she was clearly looking for something she failed to find.
"Is there something you would like Ciel-san?" Emiya asked without any trace of displeasure at the fact she was clearly not satisfied with the meal before her.
"Sorry, I just really like curry," she admitted, earning a surprised look off the young man.
"Ah... do you have any you prefer?" it was obvious he was seriously thinking about her response and the girl from the Church seemed to think about it for a couple of seconds before speaking again, "spicy ones."
"Then I'll see what I can do tonight," the red-headed boy confirmed without any real level of thought, "though I do have to let you know that curry isn't a speciality of mine when it comes to cooking."
"Thank you Emiya-san," the girl with glasses responded with a clear level of surprise.
"My, you certainly are being accommodating Emiya-san," Luvia spoke up with a clear sense of amusement in her tone... though whether that was actual amusement or just her being haughty was questionable.
"He's always been like this," Gray found her attention once again shifting to the Tiger-woman as she spoke up with an almost pained expression, "even at school he is known as the 'fake janitor'."
"... what?" the blank stare given to the woman by the blonde magus made it obvious that she hadn't been expecting such a statement.
"He keeps helping out whenever anyone asks him... he's probably saved the school a good hundred thousand yen repairing everything," the enthusiastic woman seemed almost annoyed by that claim.
"Fuji-nee, stop exaggerating," Shirou stated with an annoyed expression adorning is face, "I haven't fixed that much."
"Well, you must be loved by the teachers if you go out of your way to do stuff like that," Aozaki spoke up with a clear sense of amusement in her tone.
"He's always been like that... always going out of his way to help people whenever he can," Shirou's guardian stated with a frown before starting to grin broadly, "you should've heard what he wanted to be when he was younger."
"Fuji-nee," the red-head sounded almost exasperated as he said her name.
"A superhero!"
...
What?
"Bwahahaha!" Iskander barely let the claim settle in before he had started to laugh.
"There's nothing wrong with wanting to help people," Shirou sounded almost annoyed at the fact he was being laughed at but the giant of a man spoke once again.
"Maybe, but you should be a bit more selfish in your dreams!" the Rider Class servant proclaimed jovially.
"It's not as selfless as you'd think," the boy responded quietly.
"Oh? And why's that?" the question was clearly mean to get to understand the boy better but he simply shook his head in response.
"It's nothing," the way the boy dismissed the question made it clear that he wasn't happy to share his reason for that claim.
"That's enough Rider," her master spoke up and she found herself looking at him as he made motions towards the youngest red-head's guardian.
Ah, so it must be something that can't be mentioned around the woman.
"Come on Shirou!" the Taiga woman spoke up excitedly, "why don't you want to share it with Rider-san?"
"It's personal," the response was spoken quickly and Gray found herself wondering just why he would want to be a superhero… he didn't seem like the sort of person who wanted the fame or glory so what reason would he have for wanting to save everyone?
Or was she thinking about what a Superhero was incorrectly? She thought it was someone who saved everyone, but was he meaning that or was he meaning having superpowers or something like that?
It was confusing.
Once again, her attention was drawn towards the door as it opened to reveal the girl wearing the Atlas Academy uniform.
"Good morning Sion," once again Shirou spoke up and caused the girl to blink owlishly before responding.
"Good morning," she seemed to focus her attention on the selection of food that was currently on the table.
"Feel free to take whatever you want," the home owner stated easily and the girl seemed to consider the different dishes before answering.
"Thank you, Emiya-san," and with that she proceeded to collect some of the available food for herself much to the normal human's obvious displeasure, "… are you certain I'm allowed this?"
"Ignore Fuji-nee, she's just a freeloader."
"Hey!"
"If you are certain," and with that Sion proceeded to continue taking food from the dishes scattered across the table.
"Shirou!" the legal guardian of their current host whined petulantly while the boy simply proceeded to ignore her.
"Well, I think it is obvious who the mature one of you two is," Luvia spoke up with an amused grin on her face.
"That's not hard," Saber's master responded bluntly.
"Shirou!" the woman with short brown hair cried out with a clear pout on her face.
"You're not helping your case there Taiga-san," Aoko spoke up with a grin etched onto her face.
The grimace that the normal human gave was a clear indication that she wasn't happy with the current situation.
Gray found her attention moving across the table, noting the minor conversations that were happening between individuals and found herself wondering if things were going to stay like this.
After all, this atmosphere was nice.
Eventually, the woman named Taiga, the purple haired rider and the Sakura girl proceeded to rise from their seats.
"Ah, can you stay here?" Sakura spoke to her servant, earning a small frown from the woman before she nodded and returned to her seat.
"Well… I guess it's time for us to go," the brown-haired woman said with a frown, "if I find out any of you have done anything you shouldn't have… I will introduce you all to Tora-shinai!"
Gray found herself blinking in confusion at that while Shirou simply shuddered.
Clearly this 'Tora-shinai' was dangerous.
A chorus of agreements spread throughout the room and Gray found herself nodding in acknowledgement herself.
It wouldn't be very nice of them to take advantage of his hospitality anyway.
"Why leave Taiga-chan!" Iskander spoke up with his usual bellowing tone.
"She's the supervisor for the Archery Club," Shirou spoke up bluntly, "and Sakura is a member too so they have morning practice to attend."
