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Guest: That's cool. I haven't played the online game. I've tried, but I just couldn't get into it.

Intruiged Shikkan: Hopefully that'll change soon!

Chapter 3: Moon-Cut Swallow

Thud!

A soft sound woke Lunaria. It sounded like a soft impact. Despite popular belief, she needed to sleep. Long ago, she was nocturnal, but now she could adjust her sleep schedule at the drop of a hat, even if waking up in the mornings made her grumpier.

Tonight should be the night of the full moon. Even if the sun diminished most of the moon's light, she was still relatively powerful during the day of the full moon, even if it was just rising. She summoned her spirit form and brought her main body to her side before leaving her room.

Thud!

Her enhanced senses caught a similar sound. She made her way downstairs and checked the kitchen. No sight of Shirou. Maybe he was still asleep?

Thud!

The sound was closer this time. She turned her head to the left and started to walk. When she made her way to the back door, she heard it again.

Thud!

She opened the door to see Shirou holding a bow. When he notched an arrow, she could feel the air shift. The sheer amount of concentration was something she rarely saw in her hundreds of years of life.

Thud!

Bullseye, like every other arrow on the target. Seven arrows all fought for space in the small circle in the center of the target. The rest of the target remained completely untouched. Although the target was only around 30 meters away, it was still very impressive.

A warrior indeed, Lunaria thought to herself as she raised her hands and slowly began to clap.

"Oh," Shirou lowered his bow and turned to the spirit. "Did I wake you?"

"It's no worry, my host," Lunaria let a small smile grow on her face. "I am simply enjoying the show."

"Of course you are," Shirou said as he walked over and grabbed the arrows. He placed the arrows in a tall bin and his bow on a rack. When Shirou showed Lunaria the backyard the previous evening, those were definitely not there. "Would you like breakfast?"

"That would be wonderful," Lunaria nodded her head. Shirou took a deep breath and walked in the house with Lunaria. It was going to be one of those days.

"Say, you said you dabbled in swordplay, yes?" Shirou raised an eyebrow at Lunaria's question. He had made some omurice for the two of them and while Shirou was only halfway done with his, Lunaria had already finished two servings.

"Yes," Shirou tentatively nodded his head. Where was this going?

"Would you spar with me?" Lunaria asked, the teasing smile on her face gone. In its place was a serious expression. "I have not had the opportunity to stretch my legs in months."

"I…" Shirou was supposed to be a normal human. Was there even a Magus Association here? He knew Lunaria wasn't exactly a dull blade and her spirit form was at least double the strength of a normal human. If something went wrong and Shirou didn't use Magecraft, he could be seriously injured.

"Please?" Lunaria must have sensed his internal turmoil because she leaned forward and looked at him with big, pleading eyes.

"Alright, I'll do it," Shirou finally acquiesced.

"Thank you!" Lunaria jumped up from her seat and bowed. "I'm excited for this evening."

"Evening? Is that even fair?" The words fell out of Shirou's mouth before he could stop himself.

"Oh? You know of my abilities?" Lunaria raised an eyebrow. "I guess it is not too hard to deduce, since you have already heard of me. I assure you that I will refrain from striking too hard."

"If you say so," Shirou nodded his head. Even if he didn't trust Lunaria, he trusted that the government would swoop in if anything happened.

"Thank you," Lunaria said happily. "Now what are we going to do today?"

Shirou rubbed his chin. That was a good question. He was still getting accustomed to this place so he didn't really have a set schedule.

"Maybe we can look around," Shirou suggested. "I moved in only a few hours before meeting you, so I don't know the city all that well."

"That sounds like a wonderful idea," Lunaria stood up. "Now, shall we?"

Shirou looked at the empty plates before him. There was one in front of him and six in front of Lunaria. A weird feeling of deja vu washed over him as he gathered the dishes.

"Let me wash the dishes first."

Shirou hummed with mild amusement as he walked down the street of the residential area he was assigned to. He had gone up to his room and traced a kendo bag to put Lunaria in. Carrying weapons in the open still wasn't the brightest idea.

