A True Titan

By Sam W. Ryder

A/N: Word count for this chapter is approximately 11,680. That's not including this message or the replies at the bottom. Happy reading!

Chapter 2: Villainous Action.

In Steel City, a young man, slight in body and features wandered through the streets, his life, if you asked him at least, was pure hell. Absently he rubbed at the bruise on his cheek, one that his mother had placed there the night before when he failed to hand over any money for her drug habit. His grandfather wasn't much help either, far too deep into the bottle to understand anything, let alone care.

But, that wasn't on his mind, not right then at least. He could feel it, something though for the life of him he didn't know what was calling to him. Like an ache that brought no pain. If only he could go to it. Scratch the itch, as it were. But he couldn't.

Shouldering his pack he squared himself, and walked up the steps and through the front door. His mother was waiting, her deep blue hair once so vibrant so luscious when he was younger, now fell limply about her face at varying lengths, her sallow skin seemed thin as paper.

"You piece of shit! Where were you? Off traipsing about with that little whore no doubt!" Her rancid breath filled his nose.

"No, I-" he saw it then, the pin like pupils in her eye's, the red flush of her face and how her hand drew back behind her. He braced himself just in time as her hand caught the side of his face and sent him careening to the floor.

Scrambling on the floor he tried to get away from the kick he knew was coming, spittle flew along with his breath as her foot struck his stomach.

"Don't you ever, ever talk back to me you little worm! Ever!"

Silently, he curled into a ball and tears fell from his eyes as he weathered the storm of slaps, kicks, punches, and the occasional pulling of his curled hair.

'Why,' he wondered. 'Why is this happening to me!'

Elsewhere, Shirou sat in the window seat watching as the rain splattered heavily against the glass. It had been a week since they'd returned to the bank and Gordon not only provided them with a fake account, nearly fainting as Shirou passed the endorsed check to the man. The youth had expected something to the effect, it was hard to believe someone wearing an ill fitting shirt, ragged pants, and lacking proper identification would be able to get a hold of a cheque with such a large sum, especially by legal means. But Gordon didn't seem to doubt the validity of it in the least. He'd also given him a piece of paper containing the title and note written in Gordon's italic scrawl. It's title: Papers, within was a name, a location and a date.

It was the start of a busy few days.

Since the meeting Gordon had set for them had been set for the next day, Shirou headed toward their next location. It was then that things began to grow chaotic.

As Miyu and he were wandering past a classic pizzeria: the scent of the melted cheese, the wonderful zest of the sauce, and cooking of meats and onions reached his nose. He soon found himself guiding the two of them into the building, then ordering a simple pepperoni and onion medium pizza as he settled himself onto a seat opposite of his little sister.

Across from him Miyu raised a hand and pointed it at someone or something behind him with widened eyes. When he followed her finger he found a boy in a maroon and black body suit with green skin and greener hair. The teen was playing a dancing rhythm game and seemed to be doing exceedingly well despite the flailing of his arms making him look like a piece of hot coal was shoved into his mouth before he'd begun playing.

Shirou had frowned and stared hard as he realized who it was. The boy had managed something that he had failed at for years. He was a hero, An ally of Justice.

After the Pterodactyl flew over them the previous day while a shadowy bird flew across the street the night before, a number of the people around him began to shout in excitement waving the oddities on. From their shouts he'd gained three pieces of information. The Pterodactyl was pointed at and called 'beast boy' while energetic shouts of encouragement also directed at the shadows belonged to a "Raven." They both belonged to something called the 'Titan's'.

"Do you think he can teach me how to become an animal whenever I want?" Miyu asked her older brother with sparkling eyes..

Shirou raised an eyebrow trying to get her to understand his answer without saying a word. For a time the two seemed to be in a deadlock, Shirou refusing to answer, while still desperate to figure out a way to voice his opinion. In contrast Miyu simply smiled at him with hopeful eyes, almost as if she were begging him to say yes. He found the longer she held his gaze the harder it was to resist, so he didn't and caved into her plea. Finding a way to resist Miyu's adorable puppy dog eyes was definitely going to be an ongoing struggle for him.

Shirou stood, and with a final bite of his pizza headed for the teen hero. "Excuse me." Shirou said and as the green teen jumped, losing his rhythm on the game he was playing. The machine soon made three beeping noises each more depressing than the last before he turned, Shirou forcing back the urge to bow in apology for his actions.

"Dude! I was so about to beat my highscore!" He whined.

He stood there, the arcades many games beeping encouragingly begging to be played as a teen hero pouted at him. Shirou had long since known that teenagers tended to be a touch on the unstable side but he'd figured a hero would be a bit more mature. Apparently not.

"Sorry about that, it's just my sister" Shirou gestured over at Miyu who looked on with avid interest, "Was wondering if your shape changing can be taught?"

The green teen shook his head with a grin, "Nah, it's just me. Pretty cool though right?" To emphasize his point he began shifting through animals: from camel, to kangaroo, and antelope to a goat.

"Beastboy! What have I told you about shapeshifting in here?" A voice roared over the machines.

Shirou simply shrugged and walked away as the teen hero, shame-faced, began calling his apologies back to the man.

"Okay Miyu, we've got to be going." Shirou said as he reached her. She didn't protest, nor did she seem too disappointed about not being able to learn how to change into an animal, a fact he couldn't have been more grateful for.

Their destination, B&H Realty, was only a few buildings down and when they walked in a woman of middling years judging by the few strands of grey amongst her otherwise chestnut hair stood from her desk smiling wide. It soon changed quickly, her smile thinned as she smoothed out her pencil skirt, sitting back down.

"We don't have public restrooms, nor do we wish to purchase anything for whatever raffle or what have you." The way she droned on Shirou was sure the woman had to deal with such things on a semi-average basis. She wasn't trying to be rude, just direct.

"My sister and I are new in town. We're looking to buy." Shirou said, he pulled the account stub from his pocket and set it on the desk in front of her. She didn't pick it up for a moment as if hoping they would leave but as soon as she did every bit about her dour personality changed.

"I am so sorry. As of late we've been inundated with children, hoodlums, and vagrants you see." She made her way around the desk and extended her hand. "Melony Drake"

He took her hand and gave it a firm shake. "Shirou Emiya and this is my sister Miyu."

"Can we have a house on the ocean Onii-chan?"

Giving a small smile to his sister, Shirou turned his attention back to Melony, "By chance are there any homes in your listings that have an ocean view?"

The woman was back behind her desk in a flash, quickly rifling through papers until a list of no more than ten houses were in her hands. "These all are available with your resources, feel free to look through them and choose a few you'd like to see."

The first property was a house right on the beach with a private pier. However, from the pictures it was constantly surrounded by tourists constantly. It wouldn't do, he couldn't protect them if there was no way to tell an enemy from a non-combatant. Plus any person in the photo's could easily be made a hostage.

