A Month long hiatus, yeah that's a great idea.
Weightlessness.
Flashes of a girl in white that he did not recognize.
A pendant made from the most beautifully cut red gem he had ever seen, one that he knew.
Shirou Emiya resisted the urge to shoot up the moment his eyes opened, a panicked breath escaping him as he took in his surroundings. He pushed himself to a seated position, a sharp pain was radiating in his lower back and right arm.
His mind was a haze, the last thing he recalled was unleashing Caladbolg followed by a flash of light. It confused him, gone was the cluttered Mage's workshop that emanated the stench of ammonia and dried blood which probably came from animal sacrifices. In its place was a dark alleyway, beside Shirou was a dumpster that he was sure smelled the same as the Mage's workshop he was just in.
Forcing himself to his feet, Shirou decided to press onwards. To lay by a dumpster in a dark alley was not something he wanted to continue doing. His feet noticing the uneven ground he stood on, he could barely see the outline of a crater that was vaguely in the shape of a human body.
Had he fallen here?
That would explain the pain he felt, Shirou had fallen from great heights before so he recognized this pain. He was thankful for past events that had strengthened his body. The very life threatening injuries he had sustained in his life had made him stronger, but he had to be careful.
Avalon was no longer within him, he could utilize the blessing of the scabbard no longer. Not without the sword that went with it. That was not to say he was fragile, his very existence as a sword had hardened his body. He could recall the surprise he felt the first time he had witnessed the miniature swords stitching and healing his wounds, turning the unsightly wounds he had suffered into patches of armor on his body.
Upon exiting the alley, Shirou took in the scenery.
Cars were driving by, a sight that was not foreign to him but he did not recognize their make nor model. Cafes and stores were things he rarely bothered with, but their occupants were the ones who caught his attention. Humans and beings that resembled humans yet had the traits of what he assumed were animals were mingling with one another. Wherever he was, Shirou was sure he wasn't anywhere near home.
Seeing nothing better to do, he decided that it was best to leave his current spot. He needed information, perhaps a library or a school would have something he needed.
Shirou sighed as the final moments of his battle with Vicenzo replayed in his mind. The Mage had stolen the secrets of the Second Magic, a magic that dealt with traversing parallel worlds. He had managed to activate a Magic Circle that he channeled an incomplete version of the Second Magic into, and Shirou being the unrivaled genius he was decided that a weapon that had the after effect of twisting things out of shape was a good idea.
He cursed his own rotten luck sometimes.
Though, he was thankful for arriving in what seemed to be a rather peaceful and modernized land. After all things couldn't get any worse could they?
But the universe did not like Shirou Emiya, cursed with his rather abysmal luck he found himself taking a boot to the face. His hands suddenly shot up, managing to catch the small frame of a girl in black and red. He met her silver eyes, and quirked a brow. "I-I'm so sorry!" The girl exclaimed, flailing in Shirou's arms.
Placing the girl down, she suddenly turned back in the direction of where she had come from. Shirou watched as she pulled out an object from behind her back, his eyes scanning and taking note of it
"Crescent Rose." Shirou muttered, the girl seemed to have heard him.
She did not have time to show her surprise and curiocity for long, before she sprang into action. Three men in suits rushed her, but she did not falter. She burst forth from her spot, leaving rose petals in her wake.
As Shirou felt the weapon settle within, among the hill of swords. Its history flowed into his mind. The girl's name was Ruby Rose, and Crescent Rose was a weapon that she had made herself.
Ruby had considerable skill in handling the weapon, Shirou watched as she weaved among the men in suits swinging and bludgeoning them with the non-lethal end of her scythe. Each of the men went limp within moments of making contact with her weapon, she was stronger than the common child.
Was she a Mage?
Was that scythe a one of a kind Mystic Code? No, Shirou dismissed the thought. He was in a foregin land, he shouldn't assume that the same concepts in his world apply here. A thought occurred to Shirou. Could he use his Magecraft?
He glanced down at his hands, willing the Od into his circuits. A pulse shot through him, as he grit his teeth.
"Hey you there!" One of the men in suits called out, he was armed with a hatchet and seemed to view Shirou as a threat. A weapon, Shirou needed a weapon. He willed the Magical Energy in his circuits to a concrete form but something was fighting against him. His own body was telling him to not go through with what he was doing.
"I am…" Shirou needed to focus, he needed to trigger his body to respond the way he wanted it to. "The bone of my sword."
In a brilliant flash of blue light, all those in conflict had paused momentarily to gaze upon him. His hands had grabbed onto the hilts of the blades that had yet to form. His trusted weapons, the very representations of Yin and Yang made into the form of weapons.
Ruby watched on as the stranger that had helped her grit his teeth in pain. With a violent jerk of his hands, he had grabbed a pair of curved blades from what seemed like thin air. There was a hitch in her breath, she found herself entranced by the blades in his hands.
"Look out!" Ruby exclaimed, seeing the man who had approached the stranger.
That was a mistake, Shirou's eyes shot open. The pain he had experienced making him hyper aware of his current situation. The suited man swung his hatchet, he had no technique. It was clumsy, the blade of the hatchet slid across the length of Kanshou with a few sparks.
Shirou struck, the man went flying. Ruby was dumbfounded when she saw how far the man had flown back.
"Well well." Ruby and Shirou paused, and stared at the man who exited the small building. His white coat and bowler hat and cane ensemble made him stick out. "Good show Reds." he began, Shirou's eyes were on his cane.
A sense was nagging at him to look at the cane.
The information flowed into Shirou as he viewed the cane. "It's been a blast." It was a weapon, it was called the Melodic Cludgel. "This however is where we part ways." The cane could serve as a bludgeon, and had the capacity to act as a firearm.
Shirou acted, just as the man pulled up the cane and a makeshift crosshair appeared from above the barrel. Shirou was in front of Ruby, the twin falchions held in a matter to protect her from the shot.
When the dust settled, the space in front of Shirou was devoid of the man. He was gone, somehow rushing up the side of a building and was scaling it thanks to a ladder. "Wha-?" Shirou said, his confusion showing on his face. His mind racing, trying to formulate a scenario that would have allowed the man to put that much distance between them that fast.
"You okay if we go after him?" Shirou glanced to the still combat ready Ruby speaking to an older man, the man nodded as she looked to him. "Are you ready?"
Shirou merely nodded, and rushed after the fleeing man with Ruby. Each step felt heavy, but he managed to run and even climb up the ladder that the man had used to escape. He hoped that he wouldn't need to move too much in combat, perhaps he could ask Ruby to fight with him. His very clothes felt heavy and baggy to him for some reason.
