Chapter 5

Two days, it had taken two days for Shirou's life to become so incredibly complicated that he actually missed his dying world. He was exaggerating of course, as his problems weren't all that bad. He just had the equivalent of a wife, technically a fiancee, now.

Naturally, Miyu didn't exactly mind the new development. It was about time that he was forced to face the feelings of those that were around him. So, she was rather happy with development. Though, she had a feeling that Tyuule was planning something. She noticed a few things the last few months, but didn't say anything.

She knew that whatever it was, was for the sole benefit of Shirou and her. Tyuule had a very loyal mentality when it came them. So, she figured that she'd find out when everyone arrived at Italica. After all, this wasn't something that Shirou was able to weasel his way out of.

She had already sent out messages to most of their allies informing them of the current situation. Miyu was very quick when it came to taking advantage of situations. This situation was something that couldn't be ignored by the Empire. Miyu knew this.

With Shirou and the Princess now bonded together with the ceremony of betrothal, the Empire would be required to recognize Shirou and herself as the lord and princess of the demi-humans. This would cause them to have to watch their step when it came to the treatment of demi-humans within the Empire.

Shirou and Miyu weren't dumb. Shirou was a warrior, leader, and craftsman, who had led many successful compaigns to protect, not only demi-humans, but also human settlements. He was popular among the common people that made up a good portion of the free areas of the Empire.

He was responsible for creating better walls, equipment, and supplying weapons for the settlements and villages. When they needed materials and blueprints, it was Shirou who helped them. With his help, many places became safer and received greater traffic in their places of business with his products.

Then there was her. While Shirou was the warrior who fought the threats on the front line, she was the princess who came behind and offered a helping hand to those Shirou protected. She was much like Shirou in this regard, as she never did any of this on purpose, it was simply in her nature to help others.

Though, that didn't mean she wouldn't take advantage of their reputation. Miyu was, by all means, a princess who assisted Shirou in tasks that required finesse and intelligence. Shirou had called her a genius many times, and for good reason. She was a healer, politician, strategist, and a mage.

She made sure that people knew that Shirou was the one who went out of his way to save others. That he was the one who came to their aid when the Empire wouldn't. When the Empire sent their soldiers towards the gate, while Shirou and Miyu didn't really know what they were doing, they did know a large force was gathered.

Where such a large force gathers, there are bound to be casualties. Most of these soldiers were conscripts, meaning a lot of villages and cities had most of their able men sent out to fight in a war where they may not come back. Miyu had people stationed in many of the places where they had been before, including Italica.

When she received word of these places needing assistance, it was them that sent food, medicine, and people to help. The Amazons had been a great help in that regard, as well as the Fox clan. It was these things that made Shirou and Miyu be loved by so many, despite being known as the leaders of the demi-humans.

While it was rather sudden, Miyu knew that Shirou did, at the very least, like the princess. She, herself, rather liked the princess. She found her skills and tenacity admirable. The fact that she created an elite unit of knights out of noble ladies, each of which shared her ideals, was something Miyu found incredible.

Miyu may have been training, but she doubted she'd be able to become a swordsman like Shirou or the princess. Which is why she preferred using a bow and spear. However, she was still young, and Shirou often told her that when she grew up, she may surprise herself. Needless to say, she believed him, so she still practiced with her sword.

While she knew that Shirou was looking forward to meeting her, Miyu was probably equally excited. She had often wrote her own letters to the princess, not as many as her brother, but enough to show her admiration of her. So, when her familiar returned with news that Shirou was officially betrothed to her, it was enough for her to drop everything.

The reason she had informed everyone about the current state of Shirou's affairs, was to have a grand banquet in Italica. It would bring more legitimacy to their betrothal and show how influential Shirou was, as well as how powerful they were. Which was why Miyu and the others from the forest settlement were heading towards Italica.

"Miyu, are you completely sure that we shouldn't wait for Yao or Tyuule to bring more escorts?" Tuka asked her, looking out of the carriage they were riding inside of. Miyu looked towards Tuka and simply smiled.

"There's no need to worry, Tuka. While we may not have many guards, we'll be fine as long as we are in the forest. I won't allow anyone to harm our people." She replied to her. Tuka's ears twitched at her words.

"Are you really fine with Shirou's situation? I mean, while they have conversed through letters, the two haven't really interacted besides that. What if she tries to trick Shirou, or something?" She asked her, obviously a bit worried, though Miyu knew there was more to it than that.

"I do have some worries, but this is too good of an opportunity for us, Tuka. It'll be good for Shirou to have representation in the Empire, it's also good for everyone else." Miyu said with a smile on her face.

"What do you mean?" She asked Miyu, a bit confused about what she meant. She could understand how it was good for Shirou, even knowing it was good for everyone else too, but she had a feeling that Miyu didn't mean it in that way.