The next was no better though for an entirely different reason. "Is there a reason there's pictures of what looks to be a zoo in here?"

She twitched, "The previous owner was an avid collector before the police came for him. His family has no want of the property so she came to us." She shrugged, "The animals have been removed however."

The paper joined the first. The third was closer, though it too was put aside. There was no way he needed a mansion with thirteen rooms especially in the case that if he were to get it, it would basically cost every bit of cash he'd just deposited.

The fourth was nearly exactly what he was looking for. It was located on a bluff just outside the city. It was nearly the size of the third house but the price was only two thirds of it. He had to scan the papers to find the reason for the low price, at first he began to believe the owners were just in a hurry to get the sale out of the way when he saw it. A number of the walls had been gutted, the majority of the windows had been broken and were all shuttered in, it definitely needed a new coat of paint. To undo its current state of disrepair was going to take a fair bit of effort and elbow grease and the price reflected that.

"This one." He said, laying the paper down in front of her. He spent but a moment looking through the remaining properties none but none came close. They were either outside his budget, not that he really had one, which was only enough to get Miyu and himself all set up while putting a small bit aside for emergencies.

Melony looked up from the paper, "I should have known you were going to make me work. " Despite that, it didn't look to Shirou that the older woman was all that upset about it in the least.

The house was pretty much just like the pictures that'd been enclosed, granted the weeds had taken over the yard in its entirety and a potion of the wrap around porch had caved in. Not to mention the smells, it smelled a lot like someone had been squatting inside and was using some of it as a latrine.

As he stood in front of the building and Miyu chatted with Melony, he did the first thing that came to mind as if almost on instinct.

"Trace on." He muttered though he used his traditional mantra he only wanted the first step in the process. Structural Analysis. Even though the building's exterior was falling apart, as well as much of the interior, a decent portion of the flooring was rotting, at least the load bearing struts were still in good condition and the foundation was intact. Above everything else he'd seen it was the underground cellar that drew his attention. It was the width of the house and half its length, fairly ideal for a workshop.

"By chance did you say something Mr. Emiya?" Melony asked.

Torn on how to respond he settled on something else, something more mundane. "It does need quite a bit of work, doesn't it?" He half asked half said gesturing to the broken walls where pipes had been torn free, no doubt by scavengers, the carpets while looking freshly cleaned, had stains, and the cupboards were practically half pulled from the walls and ceiling.

She nodded in response, "It does, I have a list of contractors I would recommend."

She stopped as Shirou shook his head, "I'll take care of it," he said, and he meant it. He'd had a fair enough hand for building and the like, repairs too, mostly because he'd needed to handle the upkeep of his own home before. Though the time's he'd helped the school repair this or that also helped as well.

"If you're sure," she said after a moment's pause, "though you'll still have to keep to the necessary guidelines."

Shirou nodded, he could handle that. "We'll take it. When can we move in?"

The realtor gave a little hop of joy before she caught herself and coughed lightly into her hand. "Well, you can move in today considering the previous owners have already left. We just need to fill out some paperwork."

Shirou nodded and the two set to work. When they'd finished Melony took his hand and gave it a firm shake. "I'll see to it the power is turned on within the hour and water by morning. I'll be back in a few days with the paperwork."

That night, the youth didn't sleep. Despite his exhaustion no matter how he turned, sleep would not come his golden brown eyes peering through the darkness deep in thought.

The next day, true to her word they had hot water to spare, each enjoyed a long shower as they scoured the blood, sweat, dirt and grit off of their bodies. Then they were on their way to meet the man who would be giving them the papers they would need. Beside Shirou, MIyu hummed as she clutched at the strap of the ratty baby pink backpack she'd found in the room she'd claimed as her own. With the pink floppy ears popping from the top of it, in a condition far better than Shirou would ever have expected, the pack itself was coincidentally perfect for his sister. He made a mental note to make sure to get a replacement as soon as he could.

They stopped for groceries, nothing that had to be kept cold or frozen as they'd the upcoming meeting and a long walk back home besides. But Shirou had gathered a number of vegetables, and spices that he could make any number of meals with along with the pork he'd chosen.

After that they moved on to the location of the meeting. Though why the man had wanted to meet them at an ice rink was beyond the young Emiya. Their contact was waiting for them just inside the door as they arrived.

He was an older man, short and plump with a long nose and a monocle. He wore a tuxedo top hat included. The oddest thing about the man was his hands, it looked like several of his fingers had been fused together, overall he looked alot like a penguin. He carried an umbrella which Shirou was surprised to find had a complete copy being created within him. It was a sword, one that had ended more than a few lives and was coated in various poisons but one stood out amongst the rest, the largest dose on the blade belonging to that of the duck billed platypus.

"Oswald Chesterfield Cobblepot, Mr. Emiya." The man said extending his hand, Shirou gave it a quick shake before moving to stand between the man and his sister. "Ah, I see my reputation may proceed me."

He lowered himself to the table they stood beside and folded his hand over the curve of his umbrellas handle. "I understand your wariness and compliment you for such, but though I may be a touch more monstrous than I appear, I do not harm children and you've done me a great service in saving my cousin, her little one, and her husband."

Shirou's eyes widened, this was one of Gordon's in-laws? The very thought of it was stranger than the fast food place that used an incarcerated clown as its mascot. Granted they hadn't met many people during their time in Jump City but Gordon seemed to be as straight as they came.

Then again it was the same with Fuji-nee, she was a teacher at his highschool while her father ran the local Yakuza. Both treated him well enough and though Fuji-nee stopped coming around after Kiritsugu spoke to her father about Miyu, well he always viewed her as a decent enough sister, albeit one that had grown distant.

"Yes, yes, there's no family resemblance, I'm aware. It does not, however, lessen the favor you've done me. Felicity is one of the few members of my family who still speaks to me." From his vest he pulled out a thick manilla envelope and set it on the table. "We were able to use the security footage to produce valid picture IDs and all the other paperwork you two may find yourself in need of is also contained with."

He stood abruptly checking the time on a golden pocket-watch. "You'll also find my number inside. If you need anything you can't get through the normal channels call me. Do not think it a free service however."

He waddled through the door and out of sight.

"He waddles." Miyu noted from her place beside Shirou.

All Shirou could do was nod.

Shirou walked down the street beside Miyu, it was a long trek back to the house but he didn't really mind. He was used to walking as it had been his primary means of conveyance and the weather was nice enough. He noted Miyu on the other hand, was having much more difficulty keeping pace, it was understandable considering she'd never really left the house before they came to this world. But as his little sister didn't ask for help he just kept an eye on her out of the corner of his eye, ready to carry her when the time came.

He was her big brother after all.

As they neared the city limits and Shirou noticed Miyu's energy was on its last dregs he spotted two teenage boys dragging a baker if the logo for "Frieda's Fried Favorites" on his hat and apron were anything to go by, into an alley beside Frieda's.

