Why we're Here (Shirou, priv)

Marigold hadn't been in Twilight Town for a few years now. Ever since her retirement and passing of the crown, the woman had stuck to one simple place, her husband's side. They often traveled together, enjoying each other's company without so much as a care in the world. Recently, however, and with proper warning from her daughter, Morgan, the former queen had begun to visit all the worlds as of late. One in particular, that she had consistently watched over like an adoptive mother. The perpetual sunset, the grand clock-tower and the gorgeous view from the newly renovated train station. Drake Pathos did a wonderful job but it could always be much better.

"Hm, that's enough sightseeing for now... I need to meet my friend up." The woman said. Dressed in her new ensemble which consisted of a black pencil skirt, with a white button-up tucked into it, belted with leather and a buckle in the image of the Darkson crest (a phoenix rising from the flames). Finishing up her outfit was a pair of black knee-high boots, a pair of black gloves and her new long coat, which was a pure snow-white with black fur along the edges of the coat and hood. Rather than let her hair down at the moment, she had it tied up in a rather large bun, fitted with her most cherished bow. Yes, she still wears her ruby-red lipstick when she goes out.

Twilight Town had been modernized and its technologies enhanced. The last twenty years saw to this sprawling town well, which was a welcomed sight to the Darkson woman. A content smile on her lips, she began to walk down from the station and headed towards her destination. She was to meet up with a certain, important individual at a cafe for what she could only describe in her message to them, as "An interesting topic to converse about." Hopefully that had enticed him enough to show up. They really only knew each other through the world leader meetings and through their relationship with her former assassin, Schwartz, so maybe friend was too delicate of a term to apply there just yet? Marigold hoped to change that.

The walk didn't take long, thankfully. That was probably due to how excited she was to be out and about. Her brisk pace allowed her to cover much ground in little time. Not a lot of people recognized her either, which was another welcomed aspect about the expanded and advanced city. A few nods and how-do-you dos, nothing more needed to be said and those who recognized her, simply greeted her with a light bow of respect. Anyways, once she had arrived at the cafe, which had an outdoor patio, the woman entered through the front.

Coffee. Black and with a warmed, raspberry danish. Two items she felt went great with one another and once she placed and paid for her order, the woman wondered if she wanted the patio or the inside... Patio. Her golden eyes flashed momentarily and like a childish young woman, she made her way outside quickly and picked the best spot before anyone could take it. A light sigh escaped her lips once she had seated herself and after doing so, she sat back, crossing one leg over the other.

"So this is what retirement feels like, huh?" A small smile brushed upon her ruby-red lips at the thought.

Shirou stood on the side of the road, opposite of a small, two story house. His hair was ruffled and unkempt. His hands were resting in the pockets of his grey sweatpants, the legs rolled up to his shins. He wore sandals and a black t-shirt with a white, cartoon skull on the back. He stared at the house, his face wearing no discernible expression. There was some slight movement in the house, and there were lights that were on. It was occupied an elderly couple.

Shirou checked his watch and scratched his head. "Might be late if I stay here any longer," he mumbled to himself before turning to the side. As he walked, he quietly whistled a tune to himself that was calm and relaxing. Not really sad or happy. Since Shirou's arrival in this universe, he had rarely visited Twilight Town, only coming for the occasional business related trip. This place didn't really hold Shirou's interest.

Through one reason or another, an appointment had been set up with Marigold Darkson. The woman who had somehow managed to control all of the known worlds in the universe, even Olympus. Though, it wasn't the result of a hostile takeover but rather a deal struck amidst the early stages of Athens' restoration. Shirou had been high strung with having to not only rebuilt the city himself but also lead the citizens. The Darkson clan came to him with a proposition. Shirou desired solitude and Marigold desired power, and that was what was decided between them. Shirou was able to work in peace while rebuilding the city. However, some time later, Marigold dissolved her empire and return Olympus to Shirou's control.

While Marigold was not a friend, they had a friendly relationship. They knew each other through Schwartz and it didn't really go beyond that. In fact, it was for that reason that Shirou agreed to the deal, as he had faith that Marigold didn't have ill intentions. He was grateful for how benevolent she had been during her rule, as it would have made things unnecessarily more complicated for Shirou.

Shirou reached the agreed upon cafe and ordered. Hot chocolate with caramel and whipped cream with slice of vanilla cake. He shuffled his way over to the table and sat down.

