Chapter 10: Chapter 10: Aftermath
Beta read by Opal.
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-Midchilda-
It was supposed to be a simple routine patrol.
Their team gathered at the auction to survey the surroundings and ensure the artifacts weren't damaged or stolen. With the recent attack on the convoy, security had increased tremendously according to Hayate. Their group specifically was asked to take part in this auction and safeguard everything, including the guests due to their prior experience of having dealt with those drones.
Herself and Subaru were asked to survey the southern region, the forest more specifically. With Subaru's rollerblades and her eyesight, she was certain that nothing would escape their watch. 'Then again, the surveillance team is also keeping watch, they'll most likely spot anything before us.'
"This is quite boring, isn't it?" her teammate commented with a sigh, having grown tired of walking around the area for the better part of an hour. "While I'm happy we get involved with such important missions, it just doesn't feel fulfilling with us just walking around for a bit before going back."
"I think we would be more useful if we could guard the inside of the auction," Teana gave her own thoughts on the matter, neither agreeing nor denying it. She also had a small part of her mind wondering about the same topic. "But there is no point putting too much thought with such things, better we just focus on our current task."
Ever since the attack on the train by those drones, each programmed to seek out precious artifacts, it made sense why their team was called onto the scene given their prior experience dealing with such entities.
Another piece of important information was the anti-magic capability of those drones. Teana didn't know if they would have been able to take down these entities without their devices; Erio himself had nearly been hit by the inability to use his spear by surprise.
Her guns wouldn't have worked, and Subaru wouldn't have been able to deliver any kind of damage without her devices. Back then, for a brief moment, she honestly worried that their first mission would end in failure or with one of their members getting hurt. A possible outcome that Teana knew would have weighed on her mind for ages, hindering many future assignments and her own confidence.
Nonetheless, they somehow succeeded, with Shirou having used his blades, those weapons sharp enough to be characterized as devices themselves yet completely different. Her hands and body still shook at the memory of getting hit by his weapons, especially Subaru who took a rather strong strike from him during their first duel bringing it up from time to time.
It still shocked her to realize that he had been holding back, even without Nanoha having to reveal that tidbit afterward. 'Yet he continued to deny it.' When she brought up the topic, the boy never gave her a straight answer, merely saying that he had a hard time against them. Whether that was a lie or truth she could not say, but one thing Teana became certain of was that he could beat them once again, and it wouldn't be because of luck.
She… she still had a lot to do to become stronger.
"What happened with Shirou?" Subaru asked, curious about the whereabouts of their certain redheaded teammate. "I thought we were supposed to be patrolling together… don't tell me he lost track of time and is hanging out with Nanoha-san"
Teana shook her head in response, "No, I don't think they would waste that much time, and Nanoha-san will be together with Hayate-san and Fate-san. Shirou should be coming over anytime soon, he can always ask the communication team for our whereabouts or just contact us."
Not to mention, they had already been briefed on their duties and groups. Shirou initially was to act as reinforcement and support, joining and helping any teammates who needed his help or joining them if he was nearby.
"Speaking of Shirou, don't you think he has been behaving a bit oddly these last few days? It wasn't clear at first, but he's definitely acting more absentminded and… stressed. Even with our packed schedule and training classes I manage to spot it."
A statement with which Teana agreed to. While she was spending some extra time in the training field to improve her aim after finding out the gap between her and him when it came to accuracy — she noticed the man was less talkative and involved. "It would seem so, though he doesn't try to show it, but it's clear there is something always on his mind that is distracting him. And from what I gathered, Nanoha-san seems to be involved with it as well."
"Again with those two? Is it just me, or are they spending a lot of time together recently? Even outside of training, I heard from a friend who works near the arcade that she spotted those two together," a small grin appeared on her face as she whispered to the gunslinger. "Hey, what chance do you think there might be of those two dating?"
That came out of nowhere for Teana, the young girl looking at her friend with disbelief, such a thought not even crossing her mind before the latter brought it up. "Those two dating? Are you sure that they are not just being friendly with one another?"
Not that she had any experience with such things, but the dynamic between those two, though very close, did not seem to be something people who are dating one another would have, at least, that's not what she learned from seeing other couples together. They behaved similarly to what one would see from close friends, in her opinion at least.
"Shirou is very unfamiliar with his surroundings obviously, and the fact of the matter is that he doesn't have any connections other than us. So it makes sense why Nanoha-san is always with him, she's just helping Shirou around and familiarizing him with the city. I don't think that would make them lovers or interested in one another."
But Subaru did not share her sentiment. "You're not thinking it with the right mindset, maybe they are just putting up a front, choosing to keep this matter a secret from all of us."
That sounded even more unlikely.
"I think you've been watching too many dramas lately, Subaru. And I know Shirou doesn't seem to be the kind of person who would keep such a secret from us. And why even try to hide it? If Nanoha-san were seriously going out with Shirou then I don't see why there would be any issues in the first place," she said with a stern voice, while her friend continued to giggle in amusement. "Not to mention, Shirou is a terrible liar. Remember last time when he tried to lie to us about whether or got hurt or not from your attack during our training?"
"Hehehehe, I remember, he couldn't even keep a straight face the entire time and flinched whenever I tried to pat his back. But it's his fault for trying to train without using his Barrier Jacket just because he was curious about how strong my kicks actually were!" A strike he tried to block without using his swords, a decision she knew he regretted afterward after forming a human-sized hole inside a wall.
