Chapter 3
Willow wasn't a hundred percent sure on what she was expecting. But, she definitely wasn't expecting Shirou to actually cook for her when she returned home. Though, technically, he was also cooking for Summer and Raven, but that was just a technicality at this point. She realized he was going to cook for her whether they were here or not.
So, she decided to just accept it when he asked them if they were hungry. They hadn't eaten that much when they were out, so she was pretty hungry. Summer would likely eat anything in front of her, and Raven just gave a noncommittal grunt in response. She was still keeping an eye on her.
There was something about her that bugged Willow. She couldn't quite figure out what it was, but it bugged her. Especially since the two were talking quite a bit before they reached the car. Summer just seemed interested in meeting someone new, so she slightly expected that. Though, she was a bit worried about meeting the other two members of her team, whenever that would be.
Deciding to wait in the dining room, the three girls each took a seat around the table. Raven seemed to be inspecting the house and all of the decorations they passed when making their way there. The way she was inspecting the silverware was beginning to make her a bit nervous too.
"Soooo, what's Shirou like? I mean, even though you haven't known him that long, you've known him longer than us. Plus, I'm really curious about him. He seems like a nice person, but he doesn't seem to talk to much." Summer said, not liking the quiet the atmosphere they had going.
Raven even seemed a bit intrigued, but didn't add anything, though it seemed like she did want to say something. That only irked Willow even more. "Shirou is a kind and considerate person from what I've witnessed. He's calm and collected, though he always seems like he's looking for something, like he's on edge. Though, he's also pretty mysterious, but he's a great fighter."
"Though, I've also noticed that he doesn't seem to really care about his own wellbeing all that much. The only thing he cared about when he woke up, was if I was okay, and even said that his own injuries didn't matter. Dad mentioned that he's been through a lot, so I assume it has something to do with that." She said, trying to think about the right words to say.
She was pretty sure that she chose the right words, considering it was a broad understanding. She'd need to wait and see what other things she could tell from spending time with him. 'He also didn't seem bothered by killing, but it's best I don't mention that.' She thought to herself, knowing that Summer may react negatively to that.
"Hmm, I suppose that makes sense from what I could tell. I honestly thought he was a huntsman, or at least training to become one. That sword seemed like an awesome weapon, I hope he'll let me see it some time." Summer said with little stars in her eyes. Willow sighed, as she knew that weapon was likely something her dad gave to him.
"How strong is he?" Raven added. It was short and simple, which Willow appreciated. However, she almost felt like answering in a sarcastic way just to spite the girl. Though, she wasn't going to do that. She was still a proper lady with manners.
"Strong enough to take out a group of ten faunus, who easily ambushed our caravan that was filled with some of our best guards. He did it within the span of less than a minute. Though, I didn't get to see him fight himself." Willow said with a smile, though she had a feeling that Shirou was very good with those swords.
At her answer, Raven simply hummed, though Willow could see the slight grin on her face. Though, as she saw it, it reminded her of the few times she had seen Shirou smile. The one of Raven's face was similar to the small smiles she saw on Shirou's. They were small, but real. She knew that the normal smiles Shirou wore were practiced, she could tell because she made those smiles in public all the time.
She wondered if there was a way she could get Shirou to really smile one day. Not a small smile, even if they were genuine, but a real normal smile that most would make. She hummed to herself, 'Perhaps I'll make that my mission.'
"Do you think he'd spar with us?" Summer asked, interrupting Willow's thoughts. She looked towards her friend, who was looking at her, interested in her answer. Honestly, Willow wasn't sure.
"I don't see why not. He seemed pretty interested in the Vytal Festival. So, being able to spar with a huntress in training may be right up his alley." She answered. "Plus, I sort of want to see him fight too." She said with slightly reddened cheeks.
"Hmm, I'd like to see if he's really as good as you say he his. Though, I'm sure he won't disappoint." Raven added, with even Summer being surprised at her response. "He seems strong, so I'm interested." She continued with a shrug. Of course, neither Willow or Summer knew that she just wanted to get him back for what he said to her before.
