[EMIYA SHIROU]
[THE GAMER]
[LV 38 - 20000/37000]
[HP: 3800][MP: 35][MC: 27][ST: 920][SP: 14]
[STR: 50][DEX: 50][INT: 50][WIS: 33][CHR: 102]
[ATK: 100] [DEF:100]
The hammer fell and hit the steel lying upon the the anvil. With every impact sparks flew, sending flashes of light across the smithy and illuminating the diminutive smith at work.
Sweat dripped down Shirou's forehead, caused by the several hours of work he had been putting in at the forge.
The Blacksmith Skill acquired through the Gamer Eyes, taken to the highest levels thanks to his Sword cheat, sadly didn't substitute for actual work. Gamer powers or not, Shirou still had to make himself the items he wanted done.
His recent misadventure with Mikado Ryouko had driven home a hard lesson. He was woefully unprepared. He needed to improve, and not just in terms of grinding his stats, which was starting to become not worth the time.
He needed more varied skills and more importantly, better equipment. Currently, he gave more importance to the latter, because the former would give most benefit only to himself, but what Shirou wanted was a method to grant strength upon others.
He hadn't been given any choice in the matter.
[br]
"Do you have any idea how worried I was?" Taiga roared, slamming her shinai on the palm of her hand like an angry school teacher would do with a ruler. "I only found out because the school called me. When I came checking up on you, I couldn't even get inside the house."
"I'm sorry." Shirou said in genuine apology, dipping his head while sitting seiza in the living room of his house back in the real world. It was the early afternoon of the day after their kidnapping at Mikado's hands. They had been gone for well over twenty-four hours. As his guardian, Taiga, had naturally been informed of his absence, which lead to her trying to check up on him.
"Moreover, she," said Taiga turning to Saeko, who was sitting next to Shirou much in the same manner he was, "didn't show up at school either. So I was stuck wondering whether the two of you had been killed, or if you were just having fun on your own and forgot about the time."
"My, Fujimura-sensei, when you put it like that it almost seems you'd want to join." Saeko said teasingly.
"Zip it!" Taiga ordered with a glare, though she did not deny Saeko's claims. "That's it! I'm done being left out. I'm moving in here right this instant!"
"I'm not sure that's wise." Shirou protested weakly. "The situation with Mikado-san has been resolved but…"
"Oh? Alright then. I'll go back to Saeko's place and train against the undead all on my own again."
"You WHAT!?" Shirou exclaimed, jumping to his feet. "Saeko, what is she talking about?"
Saeko had the decency to look embarrassed, but she gave Taiga a dirty look all the same.
"She came to me asking to learn my style," the sword-maiden replied, "so I did."
"What do you mean 'you did?' I know you wouldn't just teach anyone. What did you do? What kind of crazy deal with her did you make?" he asked.
"Now, now, Shirou," Saeko said in a placating manner, "calling it crazy is a bit too much."
"She's Taiga." he said gesturing at the woman, as if it sufficed to make his point which, frankly, did to anyone who knew her even only in passing. "Half the things she does are crazy."
"You of all people don't get to say that, you Unkillable Magus Hero," Taiga rebuffed with a huff.
"You knew about that?" said Saeko bewildered. "How is it that I only just found out?"
"Which part?" Taiga asked frowning. "Wait, you mean unkillable? What did he do this time?"
"I'm not quite sure about the details, but when I came upon him, he had blades sticking out from of his body."
"Blades? As in multiple? Shirouuuu!"
"It couldn't be helped!" he protested. "I wasn't strong enough. If I didn't do it, Saeko and I both would have died. It was an emergency measure."
"Hrrrrm!" Taiga growled, pulling her hair in frustration. "When I put my hands on that woman I swear I'll-"
"You'll do absolutely nothing." said Shirou firmly. "She can't do anything to harm any of us except in self-defense. Don't go about giving her an excuse. We've got ourselves an armistice. Let's not do anything to resume hostilities. I'd rather not do the impression of a porcupine again anytime soon. Thank you very much."