When Shirou had reached the top of the ladder, he was met with a confused Ruby who was searching for any indication where the man had went. "Where did he go?" Ruby asked, but was met with Shirou's silence and the occasional ragged breath.
"Are you okay?" She asked.
"I'm fine." Shirou managed, and straightened himself out. "Did you find anything that points to where he went?" The pain in Shirou's lower back was growing, and radiated up towards his right armpit. The slightest movement made him wince, his grip on Kanshou was slipping. He had to consciously remind himself to tighten his grip occasionally.
The pair took a step forward, and as if on cue. The roar of what Shirou could only liken to a jet engine forced the silence away. The man from earlier had appeared, riding within the plane like vehicle. "End of the line Reds." Said the man before tossing out a small red crystal about the size of his palm.
Shirou moved to warn Ruby but this small movement paralyzed him with pain, he fell to his knees with a pained yell. The shock from earlier was gone, his body was now fully aware of what he had done and the repercussions seemed to be comprised of nothing but pain.
The man shot another round from the cane, this time aimed at the crystal.
Ruby shielded herself, as did Shirou.
The sound of the resulting blast was enough to rattle Shirou's bones, but strangely enough he was unharmed. Glancing over to Ruby he found the young girl standing behind a barrier of purple sigils. The source of the barrier was a woman. Her stern expression, blonde hair, and regal air made Shirou do a double take.
"Saber?" He asked, the woman glanced back to him and Ruby. She seemed to have been checking on their conditions.
"We got a huntress!" He heard the man within the aircraft scream, and rush into the cockpit.
"Stand back." She said, bringing back her arm and firing a bolt of energy into the air. Storm clouds formed much to Shirou's surprise, lightning and thunder roared as they struck the craft. With another flick of her wrist, the clouds had stopped unleashing the powerful bolts and instead now rained down shards of sharpened ice.
He was in awe, but short lived once he noticed the faint outline of a figure in the aircraft. Their clothing lit up, at least that's what Shirou assumed it was. The ground trembled, he saw the very ground beneath him color a bright orange.
He felt a force jerk him back, Ruby landed beside him soon after as the woman avoided the geysers of fire that had formed where he and Ruby once stood.
The woman let out a breath as she watched the aircraft fly off, then looked to Shirou then Ruby. The young girl's eyes were wide with what seemed like adoration, awe, and a few other things such as nervousness.
"Are you well?" The woman asked, Shirou could only nod. "Can you stand?" he doubted that, but he tried regardless. The simple act of moving his legs into position made pain shoot up his back. What was happening? He could feel his legs trembling, that wasn't a good sign.
"E-Excuse me?" The woman turned to Ruby. "You're a Huntress...Can I have your autograph?"
Shirou Emiya was a person who did not really dislike anything in particular, but being in any sort of prison or holding cell was something that sent chills up his spine. His duel with Archer had allowed him to glimpse into the potential future that awaited him. The way his life ended, it was something that sent chills up Shirou's spine whenever the thought crossed his mind.
The room he was in was barely lit, save for the bright lamp that shone down from above him and Ruby. Speaking of the young girl, she was looking fairly repentant as the woman from earlier began to scold and lecture her. He assumed once she was done with her, he would be next to receive a verbal lashing.
Shirou lent a ear to Ruby's scolding, while doing his best to look repentant. "If it were up to me, you' be sent home with a pat on the back." Ruby smiled at this statement. "And a slap on the wrist." The second part of that sentence was punctuated with the slap of her riding crop, causing Ruby to flinch.
"Don't even get me started on you young man." She said.
"Young man?" Shirou managed. "You're not that old Miss." Shirou saw the flash of red tint her cheeks as she suddenly brought down the riding crop in her hands right on Shirou's wrist. "Hey!" Shirou protested. "I was giving you a compliment!"
The woman straightened herself out. "We will continue this lecture another time, right now there is someone who'd like to speak with you."
The door from behind the woman opened as a man clad in olive green stepped in. One hand was a plate of cookies, and the other was a cup of what Shirou assumed was cocoa; the scent it carried was too sweet to be coffee despite being of the same color.
"Ruby Rose." He said, glancing down to Ruby's eye level. "You have silver eyes." visibly confused Ruby back away a bit, Shirou took note of that. What's this about eyes? "So, where did you learn to do this?" he gestured to the woman who seemed to be holding a tablet playing a video of the fight from earlier. "Where did you learn to do this?"
"S-Signal Academy." Ruby managed, the man paused. "They taught you to use one of the most dangerous weapons ever designed?"
"Well, one teacher in particular." Ruby was quick to respond, this seemed enough for him.
The man set down the plate of cookies before Ruby. The man gestured to Shirou to help himself, which he did. He was not rude enough as to decline food when offered to him. Upon taking a bite of the cookie, Shirou nodded his head as he chewed. The cookie was sweet, but not overly so. Ruby followed in his lead, and after one proceeded to devour several more in moments.
"Its just that I've only ever seen one other scythe wielder of that skill before."The man continued, Shirou noted that. Scythes were not common weapons, well they were not either in his world. Warriors seemed to prefer swords, spears, bows, and battle axes over the scythe.
Shirou managed to tune them out into the background, his body was still acting up. A sensation he could liken to an itch was radiating through his body; with each passing moment the itch was growing stronger, but he knew how to relive this.
Shirou took a breath, his eyes shutting slowly as he visualized the image in his mind. Lines, small lines that served as pathways for the energy that coursed throughout his body. "Trace on." He whispered, the lines were his Magical Circuits. They thrummed to life, filling with the neon teal energy.
Another intake of breath, as the Od traveling in his circuits began rushing to the circuits in his limbs. The intricate web of circuits were cleansed as the Magical Energy washed over them. The sensation was slowly fading.
Shirou stilled, a shock pulsed through him. The image in his mind suddenly turning from teal to a bright reddish orange. Waves of pain shot through him, as his arm shot forward and impacted what he assumed was the table before him.
His eyes shot open, the people in the room staring at him in concern and intrigue.
He winced and cringed at the pain and the act of being stared at. The man turned to Ruby. "We can discuss this at another date, I look forward to seeing you at Beacon." Shirou watched as Ruby offered a curt bow, then paused to take another cookie before vacating the room.
The door slamming shut might as well have been a bomb going off with how loud it sounded to Shirou, the man and woman looked at him or more specifically the recording of him.