Before either of them could speak up, Shirou walked in with a small cart. He raised a brow at the girls, who jumped at his arrival. However, he merely shook his head and began to hand out the plates. Willow noticed that he made separate dishes for each girl. Her's was different from the other girls', as their's seemed a bit more traditional.
Though, now that she thought about it, each dish seemed to line up with each person. Raven's dish in particular, which was steak with other sides, seemed to be to her liking. Shirou seemed to notice her questioning looks. He walked over and whispered. "I made you something I was really good at making, since you were interested. It's special curry that I made for a close friend of mine."
"You never mentioned where you learned how to cook, you know?" Willow decided to ask. Shirou looked at her for a moment, before he realized that he never mentioned it.
"There was a person I lived with that had very high standards when it came to food. So, I learned how to cook, then I found out that I quite enjoyed making food. So, as a hobby, I studied up on it when I had free time. Not to mention, cooking food for orphans and homeless people requires knowing how to cook." He replied with nearly noticeable smile.
'Orphans and homeless people? Is Shirou seriously that selfless and perfect?' She thought to herself, before shaking her head. 'Probably not perfect, but selfless? Definitely. Seriously though, what kind of person is he? He's obviously trained to be an amazing warrior, yet, he chooses to talk about cooking and helping others?' She couldn't understand him.
Of course, the moment she decided to try the food, she wasn't really thinking about that much. 'He was making food like this for free?!' Needless to say, she was shocked that he was such a great cook. Then again, she had no idea that Shirou, in the beginning, learned how to cook this good just to prove something to Gilgamesh.
"Are you like a saint or something?" Summer asked with a laugh, though Shirou flinched slightly. It was an innocent enough question, and likely meant as a joke, but such words did feel like getting stabbed in the chest. A saint, he was not. He doubted if he was even worthy of being called a failed saint.
For him, it was insulting to those who had attained such a title, like Jeanne. Even if he had attempted to follow her example, the truth of the matter was this, he was an executor. No matter if it was to save others or to protect humanity, in the end, his hands were still stained with blood. Of course, he wasn't going to get upset by the question, but he would admit it did hurt a bit.
"Nothing quite so grand, unfortunately." He said with a slight smile. "I suppose you could say that I derive satisfaction from others happiness, so I enjoy helping others as much as I can." He was the opposite of his father in that way. His father enjoyed others suffering, but he only enjoyed others happiness. It may have been worse if not for Caren, Ciel, Jeanne, and Gil.
"Oh, that's like me! I love to make people smile. That's why I decided to become a huntress. I wanted to save others and protect their happiness, to try and make the world a better place." Judging by Willow's lack of reaction, and Raven's eye roll, they had already heard this before. However, Shirou couldn't help but lightly smile at her words.
Shirou wondered how that came about. For him, his father was already a priest and executor when he was adopted. Of course, his whole journey started when he learned about Jeanne D'Arc. He couldn't help but find her beliefs beautiful. So, began his way of life. His father told him about executors and what they did.
Needless to say, Shirou was interested in being a representative of God who protected and guided humanity. To save others like Jeanne and all the other saints was all he wanted. Of course, Gil found it amusing he wished to be like them, when he could have wished to be anything else. Surprisingly, Gil decided to offer some assistance as whenever possible, usually by throwing swords at him.
That was when he ran into a problem during his training, his sister, Caren Hortensia. She was a little younger than him, but she seemed to know him better than he knew himself. She claimed that what he wanted was impossible and pointless without any love in his heart. He didn't understand what she meant, so he asked her to show him.
If he was being completely honest, he had mistaken Willow for Caren at a distance. It was part of the reason he defended Willow so ardently. It was mainly wishful thinking. Caren was one of the few people Shirou trusted unequivocally.