"Miyu." He started to tell her to stay there and stopped, he couldn't leave her there, it wasn't the best part of town. Scooping her up and onto his shoulders the young Emiya rushed to the alley entrance, a sword's blue framework in his hand. It's appearance would no doubt garner attention but that didn't matter.

"Onii-chan." Miyu cried as they moved.

The teenagers were holding the man against the wall with a wide bladed knife held under the man's nose. Turning the swords grip in his hands he threw it like a javelin the image solidified as it flew. One of them must have seen it because he immediately threw himself away with a scream, the sword clipped the others arm and he too screamed, dropping the knife to the ground as he stumbled back, clutching at the wound. The baker took that moment to bolt down the alley howling in terror.

"Dude! What the hell!" The unwounded one yelled.

Shirou shook his head, "That was your warning." He grunted.

"Warning my ass! You just threw a sword at us! That's attempted murder!" The wounded thug snapped.

"Call the police. I'll even wait right here," the redhead said, "but they won't find anything." He pointed at the sword which as he lost the image within his mind began breaking down into fragments.

The two paled further, "Damned meta." One of them muttered and started off down the alley away from the seemingly crazy teen.

"Onii-chan, can we go?" Miyu asked

Shirou spent another moment watching the retreating delinquents before he nodded. "Sorry Miyu-chan." He said smiling at her.

She said nothing just patted his head as if he were a pup that had misbehaved and needed to know that he was still loved.

The two set off again, Frieda's, falling quickly behind them as they went, twice Shirou stopped to look around, something in him told him he was being watched. Hunted even. He kept a measured pace as he made his way toward the edge of the city. The streetlights flickering on just as he reached it. Two paths lay before him, the road which skirted its way through the canyon and a dirt road that would take them up into the bluffs where few lived.

The feeling came again. This time from the tree's ahead. Shirou waited and as quickly as it came it went. Starting forward he watched every shift of the leaves in the wind.

"So what do you want for dinner tonight Miyu?" He asked as she began to shift on his shoulder. At his question her stomach growled. If she were any other little girl he would have expected her to answer with steak or something else equally outlandish considering he'd gotten pork but she hadn't.

"Anything you make is fine," She murmured. As she placed more of her weight on his head Shirou realised she was starting to fall asleep, so he stopped, reorganized the bags of groceries so he could carry them with just the one hand and held firmly to her with the other. She soon lost consciousness a few minutes later and began to slumber.

Dinner didn't end up being anything fancy, just a simple pork stir-fry and a small vegetable soup that at least in Shirou's opinion coupled with it rather nicely. Miyu had perked up after dinner but Shirou, Shirou wandered over to the couch and fell asleep almost as soon as he'd sat down.

Bodies lay scattered around him, peppered with wounds, other's looking like porcupines for all the arrows in them. The scent of ripe blood filled his nose, as he turned a soldier in a green uniform was rushing him a large knife poised to end him.

An arrow ripped through the air and the soldier with the same ease, only stopping as it struck another soldier who'd raised his gun. In the distance he could hear the rumble of a tank and it was drawing closer. He felt himself turn and shoot another three arrows and fell three more men.

"I am the bone of my sword." It was his voice but wrong, and a weapon he recognized well was suddenly in his vision. Caladbolg II. A broken phantasm that would destroy a mountain. It was quickly drawn and fired off into the distance. The explosion of dust filled the sky and it roared, deafening him for just a moment.

When he could hear again, the rumble of the tanks had vanished.

He took a step and fell, beyond blackness, well past the waypoints in time, no longer were the soldiers clad in green spread about the area, instead the soldier's war armor of bronze welding pikes marching in tandem. What came was a slaughter that made the first battle he'd witness look akin to a child's playdate.

When everything finished he, or at least the him in his dreams, was throwing bodies in a pile, stripped of their armor and weapons to be burned to dust and ashes.

Shirou's eye's flashed wide as he awoke, he wasn't sure if it was a dream, a memory, or something else entirely. He knew, however, that it wasn't something he was interested in seeing again. His waking life was more than enough experience for him. Taking in the light pouring into the room from the skylight the young man sighed, the new day had come.

He took to his feet, stretching high as he twisted back and forth allowing his bones to pop and the tension that had built up through the night to ease. He'd things to do and he could hardly accomplish anything by sitting on his backside.

He needed to grab a newspaper and take a look at the job-listings, as well as purchase several things from the store to start fixing the house.

Nails and screws

The needed tools

Lumber

Carpeting

Paint

Not to mention he'd need some transport as well. There'd be no use in picking up the lumber if he had to carry it by hand. Granted if he used reinforcement lifting it would be no problem. But it would likely gather a lot of attention to anyone looking, and if he were to take the wood piece by piece he likely would be noticed then ignored but his purchase would possibly get taken by someone else before he returned and if it wasn't it'd be all day before he'd get it all home.

Soft mutterings returned his attention to the couch where Miyu was curled against the arm of it huddled in a mass of blankets. She had dark rings beneath her eye's and looked absolutely exhausted.

'Probably still scared,' he thought and couldn't blame her in the slightest. It added another thing he'd have to do on his list. Find some way to protect Miyu and fortify the house.

Putting pen to paper, he scrawled a quick note to Miyu in case she'd woke up before he returned and set to moving. First he walked along the perimeter of the house pausing only long enough to link the land and his magecraft before moving on. It wasn't the strongest work he'd ever made, such a thing likely would have taken hours of overlapping the craft just so, it would however have to do. After he finished, the field was set, it was simple enough with only two effects. One, if you weren't Miyu or himself opening the door would be as impossible as draining the ocean using a straw and two those with malicious intent wouldn't be able to see the house itself. Though he was sure Kiritsugu would find a way around it in an instant.

Without Miyu and in a rush, Shirou ran down the dirt road as fast as he could manage with his reinforced body. When the road began curving away so as to miss the trees, he bolted between them, even going so far as to use them as springboards in order to speed up travel.

All said and done, the walk which had taken over an hour the previous night had taken at most fifteen minutes. He had to ask three or four people as he moved through Jump City to find the lumber store, a place called Ktiche's. The place was a dump, though that might have been a kindness. Dust was spread across the shelves, spiders had taken over small sections of the store, the ventilation had fallen through the ceiling in places. It did however carry tools as well, and was busy. Customers moved through the store wiping the webs when needed and ignoring the dust. It only took Shirou a moment to figure out why. The prices were low, or at least lower than in fuyuki if he did the conversions right and he was pretty sure he did.

"Can I help you?" Someone asked and Shirou turned to find himself face to face with a blonde girl who wore her hair in short twin tails atop her head. She wore the red smock of the employees.

"Please," Shirou said and pulled a list of everything he'd need from his pocket for the girl. As he unfolded it he found it snatched from his hand.

She took a moment scanning the list before she nodded, "This is a fairly long list. If you'd like we can ring it up for you now and have it delivered."