"Then there you have it, neither of those two would lie to us and it is very unlikely for there to be such a relationship between them," as the duo continued to gossip about the relationships between the members of their team, their earpieces suddenly rang with the hurried voice of a woman speaking through them.
"Emergency, please know that we have spotted gadget drones type one land models around thirty, no, thirty-five of them approaching. Followed by type three land models, multiple readings found, at least a few dozens of them and counting! How did no one before us catch so many of them!?" The feminine voice spoke urgently with a grave tone, both of the girls stopping whatever they were talking about. "Agent Subaru, agent Teana, there are more of these entities spotted in the southern region, please be advised that our scanners have located over multiple dozens of such machines heading your way right now!"
Teana, grasp her gun with a tighter grip, determined to perform much better now than before. "We heard you loud and clear and will make sure to clear them out. Have you spotted any models similar to the one possessing an anti magic field?" Now, the girl preferred to be more cautious, still holding some mixed feelings over their last mission. So she wanted to be fully prepared and not caught off guard.
"It's hard to say, our scanners haven't picked up such a model so far, but with how many of them keep on appearing, we can't be too sure about this. So it's best to keep cautious and not get caught off guard."
"Speak of the devil," as soon as Subaru said that, a swarm of drones emerged from the treelines. The same models that Teana remembered were destroyed on the train. "Don't worry about them, I'll take care of each of them on my own, Blitz Caliber!" her teammate said with confidence, activating her device as bright white light formed around both her hands and legs. Not wasting a single second, she rushed forward with haste, filled with energy as she pummeled each drone one by one with precision. "Oryah!" she shouted with vigor, darting around the forest with great speed thanks to her rollerblades.
Beams of energy attacks fired from the swarm, each one of them dodged expertly or punched in pieces — all of her senses focused to their limits. "Like that will stop me!"
With the distance between them closed with record speed, the girl grinned sharply while clenching her fists going for an overhead smash.
"Huh," her fist swung downwards, yet missed the target as the latter moved away at the last second. "Tch!" A sliver of frustration bloomed within her heart, not willing to let this matter slide the mage moved with more enemy behind her moves. Following with a perfectly executed sweep with her feet, sparks flying everywhere as the rollerblades sunk into a metal shell with little effort, destroying the drone as a small fiery explosion illuminated the surroundings. "Almost thought I was losing my to—"
"—Careful!" Her body froze at Teana's worried voice, momentarily sighting a drone that managed to sneak up her blindspot, preparing to shoot her at point blank range. Fortunately, a bullet shot through and pierced the machine right in the center, saving Subaru from getting hit.
"Thanks!" Subaru smiled at her friend, her grin turning into a frown soon after as she cursed herself from making such a rookie mistake. "I'm not going to hold back anymore! Revolver Shoot!" The fight continued, her fists gauntlet glowing with power as a sonic shockwave tore through a series of drones all around her — causing a chain reaction of explosions as Teana continued to provide support.
But one aspect caught her attention, especially when she noticed that her attacks started to miss their targets more and more often.
"Hey, something is up with these drones! They keep moving out of the way before I can land a hit. It's almost as if—"
"—as if they are learning from our movements and adapting," Teana finished her words, loading her revolver with more bullets and shooting up the remaining drones. "I don't know what's going on, but these are definitely upgraded models. Just don't give them time to adapt, destroy as much as you can as soon as possible!"
As the relentless battle wore on, each drone shot down by Teana or crushed by Subaru seemed to be replaced by two more emerging from the dense woods. Piles of twisted metal debris accumulated around them, the forest echoing with the sounds of splintering trees and breaking foliage. Despite the overwhelming odds, they refused to yield, their determination unwavering as they steadily pushed forward, determined to trace the origin of these machines.
"Look, we got reinforcement!" Subaru exclaimed, waving at the airship descending from the sky and laying waste on the remaining machines with ease. "Should we check up on the others?"
Teana nodded, pressing her earpiece. "Shirou, how are you doing?" Given he hadn't been able to join them yet, Teana worried about him, hoping that he was not stuck in a corner forced to handle so many of these drones all by himself. Despite knowing that he was more than capable of handling himself, she just wanted to have peace of mind. Yet no response came from the other side for a good minute. "Shirou?" She called his name again, getting a bad feeling in her gut as no response came from the other side.
'Don't tell me he's in trouble…' There was just no way, even when alone the man showed enough capabilities to handle himself from different kinds of challenges and this was without taking into account the addition of his Barrier Jacket. But given what they faced today had been upgraded from their previous versions, the possibility that whoever was behind this to particularly create something to counter his abilities was not out of the realm of possibility.
"No, it can't be something like that," despite her rational and logical side trying to calm her down and make sense of her teammate's silence, she couldn't help but further get stressed. "Subaru, he's not answering me! We should go over."
"Right behind you!" With their next course of action clear, they upped their game and started to cleave through the next wave of drones. Teana fully focused on only aiming for those who continued to dodge Subaru with her honing bullet spell. In a matter of minutes, they soon reached the other side of the region as the number of drones started to clear.
