Check out Draconic x Delusion, plz.
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In the time it took for me to tame Round Deer, heal Shirou, and then stop Bazett and Rin from fighting each other in Shirou's backyard, Sakura had cooked up a veritable feat. In retrospect, all of that had taken almost half the day, so it stood to reason.
Well, in any case, once the two calmed down, we retreated into the living room where Shirou helped his kouhai set up the table for dinner.
Boiled white rice topped with green peas and deep-fried chicken coated in a thin batter were the main dish. Then, there were grilled vegetables I paid little heed to, cabbage, spinach and eggplant. The miso soup had boiled seaweed, green onions and tofu floating around in it.
Bazett sat down right next to me, folding her legs underneath. I found that way of sitting to be agonizing, and plopped down with my legs crossed. Rin gave the both of us a suspicious look as she sat down at the head of the low table. I was too busy hiding the smirk that crept onto my face the moment I noticed Shirou was sitting between both sisters. Rin on one side, and Sakura on the other.
Understanding that battle negotiations were not to be had over dinner, Rin turned towards me.
"I've been wondering, which university do you go to?" She tilted her head, letting her hair fall, "Or, is that rude? Hm, on second thought, education might be banned for the Zen'in, don't want the children to question traditions after all."
I looked at her with my mouth full of rice and chicken, "Crashy to be frowing shade when all the Tohshaka have done is catch the attenshun of some wandering wisard the one time."
The Tohsaka lineage had come to prominence only a few centuries ago, when the first of them had been interesting enough for a magician to take him under his wing for some time. Compared to a lineage from the Age of the Gods, blessed by the Gods, they simply didn't measure up.
"Wha-"
"Musashi University." I gulped my food, recalling my shitty life as Enji, "Nothing too special though. The university hasn't even contacted me for my absence."
Rin grimaced slightly, "That's kind of sad."
I stared at the setting sun outside. The wind from outside felt wet, carrying the faint scent of rainy earth and rotting tree sap from the forest beyond. At this hour, the birds and critters had begun their little jitter and chitter.
"It is."
Lost for words, she turned to Bazett.
"And you, shouldn't you be apologetic? You're an Enforcer-"
The Enforcer wiped her lips with a thumb and shook her head, "The same as the Zen'in. The Fraga are God Holders."
God Holder. My ancestor had used that word too. Mine was apparent. It was the crown jewel of the Zen'in, the Ten Shadows.
I glanced at Bazett from the corner of my eye.
So far, she'd given no indication of what her unique ability was.
"Isn't the match-up in this Grail War a little unfair?" Rin's shoulders slumped, "Even if I'm a genius, two of the seven masters are extremely experienced."
The floorboard creaked faintly as I relaxed back, pushing my empty bowl away from the edge of the table.
"Bazett. She really called herself a genius."
"I would be too ashamed."
"That's not what I-" Rin raised a trembling hand, trying to salvage her dignity. Then, she doubled down. "You two just don't have the confidence! Hmph!"
I wanted to tease her more, but Shirou pushed away his bowl as well and began staring at me. He'd been mannered enough to not speak while eating, with Sakura mirroring him.
"What's a God Holder?" He asked, plainly.
Honestly, all I knew was from conjecture too. Thankfully, Bazett saw no harm in answering him. She cleared her throat.
"The families who were granted power by the Gods when they still lived on this side of the planet, are called God Holders." She spoke professionally and clearly, "If the trait appears in someone, they can use the mystery the Gods gave them even today."
Shirou furrowed his brows, seemingly in deep thought. Then, he turned to me. "So that was why you asked me if I had a mad ancestor."
I shrugged my hands expressionlessly.
"Who was he?"
"Senpai..." Sakura stared between me and Shirou nervously, like I'd leap across the table and sock him. "I don't think you should..."
Rin interrupted, "Oh, it's not that big a deal. He's a legendary figure. You know him, Shirou."
At that, the ginger haired youth's eyes shimmered with curiosity and some sort of admiration. Still, before she said anything more, Rin looked to me for confirmation. I gave a curious nod, feeling the same as Shirou.
I did not know my ancestor's legend, only his recurring stupidity thanks to the dreams.