Shirou immediately agreed. After she'd rang him up with a register that looked as banged up as the rest of the store. The total cost of his order, tools and all, was less than three hundred in total and the delivery was only an additional twenty-five.

"Right then, it'll be delivered in the next few hours. Thank you for your business." She'd hardly had the words out of her mouth and the receipt in his hand before she was walking off, no doubt to assist another customer. While the business was one of the worst kept that the youth had ever seen and the service was far from pleasant, it's prices couldn't be denied.

On his way back home he picked up a few of the free newspapers from the racks and started off again. As he passed Frieda's Fried Favorites he paused before entering, when he walked out he'd an assortment of donuts, it wasn't the healthiest of meals of course but he knew Miyu had something of a sweet tooth. Again he headed for home.

As he ran through the woods he could hear the rumbling of a heavy truck coming up the road a ways behind him. Within minutes it passed him by and when he reached the house minutes later a pair of men were unloading lumber just off the porch, Though their version of unloading was more along the lines of heaving the stuff off of the truck. He could also see Miyu peeking out through the window.

"Hey! You Shirou Emiya?" A man called from the front seat of the truck, "I've got papers for you to sign."

Shirou gave Miyu a small wave and then headed for the front of the truck, the man didn't even step down from the cab, instead he shoved the clipboard out the window. After double checking the papers to make sure nothing shady was going on the redhead scrawled his name on the dotted line.

"Wrap it up boys!" The man called as soon as he got the clipboard back.

A sinking feeling filled Shirou, the feeling was proven valid just a moment later when a sliding sound rippled from the truck followed by a loud clang. Long strides took him to the back of the truck and he found the lumber they hadn't managed to unload before the call to get going along with the tools had been shoved off the back and lay in a heap on top of the ground.

"Thanks for your business!" The driver called as the truck's door slid down and they drove off.

Shirou's eyes twitched as he watched the vehicle rumble away. Mentally noting how he could catch them, force them to stop, and force them to do the work properly. But it would require him to cause them a lot of pain and he did know how the store itself operated. He couldn't really expect the delivery workers to be any different. He turned his attention back to the pile of materials and set to work. The wood was brought onto the porch and stacked neatly, the tools placed in the box.

Walking into the house he was met by Miyu's puffed up face and a minor glare. "Shirou, why didn't you wake me?"

Her face, while she no doubt intended to look menacing, honestly looked more cute than anything at least as far as he was concerned. "You looked like you could use some more sleep." He said in lieu of an explanation.

She puffed up a bit more at that remark but that soon changed when her big brother presented her with the donuts. Her eyes grew wide and began to glitter as she looked upon the delicious looking pastries. "I've wanted to try one of these." She said.

Shirou raised an eyebrow at that, to the best of his knowledge she'd never even seen a donut save for maybe the day before when they'd passed by Frieda's. After a moment he let the matter lay and watched as she bit into one the woman called a jelly filled glaze. She looked as if she'd bitten off a piece of pure bliss.

The two took a short time in silence as they demolished a few of the pastries apiece.

And so the day passed, and by the time night fell he had replaced a section of the rotted floor as well as affixed the cupboards back in place. He'd only started on some of the external repairs, mainly cleaning away the caved in portion of the porch when Miyu called him in for dinner.

How she managed to throw together Tonkatsu and Rice with a side of tomato, and miso soup he didn't know. He was sure they hadn't picked up any panko nor tomato. He'd have to keep an eye out, if Miyu was going out alone, well it was likely when he was sleeping. There were far too many people out there who'd take advantage of a ten year old girl by herself and well he couldn't, wouldn't allow that.

Shirou turned in early that night, watching through the window for any signs that Miyu might be leaving. They came about two hours later. The porch light went out and Shirou could hear the soft click of the front door as it closed. He could only see Miyu briefly as she passed through an area where the tree's didn't block the moonlight that illuminated her as she crossed the bounded field and entered the woods proper.

He waited a minute before following, slipping out of his window with the barest of sounds he reinforced his eyes. Even then he was barely able to make out her frame walking through the dark. Every instinct he had told him to rush after her, scoop her up and return to the house while lecturing her about her safety. But he didn't, after all Miyu was a smart girl and she no doubt knew the dangers.

When the streets came into view, Shirou's jaw dropped, he'd never have had a clue that they'd change so much at night. Stalls were set along the road, he could hear the sounds of hot oil crackling as something cooked, performers moved this way and that, backflipping down the black top, dancing as if they'd not a single bone in their body, singers belted melody after melody. It was both chaotic and beautiful, and Miyu who he'd started thinking came to watch took a position one the sidewalk no one else had taken and set out what looked to be a small cap in front of her. Then she began to dance.

Her moves weren't anything special, and if that were all he doubted anyone would have stopped to watch unlike the crowd that was quickly forming around her. No, what caught everyone's eye was that as she spun hoops of fire also spun after her. He made sure to stay a short ways off the crowd in case she spotted him and watched as something on the hem of her dress shimmered as she moved and it hit Shirou like a truck. She'd taken the runes she'd learned and used them to turn the dress into a mystic code.

Pride flooded him, she'd always been far brighter than he himself but it would have taken him months to figure the combination she was using. He'd probably have also managed to somehow blow something up or at least catch the dress on fire multiple times before he succeeded too.

When she stopped moving, the crowd began to clap and Miyu took a bow and a deep breath before she began the next dance. This time with the accompaniment of music, it was slower than the non-existent melody she danced to beforehand and sweeter than he expected to hear. However, when Miyu danced now instead of fire flowing through the air it was now frost, on the ground it slowly whirled and in the air animals or ice began to pirouette about her.

It was absolutely beautiful. Together the two dances couldn't have taken more than twenty minutes and when she finished the second Miyu curtseyed again before moving off to a bench to rest. Surprisingly, no one reached to take the money she'd earned instead they all or at least almost all dropped something into her hat before moving on.

"She's pretty awesome right? Never seen a meta use their powers like that." The teenage boy beside him said.

Glancing at the boy Shirou frowned, it wasn't because the boy voiced how amazing she was held a look of extreme depression. Nor was it he was dressed like a traditional goth, all in black wearing a spiked collar, white face makeup, dark nails and lipstick. It was the fact that he thought Miyu was a Meta human. Though meta-human were treated much better in the day and age in which they lived, many normal people thought less of them because they had an unfair advantage. The fact that many turned to crime didn't help matters either.

"She's not a Meta," Shirou answered as he turned back to his sister who ended her break and started dancing the first dance or a variation of it again. This time the hoops weren't following the hem of her dress but circled her arms.

The boy looked at him but didn't say anything.

Miyu danced a few more times over the course of another hour though her breaks got longer and longer between. Finally, she said something to the musician she was working with handed him some of the money from the cap and tucked the rest away. Then she was off and moving again.

