Author note-Well hello again every one, I'm glad to be able to update again. I want to say that the reason this chapter took about five weeks to get out is because I couldn't decide who Shirou would be with. Fortunately though I finally decided, and when all the Sekirei Shirou will be with have revealed themselves I hope you will like my line up. Unfortunately I can't make everyone happy with the lineup for the sake of this stories quality, but I can at least make everyone a little happy. Please keep in mind that after this chapter the story will pick up now that the stories foundation has been set. Following updates will hopefully come quicker now that my dilemma is over so please read, enjoy, and review. Also please remember that I began this story because I enjoy writing, but I only continue it because of the amount of reviews I get. I spend a lot of my free time writing this story and if there isn't enough feedback to justify my time then I won't see a reason to continue. So again, please read, enjoy, and review.
Previously on An Honorable Master
Shirou lifted a curious eyebrow as he watched here make a hasty retreat. He wasn't really too sure about Miya, when she first came in she had an all business attitude along with disturbingly cold eyes, but as their conversation progressed she seemed too loosen up a bit. Shirou couldn't help but notice that unlike her rude entrance she left with a polite far well, she even used his name…wait Shirou didn't remember giving his name. You know what though Shirou just didn't care right now. He flopped down on his bed and hoped that that was the last surprise of the day for him because god was he tired, mentally least. Deciding that he might as well get some sleep he closed his eyes and decided to start counting sheep.
XXX
When Miya closed the door behind her she immediately leaned against the wall and grabbed the left side of her chest with her right hand as she took deep breaths. "This isn't possible…I'm not even a true Sekirei," whispered Miya to herself as she frowned deeply and looked rather confused with her situation shaking her head she stood up straight and walked off. "If you were still here, I'm sure you could tell me what this feeling is…Takehito, I really do miss you," Said Miya solemnly to herself before disappearing around the corner.
A New Home and an Icy Chill
Hearing the chirping of the birds and feeling the warmth of the morning sun on his face Shirou slowly opened his eyes. After fully opening his eyes Shirou hastily shielded his face from the bright rays of light that were shining through the window. With the sudden need to escape the light of the morning sun Shirou turned his head to the right. Opening his eyes once again Shirou sat up and took a moment to stretch out his stiff muscles while letting a yawn escape him. Finally fully awake he took a curious look around before remembering yesterday's events. Closing his eyes he sighed as he began to remember yesterday, then opening his eyes he turned his head to the left to look at the digital clock on the nightstand.
"Six thirty on the dot huh," Shirou mumbled to himself. It was half an hour past the time Shirou normally woke up, but considering what happened to him yesterday it was understandable. Honestly Shirou was a bit of an early bird because of how much he hated to waste the day away in bed. Though there were times where he slept in because of a long night of…activities with Saber or because Saber refused to let him get up. Due to Sabers tendencies to snuggle when sleeping she would normally grab onto him. Sometimes she was too comfortable to let him go and with her super human strength getting out of her hold wasn't possible. When that happens trying to wake up Saber was a very bad idea, waking her up before eight am for no reason equaled a cranky super powered girlfriend, something no sane guy wants to deal with.
Now that Shirou was fully awake he proceeded to get out of bed and re-dress in his clothes from yesterday. Now fully dressed he sat on the hospital bed with his luggage next to him as he thought about what he was going to do from here. He knew that he couldn't, well more like he wasn't suppose to leave Tokyo now that he was a part of the Sekirei plan. He also had Karasuba to think about now. As much as he didn't want to think about it the facts were clear, she forced him to wing her and now there bonded together even more deeply then master and servant in the grail war. A connection that was mental, spiritual and physical. Shaking his head he pushed those thought to the side he had other things to worry about right now, such as where he was going to live and how he was going to pay for it.
"I wonder if there are any good and cheap apartments here in Tokyo, hopefully I can find a part time job too. The money I have won't last forever," Shirou said to himself with a frown.
