Fate: Bonds Beyond Humanity

by Apprentice of Life

In a world where all can be real, what does it mean to be human? What is the meaning of humanity? A meeting between a human and a devil will have them discovering the truth while chasing their dreams. My take on the combined worlds of Fate and DxD with characters from other franchises if they can be adapted to it. Harem.

43. Chapter 43

Fate/Bonds Beyond Humanity

…..

43- Nightly Temptations

…..

Dragging themselves through the streets made everyone lament about not having a car. Hard to not think about it since most of them were getting used to running around Fuyuki either on their own or in a limousine but Shirou's house was a few streets away from Kuoh and they couldn't teleport.

So on they walked, Shirou, Rias, Koneko, Xenovia and Irina with Medusa resting on the little Rook's back as Yoruichi took a nap on the King's shoulder.

After the whole ordeal with Caliburn was done and Kiba had left the premises without saying anything, everyone prepared to depart. Those that could move helped those that couldn't inside the ORC where a distraught Gasper was running around in a panic.

Fortunately the former dhampir hadn't been affected by Sanctuary since the boundary field of the club was disconnected from the main one, a small miracle. He quickly moved to collect Akeno who had been on the rooftop that Shirou had indicated and once the Queen woke up and checked everyone she asked Rias if she could leave for the night.

Understanding that Akeno needed some time for herself, Rias granted the request and, after she collected some improvised robes to cover the Exorcists and Durandal, she departed herself with her lover and their entourage, promising Sona that they would work to fix everything the next day.

She still needed to call her brother to inform him of the situation and while Rias had the mana to do it, she wanted to make that call at home where she could rest after. Or the next day when she felt better because the day felt long enough as it was.

"Ah!" Shirou suddenly stopped with a look of panicking that had everyone worried.

"What is wrong?" Rias asked first.

"Is the city still going to blow up?" Xenovia looked around for any sign of danger.

"Is Caliburn safe?" Irina felt that leaving the sword alone was a terrible idea despite the assurances that no one with ill intentions could get it.

Both Exorcists were now wearing different colors with Irina dressed in a red cloak that looked too small for her and revealing her boots while Xenovia had a blue one that was big enough to tie Durandal on her back.

"I didn't cook anything for dinner." Suddenly Shirou's panic was less worrisome.

"Shiro…" Rias relaxed as the urgency disappeared from her eyes and both Exorcists looked at him like he grew a second head.

However Shirou looked at his lover with a serious expression. "There is nothing to eat, Rias. Nothing. I didn't expect all that to happen and had no time to prepare anything."

"I'm hungry…" Yoruichi admitted from Rias' shoulder, one eye opening to show she was awake. "Used to much energy today."

"Me too." Koneko and Yoruichi shared a look.

"Me three." Medusa added while half asleep.

Rias began to massage her temples until she heard something growling. It was Xenovia's stomach and she blushed at her show of weakness. "Sorry."

A sigh escaped the redhead devil's lips. "We can just… call for a pizza once we get home."

Shirou frowned. "I don't like the idea of serving delivery to guests." Said guests look at him with mixtures of confusion and amusement.

"Shiro, don't even think about cooking."

"But Rias-"

"No buts. We are all exhausted, you more than all of us combined." Nobody could disagree as while they looked tired Shirou looked ready to pass out at any point.

'How is he still walking?' Xenovia couldn't help but think in wonder. Sure he was healed but just his face and dropped shoulders indicated that he had long passed his limits. 'Is he even human?'

Conventional Exorcist knowledge told her that 'yes', Shirou had to be human to have a Pact with a devil as a magician. Yet many things made her doubt the claim, Reality Marble being the chief of them all even if Xenovia really didn't understand what it was.

"Fine…" Shirou gave in after some argument and Rias smiled at him.

"Hey, don't worry. If everything goes well you will be back on your feet by tomorrow." The King scratched the nekomata's ears but the cat didn't react even if her breathing stiffened. 'Someone is nervous.' She chuckled at the thought.

Back to their march they went, some people in the street looking at them curiously as they were an odd group to be walking around even at night. It wasn't just the Exorcists that attracted attention as Shirou's clothes caught many eyes together with Rias' damaged uniform and Medusa traveling on Koneko's back.

There were some stares but nobody did or said anything which everyone was grateful for. As tired as they were, it would be hard to come up with excuses to avoid future problems.

Soon they were in the right district and Irina was impressed. "This place always was like this with huge houses and mansions." She turned to Rias with some envy. "Does working with devils pay that well?"

"Why? Interested?" Rias had a mischievous smile that gave Shirou a bad feeling. "Know that my peerage has room for a few more."

"No, thank you. I could never abandon the Lord like that. As Exorcists we should strive to always follow his teachings despite… whatever happened." Irina's conviction shone in a smile. Then she turned to her partner. "Right, Xenovia?" However, Durandal's owner looked distracted. "Xenovia?"

"Hm?" The bluehead noted the others had all stopped to look at her. "Yeah, sure."

"Are you alright?" Rias asked as delicately as she could.

"I'm fine." It was obvious to Rias she wasn't fine. "Just need to fill my stomach."

And it was obvious to Shirou too. "We are close. Our house is just around that corner."

"'Our house'?" Rias asked with a grin.

"Well we live together, sleep together, calling our house isn't that far fetched." Shirou scratched his neck. Rias couldn't help but blush a little while wishing to hug him but knew he would fall down if she tried.

"Just keep walking, I'm starving." Yoruichi commented with a chuckle.

"Sure, sure." Shirou commented while scratching her head. "We will be home soon, you stray cat. Stop being cranky."

Yoruichi gave him a look of mocking offense. "Cranky my butt. I saved your guys' lives and deserve to be pampered a little."

"Of course you do. That is why we are going to get tuna pizza for dinner." Shirou could see the nekomata's tail perk up behind Rias' hair. "I will also give you a massage if you want."

Then something that had Rias giggling happened as Yoruichi seemed almost shy. "Yeah, sure. I mean, maybe tomorrow…"

Nobody said anything else as they approached the walls of the residence. Xenovia and Irina didn't realize that the whole property they were walking beside was actually their objective until Shirou opened the gates and they walked in.

"This place is huge." Irina, more knowledgeable about Japanese homes, admired the front yard and the area as well as the main house. "This is really a mansion."

"Bigger than most churches." Xenovia added.

"When I moved out from my parents house I expected something more like theirs-"

"Small and homely." Rias chuckled at Shirou who nodded.

"Instead they… gave me a mansion." There was fondness in his tone at thinking about his parents. "Let me tell you, cleaning this is a pain." And everyone else that lived there nodded except Yoruichi who just laughed. "But I like to keep some of the extra rooms clean in case of visits so please make yourselves at home."

He looked at the Exorcists with a smile, one that Xenovia appreciated and repaid in kind. "Thanks." Her interaction with him earned a raised eyebrow from Rias who saw opportunities.

Opportunities that she knew Yoruichi also could notice and a glance at the nekomata had a golden eye looking back. Rias smiled and Yoruichi looked to the side, still feeling uncharacteristically shy over everything but not really worse for wear despite the defeat at the hands of the White Dragon Emperor.

Already Yoruichi had recovered a lot after the conflict by just remaining in a low energy form and focusing her Ki. It wasn't a perfect process as her mana reserves were still low but she could already fight again if necessary.

Not that any of them believed there was going to be an attack on their home as the boundary fields were strong and the place was well hidden despite its size as few people knew who lived there.

As they approached the door and Shirou moved to open it, someone else opened it first. "Finally! After all the mana being thrown around the city I thought you guys were goners!"

Tohsaka Rin looked as tired as Shirou felt but still in better condition; her hair was a bit messy, she looked sweaty and her eyes were bloodshot but those were symptoms of someone who worked too much.

"Did you place a small boundary field at my door?" Shirou asked after his nose twitched for a second with a smell that reminded him of Rin's mana.

"Needed to know when you were about to get back or else I wouldn't have dragged myself off the couch." She was still attentive enough to notice the Exorcists in the area and fix her glare before commenting. "Picking up more strays,. Emiya?"

"They need a place to stay tonight." Shirou stepped forward and the Tohsaka Head made way to the owner of the house. He turned when he noticed that while everyone went in, Xenovia and Irina did not. "Come on in. Just please remember to take off your boots."

"Thanks." "Excuse me."

Both step inside as instructed, taking off the robes and revealing Durandal which had Rin's eyebrows jump. They were once again in their combat uniforms but Xenoiva was taking an extra second to wrap her sword. "Are you sure Durandal isn't going to destroy them?"

"Don't worry. Just keep a hold of Durandal and it won't act up if you stay calm." Shirou replied easily.

"But it has already destroyed all the sheaths that the Church gave me."

"Understandable but the robes Rias gave you were part of some experimental Mystic Code I was working on." He showed her his coat. "It was supposed to be an alternative for this for everyone since its silk is super rare but, well… It was a failure. Should still be good to hold Durandal for a few days until I make you a proper sheath."

"You wan do that?" Xenovia was so excited that Durandal began to let out some energy.

Enough to damage its cover. "Xenovia!"

"Shit!" Shirou worked with her to try and calm the sword down with Irina offering her robe to see if it would help. It wouldn't and soon Durandal destroyed them both. "Sorry."

"It is fine just… let's take care of how you lie it down so we don't get a hole somewhere." Shirou commented with a smile as he showed her how to control the power a little more. "See, just ease it out. Don't hold it in because Durandal is going to fight you. Noble Phantasms can't be suppressed like that."

"Hm." Xenovia nodded as Irina stepped away to allow Shirou to guide her partner.

The twin tailed Exorcist gave Rin a small wave and walked in, admiring the place but not leaving the owners' vision as Koneko did just that to place Medusa on the table for when they would eventually have some food.

But Rias' attention wasn't on any of them. "You have bad news, don't you?" In a second Rin looked a world more tired than before.

She sighed and went to the living room. "Better to explain it over a cup of tea… By the way, I made some tea."

"We don't mind." As they arrived in the living room Shirou looked around. "Where is Liz?" He needed to talk with her as he still felt bad about giving her a command like he had done before. 'Unlike everyone else, she literally can't say 'no'."

"Went to bed to conserve her mana." Rin could see the conflict expression on Shirou's face and could already guess the reason. "Said to call her once we had some food."

"Better to call for the pizza then." Shirou opened his cell phone before stopping to blink. "Does anyone know about a good place?" Traded glances were the only reply he got.

It shouldn't be a surprise since with Shirou and Rias around there was never any need for them to call for food of any kind, this would be the first time for their house.

"Check the internet." Rias suggested and Shirou did so. There was a back and forward of which pizzaria they would be calling from but soon they decided on just the closest one.

Rin let out a sigh. 'I never had pizza before.' And while she wanted to try it, she also knew that by this hour Sakura must have made some dinner for her. "I am going to go fetch the tea." She moved to the kitchen as everyone else sat on the table. 'I also don't feel comfortable staying here.' She couldn't avoid the pang of guilt she felt.

Took a few seconds for everyone to get comfortable with Xenovia being the one having the most troubles as everybody else was used to sitting down in the proper style for their table while the bluehead tried and failed to do so until someone pointed out she didn't need to.

She ended up sitting with one leg above the other while Yoruichi just laid down on the table. "I will transform once the food gets here."

Rin returned and began to pour the tea for everyone. "There is enough for one cup each…" She looked at Yoruichi but the nekomata didn't move. "Do you-"

"Only when the food gets here." Even Medusa was drinking the tea but Yoruichi refused to do anything else but rest.

"Okay then…" Rin accepted easily before taking a seat. Everything went quiet as they savored the tea but Tohsaka was fidgeting in place with some nervous energy. "So what was with all the mana that we could feel around the whole town."

"Kokabiel was trying to call reinforcements." Rin was so glad she wasn't drinking or else she would have spit the tea on Rias' face.

"Kokabiel? Angel of Stars Kokabiel? What the hell was he doing here?" Rin managed to stop herself from screaming, just barely.

Rias chuckled as she took a sip of her tea. "Maybe we need to explain some stuff."

"He wanted to reform Excalibur to restart a war." Xenovia finished her tea and looked at the cup, wishing for more. "I think that is about it. Can I have some more?"

"Sure." Shirou refilled the cup again while Rin looked ready to have a meltdown much to Rias' amusement..

"Restart the war? You mean the Great War? Why? How? I mean…" She massaged her temples to try to calm down.

"Xenovia is not wrong and the details are not really relevant." Rias commented with a giggle as Rin looked baffled. "If you want a more complete story we can explain later but I think you should tell us the bad news you have."

Rin flinched but decided to ask something else. "Did Kiba at least get his pay back on Valper?"

"I think he did, in a fashion." Irina commented as she asked Shirou for more tea. "This is good."

"Thank you but what do you mean 'in a fashion'?"

"Again we can explain this later. Just know the old bastard is going to the worst prison we have available. I will make sure of that." Rias replied, giving Rin a look. "Maybe I can just give you a report later."

"But what happened with Valper?" Rin was honestly curious about that.

Rias chuckled a little. "Well since there was a huge wave of mana that alerted everyone the police didn't take too long to show up and escort him away from Kuoh." She was enjoying the look of utter disbelief Rin was giving her. "At this moment he is being processed by his many, many, many crimes. Later we are going to have him removed from the system and escorted to a proper prison until Kiba decides to do something about him. Either that or we execute him anyway." Now she was frowning. "As he is my prisoner I have the last say but with Kiba's situation…"

Things were complicated because Kiba decided that killing Valper wasn't worth it so they actually needed to do something about the old man. The fact he was a criminal being hunted by some of the biggest powers on the planet helped but it would be easier to just kill him.

"Killing Valper now would be doing him a favor." Shirou commented, earning Rin's attention. "As a person, as a scientist, everything he believed was flipped on its head. He is broken beyond repair and it will take some time for him to even be functional again."

"If he recovers." Medusa sounded weak but still managed to speak.

However Shirou agreed with her observation. "'If he recovers'. Either way Kiba was right in sparing his life since he will have to live with the knowledge that he failed in fixing Excalibur."

"What happened to the Fragments anyway?" Rin asked faster than Shirou expected but Rias was sensing a pattern.

"First, it wasn't the Excalibur Fragments but Caliburn's. Everyone pegged it for the wrong sword." Shirou replied with a smile. "Second; I fixed it."

"How did you do that?"

"Long story. And Rin, you are stalling." Rias had no problems in telling her employee about Shirou's Reality Marble, Rin couldn't do anything that would harm her, and Shirou, by extension so there was no danger.

However one thing would lead to another and the pureblood devil realized that Rin was jumping between topics almost constantly, trying to avoid giving the bad news Rias knew she had.

For a moment Rin seemed to hesitate. "It is about Luvia, isn't it?" But Shirou already was aware of the problem.

When Rin's aqua eyes turned to Shirou she looked like she was guilty of some crime and even Yoruichi opened her eyes and sat up properly. "What do you know?" The nekomata asked and Shirou sighed.

"What happened with Luvai-san?" It was Irina who questioned, worried about her one time ally. "Is she alright? She didn't die, did she?"

"Tsk, maybe death would have been more merciful." Rin commented with some sadness that looked out of place since she was talking about her rival.