"Hope I didn't keep you waiting," he said as he began to stir his drink. "I got distracted with...things." He trailed off.

The woman's eyes caught and followed the man as he entered the cafe, traveled over to the bar to order, then followed him up until he had reached her. Marigold's smile would show pleased she was to see him and a light shake of her head dismissed his concern if she had waited long. "I got here a bit earlier than necessary. Being here brings back memories and gets my blood flowing." A small chuckle escaped her lips after the statement. "If I didn't know any better, though, I'd say you were doing some reminiscing before arriving... Am I correct?" Mari asked with a raise of her eyebrow, those golden orbs she called eyes, brightened at the gesture. Whether or not Shirou spilled the beans sort of mattered, since it would have connected well with the conversation she wanted to have with him. There was something which bothered her as of late.

Being a foreigner in every sense of the word, the woman wondered who else was like her. Those who had hopped entire dimensions, universes with abilities or technology only developed in the imaginations, of teenagers or young adults, who decide to focus their creative genius on certain mediums that could be considered... Questionable at the very least. The woman had to shake her head free from those who practiced odd behavior and quickly focused back on the topic on hand. How to approach with the question? It was only a hunch after all and she merely decided to ask those she either knew personally, to some degree and even then, on a whim. Shirou wasn't the first but he was definitely in the handful she'd decide to ask. The question would be dropped if he decided to answer her previous one or not.

Shirou smiled when Marigold asked if he was reminiscing. Either she was quite the perceptive woman or Shirou's tone was dripping with nostalgia. He turned his head away and gazed out the window. He looked at the buildings along the street, and the sky itself. Everything looked so familiar, but it was like looking a wax replica of the original. Except everything was real, and it was real to the people who inhabited this place, just not to Shirou.

The question could be interpreted in two ways. First, it was a leading question. Perhaps Marigold suspected that Shirou was not from this place. She may have some special power that allows her to see what belongs and what doesn't, or maybe it's just a pestering suspicion of hers. Or, secondly and most likely, she was just asking innocently. Shirou had never been open about his past, not even to the mother of his child. He met Serenae, who was from where he was, but that meeting was brief. She shortly disappeared afterwards. Maybe she had gone home. That was the only connection that he had with his past, and it wasn't like he was trying to hide it. It was something he considered a weight that held him back, and something that people would always see once they found out.

Shirou returned his gaze to the woman sitting in front of him, a tinge of a smirk on the left corner of his lips. Marigold was one of those people that weren't close enough to you so they were safe to spill your secrets to. So, because of that feeling, and maybe he just felt tired of being homesick, he decided to believe that it was the first option. That it was a leading question, even if it wasn't.

"I grew up in Twilight Town," Shirou said. "Father was gone since I was born. Lost my mother at a young age, and was raised then by my grandparents. And then, because I was a stupid kid, I lost them, too, so I just left. And when I left, Twilight Town stopped being my home and was just this place where bad things happened to it. I resented it a lot. I sort of blew it up twice."

He paused to take a sip of his cocoa. "But, as you may have already figured out, there haven't been an incident this town being destroyed twice by an overly ambitious and arrogant teenager with an obsession with death.," Shirou continued with a light laugh. "And I just returned from staring at my very much alive grandparents in their house that was supposed to have been burned down. The gravestones they owned are no longer in the cemetery."

Shirou laced together his fingers, setting his hands on the table top in front of him, looking at Marigold. "How could any of this possibly be true? Well, I'm a madman of course!" He said, his tone calm despite the ridiculousness of his words. He then smiled, somewhat mischievously. He knew that even if Marigold didn't believe him, she'd at worst just laugh it off.

Marigold waited for Shirou to finish for a simple reason and that being he might eventually slip up a small hint that could have confirmed her suspicions. Again, she asked him at random and this wasn't a form of bait or anything like that, just genuine curiosity over the powerful figures she encountered during her life time. Which easily reminded her of the Heartless Queen, Ophelia, who she could ask a similar question, if they ever met once more. But right now, her focus was the Lord of the Underworld. Much like him, she took a sip of her cup of coffee and did one better, by biting into her pastry.