Back in London both he and Rin had their expenses covered by clock tower so funds were never a problem. Unfortunately Shirou no longer had that luxury, but fortunately he wasn't broke. When Kiritsugu died he did leave a few materialistic things to Shirou. One of those things was his traditional japans house in Fuyuki city. Fortunately the house was paid for and qualified as a historic landmark because of how old it was, which exempted the house and property from being taxed thanks to some Japanese historic houses clause. As long as the home stayed a traditional historic Japanese home and was restored every now and then to keep it structurally sound and looking brand new he never had to worry about taxes. Certain things such as renovations done to the house to keep it up to the times with electricity, heating, and bathroom/ kitchen appliances were allowed, but only under strict guidelines to keep the house a traditional historic Japanese home and be exempt from taxes. All Shirou had to worry about when living there was paying the monthly utilities bill, food, and anything else that he wanted to buy. Thankfully he had Fuji-nee to help him with money and he was left a moderate sum of money by Kiritsugu. The money from Kiritsugu was set up as a trust fund where he was sent a check in the mail once a month. Though on his eighteenth birthday he gained full access to the money left to him.
Now Shirou had all of his money with Tokyo-Mitsubishi UFJ, it was a large national bank with a very good reputation and they always treated Shirou kindly. He liked that bank and right now he should have about sixty thousand dollars in his savings and another ten thousand in his checking's. That may sound like a lot but when you have bills to pay and basic necessities to buy you'll find that the money goes rather quickly and a steady source of income is always preferable. Shirou really wished he could go back to his home in Fuyuki city. After living in London for the past three years he was a little home sick.
"Now that I'm thinking about home I wonder how Illya is doing, she should be about eleven now(because I say she is). I wonder how much she's changed?" Shirou said off offhandedly considering she was living in his house right now. She was even expecting him to come back home next summer after his schooling at clock tower was done. After the grail war he found out about the connection between Illya and Kiritsugu and one thing led to another and well before he knew it he had Illya living with him along with Saber. With Illya around he was able to have a real big brother little sister connection with her. Saber however had a deep resentment towards Illya not only because she tried to kill Shirou, but because Illya was always hanging on to him and stealing all of his free time. Which was time that Shirou was supposed to be spending with her, yeah…saber really hated that little evil snow sprite that called herself Shirou's sister.
Hearing the door to his room open and seeing Takami walk in snapped him out of his musings. Walking in wearing the same white lab coat he saw her wear yesterday she said "well I'll admit I didn't expect to see you awake let alone dressed and ready to go," said Takami with a raised eye brow. "Honestly though I'm a little disappointed. I was hoping to kick you out of bed like mothers normally get to do to their sons," Takami said with a disappointed sigh.
Giving her an odd look Shirou said "don't you mean you wanted to gently wake me up by shaking my shoulder?"
Waving him off Takami said with a smirk "now where would the fun in that be."
"You really are a violent woman," Shirou said blankly.
"Maybe you're just too soft, I guess your…father didn't raise you to be tough enough," Takami said as a matter of fact after taking a pause before she said his father.
Shirou just stared at her disbelievingly. Did she really just call him not tough enough, if only this woman knew who Kiritsugu really was and just how he was raised and what he's been through then she wouldn't say that to him. Unfortunately and fortunately though she didn't, so Shirou let that comment slide this time and decided to push the conversation in another direction, like where things would go from here.
"Any way Takami, Jokes aside what am I suppose to do from here?"
Remembering his situation Takami rubbed her forehead in what Shirou presumed was her thinking pose.
"Well you can't leave Tokyo, but if you did MBI wouldn't bother you. Having a few Ashikabi and Sekirei escape during the beginning is going to happen and Minaka knows this. As long as ninety percent of the Sekirei are in Tokyo Minaka doesn't care. However you're a different case. You really can't leave Tokyo because of a certain black feather you've winged. Even if you did manage to leave that certain feather would find you and then drag you back to Tokyo anyway," she said completely serious.
"Wait, so if I had a different Sekirei I could have escaped Tokyo and this whole ridiculous game!" Shirou said irritably. Was his luck really this bad? If he just winged a different Sekirei he could have escaped Tokyo with her and put this all behind him. Then something else popped into his head that Takami said about Karasuba finding him. Looking at Takami curiously Shirou asked "how would Karasuba find me?" he understood why Karasuba would drag him back because of how important he was to her now, but how would she find him?
Answering his question Takami said "well she would probably have MBI track you down, though after a few months she probably won't need MBI to find you anymore." Anticipating his next question Takami elaborated. "This is only a theory because it's never been put into practice but we at MBI believe that the longer a Sekirei and Ashikabi are together the higher the probability is that a Sekirei will develop a form of internal GPS regarding their Ashikabi. The same theory could be said for an Ashikabi towards their Sekirei, but again this is just a theory on our part. Though it is a likely theory and there are variables that factor in on how accurate this ability is for different Sekirei and Ashikabi.