"Signum-san!" Subaru spotted the pink haired wolkenritter in the distance, the latter using her blade to cleave through every enemy with unmatched elegance and ferocity. Showing no signs of tiredness or anything like that, a sight that made both girls marvel at the woman's skills.
"Hm?" Having heard someone call her name, she looked behind and had her eyes and smile widened at their presence.
"Ah, it's you two! Have you done securing your area?"
"Yes, it took a little bit more effort, but we managed to destroy each and every one of the drones. There have also been reinforcements sent there to make sure that no more of them re-emerge," Teana informed, looking around the difference in outcome. While their battle damaged a large area of the forest, with Signum there was hardly any major damage other than the burning carcasses or the drones. No cut branch and slash marks on the trunks.
Though, she did notice in the distance a large number of crater—
"—Ah!" A small yell escaped her mouth as a shadow crushed through a number of drones and trees right next to her, the impact strong enough to nearly make the girl fall on her butt. 'I got so distracted, I didn't see those drones behind me,' she chided herself inside her mind, looking up in the sky to find a familiar person.
"Vita-san!" she called out to her, another woman just like Signum. Despite not having interacted with her that much, she had heard a lot of stories about her. "Thank you for the help!" Teana said to the woman, the latter noticing their arrival and making her way down to join them.
"Ah, what are you two doing here? Did you manage to clear the southern region?" Vita asked, Teana giving her the same answer as what she told Signum. But one matter continued to boil inside her mind, a small question that grew with each passing second before she was unable to stop herself from asking, "Where is Shirou?"
Upon closer inspection of her surroundings, she realized the man was nowhere to be seen, intensifying her growing concern. Had he truly remained inside with Nanoha? This scenario seemed unlikely, as the redhead was not known for keeping such actions secret from others.
A strange face befell upon Signum, the latter looking at Vita to answer it instead. Their exchange was not missed by both Teana and Subaru. "Oh, him… Hehehehe!" Vita scratched her chin with a sheepish expression. "Well… he was here with me not a few minutes ago, you just missed him after I kinda struck him away with my hammer," she replied casually, pointing in the general direction of where she shot him towards.
"Excuse me?" Teana had to repeat her words, unable to believe the redhead as she said that, thinking that perhaps she had misunderstood something. But much to her surprise, Vita grinned and pointed at her hammer.
"Hold up, it wasn't my fault, he's the one who insisted. I don't know what happened, but I think he saw something in the distance and wanted me to get him there as quickly as possible using any means possible. Well, I think he didn't like the idea of just jumping down and running over there or for me to create an air platform to guide him there — something about how it would have taken too long or something. So I just aimed and swung, he should be fine with that Barrier Jacket having taken most of the impact."
Gobsmacked at that revelation, Teana looked at Wolkenritter with disbelief, unable to believe she agreed to do such a thing! Seeing her reaction and Subaru's, Vita averted eye contact, "I thought it was a good plan… it takes guts to pull such a stunt just to catch someone and I didn't want to say no." She whispered, getting an eye roll from Signum, the knight knowing that her fellow fighter was just too caught into the heat of the moment and agreed without thinking much.
"You two go to him, if he needs any help then at least you'll be there as reinforcement. Vita and I will remain here and drive off any remnants of these drones. But just because their numbers have gone down doesn't mean you are allowed to lower your guard, understood?" ordered the pink haired Knight.
"Understood!"
As soon as they said that, Teana pushed her feet against the ground with all her strength. Rushing through the treelines while Subaru kept up pace with little issue. "You are too worried about him, Teana. While I agree it wasn't smart for Shirou to be off on his own without asking us to tag along, he's still a freaking strong mage."
Of course she knew that, having seen the monstrous amount of talent that boy had opened her eyes at how unfair the world was. While she trained for years with the gun just to reach her current level, overcoming countless trials and tribulations during her time in the academy… she still fell flat to the likes of him.
Having never used a gun he said, telling her that he was less than a newbie when handling such weapons. A fact that actually made her happy, a growing desire to actually take on the role of a mentor figure to teach him how to handle a gun. To guide, correct and impart as much as she knew to him and gain a strange sense of fulfillment from it. It sounded fun when she thought about it at first, having never taken the role of a teacher, she really looked forward to it in case Shirou agreed to learn shooting with a gun.
Yet that dream came crashing down and burned to ashes as soon as the red-headed man decided to do some target practice, each of his shots ending up perfectly on the bullseye. Not a sign of hesitation, no stumbling around and missing a couple of shots like she imagined. Everything went perfectly, as if she stared at a marksman with years of experience under his belt instead of someone who just picked up a gun. It made no sense, she even believed that Shirou played a prank on her!
No one could be that good with a weapon they just picked up!
Yet if that wasn't enough, he decided to miss his following shot and dared to say, "I wanted to feel what it felt like to miss a shot."
It was at that moment that she was forced to come to the realization that sometimes… raw unimaginable talent could trump hard work. The world just wasn't fair, but she refused to buckle under the pressure so easily. To waste away her years of experience just because someone happened to be born with a gift.
'One day, maybe not tomorrow or even next month. But one day I'll surpass him and reach a level that even he would need to work hard to attain.' Not that Shirou even thrived to become a gunslinger, his expertise lying with the blade and bow. But still, Teana wanted to pursue that desire regardless and become stronger than her past self.
