A/N: A small interlude before the next arc. See the status of my fics in the end. We have to talk. Also about my new fic.
Also, reviews:
Lugal Kug-ga: I'll have to blueball you for now. Also, schooling is out cuz Illya was homeschooled along with Shirou. It's mostly court politics and mysteries.
Bucio: Whoa! A bit intense there buddy! But yeah, the ending served as an emphasis on Shirou's mindset, he was not fixed. Ever. Without Saber to fixate to, he goes a bit overboard.
Dimihd: For now, it is.
Yanno4o6: Thanks.
Now, onto the story!
EDIT: Give me ideas for Peace at Last cuz i really got nothing.
Illya
Illya sat in the couch on front of the television, controller in hand. It was her third playthrough of "Royal Road." The otome game that Taiga recommended to her while discussing about modern technology. Weeks passed by as she read through walls of text, while wooing men and solving mysteries as the Meriel Mayfield, the cute heroine of the story. While fighting and getting abused by the bratty princess Elise and the narcissistic Lady Elizabeth.
One would notice that she was only wearing a big white T-shirt and her underwear. An outfit that would make Sella faint if she just witnessed what her lady had been wearing this past few days. Well… not that they would notice it anyway because they're…
'No! Only happy memories from now on! I don't want to spend my last days mourning!' She shook her head. Yes, that is correct. Sooner or later she would expire, it is best that she spend her last days being happy. She could feel her legs giving out by the moment, which is why she prefers to sit down if she could. She was also nearing her twenties now… it's a miracle that she even survived a year and a half after the war.
Suddenly, her head turned to her back. She looked at the red-headed young man wearing an apron at the kitchen counter. She smiled, fondly looking at her brother. "Shirou! Are you done?" The child of winter called. Shirou told her earlier that he would prepare snacks for her if she behaves well. Not that she could be as energetic as she was, given her condition.
"Just a moment." Her brother assured. Looking satisfied with his work. He had been traveling for awhile now. During his breaks he would actually try and learn new recipes to integrate to his repertoire. "Let me get the cake in the refrigerator and I'm probably done for the day."
Illya nods in excitement. That's what she's been waiting for. "Alright! Take your time." Her gaze turned back to the TV, resuming her game. At the screen, is a beautiful ballroom background with a sprite of a handsome redhead king floating above a blue textbox. She was going for Isaiah's route next.
After a moment of pause, Illya thought of something. "Hey… Is it just me or Isaiah looks a lot like you?" She said, squinting her eyes.
Shirou was now beside her, holding a tray of sweets. He proceeded to put the tray down at Illya's table before speaking. "I dunno… I can't see myself wearing such a fancy outfit. Besides, the way he talks reminds me a bit of that golden bastard." He spoke, cupping his chin.
[Hmph. Someone of your stature should be honored at merely standing beside me at this ball. Reserved for the highest of prestige.]
{I am grateful, Your Majesty.}
{Thanks Isaiah!}
Shirou shot a deadpan stare at his sister. "See?"
Illyasviel shrugged her shoulders as she grabbed a cookie from the plate that her brother was holding before pressing the "X" button. "You just don't know a girl's heart, Shirou. Just look!" She pointed at the screen.
The young man stared at the screen, hesitation in his mind. What he saw made him raise a brow. Illya chose the second option. He really doesn't get where Illya was coming from, but she looks pretty excited so he decided to indulge his little- no, older sister.
[H-hah! As you should! Now, let us go!]
The sprite on the screen changed from a smug face to a shy, blushing face. Illya's lips formed a smug grin, looking at Shirou. "See?" She said, mimicking Shirou's tone from earlier, much to the young magus' annoyance.
Really, he did not know how to reply. So his brain just commanded his mouth to speak. "That's…good?" Shirou responded, trying to sound as nice as possible. 'I don't understand.' Those were his actual thoughts.
Unfortunately. Illya understood her brother's intentions. "Mou! You're supposed to be the Japanese one in here! Gap moe Shirou! Gap moe!" She spoke, pouting in annoyance. "Delinquent feeding a stray cat kind of thing." The young girl formed fists with both of her hands, raising them as an angry vein began to form in her temple.
"Huh…" Shirou looked down as he contemplates. Yes. He's heard about something like that back at high school. His classmates were talking pretty loudly about it too. He really doesn't understand the appeal. People should be true to themselves. Just look how much Tohsaka struggles in keeping that "perfect student" face of hers. Maybe that's the reason why she's so emotional when they talk.
Now back to the topic. He could see the resemblance… at least briefly. The hair looks a bit awkward though. Now that he thought about it Isaiah's a pretty silly name for a king. No other reason, he just thinks that it is.
"Oh boy she's back." Illya suddenly spoke. Breaking Shirou out of his thoughts.
Shirou looked down and noticed his sister's annoyed expression. He looked at the screen and saw an image of a white-haired girl with red eyes, not unlike Illya's. Her hair was tied in twin-tailed curls, which reminded Shirou of someone he met at the Clock Tower way back. She wore a very sour expression.