"You're joking," Shirou said blankly. Shirou found the idea of someone being connected to him to the point where they always/instantly knew where he was to be unsettling. Though it's true that he and Saber had something similar to this just not as refined and accurate as the ability Takami was saying a Sekirei had. Shirou and Saber could sort of feel where the other was and eventually find each other by using their master servant bond as well as the constant flow of prana from Shirou that was absorbed by Saber like an antenna receiving radio waves. It took some concentration and time but it would eventually work, but the idea of a Sekirei and Ashikabi not just instantly knowing where their partner is, but always knowing where they were was both fascinating and a little disconcerting for Shirou. For magi secrecy was everything and being able to hide was important and the thought of someone with an internal GPS specifically for you wasn't something Shirou liked, though he could see how it would come in handy too.
"I'm not joking and like I said it's only a theory, but let's talk about something else. I assumed that you didn't have a place to stay here in Tokyo so I took the liberty of setting this up," she said with a bit of a smile as she handed Shirou a folded paper and a key chain with two keys.
After putting the set of keys in his pocket he unfolded the paper and began reading the document. After reading it Shirou quickly looked back up at her disbelievingly. "You can't be serious; this…this is too much I can't accept it!"
With a hint of annoyance in her voice Takami said, "You can and you will! This is a present from a mother to her son that she hasn't seen in over a decade. So just accept my damn gift and get out of the hospital. I honestly have no use for the place and I've only kept it for sentimental reasons anyway," she said with the hopes of making Shirou feel like it was a big loss to her so he would take it. "I'm also sure your uncle would agree with me on giving you this place, it is his home after all." Then turning her head to the side a little she let a small but sad smile find its way onto her face. "He really did like spending time with you…he really loved you Shirou," Takami said with that same sad smile as she remembered her brother playing with him when he was a baby.
Frowning a bit Shirou said "if it's my uncles then shouldn't he have a say in this."
"I'm sure he would if he was still alive. Unfortunately your uncle died a few years back. When you move into the house all you have to worry about are taxes and the utility bills since it's paid for. My last little present is this," she said as she pulled out a plastic card with MBI on it and gave it to Shirou. "That's an MBI card with a onetime hundred thousand dollar debit account. Every Sekirei is given one upon their release but I pulled some strings and got one for you. With all this you should be alright for a while, anyway I have things to do and I expect you gone in half an hour tops,"
"Takami I can't take that too. You've already given me…"
Before Shirou could Finish Takami cut him off and just forced the card into his hands. "Look Shirou," she said tiredly because he was really getting on her nerves, all she was doing was trying to help him. Takami would have preferred a big hug and a thank you rather then the resistance, though it was good to know her son had a sense of decency and honor. "The truth is that none of this is out my pocket so don't worry so much. The house was paid off by your uncle and the funds on that M.B.I card are from M.B.I not me so don't feel like I'm being too generous." Then letting an evil smile snake its way up her lips she looked Shirou in the eyes and said "the truth is I'm not giving you dime, in fact you'll be saving me money because now I won't have to worry about the taxes for that house. It's your problem now."
Hearing her put it that way Shirou felt like the house was less of a present and more like a way for her to get rid of it while still keeping it in the family. "Hearing you say that you gave the house to me so you don't have to pay taxes makes me feel like I just got had," Shirou said unhappily.
Seeing Takami wave him off nonchalantly he couldn't help but rub his forehead tiredly. Shirou figured that there was no point in arguing with the woman over the house at this point. He then had a brand new and slightly disturbing subject pop into his mind, the subject being Karasuba and what was going to happen from here on with her and him. Looking up at Takami he voiced his question hesitantly "Takami, putting your…present aside I have a more important question to ask you about."
Raising a curious eyebrow Takami said "oh, and what kind of question trumps getting a new house and a hundred grand. You know most people would say they just hit the lottery."
Shirou just said one word that he knew would get her full attention "Karasuba."
"Almost forgot about her," Takami mumbled, "so what about her?" Takami asked slowly.