"You can't expect me to just let slide that she tried to kidnap and kill you."
"Actually, I'm pretty much asking that. The agreement I signed binds me to do everything in my power to save her friend. Since it's not something I can do without her assistance, I'd have to defend her too. She has effectively put herself under my protection that way."
"So, she has trapped you." Saeko concluded, narrowing her eyes at the absent woman.
"It's not that bad. She has to reciprocate and she's bound for life, even once I saved her friend."
"Unless you die trying." Saeko precised.
"Which I'm not planning on doing. Look, I understand the stakes are huge, but this is what I chose to do with my life."
"Shirou, it's dangerous." Taiga protested.
"So's being a cop, or a firefighter, or any number of other jobs. Would you have objected to me doing any of those?" he asked.
"Yes. No. I don't know. It's not the same thing."
"Yes it is. It's just that dying on the job sounds a lot better than being killed on the job, but the risks are similar and the result are the same."
"None of those jobs would pit you against a Divine Spirit, Shirou." Saeko explained, though it was already obvious.
"And none of the people doing them is anywhere as resilient as I am, either. Heck, we live in a country in which regular salarymen die from exhaustion every year. Even desk jobs aren't risk free. Besides, who's the last in a long line of sword-wielding exorcists here? You've been doing this far longer than I have, Saeko."
"True," she agreed. "Besides, I'm not objecting. I'm just laying it out as it is."
"You can't tell me you are fine with this." Taiga protested.
"There's a great deal of things I don't agree with, Fujimura-sensei." said Saeko. "Things I wish would be different. None of those are the man I love."
"Saeko!" a red-faced Shirou hissed.
"It might be selfish of me," she continued, not paying any mind to the embarrassment he was causing him, "but if I were to lose him one day, I'd rather it wasn't because he became someone else.
Taiga was at loss for words, then she sighed, deflating. "When you put it like that, there's really nothing else I can say."
"I'm afraid there isn't. Besides if the perspective of death does not deter him, I don't see how any number of words would fare better. Furthermore, he's already bound by geas. There's no safe way out of that. Talking about it is beyond futile."
"Thank you!" Shirou exclaimed, throwing up his hands, happy that they were finally seeing reason.
"Which means that we should rather focus on how to help him in this endeavor instead." Saeko concluded.
"Exact- Wait, no. I don't like the sound of that. What do you mean help me?" he asked, worry etched across his face.
"Precisely what it sounds like, Shirou," Taiga replied, "or did you think I let Saeko put me through the ringer as a hobby?"
"No. No, no, no, no. Absolutely not." he protested vehemently.
"It's not your call to make Shirou." Saeko chided gently but firmly.
"But-"
"If you were in our place would you stand aside and watch us get ourselves into lethal danger and do nothing about it?" Saeko asked.
"Of course not, but- "
"Then why do expect us to do any less? Do you think so little of us, Shirou?"
"What? Of course not." he protested.
"There you have it then." Saeko concluded.
"Nothing I'll do or say will make you change your mind?" he asked.
"Nope." both women replied in unison. When, exactly, had they sided against him?
Shirou fell silent, mulling over what he had just been told.
"I really had this coming, didn't I?"
"Pretty much, yeah." Taiga confirmed with a sage nod.
"There is such a thing as karma, Shirou." Saeko said sagely. "Fortunately, the world isn't such a place in which kindness and courage is repaid with cold indifference."
Shirou let out a long, frustrated sigh. He knew the feeling that spurred them extremely well. Once already he had been powerless and forced to watch helplessly. It was exactly that feeling that drove him onto this path.
He understood perfectly. It was them who didn't understand that he wasn't worthy of it. They already gave him more than he deserved, and he didn't want to take anything more from them than he already had.
But he knew that they wouldn't share his opinion. They had made it clear enough.
Which meant that he was responsible for it and for them. It meant that he'd have to do everything in his power and beyond to see that they were prepared for what was waiting for them, even though he didn't know what to expect himself.