Yet even when she knew what kind of capable person Shirou was, even after seeing the raw potential he possessed as a gunslinger… enough to make anyone frustrated why he didn't try to get more familiar with that weapon instead… he wasn't invincible. Unlike Nanoha, Fate or Hayate who she knew and saw the extent of their powers, Shirou did not come close to their levels. She feared that the situation could get too much to handle for him.
As Teana's breath grew labored, her eyes scanned the landscape, taking in the shattered remnants of various drone models strewn across the ground. The telltale signs of a fierce battle were evident, etched in the scorched earth and twisted wreckage surrounding her. Gritting her teeth in determination, she pressed on, fueled by the urgency to uncover the truth behind the onslaught.
"Just what happened here," Subaru said, looking around the destroyed terrain filled with cut marks on the trees and ground. "Did he manage to find the person behind this? Some of these marks remind me of a pierce attack from a spear rather than a sword, yeah… definitely a spear user. I remember one of Erio's attacks having left a similar mark on a tree before but this one is larger and deeper."
Was this truly the work of the mastermind behind the drone attacks? The proximity to the auction raised questions about their motives—why risk exposure in such a manner? The situation seemed perplexing, hinting at the possibility of multiple perpetrators or an ulterior motive driving this individual's presence.
Unfortunately, her train of thoughts soon came to an end as she and Subaru spotted three figures in the distance. "What the…" first thing that registered in her mind was the middle aged man on the ground, covered in wounds and cuts on his clothes with a discarded spear near his feet. "Shirou!"
Relief flooded the girls' hearts, even if they knew nothing bad would happen to their teammate, it was more reassuring watching him be safe and sound with their own eyes. Weird, who was that little girl in front of him?
She guessed her to be around ten or eleven years old at most, around the same age as Erio's and Caro. Having a large good obscuring some parts of her face with what appeared to be a glove-shaped device on her hand! "An enemy…"
She couldn't see any blades or ranged weapons around her, making her and Subaru be on guard. Shirou hadn't noticed them, neither did the girl in fact. Both people seemingly caught in their own little world, a tense one where the redhead was on his knee with a hand extended towards her. A warm smile on his face, his gesture both inviting and showing no signs of hostility.
To their surprise, the young girl pushed him away. Believing it to be an attempt to escape — a possibility they soon found out to be completely wrong.
"Hm?"
Teana's senses suddenly blared, freezing up her body as an intense chill ran up her spine. Time slowed down as everything became clearer, especially a white beam of light shining within the distance. Growing larger and larger before becoming the size of a human before she even had time to blink. "—!?"
A trap.
One setup for Shirou, she didn't need to be an expert to figure out the power output of that attack. The intense light which started to become painful to even see heating up her skin with the sense of dread washing all over her. ""SHIROU!!!!""
What was going on?
Who was trying to kill him?
For what?
He wouldn't be able to survive that, regardless of whether he had the Barrier Jacket, that device of his had a limit. Her mind raced with hundreds of thousands of thoughts, all frantically trying to find a way to save the man.
But the cold hard reality struck her across the face as came to face the truth, that once again her powers were simply far too lacking to make any sort of difference. In desperation she poured every bit of Mana within her device, screaming in frustration even with all her effort she just couldn't even come close to completing any spell when the beam had practically reached Shirou and the girl.
'I'm sor—'
"Rho… Aias!"
In a fleeting moment, she caught the words escaping his lips, their significance not lost on her keen ears. Suddenly, as if time slowed for just an instant, she beheld a mesmerizing sight: a delicate flower bud unfurling before her eyes. Within the blink of an eye, the bud blossomed into a magnificent floral construct, its six petals unfurling with graceful precision. In perfect harmony, six protective barriers materialized around the flower, just as the impending attack struck. The resulting explosion unleashed a powerful shockwave, engulfing everything in its path, including Teana and Subaru.
'That… doesn't look like a device… or any spell I know of.'
"Aaaah!"
As the oncoming wind buffeted them relentlessly, both girls instinctively shielded their faces, grappling to maintain their balance against the ferocious onslaught. The collision erupted in a deafening cacophony, assaulting their ears with a piercing intensity.
Amidst the chaos, a resounding crash reverberated through the air, drawing their attention forward. To Teana's dismay, she witnessed one of the protective layers splintering under the force of the impact, fracturing into jagged shards. Yet just to break through that one layer seemed to have used up all of the beam's energy
"Kya!"
With a cry of pain, one of the girls was violently propelled backward, her body slamming into the unforgiving trunk of a nearby tree. The impact threatened to engulf her in darkness, her senses reeling from the sheer force of the blow.
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As the dust gradually settled, particles danced in the air before gently cascading back to the ground, revealing the aftermath of the intense clash. Teana coughed, brushing off the clinging dust from her clothes, while she heard Subaru doing the same nearby.
"Are you okay, Teana?" Subaru's concerned voice cut through the lingering haze, prompting a weary groan from her friend in response.
"Man, what the hell was that!?" Subaru's exclamation mirrored Teana's own bewilderment, leaving her grappling for answers she didn't possess.
What was that flower-shaped shield at the end? She wracked her brain but couldn't recall Nanoha or Hayate ever providing Shirou with such a device, and it certainly didn't resemble any spell he'd recently learned. With a multitude of questions swirling in her mind, she pushed them aside for the moment, her focus shifting to the site of the energy clash. Clutching Cross Caliber tightly in her hand, she stumbled toward the dissipating dust cloud, her thoughts consumed by concern for Shirou.
