What a Beautiful World

[Shiki Hiiragi]

What a beautiful world.

That would describe the site of Lucca as Shiki Hiiragi stepped off the boat that carried him all the way from Japan. Looking back at what happened, the trip should be worth it. His old friend from the factory lent him his uncle's summer apartment, and he will be staying in a relatively nice hotel for now as it was being prepared.

That's what a normal person would think. Not in the case of Shiki Hiiragi here. What ran through his mind was this.

Okay, I kept this promise before I left. I kept the promise to myself to go by boat, took two weeks, it didn't drain all my money, so I can still pay back Takashi when I return home, and I sent Mrs. Fujisaki the packages she's been wanting...I can enjoy this vacation, right? Like a human? I mean, I did keep my promise, right?

While in this deep thought process, he was earning stares from the residents, which he was oblivious to. Wearing a jacket that had fur on the hood seemed feminine, and weird in such weather. And his silver hair! Did he dye it? Was it natural? Whatever it was, it appeared so punk-like. And yet he was quite good-looking. Maybe he would look better if he was smiling rather than looking anxious.

Not gonna happen.

Shouldering his bag, Shiki looked around. Sighing, it was probably time to observe at least this part of the city of Lucca. The sun was still up, the crowds talking, and the place lively in the light. The hotel can wait, fun should come.

Of course, all promises were kept, so he can have normal people fun, right?

Dammit. I'm being crazy about this.

He walks off to into the city of Lucca, determined to enjoy this vacation to the max.

[Shiki Hiiragi]

Lucca was indeed a nice place. A lot more better than the industrial side of Tokyo, with the Yakuza running around with loan sharks, and street fighting being a constant item to watch. Although it did make up for good pay and a place to live, where Shiki came from was nothing like what Lucca had to offer.

Although he kept his spending short and cheap, as to not lose too much money and enjoy this vacation for about a month or so, he managed to enjoy Lucca in simpler terms. Which was indeed a nice thing, since he was spending most of his life alone surviving on bread and water, not a nice meal, especially if you work strenuous hours with requests and factory work, and to top if all off, street fighting for four hours straight just to make five-hundred dollars, although the tournaments were daily and he can make well over three-thousand dollars a week, and totaling about twelve-thousand dollars in a month, potentially. However, this is offset by the fact that he does not participate in these fights everyday, due to requests and factory work,

So yeah, he was poor, and Lucca was a really nice place, albeit a little expensive here and there. Thank God he just stays in a flat left behind by his friend's uncle, who was going to be gone for a whole month and needed someone to watch the place.

Turning a corner, with the hotel he will be staying in coming to sight while the flat was being prepared, he looks on at the setting sun, hoping that this vacation turns out well.

[Ilya Muromets]

His entire concept made her want to throw up. Every fiber of his being made her want to rip him to shreads. Every word that he spoke intensified these thoughts, so was it a good thing or a bad thing he was dead? She didn't think working with him would be possible, but now that he was gone she had to find a new master soon, and the small voice in the back of her head kept reminding her she could get stuck with someone worse. Not to mention what would happen to her if she failed to find one.

But oh, how she loathed the entire theory she'd get stuck with someone worse.

So Ilya, with fear in the back of her mind, and anger in her heart looked for someone who would replace him. Hopefully this replacement wouldn't die as easily, stand up for himself, and actually be able to do fine on his own. Although nothing in this situation could be guaranteed, so her hopes could go unanswered easily. And she wouldn't even be able to get anything out of all this.

Soon though, like how a bird's eyes were caught by a shiny thing, Ilya was instantly caught by a young teen who was an ellegiable master. Although she classified him as "a loser with silver hair" he couldn't be worse then the loser she was originally stuck with, right?

Her armor clinked and a tint of contempt mixed in with her expression as she approached the silver haired loser. "Boy, I need to talk to you," Ilya said about a few feet away from the teen. "I am Berserker, and I lost my chance at getting my wish. So I'm looking for someone who will help me, what do you say boy? Wanna help?" Ilya said trying to seem a bit cooler. Frankly she didn't care if he said yes, she would chase him down and force him if she had too. She needed a master, and she needed one now. RIGHT NOW. And anything that got in her way would either be killed or ignored...;

[Shiki Hiiragi]

"I am Berserker, and I lost my chance at getting my wish. So I'm looking for someone who will help me, what do you say boy? Wanna help?"

...One. What the hell was a red-haired woman dressed in armor coming walking to him. Two. What kind of name is Berserker? Three. Was this person Italian? Because she struck Shiki as Russian. Four. A wish? And they need Shiki's help?

Thinking on this, it's not so bad an opportunity, is it? I mean, I get to make another promise, and keep that one. That gets me another step closer to reaching the status of being human, no? Of course, the question is, who is this lady? She's decked out in armor, is she a cosplayer? If she is, the armor really is done nicely. It looks real, and expensive. I wonder what type of material she used in order to make it look like that? No no no, I'm asking myself the wrong questions. The real question is, who the hell is she, and what does she really want? It seems suspicious, but she strikes me as the cool sort of person. Somebody I would like to party with and the like. Wait, I've never been to a party before, huh.

Taking several deep breaths, Shiki addressed himself the same questions, and came to an answer for the questions formulated in his head.

"All right, I don't mind helping you. What is it that you need me to do?"

[Ilya Muromets]

"Wonderful." Ilya said while grinning. Obviously the kid was clueless, here she was a complete stranger asking for his help and he just readily says "alright." Then again this is helping her cause, and leading towards the goal of getting her wish (which will probably be for a million more wishes.) so his eagerness wasn't a bad thing... Just a weird thing. No matter that though, Ilya swiftly held out her armored hand and handed Shiki a note, she wanted this to be over with quickly.