"I really do find this bag uncomfortable," Lunaria's voice whispered into Shirou's ear. It was muffled by the bag, so Shirou didn't know if anyone else passing by could hear her. "Maybe if you would actually hold—"

"No thank you," Shirou said. If he were in battle, Lunaria might be a weapon he would trace, but the teasing tone of her voice put him off to the idea. He would have to research the customs of possessed swords, if there were any. He wouldn't want to cause any misunderstandings. "Is there anywhere in particular you would like to go?"

"Is there a place that sells kimonos?" Lunaria asked. "I've been using the clothes I conjure with my spirit form for five years. It gets awfully boring."

"Alright, let's go look for one then," Shirou said. He usually wasn't one for shopping, but Rin has dragged him out to the clothing stores of London more than once. Luvia was even worse. If he could handle them, how bad could it possibly be?

"That's hell you're walking into," Archer's voice rang in his head.

I don't know what you mean, Shirou thought back as he looked at the bag over his shoulder. He shook his head before continuing on.

"Shirou, how do I look in this?" Lunaria asked. She was wearing a beautiful, dark blue kimono decorated with white flowers. The dark blue colors complimented her pale skin and white hair perfectly and it made her silver eyes shine even more in the light. Although it was a traditional kimono, it was definitely small in… certain places.

"It looks… good," Shirou said, looking directly into Lunaria's eyes. "Do you want it?"

"Yes please!" Lunaria exclaimed. When she started trying on things to wear, her personality changed almost instantly. She was like a kid in a candy store.

"Here, place it with the rest," Shirou said as he gestured towards the stack of neatly folded clothing next to her. There were four of them already, all of them differing in vibrant colors and designs.

"I have to say, your girlfriend has really good taste," The shopkeeper said. She was a woman in her mid-60s. Apparently, she handmade all of the kimonos in the shop and judging by the needle that he managed to analyze, she wasn't lying.

"Ah, she's my liminal," Shirou corrected her. Lunaria gave Shirou a look, but made her way back to the changing room before closing the door.

"Oh? You're a host," The shopkeeper raised an eyebrow. "My niece is one as well. She says it's tough work. What kind of liminal is she?"

"She's a spirit," Shirou replied, looking at the back. "Her soul is tied to the sword in here."

"A spirit?" The shopkeeper parroted. "Why would a spirit need clothes? Don't they just form with the spirit?"

"I think so. I'm still pretty new at this," Shirou replied. "She said she wanted them, though, and it's my job to make her happy."

"That's good to hear," The shopkeeper said. "You're a good young man. I wish there were more of you in this world."

"Thanks," Shirou rubbed the back of his head.

"Anyways, since you're buying five, I'll give you a discount," The woman made her way to the cash register with Shirou following her. "It'll be 450,000 yen ($3348 USD)."

"Huh?" Shirou gave her a blank stare. He knew kimonos could be expensive, but that much? He was so shocked that he almost missed Lunaria walking up behind him.

"Thank you, Shirou," Shirou turned to Lunaria, who had a sly smirk on her face. It was then Shirou realized that she had heard the price too.

"Is something the matter?" The shopkeeper asked. "If you're confused on the price, I can inform you why these kimonos are so—"

"No, it's fine," Shirou dug into his pocket and took out his government card. "I'll pay."

At least it wasn't his money.

"Thank you for today," Lunaria said as she walked into the house. She knew that the government was covering his costs, but she didn't want to be too mean to her host. They spent the entire day exploring the city, but Lunaria didn't have Shirou buy anything else other than food. The food was good, but Shirou's meals were better. There was something in his cooking that the restaurants couldn't replicate.

"No problem," Shirou said as he closed the door behind him. The sun was already coming down at this point. "Today was pretty eventful. Do you still want to spar?"

"Yes please," Lunaria nodded vigorously. The full moon was just starting to shine overhead and Lunaria could feel the energy rushing into her, bit by bit.

"Alright, I'm going to get a sword," Shirou sighed as he made his way to the stairs.