Remembering her gave him mixed feelings honestly. Though, that described their relationship perfectly when he thought about it. Granted, she helped him and he felt like he was closer to his goal, but if he didn't know her as well as he did, he would have thought she was a devil. Apparently, his father thought she was too much like her mother when it came to him.
He didn't understand that until he grew older and learned about her mother, after which, he agreed. At the time, Shirou didn't understand why he needed to be saved, as he felt no desire for, nor was he deserving, of it. Of course, that didn't stop her. Thinking on it, he wouldn't be here if not for her. Then again, Ciel was similar.
Hearing Summer's reason for wanting to be a huntress made him remember such things. He didn't understand why. Maybe it was how bright and full of life she was. A part of him wondered if it was naivety, but he highly doubted it. Her eyes had a faint distinction that reminded him of Jeanne. He could tell, Summer was stronger than she looked.
He must have been looking at her some way, as Summer quickly looked down at the remainder of her food with some redness on her cheeks. "Sorry, you just reminded me of a good friend of mine." He stated, before rubbing the back of his head. He then heard a small growl, followed by the clanging of silverware.
He turned and saw Raven, who was now looking at him with a scowl. 'Oh, that's not good.' Willow raised a brow and Summer looked at her friend with a tilt of her head. Funnily enough, Shirou noticed that she had eaten everything on her plate. 'Looks like reminiscing will have to wait for a bit.'
"Alright, enough messing around! You owe me a fight, Mr. Goody Two Shoes." Her words were followed by a few seconds of silence, probably at the abruptness of her words. Shirou could tell Willow wanted to say something, but he beat her to it.
"Oh? I don't remember ever hinting at such a desire, milady." He couldn't help but add in that last bit. He blamed Caren and Archer for that. They both knew how to get under your skin, in different ways. Raven's eyes narrowed and Shirou could tell that his words bothered her.
"I told you not to call me that." She grinded out, causing Shirou to let out a small huff. "And you owe me for exactly that. Besides, I'm tired of seeing you act like a goody two shoes when you're arguably one of the most dangerous people in this room." Her words shocked Summer, obviously not used to hearing such things from her friend.
Willow only narrowed her eyes at Raven. Shirou could tell she didn't like that one bit. Honestly, it was kind of heartwarming. She knew how dangerous he was. She had a front row seat to it after all, but it was clear that Willow didn't see him, nor treat him, like a hardened killer. It reminded him of how Caren used to treat him, but he wasn't sure if that was good.
"First off, this is my house, no one's going to fight here unless I say so. Second, don't talk to him that way. This whole thing isn't an act, it's just how he his." Shirou raised a brow at that. Granted, she was right, but she said it with so much confidence. "Finally, Shirou's still injured. He needs rest."
The two then glared at each other, neither showing any signs of backing down. "Um, Raven, I kind of agree with Willow. Shirou did just wake up recently, so he probably still needs some time to recuperate." Summer squeaked out, obviously a bit torn on whether or not to support her friend or her teammate.
"No, it's fine. I'll spar with her, I wanted to test out my new sword anyways. I've ate and I honestly feel a lot better than I have in a long time." Shirou interjected, which wasn't a lie. Considering It had been about a week, give or take a few days, since he had a day off. He had fought through the Grail War, which was hell, then got transported here.
That wasn't counting the days before all seven servants were officially summoned. So, really, it was a bit longer since he was fully rested. Willow looked at him incredulously. Yeah, he figured she would. Then again, he supposed it made sense. She didn't really know him in that context. He didn't know how it was for huntsmen, but executors were usually pretty tough.
Ciel's shroud, a mystic code she gave him, definitely helped with that. He was always surprised by magecraft, but his shroud was always amazing. It didn't really heal him, but it definitely helped keep him alive. Was it as strong as Jeanne's? No. However, in terms of versatility, it was definitely ranked pretty high.
"Shirou, you can't be serious? What if you end up hurting yourself even more?" She asked, ignoring the feral grin on Raven's face. Shirou had a small, playful smirk on his face.
