To love a sword

Chapter 22: Twins and Celine Part 2

Beta read by Shigiya, Paragon of Awesomeness and Fabled Life.

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-Sainan-

Perhaps it had always just been a matter of time before this would happen. 

Emiya found himself contemplating the inevitability of this moment. It all began when Lala first made mention of having siblings, namely two younger sisters who were still engrossed in their royal studies back on their home planet, Deviluke. Initially, he hadn't considered them to be involved in this ridiculous princess marriage candidate business. After all, with her sisters being the younger siblings, he had thought them unlikely to be roped into such a mess compared to the eldest and heir. Plus, knowing Lala's deep affection for them, he reasoned that if they were embroiled in a situation akin to hers, she would have spirited them away from the planet long ago and landed in his bathroom right along with them.

Yet, it became evident that he had underestimated the extent of their involvement. Not only were both of Lala's younger sisters possibly entangled in the same kind of affairs that brought her here, but they had also managed to escape their home planet, just like their older sister. Now, they all sat together casually in his dining room, indulging in his food with an air of nonchalance from one and curiosity from the other. What irked him the most though was not the sisters’ behavior; rather it had to do with Mikan and Rito acting far too worried, seemingly fixated on him, as though he were on the brink of death. For the past ten minutes, they had been incessantly fretting over him for the smallest sign of injury.

Despite his annoyance, he couldn’t blame them. With his recent encounter with the terrorist group and the ruler of the Galaxy, it would explain their concern. Yet, Emiya felt it was time to redirect their attention to something more important. "Would you two cut it out with the constant worrying and fussing? I’ve already told you that I am perfectly fine, otherwise one of you would’ve noticed something was wrong by now."

"How are you so composed, Shirou!?" Mikan exclaimed incredulously, her voice tinged with concern as she rummaged through a first aid kit, prepared to tend to wounds that she would not find. "I thought you were going out for a walk, then Lala comes back and tells me you've not only flown straight up to intercept an alien spaceship but actually tried to face them all by yourself!? Where in that stubborn head of yours did you think that it was a good idea!? Just call Zastin to take care of this, it’s his job…”

Oh right, that… honestly that part completely slipped past his mind. The whole affair with Gid's sudden appearance and him nearly murdering Rin had overshadowed anything prior. “To be fair, Mikan. They were trying to kidnap Mikado and were already in the process of leaving the planet, and Zastin wasn't exactly the most reliable or competent person. It would be a hassle if I lost contact with the only alien doctor in Sainan just because the Royal Captain couldn’t get his act together in time.” 

She just gave him a stink eye, which just lost most of its impact given her cute little face, “If the news is right, kidnappers like them aren't known for showing mercy to their adversaries. Come on, sit down so I can patch up your wounds. You have a stupid habit of downplaying your injuries by saying that they’re ‘not that bad.’” 

As they conversed, Emiya became increasingly reluctant to dismiss their concern and allow them to attend to him as they pleased. He acknowledged that he had a tendency to underestimate or downplay his injuries, a remnant of his past experiences in battles and his former role as a Servant facing formidable foes, some of whom considered themselves akin to gods. Although he had adapted to his human body, he had yet to reach his full potential, leaving ample room for growth, and tended to fall back to bad habits at times when circumstances felt a little… familiar.