"You're quite a skilled individual, Mr.?" The man trailed off. "Emiya, Shirou Emiya." The man nodded, and gestured to the tablet. Displaying Shirou projecting Kanshou and Bakuya, and the subsequent move he used to counter.
"Making swords appear from thin air is already quite a trick." The man began. "But your skill with them shows." His eyes narrowed, as he leaned in. Shirou recognized the look in his eyes, it was the look of a man who was trying to determine who you were and what you were capable of. A man who was suspicious of anything that broke the norm, and currently Shirou broke the norm.
"It isn't that great." Shirou replied. "Ruby was more impressive than me."
Shirou's attempt at deflecting the praise did not go unnoticed. "Perhaps." The man replied. "I'd like to know where you came from, it's bothersome that someone completely unknown wanders into the city of Vale."
This man was dangerous, alarm bells began ringing in Shirou's mind. "I'm merely someone who knows how to fight."
"Even great warriors have their stories." The man pressed, Shirou knew he'd need to spin some tale. A half truth that this man would accept, if he were to claim being a mage from another world he'd most likely be tossed into the nearest mental institution.
"I merely have no place to go back to." Shirou began.
"You lost your home?" He asked, to which Shirou nodded. "I am what you would call a survivor, Mr.?"
"Ozpin, Professor Ozpin." He introduced. "I should have realized that you were not listening earlier, I recognized that you went into a meditative state." Shirou was impressed, if he recognized that he had gone to meditate then perhaps there was something similar to Magecraft in this world or at the very least the manipulation of energy produced by a people.
"If you do not mind me asking Mr. Emiya, but a survivor of what?" Ozpin asked, Shirou shifted in his seat. He had managed to think of a tale that would satisfy the man before him, but to tell it was still an uncomfortable process. It may have been a few years, but it still bothered him regardless.
"A tragedy, I am the sole survivor of a fire that killed over a thousand people." That caught his attention. "I was but a child, and I walked through the fire coated streets of what used to be my home."
"What caused this fire?" The woman who stood behind Ozpin asked.
"No clue." Shirou replied. "I'm just thankful that I was rescued, my rescuer is someone I'd come to know as my father." Shirou managed a smile, remembering the act that had sent him down the path of heroics. The path of hypocrisy as Archer had called it.
"Where is this man?" Ozpin asked.
"He's gone, taken by illness." Shirou replied. "I'd like to tell you now that I am no threat." His gaze was directed at Ozpin. "I know how to defend myself, but I only fight to defend others." Ozpin lingered on him for a moment, and took a sip of his drink.
"I feel for you Mr. Emiya, so allow me to present you with this." the woman behind Ozpin rolled her eyes, an action that Shirou could just tell was one she performed many times in a day. "I'd like to extend to you an invitation to attend Beacon Academy, it is a school that I am the Headmaster of. We-well I personally see talent in you."
"Professor Ozpin, that offer is tempting. Though, aren't I a little old to be attending such an academy?" Ozpin chuckled and shook his head. "Not at all, you're about the age of our freshmen."
"Your school would accept a 22 year old as a freshman student?" This time Ozpin and his compatriot were the ones who shot Shirou a confused glare. "Could you repeat that?" Ozpin asked.
"Your school would accept a 22 year old as a freshman student?" Ozpin gave him the most incredulous look he had ever seen in his life. "Mr. Emiya, if you're 22 years old then you look quite young." Shirou was about to joke about the statement, but a thought occurred to him.
"This may be a sudden request, but you wouldn't happen to have a mirror would you?" Shirou asked.
"Glynda?" the woman behind Ozpin approached him, and handed him the tablet she had in her hands. The paused video of him fighting from earlier was gone, and when he had raised the tablet to his face his mouth could only hang open in shock.
Staring back at him was the digital image of his own face.
His 17 year old face.
Shirou fought the urgent need to swear, and merely put the tablet down. It suddenly all made sense, the pain he was feeling. He had felt it before, but the thought of it did not occur to him because he had experienced it so long ago and only for a short while.
His Magic Circuits were misfiring, a phenomenon that was explained to him as his circuits not being used to having large amounts of Magical Energy course through them. It was like asking a person who had been bed ridden for over a decade to suddenly get up and run a marathon, they would not be able to handle it and cause more harm than good.
This was what was happening to Shirou.
He really hated himself, it seemed that Caladbolg had not only twisted the spell out of shape.
"This can't be happening." Shirou muttered, then realized that Ozpin and Glynda were still in the room with him. "Uh...I'd like to explain?"
"Please do." Said Glynda, her arms were crossed. She was seemingly growing more and more tired of Shirou's antics as time passed. In truth he did not have a lie that even a toddler would believe, there was no explaining why he thought himself to be 22 in the eyes of a normal person.
"Mr. Emiya." Ozpin interjected. "I assure you there is no need to resort to such lies, you are safe here." Glynda looked to her compatriot as if he had just grown a second head. Shirou could practically hear the thoughts going through her mind at this point. How do you not find this at all suspicious?
"You're not from the Kingdoms from what I can tell." Ozpin began. "I understand that simple lies such as these are necessary for your survival, but please trust us. We'd like to help you." Shirou did not merely accept the words that flowed from the silver haired man's mouth, it was clear that there was something hidden as he spoke.
However, Shirou needed security. Accepting the offer was something he needed to do, he couldn't help but smirk internally. Clever. He thought, Ozpin was as two faced as the mages of the Clocktower. Oh well, if a fight ensued, Shirou did not doubt his capability to escape whatever confines they put him in.
"I'd like to accept." Shirou said, hopefully he was a step closer to finding a way home or at the very least some answers. Then a thought occurred. "Professor?"
"Yes?" Ozpin queried.
"You wouldn't happen to have a place to stay would you?" Shirou asked, Glynda sighed already knowing that the silver haired headmaster was going to offer the boy a place to stay. She supposed she should at least get a headstart on the process.
As Ruby Rose came into her island home of Patch, exhaustion had overtaken her as she collapsed onto her pillow. Not even bothering to change out of the clothes she had used for today. There were so many things to consider, such as her suddenly moving up two years to enter Beacon.
She sighed, she hadn't even told her father yet.
Ruby flipped onto her back, letting out a sharp exhale. On one hand she was getting into Beacon early, but on the other hand she was getting into Beacon early. People were going to treat her differently, people were going to think she was this amazing prodigy to get into Beacon two years earlier than the norm.
"Why'd you have to be gone this week…" Ruby groaned, she referred to Yang. Her half-sister had gone on a trip with some friends to celebrate their graduation from Signal. Yang had always planned to get into Beacon, in all honesty she should have called Yang to tell her.