"Then you should tell me as well." An old voice had everyone turned to a hallway where they saw Auguste still dressed in his mostly teared buttle uniform and looking much better than the majority saw him the last time. "After all, she is my charge. I should have protected her from whatever curse was inflicted with."

"Auguste-san!" Irina quickly got up to help the old man sit down but the butler waved her off and moved to sit on the couch instead of joining the others..

"Thanks to Lady Tohsaka's treatment I am well enough to walk, lady Irina, don't worry." But the old man looked exhausted as well even if he hadn't fought during the day. "I was taking care of lady Luvia when I heard you arrive… And you haven't told me what happened to her yet, Lady Tohsaka."

With some hesitation Rin looked at Shirou, asking for assistance. The redhead magus really wanted to help but unfortunately he had his limits. "While I got most of the story of what happened from the sword I don't know the full extension of the damage."

Considering how much Luvia had suffered and the damage her body took only on the surface, it was enough that Shirou went ready to kill Freed from their first exchange of words. He knew how much the Blue Magus had suffered but the extension of what happened to her was still lost to him.

It was up to Rin to explain and despite how much she disliked Luvia for her own reasons there were things that she wouldn't wish even to her worst enemy. "Luviajelita won't be able to use magecraft ever again." And that was one of them.

"Elaborate as clearly as you can." Rias ordered, hands folded on the table.

The severity of the situation hit the devils and magi like a truck passed unnoticed by the Exorcists. "What is wrong? Does that mean she can't use magic anymore?" Irina's worry was very real but her knowledge failed her.

Auguste's jaw tightened as Shirou looked to the side in sadness, Koneko's face remained blank as she understood some of the implications and Rias gave Rin a look before waving at her to explain.

"'Magic' is an extremely broad term when you think about it. You could pick a hundred scholars and ask them what is 'magic' and odds are that they all will have a different opinion." Rin began slowly, her attention directed to the Exorcists. "But there are things they all agree with; the use of mana, the actualization of 'mysteries', the power of beliefs and that, surprisingly, everyone agrees that there are many types."

Hard to deny something when it was right on their face even for the many types of scholars with diverse opinions. All one had to do in order to finish an argument that said that magic was all the same was just explain the difference between a magus and a magician which was what Rin was about to do.

She raised a hand with lines visible in it to start. "Humans, the weakest but most adaptable sentiment species, have easy access to two schools of magic; magecraft and devil magic." Relaxing her circuits, the lines disappear as Rin makes an unstable magic circle. "The second one, based on the devils' system, uses magic circles for most of its spells. It has the fundamental principle of using the mana in its most raw form connected to the caster and to use magic circles to give them direction." The circle disappeared and Rin frowned. "Because the creation of the magic circle is necessary, it forces an extra step. However one positive of it is that by modifying the magic circles, a researcher can find a great variety of results."

"But there are plenty of other negatives." Shirou commented to not let Rin have to explain everything which she nodded in appreciation. "By having to use magic circles, most of this kind of magic is external. We are not devils who can strengthen their bodies easily with just mana and most of the time magicians need to use the magic externally."

"Because mana can be dangerous, right?" Xenovia remembered learning something similar. It was one of the arguments that made the pursuit of magic something heretical.

Both Shirou and Rin nodded as the redhead continued. "What Rin said bears repeating, we are an adaptable species but much like Holy Energy can be dangerous in excess, the same can be said of mana." He nodded to Rias with a chuckle. "Devils, of course, don't have that weakness."

"Same for angels, gods and the like." Rias added while pointing at Medusa. "However, gods have their own way of doing things."

"Don't ask me to explain… not my thing." Medusa always followed her instinct more than anything but there was something she could say. "It has to do with our Domains or, if you prefer, what we are gods of."

"So to compensate and use the natural mana in the air, magicians began to give it shape and form by using their own." Rin wanted Medusa to explain more but that didn't bear weight on the conversation. "Because of that there is a waste, nothing humanity can make can use 100% of its energy."

Irina realized where this was going. "But there is an exception; magic circuits."

"Close but not quite. Even us can't use every scrap of mana that the human body can absorb." Rin commented with a smile. "However we get close, but not without consequences if we exceed our limits."

Shirou was still feeling some of those consequences. "Pretty much our circuits help us channel the mana far more efficiently; however we also have to deal with some other things like heat."

"Because mana is still energy." Rias added for the Exorcists' benefit. "Think about mana as gasoline or even hot air; a magician has minimal contact with mana while a magus has a greater contact. One is safer while the other is more powerful."

"We magi have a saying; to study magecraft is to walk with death." Auguste's face looked every bit his age. "The many ways to pursue magecraft, every single one of them has a considerable degree of risk. However that danger can be greatly diminished the more control one has over one's mana."

Rin decided to intervene. "While that is true, you are skipping some things that they should know." Once more she reveals her magic circuits and all could see how many she had all around her body. "To the us magi who possess what has been dubbed as magic circuits they are more than just tools. Let me say this before you make the comparacion, these are more than nerves or organs. Sure they are pseudo nerves but they also are connected to the astral plane, to the soul."

Rias raised a hand. "One thing to mention about that comparison is that, much like organs, it is impossible to change the number naturally." She pointed at Shirou and then at Rin. "The number that each of them was born with can't just change on whin. And no, nobody knows where magic circuits came from but everyone agrees that Solomon was the responsible one way or another." Shirou, Rin and Auguste stared at her but Rias brushed them off. "However there are ways to change them artificially as in the case of the use of family crests. I imagine that is the reason why we are develving on the topic, Rin?"

Once more Tohsaka nodded as most of her circuits disappeared but some of them began to form a shape on her left arm not unlike the motherboard of a computer. "This is a Crest and they are the greatest treasure a family of magi can have. In it there aren't 30 magic circuits to help me with magecraft but also the knowledge of generations of Tohsakas." Rin saw the Exorcists' eyes widen and chuckled. "That is to say that every single spell that my family ever developed is here in this Crest and I can use every single one of them even if I never practiced none."

It was fundamental that everyone in the table understood the importance of a Crest for what Rin had to say next but Shirou was already aware by the look he had in his face and Rias had a suspicion.

Auguste, the aging butler looked even older as the explanation moved from magic circuits to Crests. He wasn't just looking his age but far older, like if a century of life had crushed his shoulders in an instant as fear began to crept his spine.

If anything else it made Rin feel bad about what she had to say but she already had stalled enough. "The Edelfelt Crest is usually connected to two heirs, two possible Heads thanks to their Sorcery Trait; Ore Scales. The thing is so famous that the Edelfelt are called the 'Scales' because of it." And then came the kicker. "And Luvia lost her Magic Crest during today's events."

"I see." Auguste covered his eyes with his blood stained gloved hand, many had the impression he was crying.

"But why is that important? I mean, doesn't that mean she needs to get a Crest from her sister?" Irina felt she was missing something.

"Transferring Crests isn't something simple or easy unless your family is old. Really old." Shirou tried to remember a more definitive number.

Rias had him covered. "At least 500 years and after the family had some genetic markers established to help with the transfer." She looked sad and a little upset. "Even between siblings the process can go terribly wrong without preparations. It isn't uncommon that a family starts to prepare their heir, or heirs in this case, from childhood." Which meant that Luvia would still be capable of receiving a copy of her crest but the King saw there were more troubles. "Her magic circuits… How extensive was the damage?

"'Extensive' is the appropriate word." Yoruichi was obviously frustrated. "Don't think you guys did the wrong thing calling me, I already had done all I could for Luvia at that point but the damage was just…" She thought about how she would say it as Auguste was clearly distraught. "There were many of her circuits that couldn't just operate anymore, her own circuits, not the Crest. The Crest was just a victim of the attack."

"Of Freed's sadism." Shirou grunted in anger wishing the man a worse death than the one he had. "Holy Energy is a type of mana that can be extremely beneficial even in dangerous quantities if the user is someone with a pure heart, able to even make someone immortal. That still took skill or an appropriate Artifact or Noble Phantasm." He shook his head to calm himself. "Instead of just directing Blessing to kill Luvia, he ordered the sword to make her suffer. Broken as it was, Caliburn's Fragments had no means to stop themselves from doing what their holders wanted and Freed wanted Luvia to feel as much pain as it could inflict."

"Holy Energy is still mana and magic circuits are an efficient filter for that mana." Irina covered her mouth with her hands in horror. "The magic circuits were forced to deal with the hostile energy and-"

"They overloaded and broke?" Xenovia understood after some thought. "That is possible?" She was looking at Shirou who dealt with something similar or even on a greater scale.

"I should be dead." Shirou admitted without shame. "For some reason Fuyuki's mana didn't kill me. We all have our suspicions on why," he was looking at Auguste, hesitating to talk about his Reality Marble with the older man around, "but Freed was ordering Holy Energy to actually be dangerous and Luvia's circuits fell victim to it."

It was something he caught on the moment they had arrived at the Art Gallery, the second that Shirou used his Structural Analysis on Blessing. He saw how Freed ordered the sword to make Luvia feel pain, not kill or neutralize just to inflict pain and Shirou saw it all down to the beginning of the process to the end.

But he had no way of knowing the full extent of the damage just by the sword, that was Rin's job as the person who took care of Luvia.

And she hated that job because it led her to being the bearer of bad news. "She would have died if her circuits were not of the quality they were or if her Crest hadn't redirected some of the blunt from her organs to itself." A function of Crests was, after all, to keep its bearer alive. "But the damage was already done by the time we arrived."

"Then she is no longer suited to be the Head of Edelfelt."

"Why did you say that?" Xenovia jumped to her feet to glare at the man but noticed how distressed and depressed Auguste looked. The anger was gone instantly. "She is alive." The blue haired girl hoped the old man would feel better. "She is alive and even if she can't use magecraft anymore, she can still use magic," she looked at Rias who was pensive, "right?"

A sigh escaped the King's lips. "That isn't necessarily the problem. You see, tradition-"

"Magi are traditional people." Auguste interrupted, still solem. "And those traditions are not only clear but fundamental to our society; only the Head of the Family may know certain knowledge and must pass their Crest to the next head. That is one of the pillars that has sustained much of our way of living." The man finally revealed his eyes and they were about to burst into tears. "That is even more true to the Edelfelt Family. Thanks to their Sorcery Trait there was always a tight leash on the heirs to make sure that when they married outside their family, the secrets and advantages wouldn't be passed to others."

It was one of the many ways that the Edelfelt Family had used to stay ascendent in the Aristocratic Faction of the Clocktower. Their marriages were praised for offering a strong alliance while always keeping assassins at bay since killing a heir meant little unless the other was already married or dead.

With time Edelfelt accumulated a considerable fortune by playing a rigged game of chance and always keeping its heirs under control. The one occasion that failed, the Tohsaka Family became the strongest magi family of Japan.

Auguste sighed as Xenovia sat down at seeing how desperate the man looked. "There is nothing to be done for her magic circuits?"

"It would need to fix something in her soul." Rin replied slowly. "The methods for it are…"

Yoruichi wasn't surprised when Rin turned to her. "No. That kind of damage can't be repaired by Senjutsu, even with the more… exotic methods." There were alternatives however. "Maybe one Elixir or even a sacred fruit could heal her but procuring one is hard enough." She shook her head, discarting other possibilities. "Gods don't part ways with their gifts so easily and even all the fortunes of the Edelfelt wouldn't be enough."

"If they are even willing to pay." Rias reminded everyone of a cruel truth. "Luvia has a sister, a twin that even if not her equal, has a Crest. For all intents and purposes she will be the new Head." Focusing on Auguste, she saw that the man looked despotent. "Would she wait for Luvia to recover?"

The butler looked shaken before speaking. "Even if she would, the Family wouldn't because there would be no guarantees. Lady Luvia… Will no longer be considered the heir and will be the one to be married off."

"They would give up on her, just like that?" Xenovia hand hit the table hard, startling Medusa who had been resting her head.

"That is how a normal magi family works." Rin remembered her own situation with bitterness. "If you can't inherit then you are a tool for alliances, all to reach the Root."

Xenovia scoffed. "Sounds more like a curse."

"You might be right."

"She was helping us…" Irina closed her eyes in prayer. "It is all our fault."

Auguste looked ready to say something but his resolve returned and he stood up. "I need to contact the Edelfelt state."

"Can't you give us some time?" With the resources of Gremory there was a chance that Rias could help Luvia.

However it was a small chance for even the Gremory Clan couldn't batter with the gods. "I have a duty with the Edelfelt."

"Don't you care about Luvia?" Shirou complained but Auguste glared back at him.

"Like if she was my own granddaughter." The butler seemed to pulse with killing intent yet Shirou didn't back down. "However I have over four decades of loyalty to the Edelfelt to counterbalance that. My duty as their servant is to inform them of any new developments with the heiress… Regardless of how much I don't want to."

Medusa studied the man for a moment, a guardian like herself once was. "You are going to die." All were surprised by the declaration.

"Nothing so extreme but the fact that I am alive and lady- no, Miss Luvia was harmed to that point will be considered."

"That is not what I meant." The purple haired goddess noticed Auguste's posture and demeanor. "You blame yourself too much. Even if you will still be alive, guilt will stop you from living."

"Speaking from experience, lady Medusa?" The butler looked more jovial for a moment, just for one moment. "Like I said, I care for her like she is my own granddaughter, her and lady Luna, her sister." He smiled nostalgically. "I was there when they were born, there while they took their first steps, I taught them courtesy and etiquette. Even a little combat when I shouldn't." He chuckled while scratching his chin. "But this… this changes things. Despite their situation both Edelfelt heiresses liked the positions they were in, one to inherit and another to marry with a man she learned to love. Now the former is lost and the later will soon be in jeopardy."

Things would change in the Edelfelt Family because of Luvia's fall and the sisters were the ones who would suffer the most. They were happy with their parts they would play but that was lost.

"You asked if I could wait? If lady Luna could? Yes, if there was even a small chance, she would." He was making clear the younger of the twins didn't wish to be the Head of the Family. "However the rest of the family won't and even then Miss Luvia may never recover… at least not as a human." He threw Rias a knowing glance but soon focused on Shirou. "Can I ask you a favor, mister Emiya?"

"Of course."

"You are someone that she respects and even admires. Can you protect lady Luvia, at least until she can find her own path?"

Shirou scoffed at that. "She is my friend. You never needed to ask."

Surprised by the straightforward response, Auguste studied Shirou for a full minute. "Hmph. I suppose I didn't." He turned fully to the table and bowed to his waist. "Please, take care of her." Shirou nodded silently and the man stood up straighter than before. "Thank you."

"So you are leaving Japan?" Rias was suspicious of the attitude the butler was displaying.

"Not immediately, no. I need to settle a few things for lady Luvia's sake." Everyone could see what he was implying, a last act of love. "All assets in Fuyuki can be easily transferred directly to her name and some money can help her get to her bearings once she decides what she wants to do." Once again he looked at Rias but the devil didn't bother to acknowledge the look. "Also I will need someone to erase my memory of this place, for your safety and hers."

"You could just sign a contract." Shirou suggested but Auguste shook his head.