"Tch," Gray found her attention drawn towards Demon Archer who seemed to be finishing off her meal, "why bother practicing such a silly thing when you could be using guns?"
"WHAT?!" the woman that was apparently supervising the Archery club cried out in shock, "THAT'S NOT THE POINT!"
Gray found herself wondering just what the problem was.
Demon Archer did have a point, Guns were more effective in the modern era so why waste your time practicing with a bow?
"*sigh*… Archer-san, they're not going to be using the bows for anything more than competitions," Shirou spoke up with a clear sense of defeat in his tone.
"Guns are still better," the red eyed woman stated firmly.
"They're also illegal in this country," that statement from Aoko seemed to make the raven-haired Servant stall before slowly turning to face her.
"What?" the way she spoke made it clear that she couldn't believe it.
"You're not allowed to own a Firearm in this country," Luvia stated bluntly.
"That's it!" the hyperactive archer stated firmly as she shot up from her seat, "the first thing I'm going to do after I conquer Japan again is legalize guns!"
"That's the spirit!" it was clear that Iskander was more than happy to support that goal.
Wait… again?
"YOU ARE NOT CONQUERING THE COUNTRY!" ah, it seemed Luvia was more than willing to deny the Archer class servant their wish of taking over the country.
"Eh? But I need to conquer it if I'm going to take over the world," the matter of fact way that she said that statement made it clear that to her, there was no question that she was going to do that.
"…"
Silence reigned as even Iskander took a moment to process that… wait, no, he was just grinning to himself.
"Archer-san," Shirou spoke up slowly and deliberately, "no plotting to conquer the world in my house."
"Huh? Why not?" she seemed confused by that statement.
"Because this is my home, not a military base," he stated bluntly and Gray found herself somewhat agreeing.
"So? It's a nice place and has good food too!" the servant stated with a grin, "so it makes the perfect place to plot!"
"Archer… either accept Emiya-san's conditions or you shall find yourself missing a few meals," Luvia stated firmly, causing the dark-haired girl to jerk in shock.
"What?!"
"You heard me," the Edelfelt heir stated firmly, "it is rude to take advantage of a host's hospitality and try to ignore their house rules."
It was clear that Demon Archer was not at all happy with that at all.
"Still, don't worry about the Chuuni Taiga-san," Aoko suddenly spoke up, causing the red cloaked Servant to splutter in clear displeasure at whatever she was being called, "don't you have to get to school?"
"Y-yeah," the brown-haired woman responded before nodding her head firmly, "Shirou, don't let these people make you late!"
"Don't worry Fuji-nee, I'll be on time," the boy responded offhandedly.
"Come on Sakura, we've got to go," and with that the English Teacher proceeded to make her way to the front door.
"Hmm… see you later Senpai," and with a soft smile, Sakura followed the hyperactive teacher.
It didn't take long for the door to be closed and the only non-magical person in the room to be gone.
"Archer…" Gray found herself backing away from the blonde-haired Magus as she gritted out the class of her Servant, "do not, I repeat, do not, say anything like that around the uninitiated again… am I clear?!"
It was clear that she was not happy with the fact that her servant had caused the atmosphere to become awkward previously.
"Why not?" the clear cluelessness in the red-eyed servant's voice was clear to everyone present.
"Because normal people don't talk about taking over the world!" Luvia stated firmly.
"… I have a reality marble… do you really think I'm normal?" that statement was made bluntly and caused the blue clad magus to freeze.
"Oh? You too huh?" Iskander spoke up with a large grin adorning his face.
"Uh, I'm sorry… but what's a reality marble?" Shirou asked with confusion.
"Basic gist," Waver spoke up with a bored tone, "it's were a being has such an inhuman way of thinking that their magecraft reacts to that and proceeds to follow different rules to everyone else."
Gray found herself blinking at that.
"Huh…" the red-head seemed to consider that for a few seconds before shaking his head.
"Yeah, it's not normally found in humans… or even Servants for that matter, since they're usually starting from a human base," Aoko stated with a shrug.
"I… see," Shirou seemed distracted by the thought before shaking his head, "anyway, does anyone know when Hans, Avenger or Lancer are going to get up?"
"I am awake now," the deep voice of the little Caster came from beyond the door, "however I doubt you wished for your guardian to encounter me."
"Oh, ah, sorry Hans," the red-head immediately stated as the door opened to reveal the youngest looking servant, "anyway, help yourself to some breakfast."
The Servant gave a calm nod of acknowledgement before starting to collect some food for himself.
"Y-you're all missing the point!" Luvia spoke out with irritation clear in her voice, "Archer, I don't care if you have a reality marble or not, we are not supposed to give ourselves away to the regular humans!"
"So what? They're going to find out when I conquer the world anyway," the confident servant stated bluntly, earning another irritated expression from her master.
"Good luck with that," Iskander spoke up with amusement in his tone, "Gilgamesh has already laid claim to this world, so if you try to take it from him, you'll probably die."
That statement seemed to make everyone go quiet.
"So what if he's laid claim to it?" the almost angry tone that the Archer who apparently preferred guns used made it clear she wasn't happy with that statement, "if he wants this world then I'll just kill him instead."
"Easier said than done," the red-headed king stated with an amused grin, "throughout the entirety of the previous Grail War, the closest anyone got to harming him, was destroying one of his noble phantasms… and he has every treasure in the world with each acting as an independent Noble Phantasm."