Finally, as the dust settled completely, Teana's eyes found the sight of the redhead kneeling on the ground, cradling a young girl in one arm, her head pressed protectively against his chest. "Your hand…" Teana's gaze fell upon Shirou's right hand in particular, the one he had used to summon the mysterious construct. His torn sleeve revealed numerous cuts and burns, a stark contrast to its unblemished state moments ago. 'Weird, he wasn't injured earlier… didn't the shield protect him?' she wondered silently.
Their eyes met in a moment of mutual understanding, Shirou's clear golden-brown orbs locking with Teana's own blue gaze. A faint but serene smile graced his lips, a departure from his usual expression, appearing more genuine and at peace.
"This is Lutecia," he murmured softly, his touch tender as he stroked the young girl's hair, coaxing her to awaken. As Lutecia's eyes fluttered open, filled with a mix of disbelief and uncertainty, Shirou continued, his voice gentle yet resolute, "From now on, she'll be under my care."
Teana found herself overwhelmed by an ever-growing list of questions.
{Break}
-???-
Odd, he couldn't recall the last time he found himself here.
Sitting in a fog-infested area, the redhead found himself immersed in his surroundings. The picturesque sky, bathed in twilight, peacefully stretched overhead as he sat atop a rock surrounded by swords. Weapons stabbed into the ground, their numbers closing into the tens of thousands and reaching for as far as the eye could see. The space was extremely familiar to Shirou, a place that resonated with his very nature, laying his truest self open like a book for anyone present to witness. Yet, despite the breathtaking scene and calm atmosphere, Shirou neither smiled nor felt inclined to show any kind of expression on his face.
"Would you look at that, even when thrown into another world, you can't help but meddle in the affairs of others," a deep voice remarked sarcastically, coming from the side where he didn't need to turn his head around to find out who it was.
"That's rich coming from you. Though I would like to ask, why are you even here? I doubt you'll give me any answers," he muttered to himself, knowing he wouldn't receive a response. He knew that it was a waste of time to act offended or even try to raise his sword against that man.
"You are only inviting more trouble, you can barely handle yourself now and are willing to go this far for someone who is basically a stranger. I want to call you foolish, an idiot even, but I believe you know that already — especially when trusting people making empty promises.
Empty promises huh… perhaps that was the truth, but he still held hope and trusted Nanoha, Hayate and Fate. As unlikely as it might be for them to fulfill their promises, he came to accept his presence in this world.
"Have you truly?" The man said, as if able to read his mind. "Or are you just putting up a front, trying to deceive yourself with such words in order to not deal with fallout. Emiya Shirou at the end of the day still cares about the people from his past, and completely letting go of them is just not an option for you, isn't it?"
The redhead unconsciously clenched his hands, a frown appearing on his face as he failed to come up with any retort against those words. But there was still one fact the other person overlooked, "I care about these people, I'm not going to abandon them."
"Humph," the man scoffed, whether it be out of amusement, a form of mockery or frustration he couldn't tell — most likely all of them. "My words hold up furthermore in this instant, you must have realized this as well. You can't help everyone. It doesn't matter how strong you'll get, how many weapons that will eventually fill this land or how strong you forge your will… but you'll reach an unavoidable crossroad where you'll have to make a choice."
"Then I will choose both," Shirou did not waste time giving his answer without a hint of doubt.
He heard a deep sigh.
"You're a lost cause."
"Who knows how long I'll have to wait, but I don't doubt Nanoha's sincerity. I'm honestly not worried that I'll be stuck here forever, so in the meantime, I'll return the favor and help them." Shirou stood up, looking up at the clear sky before turning his head to confront the person behind him. Golden brown stared at steel gray, one side judging the other without a word for a few seconds.
"They'll need a miracle to pull that off, I reckon. Despite the advancements in magic and technology in this world, there are still limitations"
"I know, though it won't keep me from helping these people. You, of all people, should know that, I made it clear the last time we met." he retorted with a hint of amusement, unable to suppress his smirk as the man frowned. Shirou noticed his surroundings turning hazy. Knowing where he was, he looked back at the man whose figure started to dissipate. If it had truly been him, Shirou would have swung a couple of attacks at the bastard.
"Don't grow delusional, last time we met I had to save your skin like I always do, unfortunately. Hah, I still can't imagine how Rin managed to handle you for this long. Perhaps this in itself is a feat of True Magic. Hopefully, the Clocktower doesn't slap her with a Sealing Designation just for that," he mused.
Shirou rolled his eyes. "I don't know about that, something tells me that the arrow at the end was aimed at both Gilgamesh and myself. Even in a dream, you can't help being a complete jerk, Archer."
As the world slowly turned dark and his consciousness began to awaken, Shirou heard a faint chuckle. "You have no one to blame but yourself for that."
This guy… always had to have the last word.
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"Hmmm," a groan sounded within the room.
The sunlight seeped through the curtains, forcing Shirou to wake up as its bright rays irritated his eyes. Accustomed to the sound of rain or the hum of cars outside, the peaceful and quiet atmosphere felt alien to him. It lacked the familiar chirping of birds he was used to from his house in Fuyuki. Midchilda, despite being a highly advanced civilization, still had plenty of untouched land and architecture in some areas that reminded him of the middle ages. Relics of the past that were renovated again and again, this leading to some areas having a similar feel to what he experienced back in his house.