Ruby reached for her Scroll, powering on the screen and scrolling down her contacts list. Names of the sparse family she had, and her friends from Signal went by like the credits of a movie.
Finding Yang's name Ruby moved to call her sister, but she paused. A light had shone into her room from outside their home. Strange, she thought. Her father was already home, and Yang wouldn't be arriving for another few days.
Ruby peered out of her window, a generic silver car that one would often see at a rental place pulled up to her house. The driver's side door opened revealing the Huntress from earlier, she was with Professor Ozpin. Ruby supposed she should've asked for her name, since she was most likely a teacher at Beacon.
Ruby's eyes followed her as she walked up to the front door, and disappeared from her field of view.
The doorbell rang.
Ruby moved out of her room, and found her father: Taiyang Xiao Long. Moving to answer the door. "Who could it be at this hour?" He asked.
Tai reached for the door, a flash of recognition going through his features. "Hello Tai, I'm sorry for the intrusion." The Huntress began.
"Glynda." Tai replied, opening the door a bit wider. "Is something the matter?"
Glynda let out a breath, and straightened out her posture. "No, nothing is wrong." She assured. "The Headmaster was curious if you'd indulge him in a favor." Tai raised a brow, curious. Professor Ozpin was someone who was a bit...strange, Tai knew him since his days at Beacon and he relied on him and his team a fair amount in their time at the Academy.
"What's going on?" He asked.
Glynda lingered for a moment. "Do you have any room in your home?" Tai blinked at the question. "Could you repeat that?"
"Do you have a spare room?" Glynda reiterated. "We have a potential enrollee for this year." Glynda pursed her lips. "I'm just going to say it, would you house him until Initiation?"
"Can I see him?" Tai asked, Glynda merely turned in the direction of her car and made a beckoning motion. The passenger side door opened slowly, revealing the teenage boy with a mop of auburn hair.
He walked over to Glynda and stood beside her. "Good evening." He greeted with a bow, Tai could hear the faint traces of an accent in his voice. "My name is Shirou Emiya."
"Nice to meet you. Name's Taiyang Xiao Long, but call me Tai." Tai said. He eyed Shirou from top to bottom, nothing really stood out. The boy looked unassuming and harmless, in truth he seemed generic and mundane save for his hair. "Ruby." Tai called out, turning to the girl who stood by the staircase. "Be a dear and help Shirou with his things."
Ruby flinched for a moment then locked eyes with the auburn haired male. "Hey it's you!" She cried out, Shirou gave a small wave to the girl. "Twice in one night, what're the odds?"
"You've met?" Tai asked.
"Miss Rose was involved in an incident earlier tonight." Glynda shared. Incident? Tai wondered. "Miss Rose, have you informed your father about your acceptance into Beacon?"
"Your what?!" Exclaimed Tai, his mouth hung open. The man let out a breath, and turned to Ruby. "We'll talk later, but right now help Shirou with his things."
"Actually….I don't have things." Shirou added. Tai didn't ask anything else, and just beckoned for Ruby. "Show Shirou to your Uncle Qrow's room, he's not home enough to actually use it anyways." Tai stepped aside and ushered Shirou into the house, after that Ruby was the one who led the way.
As Ruby and Shirou disappeared from view, Tai lingered where his daughter and the young man had once been. "What's his story Glyn?" Tai asked.
"I'm afraid I don't know much." She replied. "He's from out of the Kingdoms, from what I understood a small community of over a thousand people." Tai nodded. "Grimm?" He asked.
"Strangely no." Tai's curiosity was piqued now. "According to him the community was wiped out by a fire, and he's a survivor." Glynda shook her head, remembering the expression Shirou wore when he recounted the tale. He said he'd been but a child when it had happened, she could only assume how young he must've been when he walked through those flames. She and Ozpin suspected him, after all no one was completely honest these days.
"He's an orphan Tai." She continued. "The last person he considered his father passed away, I don't know how recent it was but-"
"I get it." Said Tai. "I'll keep him here until the initiation. He and Ruby get along so that's a plus but…" a sigh. "How'd Ruby get into Beacon? Even Yang had to go through a few tests just to be considered as an enrollee."
Glynda sighed, she wasn't leaving anytime soon.
Shirou sat atop the bed that was offered to him and gave a small bounce, he could feel the springs pushing back against him as he did.
"So...are you all settled in?" Ruby asked, she hadn't moved from the doorframe since leading him into the room. "Yes, thank you Ruby." Shirou replied.
Glancing around the room Shirou took in the sights, the room was sparsely decorated. A bed, a nightstand, and a desk were the only pieces of furniture he could see. The only things he could call decoration in the room was the rather generic lamp on the nightstand, and the rug that ran along the length of the bed.
It reminded him of his home back in Fuyuki.
Shirou did not have much in the way of his belongings even in the old world. Aside from the Emiya estate and whatever was inside it, but he didn't even have the luxury of owning his own clothes in this world. "Hey Shirou." Ruby began. "I...I've been meaning to ask, how is it that you knew the name of my weapon?"
"Your weapon?" Shirou asked.
"Yeah, you said Crescent Rose during the fight." She continued. "How'd you know what it was called?" Silence was a valid option, but it would make him look suspicious. Plus, it would be rude. Ruby and her father would be taking him in and he'd be lying to their faces. Though what could go wrong? Glynda had the ability to move things with telekinesis, she didn't seem to be hiding this power. Additionally, he seriously doubted that Ruby could weaponize the information he'd share with her.
"Well...you see." Shirou needed to choose his words carefully, one mention of Mages and Magic might get him sent to the nearest mental institution. "I have this ability, if I look at a weapon I can see things about it. Say for example its name, if it has one."
Ruby's eyes grew wide. "That's so cool! What else can you see?"
He didn't expect this reaction. "Well I can see its history, any notable events that have occurred in its lifetime."
"Like battles?" Ruby continued, her excitement growing with each passing moment. "Yes, like battles." Shirou confirmed. Ruby's eyes were still wide as ever, he could see a faint glimmer in them as her thoughts ran wild. Honestly, Shirou was somewhat perplexed; he'd seen some of the battles Ruby had gone through with the scythe but only one really stood out.
The scene Crescent Rose had shown him was that of a snowy clearing. Ruby had managed to attract the ire of some wolf like creatures, there were so many...then none were left. Ruby had gone through them all with minimal effort, dismembering and maiming the creatures that wanted to do the same to her. Shirou looked to the girl who was still processing the information. She wasn't a normal girl, she was a trained warrior.