"Well, from now on, Shirou won't be able to keep running away anymore. The fact that he's even going along with everything is already a good sign. It means that he's finally recovering and is ready to move on with his life. I've been waiting for this moment for awhile now. To tell the truth, I was really worried about him." She answered.

Tuka looked at Miyu with a sad expression, as she knew what she was saying. She, as well as everyone else, would have been blind to not notice Shirou's problem. He tended to keep everyone at an arms length, everyone but Miyu. They all noticed how he would have a somewhat pained expression at times.

After Miyu told them about a girl named Sakura, they started to understand. 'He was still blaming himself, even after all these years.' She thought to herself. She looked out of the window of the carriage. 'But, he started to open up recently. He's been spending more time with everyone and he even smiles now.'

Tuka let out a sigh, "Well, I suppose we'll just have to keep an eye on her, as long as it continues to help with Shirou." She replied, deciding to accept it. 'Besides, with Tyuule and Rory, there's really not much that she'd be able to get away with if she wanted to.'

Miyu smiled at Tuka's answer, before the carriage stopped abruptly. "Princess, it appears that some bandits have surrounded our convoy, how should we proceed?" The driver, Iris, informed Miyu in an even tone. Tuka was about to stand up, but Miyu raised her hand and shook her head.

"I'll take care of it, Iris, thank you." She replied, standing and heading towards the door. "Just relax, Tuka. With Shirou gone, it is my responsibility to protect us." Miyu then stepped outside, before grabbing the white jeweled wand from the holster behind her waist.

After stepping outside of the carriage, Miyu closed her eyes and lifted the wand. "Bloom." As she spoke, magical energy was used to call out to the surrounding forest. 'Three, eight, fourteen, seems like there close to twenty.' "Call."

Three of the signatures were immediately snuffed out, as the flowers in the forest released a concentrated toxin at the nearest enemies. Four others were wrapped up in vines, tighter and tighter, until they could no longer breathe. Three others were attacked by wolves, bears, and snakes, however, their screams alerted the last ten.

While they didn't know what was happening, they took it to mean they were found out. So, they did the only thing they could think of. They launched an all out attack, still figuring they had more than half of their group, which they didn't. "Fill." However, just as they were about to, a thick mist filled the forest.

Inside the carriage, Tuka looked out into the forest and noticed the mist that was filling it. It was a rather strange spell, one that was used as a set up for the real deal. "Freeze. Trace." She heard Miyu say in her usual toneless voice. "Fire."

Within the forest, parts of the mist solidified into ice, though they were shaped like different swords. With the thick mist, none of the bandits could see more than five feet, so they never noticed the blades of ice until it was too late.

Miyu stayed standing with her wand for a few more moments, before she turned her head slightly. She pressed a small button on her wand, causing the gems on the wand to drop and be suspended with small chains. She opened her eyes and began to spin the gems on her wand.

The gems began to emanate a rainbow of colors, creating a circle, just before two bandits exited the forest, heavily injured. Miyu's eyes narrowed, before multiple rainbow bullets began to fire from her wand, easily taking one of the bandits out quickly in a series of small explosions.

The second bandit managed to close the gap pretty quickly, though Miyu quickly moved her wand in front of her. One of the gems quickly detached, "Aias." The gem then expanded into a beautiful red flower, specifically a fairy tree blossom, that blocked the sword strike.

The moment the sword hit the gem shield, a pulse of magical energy blasted the sword and bandit away from it. "Capture. Flood." Were the two words spoken. The gem shield then wrapped itself around the bandit, before a wave of water came rushing from the forest and followed the command of Miyu's wand. She was waving it through the air like a conductor in an orchestra.

The water crashed down onto the bandit, before filling up the makeshift prison. The bandit attempted to cry out for mercy, but the water had already filled the prison. With a sigh, Miyu simply turned around and began to make her way back to the carriage, ignoring the brutal punishment behind her.

The others in the convoy simply watched the quick and efficient take down of the bandits. To some, the sight was surprising, but to those who were close to the siblings, knew that Miyu could be as brutal as her elder brother when she wished to be. Though, it was only when someone attempted to harm those under her protection.

It was almost a bit sad to see people who had no clue about the siblings try and face them. The two were well known to demi-humans and the like, but to normal humans, the two weren't all that recognizable unless it was somewhere they had helped.

They often underestimated Miyu because of her age, but, in reality, Miyu was almost as much of a monster as Shirou was. Shirou and Miyu were chosen by the Goddess of the forest and fairies, and as such, were leagues above most people. In fact, the two were described by Rory to be pseudo-apostles.