"Who was that?" Shirou asked as the screen changed scenes into that of a crowd cheering at the king's arrival. The sounds of applaud and wine glasses came out of the speakers.
Illyasviel breathed a sigh of exasperation. "That… is Elise. The less I talk about her, the better." Illya answered while wearing a gloomy expression. It seems that she disliked that Elise character. Shirou opted not to pry. Wouldn't want to be the target of Illya's rants.
Now looking at the screen. Illya suddenly changed her face from annoyance, to that of exhaustion. "Bad End? Again? What did I do wrong this time?"
Shirou saw that the screen went black. With "Bad End" spelled in all caps at the corner. He thought that phrase looked familiar. But he shrugged it off, probably nothing.
A few minutes passed as Illya tried and tried again to get something right. Shirou continued to observe. Not saying anything. When unexpectedly, he heard the front door open, followed by a jolly voice.
"Shirou! What are you cooking for lunch!?" It was Taiga Fujimura. That level of tact couldn't be attributed to anyone but her. A day would come where she would need to act her age. Whenever that day is? Shirou was not sure.
He just decided to answer like usual."I haven't even started yet! Also don't yell, we can hear you just fine." He answered. She was a bit too early to be honest. Not that he objects- it's useless anyway, popping out of nowhere is her staple at this point.
She entered the vicinity and saw the brother-sister pair sitting with eachother. "Areh?" She tilted her head. "My my. Aren't you two just the cutest?" She cooed, adoring the sight of the two bonding.
His eyes widened. "Fuji-nee!" Shirou's cheeks became as red as his hair. He looked away from Taiga to hide his embarrassment. Unfortunately, he was cornered.
Illya looked up to him with a toothless smug smile. Like she knew more than she was letting on. This was a setup. He was tricked. It was unfair- whatever! Shirou bolted from the sofa. "I'm going to the kitchen!" He stood up and walked as fast he can as he returned to the kitchen counter.
"Well that was pretty out of character." Illya remarked. She'd seen Shirou embarrassed before, but not to this extent. She looked at Taiga.
"Fufu~! He always hated being called cute." The other just laughed. "That's what he gets for scolding me all the time!" She hopped to the sofa and sat beside Illyasviel. "Aaanyway! How's Royal Road going?" She asked, now looking at the TV.
"Ugh." Illya winced. "I'm trying Isaiah's route this time. But it always ends with him being poisoned at chapter 2." Her shoulders drooped as she puts down the controller. "I dunno what I'm doing wrong."
"Ah!" A lightbulb manifested within Taiga's mind. "You remember that scene where you choose what to dispose of while cleaning the kitchen?" She inquired, looking confident.
"Uhuh?" Illya nods. 'Where's she going with this?'
"You need to click the drawer near the magic stove. You'll find a bottle inside of it. The game then will give you a choice if you want to bring it with you or not." The teacher relayed.
"What-? Why didn't the game hint at doing that?" The child of winter asked, ver tone mixed with annoyance and confusion.
"Yeah, I know. It's stupid." Taiga just shrugged, completely agreeing with the young girl. Royal Road's always been like this. Stupidly confusing for an Otome Game.
"Anyway. Isn't it weird to leave a poison bottle at the kitchen drawer?" Illya asked.
"It was supposed to be a setup. To frame Meriel. But considering who's the mastermind, it's not surprising." Taiga answered.
"Let me guess… Elise?" She guessed. Sloppy plans belong to such badly written character.
Taiga nods slightly. "Yeah."
Illya just sighed. She truly did not like Elise in the slightest. It looked like she was just shoved inside the story without thought and only exist to annoy people. 'I wonder if the books where like that too.' She thought. Now that she thinks about it, the game was based on a western book, maybe she could ask Shirou to buy her one next time he travels.
A Few Weeks Later, Shirou
Shirou stood in a grassy field surrounded by ruins. With a single sign and a semi-buried tomb in front of him. Only he knows what his reason for coming here. He might just appear as a random tourist. But no one knew the personal significance of this place to him.
Glastonbury. The alleged grave of King Arthur. 'I really thought it would be grander.' Shirou said to himself as he looks at the sign that indicates the King's resting place. He expected Saber's tomb to be in a more pristine shape than it is. Well he really couldn't blame anyone but himself for having such high expectations.
'Considering Saber's personality she probably would be okay with this.' He thought, the swordswoman might appear regal but he found out that she apparently prefers a modest life-style. Which directly contradicts her gluttonous appetite but he just shoves it to her lacking mana and having a dragon core for a heart. Who thought that shoving an energy generator equivalent of a nuclear reactor could lead to unforeseen consequences? Merlin certainly didn't.
