Author's Note I: I'm really sorry for the wait. This chapter is a bit dialogue-heavy, but fear not! Next Chapter will definitely have a big fight scene!


Disclaimer: Don't own f/sn or DxD


Chapter 3: Suspirium

He walked through the cold night with blood stains on his shirt. It wasn't his blood that had been spilled, far from it. Joining his walk was a sleeping nun that was being given a piggyback ride by him. He could have carried her bridal-style if it hadn't been for the cart filled with fallen angels and rogue exorcists that he was dragging. He was definitely thanking his luck for the empty streets, leaving only him, the nun, and the beaten-up bad guys on his way back to the mansion.

Unbeknownst by him, some devils were at the abandoned Church looking for the nun. If they had arrived ten minutes earlier, they could've seen a man with a metal baseball bat cracking the jaws of fallen angels.

After a long walk, Shirou Emiya finally returned to the mansion. He then remembered that he forgot to tell the other Contractors that he left the mansion in order to save a nun from being killed by a ritual orchestrated by fallen angels. The state that he was in would be requiring an explanation as well.

The other Contractors were outside the mansion and was looking at the Magus. They truly didn't know what the Magus had done in order to make him looked like he was. Blood-stained shirt, a blonde nun, and a cart filled with battered and bloodied bodies.

"Uhhh... I can explain." Shirou said.

"Yes, explain to us why you are carrying a nun while also dragging a cart filled with bloodied corpses," Arturia commanded. She truly didn't know how to react to the scene that was being presented by her former Master.

"The Fallen Angel in our basement told me that she and her gang were plotting to have a ritual that could remove this nun's Sacred Gear by having her killed. They were going to do it tonight, but I stopped them. Oh, and they're not dead, just unconscious." Shirou honestly answered and was having the most apologetic smile he could create. He honestly didn't want to experience Arturia's bad side.

"So, instead of depending on your comrades, you recklessly went to their hideout alone without telling any of us where or why you were going. I honestly thought that you were not as reckless as you used to be." Arturia stated while crossing her arms. It was clearer than crystal for the others that she was more than angry at the Magus.

"I agree with the King of Knights, Shirou Emiya. That was indeed reckless. If you had told us about the situation, we would have given you our helping hand." stated Karna.

"Even though you've returned with your life, albeit with blood smeared all over you, I cannot condone such recklessness, Shirou Emiya," added Scathach.

"Yes... we all would have helped, Emiya, especially if it's concerning a damsel in distress," commented Achilles.

"Well... when you all put it like that, it doesn't sound very good... Ok, I'm sorry. I was panicking back then, and definitely was a bit reckless as well." said the Magus.

"A bit? No, you're far more than just 'a bit' and don't think that I'm forgiving this. From now on... you're sleeping outside." Arturia said while giving the Magus a furious glare. She then walked back toward the mansion, leaving the others behind. The other Contractors were still processing what she meant by making Shirou sleep outside, while the man could only feel slightly flabbergasted after hearing it.

"What was all that about, Shirou?" Jeanne asked after stepping toward him.

"Uhhh... It's nothing... I kinda made her upset, that's all. By the way, can you take her to a room for her to rest?" Shirou said while giving Jeanne the nun that he had been carrying.

"Yes, of course. She must be tired after the whole ordeal," said Jeanne while carrying the nun to the mansion. She was happy to think that another follower of the Lord was staying.

"Can you all give me a helping hand carrying them to the basement? I think they can give us additional information." Shirou asked the others that was still outside. The others then looked at the cart that Shirou brought with him. Three fallen angels and eight humans were all unconscious. Some of them were bleeding from their noses, mouths, and even ears. The weird part was that they were comically being stacked on top of each other.

"Let my soldiers take care of them, young Emiya, and *sniff* you... definitely need a shower," Iskandar stated. The others couldn't agree more with the King of Conquerors, especially after smelling the stench that the Magus was exuding. Iskandar then summoned two of his soldiers from 'Ionioi Hetairoi' and said soldiers were already doing their tasks.

"Ahh... yes, must be because of all the blood and sweat. By the way, your soldiers... they're from your Noble Phantasm huh... Waver told me a bit about them." Shirou said while inspecting himself. The others were wondering just what was Iskandar's Noble Phantasm could do.

"So... you can summon soldiers, Old Man? That's pretty unique, I guess." Achilles commented.

"When the time is right, I shall show all of you my kingship, my greatest Noble Phantasm," Iskandar said. Karna, hearing the conversation, became slightly interested by Iskandar's words.

"I should help them carrying the 'prisoners' as well," Shirou asked.

"I believe that it is more helpful for you to take a bath, Shirou Emiya," Scathach said while trying not to breath with her nose.

"Do I really smell that bad?" asked Shirou. The others instantly nodded.

Shirou then left the others and entered the mansion. He also realized that he made Arturia upset, something that he never wanted. Shirou was deep in thought about how to talk to her, but a bath was the first thing he needed to do. He also thought about the other Contractors, how they said that they would help him, it kinda shed a new light on him since he was used to do things alone in his past life.

"Comrades, huh..." he muttered.

Shirou Emiya entered the shower and let the water wash over him. He was reminiscing his past life, how he had never let anyone follow him, how he shunned everyone in order to protect them, how he had cut his ties with Fuji-nee, Sakura, and even Rin. He was so used to being alone that the thought of having the other Contractors fighting with him hadn't crossed his mind back then.

'Old habits die hard, I guess...' he thought while cleansing himself.

After the shower, he clothed himself with clean clothes while pondering about what he would need to say to Arturia. He arrived in front of door to Arturia's room, his right hand almost knocked on the door, yet he stopped himself. To be honest, he didn't know what to say, and would probably make the situation worse if he had gone in head first. The thought of making her angrier truly scared the shit out of him.

'It's almost 2 am... she's probably asleep right now' he thought.

Shirou Emiya looked around the mansion to see that everyone was already resting at their respective rooms. He remembered that the fallen angels and the rogue exorcists that were recently captured, and beaten up to a pulp, hadn't been interrogated. So, he set himself toward the basement to finish the job.