"So what? I'm the perfect foe to take him down," she claimed without hesitation.
"I used my reality marble against him… and he destroyed it from within," the largest person in the room stated easily, "do not underestimate his power Archer."
It was obvious from the way the girl seemed to be looking down on the King Of Conquerors that she wasn't happy with that declaration.
"Fine, I'll just take my time and deal with him when he's at his most vulnerable," she seemed to semi-relent on the point.
"That's not the point!" the master seemed to be about to pull her hair out in frustration, "you shouldn't be planning to conquer the world full stop!"
"Edelfelt-san… I don't think Archer-san will ever listen to that," Emiya spoke up with a defeated tone of his own.
"Tch…" Luvia was obviously not happy with that statement but took a breath before speaking, "it certainly seems that way… but it doesn't stop it from being frustrating… at this rate I'm going to have to use a command seal to put a stop to this."
"Uh," Shirou started to speak before Waver interrupted him.
"The marks on the back of your hand… they're seals that grant you absolute commands over your servant… though each magus only has three available to them," the Clock Tower Teacher stated with a sigh, "you really have no idea about anything do you?"
"Not really… all my dad really taught me was Structural Analysis and Reinforcement," the boy admitted, earning a sigh off the rest of the room, "oh, and Projection… but he told me that I should focus on Reinforcement."
"Yeah, Projection is one of the least efficient magecrafts out there," Waver admitted easily.
"Heh," the group immediately turned their attention to the adult Caster in the group, "well, if you're that low on knowledge then I guess I could give you some pointers."
The entire room seemed to freeze over at that statement.
A Magus being taught Magecraft by a Caster Class Servant was not something that was normal from what she was aware.
"Caster… what are you doing?" the Fraga woman asked with clear concern on her features.
"What? The kid seems like a good guy," the blue haired Irishman stated with a grin, "plus, he's got an interestin' smell."
"Uh… what do you mean?" Shirou sounded confused by that.
"Nothing you need to worry about," the servant responded easily.
"Caster," the Saber class servant who had remained quiet for most of the meal suddenly spoke with a steel in her voice, "if you try to harm my master then I will kill you."
"Meh, it's fine Saber, you can even oversee the training yourself if you want," the Servant of the Spell responded easily, "though it is a shame I'm a Caster… if I was in my best class then I'd love to fight you."
The grin the man gave the swordswoman made it clear that he really did like the idea of facing her… the battle lust in that expression was clear even to her after all.
Thought the statement didn't seem to ease the Servant of the Sword.
"Can everyone please just get along?" Shirou spoke up with defeat clear in his tone.
"I've got no problem with that," Aoko said without hesitation.
"Bwahahaha, same here," the boisterous call of Iskander was obvious.
"I suppose that is doable until we confirm the truthfulness of our supposed employer's statements," Luvia admitted herself.
"No issues on my part," Ciel agreed.
"Heh, I guess there is no issue as long as the rest of you swear your loyalty to me!" the red clad archer stated with a smug grin.
"No," everyone immediately responded to that declaration and caused the Servant of the Bow… or was it Gun? To jerk in surprise.
Gray honestly found herself watching the argument Demon Archer was making with a soft smile slowly drawing itself upon her face.
The atmosphere was once again warm and inviting and she couldn't stop herself from admitting that staying here probably wouldn't be bad… it certainly beat the Clock Tower Dormitories.
"By the way," Shirou once again spoke up, "where are Avenger and Lancer?"
"Ah, Avenger should still be in his room," Ciel spoke up, "I told him not to come out since your guardian was here… and wispy clothes aren't normal."
"I see," Shirou seemed almost relieved at that, "do you want me to go and get him?"
"Nah, that's fine, I'll go since he's my Servant," the Executor stated easily as she rose from her seat and made her way towards the door.
"And what about Lancer?" the red-headed boy asked the girl named Sion.
"He told me last night that he isn't a morning person, so he won't be attending breakfast… ever," the purple haired girl stated while looking at the other servants at the table.
"Ah… I see," Shirou spoke with a clear sense of regret in his tone, "well, I guess there's nothing else for it then."
Eventually Ciel returned with her Servant and Gray was once again left hoping things could stay like this for a long time.
XXX FATE/GOLDEN ORDER XXX
Shirou could do little more than release a sigh as lunch started.
He had been a little worried that he wouldn't make it to school on time given the sheer number of dishes that would need to be washed, but Gray had offered to do them for him and he had found himself relieved of that chore.
Because of that, he had managed to make it to school relatively early all things considered.
School itself had started normally but his mind was still focused on the situation he had found himself in.
To think, he was acting as the 'master' for a legendary hero that he didn't even know the identity of.
And he had a sister.
That was probably the most shocking part of the entire situation… though it only just beat out the fact that Sakura and Tohsaka were Magi in that regard.
"Hey, is that Tohsaka?" he heard a voice ask from a couple of seats away and he found his attention drawn towards the owner of the voice.
"I think so," another person said, "but why's she pacing around outside?"
Shirou found his attention drawn towards the door and noticed that Tohsaka was indeed pacing back and forth in front of his class's door.
He found himself wondering why she was doing that before she turned and their eyes met.
Almost immediately, she jerked her head to the side in a clear sign that she wanted him to leave the classroom.
He let out a frown of confusion as he moved out of his seat and made his way to the corridor and the waiting Tohsaka.
