Hello, friends! KaleidoMirror is back! I know it's been a while, but I actually lost a part of the files for this story. However, I still have some outlines of the story, so all is not lost. I decided to hurry up and split this chapter into two parts. Once I finish it, I'll publish it. I'd love to hear what you think about it.
Honestly, I'm really excited about what you can expect from "The Forge and The Foam". This is the strongest Shirou among all my crossovers, but also the one who will suffer the most and grow the most personally. So, eagerly await the next update. Let me know what you think!
On another note, no one found the hidden clue in my story "Can a Sword Have a Romantic Teenage Comedy?" except for one reader on Wattpad. But, that's a different story altogether. In the end, that's just one possibility if everything goes wrong in the story. I hope you manage to guess it.
I want to share what I wrote with all the enthusiasm and love for masterpieces like Rick Riordan's "Percy Jackson and the Olympians" and Nasu and TypeMoon's "Fate/Stay Night". I greatly appreciate you giving me the opportunity to share this work with you, and I hope you enjoy it as much as I enjoyed writing it.
Are you ready? Enjoy it!
Drew Tanaka gazed into her bedroom mirror, adjusting her dark hair cascading over her shoulders with disdain. Wrestling with the brush to reshape her iconic twin ponytails, her green eyes glimmered with inner fire.
"I got it wrong again. The previous style doesn't suit me at all. It made me look ridiculous," she chastised herself, frustrated, as she continued the task of restoring her hair to normalcy.
It was incredible how, at the tender age of seven, Drew had already mastered the art of manipulation and charm, skills she employed to get her way in any situation. Spoiled and egocentric, she was known as the little fashion princess at Meadows Private School in the elementary section. However, beneath that facade of confidence and beauty, there was a deep-seated frustration that had been growing within her for years.
"I hope Dad doesn't take too long this time," she sighed, leaving her things in front of the dresser and applying perfume with a forced smile.
Drew's life had been extremely complicated since she could remember.
To begin with, her father, Miotoki Tanaka, was a renowned retired fashion designer with Japanese roots. It wasn't surprising given his involvement in influential business networks in that field. However, there were days when her father, despite his current wealth and prestige, seemed to grapple with complicated feelings associated with the abandonment of his former ancestral surname, "Tohsaka." Drew understood little, but she grasped that her origins traced back to priests and guardians of an ancient temple in Nara Prefecture.
For her, that heritage was a burden, a constant reminder of what could have been if her father hadn't forsaken his legacy.
Fortunately, she didn't follow that family tradition or bear the responsibility of being a "True Tohsaka," as her father had been disowned by his paternal family in the past. Hence, she had to adopt another identity, one that wouldn't allow her to completely stray from her roots.
"I still don't understand why my father cherishes this stupid old ruby pendant so much," Drew spoke bluntly. She wasn't surprised; she had seen better ones in her father's private collection, but this one definitely held the most value to him. That's why she would never comprehend her father's nostalgic longing for his roots and what this object meant; it was time to let go of the past and focus on things that truly mattered.
But she was her father's princess, so she could muster enough generosity and love to fulfill his most important wishes, even if it meant spending some vacation time visiting a place she never thought she'd set foot in her life, at least not so soon.
"I never expected the family temple to be so boring," she murmured, recalling her trip to Japan last year.
In the end, she had to force a smile to please her father, who had decided to visit the family temple as tourists, as his paternal family had never contacted him since he was disowned. So, this unexpected visit only exacerbated his feelings.
The Tohsaka Temple had a long history dating back to the 6th century AD. It was evident in the architecture and iconic elements like the wooden gojunoto. Drew noticed during the tour elements of Buddhist art, including sculptures, paintings, and relics dating back to the early days of Buddhism in Japan. Despite learning a lot, she got bored; being materialistic didn't mean she wasn't intelligent. Drew was highly intelligent in various fields, although she often failed at the little important things when making decisions. Something that weighed on her young heart, she encouraged herself to improve in that area in the future.
That's why she momentarily felt fascinated by her ancestors' history, but soon the reality of her new life in Nevada, Las Vegas, hit her again. She longed for the extravagance of the bright lights and glamour of Sin City, a world apart from the serenity of the temple in Japan.
"At least I managed to learn something more about my roots," she thought, trying to find a positive aspect in this unexpected situation.
Before ending their short vacation, father and daughter had visited other places within the country, enjoying this family bonding experience, making it a gratifying experience for both. "Maybe they could try a new trip next season," she smiled, remembering how she had enjoyed the exquisite Japanese food, "Sure, if Dad promises to buy me enough homemade Japanese sweets, I'll reconsider," she said in a pleasant humor.
However, not everything was rosy with her father; the other side of the coin lay in everything concerning her mother.
Her absence in her life was an open wound that her father refused to discuss, for every time the subject arose, it was evident to the man that her shadow still weighed heavily on his heart. It was not unexpected for anyone that Drew felt partially abandoned, wondering why her mother had left her. Although her father never blamed her for it, the girl continued to feed her thoughts with painful questions about her abandonment and her own worth, fueling her negative feelings.
"Stop thinking about that," she scolded herself, pushing those thoughts out of her mind as she gracefully swung her right ponytail, nothing good came every time she reflected on these topics that were very personal to her.
"You'll pay for this, Shirou Smith!" she seethed with anger, cursing her sworn enemy's name aloud and hurling some of her designer dolls in fury.
Drew's anger flared up as she remembered the red-haired boy who challenged her dominance at school.
It all started when Shirou Smith arrived at school two years ago. The boy was too kind, honest, and responsible for his own good, not to mention his seriousness that few children had at his age. She hated how he interfered in each of her plans and how he easily got on her nerves. Shirou had struck at the heart of her pride, staining it, so her attitude toward him had only worsened when he steadfastly refused to follow her demands despite all opportunities to ingratiate himself with her.
Perhaps she had initially thought well of him since his transfer as both came from elite backgrounds. It was no secret about the extent of the redhead's family company, Vulcanus, as a pioneer in the field of electronics and automotive materials. Especially since it had gained local fame since it began operations in the state of Nevada, not to mention that its headquarters were deeply rooted in the state of Texas, which had catapulted it to a new high point in the American market.
Strangely enough, both children had a certain degree of affinity for knowledge of Greek and Japanese mythology; besides, both had some mild complications with dyslexia and ADHD. It was these similarities that initially made Drew consider Shirou someone similar to her, but everything had been ruined when he was completely inflexible in his views.
So Smith had been considered a little hero since "1st Grade." Especially now that he had a great deal of "heroic stories" on his shoulders, her disdain had only grown to the point that just looking at him deeply irritated Drew.
"In next week's school trip, I'll make sure you know where you belong," she smiled maliciously before looking at herself in the mirror again, "The cruise trip to Hawaii, it's something I can't wait for!"
Since the day Shirou rejected her, she had promised herself that she would make him regret his mistake. She would take every opportunity she had, using her intense eyes and captivating smile to make his life miserable and in the process forever cement her reign at school. She was Drew Tanaka, the little queen of Meadows School, and no one was going to take that away from her. However, deep down in her heart, she knew that the red-haired boy was beginning to unearth emotions she would prefer to keep buried.
Here we conclude the first half of the first chapter due to lack of time; the other part will be uploaded soon.
It's been really fun writing it, just like I enjoyed writing "Tantrum of the Spoiled Girl." It was refreshing to turn the page.
With this,KaleidoMirrorsays goodbye for now. Until next time!