"Here is a piece of advice from someone more experienced than you; don't put your faith in contracts, there are too many ways to go around it." Auguste tapped the side of his head with a smile. "The information will still be here and if someone sorts my memories they can easily find you and miss Luvia while she remains here. She made enemies even in her own Family and I would prefer to not give them a lead."

"Won't you resist hypnosis?" Xenovia asked skeptically.

"He won't resist my Charm." Medusa declared with frustration. "I may still be too weak but if he lowers his defenses I can send him back home and have him forget where we are and even about me."

"That would be for the best." Rias at least couldn't see any other way. However, since the man was sacrificing himself for someone he cared for, she made sure to look for his well being. "We will need someone to escort you just to make sure you can make it. I have seen how men act like drunken fools under her influence."

Rin saw that as her cue. "I can do it. I need to go back home anyway." It was already late and Rin knew her sister would be worried sick if she took too long. 'After all this conversation I think I will spend some time with Sakura tomorrow.'

Because if there was one thing the elder Tohsaka sister feared was making a mistake and settling her younger sibling with all their debt.

With how weak Medusa was it took a few minutes for Auguste to fall for her Charm even when he was purposely leaning into it. Another thing the goddess blamed her own weakness for but nobody blamed her since she was like that by saving lives, Rias and Koneko even thanked for her efforts more than once during the procedure.

They also left at a convenient time because "Pizza's here." Koneko returned to the table with four boxes in her arms. "We need to pay the delivery man."

"I will handle it." Rias got up from her place with one last look at Irina.

The twin tailed Exorcist looked inconsolable after all the facts were placed on the table and Xenovia wasn't that far off.

Both felt responsible for Luvia's fate as they accepted the girl's help because of their own lack of resources. That frustrated Irina more than anyone else as she was the one who spent their money on something useless and landed them in the position where any help needed to be taken.

For those reasons both felt responsible for what happened in a way or another. "It wasn't your fault." Rias decided to say. "If anything, remember that Luvia is a big girl that made her own decisions."

With that the redhead devil departed to pay for the food but she got the ball rolling. "Rias is right." Yoruichi commented as she transformed into her human form. She was still missing her orange shirt and her clothes were a little torn apart but she looked better. "She knew the risks when she got involved with the Fragments in the first place."

Yoruichi helped Koneko to place the boxes with pizza on the table as Medusa sat up properly with water in her mouth. She was about to get a slice when Koneko stopped her. "Wait for everyone." Medusa pouted but Koneko was unaffected.

Usually the little devil would be the first to attack the food but the somber mood held back even her hunger.

"Doesn't stop us from feeling bad for everything that went wrong with them." Xenovia touched Durandal, seeking comfort in its aura. "Those swords were our responsibility and yet, we were just lured into a trap that almost started a war." She turned to Shirou. "And someone else had to clean that mess. We barely have anything to show for it."

"Caliburn is rebuilt and its Fragments won't be misused ever again." Unless it broke again but Shirou wasn't willing to entertain that possibility. It would depend on the real owner but he could see that didn't help the two girls and he knew they had other things to sort out. "I am going to go get Liz." He also had his own problem and it was time for him to face it.

Rias saw Shirou leaving and couldn't help but sigh. "He is worrying over nothing."

"Buchou?" Koneko, who was keeping Medusa away from the food much to Yoruichi's amusement, noticed her King sigh in exasperation.

Instead of explaining, Rias smiled. "Medusa, if you are feeling well enough, want to help me get the dishes?"

The beast in her demanded food now. "Fine." But the goddess in her knew that the sooner everything was set the less she would have to fight for the food.

Approaching Liz's door Shirou knocked twice but received no response. "Liz? Can I come in?" Even asleep, the white haired maid usually would react when he called. 'Must have way less mana than I thought.' Which meant she needed some food. "Liz, I am coming in."

Shirou opened the door slightly to see the bed with the covered figure laying on it. Looking around he noticed some weights, books and clothes lying around and noted that this was the first time he ever entered Liz's room in their new house.

'What a mess.' His first instinct was to start cleaning the place up but the light of the hallway managed to wake Liz from her slumber. "Hey, we got some pizza." The covers fell from the bed and Liz stretched herself a little in her tank top and shorts. 'At least she took a shower before going to bed.' Shirou knew he was just distracting himself to avoid certain thoughts.

Both pure and impure.

Instead the redhead looked to the side and waited for Liz to leave the bed, paying attention to how some of her books were about education, exercises for groups and rules of games. He smiled at the thought that her disguise as a teacher to keep an eye on him had evolved into something she was legitimaly invested in.

If she had asked, Rias could have given Liz a position where she would need to do nothing and still receive pay or just stay around the ORC. Instead she worked hard to become a proper teacher and by her reputation around her classmates he knew she had no complaints to her name.

Shirou was proud of how far she had come since the day they met, she was far beyond the almost robotic maid of those days. It also made what he did feel worse and the guilt that was on the back of his mind became more pronounced.

"I am sorry." Liz stopped at his side, already having left her room.

The light of the hallway almost seemed to give her a halo of some sort. "About?" The white haired woman's honest curiosity somehow made him feel worse.

"For giving you an order." He waited for any reaction.

"Oh… it's fine." That wasn't it.

"Liz… it isn't fine." Shirou made sure they were face to face but the woman tilted her head at his serious expression. "When I order you to do something… you can't respond… you know that is because-"

"Because you are my Master and I am your maid." Her voice sounded cold and robotic again, like the first day he met her. There was no emotion and no sign of the Liz he knew.

There was only Leysritt, a homunculus of the Einzbern. "You stop being you." He touched her face and Liz was there again before he quickly took out his hand. "I shouldn't have done that."

Liz wasn't a deep thinker, they both knew it, but there were times that she just couldn't help but worry over Shirou. "You did the right thing."

"I don't-"

A finger on his lips stopped him from talking. "Your safety is my priority. You're always my priority." He understood what she meant, it was the reason why he gave the order in the first place.

While Liz cared about the friends she made, she cared for Shirou far more. It was the reason why she was able to even surpass her basic programming and request to stay by his side. It was something beyond being a bodyguard and they both knew it was there and that she wouldn't hesitate to give her life for him.

Or take the lives of others for him, even his closest friends. It was both part of her function and something she would do out of love if she knew it would save his life.

"I wanted to help them but I didn't want to leave you." When Liz's hand touched his face it stayed. "You're warm… warmer than usual."

"I ended up using too much mana today." Her hand moved to touch the white haired strands in his head. "Way too much."

They both knew that was a bad sign, that his body overheated so much with mana that some of the pigments in his hair were gone. It was a clear sign that the mana he had run through his body had been far too much for his magic circuits to contain.

Normally the heat from mana would be safely contained by his circuits which would be protecting the rest of his body, mainly his nerves and organs. In that sense the magic circuits still were able to accomplish their main function but the heat was still extreme and the results were visible.

"At least it was just the hair. I mean, I can paint it or just ask Rias to put a spell to disguise the white. Can you imagine how hard it would be to explain if I ended with a tan that never went away?" Shirou chuckled at the thought but Liz didn't even crack a smile.

She was still too focused on the sensation of his warm skin. "You aren't using magic for the next few days."

He nodded immediately. "Trust me, I know that. My circuits still feel like they are on fire." A look of concern slipped the smile off his face. "Sorry, I am joking. I am fine but they sting a bit. Magecraft is the farthest thing on my mind." Then he gave her a sad look. "That means my food won't be up to par for a few days."

"Still will be in the Shirou Standard." Liz wasn't worried because she knew that most of his cooking came from technique and he just used Reinforcement to push the ingredients beyond to their peak.

Of course there were other options like getting Akeno or Rin to help him cook even if just to use Reinforcement or buy the best ingredients possible.

Shirou still looked guilty though. "That isn't important right now, we shouldn't even be talking about me."

"But we're. You felt guilty and I don't care." The look on Shirou's face had Liz's smiling. "I don't mind what you did."

"But you should…" She shook her head.

"No, I am a homunculus." And she said it as respectfully as she could before taking a step back to show him respect. "And you are my Master. If you order me to do something, anything, I will do it." An undeniable truth.

When an homunculus was created it wasn't unexpected for them to have a flaw or another, it was standard of the procedure that they would always have something that would make them lesser than almost all sentient species on the planet.

An homunculus could easily have the mana capacity of dozens of magicians; however they would also have extremely short lifespans, not even years but months. Or they could have a high capability for management and even use of mana but lack a strong constitution which would make them unsuited for combat, like Sella.

Liz was the inverse; a body that many athletes wished they had, perfect muscles reinforced with mana that made them capable of breaking stone with her bare hands while also being immune to all diseases.

In return Leysritt not only was slow when comparing thought processes with her sister but the consumption of mana was constant. She eats a lot because she both loves and needs it to live.

Those flaws were inevitable because of the nature of the homunculus themselves. They were born almost like angels in a sense; perfect in all accounts. But unlike angels who truly started perfect they had those flaws and defects resulting from being born from alchemy, not from a miracle.

However it wasn't farfetched to call an homunculus something like magic circuits in human form since they had a huge capability and inclination to magic. Or could use mana to replace and fortify themselves like Liz who was far stronger than most beings.

And she was considered a failure by the Einzbern's standards despite being strong enough to fight on pair with Exorcists and magi of many kinds.

However she had other weaknesses like her dependence on a center or a core, someone to guide her. It was something carved fundamentally in her existence because only a certain line had far less defects and could be more independent; the Justaze line based on Justeaze Lizrich von Einzbern.

She was an accident, a miracle that happened by chance and a being capable of using the Third True Magic. Comparing that to any homunculus that had nothing to do with her could only be called unfair.

Irisviel was based on her and Shirou suspected that, by the miracle of her own birth from the seed of a magus and the union with a homunculus, Illya was closer to her than their mother. Neither of the two had the safeguards that the Einzbern gave to their standard homunculus to stop rebellions and betrayals.

They have to obey because they are closer to familiars in a sense, if Liz or Sella weren't connected to Shirou and Illya then they would be inert like dolls.

"Doesn't make any of this right." Shirou pointed out after reviewing all the history of the Einzbern in his mind. "I wish that… you could just be you."

"But I'm me." Liz told him gently. "And I'm happy you are safe." She took a step to the living room. "We should go, the food is going to be cold."

'If I could, I would free you, even from me.' Shirou knew that Liz wouldn't leave even with that..

However the redhead knew that was a distant dream. 'But I can't.' It was how Liz was made, to obey someone and if there was no one it was back to being a mindless doll. "I won't do it again."

"You will, if it is the best thing to do." Liz surprised him with the statement and her firm eyes. She went and held his hand between hers, holding it close to her cheek. "You are alive… we are alive. That is what matters." She also felt warm to his touch and her smile was gentle. Until her eyes grew as sharp as one of his swords. "But if you send me away and you die, I won't ever forgive you."

With that she smiled again and Shirou could see shades of Illya in her when Liz began to walk to the living room. "That was…" He didn't know what to say but was hungry so he followed her.

When the two walked out of the hallway the table was already set up with plates and cups for everyone and a huge bottle of soda in the middle. "What took you guys so long?" Rias asked cheekly.

'She knows." Shirou wasn't surprised. "We talked." Liz nodded her agreement and sat down while collecting a slice of pizza.

After humming Rias just said "Good" and got a slice of her own.

"We should pray first." Irina suddenly remembered.

"You do realize half of the table wouldn't like that, wouldn't you?" Yoruichi commented with a chuckle.

"Oh, right…" For a moment Irina had completely forgotten that she was at a table with devils, a yokai and a goddess of a completely different religion.

Xenovia gave Irina a look and for a moment she seemed ready to say something but bite her tongue and a cloud of depression seemed to appear over her head.

"We still need to be thankful for the food, right?" Irina decided to ask with a blush which made Rias chuckle.

"Of course."

"""Itadakimasu.""" Medusa, Koneko and Yoruichi spoke in sync before they began to dig in the pizza.

"See?" Rias had a raised eyebrow before she also said her thanks and began to eat her food.

The Exorcists looked at each other and began to eat as well. Both were feeling slightly uncomfortable with everything but were too exhausted to process too much. Irina was steadfast and focused, plans already being made to return home as soon as possible.

Xenovia for her part had questions, thoughts and problems running around her mind all at the same time. Thankfully the pizza was good and she could focus on that, ignoring the revelations of the day. One particular revelation that brought forward how little the institution she once praised seemed to not care about her.

How the people she loved were happy to let her stay in the dark.

A decision needed to be made but Xenovia was too tired and so she focused on enjoying her food. "This is great."

"Isn't it?" Rias took another bite and felt the cheese melt in her mouth. "We usually don't eat out but maybe we should make it a tradition." She looked at Shirou with a grin. "Or we could learn how to cook pizza."

Shirou was all for the idea. "It needs a very specific type of oven to be cooked like this."

"But we could have more pizza?" Koneko gave the redheads a cute look that had them smiling.

"Sure." Rias looked at Shirou. "I can get an oven for that." A few calculations later she added. "We will also need to expand the kitchen."

"During summer? While we are in the Underworld?" Shirou remembered that Rias wanted to show him where she grew up and some of the devils' culture.

Also talking to her parents and the magus was admittedly nervous about that. "Sounds like a plan."

"Can I have another slice?" Xenovia finished hers but was hesitating.

"You don't need to ask." Yet Shirou felt the cute glares from Koneko and Medusa and promptly ignored them to serve another slice to Xenovia with a knife. "If I let you sleep hungry then I will be a poor host."

"Thanks." She quickly began to nimble her food before the two could act. Xenovia was sure that Koneko was ready to attack while Medusa seemed to wait for an opening to take her slice.

Irina chuckled at the interaction even as Yoruichi offered her another slice. "You want one too, right? Your bodies must be starving since your muscles need the calories after the day you had."

"You can tell?" The twin tailed Exorcist couldn't hide her surprise.

"Nyahaha! My family specializes in Senjutsu and its uses on the body. Since I was little I had studied the function of muscles, the flux of Ki and how to best apply them." She took another bite before pointing at the Exorcists. "Part of it is because your training but running around would leave anyone starving."

With a nervous laugh because she didn't know how to act with one of Japan's leaders, Irina scratched her cheek. "Thank you very much."

However Xenovia heard them talking and decided to talk about their training. "Breaking the human limits always involves a lot of exercises to build certain types of stress and meditation and other stuff." Irina was shaking her head but the bluehead didn't care. "There was also the food but the food was the most important part even if it was bland." The blue haired girl ignored her partner's incredulous stare as she tried to remember something. "There was a motto with the training, a theme, something Griselda liked to say…"

It felt like it was in the tip of her tongue but the more Xenovia struggled to remember the more it seemed to escape her.

She even began to snap her fingers to bring up the memory. "Was it something about an enemy? How to fight an enemy?"

"It makes sense since it was special training. Maybe the types of enemies you were getting ready to face?" Rias pointed out but Xenovia shook her head.

"A specific enemy maybe?" Yoruichi suggested and while Xenovia stopped to think she ended up shaking her head again.

Taking a bite of her pizza, Medusa offered "Maybe how to fight? You know, because it was training?"

"No, no. That wasn't it." And Xenovia knew that if she didn't remember now it would bother her the whole night.