"I want to know what happens now with…us," Shirou suppressed a groan when he said us. When saber arrives he knew he would be in for it. This was one of those times he was glad Saber wasn't just his girlfriend but a familiar/servant. Both familiars and servants were naturally submissive to their masters and would normally go along with what their masters said without much struggle. This was a way for the masters to know that their servant/familiar would be obedient. However this wasn't a concrete rule, some were just a little more free willed then others. Even though Saber was Shirou's servant/familiar and would probably eventually settle down because being submissive to him was burned into her very being on a subconscious level, he was till scared. She was after all not just his servant but his girlfriend, strong willed, stubborn, and believed a man should have only one woman not two. She had threatened him with some unpleasant things on more than one occasion if his and Rin's relationship ever developed to a degree where it was more than just a brother sister relationship. What she threatened to do to Rin wasn't anything less unpleasant either.
Taking on a thoughtful expression Takami said, "Well even though Karasuba isn't your usual Sekirei there are still basic universal qualities that are developed in a Sekirei when they find their Ashikabi. Karasuba may be able to fight those basic instincts for a short time, but the need to indulge in those basic instincts will just keep growing to the point where not even she can ignore them. One of those common Sekirei instincts would be the need to be close to her Ashikabi. I don't know when she'll succumb to them or just decide that she wants to be close to you, but she will eventually decide to live with you that much you can be certain of."
"I see," Shirou said unenthusiastically. The thought of him Saber and Karasuba living together was already making him feel nervous. He could already imagine himself at the dinner table with saber and Karasuba staring each other down ready to kill each other. Even though the idea of two pretty super powered girls fighting over him was appealing and definitely played to his male ego he really didn't want to see a death match between them. Though the idea of them having a spar piqued Shirou's interest, but he didn't want to see them in a death match. Shirou was definitely curious about how well Karasuba or Miya would stand against Saber.
Seeing Shirou in his own thoughts and having said all that she had to she left the room after saying with a smirk, "well I hope you and Karasuba have a fun time in your new home and you should keep in mind that no one lived in that house for the last five years so it's going to need a good cleaning," and with that she was gone.
Seeing the door close behind her Shirou frowned as he thought of his new problem, living with Karasuba that is. Deciding to deal with the problem later he then looked down at the deed in his hand that said in big bold lettering "DEED TO MAISON IZUMO."
Looking at the deed Shirou tried to forget about all the negatives and focus more on the positives and said with a smile, "well at least I just got a free house here in Tokyo…maybe my luck is starting to turn for the better," because honestly who wouldn't like to receive a free house?
XXX
After leaving the hospital and walking the streets of Tokyo for a few minutes Shirou decided to take a seat on a nearby bench. With his luggage resting securely next to him and not having any where to be Shirou decided to take in his surroundings. He could see people in business attire walking by him, most likely on their way to work. There were cars driving by and buildings all around him. Tokyo was a very clean and modern city that looked similar to any other city except for the more Japanese style and landmarks, obviously. Taking out the deed Takami gave him so he could take a look at the address of his new home; he rubbed his head lightly as he looked at the address and wondered just where it was. Without a map to the city and with the fact that he's never been to Tokyo he came to the conclusion that he was lost.
"I wish Saber were here, she's better at finding places then I am," Shirou mumbled. Then to make matters worse he heard his stomach growl and suddenly felt hungry. "That's right I haven't eaten breakfast yet. Alright new plan, first get something to eat then buy a map of Tokyo so I can actually get around the city."
About three hours later at ten o'clock Shirou had gotten himself some food in a little sit down restaurant and picked up a city map afterwards at a tourist building. Now with his stomach full and map of the city he was set and on his way to the northern part of the city, to Izumo house.
XXX
After another hour of walking through the city, Shirou now found himself standing in front of Izumo house and starring at the home with wide eyes. When Takami gave him the deed to the home he expected to find a small modest home. Real-estate in Japan let alone Tokyo was a very expensive luxury and to have a large traditional Japanese home in the middle of Tokyo with a fair amount of yard space was practically nonexistent. Shirou gave an involuntary shudder as he thought of how much this place would cost. He estimated between 750,000-1,000,000 easy, again that price wasn't just for the house but more so the location of the house. After getting over his shock he was trying desperately not to jump up and down in excitement. Shirou really loved traditional Japanese homes, most likely because he grew up in one. Also being a magus made it so he preferred the look of the "old world" more so then the modern. Shirou felt that the older style of homes had more character then modern homes.
Standing outside the wooden fence that surrounded the whole property Shirou could see that the house was a large classic two level Japanese house with a brown exterior.
"The next time I see you Takami I'm going to give you a big hung!" Shirou said happily to himself. Dear god was he happy right now.