"Emiya," he didn't get a chance to speak before she was already talking to him with a commanding air to her, "come to the roof… I need to talk with you."
And with that, she proceeded to leave him and head towards the stairwell.
He could really do little more than blink as he proceeded to follow her and eventually reached the roof with no one else in present.
Almost immediately, she turned to face him and he found himself taking an instinctual gulp upon seeing her eyes looking at him so coldly.
"Why didn't you inform me that you were a magus?" she asked and he found himself blinking in confusion.
"What do you mean?" he couldn't stop himself from asking her in response.
"As the Second Owner of Fuyuki, you should have informed me that you were practicing Magecraft here," she stated firmly and Shirou found himself blinking in confusion.
"Second Owner?" he couldn't do anything more than repeat that term blankly.
"You… you don't even know what a Second Owner is?" she sounded almost pained by that observation.
"Sorry… all my dad really did was teach me a couple of basic spells, that to be a magus was to walk with death and that I should keep my magecraft a secret," he admitted with a sigh… he was seriously beginning to curse the fact he wasn't taught all this stuff that was coming up right now.
"… tell me Emiya-kun," Rin started to speak slowly and calmly, "did you know any other magi in this city?"
"Well… I know Sakura but she never told me she was a magus so I never knew until last night," he admitted, earning several seconds of silence off the girl he was currently talking to before she released a sigh of defeat.
"So you were completely ignorant of pretty much everything," she summarized while rubbing her temples with her fingers.
"Yeah…" he admitted with a sigh of his own.
She seemed to stare at him for several seconds before speaking again.
"Do you believe what the gold guy said about the current situation?" her question made him blink before frowning.
"I hope it's true," he admitted without any trouble, "after all, if it's true then that means I can save people."
Rin seemed to blink a few times at that declaration.
"So you're just the type who wants to help people," she muttered, causing him to nod in agreement, "is that why you took in all those other masters and their servants?"
"They needed help and I could help them," he answered honestly, earning a sigh off the girl.
It took several seconds but eventually she spoke up once again.
"Be careful," she definitely sounded worried and Shirou found himself wondering why she would go out of her way to say speak to him like this, "even if it turns out that Servant at the Church is telling the truth, there is no guarantee that the magi you are hosting won't use that opportunity to kill you."
He could do little more than frown in response to that.
"Why would they try to kill me?" he didn't understand why they would do something like that, none of them seemed like the sort of people who would do something like that.
"Because they're magi and magi can't be trusted," the girl before him stated firmly.
"But aren't you a Magus too?" he asked her rhetorically.
"Yes, so I will warn you… don't trust me, or even Sakura… there's no telling what a Magus will do to you if you put your trust in them," she claimed and Shirou found himself frowning at that.
"But if you don't want me to trust you, then why tell me not to?" he asked in confusion.
"Isn't it obvious that telling you not to trust me is likely to get you to trust me?" she responded without delay and Shirou found himself thinking about the current situation.
She was trying her hardest to get him to not trust anyone… but in doing so she was letting a few clear emotions slip.
"You're kinder than I thought you were Tohsaka," he stated with conviction.
"W-w-w-what?!" she practically spluttered out as her face started to go an almost violent shade of red in response to his statement.
Shirou found himself almost laughing at her reaction as he came to a decision.
"Do you want to join us for dinner?" it was a simple question and he noted the way she continued to stare at him in clear disbelief.
"N-no, thank you," she seemed uncertain of how to respond to his question.
"Are you sure?" he asked once more, "you can bring Archer with you if you want."
Admittedly, he somewhat hoped she wouldn't bring the man, he just knew they wouldn't get along after all, but he wasn't going to deny him a meal at his home.
Tohsaka seemed to think about the situation for a few seconds before finally answering again.
"I want your word that if anyone tries to attack me or my Servant, you will protect me," she finally said and Shirou found himself quickly agreeing.
"As long as you don't start the fight then I don't have a problem with that," he admitted without hesitation.
"I suppose that's fair," she responded with an almost amused tone.
"Thank you Tohsaka," he said before wondering if she was feeling all right given how frequently her face seemed to flush, "um… have you seen a doctor?"
"Eh?" she seemed surprised by that question before frowning as the red hue started to die down again, "what do you mean?"
"Well, you face keeps flushing so I thought you might be sick," he pointed out, noticing how the red hue started to return once again.
"Y-y-yes!" she stuttered out before carrying on in a clear rush, "it's nothing major so don't worry about it!"
Shirou could only nod in response to that.
If it wasn't anything serious then it shouldn't be a problem.
His mind moved onto another potential issue.
"Uh… it isn't contagious, is it?" the way she seemed to freeze at that question made him frown.
"N-no! Nothing like that," she sounded very hasty to make that claim but he decided to give her the benefit of the doubt… he doubted she was going to intentionally spread it to everyone.
"Okay then," he didn't bother pressing any farther and instead decided to just let her know what the plans were for later, "so, after school I'm going to have to go and get some groceries since feeding everyone wiped out my supplies."
She blinked several times before nodding her head firmly.
"I see," she spoke easily and he found himself giving a small nod of his own.
"I guess I could take you to my house before I go shopping," he said easily earning a shake of her head in response.
"T-that's fine, I already know where you live," he had to blink at that.
"How?" he found himself asking and quickly noted how her face seemed to go a deep shade of red again.