"I never remember any saying about our training." Irina mumbled begrudge as she knew Xenovia training was different from hers. It wasn't only because of Durandal but also because of who her guardian was. "Are you sure Sister Griselda used to say something about it?"

It wasn't usual but Xenovia was sure. "She said that it was the root of all Exorcist Training. The philosophy of the person who designed it even before the Church received it in the old times." That information was new to everyone. "It was something important, the kind of thing that you know without knowing, if you can get what I mean?"

"Common knowledge?" Rias asked with a shrug. "Then you will remember sooner or later. You are too tired to think about it today." She looked at the Exorcists and frowned. "Maybe a bath will help. I will get you two new clothes once we finish dinner."

"Hungry." Koneko was still going strong as she devoured another slice.

A lightbulb lit on Xenovia's head. "That is it! 'Hunger is the enemy'! That was the saying!"

With that new piece of information Shirou couldn't help but laugh out loud, surprising everyone.

It was a healthy laugh, a sincere laugh born of joy and innocence that showed that he wasn't laughing at Xenovia at all but that what he said connected with him in some way he couldn't help but find funny.

"Someone is feeling better." Yoruichi commented from the side, already on her third slice. "Want to share the joke with the class?"

Chuckling a little Shirou could tell he was feeling better. "Not a joke, more of a… curiosity I suppose." His small chuckle earned him a few skeptical looks. "Sorry, sorry. It is just that I think I know who devised the original training that the Church is using."

"Really? Who was it?" Griselda never knew or at least never told her and Xenovia was curious.

A sad look came to Shirou's eyes as his mind turned to a sword in a field of swords. It was a work of art, a masterpiece and it was the reason for the conflict of the last day.

With a sad smile, he looked at Xenovia with a sigh. "The Order of Pendragon had been the military arm of the Church for centuries before being dismissed. During that time you could say that the organizations were one and the same." He fetched another slice of pizza. "Their resources were one, their intelligence was one and their principles were one. That was why the Order stopped training magicians."

Looks of comprehension dawned on Rias and Yoruichi's faces even while the rest of the table failed to catch what Shirou was telling them.

After chewing he looked at Irina. "In its infancy the Church was little more than peasants and even as it spread inside the Roman Empire they had little other than what God could give them; some relics and knowledge." His throat felt dry so he took a sip of his soda. "While the Roman soldier was considered strong they weren't able to fight against the moonlit world without the help of their gods. Thankfully there were plenty of gods around to help in those days but…"

"But Christianity always prayed only to one." Irina's eyes grew wild. "They needed another source of power, something to help catch up when their weapons couldn't."

"King Arthur's designed the Exorcist Training methods?" Xenovia had her mouth open in disbelief and Shirou shrugged.

"Not exactly the methods for the Exorcist but for their warriors. You look in any map and you will notice that the British Isle was always isolated compared to the rest of Europe. Hell, even Cesar failed to conquer the place for long compared to the rest of the continent." He turned to Yoruichi. "An isolated nation similar to Japan's and we always had our own ways of dealing with the moonlit world."

It clicked in Yoruichi's mind and she began to laugh. "Nyahaha. Oh boy, it is the same situation as Japan! Nyahahaha, isolated from the continent, they had to develop their own ways to deal with anything that lurked at night." Her smile turned feral. "And much like there are yokais here, Britain had their own monsters to deal with."

"Britain, Scotland, all the isles really. They were too close to Avalon and that tended to attract those that wanted its powers… and those unfortunate enough to catch the attention of the fairies." Shirou explained easily and a picture began to form in the Exorcists' minds. He would still color that picture a little more. "Much like the people of the continent had to compete with each other and the moonlit world, everyone else also had to deal with their neighbors, be then normal or otherwise."

"So King Arthur's developed a training method to deal with them?" Rias deduced but was surprised when Shirou shook his head.

"While Artoria helped standardize it, it was her adoptive father Sir Ector and Merlin who did the majority of the legwork." Shirou had no memories of that but Arturia explained that more than once while training with Caliburn. "She perfected their teachings with the help of the Knights of the Round Table and they spread them around their soldiers and allies."

"Only for the Order to give most of it up by joining the Church." This time Shirou nodded in approval at Rias' comment. "And King Arthur was a girl?"

Shirou nodded again. "She disguised herself as a man but in reality she was a young woman… She was a happy girl until she drew that sword." He stared at his empty cup with a frown. "Even as the sword began to change her there was still some of that happy girl fighting to stay sane. Time stopped for her, wounds healed faster than she could be wounded and when in battle she was practically invincible."

"You spoke some of it, Caliburn's power." Xenovia couldn't help but be in awe. But there was also fear by what she could read on Shirou's face. "You also said back there that the sword made her more than human."

"She was… Invincible, wise, all powerful, with instincts so sharp they could be called foresight. An Avatar of Holy Energy if there ever was any, even superior to Michael." It was a bold claim for Shirou to make but the sword itself told him as much. "As I said back at Kuoh, Calibun's real function was to find someone who was worthy to be a warrior who would defend Humanity even if they were not a believer. God was after someone who shared His ideals, even if they didn't believe in him."

At least to an extent but that was always more an impression than anything as the sword wasn't present when the plan for it was conceived. All Shirou could glean from it was the process of its creation, an angel instructing the smith, Melin finishing the process. Not once Shirou heard the voice of God, it was always another person talking about His intentions.

Except Caliburn knew the truth about itself and it literally was unable to stray from it. When its ideal weider did deviate, it broke. Even if he couldn't see everything, Shirou knew that and it was enough.

"She never mastered Caliburn." The information shocked all in the table but Shirou wasn't surprised. "For the few years that Artoria held the sword she hadn't the time to fully dedicate herself for it. While there was an understanding that who took the Sword from the Stone would be king, that didn't mean that most accepted that fact."

"Let me guess; no you aren't king unless you marry my daughter, give me lands and yadda, yadda, yadda." Rias almost choked on her food at Yoruichi's comment.

"Pretty much." Shirou replied with a chuckle. "Most didn't like the idea and for a while Artoria had to travel around to try and convince them to follow her." It was years from Caliburn being claimed for Camelot to be founded. "During that time Caliburn began to change her, little by little. A numbness of certain emotions combined with an awareness of her surroundings that could only be called inhuman made her the perfect administrator. All the while the girl that took the sword in the first place began to vanish."

Xenovia scowled at the thought. "God wasn't perfect." Irina turned at her in shock at the blasphemy. The bluehead watched her partner and felt some shame. "Tch, but it's the truth, isn't it? God made a tool to turn someone into a perfect warrior all the while eating her Humanity."

"But she knew that would happen, so she took the sword willingly." Irina looked at Shirou, trying to find some hope. "Didn't she?"

"She was warned, yes, and at the time it was the best option the country had. The only option really." There was a reason that Britain was chosen for Caliburn.

Between the incursions, both from the mundane to the moonlit world constantly assaulting its borders to the dozens of wars from wannabe kings, the place needed a figure to unify them. It was a common story everywhere on the planet at one point or another; everywhere there was chaos, a figure would try to unify everyone, be it by peace or by force.

"But yes, she took the sword regardless of warnings and with the knowledge of what it was going to do with her." Shirou turned to Xenovia. "Despite what I believe or not I, at least, will give God this; He told everyone what He intended and allowed Artoria the free will of choosing."

The Exorcist nodded but still looked conflicted. Almost everyone at the table knew that Xenovia would never be able to look at the Church as she did before, everyone but Irina.

Yet Shirou knew they both were too tired for this conversation so he moved to the positives. "That saying was proof that Artoria's will wasn't something that even Caliburn couldn't squash." That surprised Xenovia and her eyes looked to shine at the thought. "'Hunger is the enemy' may sound like something silly but she firmly believed in it to the point that if the food was good she would stuff herself more than these four."

And considering how much of the pizzas they had already eaten, neither goddess, maid or nekomatas could disagree that they ate a lot. There were some blushes but Shirou found the sight endearing and he knew that Rias felt the same as she giggled.

Seeing a small smile he tried to stay positive for Xenovia's sake. "If everything had gone as planned then Artoria would have stopped enjoying food, it would be just fuel to help her keep going or even unnecessary once Caliburn was fully hers." Once again bringing out the fact she never fully mastered it. "In a sense that sword is a curse of power but a curse that the girl's Humanity rejected by holding on to the simple things."

She still cared about her brother and father, she still enjoyed eating far more than she should, kept her honor even when that could be considered irrelevant, wished to protect her people first before moving out and had things she loved and hated like anyone else.

'She would be nothing but a machine.' Sympathy and pity filled Shirou's heart and a part of him was glad Caliburn broke. Regardless, he wanted to finish the story on a positive note. "It was that Humanity that kept her grounded enough to become the King Arthur the legends speak about, a person who chased an Utopia and failed but is still remembered."

"The kingdom fell, its people were lost and the heroes had failed. Yet, they were never forgotten." Medusa chuckled as she finished another slice. "I know some gods who would die of envy… if they were still around."

Rias knew there was a joke in there flying over everyone's head but ignored it. "In the end the Order grew obsessed with bringing back their king, never realizing a part of her was never gone. Her Humanity and the training she offered to all who wanted to defend themselves." At least that was the principle of the Round Table she knew. "Maybe the world would be a better place without that sword."

"Hmm… I am not sure." Shirou admitted that part of him agreed with Rias. However he also knew Caliburn better than anyone else. "Caliburn placed Artoria where she needed to be and gave her the chance to become the king they needed." With a smile, he shrugged. "It was never about just the sword or the person, Artoria needed Caliburn to show her the first step and the sword's legend wouldn't even begin without someone as capable and steadfast as her."

Xenovia turned to Durandal with a pensive look, understanding the meaning behind Shirou's words both there and back at Kuoh. "The sword alone would never be enough, not without the hand which wields it." She looked at him again. "That is why you said the Church put too much into Caliburn while trying to restore it; invisibility, speed, even the ability of changing shape… All those things were never from Caliburn."

"As I said before she did have other Noble Phantasms… and help from Merlin from time to time." Shirou finished his slice. "But the important thing was that she never lost the valor and honor that her father taught her. That is why her kingdom could be an efficient machine close to an utopia, despite its failures."

A moment of silence passed. "Okay, I will say it." Yoruichi spoke out loud, getting everyone's attention before pointing at the pizza. "It's good and everything, but we should have some ketchup."

"Oh thank the Heavens I wasn't the only one thinking that." Irina breathed in relief as many around the table nodded in agreement. "Not trying to be an impolite guest or anything but there isn't any in the house?"

The redheads trade looks as Shirou scratched the back of his head and Rias replied. "Usually we make our own sauce but today the cook worked too hard."

"Why not just buy it?" Xenovia was sure that she made a mistake when almost all residents of the house gave her incredulous looks.

"No way. And taint Shirou's food with it?" Yoruichi sounded truly horrified.

"Blasphemy." Liz was ready to break the table.

"Sacrilege." Medusa declared with a frown.

"A crime against the gods and devils alike." Rias' fist hit the table and almost spilled the soda in the cups. "Never suggest that. Ever."

Both Exorcists nodded in confusion while Shirou just shook his head. "Girls, don't you think you are exaggerating-"

""""No!""""

Outnumbered, the magus knew it was a losing fight when he saw it and just shrugged again and opened the last box of pizza with Koneko who immediately grabbed another slice.

She wanted to defend Shirou's culinary prowess too but was too busy eating. 'Everyone else can do it.' She felt Shirou pat her head as the others insisted the Exorcists had some of the redhead's food later. "Your food is that good." Koneko whispered with a glance before speaking again between bites. "But this is fine today. Just for today."

"Fine, just for today." Shirou stopped patting her head at the pout. "You guys better get to work, Koneko is eating everything." The pout was more pronounced by the look of betrayal.

"Well, well, my little sister is making her move!"

"I clearly need to teach her how to share more."

"The audacity." Medusa quickly charged for another slice and a dispute soon ensued for the last ones.

Shirou was glad he had already eaten enough, that gave him plenty of time to laugh as the girls jumped at the last slices of pizza like a pride of lionesses going for their prey.

…

A few hours later Shirou was exiting the shower and sneaking towards the kitchen planning to wash the dishes. Everyone should already be in bed and he was sure that he had some time before going to bed. He just couldn't help himself as the idea of leaving dirty dishes out rubbed him off the wrong way.

He was surprised to hear a humming from a woman before chuckling and entering the kitchen. "Shouldn't you be going to bed?"

"I am a devil, remember? Night is when I feel more comfortable." Rias, now dressed in a red tank top and shorts similar to Liz's that showed her legs perfectly, looked back at her lover. "I feel better now than when we were running around throughout the day." Her smile vanished as she could see Shirou limp to the sink. "You, on the other hand, need to rest."

"Devil or not, so should you." He picked one of the dishes Rias had finished cleaning and began to dry it. "Besides, I just don't need to use mana for this."

"But you are tired."

"So are you and yet, here we are." Both smiled at the thought. "I think neither of us could live with leaving dirty dishes out for the night."

Rias giggled. "It would be a first for us, usually we are so much more neat." She passed him another dish as they worked together. "But what can we do? We are all tired, you most of all." She gave him a look that left no room for debate. "Go to bed, Shiro."

And yet she gave him another dish to dry as she knew he wasn't easily convinced. "As soon as we finish this." Rias nodded, accepting he wouldn't leave her to do the work by herself. An uncomfortable silence followed. "Is there anything you want to tell me?"

"Like what?"

"You know."

"No, I don't. Please be specific." Rias offered him a smile that had Shirou sighing. "And I mean way specific. We have a lot we need to talk about, after all."

"Well, no time like the present." Everyone else was in their rooms and Shirou was sure they couldn't hear this talk. "How are you feeling?"

"Heh, just like you to have a hundred things in your mind and start with a worrywart question." Rias found comfort in it as her head laid in his shoulder even as she kept cleaning. "Tired, confused, irritated by everything that happened… Worried." She gave him another look, one who let out clearly who was responsible for the last one.

"I am fine." Shirou looked back but both of them knew it was an incomplete response. "My circuits will recover with time and I just need some proper rest. You will see, tomorrow I will be already here, cooking breakfast."

"If I have something to say about that, no you won't." There was no more playfulness in her tone and Rias looked clearly upset. "Wasn't there any other way? Couldn't you just have used Caliburn to force Kokabiel back."

"Had I tried that there would still be an earthquake of unprecedented levels in Fuyuki, thousands would have died." Yes he could have used the Fused Fragments and faced Kokabiel.

Despite its monstrous form in Shirou's opinion, the combined sword could have defeated the fallen angel. It was just a matter of skill and power, something that Shirou would have gotten with his magic and the understanding of Caliburn's True Name. Combine that with any progress that Freed made in his short tenure as the owner of the weapon and the redhead was sure he could defeat Kokabiel.

However, that would take time and Fuyuki's mana would be unstable all the while. He also only had minutes before the ritual finished so he had a decision to make while also not even knowing if he would survive the ordeal.

"But you could have used the sword and properly fixed it later, safely." Rias stopped cleaning and turned to Shirou who kept drying the plate in his hands. "You didn't need to risk your life."

"It was either that or Fuyuki would have perished." Shirou focused on what he considered important.