Shaking of his shock and excitement Shirou walked up the path to the front door. As Shirou walked to the door he didn't miss the messy weed ridden yard. The front of the house though looked to be in good shape, all he really needed to do was some basic maintenance and it would be as good as knew. It was actually something Shirou was looking forward to do because really what did he have to do now that he wasn't in school any more…besides being involved in a new secret war being held by a mad man of course.
Taking the keys out from his pocket Shirou opened the door. Walking into the house Shirou took his shoes off and put them along with his luggage to the side of the tiled floor that extended for three feet before the wooden hallway. Taking a glance around he noticed that at a first glance the place looked clean and neat albeit dusty…very dusty.
Taking a deep breath then exhaling Shirou said to himself "well I might as well explore my new home."
XXX
now sitting in the living room Shirou went over the house in his head. After exploring the house he found that there were three decent sized bedrooms upstairs each with a small half bathroom. For down stairs he discovered another two bedrooms. One was the same size as the ones upstairs with another half bathroom and one was larger than all the rest with another half bathroom that was also roomier then the others, Shirou figured it was the master bedroom. The rest of the first floor consisted of a living room, dining room, a Kitchen, and lastly a large traditional Japanese bath room. Apparently every room had its own personal toilet and sink but there was only one bath. As far as furniture went, well there was none. The only furniture in the house was a Japanese style dining room table and a western style kitchen table with four chairs. All the rooms in the house had Tatami mats except for the half bathrooms, kitchen, and bath which all had tile flooring. The hallways in the house were also hard wood and all the rooms had sliding doors. All in all Shirou was happy with the house and he especially liked the large bath room and having a kitchen again was definitely a blessing for him. Back in London all he had was a little kitchenette which wasn't suited for making the large meals he liked.
Shirou especially liked the shed he saw out back, he took a guess that the second key he had was for it. That shed was going to make a nice new workshop for him, but now that his quick tour of the house was finished he needed to go shopping. Things like utensils, bedding, dishes, cups, and other items like cleaning items needed to be bought seeing as how the house was barren. The house was going to be a project, but Shirou thought it would be fun and with the card Takami gave him money wasn't an issue right now. Normally Shirou wouldn't use such a card because he knew it would be easy for M.B.I to track what he buys, but honestly Shirou didn't care if M.B.I knew what kind of house hold items he bought.
"Alright now that the tour is done its time buy some essentials," Shirou said to himself before getting up and walking out the door.
XXX
"Dear god," Shirou said as he took a deep breath. "It's times like this that I hate not having a car," said Shirou sourly as he was trekking through the streets with a new futon and pillow. This was his fourth trip from Izumo inn to the stores. On His first trip he bought a couple pots and pans. On his second trip he bought some food for tonight's dinner. His third trip he bought plates and other kitchen necessities. And now the sun was starting to set and he was carrying his new bedding home. Going through this inconvenience tempted Shirou to use some magical assistance, but thankfully he kept himself under control.
Though even if he did use his magic he doubted any one would notice, at least anyone from clock tower such as the enforcers. Shirou knew that if he was unlucky enough to of had enforcers follow him to Tokyo it was unlikely that they would find him anytime soon. Normally if magical energy were to be used any decent magus would feel it and then be able to track it, though depending on the magus's magical detection ability the accuracy of pinpointing the exact location and not just a general location varied. Not to brag, but magical detection was actually one of Shirou's best skills. As far a magical detection went Shirou was considered first class and top of the top in that specific field. As to why they wouldn't be able to find him, well right now Tokyo was full of magical energy most likely from the Sekirei. From what Shirou could sense he could easily say Tokyo had quite a bit of Sekirei in its confines right now. Considering what the Sekirei were all looking for Shirou was doing his best to avoid getting to close to them. Karasuba was going to be enough trouble and he really didn't want to hook himself another Sekirei and no matter how slim the chances were he wasn't going to chance it. Shirou knew that as long as he didn't come into contact with an un-winged Sekirei he didn't have to worry about one reacting to him. Right now his plan was to avoid all un-winged Sekirei no matter what.
As Shirou walked on the side walk lost in his thoughts he caught the scent of honey mixed with the scent of ice or maybe the cold stinging wind of winter, not that wind had a specific scent. Perhaps the best way to describe the unusual odor would be to say that it smelled like a forest of pine trees covered in snow. Compared to Karasuba and Miya's scent it was actually quite pleasant. There was also another subtle scent he was picking up, it was overwhelming sorrow. The scent was powerful too, not as intense as Karasuba's though still strong enough to garner caution. Shirou knew the scent was a Sekirei thanks to his previous encounters and because he had gotten used to scent because of all the other Sekirei in Tokyo thanks to Sekirei plan. Even though Shirou wanted to keep walking and just ignore the Sekirei he currently smelled he was having trouble ignoring it. That over whelming scent of sorrow was really calling out to his hero complex and his need to help others.