"T-t-t-that's… Ayako!" she blurted out and he blinked several times, "Ayako told me where you live!"
"Really?" he thought back to it and realized that Tohsaka and Mitsuzuri-san did seem pretty close whenever he saw them together, so the idea that she had been told by the Archery Captain wasn't all that surprising, "I guess that makes sense."
She nodded in response to his claim and he found himself giving her a soft smile.
"Then, I guess I'll see you later Tohsaka," he said calmly, earning another nod off the girl.
"Yes, I'll see you later Emiya-kun," and with that, she proceeded to move past him without hesitation and he decided he should get his Lunch while he still had time.
XXX FATE/GOLDEN ORDER XXX
"Emiya," Shirou looked up to see the bespectacled form of the Student Council President, a boy who had been his friend since the start of High School, Ryuudou Issei.
"Hello Issei," he responded easily as he continued to pack his bags in preparation to leave.
"I'm sorry to spring this on you, but the air conditioner in class 3C broke down," the boy spoke and Shirou found himself cringing at that, "would you be able to have a look at it?"
Shirou felt himself inwardly cringing at his friends timing… he wanted nothing more than to help him out… and if it had happened the previous day then it wouldn't have been a problem.
"Ah, Emiya-san," he was interrupted by a confused voice coming from the doorway and he found his attention drawn towards a boy from his class, "there's a group of girls waiting for you at the front gate?"
Shirou found himself frowning in response to that statement, unsure of who would be waiting for him.
"Ah, sorry Emiya, I didn't know you had plans today," Issei spoke up quickly and Shirou found himself looking at his friend.
"Sorry Issei, I could have a look at it tomorrow if you want?" he quickly made a suggestion for a compromise, earning a grateful smile off the Student Council President.
"Thank you Emiya," Shirou couldn't stop himself from noticing the relief in his bespectacled friend's tone as he gave his thanks.
"Well, I guess I should get going," he spoke calmly as his mind returned to the question of who would be waiting for him.
"Then I will see you tomorrow Emiya," and with that, Shirou made his way out of the classroom and towards the school entrance.
Eventually he left the school building and immediately noticed the group that was waiting for him among the crowd of students.
"Eh? Edelfelt-san? What are you doing here?" he couldn't stop himself from asking upon seeing the blonde-haired magus standing with Demon Archer and Saber… though he did find himself wondering why Saber was wearing new clothes while Demon Archer was still in the clothes she was called forth in.
"Oh? Have your forgotten about your task today already?" the European Magus asked with a raised eyebrow.
"You mean the grocery shopping?" he asked with a frown, "of course I haven't forgotten about that."
That seemed to gain a hint of surprise from the girl who started to frown.
"Did you forget she's gonna be paying for it?" the red-eyed Archer asked with a grin on her face and Shirou found himself stalling at that.
He was so used to paying for things himself that he hadn't even considered the possibility of her coming with him.
"Y-you did?" Luvia sounded almost surprised by his lack of response, "well then, I suppose it is a good thing I decided to come and meet you here."
Her tone was filled with a haughtiness that Shirou couldn't recalling ever really hearing in anyone before.
"T-that is a big help Edelfelt-san," he admitted with a sigh of relief, "plus, with Saber-san and Archer-san here, we should be able to get everything back home more efficiently."
*Eh?!*
Shirou found his attention drawn towards the side of the gate upon hearing something but found the area vacant.
He let silence reign for several seconds while keeping an eye on the area, wondering if someone was spying on him.
Sure enough, he noted a mop of silvery grey hair starting to come out from behind the wall before revealing a dark eye that was resting behind a very large spectacle lens.
Almost immediately the eye widened before the head ducked back behind the wall.
Shirou found himself frowning as he tried to remember where he had seen those traits before, before his mind recalled the Track Team.
"Are you all right Himuro-san?" he asked without hesitation and receiving no answer for several seconds.
Eventually the girl proceeded to leave the area behind the wall and stand up straight and with an air of confidence that he could immediately pick up on.
"Yes I am, thank you for your concern Emiya-san," the girl spoke firmly and Shirou started to open his mouth before finding himself cut off by the other magus in his current group.
"You certainly did not look as if you were fine," she spoke with a knowing tone, "if anything, it looked like you were spying on us."
Shirou found himself inwardly frowning at that statement by Luvia, while he inwardly agreed with that observation, he didn't know why she'd be spying on them.
"O-of course not!" the girl spoke in a way that sounded very suspicious, "a-anyway… I have to get to track practice… bye!"
Shirou found himself blinking dumbfoundedly at the sudden departure of the bespectacled girl… especially since he was certain the track team didn't meet on a Tuesday.
"That… was strange," he found himself saying bluntly.
"Indeed," the European Magus stated in response, "I suppose I shall have to enquire as to whether that girl is one of us or not."
Shirou found himself nodding in agreement at that decision by the blonde who quickly turned to face him once more.
"Now Emiya-san," she spoke with an authoritative air as she addressed him once more, "I believe it is time for us to prepare for tonight."
The red-head nodded in agreement as he once again turned to the Servants and looked at Saber once again.
She was no longer in the blue and silver armour she had been summoned in and was instead wearing what looked to be a rather expensive set of clearly tailored black trousers, shoes and a dress shirt.
Honestly, if it had been tucked in and had a jacket and tie, it would have definitely made her look like a CEO of a company or something similar.