Dawn was breaking over the horizon. The dark blue sky was starting to be clearer, and the sun was almost visible. For Karna, the sunrise was always a beautiful sight to witness. He always felt like the sun was always there for him from the moment he was born and even accompanied him in his past life's death.

After watching said sunrise from the backyard, Karna went back to the mansion. He then entered the living room in order to see if anyone had awoken yet. To his surprise, he saw Shirou Emiya sleeping rather awkwardly on the couch. It truly looked like he accidentally fell asleep there.

For Karna, the Magus was always a puzzle that he couldn't solve. Karna could always discern everyone that he met even with the slightest interactions due to his poor upbringing, and everything that Karna felt about the man known as Shirou Emiya was more than puzzling.

His heart felt pure yet broken to a fault, he was willing to do selfless acts yet it felt like it was for his own personal gain, he looked like he wanted to care for others, yet didn't want to be taken care of by others, his presence was almost more machine than man if not for his love for the King of Knights, and most of all, Karna felt a sense of guilt, loss, and burden within the Magus, yet it felt like said Magus accepted them instead of diminishing them.

Karna was immediately cut out of his musings when Shirou woke up from his sleep. His eyes were looking like they weren't rested, signaling that his sleep was not longer than about two hours. Shirou looked around the living room and was met with Karna's stoic face.

"Morni- *crack* ah... my neck," Shirou said while rubbing his stiff neck.

"It seems that you did not have enough rest, may I ask why?" Karna asked.

"Ahh... I interrogated the ones that I brought the other night, didn't get a lot, but I got the nun's name. The rogue exorcists are basically just mercenaries, then I made a giant cage for them. After that whole thing ended... I sat here and accidentally fell asleep."

"You did not have to do all of those things alone, Shirou Emiya. If you had asked, I am sure the others would have been happy to help. We are all Contractors of Alaya, after all."

"You know, I'm so used to being alone when it comes to these things, probably just gonna need some time to adjust myself."

Karna felt that the man named Shirou Emiya had gone through hardships in his past life alone, never shared his burdens to anyone. It was truly intriguing for the Hero of Charity.

"May I ask you a personal question, Shirou Emiya?" he asked.

"Sure, I don't really mind."

"To be perfectly candid, everything that I discern about you is truly confusing for me. Your selfless acts, your mannerisms, and your presence are all just intriguing and yet disturbing at the same time. You act selflessly yet I feel it is for your own personal gain, your presence tells me that you cannot be corrupted yet damaged to a fault, and you care for others yet being cared for irks you. What are you, Shirou Emiya?" Karna honestly asked.

Shirou was a little surprised by the question. They barely had interacted for a couple of days and yet, Karna was already able to deduce his state of mind half as close as Rin did. This conversation would definitely be a long one.

"I think that I need a cup of coffee before I start answering," Shirou said while still rubbing his neck and also was rubbing his back. He decided that he would no longer accidentally sleep on the couch again. He then walked to the kitchen and when he returned, he brought two cups with him and gave one to Karna. He sat himself on the couch and Karna was seated beside him.

"There was once a boy. Everything about the boy was normal, normal parents, normal life. One day, a calamity happened. A great fire that burned everything and everyone indiscriminately. The boy's parents were killed by said fire, and the boy was alone. He witnessed death due to said calamity, he witnessed people desperately begging for help, yet no one answered, he witnessed... hell. He didn't remember anything about his life after seeing all of that and already accepted his impending death. But, out of nowhere, a man saved him. The boy didn't know what to feel because he was already empty, traumatized by the events that took place. The man looked so happy when he saved the boy, the boy felt like he was the one saving the man instead of the other way around."

It was truly a story worth being invested in for Karna. But whether or not the story was a tragedy, it was unknown to him.

"After being saved, the boy was adopted. He didn't know what to feel about any of his predicament. He had nightmares at night... 'Why was he saved?' 'Why not the others?' All those questions were on his head most of the time. The man that adopted him was, of course, more than nice. But the most important thing of all was that he left the boy with his ideals. To become a 'Hero of Justice', the embodiment of an ideal of saving everyone. The boy took this Ideal that was passed on to him, was it because of his state of mind? Or maybe admiration? Or was it because it was a beautiful wish? He didn't care about any of that because it felt like saving someone was the only thing that could repay his 'sin'. He chose to become that ideal, a 'Hero of Justice'."

"Living as an ideal... that life will be that of a machine than a human. But the one I am seeing right now doesn't feel like a machine. So, what saved the boy from that fate?" asked Karna.

"Would you believe me if I told you that it was love?"

Karna was having an unreadable expression after those words were said by the Magus.

"It was truly surprising for the boy, he never thought that he was worthy of loving anyone, or even worthy of being happy in the first place. But after meeting and falling in love with her. No matter how far he would go upholding his ideals, he always remembered the girl that he loved." Shirou stated. His love for Arturia was always stronger than anything he had in his Reality Marble. Even though he had ideals to uphold, love actually kept him from doing extreme measures to uphold said ideals. This train of thought made Shirou longing for her.

"Your love for Arturia keeps you from becoming a machine..." commented Karna.

"That obvious huh..." Shirou said while having a slightly surprised expression. He knew that Karna could discern others well, but he didn't expect him to know about his feelings for the King of Knights.

"Did the boy have any regrets?" Karna asked with a stoic face.

"Every time I look back, I can always say that I lived my past life with the best of my abilities at the time. But that doesn't mean I wouldn't add anything If I were sent back in time. If the boy had known that his sister's time was... short, he would've given her more waffles, he would've given her more of his time, he would've given her more hugs, he would've... given her more." Shirou answered with a sad smile.

The words that were spoken by him were laced with sadness, grief, loss, yet also happiness. Even though remembering Illya was hard for him, all the good times that Shirou Emiya spent with his sister would always be something he could look back with a smile on his face. He would never let those memories be forgotten or tarnished by regretting all that he did with her.