"None of our friends would have died. Most of them were there in Kuoh or here where the boundary fields would have kept them safe. You wouldn't have almost died." Rias saw that as the most important thing. "Look at you, Shiro. You are so weak that I could flick you with my finger and you would fall."

"I needed to protect Fuyuki." He insisted as he placed the plate besides the sink. "Are you asking me to abandon the town?"

"If it would save your life? Yes." Her reply didn't really surprise him. "Shiro, be honest with me… did you know you would live after reforging Caliburn?"

Never before had he wished he could lie to her as much as now. "I didn't know one way or another."

"Damnit Shiro." Rias began to massage her temples. "What do you think I would do if you died?" Shirou's eyes were looking everywhere but her. "How do you think I would react? Would Yoruichi even arrive in time?!" She grabbed his shoulder gently as she saw how her lover almost fell when she touched him. "Shiro!"

"I am fine. Just surprised." A half truth was the best he could do.

Rias was having none of it. "You shouldn't even be standing." She pushed him to a chair and had him sit, Shirou lacking the strength to really stop her. "See this? This is why you shouldn't have rushed to fix Caliburn. You are as defenseless as a newborn kitten."

A fun thought came to his mind. "Did you just make that joke because of Yoruichi and Koneko?"

"Don't try to change the subject." She saw right through him as her hands held him carefully. "You are still warm… your circuits… are they still active."

"No." Shirou was pretty sure he would be dead if they were. "I was just so hot that I am still cooling down."

It was something unbelievable to her but Rias could tell that Shirou was correct. Despite his skin giving the perception he had a strong fever there was no other indication that his body was using mana. As a devil and this close she would feel it anyway but that detail only worried her more.

'How is he still alive?' Rias was grateful he was still among the living but everything she knew said that Shirou shouldn't be breathing. "Shiro, did something happen while you were fixing Caliburn?"

"Besides me, fixing a Noble Phantasm by disrupting the most idiot ritual ever done? Nothing else… that I could perceive." Her head snapped to look at his eyes as Shirou looked sadly at her. "I didn't know if I was going to live or die during that… sorry."

"'Sorry' doesn't cut it, not on this." She still embraced him tightly, thanking the stars he was still alive. "You shouldn't have done that."

"Fuyuki would have been destroyed-"

"Screw Fuyuki! I need you alive!" Rias' hug got more desperate. Even when Shirou grew stiff she didn't let him go. "I love this town." She admitted in a whisper. "It is where I grew into my own person, here is- here I met some of the most important people for me, learned so much about so many things and tasted freedom for the first time. It is a beautiful place that is both peaceful and chaotic at the same time." She leaned back so their eyes could meet. "But I love you more."

Shirou looked down for an instant before his eyes were back on hers. "I am sorry but… I would have done that again if I had to." Gently their foreheads meet, Rias knowing his apology was sincere. "But I will always come back to you, even if I have to surpass death itself."

"I know… but maybe you can't." She couldn't reincarnate him because of Avalon and she suspected it was the reason why Shirou lived. 'Keeping that sheath on him was the right call.' Rias just wanted Shirou safe and her eyes grew firm. "That is why I have to make sure you never have to make that sacrifice in the first place."

That sounded both kind and ominous to Shirou. "Rias… is that the reason why you let Yoruichi sleep with me for this long." They separated. "You want to take advantage of her feelings?"

Both of them knew that Yoruichi wasn't just a powerful woman but that she was important too. Despite her relative young age she had managed to ascend to the position of King of Kyoto and was the leader of one of the most important factions of yokais in Japan. If they knew Kokabiel was coming there was little the nekomata couldn't bring to bear that would have avoided any crisis without even calling upon the Underworld.

"Advantage? Maybe that is the right world but I disagree." Rias offered him a smile that had a hint of impishness in it. "If anything you can only blame yourself; you are a man easy to fall in love with."

"But I love you."

"Can't you love her too?" Rias saw how Shirou looked to the side and she pulled him back to her gently with her hand. "You do love her in a way and that isn't strange." She began to whisper in his ear. "Lust can turn to love but love is a fuel for lust. You want her, you desire her and you care for her more than most of her acquaintances back in Kyoto do." She retreated again, Shirou looking at her in shock. "You know that to me it was the same; besides a few good friends, most only saw my position and status. It is something that most important nobles have to deal with from time to time."

Yet Shirou just looked at her oddly. "And you are just fine with that?"

Rias stood up and revealed her wings. "Feh, Shiro, I will remind you that I am a devil. Despite how much you believe that I am still human in a sense, there are plenty of differences between our cultures." Her wings disappeared and she sat down with her hands on his knees. "Comparing both is kind of unfair, especially since even amongst humans and devils neither of us can be called 'normal'."

Neither could really; Rias was a devil who sought freedom more than power and Shirou had a Reality Marble.

"Besides, the Love of Gremory kind of saddled you with me for the rest of our lives." Rias gave him a cheeky smile. "It would take a lot for you to get me out of your hair."

That reminded Shirou of something. "I met some of your father's peerage." He saw her eyebrow twitch. "It was when I was helping Yoruichi investigate the Rearguard."

"Happy to know one of my aunts didn't die today since he would only be here when I am not around." Rias' relief was palpable.

"You aren't upset that I didn't tell you about them?" Her independence was something that Rias always placed a lot of value in. Shirou saw her chuckle and shook his head. "Of course you aren't. You already knew."

"'Know' is the wrong term here. More like we suspected." Rias remembered they touched on it during the fight but could see that Shirou didn't want to upset her. "It is just… we pretended that they weren't there and did the best job possible, trusting that our Clans weren't interfering."

Unfortunately their guardians of that day died and both grieved for the people whose names they didn't know. "Kokabiel got some…"

"As I said, my aunts wouldn't be the ones here today. They would mostly be with my father." Shirou raised an eyebrow and Rias giggled. "Are you perhaps thinking that it is odd that a Gremory has a harem considering how much love we offer to just one individual?"

"The thought came to mind, yes."

Giggling a little more, Rias shook her head. "The ways of devils are much more complicated than they seem but the fact is that most of us need to focus on finding partners to help us repopulate." That Shirou already knew. "However, much like me, there are those that don't want the partners that were negotiated for them for a reason or another and every single one of my 'aunts' were my mother's friends first."

It clicked with Shirou. "They are part of your father's harem at her request?"

"More like she demanded." Rias found his baffled face cute and touched his cheek. He was still too warm for her tastes. "My father is a Gremory and unlike my brother who Grayfia can't share with anyone for political reasons, my mother has no problem to do so if she likes the girls enough." There was an implication that had Shirou's eyebrows jumping and Rias smiled. "Some of them were witches that fell for his charm while one or two like my mother a little too much. All in all my parents cared for them and some liked my father enough."

"Anything else that I should know about this? Maybe you have more siblings other than the actual Lucifer?" He wondered if he would have to fight some of them to prove his valor or something.

Rias looked really disappointed to shake her head. "Despite how much my father adores my aunts, and he does a lot by how he treats them, unfortunately he only had two children because they are all devils."

"But it has been hundreds of years." At least that was what Shirou estimated after some quick math.

"Yes and two children are quite surprising all things considered." Rias nodded with pride before chuckling. "Admitally his odds were better with mother because he… finished with her more times with the others."

"Oh."

"Also don't think my mother, or I for that matter, share our man to any woman." Rias commented with her hands on her waist. "Only those we deem worthy can partake in our dearest treasure, doubly so for me because I may be a little more affectionate than her."

Rias didn't know if it was the Love of Gremory or her personality alone but she found herself selective of what kind of girls she would share Shirou with. There were plenty of candidates as Shirou was considered popular but only those that she saw a connection between him and them were those Rias would approve of.

That and also that they were mature in a way the majority wasn't. "There is a reason why I haven't made a similar offer to Akeno despite her teasing."

"Rias…" Shirou knew about Akeno's feelings but part of him was embarrassed even talking about it.

"Please, Shiro, if she had the chance she would 100% try to be your mistress… If only she matured a little more." Rias let out a sad sigh. "Today, before you arrived I saw proof that Akeno… still has too many issues to even consider offering her a relationship of this kind." That was one of the few times Rias regretted being right.

"What did Kokabiel do?" Shirou didn't need much to know who hurt his friend.

"He tore her apart with just words." It wasn't the defeat that stung Akeno the most, it was what came after. "Words and an attitude that exposed how much Akeno hates herself. How she rejects a part of herself." Again that was a problem she couldn't help her friend with but tried to think on a better topic. "Speaking about self awareness, Reality Marble." She gave Shirou a cheeky grin. "Who could have thought, right?"

Shirou scratched the back of his head out of habit. "Sorry but that would bring… too many troubles for us to deal with."

"I absolutely agree, luckily Sona isn't a tattle tale and your new friend, the White Dragon Emperor, seems more interested in fighting than to keep the status quo." Plans needed to be drafted either way but Rias knew Sirzechs would back her up on this one.

Not only as her brother but as the First King of the Underworld, someone with a Reality Marble was an asset that was too precious to lose.

Or Rias would declare war one way or the other and her brother knew that.

"Anyway, enough chat. Go to bed, you have a cat waiting for you and she deserves a proper reward."

"It still feels like I am doing something I shouldn't." Shirou admitted.

"Haa? Did your parents instill those kinds of values on you?"

It was Shirou's turn to surprise Rias. "My mother actually never had a problem with me pursuing multiple relationships. She demanded at least ten grandchildren before my thirties." Rias blinked in shock as her mind tried to process that. "By the way, you still have to meet my parents. If we are going to come clean with yours I think I should prepare you."

"You are stalling." She recognized him trying to change the subject. "What is wrong? You fear that a couple of girls are after you bothers me?"

"I just don't want to hurt you." Rias kissed Shirou slowly and delicately before taking another step back.

His lips were too warm as well. "It would take a lot for you to hurt me. Like you suddenly dying." The glare she gave him conveyed all the emotion she had about the subject. "But I know you would never do anything like it on purpose, that you wouldn't touch another girl if I told you no. It just isn't you. I mean, you and Yoruichi had been sleeping together for a while now-"

"She always slept as a cat." Shirou saw the surprised look on Rias' face before she began to laugh. "What is so funny?"

"Hahaha, it is just… I gave her my permission a while ago and she never tried for real." Rias laughed a little more as a confused Shirou watched. "I knew we had a lot in common and it seems we had a lot more than we thought. Like the fact that we are too afraid to take the next step without anyone pushing her." She chuckled a little. "I wished that you were in better condition today, just to be present for her first time."

"I am sorry, what-" Rias interrupted him with another kiss.

It was passionate in ways the previous ones weren't before and the two held on each other as their hands explored their bodies. When Shirou was about to take off Rias' top she stopped him and gave him a mischievous grin.

"Good, you are strong enough for that. Now go get her, 'Tiger'."

"I think we should talk a little more about this." Shirou wanted to continue and do it in the kitchen but he wouldn't keep going if Rias didn't want it.

And she didn't want him to continue with her as her arms grabbed him by his white and blue sweater. "Shiro… I love you so much that if anything ever happened to you I would fly into a murderous rage before trying to stop breathing." The look of horror in his face told her that was the last thing he wanted but knew she was telling the truth. "I wanted you to be happy. I want us to be happy, whatever the cost. And I know you want that too."

Nodding slowly the redheads knew Rias was correct and Shirou didn't bother to deny it, however there was a critical difference between the two of them.

"The thing is that, the same way you saw Humanity in a devil, you need to accept that there is some devil inside the human." Rias whispered slowly and sensually, teasing Shirou as he knew she didn't want to go beyond this. Not with her. "You have limits, you are limiting yourself to human values even when you don't care much about them."

Shirou grabbed her by the back of her neck and they began to kiss and with more resolve than he had before he put her over the table. "Do you want me to stop?"

"No but I think," she spoke quickly before the magus continued, "that our kitty deserves a reward. And this is the kind I know she wants." Rias propped herself up with her elbows as Shirou took a step back. "For as long as she can before the morning reminds us of our problems."

There were going to be consequences for Yoruichi's help, a fact that the nekomata knew but was avoiding mentioning even during dinner. But neither redhead forgot that her help had a price as a foreign power interfering in other Factions' business was usually frowned upon, no matter the reason.

Shirou wished that he could do more but the problems were going to be in Kyoto and he doubted Yoruichi would let him go there to help. He would probably make things worse. "How long do you think she has?"

"If it was us we would already be leaving the territory." Rias knew they weren't important enough to avoid certain punishments. "But she is the top brass of her Faction. She will be fine but will need to go back for a while. I just don't know how long."

With a nod Shirou stood up and began to leave the kitchen only to stop. "Are you sure?"

Rolling her eyes, Rias embraced Shirou's back tenderly. "Stop thinking with your head and think with your heart… Or better, with your soul." She may not know much about Reality Marbles but general knowledge would be enough. "When you see the world you try to see it as humans do but that never sat quite right with you. Your Reality Marble is the why and the proof of that." Her hand landed in his heart and she felt every beat. "You see the world in a way beyond humans, a way that may be too similar to a devil's. Or better yet, a demon." Her whisper turned husky and she bit her ear nibble. "So stop holding back. You have a whole world inside your soul, enough for the two of us and anyone else we want."

There was a change in Shirou's posture as he felt hot under the collar and smiled at his first lover. "You really are the devil on my shoulder." He turned to her with an assertiveness that wasn't there before and pushed her back to the kitchen sink.

This time he was so intense that Rias found herself failing to fight back. All the preparation she did to tease him and get him ready had gone out of the window as their kiss grew more and more passionate. She was moaning from the kiss and how he was touching her legs and breasts.

Until Shirou suddenly stopped and stepped away. "Maybe another night." He whispered, making the pureblood devil shiver.

If he had kept going Rias wouldn't have fought anymore but with a cheeky smile of his own, Shirou turned around and began to march to his room leaving a blushing Rias to ponder. "What have I just unleashed?" Shirou barely heard his lover but refused to reply as another was waiting for him.

There was a feeling in his chest that Shirou felt only when he spent the most passionate nights with Rias. It was fear and instinctual in a way that he couldn't describe. Yet he didn't allow it to control him and instead took hold of that feeling as he marched to his room with a purpose as his thoughts kept running thousands of miles per hour.

Because Shirou knew Yoruichi better than most, he knew why the nekomata held back and hesitated as even her most bold advances came as offers and she never stepped through certain boundaries even when he was ready to give in.

She wanted him to give in but refuse to say it or to move beyond what she was comfortable doing even if she knew what she wanted. All that bravado came with some insecurity, not in her appearance, the nekomata knew she was beautiful, but in her inexperience. Much like Rias before they became lovers, Yoruichi never had anyone that she could trust as much as she trusted him.

At least not outside her family as she always spoke well about her fellow Kings and her brother, especially her brother who she loved with all her heart. A love she shared with Koneko in a sense but different but as a brother himself he could understand and sympathize.

Regardless of his opinions he was ready to finally give in and when he entered his room to see Yoruichi sitting on his futon in her cat form with her eyes open he couldn't help but joke. "I thought you were sleeping."