It was obvious to any who looked at her that she was exhausted but she smiled and nodded at the people around her as she went. Some congratulated her, others asked how she did it and in those cases Miyu would smile and shake her head before moving off.

As Shirou followed he noted that the entirety of the makeshift market wasn't all that good, there were several arms deals going on. And unless he was mistaken, which he knew he wasn't having seen plenty of them while helping Kiritsugu, some were selling grenades or suits that looked like they came straight out of a sci-fi movie.

"Get a blaster used by Dr. Light himself! Used to shoot both The Batman and Starfire!"

"Walk through the sewers of Gotham and Jump City alike with this authentic Croc suit! Not even the beasties themselves can tell the difference! Performance guaranteed!"

After about five minutes of walking Miyu seemed to get a bit of her stamina back and moved faster. They moved through alleys, over urchin made ramps that interconnected the streets and through the lobby of a motel before Miyu reached her destination and again Shirou was surprised. He was half sure it was going to be a book shop, or maybe a clothing outlet but it was neither. It was in fact a hobby shop.

"I'm telling you the meta girl went this way. She'll be back in a few minutes, she always is." It was a man's voice, gruff and sounding like he'd been smoking since he left the womb. "We's can grab 'er when she comes out."

Shirou stiffened. It took him no time at all to zero in on the man who was speaking of kidnapping his sister.

"I dun care Alec, not gonna get nowhere tryn ta force a child into work. Specially a meta girl." This time it was a woman's voice. "I dun wan' get burnt or frozen, it's why I left all dem lunatics back in metropolis an' came here indinit?"

A pair of identical blades filled his hands, long and slender reminiscent of rapiers, the blades that felled the evil that hunted man, the keys of providence. Od flooded him and Shirou took off, he stabbed the first blade through the man's foot and into the concrete below pinning him in place before raising the other to his throat.

"You won't go anywhere near her, do you understand?" When the man didn't speak immediately the blade dipped lightly into the man's neck allowing several rivulets of blood to flow free. "I said, do you understand?"

"Sure 'nough sir, won' go nowhere near the girl." The woman answered but Shirou didn't lower the black key. Not until the man gave an affirmative nod of their own. He pulled the sword free and the man almost screamed before the woman's hand covered his mouth.

She started dragging him off one of his arms over her shoulder not that she looked like she could hold his weight and even seemed to be straining from the sheer effort of it. "Who are ya anyway?" She asked after she stopped to readjust him.

"Never 'eard a hero like ya."

Shirou shook his head. "I'm no hero, I'm nobody." The swords in his hands shattered into magical energy and floated away fading into the ether as it went.

She nodded and began pulling the man away again.

Stepping back into the shadow Shirou waited, and waited. It took Miyu a good thirty minutes for Miyu to exit and she carried a bundle of cloth and walked with purpose. She only walked another two blocks before she turned into another store, this one a tailor's shop Hadrian and Son's Custom Tailoring Established 1953.

He could see through the shop's front window that she spoke to a young man with a large amount of gel in his brown hair so much so it caught the light, giving it a greenish sheen. As he watched, the cashier pulled out a brown paper wrapped parcel and Miyu handed over a wad of cash. She stayed for a moment longer before walking out and heading back the way she'd come.

Shirou pressed himself into the alley and stilled as she passed him by. He trailed after her moments later prepared for another few stops but they didn't come and before he knew it, Miyu was walking through the street performers pausing only to watch a juggler or chat with an older woman before heading off again. Soon she was walking through the trees, though Shirou only relaxed as she walked into the house.

He slipped back in his window and drummed his fingers against his leg. He didn't want her to feel like she'd be cooped up in the house as she'd been in Fuyuki but going out and in the middle of the night no less by herself had Shirou both agitated and worried.

He slept precious little that night, every creak, rattle and groan from the house set him to stirring and he'd lose himself again in his musings. He tried to decide on a punishment, if he should punish her, a large part of him said yes but a smaller part of him just slung Miyu's history to the front of his mind and bullied that first voice into silence. The whole process would set him to tapping until he decided to sleep again and the entire thing would repeat.

When morning came and he lay awake in bed he'd no more idea of what to do than when he'd started.

As he started readying himself for the day he looked at the ragged state of his clothes and made two decisions. One they were going shopping, and two, he'd talk to her about her nighttime adventures in town. After all it couldn't hurt to hear her out before he decided on what he'd need to do.

"Miyu!" He called as he stepped from his room, he'd half expected to feel bad about waking her after she'd had a long night but he didn't. When he didn't get a response he called again. "Miyu we've got places to be."

Still, no response came as minutes ticked by.

"Miyu! Come quick! Someone has eaten all the donuts!"

He could vaguely hear her say "What?!" Followed by a thump that was no doubt her falling from the bed.

"Onii-chan who did it?" She asked as she shuffled down the hall toward him. A blanket was wrapped around her and her hair hung like a curtain over half of her face.

"Get yourself ready, I left you enough hot water. We're going shopping." Seeing how exhausted she was a smidgeon of guilt worked its way into the older teen, he crushed it as she yawned and her dress from the night before was visible, the clips that had changed her dress into something shorter were still half in place.

It took her a few moments to register what he said and when she did she began shuffling back down the hall. "Kayyy." Her yawned response drited to him from over her shoulder.

Shirou settled himself in to wait. Ten minutes passed and Miyu still hadn't returned. He could hear the water rattling about in the pipes so he knew she'd made it into the shower at least, he began to chew on his cheek. After another twenty minutes where he'd decided to go and knock on her bedroom door to make sure she hadn't turned the shower on and fallen asleep while she'd waited for it to heat or something, Miyu arrived.

In that moment he could only admit his sister was absolutely brilliant. No one who didn't already know would have guessed the pleated dress she wore was the only one she owned. Another stab of guilt came and this one he couldn't deny purchase. He should have gotten clothes sooner.

"Hey Onii-chan can we go to the bookstore today?" She asked.

He nodded before he'd even thought it over. "We'll see if we've the time." He amended. It was an answer he'd heard a number of his classmates give as the reason they knew their parents were saying no. Silently, he congratulated himself, there was no way Miyu could possibly know what the answer meant.

Her cheers told him that he was right, she'd no idea at all. She all but ran back down the hall, he footsteps thundering on the floor. She came back adjusting the overly cute pink backpack she'd worn when they'd gone to meet Oswald Cobblepot.

As the siblings walked into the bookstore Shirou hung his head in defeat. You're so weak, he told himself as Miyu power walked toward the shelves pertaining to fiction.

The golden eyed youth was ready to watch his sister all but prance amongst the books when a section sign caught his attention. Cooking. He nearly ran to the selection and began pouring over the titles: "Chef Morrison's Many Meals", "Twenty-two easy meals you'd never think to make", "Haggis, Dreadful Delicacy", "Vegan Meals you'd never expect to taste so good."