"Wait!" Ruby suddenly blurted out. "Your swords!" Shirou quirked a brow. "Where are they? I remember seeing you use swords back when we were fighting. They were like FWOOSH! Then they just...appeared."
Ruby's head snapped over to Shirou, a look of utter disbelief on her face as she came to a realization. "Can you...can you make swords out of thin air?!" Shirou did his best not to give anything away, he knew how these usually went. When a few mages of the Clocktower had seen his Projection in action they asked for a demonstration in a controlled environment, he was lucky Rin was with him otherwise they would have kept going until he was drained of magical energy or worse they decided to slap a Sealing Designation on him.
"Can you show m-" before Ruby could finish her sentence Shirou dug deep inside himself, and projected a small knife. It was just your average everyday knife.
Ruby was stunned, and took the knife into her hands examining the detail. "A kitchen knife? Kinda boring, but holy cats this is so cool!"
Shirou smiled at her enjoyment, but fought the urge to wince and show his discomfort. He had just gotten his circuits to stop misfiring every so often, but introducing magical energy back into his body even for such a small display was causing him discomfort.
It was like someone was putting out a cigarette directly onto his nerves, except that instead of one cigarette there were dozens and they were all being put out up the length of his arm.
Shirou's enclosed fist trembled as he sat there. Ruby was still examining the knife, and even gave it a few clumsy jabs. "You're amazing Shirou!" Ruby exclaimed. "What else can you make?" Shirou fought the urge to cry out in protest, instead he merely put up a hand. "Ruby, not to be a downer but this takes a lot out of me." he said hoping to dissuade the girl. "I kinda already did a lot when during the fight earlier."
"Aww…just one more?" Shirou shuddered, the face Ruby made. It was the same one Saber made often when she wished for more food, it was the natural predator of Shirou Emiya. He let out a resigned sigh, he wasn't able to deny the girl this request. Shirou held out his hands. "This is the last time." Ruby furiously nodded in excitement as the blue light flashed as Shirou began the process.
Ruby recognized the shape almost immediately, the rough curves and sharp points, every bit of it. She would be a fool not to recognize the weapon even by its shape, it was her own. "Oh my gosh!" Shirou let out a shaky smile. Ruby continued to admire the flashing blue lights, when a spark of red flashed causing Shirou to let out a pained yell.
Shirou collapsed onto the bed, curling up into the fetal position as he felt the pain shoot through his body, he wanted to clutch onto his own body, to hold the limbs that were causing him pain. However how does one hold their whole body?
Ruby rushed to Shirou's side as he continued to cry out in pain, he was shivering.
"Shirou what's wrong?!" Ruby asked, flipping Shirou onto his back. The auburn haired male was trying to compress his body into a smaller form so he could hold himself, sweat poured down his face as he let out labored breaths. Shirou was trying his best not to scream as he convulsed, Ruby on the other hand did not hesitate.
"Dad!" Tai and Glynda burst into the room not long after, Shirou was still convulsing as on the bed. "I-I don't know what's wrong! S-Shirou was just...then he-" Tai rushed to the teen's side and tried to check his body for injury, but found nothing. Why was Shirou in so much pain?
Shirou spasmed once more, biting back the urge to scream with grit teeth. "...o..t…" Shirou tried, Glynda was the first to notice his effort of speaking. "What is it Shirou? Tell us what's wrong." She begged.
Shirou tried to speak again but only a pained mess of unintelligible syllables came out. "K...o...e...o...t" Tears began to trail down Shirou's face and onto the bed, Tai was doing his best to keep him steady. "Don't talk anymore, kid-"
"KNOCK MY ASS OUT!" Shirou exclaimed, shooting up a bit from his laying position before once again convulsing and screaming his lungs out. Tai stood up, to which Glynda watched on in horror. "Grit your teeth kid."
"You're not seriously going to-" Before Glynda could even finish the sentence, Tai had launched his fist directly into the side of Shirou's chin with as much force as he could muster. Shirou had stopped convulsing, as well as screaming. He was breathing so that was a good sign.
Glynda looked at Tai with the most shock filled expression she had ever mustered. Glynda Goodwitch had seen many things in the course of her career as a Huntress that did not rattle her, but even she was surprised. Taiyang had not hesitated nor had he held back, that was probably one of the most intense hits she'd ever witnessed.
"He was literally asking for it." Tai began, the twitch in Glynda's eye made sure to send the message to the man that now was not the time to joke. "I'll make sure he's okay." Tai replied as he rubbed the back of his neck, perhaps he had indulged in Shirou's request too quickly.
Upon waking up Shirou fought back the urge to immediately sit up. Pain shot through his limbs with the most minute movement. After acknowledging the feeling of DeJa Vu, Shirou turned to his side. The room was not his.
"Whe-" Shirou winced, the corner of his mouth felt sore. Oh right, the male recalled what had transpired last night. Taiyang, the man who had taken him in, had knocked him out to stop the convulsions and the corresponding pain that came with his Magic Circuits misfiring. Shirou drowned out his body's plea for him to stay in bed and slowly stood up, he could still feel pain in his body and every movement merely added to it.
As Shirou exited the room, his nose picked up on the scent of bacon. It was cured with honey if his knowledge on the scents of food wasn't mistaken. Using a nearby wall as support, Shirou followed the scent and arrived at a kitchen. Tai was slaving away at the stove, busily frying up the bacon he had smelled from his room.
"Good morning." Shirou greeted the older man, and turned to him with a surprised look. It seemed that Tai hadn't expected him to be on his feet. "Oh, good morning." Tai replied, he watched as Shirou took a shaky step towards him. His reaction was immediate, he moved to support Shirou and helped him sit down at the table. "You're up pretty early, I expected you to be out for a while." Tai began. "You know...considering last night."
Tai presented Shirou with a rather tall stack of bacon, and a pitcher of orange juice. "Which do you prefer? Toast or pancakes?" Tai asked. Shirou reached across the table, and grabbed the pitcher and poured himself a glass of orange juice with a shaky hand. "Well, what does the chef recommend?"
Tai managed a chuckle. "Well sir." he began in an exaggerated accent that reminded Shirou of the mages in the Clocktower. "I'd recommend the toast, as it is the finest toast in all of the Xiao Long household." the pair shared a brief chuckle.
"I'm glad you're fine." Tai continued, slotting in two slices of bread into the toaster. "At the risk of sounding rude, mind telling me what happened to you last night kid?" Shirou knew that this would have been one of the first things that were addressed, after all he basically had a seizure last night then asked his host to knock him out.