The mentioning of how he blew up the town twice was intriguing, so much so that Marigold thought it to have happened before she ever arrived. The only explosion she remembered happening, was the one caused by Darius Fetch, who took on the moniker of, Drake Pathos, who he himself eventually shut his being away from the people of Twilight Town. Seemed like the place was plagued with faulty leaders and calamity almost as a daily chore. Poor community. Shirou continued with his reminiscing and it was something which started to sound more and more confusing... That is, if Marigold hadn't been able to understand what he was saying, which she was easily able to do. Dead but alive grandparents, a town he hadn't destroyed twice, yet he did and gravestones that were there, yet weren't.

She stared him straight in the eye and her expression was serious, dead serious. There was no longer a smile on her lips and she appeared as though she were about to explain to the man, just how serious the conversation was. But that didn't happen. Instead, Marigold burst out into laughter. It wasn't unnecessarily loud either, very controlled and filled with merriment, as she had a good moment of mirth. When it ended, she sighed softly and wiped a tear that had beaded in her eye. "To think the second person I ask, could make a joke out of such things such as yourself, and with such a tone too. Oh, Shirou, you never fail to entertain." The woman said with a remaining chuckle and sipped some more of her coffee.

He basically tossed all of the hints onto the table and made it blatant. "You're not from this universe, are you?" Straight to the point as usual. There was a brighter smile which played at her features, her brow raised as she awaited the answer.

Shirou took a drink of his hot chocolate, which was now currently pleasantly warm and sweet, as Marigold started laughing. Rather than it being incredulous reaction, it was more so in response to Shirou's joke it seemed. He raised his eyebrows in amusement and gently set his cup back down on the table. Although he had a slight suspicion that Marigold would believe him, he was still somewhat surprised that she seemed to take it all in stride, asking him quickly if he was from another universe.

"I am," he said with a smile and a casual tone that contradicted his confession. "One quite identical to this one, in fact, besides most of the people and major events."

Shirou looked down at the brown, thick liquid in the cup in front of him, his hands wrapped around the warm ceramic surface. "So, what about you?" While he would like to be able to he asked out of a hunch or that he knew from the beginning, if the answer was yes, that wasn't true. There was a small feeling inside of him, pulling at his heart. An inkling of hope that perhaps he wasn't truly alone in having an expansive past in this universe.

Their conversation definitely took a turn for the greater good. Shirou was from a different universe but even interestingly enough, a universe that was identical to this one, however, there were certain events that transpired differently. That was very odd indeed but intriguing. Marigold placed a hand to her chin and turned her eyes off to the side. Her thought process kick-started and her mind ran a mile-a-minute. She remembered a certain time-traveling samurai, who served in her army and how they remarked on how things are one in the same, yet vastly different. Damn that woman.

Marigold stared down at her beverage and decided to finish it in one go. The rim was left stained with a bit of her lipstick. A light nod then came, followed by her golden eyes meeting Shirou's. "All the Darkson's, the technology, military, and even the business are all from another universe all-together. Me, my brother, my twin sisters and those I once called allies, who've retired and are now living their own lives, are from a universe we call '________'" When Mari spoke the word towards the male, it was in a very foreign language, one that no one other than those closely affiliated with or taught by another from her universe, would be able to really decipher. The barrier this language presented was far greater than any other, yet not at the same time and that was because of one simple fact. "Normally, you wouldn't know what that word meant, right? However, this universe has the unique way of having words readily available to describe our own words. The name of the universe is in fact called, 'Libero,' with our galaxy known as, '______,' which translates smoothly as, 'Animus.'" And with that, she had hopefully blew the man's mind to a degree.

Truth be told, she was taken a back in a good way, with how Shirou confirmed his existence in this place. This turned out so well, that she couldn't help the small, childish giggle that escaped her lips on a whim. Even though she was prided as being a great queen and an excellent business woman, she was still just that. A grown woman with her own interests and things that easily brought her excitement.

Shirou's hope was not dashed with Marigold's positive answer. He couldn't help but grin as Marigold eagerly revealed that not only she, but her entire family, was from another universe entirely. She said that the language was essentially incomprehensible, but this universe offered easy alternatives. She came from a place known as Libero in a galaxy known as Animus. She seemed to have such vast knowledge of her home. Shirou wondered if she missed it.

"Would you happen to know of a planet called Noble?" Shirou asked, his eyes flickering towards the window, breaking their eye line for a brief moment.