Shirou was like Rory, a warrior who specialized in close combat, though he was still the best archer on the continent to everyone's knowledge. Miyu was a mage, who possessed so much magical energy that most thought it was unlimited. Most knew her to be a healer who could perform miracles, but that wasn't all she was known for.

You see, Miyu had complete control of nature. Though, it wasn't exactly control. It was more like she was loved by nature. Her spells were simple words because they carried that much power and weight within nature. With a simple word, she could call on the denizens of the forest to assault her enemies.

She was a fairy of the forest, though this didn't mean she was defenseless when outside of it. Thanks to Arpeggio, who created Miyu's wand, she was able to use gems and minerals as catalysts to cast spells. The only thing Miyu had trouble with was flying, despite Arpeggio attempting to teach her every chance she got.

Tuka thought about what it would be like if the JSDF learned about Miyu's power. Despite Miyu telling her about the strength of Japan, she realized that if they attempted anything in the forests, they would be soundly defeated. The forest was her domain.

Tuka watched as Miyu stepped back into the carriage before letting Iris know they were ready to depart once again. Tuka only let out a sigh, deciding not to comment on what she just saw. She wondered what Shirou was doing at the moment, before praying that the rest of the trip was uneventful, for the sake of any attackers.

"I can't believe that you're actually just going to accept this and have a celebration to commemorate it. This whole thing is unfair and I refuse to accept it." Shirou heard Rory complain as she sat down next to him. The two were in a park inside of Italica, killing time.

After the fiasco that Rory caused, Shirou was forbidden from doing much, as everyone told him that he needed to rest and try to enjoy himself in the city before the big celebration that Miyu planned. Personally, he wanted to spend some time talking to Pina, but she had been busy ever since what happened.

He figured it was partially because she was embarrassed and probably a little scared. Though, he did know she was doing a lot of stuff for Italica, as well as handling affairs with the Order of the Rose that showed up the day after the big battle.

He envied her because of that. He didn't know what to do with all this free time. Usually, he spent his time in his forge, with Miyu, or around the village helping people out or spending time with the children, or with Tyuule, Tuka, or Yao. He let out a sigh, deciding to answer Rory.

"Well, I have no choice but to accept it, and it was Miyu who planned the celebration. Besides, you kind of have to accept it, since it is partially your fault." He replied to her with a small smirk on his face, causing her narrow her eyes at him.

"Maybe it could have been written off as an accident, but because there was an oracle of Emroy that oversaw it, as well as one who technically blessed the union by placing your hand on ours, I have no choice." With every point he brought up, Rory sunk lower.

"Then there's the fact that the two of us were dressed in armor, covered in blood, and had just fought and won a battle together. Emroy's all about stuff like that and I know there's been plenty of proposals done in the same manner between two warriors before, many of which you've oversaw." He continued on, causing Rory to lower her head in defeat.

"Try not to worry about it too much, for all intents and purposes, it could be viewed as a political thing." He decided to say, just to cheer her up a little bit.

"It would be better if it didn't happen." She said in a pouty voice, before looked at Shirou more seriously. "Shirou, I'm worried about these visitors from this other world. You and Miyu are one thing, but these others are something else entirely. For now, the gods are fine with watching, but you know how it goes."

Shirou looked at her with a raised brow, before sighing. "Viviane told me the same. My world was dying, so we have special circumstances, but this new one, I know nothing about. If it comes down to it, let him know I'm willing to help out." He replied to her with a serious tone.

"Can we win against them?" The two were now serious, now wasn't the time for their usual antics. Despite everything, she was still an apostle and he was still a gaurdian for Viviane.

"It'll be tough, but I'm sure we could pull it off. We'd need the other apostles, maybe a few of the elder dragons. I'm not worried about them too much, Japan is a relatively small country. What I am fearful of, is the other countries. If more gates pop up, we'll need to shut them down, quick." He answered her, thinking about it.

"I also need to see what their world's magic is like. If they have mages, then it could seriously complicate things, that's saying nothing of the gods, if they haven't already retreated somewhere else." The more he thought about, the less he liked their odds.

"So, we continue to watch and wait? Perhaps, it would be better if we went beyond the gate ourselves, yes? Besides, I find myself interested in the other gods of your world. Perhaps, I'll find an aspect that appeals to me there. Though, I still have forty years left, so there's time." She mused, though Shirou nudged her side.

"A thousand years already? You don't look a day over a hundred?" He said with a smile on his face. Rory's eyes widened, before she let out a laugh.

"Oh, sweetie, you definitely aren't used to flirting with ladies are you? That wasn't your best." Shirou simply shook his head with a smile.

Just as he was about to respond, one of the princess's knights appeared before him. 'I think her name was Hamilton?' He thought, as he had spoken to her a few times since arriving. "Um, Sir Shirou, the Princess wanted me to see if you'd come and speak with her in the castle about something important."