It read; I hereby propose, thou shalt come under my command and thy sword shall control my fate. Abiding by the summons of the Holy Grain, if though accedest to this will and reason, answer me, I hereby swear I am all that is good in the eternal world. I am the disposer of evil in the eternal world. Thee the Seven Days clad in the Divine Trinity come forth from the circle of constraint. Guardian of the Heavens! Accedest to me; and thy fate shall become my own!

"Alright kid read that out loud and you'll have helped me a lot. I know it's a bit lengthy but you're a smart kid, right?" Ilya asked as she leaned towards him in interest. She was concerned if he would really read it, and if he didn't that "may" set her off. Then two people would have died around her, and to her that l lowers her hero status as a protector. So she watched Shiki expectantly with the thought "don't fail me know" circling in her mind.

[Shiki Hiiragi]

"Alright kid read that out loud and you'll have helped me a lot. I know it's a bit lengthy but you're a smart kid, right?"

...Backk to being just a tad bit skeptical, Shiki looked at the little piece of paper in his hand, and held out his hand. It seemed appropriate for something like, similar to a ritual or what-not. Anyways, to perform this...ceremony.

"I hereby propose, thou shalt come under my command and thy sword shall control my fate. Abiding by the summons of the Holy Grail, if though accedest to this will and reason, answer me, I hereby swear I am all that is good in the eternal world. I am the disposer of evil in the eternal world. Thee the Seven Days clad in the Divine Trinity come forth from the circle of constraint. Guardian of the Heavens! Accedest to me; and thy fate shall become my own!"

Going over what just happened right now, it was time for a little mental overview of the ceremony that just occurred. Minus the weird chant with things like the Divine Trinity, the Holy Grail, Seven Days, and Guardian of the Heavens, it seems like the type of chant that would make a person submit to a master, who would be the chanter. Does that make any sense, for a woman, dressed out in armor and looking out for a fight, asking somebody to recite a chant that makes it seem like he will be her master? Not at all.

[Ilya Muromets]

As Shiki completed the last line of the paragraph Ilya felt for the first time in a long time, relief. She had fond someone to play the part of her master, and then she'd soon be back in the war. Now she had only to finish her part... "I accept you as my master... Shiki..." And with that cold sentance it was over, it seemed like the curtain should be drawn on this scene but instead lights flashed from the ground. Earth cracked around Ilya, with peircing red flames jolting up like lightning. The emerging fire formed a circle, and as it's brightness increased so did the heat. Ilya seemed to be levatating, it was impossible as her entire form became a simple red silhouette, not showing any signs of movement.

With more red flashes pumping out it seemed like hell was coming up from deep inside earth, ready to finaly set the world ablaze. But these flames stayed neatly in a circle, not darring to break the shape or grow any more. The warm reds that made up the chaotic scene slowly began to pulse with other darker reds. If someone wasn't already completely terrified and actualy looked closely they'd see it vaquely resembled fall and it' s many shades of red. And like how fall ends, so did the circle. The flames made their way to a pale white, and the movement began to seem frozen. The shape made it's way into earth again, still it seemed forced, like the white flames wanted to be there in still life. Still it was better they went away, as the brightness increased ten fold along with the change of color.

Finaly it had ended, though like any supenseful scene the end seemed to drag out forever. Ilya stood tall and proud as the world went back to it's normal pace. "I always hate how flashy that is." She said looking away from Shiki with a sigh.

[Shiki Hiiragi]

After the display that Berserker left, Shiki was somewhat bewildered. What also left him a little on the skeptical side is the fact that Berserker somehow knew his name, when he hasn't even introduced himself. Was this mind connection? The thought of being connected with somebody mentally irked Shiki Hiiragi just a tad bit, so clearing his throat, began with the obligatory introduction.

"Okay, I have no real idea on who you really are, as Berserker is a strange name. I mean, Berserk is a great manga, but then I would call you Caska or something like that, if you're such a fan. Looking at your armor, you must dress from around the setting the manga took place in. And you don't have a bigass sword, so you can't really be a female Guts...Caska seems fine. Yes, a white, red-haired Caska. Anyways, I don't know how the hell you know my name, but I am Shiki Hiiragi, sixteen years old, working full-time as of now, and am here for vacation. And what's this shmick about accepting me as your master?"

It was then that the very thought of it entered Shiki's mind. Shocked, he took a couple of steps back from the armored woman, and began to bang his head at the nearby light pole in a comical fashion.

"It can't be...YOU WANTED TO BE MY SLAVE!?

He can't support her. Not with his paycheck.

[OOC: Last post if you're up to it]

[Ilya Muromets]

Ilya sighed as Shiki went on and on and on. As he finished she sighed in relief despite his panic. "Look, kid you need to shut up more. Sides, it's not my fault, you were stupid enough to actualy help a stranger. Did you ever learn not to talk to strangers, tupoy?" She said with a down-right serious expression. "You'll learn how to get through this tupoy, trust me." She seemed to be full of confedence, almost over-flowing. "Just don't die. Then I have to find some new loser to make a contract with." Ilya was certainly going full-force on Shiki, like she had been saving it all up till the contract was complete.

Though she seemed harsh she smiled in self-satisfaction. Could it be possible she was a bit happy? Still it was apparent there seemed to be waves of contempt coming from Ilya. 'Another chance at a wish, or another chance to die. Seems stupid when you think about it.' She rolled the thought around in her mind, oblivious to the outside world. No matter how she thought of what was happening it seemed doomed, just a bit. She was never a big believed in magic, or wishes, faith was the only true path or something like that. Then it occured to her, what would she wish for...?

...Probably for her master to get half a brain... Yeah, that sounded right.

(OOC: Finaly over....
By the way, Tupoy is russian for idiot...)