Yoruichi immediately noted there was something different in Shirou's eyes, something she liked. "Thought about it but a certain redhead almost killed himself today and I decided to help him." She watched as he closed the door and approached with confidence in his step. "You should thank my generosity."

"Always." Quickly he approached and the nekomata was surprised how he didn't seem tired at all. Thanks to her Ki Yoruichi was in much better condition than anyone else even after facing the White Dragon Emperor, yet Shirou seemed to be in better shape somehow. "Do you need to stay as a cat to apply the treatment?"

"What?" She couldn't hide her surprise.

And by the chuckle he gave her, Shirou noticed she was caught flat footed. "Do you need to stay in this form," he scratched her neck just the way she liked, "to show that generosity?"

"Nyaa~" She returned to her human form while enjoying his touch after failing to resist. It was a little more warm than usual but there was still the same tender care and kindness she was familiar with.

In an instant Shirou's hand wasn't in a cat's head anymore but in a woman's neck as he massaged it just right for Yoruichi. Her clothes had been replaced by a black sweater that was too big for her but showed her slender figure.

Yoruichi fell into the moment with closed eyes as Shirou's hands worked in her neck to then fall into the sweater and touch her back. Despite looking completely human he was still treating her like a cat and she found herself enjoying the attention. His hands moved to her shoulder and instinctively she leaned in his hand.

Instead of continuing with the massage Shirou touched her cheek and Yoruichi's eyes opened. Despite the darkness of the room the redhead could see the blush in her face even a little hidden by her skin. If anything he found the sight endearing as the woman couldn't help but retreat with a smile.

"What has gone into you today?" Yoruichi leaned back using her hands to support herself.

She was still blushing. "I just wanted to show how much I appreciate you. How much I care about you." If he wasn't incapable of lying, his eyes would show how sincere he was. "Weren't you saying something about thanking your generosity?" He laid at her side and Yoruichi fought to not move. "Or are you…"

"I am what?" She felt herself blush more and grew agitated when Shirou whispered in her ear.

"Nervous?"

'Goddamnit.' Some of Yoruichi's confidence turned back as she turned to him, their lips almost brushing against each other. "And what would I be…" She also paused for effect. "Nervous?" But unlike her Shirou wasn't affected.

If anything he grew more bold as his hand touched her face. "I don't know… why would you be?" His tone was suggestive. "Maybe it has something to do with something you were thinking of doing tonight." He gave her a look and with that look she understood what he was implying. He still hammered it in. "I mean, usually you don't leave anything to imagination but this sweater seems to exist to tempt me?"

Yoruichi licked her lips. "Are you tempted?"

"By you? A hundred times before this." Shirou closed the distance. "And this one as well." They kissed and while Yoruichi was surprised she also was pleased by the outcome.

'Finally-' She barely had time to form a thought as the kiss grew more intense.

Proving that she was the one in better condition, Yoruichi moved to embrace Shirou's neck but she still ended with her back in the futon as his tongue explored her mouth. For a moment the nekomata felt overwhelmed, too overwhelmed even but before anything could happen Shirou stopped and leaned back.

"Breath." Shirou whispered after noticing that Yoruichi was having some difficulties.

The nekomata took the advice with gusto. "Thanks… What brought this on? Not that I didn't want it but-"

"You deserve a reward and much more." Shirou commented while holding her chin. "For a good time now I wanted to do it but certain principles stopped me from acting." His eyes were firm, just the way she liked them. "But I realized that these principles are not mine, that I am the world's most selfish man."

"What is that supposed to mean?" She whispered before she kissed his cheek. "Forget it." She began to move to his neck.

Before he interrupted her. "And are you sure you want this?" Yoruichi was stunned by the words that while they carried a lot of desire and lust also carry a deep respect. "I want you and you want me." Shirou laid open for them both. "But do you want this? Are you ready for this?"

It was then that Yoruichi noticed some details like that despite the proximity between them, he was avoiding touching anywhere inappropriate. 'Wonder what that will feel like?' She chuckled. "Are you really asking me that now?"

"Not much different from dropping naked and embracing my back before battle." Shirou replied with a chuckle that had Yopruichi looking to the side with some embarrassment. Slowly he moved her head so their eyes would meet. "We were strangers there going towards the unknown that threatened the whole city with a huge ritual that promised to destroy everything."

"But in reality it was just a bunch of people in the wrong place at the wrong time." Yoruichi admitted with some embarrassment. "Good thing we didn't do anything then. Would have tainted the experience."

"Would it?" His hand slid in her back, making Yoruichi shiver. "I don't think it ruined anything but what would have messed things up was that we didn't know each other then. Not like we do now. Before you were the sexy catwoman and I was a magus too stubborn for his own good." Both found themselves smiling. "Now we are still that but we know each other better."

"Much better." It rolled off her tongue with desire.

"Do you want to do it?" Shirou's question surprised her. "Because what you did today you might have to leave tomorrow."

"Is that why you are offering?" Yoruichi would be disappointed if that was the case.

It wasn't and Shirou proved it by kissing her again more passionately than before. "What do you think?"

A feral but sensual grin made its way to her lips. "You just want me to say it."

"No." Yoruichi found herself shocked. "Actions speak louder than words." And he kissed her again.

This time she didn't let him stop.

…

After a few minutes there was some noise escaping the walls of Shirou's room. "Huh, looks like Medusa wasn't kidding." It grew louder with meows and moans. "Not kidding at all." A magic circle appeared on Rias' hand as the boundary field around the room grew stronger. She still could hear some things which made her chuckle. "Looks like I will have to ask someone to adjust it."

Biting her lips she approached a wall to place an ear and managed to catch some of the action despite the boundary field.

'Is it wrong that I kinda want to join in.' Curiosity and interest almost had her going to the door. 'But not today. Today is Yoruichi's day. Her first day…' Blinking, Rias managed to catch her own thoughts. "Is that why mother… Nooo… is it?"

Shaking her head a little the redhead silenced any internal debate and stomped out any desires born from her curiosity. She had a job to do as the Second Owner of Fuyuki and while Sona agreed with her to postpone most of the work there was something she knew needed to be done.

Not only as the person in charge of the town but also as a friend.

So Rias turned to continue her march towards the room she was walking towards before, a plate with a knife on her left hand and a bowl with apples in her right. Senjutsu kept them at the peak of their maturity while Magecraft improved the taste and nutrients to its full potential. They were all bloody red and there were even plans for a tree to be planted in the property that only were delayed due to a lack of time from everyone's part.

As things stood those plans would be delayed even more but Rias had faith that Koneko would make some progress after the most recent mess. It was one of the few positives in the pureblood devil's mind after everything they went through.

Usually not one to share such a bounty with strangers, the King of Gremory approached one of the guest rooms with a smile. "Coming in~" Rias didn't bother to knock on the door and opened it with her foot.

Like most guest rooms the place was empty with just a futon for someone to sleep in it. It was still clean and well maintained as both Shirou and Medusa wouldn't allow a single speck of dust to ruin their work. This one belonged to the little goddess territory and she was in charge of keeping it pristine, which it definitely was.

However there was a presence there that night as the room finally got to exert its function. A guest came and she was in the middle of the room with a white blanket covering her form.

Rias saw no movement from the girl in question and if things were normal she would let the girl sleep and allow her to rest until morning at the very least.

Unfortunately the situation demanded action and an investigation so Rias approached the futon while paying close attention to the soft expression of the sleeping beauty. Or what appeared to be a sleeping beauty because Rias was sure that she wouldn't be sleeping regardless of how tired she felt, not after everything that happened.

Instead of calling her out immediately, Rias sat down with the bow of apples to one side and the empty plate in front of her, closer to the futon.

Humming to herself and to her falsely asleep audience, Rias began to peel one of the apples. She worked slowly and methodically, half of her attention directed towards the sleeping beauty. Compared to Shirou she didn't have a high affinity or practice with blades but she was quite good with a knife.

Her teacher in the Underworld was a samurai and one of the first lessons was about how a blade could be dangerous regardless of the size. Rias didn't know how to use knives to fight but she knew how to use them well and soon the first apple was peeled.

Instead of moving to the next she cut the first apple in half before cutting them into smaller pieces in the shape of a half moon. She didn't know how the person liked to eat apples but most people didn't like the calyx or the stalk so she was focusing on cutting off these parts.

When the first apple was done Rias separated the seeds and the rest before obliterating the undesirable parts with her Power of Destruction while the seeds she sent away with a magic circle.

There was a flinch from the figure beneath the blanket and Rias watched to see if she would do anything else. While the Heiress watched she began to work on the second apple when noticed the person beneath the blanket wasn't moving.

In total she had four apples to work with but Rias had already decided that once she finished peeling the second one then one way or another she and the sleeping beauty were going to have a talk.

All that Rias was doing was giving the other girl a chance to come clean but it seemed she wasn't going to take it. "Are you going to pretend to sleep the whole time I am here?" Rias was half done with peeling the second apple. "You still didn't have dinner after all that happened and I thought that maybe you might want something." Cutting part of the apple, she placed it in her mouth with the knife. "These apples are delicious."

Eyes opened as the sleeping beauty turned to Rias. "Auguste is already gone?"

Luviagelita Edelfelt sounded weak and nothing like her usual aristocratic self; her skin was pale and there were dark circles beneath her eyes that brought out how puff they were from crying.

Her hair was also a mess but that was from the long time laying down and not from the damage her soul took like the rest. Rias could feel how much weaker the Blue Magus was compared to her usual self and how much of a toll the events of the day took from her.

But it wasn't done yet. "Yes, he already left. I imagine that he was here with you?" A small nod was the best Luvia could offer. "Well, once he received the bad news he found himself in a really uncomfortable position. His loyalty was divided between you and your family." Rias could see how defeated the blonde was and how worse it got when she revealed her butler had departed. "Do you understand what happened?" Instead of replying, Luvia looked to the side, avoiding Rias entirely. "There is no escaping this, Luvaigelita."

"I am not trying to escape… I am just tired." It wasn't a lie, Rias could tell as much.

"Unfortunately there will be no rest for the wicked and you, Luviagelita, have been a bad girl."

There was no jest on Rias' tone and if anything the redhead sounded dangerous. So dangerous that Luvia's body grew stiff as she waited for whatever the devil was about to do to her.

"Look at me, Luviagelita." The redhead ordered with a degree of threat. It was clear that if she didn't move, Rias would make her move.

Considering how weak she was, Luvia was afraid. Not only Rias was always more powerful than her but any veil of civility seemed to have left the Gremory Heiress and she knew something, something that Luvia desperately wanted to hide.

Wishing to not make things worse, the blonde looked at Rias who pushed the plate with apple slices in front of her. "We ate pizza for dinner but I don't think grease food is what you need right now." Luvia looked surprised and Rias rolled her eyes. "Eat. If you want some water I can fetch it for you. Unfortunately we are out of juice too."

After a moment to make sure Rias wasn't kidding with her, the blonde let a sigh escape before trying to sit up. Luvia's blue dress had been removed and instead Rin put her in a loose blue shirt and pants that looked to be some kind of pajamas. The redhead guessed that Auguste must have bought it once he was well enough to walk.

"Thank you." Luvia picked up the first slice and took a small bite, it was barely half of the slice and it was already small in the first place. Still she took her time chewing it before swallowing and taking another bite.

Instead of complaining about Luvia's pace, Rias focused back on cutting the apple in her hand. "Do you understand what happened?" She didn't like repeating herself but that was a special occasion. Slowly Luvia nodded. "Would you mind if I ask a couple of questions?"

After finishing the first slice, Luvia looked afraid. "Are these questions coming from the Second Owner of Fuyuki?"

"Yes, some of them are." Rias offered her a gentle smile. "But others are from a friend, or someone that thought she was your friend."

The implications of that statement only made Luvia feel worse. "I am sorry." She lowered her head in shame and repentance, something Rias never expected from the proud Heiress of Edelfelt.

'But then again she isn't the Heiress anymore, is she?' At least Rias knew Luvia was aware of her situation. However, both out of sympathy and to get it out of the way, Rias felt compelled to ask "Do you need me to explain the full scope of the damage you took."

Luvia looked like someone had killed her cat. "I know my body better than anyone else and I also studied any information I could get about Excalibur." She took another slice and looked at it with sadness. "The injection of Holy Energy destroyed my Crest… I can't think my circuits fared any better."

It seemed that while intellectually Luvia understood the situation, there was still a certain level of denial in her. She was refusing to really elaborate the damage that she took where Rias could tell about it just by looking at her and feeling her presence.

Previously Luvia felt much like Rin, a small beacon of mana ready to be unleashed and level a neighborhood if necessary. Now that brightness was almost gone and she could only be compared to a street lamp if even that. There was almost no mana circulating Luvia's body because her circuits were not in condition to take anything.

"Do you prefer me to be gentle or realistic?" Rias finished with the second apple and moved to take off the skin of the third.

The question startled Luvia and the blonde realized things were worse than she thought. "The truth, please… No matter how cruel."

"Your life as a magus is over." Rias saw Luvia's eyes grow wide as she really hadn't taken into account how damaged her circuits were. The devil tried to slow down. "Auguste left because he feared that you couldn't be anything to your Family other than someone to marry with someone else, you already realized that. What you didn't realize was that not only was your Crest destroyed and your circuits damaged but they were damaged beyond repair to any normal method-"

"At least those where I stay human." Luvia's hand was shaking and if she was stronger she would have crushed the slice between her fingers.

She was just too weak to even succeed on that.

However that wasn't a topic Rias wanted to touch at the moment, not with the blonde as she was. "Regardless, Auguste knows you well enough that he felt he should depart and prepare to transfer some things in Fuyuki to your name."

"Haha. Always reliable until the very end." A melancholic smile blossomed on Luvia's face. "If he stayed when I recovered his contract would force him to drag me to my family… My sister will be upset…"

"Do you want to call her?" Rias destroyed the skin of the apple as Luvia shook her head.

"No… I think she will hate me for the rest of our lives… Maybe even beyond that. We Edelfelt tend to hold a grudge." Despite the joke, Luvia sounded sadder than when she spoke about her circuits. "If I went back… Auguste is right, I wouldn't be happy." She ate another slice.

Rias gave the blonde a few seconds to think and calm down before speaking again. "You don't need to decide anything right now." Both were talking like things were already settled but the redhead knew the importance of family. "Take your time to think about it, you can stay for as long as you want. You will even get to taste Shiro's breakfast." She informed her with a chuckle.

"So this is Shero's house." Luvia looked around with some wonder before sighing. "It is homely."

"You are only seeing one room." Not that Rias disagreed. "Besides-"

"She won't ever forgive me if I go back. My sister, that is." Luvia sounded even weaker than before. "We both always had our parts to play, we were happy with them, but now I failed and if I return, our parts will be reversed." She bite another slice. "She had a man she loved, her fiance who is from a small family that is rising to prominence. Good enough for the spare but not for the heir." Anger colored her voice, a cold one lacking passion. "If I go back, I will have to marry him and Luna will never forgive me."

"... I see." Rias noticed the love and care beneath Luvia's anger and realized she wasn't just frustrated with the situation. 'She is also angry at herself.' She began to cut the third apple. "I am sorry for your loss."