"It's because of my ability." Shirou replied, he had to take his time.
"So your Semblance makes you spasm like that?" Tai asked, that was a new word. Thankfully Shirou was good in his language classes in school, Issei and Taiga made it routine to help him with his studies despite him not having any difficulty in any of his lessons. Plus, he knew how context clues work. "Yes, well...its not supposed to." Shirou admitted. "I'm a bit out of practice you could say."
"So what happened? I might not look like it but I'm a teacher." said Tai turning away from the toaster. "I could help you out to the best of my ability while you're here." Shirou took a mouthful of orange juice and looked to the older man. "I appreciate the offer, but I don't know if you can help me." Shiou hoped he didn't come off as rude, but it was the truth. The last time Shirou was afflicted with this, Archer had come and fixed him without issue. The red clad Servant was not here this time, so this wouldn't be fixed anytime soon.
"What is your Semblance kid?" Tai asked.
"I...make swords." Tai quirked his brow. "Make swords? That's an odd one." Tai did not pry further. "Nonetheless its a useful one to have when you'll be attending a combat school like Beacon." Shirou nodded, a place where he could use his talents...at least he wished he could. The mere fact that Projecting something so small like a kitchen knife would cause him pain was going to make things bothersome, nevermind trying to Project something like Caladbolg. How was he going to fight when all his weapons were Projections?
Oh you're awake.
The pair looked over to the pajama clad Ruby Rose. She walked over to the table where Tai greeted her with the newly toasted bread. "Shirou, I'm sorry." She suddenly apologized, an act that did not go unnoticed by Tai. "If I didn't goad you on to show me how your Semblance worked then none of this would've happened."
"Hey, its fine." Shirou replied. "I should've known better than to do what I did, after all its my power."
Ruby fell silent, she still seemed guilty. "So Ruby, what're you going to be doing today?" Shirou asked, trying to shift the conversation onto a different tangent. "Huh? Oh...I guess I should start packing?" she replied, taking the bait Shirou had planted. "I mean, dad told me he'd let me go to Beacon after everything that went down last night."
"We probably could've delayed that conversation." Tai said, his hand going to rub the back of his neck. "But I think it's a good idea, I mean sure Ruby's pretty young but the Academy's just teach the same things as the feeder schools." Tai took a sip of the cup of coffee he had made for himself. "Plus, Yang'll be with you."
"Yang?" Shirou asked.
"Oh, my sister." Ruby perked up. It seemed that the younger girl was close with her sister. "Where is she anyways? Does she live away from home?" Shirou asked, was she in a similar situation with how he and Rin used to live in London? Shirou did not linger on it, and looked to Ruby. "Regardless, she sounds like a nice person."
"Yang is like the bestest big sister ever!"Ruby exclaimed.
"Not a word." Shirou teased, and sipped the orange juice in his glass. His trembling had stopped, it seemed that time was the best treatment for his condition. The conversation he and Archer had shared when he healed him was faint in his mind, but considering who Archer was Shirou decided to take the Servant's word as law.
He had to remember how that conversation went, his circuits going wild like this wasn't something he was ready to deal with for the rest of his life. "What about you Shirou?" Ruby asked. "What're your plans?"
"Oh...I was thinking about training with my Semblance." It felt strange to refer to his Magecraft in that name. Ruby sent a worried glance in his direction. "Are you sure? I mean you might start spazzing out like last night." The threat of unbearable pain was present, true. In truth he just wanted to meditate and recall the conversation with Archer, and perhaps figure out a solution.
"I'll be fine, I know my limits." Shirou assured, smiling at Ruby in an attempt to ease her worries. "Be sure to introduce me to your sister when we head to Beacon okay?" Ruby nodded, and continued to eat her breakfast without a second thought. Tai and the boy shared a look, the older man was aware of something that Shirou was hiding just outside his view.
"Tai." Shirou continued. "Is there somewhere quiet here? Maybe like a shed?" Shirou was somewhat excited when Tai had offered him his shed the moment right after he asked, and made quick work of his breakfast.
It wasn't his shed, but it already felt like home.
Breathe…
Breathe…
Breathe…
Steady and controlled breaths were the only thing Shirou Emiya was currently capable of doing, he didn't move an inch as he sat and meditated. His sense of time had numbed, and so did his body. He needed to reach that point in his memory, he had to.
His mind had taken him atop the hill of blades.
Shirou looked at the landscape, the scattered weapons that protruded from the ground like graves. This was the hill of swords, and by standing here he was also a sword. It was his very being, his life dedicated to being a sword.
His ideal to become a Hero of Justice.
A laughable ideal that was fit for a child, but it was beautiful. Yet why did he feel shame when he stared out into the vast land that was his inner world? The sky that was once bathed with twilight was receding, a thick smog beginning to overpower it and drive it away. The single hill that stood proudly in his world was flattening, and he suddenly found himself at its base.
He took a step, and found himself farther than before.
Another step.
The swords were becoming more sparse.
Shirou tried to run to the apex of the hill, but found himself in an empty barren wasteland. The hill of swords was now out of his reach, but still within his field of view. "What's happening…" he asked, the whistling of the winds was the only reply given to him.
"How far you've fallen." Shirou turned to face the voice, a single man who had dedicated his life to the same ideal faced him. His darkened skin, and white hair had given away his identity. It was the face he'd wear someday. "Archer." Shirou managed.
The Guardian's expression did not change.
"All that talk about ideals, and this is what becomes of you?" The Guardian asked. Shirou furrowed his brows, the statement getting to him. "I'm still me, I won't become you." Archer turned his eyes to the land, the hill of swords was far. "No, of course not." Archer replied, the auburn haired teen felt victorious at Archer's admission. "You're going to become something worse."
"Tell me." Archer continued, not letting Shirou speak. "Who are you?"
It was not a question of identity, it was a question of what he stood for. He was Shirou Emiya, there was no doubt about it, but the words that reflected his soul said otherwise.
I am the bone of my sword.
Steel is my body fire is my blood.
I have created over a thousand blades.
Uncaring of the present.
Nor aware of the future.
Shirou's eyes shot open, those weren't the words to his aria, the key into his inner world. "I can see you're aware." Archer spoke once again, the sky darkened as Shirou took his uneven breaths. "You are changing." Archer held out his hand, just as a spec of white fell from the sky.
More of these white specs fell, Shirou mimicked the guardian. Catching one of the white particles that fluttered down. Ash? He thought, no it was cold to the touch.
Snow.