Things had just become a lot more complicated and they weren't simple to begin with.
But at least he had a plan, or a semblance of it anyway. Something for which he already had laid down the foundation, however accidentally.
It was high time to get into Crafting.
[br]
Thus, Shirou decided to take full advantage of the smithy he had recently gained access to, as well as the ability he had acquired from the rightful owner of said shop, Hitakata Tetsu.
The burly man wasn't too happy about having to share his space and tools with Shirou, but having lost their bet he had little choice in the matter. He had cleared a space for Shirou as per agreement, and then retreated to his own corner, doing his utmost best to pretend Shirou did not exist.
Fortunately, the place was big enough for the both of them. Particularly, it was big enough for Shirou to put up his own Time-Altering Boundary Field around his space.
He spent the equivalent of a week, compressed within a day, maxing out the Blacksmith skill and then trying different creations. As result, it could be said that everything he did as a Blacksmith was absolutely excellent, however they all shared a fatal flaw.
They were utterly mundane.
He was capable of making weapons and armors of the finest quality, that much was certain, but they didn't hold any particular property either. Strictly speaking, it was stuff that could be easily bought, if at a high price.
Granted, it was better than anything he had until then, and it could get even better through Reinforcement. However, that would only apply to him, which meant it failed about fifty percent of the reason why he was doing this.
Certainly, it wasn't worth it of him putting in his own time, compressed or otherwise.
The worst thing was that it wasn't an unexpected result either. Even the finest blacksmithery couldn't create a blade with supernatural properties through skills alone. Not with mundane materials, anyway. Otherwise, Hitakata-san would have had no reason to post bounties for materials for the hunters of the Reverse Side.
So, it was back to square one. Apparently, he couldn't just cheat his way to better stuff any more than he already had. He'd have to go and procure himself the raw materials he needed to make the equipment he wanted for himself and his girls.
There was no other way.
[br]
While Shirou was busy confronting the limits of his ability, Saeko was taking steps to surpass her own.
After escorting him to the blacksmith workshop, and having him swear he wouldn't go any deeper into the Reverse Side without telling her first, Saeko made a beeline for the Urahara Shoten, one of the few shops in Mirror Fuyuki, that was currently run by none other than Shihoin Yoruichi.
When she arrived, the Goddess of Flash, as she was called, was lying on the counter like it was a bed, looking bored out of her skull.
"My, my. If it isn't Busujima Saeko herself. What brings you into my humble shop?"
Saeko swallowed the retort that the shop didn't belong to her, and while she was at it she swallowed her own pride as well, bending at the waist with the most solemn look on her face.
"Please, teach me your techniques, Shihoin Yoruichi-san!"
"...eh?" replied the flabbergasted shopkeeper. "Hold up! You are asking me to train you? Are you serious right now?"
"Yes," Saeko insisted through gritted teeth. Even though she had discarded her pride and prepared herself mentally, it was still impossible to conceal the distaste she felt.
"I thought you hated my guts," Yoruichi said. "What brought this on?... Ohhh! It's that guy, isn't it?"
"Does it matter why?" Saeko asked looking up again. "Will you take me as your student or not?"
"What about your job as an exorcist?" she asked.
"Someone else is taking care about it. You needn't worry about that."
"Hmm. I gotta say, I didn't expect that, and to be honest I don't usually take students. Still, I suppose I could pay Shirou some rent, and make sure that his girlfriend knows how to keep herself alive."
"Thank you." she said bowing down again.
"Alright, alright. Cut that crap, already. My back is getting stiff just by looking at you. If you want to make something out of my training, you need to loosen up a bit."
"Understood." Saeko nodded sharply.
"Oh, boy. This is gonna be tough, isn't it?" Yoruichi sighed.
Ah well, she was getting bored down there anyway.
[br]
"TAAAAH!" Taiga shouted, cutting down yet another Wraith. She had gotten pretty good at using the Busujima style. She already possessed the necessary determination (or was it foolishness) to take on undead spirits and her body was in top conditions too.
