Fate: Bonds Beyond Humanity

want to read ahead or want to support you can join my patr-eon and u will be able to read ahead by 15 chapters

patreon.com/Elsapataky

---------

"Shirou," Irisviel got his attention. "your father made a living of taking out dangerous elements, most of them abhorrent people who were a danger to mankind at the least and to the world at worst." The teenager wasn't liking that.

"Dad… kills people for a living?" He had the concept of 'walking with death' hammered on his head and he believed in self defense but killing for a living? He didn't like that.

"To be more precise," Rias decided to interfere, she didn't like to see Shirou distressed, "your father is know in many circles as someone to call when someone is doing something that will harm innocents, he also has a habit of recruiting anyone that he saves to join his organization"

"The security firm…" He realized that was a cover and then he looked to the rest of his family. "I was the only one that didn't know?" Frustration brewed on his voice.

"You are a sweet boy Shirou." Sella showed her sadness on her face. "Unlike your sister you didn't need to enter on this 'world' yet you did, we-"

"Me and your father only." Iri said, letting her mask slip a bit. "Nobody else made the decision, Illya got to know when she decided she would go to the Clocktower and I was going to tell you but… the truth is that I hesitated."

"And now I talked too much…" Rias sighed. "I am sorry, I thought he knew." She looks at Shirou. "Was that your first real fight?"

"It was… It doesn't matter anyway, the stray needed to be stopped." Shirou's eyes showed his certainty. "And whatever my father is doing… I chose to believe in him."

"That is a strong resolve." Rias said with a smile before looking to the matriarch again. "If you wish I can leave and we can talk another time."

"Resolve or not it can be dealt with later." Irisviel stared at the devils again, her eyes no longer showing care or warth. "What do you want?"

The question was direct but the answer was not simple or short to the point that Rias had gone with a plan for the conversation. Now the situation was different, she knew that Shirou was an unconventional magus but he was too innocent in a sense.

'With a person like that,' Rias thinks while creating a magic circle to pull some paper from her the other side connected to her office, 'It is better to be direct.' She placed the papers on the desk and passed it to Shirou.

Her fellow redhead didn't hesitate to pick them up, there were two kinds of paper, the first was a sealed envelope with a symbol, letters in gold that read 'Kuoh' in the front, he separated those and focused on the other bundle of papers.

It was a contract, he counted the pages and saw that there were at least five pages. The whole thing was made by hand and he started to read. "What is this?" Illya asked, losing her patience.

"Shirou's abilities, they impressed me in many ways. The scalpel that he used to heal my wounds being only one of the weapons he made correct?" Rias was looking at Shirou who nodded, the rest of the family knew of his abilities but said nothing. "In that case I wanted to formally extend a request so that we may form a pact."

"WHAT?" Illya jumped to her feet and even the maids looked shocked, Iri just raised an eyebrow.

"The terms," Shirou said. "Is that you give me materials and I make weapons for you… I will have to refuse them."

"Before you truly refuse please finish reading." Rias requested but Shirou just raised his own eyebrow. "Notice that I didn't state 'weapons' to fight. We devils have a huge problem when it comes to our medicine, it is slow for the most part. Many devils died in the civil war because there was no efficient way to close wounds or heal people with the exception of phoenix tears."

"Phoenix tears?"

"We really should get you a dictionary with the general terms, Shirou." Iri says, with a smile. "Think of them as an elixir from video games."

"That… is a fair comparison." Rias says and then shrugs. "Anyway, you created something that could heal me and then allowed me to heal you. That is what we want and I mean we because Lucifer himself was interested."

"THE DEVIL HIMSELF?" Now Shirou was panicking.

"Calm down Shirou." His mother placed a hand on his. "That one is dead, it's just a title now."

"What? The devil is dead? How?" He really wanted a crash course on the story of the supernatural.

"Basically 'God' happened." Akeno said with a smile.

"Anyway, the name is now just a title." Iri said, her smile growing. "And her brother is that said devil."

Rias lets out a groan while Shirou takes a couple of seconds to process…

"So… her brother is 'the' devil?" Shirou made quotation marks with his fingers. "What does that mean?"

"He is the boss of them all." Iri said, still smiling.