"Thank you." Luvia took another slice, her mood growing darker by the moment. "Unfortunately my sister is very much like me. Apologies won't help at all if I return." The apple felt sour in her mouth. "Maybe she won't kill me but she will make sure that I will be like a bird in a cage for the rest of my life, especially if I am to marry her love. She couldn't even have me just as a lover since she will have to marry someone of equal status."

"The curse of nobility." Rias felt sympathetic at the Edelfelt sisters' fate. But that sympathy only went so far. "Why did you attempt to get the Fragments?"

The surprise on Luvia's face was real "Uh?"

It wasn't a surprise to Rias that Luvia failed to understand, the blonde's mind wasn't in the right place. "Why did you try to acquire the Fragments, Luviagelita?" Still that was a conversation that needed to happen. "The Exorcists confessed that you knew about the Order of Pendragon for at least a few days." What she managed to pry from them at least. "And you just admitted that you had enough knowledge to research Excalibur before it even arrived in Fuyuki."

The accusation was silent but the fact that Luvia knew anything about the invading force and told no one didn't paint a pretty picture. With how hard it was to monitor a whole city, unless basic rights were discarded that even devils tried to avoid doing to not having to deal with a rebelion, the only way the Second Owners could truly keep an eye everywhere was through their contacts.

"Kokabiel's plan depended on secrecy not only for his own presence but also the Order's. He wanted to start a war." Rias made sure to speak slowly, Luvia needed to understand how much her plan risked everyone. "By killing us, me and Sona, he planned to have Heaven and the Underworld destroy each other." She noticed how the blonde shivered, taking it as a sign she knew the danger they all were in. "Had we known the Order was around earlier we could have called our siblings… No, that is a lie. We would have attacked earlier, neutralized the army around Fuyuki and forced Kokabiel to act sooner, possibly ruining his plan."

That was a 'what if' scenario that Rias wasn't sure it would pan out perfectly but she knew that without backup Kokabiel wouldn't be able to keep himself hidden as Freed wouldn't be enough to protect the Fragments even with the elite of the Order of Pendragon by his side.

However that didn't happen, they didn't know that Kokabiel was around until the man revealed himself.

And the responsable for it was Luvia, unintentional as it was. "Your callous actions left Fuyuki at risk and your decision of not informing anyone about the Order of Pendragon almost led the world to another Great War." She saw horror but couldn't stop.

Both as Rias Gremory and the Second Owner of Fuyuki she needed Luvia to see the size of her mistake. She needed Luvia to see how much worse she made the situation with her silence.

"Had we had an inkling of Kokabiel's plans we would have really called our siblings. The threat of war would be too great for us to keep being stubborn." Rias was confident of that possibility. "And since you knew he was around-"

Before things could get worse and because Luvia knew how bad her situation was, she decided to interrupt. "Yes, I knew the Order of Pendragon had been here. Not about the Fragments or that they planned to steal it but once I knew who they were here and connected the dots I saw an opportunity." There was a real fear in Luvia's tone. "I knew nothing about Kokabiel. Nothing. Had I known I would gladly call you since revealing him would have been enough to prove myself."

Rias finally received the answer to her original question. "Why did you have to prove yourself, Luviagelita?"

The mixture of shame, anger and sadness, Luvia failed to hold back a sigh. "I wanted a Pact with the Sitri…" A moment of silence passed as Rias waited. "I noticed that Shero didn't seem to notice any of my advances and that our relationship wasn't progressing as fast as I hoped." The redhead kept her poker face even as the blonde sighed again. "Despite being one of the richest families of magi on the planet, one of the few things that the Edelfelt always lacked was a Pact and I saw the Order of Pendragon as a chance to get one."

"If you had married Shiro you planned to convince him to change his name to Edelfelt. We already knew that, he already knew that." Not really strange since Shirou was both adopted and the younger sibling of the Emiya Family. However Luvia's interest in Shirou was genuine so Rias didn't press much further. "Mayhaps in the past if you had asked, he would have agreed." The blonde looked at the devil in surprise but Rias just chuckled at her expression. "Unfortunately for you, the first and perhaps last person he is going to take to the altar is me. Depending on who else may want to marry him, of course."

Yoruichi didn't seem to have interest and she was the only one Rias was sharing Shirou with for the moment but the redhead devil was flexible.

'Only if I go to the altar first.' She still wanted that traditional Japanese marriage.

Luvia looked baffled for a moment as the information settled in her mind. She looked even more depressed than before. "How long?"

"A little before Riser and the Phenex debacle for me… Yoruichi just joined today." Rias didn't hide her amusement at Luvia's wide eyes. "Oh it is Shihouin Yoruichi, one of the Kings of Kyoto, by the way." Her eyes would be saucers if Luvia had the capability for it. "They are doing the deed right now.

It was then that Luvia remembered that Rias was a devil and such relationships weren't a problem for her. "I see…" It helped little as Luvia still felt defeated. "And he managed to catch the eye of one of the leaders of the Yokai Faction… As expected of Shero." Her sad smile almost made Rias herself depressed. "How did he manage that?"

"Kuro was Yoruichi and I may tell you more about that later…" Because she still had a duty to fulfill. "And from what you said, you felt that you weren't progressing with Shiro and decided to go for Sona. Why the Fragments?"

"I was planning to offer them to her, including the ones from the Church." No use in hiding anything, Luvia just opened up about her plan. "I tricked the Exorcists and planned to take their Excalibur Fragments once we had secured the ones the Order of Pendragon stole. It was a simple plan; guide them to the bases, find the swords, knock them out and give them to lady Sona in return for a pact with Sitri."

"Indeed simple and direct. You and Rin are more alike than you like to admit." Luvia's plan reminded Rias of how Rin tried to attract her to Homurahara to deal with a stray devil. How she met Shirou. "But that is besides the point. You were aiming for a Pact and planned to use the Fragments as a bargain chip, is that correct? That would have failed."

"What- what?" Luvia was shocked by how everything she did that day, the plan which cost her everything, was just shot down unceremoniously.

Yet Rias' expression didn't change, her poker face remained immaculate as the aristocrat seemed close to a panic attack. "You realize that your plan also had a good chance to start a war, right?" Luvia nodded and the devil could already see the crack beginning to show. "What were you going to do about the Exorcists? Kill them?"

"Erase their memories of my collaboration and existence before throwing them into a flight back to Europe." Once she had the Exorcists' trust, Luvia was sure it was only a matter to knock them out with spiked food and water. "They wouldn't know where the swords would have gone, only that they lost them all."

"And now your plan seems worse." Rias raised a hand to stop Luvia's protests. "Xenovia wouldn't have eaten your food, she already suspected you. Besides, her body is also protected by the aura of her real sword."

Luvia knew nothing about that but had already anticipated failing to gather trust in her plans. "Then they would leave and the Edelfelt would enjoy having some friends in the Church."

While not as good or permanent as having a Pact that was the other option just in case Luvia failed to secure the Fragments. In that case the story that she told about earning the Church's favor would turn out to be true but Luvia was confident her main plan would work because it was already working.

She was the one supplying food and water to the Exorcists and they even had plans to spend the night in her home. All Luvia needed was the swords themselves in her hands and that was where she found failure.

Rias saw failure everywhere else in her plan. "Fine, let's go for the scenario where you got the swords; what then? You think Sona would accept a Pact with the Edelfelt because of the Fragments?"

"Wouldn't they give the Underworld leverage against the Church? All you needed to do was get into contact with certain elements within them and you could demand whatever you desired for the Excalibur Fragments."

'That is what I feared.' There was logic in Luvia's plan, a logic that Rias could respect. However it was missing many key pieces. "Sona would never accept them, nor would I for that matter." That shocked the magus to no surprise. "Luviagelita, your plan had a big chance of causing a war, the same way that Kokabiel's plan did. Do you want to know why? Because you are thinking we are human like you." The Gremory Heiress took hold of the conversation. "Many of the survivors of the Great War are still around, especially in certain circles in the Underworld."

"But your side won the Civil War." Luvia hurried to add.

And Rias couldn't really disagree. "And many of them lost positions after they surrendered. That doesn't mean they didn't use the centuries between them and now to recover even if they don't have the same prestige anymore." Not many names jumped to her mind but there were enough to get her worried. "The Church has a similar problem since angels live forever and despite how generous some of them are considered to be, they have plenty of reasons to wish to finish the war themselves."

For a moment Rias considered revealing God's death but depending on Luvia's decision over the next few weeks it was better if she didn't know. However her point remained that both sides had people gunning for a fight and if things get too hot because of threats then a war may happen.

Finishing cutting the third apple, Rias moved to grasp the last one. She used the knife to point to the dish and remind Luvia to eat as the girl had stopped for a while.

Instead of peeling the skin off the last apple, Rias took a bite. "We devils live a long life and some of our grudges are literally millenia old." She took another bite as she thought of her own grudge with the Phenex. "I don't doubt that someone would try to use the Fragments to get some revenge. However, that would never happen with me or Sona for that matter. Do you want to know why?"

After Luvia nodded, Rias still didn't continue and instead took another bite of her apple while pointing to the plate. By how the devil had organized the slices of the apples the plate looked more like a mosaic with some missing pieces. When the blonde looked at the redhead the message was clear; no more talk if Luvia didn't eat.

Rias only continued once Luvia began to chew another slice. "It is because our siblings fought in the Underworld Civil War to stop the Great War." Luvia's eyes grew wide as she couldn't believe she missed such key detail. "You know what that means, don't you? Even if you had succeeded, even if you had presented the Fragments to either me or Sona on a silver platter, we would still return them to the Church with an apology because some magician 'thought we wanted them in the first place'."

"Because your brother's main policy was always 'peace with the other powers'." Luvia's hands cover her face as the blonde fights to not cry. "I am an idiot! How could I make such a mistake!"

Silently Rias kept eating her apple as she allowed Luvia to vent all her anger and frustration with herself. It took the aristocrat a few moments but she was a strong woman and soon she had already recovered enough to keep the conversation going.

Except that Rias still wasn't in a rush and instead offered the plate of sliced apples again. "Do you need some water?"

"Yes, please." As Rias standed up she noticed Luvia's puffy eyes and how she was holding back her tears.

"I will be back in exactly three minutes." Part of her wanted to finish things for the night but Rias had a fear that if she didn't treat the situation carefully Luvia would do something stupid. "Three minutes are enough?"

However, help could only be there if the other person wanted it. "Two… two are going to be enough."

The pureblood devil ended up giving the blonde three minutes anyway, it was time for Luvia to let out her frustration and calm herself before the conversation continued. When Rias returned with a full glass of water she saw Luvia in the same place, sitting in the same position, with all the grace and poise of a heiress from a noble house.

Except some of the sliced apples were thrown around and the pillow was wet with tears. There was no doubt in Rias' mind that if Luvia had been a Bael or even had some access to her mana the room would have been damaged.

'At least she isn't suicidal.' Because Rias took a risk by leaving Luvia alone since the blonde could have tried to use her mana and killed herself by the attempt alone. "Here."

"Thank you." But Rias saw some of herself in Luvia, someone who would fight to the end despite any mistake.

As she chugged the glass of water in one sitting like she never had it before, Rias sat down again and smoothly got rid of any of the remains of the slices. Once more the room looked pristine and the redhead had no intentions of commenting what may or may have not happened in the three minutes she was out.

She respected Luvia enough to do as much, both as a person and her ambition.

Once Luvia was done, Rias collected the glass. "Do you want some more?"

"No… Thank you once again, lady Rias." The amount of respect on Luvia's tone showed she appreciated that Rias was being direct with her.

"Very well." Rias deposited the glass beside the plate before pushing it forward again. "Eat. Your body and soul need fuel to recover." There was some hesitation but soon Luvia placed a whole slice in her mouth. "What happened was a mistake but you can't let that define what happens from now on."

"You mean how I ruined my future by being stupid?" Some of Luvia's fire was back but it came with a lot of self loathing. "I overextended and paid the price." She looked at her hand, closing it into a fist. "And now the future that I always wanted is gone."

Taking a page from Shirou's book, Rias smiled. "But you are still alive." Luvia looked at the redhead devil in wonder. "If you are alive, you can change things. Even if it wasn't the future you wanted, it can be better." She shrugged. "Or worse, if you let it."

Eating another slice, Luvia couldn't help but smile. "Fufu. Maybe you are right. Doesn't change the fact that I… I was a short sighted dunderhead."

There was no way Rias was going to let Luvia fall for that. "Sometimes when you see something you wanted and the opportunity to get it, you just jump at it without thinking much." She touched the blonde's cheek delicately and received a look of uncertainty. "You aren't the first to fall because what you wanted was right in your sight and I doubt you are going to be the last." Retreating and relaxing, Rias shrugged. "That is why sometimes the best can do is share what you are thinking so someone else can tell you if it was a good idea or not."

"You are saying that I should have come to you again." Other words but the same message.

Rias nodded in admittance. "Yes, you already know that. Doesn't mean the advice is wrong." While Luvia looked pensive the devil wasn't done. "However, sometimes when we see an opportunity there is nothing wrong with taking a plunge at it. I certainly did with the risks I took like loving a human or picking up a fight with one of the richest families in the Underworld."

More confused than before, Luviagelita Edelfelt didn't know what to think. "Are you saying that I did a bad thing or not?"

"I am saying that you took a risk but you should have talked with other people since you had the time to think about it." Rias knew that without Shirou and their friends she would be unhappily married right at that moment. "If I didn't have the people I have in my life, I would be either miserable or dead right now." Blue eyes met brown ones. "There is nothing wrong in trusting people, even in this cruel world we live in."

After finishing another slice, Luvia then summoned her courage. "What is going to happen to me?"

Luvia hid information from the Second Owner, risked Fuyuki security when a strange organization began to set up shop and even if she didn't know about Kokabiel she contributed to his plans.

Humming a little, Rias ate an apple slice before replying. "Officially you saw the Exorcists and joined on the hunt for the Fragments, seeing an opportunity to secure a Pact for your family." Luvia's eyes grew wide once more at the clear omissions in that story. "Sona doesn't have any idea of your involvement and I am sure we can convince the Exorcists to not say anything even in their reports. Auguste also showed too much loyalty to you for him to leak the truth."

Astounded by what she was just told, Luvia's mouth failed to properly make sounds. 'I'm stuttering.' Somewhere her mind managed to think and that was the only thing she managed to process as words failed to form.

Rias made no comments and patiently waited for Luvia to recover with a smile. She was tempted to tease the European girl a little but reconsidered because of the rollercoaster of emotion the blonde had throughout the day.

That didn't stop the devil from enjoying the constant transitions between shock, confusion, bafflement, more confusion and doubt that Luvia wasn't unable to hide.

"You know that if your mouth stays open like that you will catch flies?" In the end Rias failed to resist just a little. Still there was no reaction so the redhead picked a slice and offered it close to Luvia's mouth. "So you could at least eat some more. Maybe it will help you think."

She didn't know if it was because of a small belief in the Gremory Heiress' words or the fact the food was that close to her mouth but Luvia took the bite that was offered. She ended up taking the whole thing but after chewing she still found herself dumbfounded by the free pass Rias was essentially giving to her.