"What happened to Saber's clothes?" it was a simple question and he immediately noticed the blue dressed girl perking up.
"Obviously, I cannot simply ignore the plight of the person currently giving me a room for free," she spoke up easily, causing him to look with a frown.
"Do you mean you bought Saber new clothes?" it was the obvious way of interpreting the statement but he wanted to make sure.
"Indeed… though Archer has proven to be rather… difficult in that department," she stated with a frown towards her own Servant.
"Well, there was nothing there worth my attention!" the red coated gun nut stated firmly, "besides, I'm more than capable of making my own clothes myself!"
Shirou honestly didn't know how to respond to Archer's claim and so instead decided to just point out his thoughts to Luvia.
"Edelfelt-san… you didn't have to buy Saber clothes for me," he stated bluntly.
"And what did you plan on doing?" she asked and he found himself frowning.
"Well, I was going to go out and buy some later," he responded without any real hesitation.
"Then I saved you a trip," the blonde magus stated without a hint of concern.
"Yeah… but those clothes look expensive," he pointed out with a frown.
"It is fine, I am rich after all," her response made him release a sigh.
"Just because you're rich doesn't mean you should be careless with your money," he pointed out, silently worried that she was too liberal with her spending.
Silence reigned after that and he proceeded to start to worry about her as she simply looked at him with a clear hint of surprise on her features.
"Uh, are you okay?" he asked and she quickly snapped out of her stupor.
"Y-yes, I am, thank you for your concern," she responded quickly before glancing away from him, "we should probably get going now."
Shirou found himself dismissing her previous state as he acknowledged her statement.
"Yeah," and without any further comments between the two, they started moving away from the school as he decided to open conversation with his own Servant, "so Saber… why are you here with Edelfelt-san?"
"I refuse to leave you alone in the presence of another master," she stated bluntly and Shirou found himself inwardly sighing at that.
"I… see…" he honestly didn't know how to get the little blonde to trust everyone… but then again, he wasn't really sure they could all be trusted even if they seemed like nice enough people, "and what about you Archer-san?"
"Huh? Me?" the raven-haired girl seemed almost surprised before releasing a grin, "I'm here to pick out the food I want of course!"
"You are also going to help carrying the groceries as well," Luvia stated firmly, causing the gun-nut to look at her with raised eyebrows.
"Huh? What do you mean?" it was obvious that the girl had not been expecting that.
"There will obviously be a lot of groceries to bring back so you will have to help," the European Magus responded firmly, "between you, me, Saber and Emiya-san, I feel we should be able to get everything to his home without too much difficulty."
"Eh? Why not just hire a taxi?" the girl in military garb asked bluntly.
"That would be a waste of money," Shirou immediately responded, "it's close enough to walk so a taxi would just be wasteful."
"But isn't that what she wants to do?" the hyperactive girl asked bluntly, "wasting money for no good reason? Since she's like that, why was her first intention to not waste it?"
Shirou found himself frowning at that question.
"I… I…" Luvia herself seemed uncertain of how to respond to that question and Shirou found himself releasing a sigh.
"I take it you're not as rich as you claim you are," he concluded easily, causing the girl to burst at him.
"I am as rich as I claim I am!" it was obvious that she wasn't happy with his deduction, "I… just don't like wasting money on worthless things."
She sounded rather defeated as she made that claim and Shirou frowned.
"Then why do you keep doing that?" it was the obvious question, if she didn't like wasting money, why was she so insistent on it?
"Because I am an Edelfelt," her statement was made with a conviction that made it clear that that alone was enough reason, but she continued regardless, "we are an incredibly wealthy family and as their heir, it falls to me to flaunt that wealth… that is what my family has told me for as long as I remember."
That… sounded like something a family he couldn't understand himself, but he was at least aware enough to understand that flaunting wealth was something many people liked to do.
"So you are expected to flaunt your wealth, while you yourself care only for the practicality of that wealth," Saber spoke up and Shirou noted the way the blue dressed magus seemed to almost slump in defeat.
"Essentially… yes," she was obviously not happy with the current train of conversation, "however, I would appreciate it if you did not spread this knowledge around… at all."
"I guess that's okay," he responded after a few seconds… it wasn't like it would be a problem after all.
"As long as you buy me what I want, then I don't care," the little demon stated with a shrug before continuing, "so I want a Tank!... and a jet fighter!"
"No," the magus answered immediately.
"Why not?!" the dark-haired girl cried out in clear distaste for that response.
"Because, I do not trust you to act responsibly with either," the answered was quick, simple and blunt.
Personally, Shirou found himself agreeing with her on that point.
"I concur with your master," Saber spoke up before the red coated girl could respond, "you are clearly lacking in your ability to think through your actions."
"Hey! I'll have you know I almost conquered this country back when I was alive!" the girl stated firmly.
"Archer!" once again, Luvia snapped at her servant for carelessly speaking about who she was.
"What?" the dark-haired girl asked with annoyance.
"Stop, talking about your identity!" the clear frustration in Luvia's tone made it obvious that she hated having to deal with her Servant's complete disregard for secrecy.
"Why? It's not like it matters," the frustratingly obtuse servant responded without hesitation.
"Of course it matters!" the statement was made without any hesitation, and Shirou found himself wondering why it was so important.
"Why is it so important that we don't know their names?" he asked with a frown.