"Naohide Zen'in. We've read about him. There's even some plays about him, so I hear at least. That sort of thing isn't very interesting, personally."
...
Sakura stared at me with widening purple eyes. The same as Shirou, and I hadn't seen him react to anything like that since I'd healed his hand.
"That's why I was surprised a bigshot like him was interested in the Grail War." Rin tossed her hair over her shoulder. "There's even a Greek, Norse, and an Indian part of the tale. No one really realised that until a century or two ago though."
...
What the fuck had that man gotten up to?
He was supposed to have no cheat. He was a regular human. How the hell was he known enough to have his own legend dedicated to him carried onto the present? Were the Zen'in that big a deal? Actually, what hell was he doing in Ancient Greece and all those weird places?
"Ah, maybe you should've summoned him." Rin continued, sighing, "Then maybe Heracles wouldn't be much trouble, here at least. Dragon slayer. Monster slayer. Oni Hunter... The list goes on..."
Shirou finally came back to the real world, cutting Rin's commentary short.
"He's... your ancestor?"
She pouted.
I gave an awkward wave of the hand.
Shirou's lips parted in awe again.
I was inclined to believe that was more because of the 'hero' part of the whole tale than what it meant to any magus even half worth his salt. He was a person famous in much of the world, collectively believed to be a supernatural legend... that belief was most certainly still bolstering the Ten Shadows if my understanding of magecraft was somewhat decent.
"Notably, the journey is the end of the tale." Bazett raised a hand, "What the Gods gave him exactly is still shrouded in mystery so far as the legend itself is concerned."
...
I really needed to get into contact with my extended family... maybe they'd be nice enough to accept me after seeing the Ten Shadows. Though, with how everything else was going, some weird version of Naoya was going to show up sooner or later to kill me for threatening his position as heir.
"It's not all that pretty, Shirou." I poured cold water over his admiration, "My whole family is shitty."
My mother, and my father both too.
"Legends are legends for a reason."
Shirou lowered his head, "But... your ancestor was actually a hero, wasn't he? Shouldn't you be proud of that?"
I was.
How could I not be?
He was a transmigrator that just showed up one day and decided he was going to make the very Gods love him enough to grant him his wish.
"Naohide, eh?"
Excellent Truth, indeed.
Shirou smiled faintly.
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Bazett, Rin and I stayed sitting as Shirou and Sakura went to do the dishes. The moment I asked Bazett to help out me and Rin tackle Berserker, she pursed her lips and narrowed her eyes. I knew what was coming before she even said it.
"No."
Rin clicked her tongue and huffed.
"Why?" I asked calmly.
"She has proven herself immature, and irrational. Also, standoffish and over-confident. I can not have that in the middle of combat. Berserker does not care for the rules of engagment. Someone will die."
...That was harsh.
I inhaled sharply.
The wind rustled the doors. Rin slammed a clenched fist on the table.
"You don't get to say that-" She quieted down, and all the emotion drained from her face, "-Fine. If that's what you believe, I won't waste my time with words either."
"That is ideal."
The Bazett I knew was not this dismissive and rigid. There was something I wasn't seeing here. She would have at least listened to our proposal, or explained herself, instead of shutting Rin down so harshly.
The problem was I couldn't understand it.
She rose to her feet. With heavy steps, she made her way to Shirou and gave him a traditional bow.
"Thank you for your kindness."
"You're welcome but, you don't have to be that rude to Tohsaka, do you?"
Bowing again, Bazett left the living room. I glanced at the teenagers, before going after her. She hadn't gotten far by the time I stepped out of the Emiya Residence since she was just walking. I easily caught up to her.
"Bazett, hold on."
Her shoulders trembled, then she stopped.
"What's wrong?"
Instead of giving me a straight answer, she turned around and gave me a conflicted look. The Sun had set against her back, but its red shine made her hair shimmer so beautifully I momentarily forgot what I was there for.
"When we fought-" She brought her fists together awkwardly, "-I had fifty opportunities to kill her, despite the brief engagement."
It took me a second to put together what she was trying to say.
"...You're worried she'll get hurt?"
Her eyes shimmered, and her lips parted faintly.
She looked at me so strangely then, with a smile on the verge of breaking onto her pale lips.
"I thought... I thought you wouldn't understand."
God...
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