"What am I, you asked? Well... I'm just someone who is trying to uphold his ideals that are dripping with hypocrisy, someone who will always say 'it's never wrong to help those in need', someone that will always try to become A Hero of Justice, and... Someone who loves Arturia Pendragon from the bottom of his heart." He answered while giving Karna a serene and honest smile.

Shirou then remembered that the one he loved was a little upset with him. He knew that he needed to talk to her about last night. It was dreadful for him to think that Arturia was mad and he definitely knew that he would need to rectify that.

"Now... I think I need to apologize to someone. To be honest, it's actually pretty good to talk with you, Karna." Shirou stated to Karna. The Magus left Karna alone in the living room. Karna was having an unreadable face. His thoughts were lingering on Shirou's answer about his state of being.

'I do not know whether your heart is pure or broken, Shirou Emiya. Like you said, your life is dripping with hypocrisy, and yet I find some sense of beauty in it as well. You are truly an enigma that I cannot solve...' Karna heavily thought.


The sunlight was basking her golden hair. Her sleep was nowhere near pleasant. Arturia woke up from her sleep with a little sense of loneliness. It was, without a doubt, because of the lack of company being given by him. She never wanted to be angry at him, but she was reminded of how reckless he could be. For her, the Fifth Holy Grail War had been ages ago, and some of the worst memories from that time haunted her for a bit. The scene of her love let himself be fatally injured by Heracles was the one that she could always recall, and said memory reminded her of how much of an idiot Shirou Emiya could be... then again, she was head over heels for that idiot.

Arturia was still on her bed, hugging her pillow, her hair was let down and she was on her nightgown, pondering about why she was mad at him. She felt like she had overreacted last night, and said overreaction was a little childish of her. But was she wrong to worry about her lover?

She didn't finish that thought because someone was hugging her from behind. Someone entered her room and was sleeping right next to her. His right arm was embracing her body, his breath was touching the back of her neck, and his mouth was close to her ear... a little too close.

"I... could've sworn that I locked the door..." she said.

A replica of a key dematerialized on a small table.

"Are you still mad at me?" he whispered.

"..."

"I'm sorry."

His voice was enchanting for her to hear, her face was showing a small tinge of pink, and her body tensed up just a little bit after his whispers were heard. Arturia felt slightly charmed and slightly apologetic. But she was a king, and she wouldn't let her be... seduced by the one she loved... maybe.

"I... am still angry..." Arturia tried to convince him... and herself.

"Are you?" he asked.

"Y-Yes, you were idiotic, reckless, foolish..."

"You fell in love with me because I'm like that..."

She really didn't know how to respond to that, and he had a slight smirk.

"But yes... I was idiotic, reckless, and foolish..." he stated.

"Just because you admit it, doesn't mean you're forgiven..."

"Turn around and look at me... please." he requested.

Arturia followed his request and turned around. Her emerald eyes met his peerless golden eyes. He was showing an apologetic face that slightly affected her. She realized that his lips were too close to hers, and just a bit nudge from her would be enough to... she restrained herself from doing that.

"I really am sorry, Arturia... I should've told you and the other Contractors. I'm just so used to being alone when it comes to those things that the thought didn't cross my mind."

"Shirou... you're not alone, not anymore... and I overreacted last night, I was just reminded of your recklessness, like when you defended me from Berserker's attack... but is it wrong for me to worry about the man I love?"

"You know, I'm actually quite happy that my girl is that caring..."

Arturia's face was as red as a tomato because of those words, while Shirou smiled at the situation. He then pulled her closer toward him, his right arm embracing her waist, their bodies touching, their legs intertwined, and their faces were barely apart.

"Can you forgive me, Arturia?" he whispered.

"J-Just d-don't do it again..."

"Does that mean I'm not sleeping outside?"

"I-I don't see anything w-wrong with that..."

"Did it feel lonely last night?" he asked teasingly.

Arturia almost said yes, but she knew that her lover was teasing her. Instead of answering him, she playfully hit him with a pillow. He let out a small laugh because of that and also because of her face being redder than ever.

"Okay, okay... stop hitting me with that, it's... actually starting to hurt," he said while still having a playful smile.

"I-Idiot." she muttered.

The two were now sitting on the bed instead of lying down. Shirou looked at Arturia, the sunlight was giving her a beautiful glow, her golden hair was shining, and her face was adorable, ethereal, and stunning.

His hand then caressed her long hair slowly, softly, and intimately.

"You know... you should let your hair down more often..." he said.

"W-Why?"

"It's just...well, really beautiful. Then again, you always look beautiful just the way you are."

Arturia really couldn't hold her blush after he said those words. His hand was no longer caressing her hair and was moving toward her cheeks.

"You truly are beautiful..." he muttered.

"Shirou..."

Her heart couldn't beat any faster. She felt his firm hand caressing her intimately and passionately. He eyed her rosy cheeks and her soft pink lips. He couldn't control himself any longer, every part of his body told him that to act.

He moved toward her and immediately gave her a passionate kiss. Arturia couldn't voice any disagreement because she immediately answered said kissed.

They weren't taking any breaks, and after a while, Arturia felt his tongue exploring the insides of her mouth. She felt a little weak after that, while he only wanted more and more of her taste.

He laid her down. The kiss was still ongoing and his force was getting more and more powerful every second, and he could hear her moans that were only slightly silenced by his own lips.

He stopped infiltrating her mouth and witnessed the scene in front of him. She was lying down and he was on top of her. Her cheeks were red as a beet, her breaths were hard and rigid, her lips were glossier than ever, and her emerald eyes were just too beautiful to look at. His self-control was almost non-existent after witnessing all of that. He wanted to taste her more and more...

She truly didn't know how to think anymore after he had finished exploring her mouth and basically counting her teeth with his tongue. She looked at the man that was on top of her. His breath were hard and rigid, his golden eyes were as sharp as a razor, and his expression was filled with... hunger.

He tasted her more and more by going to her cheek and ear. She was given a barrage of kisses and licks from the Magus.

He then moved toward her neck. The force that he was giving from his mouth was too much for Arturia. Her mind could no longer think. She could feel his lips kissing and sucking her neck deeply and passionately and she could feel his hands exploring her body from her waist to her thighs.