"Figure this out yourself." Archer said, crossing his arms as he moved to turn away from the self that still held the ideals he discarded. "Wait! How can I-"
Shirou's eyes snapped open, he was still in the shed that belonged to Taiyang. The shed had grown hot as evidenced by the sweat that was pouring down Shirou's body as he panted. His hands were shaking, the sight he had seen was so different from the many times he'd visited the inner world.
What did it all mean?
The hill of swords was changing, and by extension he was changing as well. Archer hadn't helped him in curing his ailing body, but at least he had given him something else to ponder.
God knows that he'd prefer that over Archer trying to stab him.
He looked to his hands. "Back to where I started." Shirou commented, looking back to the days when the Holy Grail War had started. It boggled his mind how he'd survived the war as a novice Mage when stronger, wiser, and more experienced Mages were all killed in their pursuit of the Grail.
Magic Circuits were a part of his body, they might not have been like traditional muscles-heck, they weren't muscles they were like nerves and they weren't even really that. Still the thought remained in Shirou's mind, if he could introduce larger and larger amounts of Magical Energy into his circuits gradually then he'd be able to fight.
However, even if that was possible he'd be unarmed. Shirou sighed, his eyes landing on a stray pipe on the floor. "Nothing like the basics." He commented, before grabbing ahold of the pipe and shutting his eyes. "Trace on."
As the afternoon changed to night, Taiyang Xiao Long returned to his abode after a hard day's work of paperwork. The new school year was about to begin in a few days, so Tai had to make trips everyday to Signal to help with the influx of transcripts of new students and even older ones.
"Both my girls are leaving for Beacon." He sighed, his hand reached for the door knob. It was fairly late, about half past six. He hoped Ruby and Shirou weren't too hungry, and if they were perhaps tonight was a good night for take out.
Speaking of Shirou, he hoped the kid was alright. He'd been adamant about training with his Semblance, but with what the power did to him it just seemed reckless to do so. Tai sighed, in all his years as an educator he assumed that he knew all there was to the basics. He recalled the state Shirou was in the night before, and hoped that nothing similar had happened while he was gone.
A Semblance was like a muscle, was a popular imagery teachers and instructors would use to make the power easier to understand. The more someone used it, the stronger it would become. Though, overtax a muscle and you get hurt. Similar parallels can be brought up when regarding a Semblance.
Every Semblance has some sort of drawback, whether it be in the ability itself or a cost of using it. Ruby's speed was nearly unmatched, but when Ruby had just discovered her Semblance she'd end up out of breath after two to three uses. Tai was sure her limit was way higher than before, but the point still stood.
Shirou was such an odd case. "Shirou can make swords." Ruby had told him, he'd thought that the auburn haired male had just awakened to it but Glynda and Shirou's words had thrown that hypothesis out the window. Glynda had told him that he was from out of the kingdoms meaning conflict was around every corner potentially, and Shirou had said he was out of practice with his Semblance.
The only similar instance Tai could compare it to was one of his students, a boy with the ability to breathe fire. The drawback was that to do so he'd use his own body heat, that meant if he used it too much he could suffer from symptoms of hypothermia.
If Shirou was a similar case, then what tolls did he have to pay to use his abilities. Tai pushed the thought away, and decided that any further questions would need to be asked directly to his guest.
"Hey I'm home." Tai greeted, odd. The house was silent. "Ruby? Kid?" Tai walked into the house, the living room was strangely devoid of people and light.
"Ruby?" Tai began stalking through the dim halls, turning on lights as he did.
"So what's this called again?" That was Ruby's voice, Tai slowly made his way to the only lit room in the house: the kitchen. Where he found Ruby curiously looking at Shirou who was cooking something in a pan.
"Oh, hey dad!" Ruby greeted.
"Welcome home." Shirou greeted, feeling any and all suspicion that his home had been broken into leave him. Tai sat down at the table and let out a breath, his body reminding him that today hadn't been the easiest of days at work.
"You seem tired." Shirou began.
"What gave it away?" Tai retorted. Shirou smiled, and moved to grab a plate as he killed the fire on the stove. "Ruby do you mind setting the table?"
Ruby gave a salute, and dashed off to the cabinets where they kept their silverware. Tai returned his attention to Shirou who had managed to plate his dish, it resembled a pancake of sorts but it was as big as the plate and about an inch thick. Not to mention it was bright yellow, was it made out of egg?
As Shirou approached the table, and set down the dish he pulled out a condiment and spread it atop the dish. Then a second condiment that seemed to be mayonnaise in streaks atop the dish, and then used a wooden skewer to make decorative lines on the mayo.
"Wow it's so pretty!" Ruby commented, sitting down on her spot at the table.
"I'll admit it looks good, but what is it?" Asked Tai, genuinely curious at what he was looking at. "Oh! Shirou called it a Okinawamaki." Ruby answered, Shirou chuckled and joined them at the table.
"Getting closer Ruby." Shirou commented. "Its Okinomiyaki."
"Almost had it." Ruby snapped her fingers, Shirou had divided up the dish like one would a pizza and served it to the father and daughter. "Where'd you learn to cook?" Tai asked.
"I'm self taught." Shirou replied, placing his hands together as if he were praying. "Itadakimasu."
Another weird thing Tai had noticed about the male, the name of the dish sounded Mistralian but the phrase Shirou had just spoken had a significance. There was just so much to unpack about Shirou, but so little time.
"Shirou this is great!" Ruby exclaimed, her mouth still full of the dish. The auburn haired male handed her a napkin, and began to eat as did Tai. Ruby was right, it was delicious. He'd have to ask Shirou for the recipe.
Ruby's head lifted up from her plate, Tai watched her swallow the contents of her mouth as she looked to him. "I almost forgot dad, did you bring it?"
"Oh right." Tai quickly jogged into the other room, and rushed back. In his hands was a sack, but it was obvious that there was something within the sack that was of interest. "Here you go kid."
Shirou raised a brow, and undid the knot on the sack. When the sack fell to the floor, Shirou had admired the weapon in his hands. A broadsword that was fairly simple in design, it was beautiful. It reminded him of the golden blade his Servant once wielded. "Wow."
"It's one of mine." Said Ruby. "It's an old assignment from before I made Crescent Rose. I thought since you relied on your Semblance for a weapon, that I should give you one."
Shirou put the blade away. "Thank you Ruby." Shirou smiled, a smile that Ruby returned. Clearly happy with her choice in actions.
Suspicious or not, Tai was sure of one thing: Shirou didn't mean them any harm.
In the darkened shed of the Xiao Long household Shirou continued his training. Before him was an assortment of pipes, rocks, cans, and even sticks.