"Because knowing who they are, can let you understand their weaknesses… like say… the servant was Achilles, what would you do if you had to beat him?" she spoke and he frowned.
"Well… I'd go for his hee-…" he stalled as it finally clicked in his head why it was so important for a Servant's identity to remain a secret.
The smug expression on Luvia's face made it obvious that she knew he had understood the point.
Not that it was hard.
"Well I don't have a stupid weakness like that," the Archer class servant stated firmly, causing her master to cringe in clear annoyance.
"Shut up Archer!" and yet again, Luvia demanded she shut up.
Shirou for his part started to think about everything he knew about the Servant.
She was Japanese from what she said, she liked guns, she nearly conquered the country and hated the gods… there was honestly only one figure he could think of off the top of his head that filled those conditions and that was not a woman.
"Well, I don't know who Archer-san is," he admitted without hesitation, "there is one person I can think of who fits… but…"
"But what?" Luvia sounded cautious as she prompted him to carry on his explanation.
"Well, the only person I can think of was a man," he admitted with a shrug.
"Heh, well I am remembered as a man," Archer responded almost instantly, causing Luvia to splutter in clear disbelief.
And Shirou just stalled as he tried to process just what that meant.
"So… does that mean that you're Oda Nobunaga?" he asked uncertainly.
"Yep," the response was quick and simple, earning a clear cringe off her master.
Shirou for his part started to cringe at that knowledge… he would have to keep her away from the temple and Issei if that was the case.
"I see…" he responded as he thought about the situation.
"What do you plan on doing with that information Emiya-san?" he found his attention drawn back towards the Raven-haired Servant's master as she asked that simple question.
"Do my best to keep her away from my friend and the temple he lives at," he admitted bluntly, "I'd much prefer not having them torched to death."
That response seemed to surprise the girl who simply stared in disbelief at is claim.
"… is that it?" she seemed like she couldn't believe that that was all he intended on doing with the information.
"Well, yeah… what else would I do with it?" he asked bluntly, causing Luvia to continue staring for a few seconds before shaking her head and offering an almost amused smile.
"If you truly do mean that," she spoke with a slow shake of her head despite her almost fond tone, "then you are either naïve, or simply too nice to be a magus."
Shirou couldn't stop himself from grunting in response to that, it wasn't like he couldn't think of other things to use the information for, after all, given her clear intention of keeping Oda's identity a secret, it would be easy to blackmail her over it, or use it to take advantage of the servant or any number of other tricks… but all of that involved assuming they were enemies and right now, he was holding out in the hope that things were as simple as they appeared and that such a thing wouldn't need to be used.
"Well, it's not like I can't think of anything else to do with it," he decided to be truthful, earning a raised eyebrow from the blonde magus, "but I'm hoping that everything is as it seems… in which case, I'd rather everyone gets along… so I'd rather avoid doing something to cause resentment from you."
"So… idealistic more than naïve or kind," her response was said with a hint of amusement in her tone, "I suppose I can live with that."
Shirou found himself offering her a small smile of his own as he glanced at the Demon King of Japan and the way she was currently acting almost like a child.
"Still…" he spoke up with a frown as he considered the situation with the Archer, "I doubt her identity will remain a secret for long given how bad she is at keeping secrets."
"True," Luvia seemed almost defeated as she made that claim before raising her left hadn to reveal the strange marking that adorned the back of it, "Archer, by the power of my Command Seals, I order you to remain quiet about your history and identity."
Shirou's eyes widen as a piece of the tattoo like marking glowed before fading from his view.
"What was that?" he asked in confusion, earning a small grin off the blonde magus.
"Masters are all given three command seals," she spoke easily, "three absolute commands that can be given to their servants."
"Are you really that obsessed with me not speaking?" the almost angry tone that escaped the lips of the red coated Servant made it clear she was not happy with the idea of being forbidden from speaking of her history.
"I've told you time and time again that you are not to reveal your identity to the other masters," the blue dressed girl stated firmly, "and look what that ended with… we are simply fortunate that Emiya-san is as idealistic as he is, otherwise we would be in quite the predicament."
"And you thought that using one of those seals would be worth it," the girl was definitely not happy with the situation, "and what is stopping me from killing you for daring to give me a command?"
Almost immediately, Shirou found himself stepping between the two, earning blinks of surprise off everyone in the group.
"Archer-san… I get that you don't like being ordered around," he stated as calmly as he could, "but Luvia is your master isn't she?"
"Master?" the way that word was almost spat made it clear that she wasn't happy with that phrase, "she isn't my master… she simply has the honour of acting as my retainer."
"W-w-what?!" it was obvious that Luvia was not happy with that declaration, "I am your master!"
"Retainer!" the firm declaration of the raven-haired emperor was made without hesitation.
"Uh… Edelfelt-san," Shirou spoke up once again, "I hate to say this… but isn't Archer-san supposed to have a reality marble?"
That seemed to make the blonde magus freeze before releasing a sigh of defeat.
"She did claim that…" it was obvious that she wasn't happy with that acknowledgement but given how she seemed to deflate at that made it obvious she had given up, "but how am I supposed to deal with her?"
Shirou found himself wondering how to deal with the Servant… she was obviously stubborn beyond reason, so focused on a specific type of action that she'd put everything else to the side and she wasn't prepared to have anyone argue with her about it.