He'd loaded each of them into his arms and navigated his way to the front of the store where a number of tables had been set so customers could peruse their potential purchases before buying. They were all full, well not all of them, there was a single table that had just one resident, she had violet hair and eye's, a red gem on her forehead and grey skin. Of course that was not the oddest part, Sakura had plum colored hair after all, no it was the fact that she wore a hooded cloak in dark blue. Some thought began niggling at him in the back of his mind, begging for attention but despite his efforts he got nothing. Just a sense of Deja Vu.

She looked more than a touch disgruntled as she poured over the book in front of her, it was no doubt her expression was what sent those searching for a table elsewhere. It didn't stop Shirou however, he settled into the seat across from her and smiled as she looked at him with a raised eyebrow.

"Can I help you?" She asked in a rough voice, melodious yet gravely in tone.

Shirou shook his head, "Sorry," he said and pointed at the other tables. "I understand if you want your privacy but all the other seats are filled.

She actually took the time to look around and seemed honestly surprised at how crowded the others tables were. "Oh."

Shirou gave a small smile and extended a hand, "I'm Shirou Emiya."

She looked at him as if his hand might be hiding a viper of some kind but after a moment took his hand and shook it firmly. "Raven."

She stared at him as if he were some sort of puzzle piece that didn't fit then promptly went back to reading. Shirou followed suit. He was a few pages into "Twenty-two Easy Meals You'd Never Think To Make." Looking over a recipe for a midwestern monstrosity of a mean called "Barbeque Nachos" or as Shirou dubbed it as he looked it over, 'The artery clogger special,' when Miyu came prancing back holding two books in her hands.

The titles indented in the spine and written in gold calligraphy scrawl gave him pause. "Understanding Social Cues," and "Harry Potter." The first brought him up short, guilt heaped atop him and the second looked like it might have been a fantasy, what with it having a boy trying to catch a small golden ball while riding a broomstick, on the cover.

"Can I have these one's Onii-chan?"

Shirou nodded, but Miyu wasn't looking at him any longer. "You're Raven!" She seemed excited and rushed around the table to the older girl. "Can I have your autograph?"

He watched on as Raven seemed to be taken aback at the question. In fact she stared at his sister as if she'd grown a second head and a series of thirteen horns on each of them. Finally, she spoke. "You want my autograph? You don't think I'm creepy?"

Miyu shook her head, "Of course not. You're my favorite Titan!"

Two things occurred to him at that moment. First, at the word Titan the niggling feeling in his head suddenly made sense. Raven was a member of the Teen Titans and the one who supposedly could use magic. Apparently she was the one who had become the shadowy bird, likely a raven, that traveled across the ground. And second, Miyu had a favorite Titan after only being in the world for about two weeks.

Raven still seemed more than a touch surprised and seemed to be having a hard time with something but gave Miyu a soft smile. "Sure." She scrawled her name across a piece of paper, along with something else and pressed it into Miyu's hand. Then Miyu made a sound Shirou had heard only once before and then he wasn't sure if it was actually there, she 'squeed' and flung herself at the girl.

Three books from a nearby case flung themselves from their shelves and Raven looked away, her cheeks tinged red.

Shirou was already moving to help pry his sister from the girl when a bouncy tune began ringing from inside Raven's cloak. A dark energy formed around her and Miyu as the female Titan gently separated his little sister from her as she pulled out a round device marked with a large T.

"Raven, we have reports that the Hive is wreaking havoc downtown." A young man's voice emanated from the device. The older girl turned and smiled at Miyu while giving a small wave before she slipped into her own shadow and disappeared.

Miyu bounced on her feet and clapped, "That was so cool!"

Conflicting urges welled within the older Emiya, he wanted to go and stop this Hive that was doing enough damage to the town and its people that it called for heroes to intervene. On the other hand, he could hardly leave Miyu alone even if she'd proven herself capable the night before. In the end he chose to make sure Miyu stayed safe, he'd never have forgiven himself if something happened to her while he was away.

While Miyu was still busy gushing, Shirou returned the books he'd taken and glanced at them mournfully. Silently he swore he'd make a trip to the library and see if he could find a few copies he could borrow. Afterall there was no reason to spend money before he'd acquire a steady job, at least not on himself. He collected Miyu and her books and guided them into the line.

Screams began to fill the air and a car drove through the glass doors at the front of the store. Shirou grabbed Miyu, reinforced himself, and launched them into the air a fair distance away from the door. The car ended up plowing through the first shelf of books before it managed to stop. After everything settled, Shirou placed Miyu down onto the table they'd landed on. Skirting around the shelves he made his way to the car with a number of the people around the store following his example.

The woman at the wheel was unconscious, her head was against the wheel and was bleeding profusely. He pulled on the door's handle, it didn't budge. "Step back." He said.

They didn't listen at first, but when the door began to creak and groan beneath his grasp, they moved. He peeled the door back ignoring the breaking glass until with a loud "Bang!" It popped open.

Over the years he'd made sure to learn a fair amount about first aid so that he could be a more effective hero of justice. So, instead of pulling the bleeding woman from the car he began a preliminary check, vitals, breathing, possible fractures, and other things of the like. She'd a broken arm and wrist, likely a fractured skull and the heavily bleeding contusion on her head.

"The ambulance is on its way." A member of the crowd called to Shirou to which the youth nodded.

Slowly, he pulled her from the car just in case he'd missed something and laid her flat on the floor. Several others of the crowd pushed forward themselves and quickly took Shirou's place as a small hand found its way into his own.

"Onii-chan!" Miyu said as she pulled him toward the back of the store, in her other hand she clutched at her pink backpack. "Onii-chan," She started again and suddenly pushed the backpack into his hands.

Shirou frowned, but he opened the pack and just stared. Inside a grey mask with four curving red marks that tapered into points stared back.

"I know you wanted to be a hero…" She started and gestured at the backpack. "Plus this way you don't have to worry about someone coming after me to get to you!"

He was about to decline when the screaming outside grew louder and a body crashed through a side window dressed in police blue and tumbled across the floor.

"Find a place and hide." He said instead and with the bag in hand made his way amongst the stacks to change.

Two minutes later he slipped out the backdoor his other clothes left in the backpack beside the dumpster. As he moved around the building he caught sight of his reflection in the window. Along with the mask he wore a grey long sleeved shirt with a high collar and a crescent underneath a strange symbol ending in a swords point, emblazoned on the left breast. The pants were jet black with the same curving red marks in a rust red scattered along the seams, grey bandages wrapped about in calves and he wore black shoes and gloves.

He honestly couldn't say he looked anything like a hero.

As he rounded the corner he found a well muscled teen wearing a body suit of dark blue and yellow with a yellow mask and carrying a hexagonal shield emblazoned with an H on the front of it. Automatically he cast structural analysis on it, the words slipping out under his breath.