Unfortunately, his current apartment was located near the center with little space for a beautiful forest or any sort of wildlife. Even the complex he lived with Rin in London had some greenery around. But all in all, it was still a comfortable place that suited his needs.
"Damn it... I forgot to set the alarm," he muttered, his voice laced with fatigue as he reached for his phone to check the time. His body felt sore, tired and not that well rested at all, a sensation he rarely felt in the past even after getting three hours of sleep in the shed. His throat felt raspy, dried out as if he hadn't drank water for an entire day.
"Am I… sleeping on the floor?" With a single look around he found his bed on the other end of the room left completely untouched. His back complained from the slightest movement, forcing a sigh out of the redhead's mouth. "I've gotten too used to sleeping on a mattress."
A part of him wanted to joke that he was getting far too old for this but held back. Given it was already morning, Shirou rubbed his face and believed it was high time for him to freshen up. Pushing himself up, the man immediately noticed a weight on him. Looking below he was surprised to find a bundle of purple hair nestled next to him, her head layed comfortably on his stomach, using it as a pillow as she slept peacefully.
A blanked out around her body with a game controller, empty bag of chips and snacks littering the floor around them. "Ah, guess we played too much last night." No wonder he felt like crap, going to sleep with nothing but chips and junk food for dinner, what nothing short of a sin!
'But she was eyeing these snacks at the store and I didn't want to deny her that…' he had even lost track of time last night after Subaru came over with a gift, a retro console of sorts that looked similar to what his world offered but with a completely different look. Safe to say, Lutecia had taken a liking to it and both of them decided to have a go with it all night. "Couldn't even beat her once… she's scarily good at such things." He thought with a chuckle, finding the entire thing very amusing.
"Alright, best to make something nutritious and healthy to balance out what she had yesterday." He didn't want her to get an upset stomach due to his own negligence. Shirou had to remind himself that it'd be better if he taught her the importance of a proper diet at an early age.
Carefully lifting the girl up, Shirou placed her on the bed as he went on to do his daily chores. From cleaning the mess they created, some quick shopping at the closest grocery store and finally starting to cook some food which he deemed to be critical for the young girl's growth.
"Good morning, Lutecia," Shirou gently called out, approaching her bedside with a soft nudge to rouse the slumbering girl. She looked peaceful, resembling a child her age in her sleep, yet he knew there was still much to be done to fulfill his promise. "Time to rise and shine. We have important matters to attend to today," he continued, coaxing her gently from her sleep.
Following the attack at the auction house, finding the culprit remained their top priority. After deploying his defensive noble phantasm to ensure Lutecia's safety, Shirou stayed behind while Subaru and Tiana pursued the assailant. Initially met with resistance from the girls, who were concerned for his well-being and eager to tend to his wounds, Shirou insisted on his decision, prioritizing their mission's success above all else.
Regrettably, the perpetrator who launched the beam attack managed to slip away, taking Zest's unconscious body with them. There was no sign of anyone approaching to carry him off, leading Subaru to speculate that a teleportation spell was involved. Regardless, at least he knew the man was most likely still alive or they wouldn't have bothered to even risk getting him back and could have been killed at any given opportunity.
"Mmm," Lutecia murmured sleepily, having nestled comfortably into the bed. But she managed to rouse herself enough to open her eyes, prompting a smile from Shirou at her momentarily bewildered expression. "Shirou...?" she called out, her voice barely audible in her drowsy state. Cute as it looked and part of him wishing that it was a better idea to just let the little one get more sleep. But unfortunately, her presence was required.
"Come on, time to get ready," Shirou gently lifted her from the bed as she yawned, his movements practiced and precise. Leading her to the bathroom, he exuded a sense of familiarity, as if he had performed this routine countless times before. "Open wide, say ahhh."
"Aa—eh? W-Wait, I can manage," Lutecia protested softly, asserting her independence as she took the toothbrush from him. Though unable to hide the prominent blush on her face. "I'm not so helpless that I can't do such things by myself."
"Very well. Now, sit back and let me brush your hair," Shirou instructed, comb in hand. With gentle strokes, he worked through her hair, careful not to cause any discomfort but thorough enough to ensure each strand was tended to.
"You seem skilled at this," Lutecia remarked, her curiosity piqued by his expertise.
"I used to help a friend with her hair every morning. She wasn't much of a morning person, so I ended up taking on the role of her personal assistant," Shirou explained, a hint of nostalgia in his voice. "She's the reason I'm familiar with these tasks."
Lutecia gave him a skeptical look. "Don't tell me you brushed her teeth too…"
Shirou chuckled awkwardly, scratching the back of his head. "Well, I may have attempted it once as a prank. She didn't notice until halfway through, and let's just say she wasn't pleased, you never know pain until getting hit by a Gandr spell point blank." Apart from this, he also continued to recount multiple other similar stories, having a trove full of them from the entire time he spent in London. A few even including a time he became an actual butler for Luvia, a part time job he did not mind doing it again.
Again, his response caused the girl to stare at him weirdly.