He kneeled down beside the grave and spoke; "Well… how do I say this. Hi? Been a long time since we saw each other. A year or so perhaps?" He knew that he was just talking to himself. But it's the thought that counts. He might just be kneeling beside some random person's tomb… but really, was it really his fault? "Illya's been having nightmares lately… I don't know how to resolve it without me actually sleeping in her room. Well, I just wanna say that… I want to postpone my search for you. Just until Illya recovers." He said so solemnly, as if pleading. "I just hope you're okay with that."
He smiled. "But really. I miss you… and I just plead with all my heart- that you have it in you to wait a little more." Shirou spoke in a gentle manner.
Suddenly he felt something bizarre. His nose picked the smell of mana. He sensed the wind around him stop. The surroundings got silent. Like everything stopped from moving. He stood up to look for everyone and found nothing. "What the hell?" He spoke, no one is here with him, the cars at the parking space, gone. The tourists, also gone. He was truly alone.
"How did this happen? A bounded field?" That was the only explanation he could muster. The grass seemed greener. The sky seems brighter, the sun- comfortably warm.
Just then, he heard a huff behind him. Shirou turned back and saw man leaning into a ruin. Smirking.
"An absolute knob. I do not get why that hog is all over you." The man spoke. He has brown hair and a fair face. Wearing an armor that seemed familiar to Shirou… he just could not in his life put his finger on it.
"Oi, look me in the eye when I'm talking to you. Didn't your mum teach you that?" He sneered. Now Shirou was sure that he really was talking to him.
"You are…?" Shirou asked. Inquiring on who the man was. He did not sense any hostile intentions, so he's sure that he was safe as long as he does everything calmly.
"Christ." The man scratched his head. And indication of annoyance. "Did she not tell you about me?" The man stood straight and approached Shirou, stopping midway and bowing. "Kay, Knight of the Round Table. Here at non-service."
"Sir…Kay." Now he remembers where he saw that armor from. It was one of Artoria's memories, along with the rest of the Round Table. He's someone dear to Saber. "Yes, she told me about you." She just did not describe him well enough.
"Huh, Lemme guess. She did not have anything pleasant to say." Kay replied with a knowing smirk.
Shirou just chuckled through. He breathed a sigh of relief as he felt comfort at the Knight's presence. Then he spoke; "Right, she told that you were- and I quote: "Boorish, blunt, an absolute menace to talk to, and all-and-all being just an absolute pain to deal with. But on the other hand, somewhat responsible when he needs to, an excellent knight, and a loyal companion that wouldn't hesitate to criticize you for your mistakes." End quote…yep." He finished with a cheeky mild grin that a certain Archer once wore.
"HAH!" He laughed loudly. "'Course Wart described me like that!" Kay just sighed and spoke while slowly walking towards Shirou. "She's always been like: "Father, Kay's being an arse again! Father, Kay left me inside the pigsty! Father, Kay beat me with a stick! Father, Father, Father!" or whatever next bullshite she got 'erself into." Kay finished while grinning, reminiscing about the past. "Makes you wonder how Arthur came to be."
Shirou could feel genuine sadness from the last lines. Now, Shirou just realized. 'He loves Artoria, but absolutely hates Arthur.' Her kingship strained a lot of relationships within her life. Forced to be indifferent to her foster family, forced to kill her emotions to lead Britain to glory.
With a moment of pause, Shirou thought of his next plans. Would Saber really approve of it?
"And that's why!" Shirou felt his footsteps getting faster and faster almost at a running pace. "You-!" he formed a fist with his right hand. He was now rushing to the young man. Which made Shirou raise his guard.
"What the-!" Without even a blink. "Aak-!" A punch collided with Shirou's gut.
"-Should get your act together!" Kay finished. Anger in his eyes. "Leave this place, quit being a cunt and take care of your family!" He yelled, commanding Shirou. "She'll approve of it. So go away and return once you're done. Before it's too late."
Shirou looked up with a pained expression. He noticed that no one was there. The tourists appeared again, the surrounding area became noisier. And the grass returned to its natural color. He stood up, clutching his belly.
Yeah, he's got approval. He'll have to hurry home to tend to Illya.
As he walked away, he felt an odd warmth in his heart. He closed his eyes and analyzed himself. 'What the!?' It was Avalon, activated.
A/N: So… it ends like that. Anyway, some of you might be a little bit surprised that I'm updating this fic a bit faster than the others. Reasons: I got plans. I'm going on an OJT next week, and I'm probably gonna be a too busy to write. So just hang in there.
About Peace at Last… I am currently writing a chapter… but failed. I got no ideas. If you have some pm me. Something that doesn't involve Chaldea, I want something mundane, because I'm really disappointed with its current direction. That's the real reason why I was not updating for a month.
As a result, I wrote a new fic. "A Romcom About a Priest and a Golden Queen" You can check if you want. It's a slice of life, post-hgw story about a Priest Shirou and a Genderbent Gilgamesh. Just to get the itch off.
Anyway, follow and favourite, please review too. TM out, bye!