"Noble...?" Her mind had trailed off for a moment, while she recalled all the planets within her solar system. A light shrug of her shoulders followed by a shake of her head, the woman had nothing for him. "Unfortunately, no, my dear. No such planet exists where I live. But may I ask why you inquire? Are you from there?" She asked with a warm smile.

After that, she had taken a bite out of her danish and had hummed in delight. The pastry was delicious, the filling nice and jelly-like, the bread soft, glazed with a layer of sugar. It was definitely made well and she'd have to tip extra big after this.

Long ago, relative to Shirou at least, when his mother had been alive, she told him a story about his father. He was a fair-haired man who seemed to appear out of nowhere one day. He had been particularly taken with her and managed to court her. However, he was still a mysterious man who never talked about his past, except in his sleep. Through his unconscious murmurs, his mother discovered that he was from a distant planet called Noble. Perhaps, maybe not consciously, that was the reason why he started traveling the worlds. Maybe that's why he always wanted to move around never stay in one place for too long.

Years passed, and as Shirou traveled to the different worlds, he never found one with that name. He never even found it mentioned or anything. It didn't seem to exist. And then, when it was all but a forgotten memory, something happened. His old friend, Etzolix, returned after having gone missing for a while. He revealed that he traveled to a different dimension, to a different universe. And it was there, he met Shirou's father, who left him with a note to give to Shirou. Never had Shirou thought of dimensions or other universes before that moment. It didn't so much as cross his mind on an offhanded thought. With the seal broken, everything fell into place.

Of course, Shirou didn't immediately go off searching for his father. One, because he didn't care much for somebody who he never knew and two, he didn't know how to leave his own universe (not that he wanted to, he had his own stuff going on). It wasn't until later that when Shirou lost everything, he just ran. He kept running until he found himself in a different place.

But, that was all just mindless exposition brought upon by him dredging up the name again from his memories. He let out a brief sigh and said, "No, it's a place I've always been curious about."

"So, from the sounds of it, it seems like your universe was quite different from this one," Shirou said, changing the subject. "What was it like there?"

"Sounds like that curiosity runs deeper than you're letting on." Marigold stated simply and gave him another soft smile. The former queen eventually finished her cup of coffee and set it down, off to the side, so that she may place a mirror down onto it. A small, circular piece of glass, that was placed at an angle good enough for her to keep eye contact with the Lord of the Underworld and reapply her ruby-red lipstick. After getting it evenly spread out, she formulated her thoughts about her homeworld before she intervened and changed its very lifestyle. Her golden eyes rolled off to the side for a moment, before she knew how to start.

"My universe is vastly different, yes. This one was refreshing when I first arrived twenty years ago." A brief pause before she continued, "My world had several continents with their own countries and the like. That meant each and everyone of them had their own government. The place where I grew up? Commerce and business was a heavy influence on our personal 'world' turned." Another soft smile spread across her lips. "But it did have places that was untouched with business and that's usually where my family would vacation. That's why my brother has retreated to that world, what was it called... Destiny Islands? Yes, it reminds him a lot of our beaches at home. All in all, it was a terrible place and I had to change it, so I did."

As Shirou listened to Marigold, he finished off the last of his hot chocolate and set the empty cup down on the table. He grabbed a napkin and wiped his mouth of any chocolate residue. From what Marigold said, it seemed as though her original world was much bigger. While here, worlds could be governed by one government easily, her world was big enough to justify many factions across different continents. She must have come from a completely different place compared to Shirou. For Shirou, it was like a theater acting with the same sets but different people and stories. But for Marigold, it was like she was in a completely different theater.

But if Marigold had strove to change that world, and she succeeded, why was she here? With that question itching in the back of his mind, Shirou asked, "So how did you change it? What did you do?"

"Dictatorial socialism." Her words were simple and said easily. Marigold's eyes flashed briefly, her soft smile revealing the fangs which marked her as a vampire. They were pearly white and shined only briefly in the white, before being covered by her ruby-red lips. "The other countries and the one I lived in, showed that giving people the freedom to do what they want, bred good and bad ideas. The bad, however, are readily more executable than the good, so there was a lot of strife even within the countries themselves. If they weren't at war with each other, then they were at war with themselves." There was obvious disdain in her voice at the last bit. The woman finished up the rest of her danish, then turned her eyes out towards the scenery that was Twilight Town. "I decided that there needed to be an order to things and so, with my resources and those loyal to my cause, I waged war to the entire world. First, I took over my country and after everything had been stabilized enough, I told the rest of the countries my terms for trade, law and order, plus a few other points. They didn't enjoy that too much. They were so proud of their so-called, "freedom," but what they were doing with it was barbaric, in my opinion. It took five years, but I crippled them from the inside. Most of them at least. I used their own citizens against them and when the time was right, I exercised my might and subdued the rest of them. Eventually, it was all under my control."