"As frustrating as it is… I think you should probably just give up trying to change her mind about anything," he pointed out bluntly, he knew no one could change his mind when he made a decision and as much as he didn't want to admit it… some of the traits the arrogant servant showed reminded him of himself.
"Heh, it seems someone here understands their place," the red eyed girl stated with an amused smirk, "now, if only you would learn your own."
Shirou couldn't stop himself from sighing as he tried to figure out a way to keep both of them from killing each other.
"Edelfelt-san… just… give it time," he advised, "eventually she'll probably start to listen to you… at least a little, but now probably isn't the best time for it."
It was obvious that the other human wasn't happy with the advice but finally released a sigh as she seemed to make up her mind.
"Very well… however," she sounded a bit more certain that before as she spoke up, "is it not a retainer's job to make sure their master doesn't do anything too counterproductive or… stupid?"
"Edelfelt-san is right," Shirou decided to pipe up himself, "you were known as the Fool of Owari after all."
"I guess that's true," the gun nut admitted with a frown.
"So if Edelfelt-san is to act as your retainer, shouldn't you listen to her advice?" he asked, causing the dark-haired girl to grimace.
"I… I guess?" she seemed unhappy with that idea, "but just because I was known as the Fool of Owari doesn't mean I'm stupid!"
"Yeah, but you have shown yourself to do things without really thinking about them," Shirou pointed out, "so listening to the advice of someone who thinks things through wouldn't hurt would it?"
"… I guess," it was obvious that even if she didn't really want to do as suggested, he was managing to get through to her.
"Now, is there anything you want for dinner?" he asked in the hope that doing so would allow him to end the discussion in Luvia's favour.
"European food!" she immediately responded without any hint of hesitation and a massive grin.
Shirou could do little more than release a small laugh at that.
"That's not really telling me anything," he pointed out, earning a laugh off the dark-haired girl.
"So? Just give me plenty of western food and I'll be happy!" she proclaimed easily.
"Okay then, I guess that'll be fine," he responded as he thought of how he was going to be making Western dishes anyway, "and how about you Edelfelt-san?"
"I have no preference, your cooking this morning was of an acceptable quality," she answered without hesitation.
"How about you Saber?" he decided to ask the girl that had remained quiet throughout the majority of the journey.
"Anything is acceptable as long as there is enough," it was a simple answer and Shirou found himself inwardly smiling at everyone's lack of fussiness.
"I see," he acknowledged without hesitation.
"Oh, and Emiya-san," the blonde-haired magus spoke up and Shirou found his attention drawn towards her, "you need not refer to me as Edelfelt-san… simply Luvia is acceptable."
Shirou found himself blinking at that before giving a soft smile to the girl.
"In that case, feel free to call me Shirou," he responded after processing the statement.
"Very well, Shero-kun," her response made him blink in slight confusion.
That was a bit more affectionate than he had expected… beyond that, her pronunciation of his name wasn't quite right.
Oh well, it wasn't like it mattered.
So he simply continued on the route to the shops in a surprisingly comfortable silence.
Omake 1
The room was dark and silent as the two snuck into it before sitting across from each other at the breakfast table.
"So, why have you called me here Nobunaga," the massive frame of Iskander asked with narrowed eyes.
"I called you here today to discuss what we were talking about yesterday," the raven haired emperor stated firmly, "our plan to take over the world!"
Nobu and Iskander
Nobu and Iskander
They have Military Genius, plus they're insane
They're Servants of Magi, so they have to plot at night
They're Nobu, Nobu and Iskander-der-der-der-der-der-der-der-der
Before each night is done, their plan will be unfurled
By the dawning of the sun, they'll take over the world
Nobu and Iskander
Nobu and Iskander
Their twilight Campaign is easy to explain
To prove their Royal worth, they'll overthrow the Earth
They're Nobu, Nobu and Iskander-der-der-der-der-der-der-der-*slide*
"What are you two doing up so late?" the duo froze as they noticed the new person in the room.
The kind hearted boy that had allowed them to stay in his home without question.
"Ah, hahahaha…" the raven haired girl could only laugh nervously while looking at her conspirator in the hope that he would come up with a decent excuse.
"We were just planning on how to conquer the world," the Great King of Macedonia stated bluntly and she found herself almost gawking at his decision to tell the boy the truth.
"… go to bed," it was an order, there was no doubt about that, "and no trying to conquer the world in my house."
The duo could do little more than groan in defeat at his statement.
It looked like they had been foiled again.
And that's it for now.
I was originally intending on continuing this chapter until the end of the day but... well, after listing what was left to do, I think it may have very well doubled the length of the chapter... or more.
So I decided to just cut it off here and make the rest of the day another chapter.
Now, I want to clarify some things before carrying on...
There is not a spell for learning new languages in this fic. There is a method that Magi use to learn new languages faster and more effectively but it is just that... a method... not a spell.
As for Shirou and Sakura, they live with their English Teacher, so I can see them having at least some level of comprehension in the language... however, I am not going to write Engrish, otherwise their lines would be horribly butchered... at least, for now anyway.
And lastly, the Hiragana was not used randomly, it does actually make out legitimate sentences, however I chose to use it to represent how foreign the language was to Gray specifically.
Oh, and that Omake was actually written before the chapter itself and is non-canonical to this story... it was just a little laugh I had on my forum.
Anywhoo...
Shadow out.