"Then, I'll be relying on you to patch me back up, and I'll also listen to anything you tell me to do during said period of time until you deem me fully healed up." He noticed Willow's eyes widen, before she turned away from him with a huff. He heard Summer let out a small giggle, while Raven just seemed impatient.
"Yeah, yeah, you can get him to rock your world later, tell us where we can fight before I get bored." Willow grumbled a bit, before standing up from her chair.
"Follow me." Was her curt reply, though Shirou could tell she was making sure to keep her face hidden from him. Honestly, if he wasn't used to hearing such things, he'd probably red in the face right now too. It had a lot to do with the fact that Willow was arguably one of the most beautiful women he'd laid eyes on.
Granted, Summer and Raven's looks weren't too far behind, but Willow just had a different aura around her. It was different from the women he knew before, that was even counting Saber, Caster, and Rider. He didn't know why, but he figured it had to do with her overall personality, considering she did remind him of a princess.
'This is a bad idea.' Willow thought to herself. While she was indeed worried about Shirou's well-being, she was also worried about him exposing his skills too much. Though, she was also thinking about what her father might think about seeing his skill as well. 'If he sees that Shirou is capable enough to protect me, maybe Shirou's suggestion about traveling might be possible.'
She let out a small sigh. She knew that she couldn't make Shirou stop now, especially since she kind of wanted to see him knock Raven around a bit. "Are you absolutely positive that you'll be fine?" She asked Shirou, who was walking beside her while putting on some gloves after he had rolled up his sleeves.
"If you knew how well rested I actually was, you likely wouldn't be asking me that. However, I can assure you that I won't push myself too far. Raven isn't all talk, there's no doubt about that. However, you haven't seen me fight in any condition other than heavily injured. So, hopefully, I'll be able to assuage any fears you might have after you start watching." Willow wasn't sure about that reply.
Granted, he was right. However, she had already guessed that Shirou didn't really care about his own health all that much. That was the main reason behind her trepidation. She peered over at him, seeing him pull out and inspect his sword as they walked. The fact he was going to fight in his clothes from earlier, even keeping on the blue vest, was a bit surprising.
'Those colors do look rather good on him.' She hummed to herself, before opening a door to an empty hall. She noticed Shirou looking around the room. It was largely empty, but that was because most of the things in it were automated. The armored sentries on the wall were one such thing. She wondered if he had access to such facilities where he was from.
"We mainly sparred against human opponents." She heard Shirou say, causing her to blush a bit. 'I said that out loud.' She heard him let out a small chuckle. "It is rather interesting. I take it you use this room quite often?" She nodded to the question.
"My dad was insistent that I be able to protect myself, though taking on multiple human opponents wasn't something I was trained in." If it was, Willow was sure she would have been able to protect herself when they were ambushed. Even if it was grimm, she was sure she could fight them off, but human opponents were another story entirely.
"Well, I don't mind teaching you how to do so. It takes some getting used to, but I'm sure you'll pick it up in no time. I can tell you're quite talented." She couldn't help but shake her head at him. He never seemed to have a bad thing to say about her, or rather, no kind of critique. So far, he had only ever complimented her, which was a bit jarring, since she knew he was just saying it like it was nothing.
She let out a small hum, before watching him replace the dust crystals in his sword. It did intrigue her that he seemed to inspect the dust crystals before replacing them. She then watched him move his hand towards the dust on his belt, before mimicking the movement to replace the ejected dust on his sword.
She then saw him place the sword in different positions, before continuing the action. He then frowned for a moment, before he took out the cylinder and seemingly inspected it. "It'd be quicker to carry spare cylinders, or maybe speed loaders, rather than reload by hand." He muttered, before sighing and placing the cylinder back into the sword.
"Well, he did say it was a prototype. Maybe I can offer upgrade ideas as long as I have it." She could tell he was simply thinking out loud at this point. Though, she was a bit intrigued. 'It seems he's more than just a fighter. Then again, I know most huntsmen make their own weapons.' Though, she had a feeling that Shirou was seeing the sword in a way she couldn't.