"There, all done." With her hair now primed and proper, both went to the dining room where Lutecia had her eyes open wide by the amount of food present on the table. The aroma wafted to her nose and created her mouth to salivate the next second. From two plates of a full English breakfast, two cups filled with some kind of soup, pickled vegetables, pancakes with butter, rice, a whole grilled fish and a full jug of juice. She shakily pointed at the table, unable to believe he did all of that in such a short amount of time.
"T-This…"
"Oh this?" A disappointed look crossed his face. "Hah, I wanted to cook something nutritious and filling for us, but I forgot to buy some groceries yesterday, so we'll have to eat only this much for today. I'll make sure to cook twice as much for lunch, wait… there should be some eggs left over in the fridge for some omurice."
"Are you trying to kill me?"
She looked at him with a squinted glare, keeping eye contact until Shirou's lips twitched before breaking into a chuckle. "I'm just messing with you, Subaru and Teana will be joining as well. Those two eat as much as they weigh, but don't tell them I said that." It was fun seeing the trace of fear and shock within her eyes as she looked at the table filled with food.
Just as if it were planned, a knock sounded at the door.
"Shirou! I'm starving out here!" Subaru's voice carried through the door, a declaration of his morning hunger likely to rouse the entire neighborhood from their slumber.
"Shh! Keep it down, Subaru! What if people are still sleeping?" Teana chimed in, her own voice not much quieter than Subaru's.
"I can smell cooking from the other side, he's definitely awake," Subaru replied confidently. "No one else on this floor—or the floors above or below—cooks like him. Everyone else just buys pre-made food."
"You seem to know a lot about our neighbors' eating habits," Teana observed.
"I've had conversations with the residents from time to time. They're friendly people," Subaru explained nonchalantly.
"When? I'm always with you…" It sounded like Teana got distracted by that piece of information. "Anyways, we still shouldn't be making too much unnecessary noise and bugging Shirou everyday for breakfast is not a good image."
They continued to have their little back and forth, their little arguments against one another being heard by Lutecia who didn't show much of a reaction in the first place. "They are loud." She commented, something which he could not disagree with.
"That they are, but you'll like them, that I can guarantee you."
Before he could even go over and open the door, a third voice appeared. "Oh? You two sure are quite lively this early in the morning." He didn't need to look to recognize Nanoha's voice, her presence catching him off guard as the woman was not usually one to visit his house.
Not keeping them waiting any longer, Shirou went over and opened the door. Greeting the three women with a smile on his face as Subaru and Teana walked inside. Nanoha on the other hand stayed behind, "Good morning, Shirou, I hope everything has been going smoothly for you two." She said while looking at Lutecia in the background, the duo mages trying to converse with her but unable to get much of a word out of her as she just focused on her plate.
"She's shy," he said. "Don't worry, she'll get used to Subaru and Teana soon enough and be more open with them. This environment is still new for her, she just needs time to adapt and become more comfortable. She's still a bit closed off, but it's better than working with someone who was just using her as a tool."
A difficult expression appeared on Nanoha's face, one which he spotted and guessed the reason behind.
"Will I be in trouble for my decision?" He asked calmly.
"It's not that… Hayate and I are more than willing and determined to support you with this decision, but unfortunately, not everyone is as comfortable with the idea of granting so much freedom to Lutecia."
"They want to lock away a child?" A small edge was added to his voice.
"No, no I wouldn't allow that to happen, you can trust me. But a particular member of the higher-ups has been rather vocal of this matter. He believes that at the very least, Lutecia should be under observation and monitored by specific agents under his command. By his own words, 'To make sure she's not a spy trying to infiltrate our ranks through the back door.', I think you understand where I'm going with this."
Shirou wanted to scoff out loud but held back, "That person clearly isn't a big fan of me."
Nanoha chuckled, "Don't worry, he's like that with Hayate-chan as well. But yes, unfortunately, despite our different opinions and view on the matter — his words still hold weight and importance within the Time Space Administrative Bureau and it can't be easily ignored. Not to mention he's accusing you of purposefully withholding important information about owning devices. But he also can't act on his own without consequences, so rest assured we will make sure he doesn't make things unnecessarily difficult for you. Let's instead focus on other things for now, like finding the one who tried to hurt you." She said with a smile that looked a bit scary in Shirou's opinion.
Now that he thought about it, according to Hayate, Nanoha was particularly shocked when they saw the footage of him nearly getting hit by the beam attack. Activating her device in the middle of the auction surrounded by guests and shooting straight past the ceiling the next second.
He warmed his heart to know he had such a caring friend, but he also tried to convey to the woman that he was more than capable of handling himself. Though for some reason that made her more angry… What did he say wrong?
"We'll find them eventually, I'm not too worried about that right now." Once again he felt like those words weren't the best to utter as the person before him frowned further.
"How can you say that when they already tried to kill you not that long ago? What's to say they aren't coming up with a plan to do so again right now and in a more efficient way?"
"I'll be fine," he waved her words away with a confident smile, though a hint of exhaustion lingered in his eyes. "It's not the first time someone has tried to take my life, and it certainly won't be the last — I've grown used to it."
"There is so much wrong with what you've just said, Shirou…" Nanoha's concern was evident in her voice, her brows furrowing with worry.
"You think so? It's not that big of a deal, I'm still standing here, aren't I?" Shirou tried to downplay the severity of the situation, but Nanoha wasn't convinced.