Upon seeing that Luvia still couldn't properly think or even blink, Rias chuckled and moved to sit besides the blonde. She placed the plate with apples on her lap and picked another one. "You better not stop eating, Luviagelita. You still need to recover your strength."

The proud girl was nowhere to be found as the former Edelfelt Heiress opened her mouth with a blush and accepted another slice. Their eyes never left one another while Rias' smile turned mischievous and Luvia blushed more at their interaction.

Her ears were completely red when Rias offered her another slice without saying a single word this time. Instead the devil just gave her a look and approached it with her mouth which opened again.

Making sure that Luvia was well fed was something Rias was found surprisingly fun and endearing. 'Would Rin also act like this?' She picked another slice and Luvia accepted with no complaints. "You must be wondering why I am not punishing you for your slights, even suppressing the fact that you technically aided our enemies."

Luvia stopped chewing her slice, fear returning to her features before logic had her nodding. She understood that Rias had no intention of harming her and that the pureblood devil was doing her a favor.

Only when Luvia swallowed the food in her mouth and took another slice was that Rias believed she was comfortable again. "The mistakes you made were plenty, that is a fact. However, punishing you will accomplish nothing." After giving Luvia another slice, Rias' finger remained delicately on her lips. "After all, you already punished yourself."

The redhead let the blonde's lips go but now Luvia looked like a statue. Despite having food in her mouth she wasn't moving again and she stared at the devil with equal levels of fear and understanding.

For her part Rias had a small frown. "Luvia, I know you are shocked but you should eat." Chewing began. "Good. I know it is a little too much to process right now but as I said, in my opinion, you were already punished." The blonde flinched but accepted another slice. "What happened to you was… The worst thing that could have happened given the circumstances and your upbringing."

Even with the Ore Scales securing the Edelfelf legacy there was no guarantee that she would be welcomed back to her family, not with her sister's future enmity which was almost a certainty.

The result of taking as much Holy Energy as she did in her body didn't just destroy her Crest but any possible future she could have with her family, a future that she once dreamed and fought for with all her strength.

Rias saw the cruel irony in the fact that Luvia struggled to elevate the Edelfelt Family and ended up losing her place with them for her actions. WIthout that the Finnish magus also lost the prestige, contacts and security her Family once afforded to her. Besides whatever she had in her name, Luvia soon would have nothing.

That was why the redhead admired the first thing Ausguste focused upon receiving the bad news was to try and make sure Luvia would have some stability to fall back on instead of being abandoned her out in the cold.

Sure the man couldn't stay but there was no doubt that once he returned to Europe there would be questions and he may as well be punished. It was a sacrifice he was willing to make for someone he loved.

Luvia was well aware of all that and couldn't do anything to change the facts, events were already set in motion and soon her family will know what happened to her. Her fate with the Edelfelt was already sealed, it would either be one of misery or her own destruction in the hands of her own family.

By not pressing any charges and even hiding the extent of her crimes, Rias was ensuring that the Edelfelt wouldn't truly silence her. She would still have the hatred of her sister, of that Luvia didn't doubt, however she wouldn't have to face the wrath of her whole Family.

Offering another slice, Rias was happy that Luvia seemed more eager to eat. "So we will keep that as our little secret. Nobody needs to know what you did and neither Xenovia or Irina look like tattletales. Do they?" Luvia shook her head. "Good."

"You brother-"

"Ah ah ah. Focus on chewing." Luvia did as ordered. "Let me take care of my brother, he will agree with me since there was no harm done, at least none the Church can complain about since Caliburn was reforged." Rias chuckled at the return of the blonde's surprised expression. "You can thank Shiro for that but it is mostly irrelevant to your case. It would have happened the minute Shiro got his hands on the Fragments." The wide stare remained and Rias rolled her eyes. "Yes, it wasn't Excalibur, it was Caliburn. Yes, Shiro managed to reforge it through methods that I don't approve of but it was a 'do or die' situation so he is forgiven."

Fixing herself on her seat, Rias laid down beside a shocked Luvia who still didn't know how to deal with all the reveals.

"Not that I will let him ever do something like that ever again but tonight Yoruichi has everything covered. Knowing her she will be also using Senjutsu to make sure he is in top shape tomorrow." Which was another reason why Rias had no problems sharing with the nekomata. "In any case, Shiro restored the sword to its original form and apparently nobody can use it. That is probably why God didn't do it or maybe He had other reasons but hey, I don't care. The threat is neutralized and on sight."

Despite the restoration of Caliburn being a potential disaster the sword was now located in devil territory which meant that the day that an owner finally showed up they were going to be the first to know.

Rias could already guess that the sword itself was going to get a guard of some kind, maybe even the Church would want to get in on the action if not outright send out every single member they have to try and pull it out.

Which will be hard because it wasn't their territory and all the devils needed to do to stop them was to say 'no'. Even if Heaven tried to argue back, Fuyuki was mostly a normal city and procedures would be needed to stop it from turning into a war zone, something that Michael would approve for the safety of the civilian population.

Relaxing on her corner of the futon and closing her eyes, Rias smiled pleasantly. "What you should be focusing on now is on what you are going to do." She opened her eyes to regard Luvia. "Once you recover you have quite a bit of options to choose from."

Silently Luvia studied Rias as her mind recovered slowly from the events of the day. The blonde was waiting for something before speaking, an offer from Rias that she didn't know if she could deny.

The pureblood devil raised a hand with one finger up. "Option one: you can decide to go back to the Edelfelt and face them, take your punishment and live a life that you don't want. The good news is that you may eventually make peace with your sister and even be forgiven, especially if we don't tell the true story."

With that alternative Luvia didn't need to give up her family and could still maintain her lifestyle. Sure it would be more restricted but at least she could try and make amends for her mistake.

Another finger went up. "Two: you can disappear, with the resources that Auguste implied and your cunning it wouldn't be too hard. You are a clever girl and could probably set up shop in any place in the world."

While this alternative could be called radical it promised absolute freedom. Luvia was a girl with plenty of knowledge about the mundane and the moonlit world so she could fit in any of them easily and still find success.

Another finger joined its siblings.

"Number three: you set off on your own and begin your own Family of Magi. While you lost your Crest there is no denying that you were still born with circuits and there are plenty of Families of Spellcasters who would love to elevate themselves to magi status."

Indeed Luvia would have plenty of choices in that department as magecraft was considered the superior method of studying magic for a human. With enough patience a magus could learn to use magic circles, formalcraft existed for a reason, but a spellcaster never could become a magus without circuits.

Laying town with her hands propping her head, Rias chuckled. "Number four; you could do as your ancestor did and-"

"Over my dead body. I refuse to be part of a copy of the Tohsaka Family."

Rias had predicted such a reaction but watching how strongly Luvia felt about the idea was entertaining for her. 'A rivalry for the ages, isn't it?' At least the blonde looked stronger than before as her pride and will returned. "Welcome back Luvia. I can see your passion is still there."

"Feh, of course it is. I may have lost my Crest, had my circuits damaged, my plans destroyed and my future possibly ruined but I will never lose to Tohsaka." She bit a slice in fury, something that Rias found funny.

To the pureblood devil the whole situation had the tone of a dark comedy. "Even after she saved your life?"

Luvia swallowed heavily but still spoke to Rias respectfully. "Competition has nothing to do with gratitude." She looked at another slice with some curiosity before throwing it in her mouth. "That is a debt I will repay… In time." She swallowed the apple. "But that doesn't mean I will let her win against me at anything."

"Fair enough." Instead of commenting Rias chose to relax in the futon, closing her eyes and seamly going to sleep.

Such a reaction was unexpected to Luvia who waited for Rias to say something else, anything else, to make an offer she knew it should be coming. Yet the redhead just took a deep breath and seemed more interested in sleeping than continuing the conversation.

Closing her fist in frustration, Luvia felt the fire within her burn again. She had prepared herself for this conversation ever since she woke up and even if she was still shaken she wanted it to finish as she envisioned.

But she had to accept that it would not end on her terms, that Rias Gremory had conducted everything how she wanted and Luvia had to make the first move.

Picking up the plate, she positioned it in front of Rias before laying down by her side. "Isn't there any other choice?"

A triumphant smile told the magus that the devil had her where she wanted. "I don't know… Is there?"

Taking another slice, Luvia felt more nervous than she ever did in her life. Rias' presence wasn't threatening and her tone was inviting yet the aristocrat in the magus told her something was missing. There was no malice from the Gremory Heiress but Luvia couldn't stop from shaking.

"Breath." Rias instructed again with a caring tone that had Luvia shocked. "We can do this now or we can do this later… If you want I can even get another glass of water."

"No, I do not… Need another glass of water." Rias nodded slowly and closed her eyes again. 'That is it?'

Opening an eye, Rias let out a sigh of exhaustion. "I better go to bed too. Today was too tiring…"

The window was closing. "Wasn't there any other choice at all?"

"What other choice do you have besides the ones I laid to you?" Despite what she said before, Rias remained there, imobile and almost like a sleeping beauty herself. If anything Luvia saw that the devil's beauty was far more mature and ethereal. "If you have a suggestion please say it. I promise to help in any way I can."

'She wants me to say it but she isn't going to force it?' As a political move that felt weak since there was no one but them to witness it. That was what the aristocratic part of Luvia's brain was detecting as wrong. "Why aren't you making me an offer?" She found herself dropping the subtlety.

Rias chuckled but didn't look surprised. "Because you had a stressful day and I don't want to put any more pressure on you." Her hand touched Luvia's cheek delicately. "I want to wait for a few days, when you have time to recover and to process, to make my offer."

Luvia chuckled as her own hand touched Rias' cheek. "For a moment there you had me worried."

"Oh. Why?" The smile disappeared from the blonde's face. Rias immediately catched on. "Let me tell you that I would be honored to have someone like you join my household. It is always nice to have someone capable and with a good head on their shoulders around… When Rin isn't around, that is." Luvia pouted as Rias giggled. "Don't look at me like that. You know I am right."

The magus wanted to move her hand but in their position Luvia couldn't take her eyes away from Rias'. "I appreciate you giving me time to think."

"No problem-"

"But I had already thought about it." Luvia surprised Rias and for the first time since the pureblood devil entered the room both felt that the magus had the control of the conversation. "Do you know what I wish for, Rias Gremory?"

A smile came before the reply. "No but I have a feeling you are going to tell me."

"I wish to be great." Luvia admitted something she only did in her most private moments. Both sat down as Rias listened. "I wish to do great deeds that will make me known far and wide. That the name Luviagelita be spoken with respect even if not with reverence." She raised her hands. "For a long time I worked on it by elevating my Family name, by making the Edelfelt greater. However, that is now forever away from my grasp."

Only Auguste knew something about her ambition for while she wished for a simple partner to share her happiness she also desired to ascend to heights previously unreachable. Luvia clenched her teeth as she banished the image of the faithful caretaker, swearing they would meet again in the future.

"I wish to be greater than just another Family Head." Luvia saw some sympathy in Rias' expression. She understood where the magus was coming from. "None of the alternatives laid before me can give me that chance, not with how my soul is at the moment." She knew Rias was paying close attention at every word. "To be great I need power, I need my soul restored and we both know Reincarnation into a devil is my best choice."

Silence involved the room as Rias studied Luvia more attentively. 'Her fire is still there and that pride, that oh so sweet pride.' She shivered as previously she would jump at the chance of recruiting someone like that. "You could still find another devil if you wish."

This time however Rias was not the same person she was a mere month ago, she was not desperate or in a rush neither was Luvia's life in danger. Indeed it was the opposite as the blonde had hundreds of possibilities open for her and Rias didn't want them to be squandered by a rushed decision.

For a moment it seemed that Luvia was going to waver and quit. That moment lasted less than a second. "But I don't trust many devils and I know Rias Gremory." She looked sad. "Am I not good enough?"

"Of course you are. As I said I would be honored, happy, to have someone like you in my household." Their fingers interlaced as the devil showed how much she cared by the magus. "We may not have talked much, Luvia, but I consider you a friend first. Maybe not a good friend that I know like the back of my hand but a friend nonetheless. That is why I don't want you jumping at this." She offered the blonde a sad smile as she held her hands firmly. "It was how we ended here in the first place."

Their hands went up with Luvia's propping. "And I won't forget that, neither my foolishness nor your kindness. But this is what I want." Her voice was firm, her conviction shining. "Be as human or as a devil I care not which, I desire to earn my place in History. If not as the greatest Head the Edelfelt ever had then by making the name Edelfelt important to devils and be called strong there."

Both chuckle as Rias found herself wavering before such determination. "You will have to start from the bottom, you know that, correct? As a low class."

"Ho~ Then you truly don't know me well, lady Rias, for I shall ascend into the ranks in no time. Forever in your debt, of course."

A pause.

"Shiro is still mine."

"Can we share?"

"Maybe."

Another pause later, Rias stood up and collected the plate with some slices still present. "Could you leave it? It would be remiss of me to not finish the apples you prepared for me so generously."

"Of course." She laid the plate back on the floor and both of them stared at each other. "You know, for once I would like to recruit someone without finding them in a critical condition." Luvia's face began to shine. However, Rias wasn't done. "So I shall give you time to recover, time to think."

A frown made its way to Luvia's face. "I already made my decision… Don't think this was easy for me…"

"I know it isn't. You are almost as prideful as i am… Needed to hit my head on a 'wall' a few times before learning to ask for help." Not that Rias complained since she ended up sleeping with said 'wall'. "But your body will recover soon and then… then you tell me what you want to do."

From a magic circle an Evil Piece dropped in her hand which Rias soon deposited beside Luvia's futon.

The blonde stared at it in silence, suddenly seeing it had given Rias' words a new weight and Luvia was grateful for the offer of more time to think. Such a small thing could repair her soul, allow her to use magecraft again and even give her eternal youth.

The price however was still clear; once done there would be no coming back and she would become a member of Rias' Peerage, her life and soul would belong to the pureblood devil for all eternity and beyond.

"So I shall have your answer in a few days." With her perfect night vision, Rias saw the small nod Luvia gave her before turning to leave. "I will give you three days before asking again and the offer will be up until my peerage is complete." She opened the door to look back at Luvia whose eyes hadn't moved from the red chess piece. "Good night, Luviagelita Edelfelt."

The door closed silently and Luvia remained staring at the Evil Piece before her. Without Rias around Reincarnation was impossible but the Piece still let out an ominous light that tempted Luvia into touching it. A part of her thought that perhaps she could cheat it in some way and get all she wanted without losing a thing.

Instead of even trying messing with the small thing the blonde finished the apple slices and laid down with her eyes still fixed in the Evil Piece. The temptation was still there but recent lessons and her pride had Luvia refusing to cheat.

However she didn't see the oath she was offering to Rias as something cheap and instead decided to ignore the Evil Piece until the redhead accepted her allegiance. With that decision the glow escaping the Piece seemed even more gentle, like a nightlight promising to be there the next morning while banishing the dark.

An irony that she appreciated but refused to look any further into as her decision had been made.

Instead of studying the Evil Piece, Luvia turned around and fell asleep.

All the while the red glow watched over her with a gentle hue.

…..

P a treon

Apprentice of Life or

P a treon . com (slash) ApprenticeofLife

Until next time.