The door opened, revealing Raven and Summer, both wearing completely different clothes. To Shirou, he was surprised that Raven's outfit reminded him of Japan. Her clothing, as well as her armor, all resembled armor one might see on a samurai. Minus the skirt and boots of course. The color scheme caused his eye to twitch though, being reminded of Archer.
Summer, on the other hand, seemed to be wearing some sort of red and black combat style dress with black sleeves. The rose logo was easily noticeable. Though, her white cloak was quite eye catching. It was actually interesting. He had a minor headache when he looked at her weapon though, and not because he couldn't trace it.
It was the fact that it had multiple forms. He supposed the efficiency in having two weapons in one was good, but it was still a bit jarring. Then again, Ciel's scripture had multiple different forms, including a gun. Sadly, he didn't have access to that weapon, or rather, he had access to a limited hollow imitation.
Raven's was plain, all things considered. He actually liked it even. It reminded him of black keys in a sense. The blades were made out of dust, allowing her to use whatever she needed at the time. 'Seems like it'd eat up quite a bit of dust though.' He had toyed with the idea of creating something similar out of black keys, but no matter what, it wouldn't increase the efficiency of the effects, so he scrapped it.
"Um, well, good luck. We'll be sitting somewhere where we won't have to worry about getting in the way." Willow said, gesturing towards a section of the room that seemed to made to view any training done inside. He noticed Summer smile and wave at him, before following quickly behind Willow.
"Is that seriously what you're wearing?" Raven asked, placing a hand on her hip. Shirou raised a brow before looking at himself. 'Bazett used to dress like this all the time.' The amused grin on his face must have showed, as Raven frowned at him.
"Sorry, I have yet to find a replacement for my original gear, so this will have to do. Besides, this will do for now." He replied, before unbuttoning the top buttons on his shirt. "Though, I must admit, compared to what you're wearing, I feel like I'm lacking. Then again, I suppose the princess needs to look her best." He said with a small smirk. Raven narrowed her eyes, before letting out a small growl.
"I can't wait to wipe that stupid look off your face." Raven said with a twisted smile. "And you better not die right away, otherwise I'll be pissed." Shirou sighed, before shrugging.
"Well, I'll do my best to impress. So, why don't we get this started, Rae?" His words actually seemed to throw her off for a moment. It was minor, but he could see her eyes slightly widen, as her manic smile faltered for a moment.
She quickly recovered though, placing a hand on her sheathed sword. Shirou could only respond by standing in a stance himself. He had plenty of knowledge on how to fight with a sword like this, so it wasn't too hard to understand. Then there was Raven, whose stance resembled iaido, which was surprising.
He couldn't help the small smile from forming on his face at the familiar stance. A part of him wanted to trace one of the katanas within his reality marble, but he held himself back. Besides, there was no real reason to do so at the moment. His natural skill would be enough for enough. He took in a deep breath, before manipulating a dial on the handle to switch to ice dust, then he pulled the trigger, turning the blade into a icy blue color.
As Willow and Summer were watching from the observation room, there were a few others who were also watching in secret. Raven and Summer didn't actually have their combat outfits with them at the moment, so Raven had to use her semblance to retrieve them. To their surprise, their teammates were with the headmaster and Nicholas Schnee.
Ozpin was relatively young to be headmaster, but Nicholas understood the need to create better relationships for his business. The idea to supply dust to the different academies was actually Willow's idea and it worked splendidly, despite the Atlas council kicking up a fuss. Needless to say, that was how Nicholas met Ozpin.
He was still a bit wary around the man. Nicholas had met his type before, the ones who always had secrets. It was always best to be on the side of caution. Keeping an eye on him was one such way of doing that. He hadn't expected for him to show up this early though. Then there were two of his students, who informed him about Summer and a girl named Raven who ran into Willow and Shirou.