Looking at the setting sun Shirou sighed before looking dejectedly to the way the scent was coming from. "I just know I'm going to regret this later," Shirou said unhappily before following the scent.
After following the scent for a few minutes Shirou stopped walking and found himself in front of the gates to a park. Standing in front of the park entrance Shirou wasn't sure what he should do. One side of him was telling him to run as fast as he could because Karasuba was enough trouble, but that overwhelming scent of sorrow was really pulling at his heartstrings. Being the gentle and kind hearted person he was he couldn't help but close his eyes, throw his head back, and let out a defeated groan as he said to himself for a second time "I'm going to regret this."
After composing himself he looked at the entrance of the park. There was a metal fence surrounding the park with the gates open and inside were sakura trees, grass, plants and everything you would expect to find in a park. Letting out another defeated sigh Shirou looked at the stone path that started at the gates and then started moving towards them.
XXX
Following the scent Shirou eventually saw a bench on the stone path with a woman sitting there. She was curled up with her legs loosely folded in front of her and her arms were hanging loose from her shoulders. She was slouched back a bit to support her weight against one of the railings that were supposed to keep people from getting into the bushes. What really got his attention though was that she was only wearing a half buttoned man's white dress shirt which was open in the front down to below her chest. The shirt was even gaping in a way that just barely managed to cover her modesty with the hem at the bottom covering her in much the same way. Over the shirt it looked like she was also wearing a lab coat that was draped around her shoulders. Taking a quick look around Shirou was happy to find that the park was currently empty, that was good given the situation
As Shirou walked closer he could see that her white lab coat had splotches of blood on it and his eyes narrowed, just what had happened to this girl. Deciding to walk a little closer to get a better look Shirou reminded himself that she was a Sekirei with unknown abilities and made sure to approach her with caution. Walking over to her slowly and carefully he didn't stop until he was standing in front of her. He couldn't help but become a little concerned by her lack of response; she didn't even look up at him. Deciding to get her attention Shirou spoke.
"Are you alright miss…do you need any help, is there anyone I can call," said Shirou quietly but still loud enough to be heard. Shirou wanted to ask her if she wanted to go the hospital or if there was someplace he could take her. However she was a Sekirei and who knows what kind of complications would arise if she went to a hospital where they could run tests on her. The only safe place that came to mind was M.B.I hospital. Maybe Takami could help him.
Hearing his voice she finally acknowledged his presence, the woman slowly began to raise her head to look up at him. When her sad eyes met Shirou's he was able to see that she had bluish gray eyes with cat like pupils, short light brown hair, and a sad sleepy expression, it was as if she wasn't even aware of the world around her. Shirou also couldn't help but notice that she was absolutely breath taking, she was just stunning. Shirou's eyes were then drawn to her chest and given the situation he was trying his best not to stare slack jawed at it. The girl just had such a large chest Shirou couldn't help but notice. Her chest wasn't stupidly large but just the perfect size to maximize her physical attractiveness.
"I'm broken…a failure…I have no place to go," the woman said quietly as she looked at him before turning her gaze to the side.
Hearing her say that in a quiet, sad, and utterly defeated voice Shirou couldn't help but look at her with pity. He couldn't help but wonder about what must have happened to her to put her in such a state. Looking at the apparently broken women with a caring gaze Shirou kneeled down so they were at eye level and after putting the futon that he was carrying down next to him he asked her quietly, "What do you mean by your broken? I'm sure that whatever happened to you can be fixed."
Removing her gaze from Shirou she brought her eyes back down like earlier and said quietly again "I'm a failure…I can never have an Ashikabi," she then looked back at Shirou with those sad eyes and said "I have no purpose…I'm broken."