The shield itself was new but not, it had been reforged often and each previous iteration of it was remade into the current incarnation. Made of the highest quality steel-titanium mix, it had been used to breach doors and walls and bash into numerous people. It was even often used akin to a heavy boomerang that would return to its owner's hand after being thrown. Its owner, Private Hive, Gregory Cipio, was a trained athlete with hand to hand combat skills that would rival many of the martial arts masters of this day and age.

He was also carrying a metal suitcase, holding it tight to his side as he knocked away another police officer and ran off. Right toward the bookstore. Towards Miyu.

Prana surged through his veins, his muscles, his lungs, and Shirou moved. Any who saw him would think him a blur of grey and black as he passed. He turned the corner and reached out. He grabbed Private hive by the back of his mask and jerked him back the way he'd come.

"What!" he cried as he rolled across the blacktop.

Shirou extended a hand as Private Hive got to his feet under him, blue frame work filling his hand even as he closed his fingers. It was a long staff of black iron banded with gold on either end.

Once used to test the depths of the sea after the world's flood, it then sat in a treasury beneath the sea until Sun Wukong came in search of a weapon to match his strength. When every other weapon mundane or magical failed, they offered him the pillar which days prior radiated heavenly light. Sun Wukong found its strength adequate but its size unwieldy. At his words the pillar shrank to fit his hand. The two had never been parted since.

As the history of the object finished filling the weapon Shirou spoke its name, "Ruyi Jingu Bang." The shifting weapon of the monkey king himself, overkill? Maybe, but Shirou wasn't going to complain.

"Cool trick, but don't get in the way of my mission!" Rearing back he sent the shield spinning through the air like a steel frisbee, aimed right for Shirou.

It never even got close. His prana filled the staff and it came alive in his hands.

Bringing the staff around, its length extended and he caught the shield from below sending it tumbling through the air. The staff's growth didn't slow, it plowed right into Private Hive's stomach and continued, with all the force of a battering ram the soldier-like villain struck the building behind him. Finally it began to shrink, but as it did Shirou rushed forward, the staff never once leaving its place against Private Hive's stomach.

The barest motion from the corner of his eye had Shirou leaping backwards to avoid a black blur that slammed into the space he once occupied. It was a tall woman in what looked to be black armored leather, yellow stitches stretched across part of her chest. Her mask had yellow stitches where her mouth should have been, three more across the top of her head. She looked stranger than even Private Hive and didn't seem to be carrying any weapons, though they might have been concealed on her belt.

He brought the staff around and it extended, as it passed through the space she'd been standing she flipped backwards clearing the weapon by millimeters before she rushed him. The staff grew slimmer in his hands as he swung again, mid swing it grew from the size of a piece of rebar until he cradled a weapon the size of a small tree.

The woman went flying, a moment later her flight was arrested by the side of a building, a spider web like crack remained as she fell away landing in a heap on the sidewalk below.

A sword passed just in front of Shirou and he turned striking out with the staff now no taller than he was and found nothing. He turned all the way around, scanning the area and found no one, at least no one wielding a sword. A man who looked to be wearing a red onesie with a division sign on his chest was helping Private Hive to his feet.

"Woo weee! Well ain't that somethin'" The man in red said with a thick southern accent, "Ain't every day ya see someone put you down and never seen orphan on 'er rear."

Private Hive shoved him, "Can it soldier," he said and Shirou was glad to see him wince as he moved.

"Don't worry boy. Ol' Billy will see to it that this varment's put down. Imma one man army after all." He smirked and before Shirou's eye's began to multiply. They began marching forward, all of them wearing a twisted smirk.

Shirou raised the staff like a baseball bat, a form the Monkey King himself used when facing an army. As he whipped the staff through the air it extended as fast as lightning knocking into the first layer and began a domino effect that knocked down the rest of the Billies only the last layer a group of eight were able to step away from the chaos and a moment later spittle was flying from their mouths as the staff crashed into their chests.

"Who in the hell are you?" Private Hive yelled as he started to charge, he was quickly joined by at least a dozen Billie's.

Shaking his head, "I'm nobody." Shirou said and lifted the staff high into the air and brought it down, he had to change his grip during its descent as it had grown to the size of a telephone pole. Gravity did the rest.

They scattered as the staff came down allowing it to crack against the road leaving a large crater, littered with cracks.

"Dude! There's already Heroes in this town! Get your own!" It belonged to a voice he'd heard only days before, in a video game arcade.

Shirou turned. Atop a nearby roof, stood five figures, ones he recognized immediately, not that he'd really seen them before but he'd seen at least two of them and heard of one of the others.

The Teen Titans.

"He's right and we try not to swing around telephone poles around destroying the city!" It was the robotic titan he'd heard about, Cyborg that spoke, he had his arm raised though there wasn't a hand, instead the end glowed with a blue energy.

A young woman with orange skin and red hair floated just off the roof's edge, hands glowing with a bright green energy. "Please be stopping the destruction of the city now please" she said.

"Yeah you Titans get that guy! He just started attackin us outta nowhere!"

Shirou's eye's narrowed as Billy spoke and his options of what he could do rolled out in his mind. One. Try to talk the Titans down and then deal with the villains. The idea was nixxed as soon as it passed through his head, there was no way the Titans would believe he was anything other than a villain himself.

Two, run, grab his pack and find somewhere to change out of the costume he'd gotten from Miyu. Like the first idea, the thought was immediately shot down. They knew the city better than he did, the chances that he'd outrun them were slim to none.

Three. Fight them both. The option was probably the fastest but best saved as a last resort.

Four focus on the villains and just avoid the Titans. It was less likely to work than option three but he could at least attempt it.

He held the Ruyi Jingu Bang at his side and craned his neck looking at the Titans who seemed happy to wait for some sort of witty banter, or they were surprised he hadn't run or attacked them yet. "If you want to take over for me, I'm okay with that." Shirou called, "but one of them threw a police officer through a window and sent a car through the front doors of a bookstore."

"If you're really a hero then you'll drop the weapon and let us handle this. We'll solve things after everyone's downtown." The smaller one wearing green and red with a domino mask said.

Shirou was tempted, but that would leave Miyu alone for who knew how long and set him into the hands of those he didn't know. A spike of pain shot through his head and screams of panic rippled through the air. The screams of a little girl chief among them.

Option three it was then, he decided. He had somewhere to be.

Ruyi Jingu Bang spun through his hand as he settled himself into a stance facing Billy. "No chance, and I never said I was a hero."

As if shot from a cannon the iron cudgel extended slamming into the stomach of Private Hive and driving him back against the wall he'd struck before. He swept it to the side, tripping the many Billy's that only started reacting to Shirou's attack on his partner. He searched for the girl, the one Billy had called Orphan, she was nowhere in sight.

"Titan's Go!" The last of the titans to speak yelled.