Arturia could only moan because of all the things that he was doing. The acts were not stopping at all. Their senses were going haywire, hers because of Shirou's kisses and touches, and his because his self-control was losing the fight against his libido. He then stopped his attacks on her neck and went back to meet her face while his hands were embracing her thighs.

"Arturia..." he whispered.

"S-Shirou..." she whispered back.

Her lips were right in front of her, her thighs were basically clutching on to him, and his 'little general' was being awoken. He knew that, in a few seconds, he could no longer control his arousal. So, instead of trying to fight back, he was going in for the kil-

All of his dirty thoughts were interrupted due to a large noise coming from his lover.

To be more specific, his lover's stomach...

It started with a little snort from him, and after a few seconds, he could no longer hold his laughter

"Bwahahahahahahahahahahhahahaha... " he laughed and laughed some more while rolling on the bed.

"S-Stop l-laughing," Arturia ordered shyly.

"Haahh... to think that you're hungry as well... different kind of hunger though," Shirou stated while still having a laugh.

Arturia then repeatedly beat him with a pillow because of that statement.

"Ok ok... that kinda hurts..."

"I-It's n-not my fault... I haven't had anything to eat." She said while hugging the pillow to cover her flushed cheeks.

"Alright... since that moment's gone, why don't we head downstairs to have breakfast?" he asked with a smile.

She could only nod.


The two lovers headed downstairs after their make out session. They were greeted by the sight of the other Contractors casually sitting in the living room while waiting for breakfast to be served by their favorite cook.

Shirou instantly went to the kitchen and minutes later, he served breakfast at the dining table. He made creamy scrambled eggs, German sausages, sandwiches that were filled by bacon, lettuce, tomato and his own blend of sauce. He also served tea, coffee and orange juice as beverages.

The others instantly headed toward the dining room after the scent of his dishes infiltrated their noses. Breakfast being served was definitely a sight to behold for them. They were then seated and ate their respective breakfast.

"Look... about last night. I'm sorry... I should've told you guys about the nun and all that instead of going head first alone." Shirou said.

"You don't need to apologize, Shirou Emiya. But it would've been more appropriate if you had told us about it." Scathach said.

"To be honest, I just don't like that you got all the action for yourself. Just try to share a little." Achilles lazily stated.

Shirou could only smile after the other Contractors voiced their opinions. Arturia, who was sitting beside him, was smiling as well.

"Does this mean I don't need to always cook and share my workload?" Shirou jokingly asked.

"Nonsense, young Emiya! Your cooking shall not be compromised by anyone... it is a treasure that needs to be preserved than to be lessened." Iskandar stated while hitting the table. The Magus' food was a blessing and one of Iskandar's major reasons on why he wanted the Magus to join his army.

"Alexander is right, Shirou Emiya. I won't agree to that," commented Scathach.

"Your cooking is more than treasure for all of us," Karna said.

"I'd rather fight Hector again than cook for all of you." Achilles stated.

"I'm not sure that you can even cook, Achilles," Arturia commented.

"WHAT YOU SA- wait, like hell I'd fall for that..."

The others shared a laugh due to that exchange. It was a pleasing sight for Shirou to witness and made him remembered a remnant of the time long past. An English teacher that always acted like a child, a purple-haired girl that was gentle and caring, a twin-tailed tsundere with quite a sharp tongue, a white-haired sister that was always clinging onto him, and all of them were seated on the same table while waiting for him. Truly, a lovely memory to remember...

While Shirou was reminiscing. Scathach, who was sitting beside Arturia, witnessed something that was rather surprising.

"It seems that someone put a love mark on you, Arturia." Scathach lightly said. Her voice was too soft for everyone to hear except for Arturia herself, and Shirou who was sitting on her right side.

Arturia was a little confused with what Scathach meant about 'a love mark'. On the other hand, Shirou, who had been drinking when he had heard it, almost spilled his coffee from his mouth.

He looked at Arturia, or to be specific, Arturia's neck. It wasn't really big, but with a closer look, everyone would definitely tell.

A hickey.

A hickey was on the King of Knights' neck.

'Ooo shittttt.' Shirou thought. He then whispered to Arturia. She instantly covered her neck with her left hand and her face was really blushing. She then glared at her lover while he could only give her an apologetic smile, calculate Avalon's healing time in his mind, and hope that the other Contractors didn't notice it and one of them already did.

"How interesting..." Scathach muttered while having a serene smile and then drank her tea.

Meanwhile, Shirou was thinking about Scathach, more importantly, her proficiency on Runes. He had seen a devil using Spatial Transportation using a Magic Circle about two days ago, and considering that magecraft in this world was basically equivalent to be hailing from the Age of Gods was a little concerning.

"Scathach, you said that you have Primordial Runes hailing from Scandinavia... So, can you help me with something?" he asked.

"If it's within my abilities, I don't see why not," she answered.

"It's about bolstering our defense here. I can make a normal Barrier, but I'm not sure that's good enough, considering that the devil that I last saw was able to perform Spatial Transportation using a Magic Circle."

"I can set my Runes to block any kind of foreign Circles being conjured here... Leave this mansion's defenses to me, Shirou Emiya, I shall finish it by noon," Scathach stated. Her Runes would definitely be enough to defend the mansion.

"Thank you for that. By the way, can you perform Spatial Transportation?" asked Shirou.

"Only if the place in question is marked by one of my Runes," she answered.

'So like a fast travel huh... that'll be convenient.' Shirou thought.

Shirou then continued to drink his coffee while looking at the others. Everyone was finishing their respective breakfasts, but he noticed that one Contractor was missing.

"Where's Jeanne?"


The sunlight was basking two young women. One was still soundly sleeping, and the other was sitting on a chair while watching her. The latter was the Maiden of Orleans herself, Jeanne d'Arc. Last night, she let the nun slept on her bed while she rested on the chair beside her. It was harrowing for her to think that a girl younger than her had been almost killed by fallen angels in order to take her 'miracle'. She thanked God for Shirou rescuing her before that happened.