That was a bit sad, as their little outing was interrupted. While Shirou's origins may have been mysterious, Nicholas could tell the boy wasn't nearly as complex as other people. His actions so far, as well as his disposition, told Nicholas that he wasn't hiding who he was. He was upfront and honest. He also recognized a soldier when he saw one.
Shirou was a warrior, he had no doubt about that. When comparing him to Jacques, Nicholas was able to see that Shirou was likely a better choice for his daughter. He may have meddled a bit, but he wouldn't force anything, not that he had to. Whether she wanted to admit it or not, Willow had already taken an interest in him. Shirou was similar, as he seemed rather comfortable around his daughter.
Considering he was getting older, as well as the fact that he knew he wasn't the best choice to lead the company, he wanted to try and make it so that Willow wouldn't have anything to worry about in the future. Shirou appearing was like a miracle in all honesty, considering he was the kind of person that would take care of his daughter if the two did actually grow closer.
Of course, he wanted to be absolutely sure, so when the Summer and Raven appeared asking for their gear to spar with Shirou, Nicholas saw this as the perfect opportunity to see what he was capable of. He had only heard about what happened from Willow, so he was interested to see if Shirou was really as good as she made him out to be. Of course, he wouldn't tell Willow he was watching just yet.
The fact Ozpin and the other two kids came with him was a bit disconcerting, mainly because of Ozpin. He wasn't oblivious to Ozpin's way of doing things. If Shirou interested him, he'd likely try to recruit him into his academy. He wasn't all that worried about it, as Shirou would likely turn it down. So, that led to now, the four of them looking at a large monitor that was showing the training room.
Nicholas was watching Shirou closely, especially since he seemed rather experienced with combat. The fact he was going through motions to figure out ways to reload his weapon efficiently told him a lot. There was even the way he regularly changed through stances and grips, like he was judging the best way to use the sword was telling. Shirou was experienced and was well trained.
"Hmm, Raven's not usually so fired up to fight someone." He heard the blonde kid speak, 'Tai was his name I believe?' He let out a small grunt. "Wonder what the reason is?" Nicholas had an idea. Branwen was a familiar name. Strength was valued, yet, there was more to this. He knew it likely had to do with Shirou.
"Ah, what's it matter? She'll run through him and be back to her usual cranky self by the end of the day." Qrow, the girl in question was his sister, so it made sense he'd think that. However, Nicholas had a feeling this would end very different for them. He couldn't help but have a bad feeling that it would only cause trouble for the poor boy.
The two stood ready, likely waiting for any small movement to begin their dance. Shirou was the first to the move, taking a quick step forward and delivering a quick slash, firing off a blade of ice at Raven. The ice quickly broke the moment it reached her, with only the sound of her sword sheathing indicating that she had drawn her sword at all.
Shirou's eyes narrowed for a moment, before delivered multiple consecutive attacks of ice at the girl. Once again, the first blade was broke, before each subsequent attack was cut through with swift attacks. This time, Raven kept her sword out. Shirou hummed to himself, before taking a deep breath.
Without any indication, Raven shot forward with amazing speed, however, Shirou reacted just in time to parry the blade aimed at his neck. With a quick deft movement, Shirou's hand shot up and grabbed onto Raven's wrist. With a quick spin, he was about to deliver an elbow the girl's chest, however, she quickly brought her leg up and kicked off his back to create some distance.
Without wasting a moment, she shot forward again. Shirou quickly regained his posture and aimed a thrust into the girl's current trajectory, making her swing her sword to throw off the attack. She then threw a kick towards his midsection, which Shirou blocked with his offhand, though he was pushed back a bit.
Raven's red blade then burst into flames as she delivered an attack towards him, firing off a large blaze towards him. As if on instinct, Shirou pressed the trigger of his sword and quickly spun the sword around and stabbed it into the ground, creating a makeshift wall of ice between the two.
The moment the attacks clashed, a burst of steam filled the area. Shirou then cycled through some dust, changing into a black dust crystal. With the low visibility, Shirou decided to rely on his training and senses. Taking a calming breath, he focused his senses outwards. In a flash, Shirou reacted on autopilot and managed to dodge an attack aimed towards his leg.