There was a loud hum growing closer to him and Shirou threw himself to the side bringing the staff around he swung it skyward. He caught the orange girl in the hip as she tried to dodge by flying higher. Thundering steps caught his attention and he found a green rhino of all things charging for him while a mailbox, a dumpster, and even a car encased in a dark energy flew at him.

Pouring more of his magical energy into the staff it split into two, the first he pressed into the road and extended it toward the rhino as fast as it could travel while he swiped the other into the energy encased objects sending them careening into the road a short distance away. When the first staff continued to extend without impact Shirou turned his attention back toward the road where the crashing steps of the rhino vanished, Beast Boy had returned to his normal form to roll away and landed right in the path of a bright blue beam of energy that sent him flying like a bullet.

"B.B.!" Cyborg yelled as the beam shut off.

Looking around for the small boy in red and green Shirou found he was attempting to wrangle Billy and Private Hive and was quickly being overwhelmed by Billy's numbers. In fact they had pinned him to the ground and were in the middle of wailing on him.

"Azeroth Metrion Zinthos!" It was the voice of Raven, the girl who just a short time prior had given his sister an autograph. Shirou started to move, not toward the girl, but away. As the objects she hurled with her magic began to fall around him the scent of her magic filled his nose. It smelled of brimstone, of smoke, and even death. As he ducked under what looked like a washing machine, Shirou couldn't help but wonder if she were like Kiritsugu. Ending one life to save as many as he possibly could.

He flung the copy of the Ruyi Jingu Bang with a mental push to begin enlarging. It bowled the Billy's over and pinned them beneath its still growing weight. He caught Private Hive under the chin and sent him sprawling to the ground in the bliss only unconsciousness could bring.

"Why?" The boy asked as he pushed himself to his feet.

Shirou shrugged, "I'm no Hero but that doesn't mean I like people picking on the weak." The boy ground his teeth but Shirou didn't care. "I've got to get going though." Shirou started walking off

A bolt of green energy pelted into the road in front of him scorching it, "You'll not be going anywhere!" The orange girl was back and she was pissed.

Glancing in the other directions Shirou found that he was surrounded and beneath the mask he smirked. He couldn't help it, in his dreams something so similar had happened that it was uncanny.

"Trace on." Orbs began clattering to the ground, along with caltrops in a circle around him. "Have a great day." He said and threw a final orb which had formed in his hands to the ground. There was a bright flash of light, a large burst of smoke and Shirou bolted between Beast Boy and Cyborg and ducked under the orange girl. He didn't stop running for three blocks after he passed the bookstore where he barely slowed down as he picked up the backpack.

After he'd stuffed the clothes in the bag and made his way back he and Miyu continued on their shopping trip as if nothing had happened, though he could see the way Miyu would beam at him from the corner of his eye when she thought that he wasn't looking.

Three clothing stores, one grocery run, a trip to the visitor center which thankfully gave new residents a free map of the area along with local attractions and such and they were back home.

After dinner Shirou stood, stretching his back and bid his sister good night. However, as he was on his way out of the room he paused. "I was going to bring it up earlier but it's been a long day. We'll talk about your late night excursions and this" he held up the pink backpack, "tomorrow."

Miyu eeped as Shirou walked out of the room. For a time he sat at the end of his bed in the dark waiting to see if Miyu was going to take a trip that night. She didn't.

He settled himself on to his bed and fell asleep. That night as the rain beat down on the windows again he dreamt of blood, blades, and battle.

Chapter End.

A/N: A huge thank you to my buddy! Without his help this chapter might have never gotten done! I do hope you enjoyed the chapter folks! The list of the replies will follow a brief note.

You all have no doubt noticed I have been taking some artistic license with the story, such as the use of the word prana instead of Od or magical energy. This is because prana resonates with me much more than the other options.

Soda-fiedPsycho: Thanks for reading and I truly hope you've enjoyed the chapter. Klarion may or may not know what he's missing. He did say he'd settle for the swords, for now.

FabledLife: I hope you've enjoyed the story so far.

Dimortum: I'm glad that you've enjoyed the story and I hope you enjoy this chapter as much as the first.

123ABIR123: Thank you for taking the comment. I do hope you'll continue to do so. More chapters are coming, please be patient.

Mizen: Thank you for the compliment and for the good wishes!

DivineWhiskey: One or two of them might witness something to that effect but not all of them. Yes, the Titans do seem quite a bit under-powered when it comes to dealing with Shirou.

OctZ: Thank you for your review. It was a pleasure to read. I do apologize for my grammar, it's an aspect of writing I'm still trying to learn and it's my worst area in it. Thank you for the compliment regarding Klarion, believe it or not I adore the witch boy as a character or at least most iterations of him. Lastly I do hope not to fall into the same pitfalls of other authors, than again I don't think my Beta awesome as he is, will let me.

Malasias998: Thank you for your compliments they are greatly appreciated. I understand my narrating is a bit off, I have an actual editor who is working to help me fix the flaw in my writing style. Great lady she is.

Bobking01: Thank you for taking the time to review and I'm glad you like the characters and the narrative voice. I apologize for my grammar, I am trying to improve it. Please bear with me.

Alucardd13: Spanish is one of my second languages so I hope I read this right. Anyway, I think the story has potential and it's been a lot of fun to write. I do hope you've enjoyed the chapter and will enjoy all the coming ones.

Nofirekiller123: Thank you!

Sawtooth44: You'll have to wait a bit longer I'm afraid.

Takedo: Thank you for taking the time to critique. I will try to catch those mistakes in the future.

Ruggdamon4: Thank you for your compliment. I am working on my grammar, please bear with me.

Sdarkness05: Thanks for reading, you'll have to wait just a bit longer to see Klarion get a taste of Shirou's power.

SentinalSlice: It does and it is one of the reasons I brought them. I hope you'll continue to read and enjoy.

Isaac LB: As I mentioned before, my spanish is more than a touch rusty so I hope I read your comment right. I hope this chapter answers your questions with the legal documentation for the siblings. I do hope to expand on the world of the Teen Titans a bit in the coming chapters as well.

Ruggdamon4: I can't lie, I'm a touch torn, you seem to have predicted a bit about this chapter. Thank you for reviewing again.

Howdy: Well, I can't deny Klarion's kind of dumb, but he can be fairly clever at times. Anyway, I hope you continue to read and enjoy.

LoverOfArtemis: I suppose by now you've realized the answer to your question. But my answer to you is this. In Shirou's opinion, yes he will be the villain.

Trollzor69: I don't quite get your message. I've sent you a P.M. so that we can chat and I can respond a bit more effectively.

YuukiAsuna-Chan: Thank you! I'm hoping you'll continue enjoying it.

MikuIchigo: This is set to be series unless something major changes.

EternalKing: Can't say it slipped my mind so much I didn't even realize he could or would do that. I hope that I can continue to avoid those big "no-no's" as you called them. It would help if you sent me a P.M. so I know what exactly to avoid.

Thanks for reading!