Marigold, through her telling of her history, revealed that she was as clever and ruthless as Shirou originally pegged her for. He never found it in his best interest to make her his enemy, even before she built that giant empire of hers, and he was glad he followed that gut instinct. She just seemed straight up scary. But that still didn't answer how she got here. Did she just get bored and leave? Was she banished by some higher force? Was she interested in conquering other worlds? She seemed to want to, considering the empire she built here but she must have lost interest in that goal.

"I was kind of like you when I was younger," Shirou said with a faint smile, remembering his teenage years. "Though not as concise, I also started building a kingdom under me, taking advantage of war that was happening. I ended up disgusted with who I was becoming, so I gave it up and just left."

He paused for a moment, soaking himself in the bittersweet memories.

"What about you? What happened after that that led you here?"

"When war and conquest is involved, you'll never be the same as at the end of it." She stated simply, a small smile on her lips. "You'll do things that you regret, change your view on the world and the people in it, so much of you will go through hell and yeah, you can give up, or you can commit. Guess our difference is that you quit, while I committed." A perfect statement to lead into answering his next set of questions.

"My inner demon lead me here, literally." She started. "My family dealt with a curse and in order to prevent it from spreading, I took it unto myself and threw my will into conquering anything and everything, in order to appease the demon. When we arrived to this universe, let's just say a few freak accidents tore the thing from me, so I took my chance and killed it." Marigold explained, her golden eyes reflected the notion she experienced these events all over again, in a simple blink of the eyes. "But then... Even after the inner hunger for conquest left, I still sought it, but for different reasons this time. I wanted to establish order here... Hayden was an idiot, who brought all of the world leaders low and left them without direction. I had to be that direction. The rest, you know." The woman concluded with a light chuckle.

So she left for the sake of her family, sacrificing what she had built in order to protect the ones she loved. Marigold, while still probably ruthless, had a heart. She seemed like she had her priorities in order. The time under her rule was interesting, though admittedly, Shirou didn't really witness much of it as he was too busy rebuilding. But there were no significant wars or complaints that she was a horrible dictator, and she just left of her own accord.

Marigold mentioned Hayden, the mysterious man who had terrorized the worlds when Shirou had come here. Shirou let out a quick laugh, thinking back to his first moments in this universe. "Did you know that Hayden is the reason why I became Death," Shirou said with a grin. "I came to this universe, lacking any clothes, as I'm sure you have witnessed yourself, and happened to have the luck to encounter Hayden as he was trying to torch people. Not yet used to how this universe was and my body not adjusted to it, my ass was promptly handed to me and he ended my life. Next thing I knew, I woke up in the Underworld, reborn, and then after that, recruited to be the leader."

There was a raised eyebrow as Shirou explained his rise to becoming the Lord of the Underworld. Interestingly enough, it involved the madman Hayden, who took many lives. More than Marigold herself had taken during her rise as queen in the universe, but that was simply her splitting hairs. "No, I came with the shirts on my back and many more in my closet, that I had built into my ship." The woman giggled. "But I must say, a story of death and rebirth is something I've only experienced three times. Once when one of my own reclaimed their heart, another time when I went to hell and came back and the last time was when my husband died."

A finger had been placed against her chin, golden eyes gazing at an upwards angle, while she contemplated the many times "death" had been a factor in her actions. Quite the many times, but no one had been able to come back, like the three instances she had listed.

The Death God's mouth dropped open and his left eye twitched. Marigold didn't come here naked? Nobody she was with came here naked? What the hell. Why did he appear naked? He shook his head, realizing that he was getting distracted. But man, that really pissed him off. He let out a small sigh. It was realistically probably because he just didn't have any experience in doing so. Hopefully, if he were to ever travel across realities again, he'd have a better grasp of how to do it, at least enough to keep his damn clothes on.