More attacks shot towards him, each faster than the other. After the fifth time, Shirou quickly pressed the trigger of on his weapon, before throwing his sword into the fog. He heard the sound of two swords making contact, allowing him to take a hard step towards the sound. A slow attack came towards him, the gravity dust doing its job in slowing her down and allowing Shirou bring his hand up to grip her sword hand, before lowering his body and shoulder, and slamming into Raven's body.
On reflex, Shirou reached for black keys that he didn't have, causing him to click his tongue in annoyance. He noticed his sword on the ground, but he didn't have time to grab it. His eyes slightly widened, before taking a step back and getting a scratch on his cheek. 'I know I sent her into the wall, yet, she recovered that quick?' That was when he noticed the shimmering around Raven's body.
'It's like those ones in the woods.' Aura, it was something he remembered from tracing weapons and from Willow. 'So, aura is used as a shield of sorts. Perhaps it even works as a type of reinforcement.' Surprisingly, he could tell Raven wasn't winded in the slightest, though he could tell she still felt his attack. He wondered if aura was able to resist the martial arts he was using.
As he was thinking, he failed to notice the glare Raven was sending towards him. "Do you not not have access to aura? Or are you purposely holding back?" Her words were cold and angry, but Shirou couldn't help but internally smile. 'For all her words and that thorny exterior, the moment she noticed she cut me, she stopped.'
"Sorry, it wasn't my intention to make it seem like that." Was his reply, and it was the truth. He didn't have aura, at least, not in the same sense. Whatever the medics did to him did help him heal somehow, but he couldn't make a small shield around his body. "You're really good, Raven. I'd even rank you pretty high on my list of human opponents based on skill and speed."
Raven raised a brow, wondering what he was getting at. "From this moment on, I won't be holding back. I suggest you do the same." The air had changed, it was easily noticeable to anyone watching. The fact that Raven tensed and subconsciously brought her weapon up was evidence of that fact. "Trace on." The words were barely a whisper, but the effect was instantaneous.
Blue lines appeared on Shirou's arms and ran up his neck onto his face. He brought a hand up and swept his hair back, before two swords appeared in his hands in blue arcs of energy, one black and the other white. Raven was puzzled as to why he switched, until she noticed how those swords seemed to complete him. "Kanshou and Bakuya." He spoke softly, raising each sword to signify which was which.
"From this moment forward, don't let up. Fight with your experience and instinct, don't let what you've learned at that academy slow your down your form. Now, Shirou Hortensia stands before Raven Branwen, come and show me your strength, if you're worthy." His words may have sounded foreign to everyone, but Raven and Qrow knew those words and even introduction. It was a challenge to a duel in the tribe.
Raven had a large feral grin on her face like clearly showed off her excitement. She didn't know where he learned those words, but she didn't care anymore. "Raven Branwen will crush your strength under her foot, and prove her worth in a dance of blades" Her blood was boiling and her heart beat fast against her chest. 'Finally, I found the one to challenge me.'
Done, sorry, decided to listen to one of y'all and took a break. I'm back full time now, and the other stories are already being worked on and getting close to finished. Lost Hero of Chaldea will be getting a reading story, hopefully soon. I underestimated how long those chapters were. I decided to do a timeskip for the main story, but only a two year skip where Thalia is the focus mainly. It'll be an experiment since I plan on writing Shirou's daughters chapters in a similar way. Anyways, not a whole lot happened, mainly talking and setting things up, but the next chapter shouldn't take to long to write. Tell me what you think of the mothers so far, as I'm working on young versions of them that we haven't really seen. Next chapter will set up more of the plot, Jacques, Salem, and a little bit more. Now, I hope y'all enjoyed that chapter, thanks for reading and for all the support and reviews, it really means a lot. If you have questions, feel free to ask, either on the website or the app, I have both up now. Now, once again, I appreciate you reading and, as always, until next time.