Shirou couldn't help but frown as he heard her speak. He really hated self loathing and right now this girl was the epitome of it. Honestly he was starting to get frustrated with her; if he could just get a clear answer out of her maybe he could help her. Since she was a Sekirei the normal possibilities such as domestic dispute and rape were unlikely, even though her attire could be connected to either. Looking at her intently he noticed a Sekirei crest on her forehead, he became familiar with the crest and its association to Sekirei after seeing it appear out of Karasuba's back during her winging. He also remembered seeing it on Karasuba's and Miya's uniform, not to mention the symbol was all over M.B.I hospital as if it were the companies personal crest. He remembered Takami telling him that a Sekirei crest would appear on a Sekirei's back at the base of their neck after they were winged and had an Ashikabi. Shirou took a guess that it was sort of like a command seal except it was permanent and couldn't force a Sekirei to do something, though from what he heard it didn't sound like an Ashikabi needed a command seal to force a Sekirei into doing something. Though unfortunately Karasuba wasn't like other Sekirei from what he gathered and a command seal for her wouldn't have hurt. From what he knew a Sekirei crest was a physical manifestation of a Sekirei's bond to their specific Ashikabi, so, now the only question was why she had one on her forehead…maybe that was her problem, just maybe.
Going out on limb Shirou voiced his hypothesis, "coming out of the blue and saying this may be a little strange, but I know you're a Sekirei."
Hearing him say he knew that she was a Sekirei earned him her attention. Raising her head a little to look back up at him, her expression changed to one of curiosity and her posture became straighter by a fraction. The girl was now starring at Shirou more intensely almost as if she were looking at him in a new light. Earlier she completely ignored his presence and didn't even seem to care that he was talking to her. Now though, Shirou had her complete attention.
"Looks like that worked, now maybe I can finally get somewhere with her," Shirou thought to himself as her change in demeanor. Shirou was actually a little caught of guard by her sudden change. She was looking at him with such an intense stare that he was starting to feel uncomfortable. It was as if she was looking for something.
"Are you…an Ashikabi?" the girl asked him as she continued to stare at him intently.
"Yes…I am, an Ashikabi," spoke Shirou a bit hesitantly. Then after saying that something happened that he really didn't expect. The scent of sorrow and hopelessness that was coming off the girl seemed to have doubled and her shoulders and head sunk back down. This time it seemed as if she was consciously trying to avoid his gaze.
"Your Sekirei…she's lucky to have an Ashikabi as kind as you. I can never have one," then lowering her head even more until her hair were covering her eyes she said "I'm broken…I have no purpose."
First Shirou felt like he was finally making progress, but now he felt like he just killed the poor girl's puppy. However, at least now he knew why she was so sad. Shirou knew what an Ashikabi meant to a Sekirei. An Ashikabi was a Sekirei's everything, it was that one special person who they wanted to find and then bond with and love to such an intense degree that Shirou found to be unbelievable and a bit maddening. If a human female were to show as much devotion to her husband/boyfriend as a Sekirei was suppose to according to Takami then that female would be labeled as obsessive and not right in the head. Though Sekirei weren't human and their ability to devote themselves to their Ashikabi and love them unconditionally no matter what was astonishing to Shirou. It was a real testament to their fanatical loyalty to the one they choose to be with for literally forever. What was even more amazing is that they were supposed to obey and be submissive to their Ashikabi even though they were the stronger species in every aspect. Shirou had a hard time believing such devotion was possible. The only person…maybe calling her a magical creature would be more accurate actually. Any way the only magical creature that he could think of who fit these characteristics were Saber and that's because she was his servant and Familiar all wrapped up in one. When he summoned her here in her new body she basically had the mantra of "obey and protect your master at all costs" burned into her very being on a conscious and subconscious level like all other servants thanks to the grails magic. How else were the masters suppose to control such ridiculously powerful creatures that were even stronger then they were when they were alive thanks to being heroic spirits. The fact that Saber was a knight and her word was her bond made her even more protective of him after swearing loyalty to him. Now with the fact that she loved him on top of that it made Saber a very protective and jealous girl. Shirou really wasn't looking forward to her arrival because of that.
Anyway, Shirou now could understand the girls sorrow and sympathize with her. If she really couldn't have an Ashikabi for some strange reason then he couldn't imagine how much emotional pain she was in. For a species that put finding and then taking care of their mate at the front of their lives he couldn't begin to imagine what a Sekirei would feel like if they had that taken away from them. Letting the overwhelming sorrow and hopelessness that he was sensing from her along with his own sadness and pity for her as he tried to empathize with her finally get to him he found that his eyes were beginning to get watery. Quickly turning his head to the side Shirou wiped his eyes with his sleeve and composed himself.