"I think it might be better for someone else to stay with you, someone who can actually protect you when things get dangerous. I'll talk to Hayate about arranging for me to move in as your neighbor, or I can stay here temporarily," Nanoha suggested, her tone serious but with a hint of warmth. "There should be another empty room, or we can arrange for us to move into a bigger apartment."
"Hahaha, you're funny, Nanoha." Shirou chuckled, appreciating her sense of humor even in moments of tension. The idea of having more people around, especially someone as capable as Nanoha, did offer a sense of reassurance. Perhaps it wouldn't be such a bad idea to have her around to keep an eye on things, especially with Lutecia's safety in mind — not like it was normal for them to live together in the first place.
"..."
Why was she quiet?
"You were joking… right?"
"..."
She didn't say anything before walking inside, leaving the man speechless at the front door.
'... I should have kept my mouth shut..'
{Break}
-???-
"Damn it!"
Within a spacious room, a clenched hand struck against a computer's control panel. The voice filled with anger and frustration that a few of the girls standing flinched.
"What is the meaning of this, Quatro? How could you have allowed her to get captured like that!?" Jail Scaglietti shouted at one of his creations, eyes filled with furor after learning about the outcome of their latest mission. What should have been a simple infiltrate and acquire mission ended up costing him one of his most useful assets! "Instead of going after her, you wasted your time on this wastrel!"
He gestured towards Zest, who had awakened and received treatment for his wounds. Throughout the proceedings, he remained silent, offering only a basic report before taking his seat. His demeanor showed neither concern nor interest in anything Jail had to say. Jail, well aware of Zest's disdain for him, addressed the man sarcastically. "You must be thrilled, aren't you?"
He knew of Zest's repeated attempts to persuade Lutecia against trusting him and the Numbers. However, he never paid much heed to these efforts. Finding them to be more of a source of amusement than a serious threat. After all, Lutecia's unwavering loyalty to them made it clear where her allegiance lay. Jail had no intention of taking any drastic actions against Zest, knowing that they both faced a common enemy.
As long as Regius remained a prominent figure in the administration, the spear wielder would never dare to betray them. This fact was one of the reasons why Zest still lingered here, despite Lutecia's absence. A reason why, despite despising it, he would help them get her back one way or the other. Her device was far too valuable to let go so easily and letting the enemy gain such a powerful weapon so easily would do nothing but further tarnish his reputation.
"I don't trust you and your empty promises." Zest replied, getting both the scientist and the numbers thrown at him various disdainful glares. "But I also find you to be the lesser evil. If I had the choice, then I would have preferred to never allow Lutecia to get involved with this situation."
"Yet you failed even at that. Now you can do nothing but sit here thinking about your revenge while the girl will turn into another experiment of theirs." Jail smirked, glad to see his words had an effect on him. Faint amount of killing intent directed at him, not that his numbers would even allow any harm to befall upon him. "Quatro, you haven't answered my question."
The young bespectacled woman quickly answered. "I-I didn't know Lutecia-sama would actually try and save that person, I even contacted her to jump away to protect herself."
Jail held his head, "That was your mistake, you shouldn't have told her about the attack. Lutecia at the end of the day is a naive child, even when she possesses the capabilities the girl never tried to kill anyone for any reason. You should have just shot the attack, at most she would have gotten some light burns, nothing a day or two of rest couldn't heal."
The killing intent within Zest in the background grew denser, he clenched his teeth noticing the numbers keeping a lookout.
"What about the relic?"
Once again, Quatro shook her head. "Our drones were intercepted by two members of Riot Force 6, those which were supposed to be our strongest unit were destroyed in battle by Shirou Emiya." As she said that, Jail tapped a couple of keys on the control panel before a familiar footage appeared on the screen. The same one that showed Shirou cleaving through the drones while keeping pace with Zest. Once again he was impressed by the talent and weapons this person possessed.
Those blades… he couldn't find any records about them. Having one of his numbers infiltrate the system to find any mentions of these devices turned out to be a waste of time. They didn't exist, no device with similar appearance and immunity to an anti-magic field was ever successfully created, not that it wasn't attempted. It made him question if these blades were truly a sort of device or another creation entirely. And the boy even used them before he got the Ruby, he needed to know more.
But that was not what grabbed his attention. As in the next scene as Shirou kneeled before Lutecia before the beam attack reached him, Jail played close attention to the scene, especially his hand. As right before his eyes, he used some kind of shield spell. Bringing forth a construct resembling a flower of all things that easily blocked an attack of that caliber.
"Could it be an undiscovered type of magic? No, that doesn't make sense, I would have heard rumors of such things, but it also can't be a standard device." The more the mystery around the boy grew, the more Jail was certain of his next course of action. "From now on, we'll delegate our mission of retrieving relics and Lutecia as secondary, our primary goal being to handle Shirou Emiya as soon as possible before he can become a bigger thorn."
Quatro and her sisters nodded their heads, having long since put this person as a particularly troublesome individual. It wasn't his power that they were wary of, but the sheer lack of control information and how he actually managed to take away one of their allies.
"I've been playing around with a few toys of mine, an upgrade you can say. Now it seems I got my work cut out for me, I'll make sure that the next time he faces my creations… he won't come out alive."
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