"Something important? She didn't elaborate, did she?" He asked, with her only shaking her head. He had a small smile on his face, 'Yeah, even the letters were kind of like that. Must be a quirk of hers.' "Alright, Rory, I'll be back later. If Miyu arrives, be sure to let me know."

"Fine, I suppose I'll just look around the city. Maybe I'll go talk with that dark elf, she's usually pretty fun to be around." Shirou merely shook his head and followed along with the young knight. A part of him wondered about what she may want to talk about, but he was also a bit worried about certain things around the city.

He knew that Miyu was probably bringing supplies and such, along with their other allies, so he didn't have to worry too much. However, he had seen how much damage was done because of the bandits. It bothered him that he couldn't do more for them.

"Lord Shirou, are you okay? You appear troubled." Hamilton's voice broke him from his thoughts. Shirou turned towards her, noticing a worried expression on her face. 'She's actually worried about me?'

"Just Shirou is fine, and I'm okay, just worried about the citizens is all." He answered, still a bit surprised about her concern. However, he figured that it may have had something to do with the fact that he was technically engaged to the princess. That was what made the most sense.

"I'm not sure if it would be entirely appropriate for me to only refer to you by your name, considering everything. Also, Princess Pina has been busy working on ways to assist Italica since the attack, so there's no need to worry too much." She replied to him, though he could hear a nervousness to in her voice.

"I suppose I can understand that. Well, I won't argue with you, but just know that I don't mind if you do decide to just refer to me as Shirou." He said to her with a slight smile on his face. "I hope you don't mind, but can I share something with you?" He asked her, causing her to raise a brow, before nodding.

"I have no idea what I'm doing." He said simply, as the two continued walking. He noticed her somewhat stumble at his words, causing him to chuckle a bit. "Rather, I don't exactly know what I'm doing when it comes to the princess, or anyone else for that matter. The only one I've ever really focused on, was my sister."

"So, I hope you don't mind when I start asking you for a little help down the road." He said to her, causing her to shake her head.

"I don't mind. I'll help in any way I can. Though, you shouldn't rely on me too much. I'm not exactly all that well versed myself." Shirou raised a brow at that. Something she noticed. "What?"

"Uh, nothing, just a bit surprised is all." He answered, as he thought Hamilton was rather good looking. 'Perhaps, it's because she's always working. That'd make sense, she seems like a busy person.' He thought as they reached the entrance of the castle.

As the two crossed the threshold, Shirou caught a rather familiar and foul smell. 'Assassins? From that mixed breed tribe if I remember correctly.' His eyes darted back and forth, figuring they were likely there for him or the princess. Neither prospect was good. He leaned over towards Hamilton, before whispering in her ear.

"We need to hurry to the princess. I can feel the presence of assassins." He then straightened himself, trying to pinpoint their location. However, for some reason, while he could tell they were around, he could never fully track down their location. They were rather annoying at hiding and striking from the shadows.

As the two grew closer to the door, he noticed that there weren't any guards around at the moment. Meaning, they were either lured away or killed. Both of which were bad news. He let out a sigh as Hamilton opened the door. "Get to the princess and countess Myui and get as many knights to protect them." He ordered her before pushing her inside.

He allowed the door to shut, before turning around. "Trace on." In his hands appeared Kanshou and Bakuya, the chosen weapons of his future self. He normally wouldn't need to use them, but for some reason, these demi-humans were actually decently competent when it came to combat.

'Probably from all of the mixed blood.' He thought to himself. "I know you're there, so show yourself. It's rude to keep a lady waiting, so let's get this over with." He called out, before a knife was thrown at his neck. He easily knocked it away with his sword. Four of them appeared in front of him, each one dressed in black clothes and armor, their faces were completely covered.

"Haryo tribe, if I recall your name correctly." He said to them, before standing in a ready stance. "You fools are going to be in for a rude awakening, especially those that are inside." He said, noticing a few of their expressions were surprised by seeing their eyes.

"You underestimate the knights, but also the maids. After all, I'm responsible for most of them being here." He smirked, before deciding to finish up. He didn't want any of his people knowing he willingly endangered himself again. He gripped his blades tightly, before charging forward and preparing other projections.

That'll be the end of this chapter. As I mentioned before, this was to kind of show more of Miyu. I suppose you could call her a secondary main character, though she'll be getting a lot more scenes in the future. Shirou is mainly going along with everything, for many reasons that were mentioned, but also because he's sort searching for something too. More will be revealed about Miyu and his own beginning in the world next chapter. Mainly, about what happened and how they became the way they are. Anways, that's all I really wanted to say. I hope you all enjoyed, thanks for reading, and as usual, until next time.