The Busujima-style had nothing to share with the rigid schemes of modern kendo, being an actual fighting school and all, but it suited Taiga quite well. The tiger-like woman took to the style like a fish to water, helped in no small part by the Torashinai.
It was a bit of a cheat; since the bamboo sword, by virtue of being cursed, could damage spiritual creatures regardless of Taiga's technique, but it served the purpose of easing her into the Moonlit World that would have otherwise required months.
Taiga was many things, but when she committed to a course of action it was better to get out of her way or prepared to be crushed, as the unlucky spirits of the mountain had to figure out for themselves.
She spent every other night hunting, honing her instincts and techniques. It was a brutal regimen and one that she would have never undertaken if she didn't have something important to protect.
As usual, it was never wise to get between the mothering tiger and her cubs.
However, there were some forces in the world that weren't so easily intimidated, and Taiga never noticed the pair of eyes that never lost track of her through the night, vanishing only at the crack of dawn.
The time wasn't ripe yet.
[br]
"What do you mean, where can you find spiritual ores, boy?" Hitakata asked without looking away from his work
"You know as well as I do, that in order to make better things, I need better materials to work with."
"Your grasp of the obvious is outstanding, boy," the smith grumbled, "I could very well tell you where to find them, it's just that you can't get them."
"Why is that?" he asked, at which the smith put down his tools and turned to look at him.
"Because you either buy them for a fortune from some jackass magus who owns a mine near a leyline, or you grab a pickaxe and got out there in the wilderness of the Reverse Side and dig some for yourself. Let me know how that goes."
Having said his piece, he went back to work with a huff, leaving Shirou with little to work with.
Going out past the city limits would probably be lethal for his current self, and the cost of buying what he wanted would probably be proportionally high, or it wouldn't be such a big deal.
Farming Mana Cores paid well, but it was a relatively easy job. Surely the market of supernatural material would account for that. The laws of supply and demand applied, regardless how deep into the Reverse Side he went.
Still, there was a market for this stuff, and it would be worth taking a look at what it had to offer. Then he could truly consider his options.
He left the smithy and made his way for the Urahara Shoten, but when he arrived he found its doors closed. Maybe Yoruichi had left for an errand?
Nevertheless, Shirou wanted answers and decided to go looking for them with Matsumoto, even though their last interaction had been less than amicable. It could be reason to reboot their relationship.
However, the blonde bombshell was nowhere to be found inside the Ahnenerbe, where she usually spend her time.
"Yo! Looking for Matsumoto again?" the bald man that had come to help her burying the bodies asked. Madarame Ikkaku was the name provided by the Gamer Eyes
"Oh, hello Madarame-san," he greeted. "Yes, I'm looking for her. Is she around?"
"Nah, not tonight. She's got a herself a client, so she won't be back until tomorrow at least."
"A… client? I'm sorry, but what's Matsumoto-san's job again? I don't think she ever told me."
"I thought it was obvious. She's an escort."
"An.. escort?" he asked, frowning. "Like a bodyguard?"
The bald man laughed. "Oh, that's a good one. … wait, you're serious aren't you? Uhh. How old are you again?"
"I don't see why my age has anything to do with Matsumoto-san's job," he said flatly.
"I guess it doesn't," Madarame replied, probably figuring that it didn't really matter. "How to put it… she's an expensive prostitute, I guess."
"She, uhm, she what?" Shirou said, blinking several times in a row.
"She has sex in exchange for money. Oh, there is a whole lot about looking pretty at the arm of a rich guy or another to boost his status, but when everything is said and done it boils down to that."
"Oh, uh, I… I didn't know that. So, she won't be back until tomorrow then?"
Shirou had become sexually active before forming hard wired opinion about sexuality. That wasn't to say that he found the idea of prostitution normal or fine, by any measure, but he knew that he was in no position whatsoever to judge other.