Her musings were stopped by a soft knock on the door.

"Come in," Jeanne said.

The person then entered the door after she gave her permission.

It was Achilles, the Son of Peleus, and the Hero of Trojan War. After knowing that it was him that had entered, Jeanne had a small blush on her face. It was always hard for Jeanne to be near handsome men, and considering that every men living in the mansion had their own charms, it was harder for her not to be blushing most of the time. Shirou Emiya with his charming smile, Karna with his stoic expression, Iskandar with his 'guns', and Achilles with his sharp gaze. Truly, a hard thing for Jeanne to endure.

"Hey, the others are looking for you... and they're eyeing your share of breakfast as well, by the way," said Achilles. He was wearing his casual clothes. White t-shirt, brown slim leather jacket, and grey skinny jeans. Jeanne was wearing a pink sweater, a blue skirt, and a cross necklace.

"S-Sorry for worrying you, I'm just waiting for her to wake up from her slumber," Jeanne said while a bit of pink colored her cheeks.

"Ahhh yes, the nun. Why is she in your room?" he asked.

"She needs a bed to rest..."

"Yes... but you know there's one more room available right?"

"O-Oh... I-I d-didn't remember," she answered while her cheeks were getting redder. Achilles had a little smirk after seeing her like that.

Achilles then looked at the nun that was comfortably sleeping on the bed. She looked really innocent for him and he was wondering what kind of pain the ones who were responsible deserved. Then again, the Magus already beat him to it.

"Fallen angels huh... to think they'd target such a devoted girl, I guess that answers your question on why they've fallen in the first place," he stated while leaning against a wall and crossing his arms.

"It must be quite an ordeal for her, and to think that angels were the ones that almost took her life is just..." Jeanne added.

"Yeah well... you can always visit them in the basement. Karna told me that Emiya put them in a giant cage or something... poor bastards were lucky that I wasn't the one that visited them last night," he said while having a slight grin.

"I truly thanked the Lord for not letting her meet her end so soon, and certainly Shirou for saving her as well," she replied. Having heard her reply, Achilles had one small question to ask.

"Tell me something, why would you devote yourself to 'God'?" Achilles asked. He was a little intrigued by the story of Jeanne d'Arc. A normal farm girl from a small village that had heard God's sorrow about the war that ongoing for more than a hundred years, so she decided to join said war in order to appease him. At first she succeeded realizing her wishes, but in the end, she was burnt at the stake and was called a witch by enemy forces for years.

It reminded him of the Trojan War somehow, where glory and demise met and were intertwined.

"Sorry, kinda rude huh... it's just that the Trojan War, the place where I once thought that I could find glory and immortality, was basically also entertainment for the Olympians, a chess board for the gods and I was one of the pieces. I figured that out... a little too late. Is it the same for you, Jeanne?" Achilles continued while gazing at the room instead of her.

"There's no need for you to apologize, Achilles, and I truly can't say that I intimately know your story. But I didn't join the Hundred Years' War for glory or fame or immortality. When I heard the Lord's sadness and anguish about the war that was ongoing, he didn't order me or manipulate me to do something. I... fought because I wanted to reduce not just his pain but also... the pains of those who were entangled as well. Even though the end of the path that I chose was harrowing, it's not something that I can ever regret." Jeanne answered his question while having a peaceful smile directed at him.

Having heard what Jeanne said to him, Achilles was lost in his own thought while looking at her. All that he could think of was how pure the Maiden of Orleans was. Her presence exuded purity yet he knew that she had seen a fair amount of death and demise.

'I don't even think that 'God' deserves you, Jeanne. You're just like 'her'... too pure for any gods to have or to touch.' Achilles thought while looking at her. The thought brought him a sad smile to his face.

His musings were interrupted by a knock on the door.

"Come in." Jeanne gave her permission.

Jeanne and Achilles saw the one who knocked entered the room. It turned out to be Shirou Emiya and he was holding a breakfast-in-bed tray. Shirou looked around the room and was given the sight of the nun soundly sleeping on the bed, Jeanne sitting on a chair beside the bed, and Achilles leaning on a wall not too far from Jeanne's position.

"Hey, am I interrupting?" Shirou asked.

"N-Not at all..." Jeanne answered with a little bit of shyness. Her room was filled with two handsome men and they were looking at her. She really couldn't hold back a tinge of pink on her cheeks.

"I was actually looking for the nun... guess don't need to now. Oh, here, I also brought your breakfast as well, Jeanne. Arturia and Iskandar were eyeing it a little too much if you know what I mean." Shirou said. He then put the tray that he was carrying on a small counter and gave Jeanne her breakfast. The rest of the food that was still on the tray was reserved for the one that was sleeping.

"O-Oh, thank you for bringing it here, S-Shirou..." Jeanne shyly replied and accepted the plate. The plate was filled with a sandwich, two sausages, and scrambled eggs. It had a really alluring scent. It was so alluring that the nun that was sleeping had a slight reaction.

"Emiya, you got any info on the nun? I mean, we can't really keep calling her 'the nun' forever." Achilles asked the white-haired Magus.

"Her name is Asia Argento. The fallen angels wanted her Sacred Gear, 'Twilight Healing', because it can heal a fatal wound in minutes. Apparently, they got to her because she was excommunicated by the Vatican Church." Shirou answered.

"Do you know the reason why they banished her?" Jeanne asked. She was slightly surprised that the nun that looked so innocent could get such a severe punishment.

"I didn't ask any further. It's a little private in my opinion, but maybe we can ask her...now," said Shirou while noticing that the nun's nose was twitching and her body was slightly moving.

She woke up rather peacefully. Her eyes fluttered and she slightly rubbed them. She let out a cute and long yawn in front of her audience. After said yawn, she realized that she was not in the catacombs of Kuoh Town's abandoned church, but in a rather comfy bed.

Her eyes then analyzed the sight in front of her. A beautiful blonde young woman that was slightly older than her was sitting in a chair beside the bed, a rather masculine and handsome man was leaning against a wall near the beautiful blonde woman, and a familiar-looking man with white hair was standing in front of the bed that she occupied.