"Ah!" Everyone stayed silent waiting for a reaction. "What?"

"That is it?" Liz was the one asking.

"Yes, I mean, her brother is the king of the devils."

"Maou is the term we use." Rias had a huge smile on his face.

"Sure, Maou. Fine by me." He then picks up the envelope. "And this?"

"Oh, it's an invitation to join Kuoh academy with full scholarship." Rias said as if it was nothing. "Another part of the pact, I will take care of any educational necessity you have."

"OKAY! NO!" Illya was frustrated at this point. "What are you planning?"

"What do you mean?" The devil asking and Illya really wanted to punch her perfect teeth.

"You come here offering a pact of all things and now tuition on the biggest school of the country." The elder sister slammed her hands on the table. "WHAT IS YOUR GAME DEVIL?"

This time she was not reprehended, the matriarch also wished to know. Fortunately Rias had no evil intentions.

"I also attend that school, going into my second year next term in fact." No reaction from most but Iri tilts her head. "Kuoh has become, especially in the last few years, a type of recruitment center. It isn't only us devils who use it, it is a place where the talented people of the world can come together and form bonds to help themselves in the future."

"That is a lie." Illya pounced on facts. "Kuoh has been a school for girls for generations!"

"Yes but the college division always accepts everyone and the next term the school will be co-ed!" Rias also raised to her feet, both her and Illya glared at each other's eyes. Neither red or blue retreated. "It is expanding and it is a place that one day will surpass even the Clocktower!"

"With mundanes? Normal people running around?" Illya found that hard to believe.

"Yes!" Rias doesn't back down. "We already have to hide from the world, more separation can only be bad! Shirou is right to blame the magus who called me first! While the stray in the ley line was dangerous and harmful the fact is that WE almost died!"

Neither of the young women was going to back down, they were not going to blow yet but if someone doesn't do something they will.

Shirou's looks to his mother but the woman was thinking, not paying attention to the events on her table, Akeno looked happy to let the chaos grow and the others wouldn't dare to challenge Illya with guests on the house.

"And…" Shirou directed all the attention to himself. "How do we keep the secret."

Rias' smile grew. "I am glad you asked, if you would please open the envelope..." He does just that, putting the contents on the table there was some paper but what called attention was a pin.

It was small, the size of a nail but it was shining, he picked it on his hand and immediately started to use his magecraft, structural analysis. Since it was nothing related to his origin or that he created it took a few seconds. "It is-" Before Rias could explain Shirou started.

"A mass produced pin made from the efforts of ten magus in conjunction with devils and yokais with the goal of identification. This one was crafted one month ago and enchanted last week by a person called Jaken who used yokai magic, its purpose is identification for those that know the supernatural. It's a flower like design based on a sunflower..." His analise didn't surprise his family, the pin itself coupled together with the fact that it had loads of contributors was what turned the white haired heads to look at it curiously..

To the duo of devils it was the other way around, Shirou description had gone beyond what both of them knew and Rias' smile just grew more during the explanation. While she recovered from their ordeal she asked questions and did research on magecraft and she knew some things… including the basics of projection, structural analysis and reinforcement.

She couldn't use them, as a devil she had other ways to apply 'reinforcement' and projection was something beyond her but structural analysis was something that her brother said was good to superficial analysis and nothing more. What Shirou did was beyond superficial.

"How did you do that?" She couldn't stop herself from asking.

"That was structural analysis, a basic magecraft." Iri said easily.

"Yes, I know. But he managed to gasp so much from it…" Rias trailed off, still looking to Shirou. The boy for his part just shrugged.

"I told you that I'm not like the usual magus… I'm over specialized." He then picked the papers from Kuoh and placed them on the envelope. "I… think I won't accept them. I like Homurahara, for all its faults." Besides he felt that if he left the academy would fall in disrepair.

"About that…'' Akeno trailed off and all looked to her, she took her time to finish her tea. "Homurahara Academy will have to be closed down."

"WHAT?" This time Shirou was the one on his feet. "WHY? WHAT ABOUT THE STUDENTS? AND THE STAFF?"

---------

want to read ahead or want to support you can join my patr-eon and u will be able to read ahead by 15 chapters

patreon.com/Elsapataky