Not when he had two lovers, much older than himself, one of which was his legal guardian and surrogate sister.
"Yeah," he confirmed, looking disappointed at Shirou's reaction. "You know, you aren't as shocked as I thought you'd be."
Shirou shrugged. "I've been hanging around the Moonlit World for a while, you know? It kinda takes the edge off most things."
"Ha! That it does. Tell you what. You are cool for a brat, and since you lived this long down here you've got what it takes to prosper. If you got the coin, my blade's for hire anytime."
"Thanks. I might actually have a need for a few people in the future."
"Of course, the fee's higher the more dangerous the task, but if you are straight about it, and I take the job, you can trust me never to ditch you."
"Great. I'll make sure to be always honest with you. Thanks for letting me know about Matsumoto-san. I'll be back tomorrow to speak with her."
"Alright, take care kid. I'll see you around."
Shirou nodded and left the cafe for the Real World. Saeko was nowhere to be found but she told him beforehand that she had things to do and not to wait for her.
He returned home without issues.
[br]
Elsewhere, in a room illuminated only by the city lights coming through the wall-size window, the silhouette of an extremely voluptuous woman could be seen bouncing up and down on the waist of a man laying on a queen size bed.
Through the room the only things that could be heard was the creaking of the bed and the rough breathing of the two people.
Drops of sweat ran down the curves of Rangiku's body, drawing erotic lines through her breasts and down her smooth abdomen, to where her body was connected to the man under her.
Holding up her long blond hair with both of her hands, exposing her slender neck and perfect face, Rangiku rode her client for all he was worth. Her breasts were far too plump and heavy to truly bounce. Not that they would have, seeing that they were firmly being squeezed by her current lover.
Her face was flushed, both from the exertion and the pleasure she was feeling.
Rangiku had been doing this kind of things for a long time, now. Far longer than she bothered recalling, and although there had been and still were good reasons, she could never say that she liked it.
During the course of the years, she had grown insensitive to it, both physically and emotionally, to the point that she didn't even contemplate quitting. If there was one thing she enjoyed, though, it was the influence that her beauty gave her over men.
The thrill of power was much better than the primal pleasure of sex.
Of course, Rangiku didn't think of it that way. Using her body to achieve things was simply following the path of least resistance. She wasn't to blame for men being weak minded. She just took advantage of it. She didn't think badly of men in general because of that either, but she did acknowledge it as a weakness to exploit.
So, what had changed? Why was she enjoying herself so much this time? Her current client, was certainly skilled, but not enough to break through the sexual boredom of Rangiku's life. So, why was she desperately grinding her hips, clinging to his hardness with more desperation than she cared to admit?
She didn't know, not consciously at least, but her arousal was induced by fear.
Although part of the Moonlit World, Rangiku had taken upon herself the managerial aspects of running Soul Society and she hadn't seen combat in many years. It played well with her… natural gifts and there was always need to grease some wheel to keep things running smoothly.
The result was that she hadn't been scared for her life for quite some time.
Granted, she had received her fair share of threats over the years, but none of those ever remotely scared her. She had powerful people ready to answer her call, if necessary, so she didn't really worry about pissing off anyone.
But someone had managed to go straight past that reassuring logic and put a sliver of fear into her. To make things worse, it had been a man to do it.
Her charms didn't work on him, at least not to the degree she liked. The certainty of her power had been shaken and the ice around her heart had cracked, causing long-forgotten emotions to run wild through her veins once more.
So, it was to little shock that upon climaxing, what flashed through her vision wasn't the face of the men she was using to get herself off, but rather of a pair of young, golden eyes that burned with a cold flame of righteousness.
Rangiku didn't even realize it, but her interest in Emiya Shirou had only increased. Even though it was a bad idea, she was already too involved to let him be now. Not when he caused her to feel alive again after so many dull years.
Indeed, no one had ever accused her of being a smart woman and probably never would.
One doesn't really know how bright a flame burns until it has already consumed them.
XXX