Before Asia had seen him, she was slightly afraid due to waking up while being watched by strangers, but after her eyes met the white-haired man's form, she felt safe and slightly warm.

"Good morning," he said to her sleepy form while having a serene smile. She couldn't hold back her blushing after seeing it.

"M-M-Morning, I-If I may ask, can you tell me w-where I am?" shyly said Asia, while covering herself with a blanket.

"Well... you're on the outskirts of Kuoh Town. Don't worry, you're safe now," Shirou replied.

Asia had a bit sense of relief considering that she had been close to reaching the afterlife. She then took a great look at the white-haired man that was in front of her, and realized who he was.

She jumped from the bed and gave him her sincerest gratitude. Shirou didn't really feel comfortable because she was still in her nightgown and the other two Contractors were watching him.

"Y-You were the one that save me l-last night. I-I cannot t-thank you enough!" Asia proclaimed, bowing her head low in order to show how big her gratitude really was. To think that she had a chance to meet that boy...

"Ehhh... you don't need to thank me, Asia, I was just in the right time and place, that's all," said Shirou, downplaying his actions the night before.

"Yeahh... running like you got Medusa chasing your butt in order to save her was definitely 'being in the right time and the right place'," Achilles joked with a small smirk plastered on his face. It was amusing to see Emiya downplay his heroic actions... and the memory of him running like crazy from the mansion was kinda amusing as well.

"I-I truly can't thank y-you enough, mister... b-but how d-did you know my name?" Asia asked.

"Oh.. I inte-, I mean, asked the fallen angels from last night..." answered Shirou while giving her his trademark smile.

Asia slightly widened her eyes because she was afraid they would think badly of her for being excommunicated by the church.

"I-I'm sorry... you must know that I was banished f-from the c-church, a-and to think that you gave me a place to rest..." Asia said while looking down.

Jeanne, who was hearing the whole conversation, stood up from her chair and reached out to the nun who looked saddened and distraught.

"It's fine, Asia. Shirou knew that it was a private matter and so, he didn't pry any further, especially about why you were exiled, what matters is that you are safe now. You don't need to tell us anything unless you can trust us." Jeanne comforted her and also put her hands on Asia's shoulder. She then made Asia sat on the edge of the bed in order for her to relax.

Asia was more than flabbergasted. The presence that she felt within the other blonde in the room was so pure, holy, and warm. It truly felt like she was in the presence of a saint. A shining light that could not be corrupted by any darkness whatsoever.

"Y-Y-Yes, thank you, miss... and you as well, M-Mr. Shirou... for everything," Asia shyly said while giving everyone a pure and happy smile.

"Just call me Shirou, Asia. You can tell her your name as well if you want..." Shirou said while giving his attention to Jeanne as well.

"Very well then, you can call me by my name, Jeanne, it's truly relishing to meet you, Asia." Jeanne happily said.

"And this handsome guy right here, who's leaning against the wall, you can call him... Bradley." Shirou said while pointing at Achilles. The one who was being pointed had a tick mark on his head.

"THAT'S NO- you know what, that's not important right now..." said Achilles, trying not to burst out.

"It's really nice to know all of you, Shirou, Ms. Jeanne, and Mr. Bradley..." Asia said while bowing her head in front of them.

Asia was happy. To think that they rescued her and even though they knew that she was no longer a nun, they gave her a place to stay, a bed to rest, and a chance to meet with her first friend. She felt that they deserved more than her trust...

"I-I am more than grateful for everything... and the r-reason why I-I was excommunicated..." Asia said, stuttering hard and almost bit her tongue.

"You don't need to force yourself, Asia. Like I said, if you don't want to-"

"N-No, please... I want to," Asia interjected. She then steeled herself into talking.

"I-It's b-because I healed a devil..." Everyone slightly widened their eyes after hearing the words that came out of Asia's mouth.

"About a month ago... I found a devil i-in front of the church that I lived in. He was h-heavily injured and he was begging for anyone to help him. I-I healed him a-and the Vatican Church h-heard of what I did... they said that I-I w-was a traitor, a heretic, a witch..." stated Asia. A tear dropped from one of her eye, and seconds later, it multiplied. The ones who heard those words felt the sadness that the nun was conjuring, all except one...

"Do you regret it?" Shirou asked Asia while giving her a serious expression. He didn't try to comfort her or say that she was not wrong, because the answer was important for him.

"N-No... I w-won't and c-can't regret it, if i did, then the ones that were healed by my Sacred Gear... I-I'd basically be mocking them as well. The Lord gave me this miracle... a-and His teachings have taught me empathy, love, and compassion, n-not any kind of hatred..." Asia gave her answer while wiping her tears.

For Jeanne, it was slightly hard for her to hear that a girl with such innocence had a harrowing experience, and to think that it came from one of the foundations that she held deeply. Innocence and compassion that she exuded was scorned instead of being upheld.

For Achilles, it was not hard to listen what came out of the nun's mouth, but it reminded him of how zealotry ravaged Achaea, how sacrifices were happening over and over for the gods they served, even though most of the gods themselves didn't give two shits about what Humanity was doing as long as they received their entertainment.

And for Shirou, all that he was focusing was her answer. He knew that she was not lying even one bit and it truly gave him a smile on his face. He would definitely say to her that she was not wrong for doing it and would defend her reasoning every step of the way.

'That's the right answer, alright...' he thought with a serene smile showing.

"Asia, your conviction... is not wrong. For me, the Lord never advocates hatred and always compassionate to all..." Jeanne said to Asia, sitting beside her while caressing her hair. Asia couldn't hold her tears from flowing after her ears got Jeanne's words.

Asia cried like she was a newborn baby. She hugged the Maiden of Orleans tightly and let her tears fell to Jeanne's chest. It was hard for her to reminisce how much she was scorned when the Church found out about it...

Jeanne kept petting Asia's head and was trying to comfort her the best way possible. She felt that the nun had been through more than she could endure.