Reinforcing was always second nature to Shirou, but he had to practice it regardless. With the way he was right now, any and every skill he had was an advantage.
He'd be leaving for Beacon the day after tomorrow, so he was just a bit pressed for time.
The sword Ruby had given him was nice, honestly Shirou hadn't parted from it yet. He had brought it with him, and even tried reinforcing its properties as part of his training. As the light of Shirou's Magecraft died down, he put down the pipe and looked to the house the lights were already off. Was it already late?
Deciding that it was enough for tonight, Shirou reached for his sword and headed to the house. Making sure that he'd closed the shed he moved to the backdoor that led to the kitchen.
The click and rattle of the door was deafening. Shirou stood there with a resigned expression, of course...with his luck Shirou had managed to get himself locked out.
The house was already dark, so it was likely that Tai and Ruby were asleep. Not wanting to disturb them Shirou circled the house until he found the window that led to his room, he'd taken the liberty of unlocking it the night before for reasons he didn't quite remember. Perhaps Tai had punched him a bit too hard.
As Shirou lifted the window, and prepared to climb in he felt a hand on his shoulder. "What'cha up to bud?" Shirou quickly turned around, a blonde about his age stood behind him smiling. Her helmet snuggled underneath her other arm.
"Oh, don't worry." Shirou assured. "I live here, I just got locked out."
The blonde put a finger to her chin in thought, and returned her gaze to Shirou. "Nope, I don't think so." She replied. "I'm in a good mood, so how about you just leave and I don't have to rough you up."
"As much as I appreciate the offer, I'd prefer to not be out in the cold."
What happened next was beyond Shirou's understanding, he had flown through the air and landed at the front of the house. The blonde had approached him with a crack of her knuckles. "Last chance pretty boy, leave or catch these hands."
"I live here!" Shirou tried to defend, but that did not seem to placate the blonde. She sighed, and rushed him. She swung for him, Shirou quickly ducked and rolled out of harms way and drew the sword.
"I don't wanna fight you, look my name's Shirou I live here." He tried to reason out.
"Not ringing any bells." Shirou watched her movements, then noticed the bracelets she had on. The sound of mechanisms locking into place made themselves known as they transformed into arm guards.
"Me and my rotten luck." Shirou barely managed to say before the blonde was upon him, her swing being parried as Shirou maneuvered around her and sent a kick into her abdomen.
She skidded back, and let out a "Hoo" , she patted her midsection, and looked at Shirou. "Wow, you hit hard but you gotta hit harder to get past these abs."
Harder? Shirou couldn't help but internally smirk, he could trade blows with Servants but against people he always held back. "Sorry to disappoint, but I don't think you can handle what I can dish out." Said Shirou, letting a bit of Archer seep through. The blonde smirked, and raised her hands.
The pair exchanged blows, but both fought to stun. Shirou had picked up on the hints that she wanted to drag him away, perhaps dissuade him from breaking into a house as she saw it.
Shirou had been using the dull side of the sword, and stood ready. Out of breath but ready, the girl before him would hit pretty hard despite only seeming to want to stop him.
"What's wrong tired?" She asked.
"Well it is pretty late." Shirou retorted.
He had to end this, screw not waking the Tai and Ruby he just wanted today to be over.
The weapons of his world may not have been available to him, but the knowledge remained. It was evidenced by how he was using his sword, while Saber had taught him to fight similarly to her this was not Saber's swordplay he was utilizing.
He was using the swordplay techniques imparted to him by the weapon: Aestus Estus. The sword of the Roman Emperor, Nero Claudius.
His travels in his world were well spent, as Shirou readied himself. Armed with the knowledge of his next move, he enacted his plan. This would be somewhat easy since the girl before him was a person who used their fists.
They both darted forward, the blonde swung for his exposed side. The sword was dropped, as Shirou sidestepped and wrapped his arms around her waist.
He hoisted her up, and slammed her into the ground. She struggled, but Shirou merely repeated the action. In the end he'd slammed her into the ground several times.
Pankration, the ancient Greek martial art that resembled modern day wrestling.
"Give up." Shirou demanded.
"Give up?" She chuckled. "I should be telling you that." Shirou felt his hold on the girl be undone as their positions reversed. She turned him into a ragdoll, before tossing him towards the house.
Shirou let out a screech as he flew through the air, and a groan as he collided with the house. His head was spinning, the blonde stalked forward then heard a gunshot.
"That's your only warning shot!" Shirou heard Ruby, peering out her window armed with Crescent Rose in its ranged form.
"Yang?" Ruby asked confused.
"Ruby?" The blonde replied.
"Hi, you must be Yang." Shirou managed. "I'm Shirou...I live here."
The door to the house clicked open as Taiyang came into view. Seeing the state Shirou was in, and his daughter standing over the young man he sighed. "Why am I not surprised?"
"And that's what happened." Shirou finished, Glynda let out a chuckle as Shirou concluded her tale.
"That explains a lot." Glynda replied, Shirou and the Professor walked through the somewhat empty campus of Beacon Academy. He'd been picked up the day before, and was asked to be seen by Ozpin. Who Shirou still couldn't really decipher, the man was an enigma.
"We're here." Said Glynda.
Shirou looked around there wasn't much to see, it was an empty dock for the vehicles Glynda referred to as Bullheads. He was informed that this was how a majority of students would be arriving, and thanks to the several dozen messages Ruby had sent the school; he figured out the schedule of the ship Ruby and Yang would take to arrive.
"Will this be all?" Glynda asked.
"Yes, thank you Miss Goodwitch." Shirou smiled, the blonde professor turned on her heels and began her stride back to where she was needed. "Don't be late to orientation." She reminded.
"I won't." Shirou assured.
Then turned to the still clear sky, he'd honestly hoped he'd be able to go the the Academy with Ruby and Yang. They were the only people he knew in this world, but he supposed that these turn of events were because of his rotten luck.
"Ugh, I'm going to need to make friends." Shirou groaned.
"Well what about me?" Shirou raised a brow to the sound of the voice, his eyes widened.
A girl in white that he did not recognize.
Except he'd be a fool to not recognize her, white hair and a white ensemble. Yet those twintails were something he'd always recognize. The girl smiled, placing her hands behind her back as if she were an innocent child. "What's wrong Emiya-kun?"
Shirou's throat felt dry, unable to formulate the sentence needed to convey his feelings.
T-Tohsaka….
I don't really have much to say, please leave your thoughts and if you liked it well I hope I won't take a month to upload. I'll lose the contest that way.