"Forgive me for asking, but I have not seen any swords in the house," Lunaria pointed out. "I didn't think you had any."

"Don't worry," Shirou said with a small smile. "They were always there."

Lunaria made her way outside to the field as Shirou vanished upstairs. She looked around. Yes, this place had more than enough space for a simple spar. As she walked to the center, Shirou opened the door and stepped outside. A long sword was sheathed at his side.

"Before we start, I want to say it again. You are a beautiful sword," Shirou said as he stepped on the field. Both of them moved instinctively, centering on the field and staying five meters apart. "It would be an insult to use anything but this."

Lunaria instantly felt her astral muscles tense as Shirou unsheathed the sword. He didn't even have to fully take it out for her to know what it was. The Monohoshi Zao.

"Where did you get that?" Multiple emotions swirled inside Lunaria. That sword… she could remember it like it was yesterday. That sword cleaving her first wielder down. Fear, anger. She felt these emotions wash over her for a brief second, but it simmered down just as quickly as it arrived. The feeling that replaced them was one of respect. Sasaki Kojiro was a superior swordsman to her wielder. That's just how the world worked.

"A wandering swordsman," Shirou looked down at the blade. "A wandering swordsman gave me this sword."

"How fitting," Lunaria brandished herself and narrowed her eyes. "Are you ready?"

"Yes," Shirou said as he entered a fighting stance. As he did, for a second, Lunaria saw Kojiro through Shirou. She let a smile creep up her face.

"Then let's begin."

Lunaria felt the full moon's power resonate through her body as she dashed forward. If Shirou had the Monohoshi Zao, she couldn't underestimate him. Shirou held up his sword and blocked her effortlessly.

What?! Lunaria thought. That swing would have made any human stagger, but Shirou stood stock still as she pushed her blade up against his.

Shirou then took a step back and raised his sword, letting Lunaria slash air before executing a powerful downward strike. She swung her sword upwards and parried the blow. The two then entered a beautiful and deadly dance of blades.

As they fought, Lunaria started to see something. The techniques Shirou used… they were almost like Sasaki's. They were crude and they lacked experience, but the style was there nonetheless.

"Splendid!" Lunaria exclaimed as she swung her sword with twice the strength any human could output. Despite its blazing speeds, Shirou was able to duck underneath it and stab upwards at Lunaria. She turned her head, but the sword was able to get a small mark on her cheek. Instead of blood, white mist started to spill out of the small wound.

I can't underestimate him! Lunaria thought with a smile as she slashed diagonally. Shirou stepped back with one foot. Since Lunaria put in a lot of strength in a wide diagonal slice, she had a massive opening. Shirou gripped the Monohoshi Zao with two hands and swung. Lunaria tried to bring up her sword, but Shirou was going too fast.

The sword stopped mere millimeters away from Lunaria's neck. The spirit took a deep breath, not daring to move as the intense pressure from the blade radiated right next to her.

"Do you yield?" Shirou asked with a small smile. Lunaria smiled as she sheathed her sword.

"I yield," She said as she looked up at the moon.

Emiya Shirou… What a wonderful man.

While I did have a duel in the original fic, it was quite lackluster. I fell like I did a better job with this one. Instead of defaulting to Kanshou and Bakuya, I decided to do something else. Well here we are, the first liminal. Thank you to my patron ColcytusRising for coming up with Lunaria! I look forward to the other liminals that Shirou will have to put up with. With that being said, please do consider leaving a review! I would love to read and reply to your thoughts. Also please join my Discord! I would love to talk to you all and answer all your questions! I talk a lot about my thought process while writing, so if you're interested in that, do consider joining. The url is discord . gg (forego the spaces) followed by a slash and CpVs7R8KXz. Unfortunately you'll have to type the rest of the url in manually because I'm not allowed to post links. If you want to read chapters as soon as they're finished along with a slew of other benefits, check out my Patron at pat reon dot com slash kfpisnotacult. All Not Cult Priests and Bishops get to input their own liminal for this fic. They also have access to the next chapter, which will be released here in two days. Thank you for reading and I'll catch you on the flipside.