The heartwarming scene was going on for about a few minutes. Shirou and Achilles looked at each other and felt like they were a little bit out of place. Asia was then finished being nurtured by Jeanne.

"Asia, I know you don't have anywhere else to go... If you want, you can stay here as long as you like," Shirou said to the youngest blonde. Deep in his mind, there was a bit of thinking going on about Asia staying...

"I-Is it truly alright? I mean..." Asia responded while wiping her eyes.

"Of course... by the way, here, you haven't had any breakfast yet," Shirou answered, his hands was holding the tray of food that he brought just nefore Asia woke up from her slumber.

"T-T-Thank y-you, Shirou... I-It smells really divine..."

"Leave it to Emiya, I bet that he woos every woman with his cooking..." Achilles commented, a little smirk was showing. Shirou could only let out a little laugh to the comment... because Achilles' wasn't really wrong to begin with.

"Well... 'Bradley' and I need to do something, if you need anything, just ask alright?" Shirou said to Asia with a charming smile.

"Y-Yes... I-I will..." Asia responded, her face was having a tinge of pink because of that smile.

Achilles slightly raised his eyebrow. He didn't know what the Magus meant... was it sparring? He didn't remember making any challenges though. Shirou then gestured Achilles to leave the room with him and after, Achilles followed him to go outside.


They were on the main staircase, facing each other. Achilles was crossing his hands while leaning against the railing, and Shirou had his hands in his pockets while also leaning against the railing.

"So.. what is it that we need to do?" Achilles asked.

"We're not gonna do anything... I actually just wanna talk... about Asia," Shirou said with a bit of a heavy breath.

"What about her?"

"It's about her staying here... what do you think?"

"She doesn't have a place, you gave her one, there's nothing wrong with that..."

"It's about our line of work that's concerning... I mean, our duty is literally 'stopping armageddon'. What if she gets killed because we're gonna face devils, gods, angels, or other deities?"

Achilles pondered about it. Considering that the Contractors were chosen specifically by Humanity's collective will, while the nun, even though she had some sort of healing abilities, wouldn't be able to defend herself against the forces that they were potentially gonning to face against.

"I hear you, Emiya, but still, we would just send her away or something? The fallen angels have made her a target already, and that's not counting the devils as well. She is already in danger as far as I know it," Achilles said.

"You're right... and add to the fact that the Church doesn't care as well. But still, she may be in greater danger now. There's nothing wrong with being a little paranoid right..."

It was all what he could think of. In his past life, Shirou Emiya had kept his precious ones at arm's length, and to think that what he and the other Contractors would definitely invite danger on the highest level...

Shirou cut out his own musings. He summarized that, for now, the nun should be safe from other factions that were still hunting her.

"So... wanna have a quick spar? I'm bored to death here. Since I got reincarnated, I only watched the tv with the Old Man..." Achilles requested, a playful and eager smirk was showing on his face.

"Sure, but someone needs to feed the prisoners first... you know what, I'm gonna take a raincheck on that. Kinda feeling rather bad for making them starve for hours," Shirou answered.

"Tch.. fine, I'm gonna find Karna then," Achilles then was walking away from the staircase in order to find the Hero of Charity. Meanwhile, Shirou walked to the kitchen and made breakfast for the prisoners that was being caged in the basement.

After giving the prisoners breakfast, which they loved so much that they felt rather lucky being his prisoners, he was in the main hall of the mansion, looking at two blondes who was there as well and dressed neatly. Jeanne was wearing the same clothes and Asia was wearing her nun clothing.

"Shirou, I-I was thinking that it's great for us to visit the town... wanna come with?" Jeanne asked the white-haired Magus. She wanted to take Asia outside because her story of rarely going out from the church that she grew up in, and two days ago, the nun found herself a friend that left her a lasting impression.

"Sure, why not.." Shirou said, a charming smile was formed on his face. The blondes that were witnessing it had a small tinge of pink due to said smile.

"And maybe we can get the others as well," Shirou thought out loud.

"Yeaa... good luck finding some of them," A voice came from behind Shirou. It was Achilles, he seemed a little annoyed, probably due to the fact that he was bored as hell..

"Well, wanna go outside?" Shirou asked Achilles. He knew that Achilles was more than just bored.

"You know what, screw it. Besides... I don't mind going out with a couple of damsels," Achilles said, his expression was sharp and fierce, his eyes were predatory and he looked toward the two blondes, they could only blush harder.

"Where are the others, by the way?" Shirou asked the Hero of Trojan War.

"Beats me... but I think the Old Man is in the living room with Arturia, Teach is probably working on this mansion's defense, and as for Karna... can't find him."

"Teach?" Jeanne asked.

"I think he means Scathach..." Shirou answered. Meanwhile, Asia heard the names that were brought up and felt that they were sort of familiar...

"There are others? I haven't introduced mysel-"

Asia's saying was cut off by a loud laughter coming from the living room. It was Iskandar's, but what the Contractors were feeling a little bit of killing intent that was exuded by Arturia.

'Please don't tell me it's about the hickey...' Shirou thought while having a bit of a panic attack.

"You know what... maybe later," Shirou said panickly, his hands then held Asia's shoulders and then he pushed the nun outside while gesturing Jeanne and Achilles to go outside as well. He really didn't want to feel Arturia's bad side, especially when it was his fault.

After about 20 minutes, they arrived at the center of the town. It was pretty lively due to a fair was ongoing and Asia was excited seeing such a crowd and the stalls that were placed there.

The men that were there were distracted by the arrival of the two beautiful blondes. All of the men, including the ones that arrived with their respective partners, were clearly charmed. One exuded innocence and the other exuded grace and purity.

While the women were looking at the arrival of the two handsome men. The two also garnered the jealousy of the men there due to the fact that they arrived with the two blondes.

Shirou, who noticed the looks that he and his friends got, merely shrugged at them. Achilles, however, didn't know whether the glares were hostile or not. So, just to be safe, he glared back, and all the men that gave him the looks of jealousy were instantly intimidated.

"You know, you should just ignore them.." Shirou said to Achilles who were walking beside him. The two men were walking right behind Jeanne and Asia.