Shirou knew he should have kept walking and just ignored the scent earlier, but now that he was here he couldn't walk away. He knew he was going to regret following that scent and right now he did because he knew what he had to do…even if he didn't want to. Swallowing the lump in his throat he knew what he had to do. If this girl really felt like that she not only wanted an Ashikabi, but needed an Ashikabi then he would give her one. He knew what he was about to do and just how serious it was, but with his need to protect others along with the basic male need to help a pretty girl in distress winning out he gave in. He knew that once he did this it would be permanent and there would be no going back. She would become a permanent part of his life and they would be together as Karasuba put "forever and ever."
With a mournful sigh Shirou quietly whispered "forgive me Saber, but what else should I do." Then re-composing himself again Shirou looked back at the girl and spoke in a more forceful and confident voice in order to keep her attention on him. "What's your name?"
Hearing the tone in his voice change the girl looked up at him, though she avoided looking him in the eyes and said "Akitsu."
Nodding with a small and warm smile on his face Shirou said "That's a nice name. My name is Shirou, Shirou Emiya and I want to ask you something important Akitsu. Would you like for me to be…your Ashikabi?" There it was he was actually able to say what he was conflicted about asking her.
Hearing him say he would be her Ashikabi caused an immediate reaction in Akitsu which Shirou was happy to see. Akitsu's whole body became more rigid and alert and her slightly widened and surprised eyes snapped away from their previous location to lock onto his. Looking at him hopefully Akitsu gave him an almost unnoticeably small and slow nod yes. Then deciding to speak Akitsu said hesitantly, almost as if she was afraid what she was about to say would make Shirou change his mind. "You would be my master even though I can't bare your mark."
Glancing at the Sekirei mark on her forehead and deciding to ask her about it later Shirou let his eyes return to hers and Said "if you want to become my Sekirei I will except you, but keep in mind that I'm not like most people and you may find yourself dealing with more then you bargained for with me as your Ashikabi." Shirou knew that he wasn't even telling her anything noteworthy, but he knew that keeping his life as a magi secret for as long as possible was more important right now.
Looking at him hopefully Akitsu repeated his words "become…your Sekirei," as if that's all she heard him say. Then bringing her hands up to his face slowly and hesitantly, Akitsu was now firmly but gently holding his face between her hands as if to make sure he was real and not just a part of her imagination.
Shirou noticed that her hands were cold even though it couldn't have been less than 70 degrees out. Gently placing his right hand over hers he gave her a small smile in hopes of encouraging her to continue. Then slowly Akitsu closed her eyes and leaned in and gently kissed him. It was a soft and tender kiss and showed her inexperience, but her lips were soft, sweet, and not surprising they were cold like her hands. All in all it was a pleasant and short kiss, but unlike with Karasuba there were no wings of light that sprouted from Akitsu's back.
Finally parting after a moment and removing her hands from his face Shirou could easily see a small blush on Akitsu's face thanks to her alabaster skin. Then reciting a similar line as Karasuba she said "I will serve you and give you my unwavering loyalty for now and forever my master."
Giving her a sad smile Shirou said "and I promise to take care of you for now on Akitsu, you're not alone anymore."
Repeating his words Akitsu said "take care of me?"
Looking at Akitsu's state of dress Shirou new that they were going to get stared at and draw in unwanted attention when walking back home. So in order to at least make her a little more decent Shirou hesitantly began to lean in closer to her. "It's a bit chilly out so why don't I help you put on your lab coat properly," said Shirou as he began to fix her coat. Not seeing any resistance from her he carefully put her arms through the sleeves one by one before buttoning it up. It may not be perfect but at least she was now decent.
Then slowly standing up and putting the futon by his feet back over his shoulder he offered his right hand to Akitsu and said with small smile and caring expression, "let's go home Akitsu."
Nodding slowly almost uncertainly she took his hand and he helped her up. Now standing at her full height Shirou noted that she was around Miya's height give or take an inch. Giving her a smile Shirou started walking home with her following a step behind him. Shirou also noticed that on their journey home she refused to even once let go of his hand.
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End chapter
REVIEW PLEASE: Questions, comments, and ideas are all welcome. Especially new ideas, so if you want to tell me your idea for my story please go ahead and serious questions about the story will be answered with in a day or two, weather there a pm or review. Though I prefer them to be in a review, anyway please keep in mind that after this chapter the story will pick up now that the stories foundation has been set. Anyway until next time and I hope you enjoyed this chapter.