"Yeahh well, I don't like the way they were looking at me, and especially don't like their lustful looks they were giving to the girls," Achilles replied.

Shirou merely gave him a small smile. He definitely approved the Hero of Trojan War's way of thinking.

While the boys were chatting, the girls were having the time of their lives. Asia and Jeanne checked out all of the stalls with their eyes. Some of them were unique for them to see, and many of them were inviting because of the foods they were serving.

"Oh wowww, I've never seen such a fair like this..." Jeanne commented, she was definitely awed by everything that was in front of her.

"It's definitely filled with a lot of happiness," commented Asia, who was also awed.

It was definitely a pleasing sight for Shirou to see the girls having fun right then and there. For Achilles, it was rather pleasing as well to see beautiful girls having such smiles.

The fair was getting more and more lively and the streets were utterly crowded. Shirou and Achilles were standing side by side while Jeanne and Asia were in front of them.

But after being pushed by the crowd, Shirou and Achilles were not behind the girls anymore...

"Yupp... we got separated," Achilles said.

"Well.. they shouldn't be far," Shirou added.

Shirou and Achilles then walked together on order to search the two damsels. For the girls there, it was a pleasing sight to see two handsome men. Some of them were a little too pleased by the sight...

"The hell is 'yaoi'?" Achilles asked Shirou. He heard a few girls screaming that word and they kept repeating it.

"Just ignore it..." Shirou answered.

Achilles looked at his fellow Contractor. He didn't have a good first impression on the white-haired Magus. But overtime, his opinion changed. After seeing his duel against Arturia, he could definitely tell that the Magus was no slouch and definitely wouldn't be dead weight, especially his cooking. But for Achilles, the Magus' presence was slightly worrying.

"Something on your mind?" Shirou asked Achilles who was deep in his thought.

"Since you asked, it's actually about you."

"I... already have someone..."

"Not that you dumbshit!"

Shirou had a little laugh because of Achilles' reaction. In his mind, he was questioning about what Achilles meant. He already had a long conversation with Karna about who Shirou Emiya was. Maybe Heroic Spirits could really read people well.

"The presence you've been exuding is odd. It feels like you are Odysseus, Hector, and Patroclus combined. Sly as a fox, virtuous and integrous, and yet... naive to a fault," said Achilles. it was definitely a weird blend of personality and to think that everyone of those people that Achilles mentioned were people that he dreaded, respected, and valued.

"Is that a compliment?" Shirou asked playfully with a bit of seriousness.

"It's fucking weird, that's what."

"Wow, you kiss your mother with that mouth?"

"Tch... blame Alaya for giving me modern slang. But seriously, you're one odd man, Emiya."

"Well... I've been called worse," Shirou replied. It was true, he had been called worse.

"What's weirder is that I feel that I can trust you." Achilles said while looking at the Magus with an unreadable expression.

For Shirou, everything that he had heard from Achilles' mouth was a bit accurate. Not as accurate as Karna's discernment, but more or less, not bad. Achilles' last sentence though, truly brought a smile to his face.

Shirou then stopped his walking and then Achilles stopped in front of him.

"Well... thank you for that, Achilles. You know... I think I saw Asia going to the direction of the park. Why don't you try to find Jeanne and we can meet up at that fire hydrant?" Shirou said to Achilles and then pointed at the fire hydrant 30 feet away from them.

"Sure.. catch you later, I guess," Achilles said and then walked away from the Magus. It felt rather abrupt for Achilles on how the Magus redirected the conversation, but hey, he didn't really care.

Shirou went to the opposite direction. His mind were thinking about the other Contractors that were with him on this quest. It was rather pleasing to be not lonely as he was in his past life. A sense of comradery filled Shirou's mind as well, and what Achilles said to him was rather pleasing as well.

After a few moments, Shirou finally arrived at the park. It was actually the same park where he saw a boy being killed by the fallen angel Raynare. The park was a little bit empty, not truly empty because at the center of the park, there was Asia who was looking rather confused with directions...

"Hey Asia," Shirou called the nun while also waving his right hand, gesturing her to come to him.

Asia walked rather quickly to Shirou's place.

"Ahh Shirou, t-there you are... I was trying to find everyone after we got separated, b-but as you can see, I-I got slightly lost," Asia said a little shyly.

"It's ok, hope you didn't wa-"

"GET THE FUCK AWAY FROM HER!"

A loud voice coming right behind Shirou interrupted their conversation. Shirou then sensed that an attack was coming. He then traced Kanshou on his right hand and quickly parried the man's attack. The attacker got pushed back by said parry. Shirou then widened his eyes after seeing the attacker.

It was the boy that he failed to rescue two nights ago.

But what truly surprised him was the red draconic gauntlet on his left arm...


Author's notes II: Again, I'm really really sorry for making you guys wait... Major IRL issues happened (grandad got hospitalized, exams, etc). This chapter might be a little boring but next chapter there's gonna be a big fight (Not spar or anything or against rias' peerage, that's the only hint I'm giving you)

I really can't promise you anything, but I will definitely try to make my update time weekly! (Btw, I always post an update on a chapter in my bio, so just check that out if you wanna know how a chapter is progressing)

A few reviewers said that Shirou felt like he was OOC and not OOC as well. That's cuz I'm trying to add a little spice on him, making him more mature and also giving him a dash of Archer, just a little (the bill cosby joke in chap ! was probably a little stretching tho). Some of you also expressed your concerns on whether or not this gonna be a trashy harem fic. Hell no! I won't let that happen! That's the reason I hate DxD's plotline in the first place (and mostly cuz of Issei getting power ups ez af) .

There's a lot of good things happening recently. The Walking Dead is good again, DRose is good again, and Breaking Bad is getting a sequel (wut!)

So, like it? Love it? Hate it? Please review! And don't forget to hit that Fav/Follow button on your way out! (more than 1k alerts and almost 1k fav, I really can't thank you guys enough!)

(Beta'd by swatforest, massive thanks, and thanks to Parcacious as well for liking this fic, he's my fav author on this site!)

With that said, ITG out.