Shirou was surprised when Marigold revealed that she had died previously as well, multiple times no less, though he wasn't sure how literal some of those times were. "I see there are many parallels between us," he said with a grimace. "I've died three other times as well. First, I lost my heart and became a shell until it was shoved back into me. Then I was played for a fool and got sent to Hell to do the devil's dead. Finally, in order to cut ties with my home, I died so I could escape."

As he recounted his deaths, the memories flashed in his mind. Wandering aimlessly in the Darkness, looking for power but being overwhelmed by heartless. Traveling through the same darkness and facing Chernabog, his flesh melting from his skin as he was incinerated. And then finally, the final fight with Onyx, his convenient chess piece at the time. Dropping the replica in and then running away. Those were all distant memories now, over two decades ago. It was weird how things had calmed down. He really had retired.

But there was something that seemed to nag on Shirou's mind, and it had been for a while now. Family.

"I've never really had family like you had," Shirou said, seemingly abruptly changing the topic. "My mother died and my father was never even there. My grandparents died as well. I had no siblings or other immediate family. But, years later, I found two people I thought closely of. I had created a replica of myself who became a permanent addition to my life, and he became more like a brother. And then I met a cousin. I didn't know her for long, but it was nice having a connection like that with somebody." Shirou found himself missing them. Marigold brought her family over with her, but Shirou left his behind. And even though he had a new family now, it wasn't the same. It probably never could be.

"There seems to be a lot of death surrounding you, Shirou. Guess we're much a like in that manner." The woman commented once he had ended his bit of reminisce, which got her thinking a little bit more about her own losses. "I had to kill my own mother and father, for the sake of setting their souls free. I willingly inherited their burdens when I was around 18 and had become the young heiress to our family name." A light sigh left her lips, before she chuckled. "Talk about growing up fast, right? But I'm glad that for the both of us, we were able to find others who we could confide in. Sure, you don't have your blood related family and it won't be the same, but you cannot deny the feelings involved when you're with those who you tag with familial love. Either way, you have someone to call family." Her words were meant to encourage, not lecture, if that's how she sounded.

Truly, Marigold had secretly favored bonds formed over dedication and loyalty to one another, rather than blood. When family was involved and they tried to use that blood bond against her, it sickened her deeply. Just because one was related to her didn't mean they were entitled to anything of hers. She worked hard for it, and so did those who followed behind her to the very end. Her followers, her people, those who supported her were her true family. That's not to say Gwain, Celia, Lily, Morgan and Maria didn't fit in there, but those are a given. They worked hard to be who they were...

"Shirou, while the topic of family and death is still a little up in the air, I've been meaning to ask you something." She stated, moving some hair out of her face and leaning forward. Marigold rested her chin upon her folded hands and gazed deeply into his eyes. "Your previous universe, you said was identical to this, but major events played out differently. What exactly did you mean by that and who were the people involved with these events?" How was that related to the topic? Well, because when Marigold had arrived, she came with family and was in the middle of a lot of carnage. Did Shirou's universe run parallel with this one? Should it have, that meant something happened twenty years before that she had no idea of... That sort of knowledge was necessary.

Shirou mentally added "dead parents" to a list of how alike Marigold and his lives had been so far. He wondered if that was a trait common among immigrants from other dimensions, or if the type of people he and Marigold were would inevitable find themselves in a different reality due to their live choices.

"Differences, huh?" Shirou echoed, cupping his chin with his fingers as he thought about it. A lot of things were different, physically at least. Well, they were when Shirou initially got here at least. A lot of things had changed in the past twenty years that set this reality apart from his old one by a large margin. Not to mention that despite that large amount of time passing, Shirou had arrived much earlier in the timeline here than previously. He guess right now, it was about three or four years after the point he left in the previous universe.

"The worlds didn't advance much, like they did in this universe. They pretty much stayed the same when we first arrived. I guess the biggest difference is how much more bloody and violent the worlds were," Shirou said finally. "Maybe because certain people existed there that didn't exist here that pushed forward that environment, but there were more wars, more brutal fights between titan-like fighters. I remember on my second trip outside of my world, I caused mischief in the wrong library. The world ruler came in and personally punished me, cursing me with an evil worm."

Shirou sighed, the memory of his foolishness and immaturity annoying him in retrospect. "Almost died. And that was what it was like for a lot of people, just starting out. The chances of dying were very high, if you couldn't already tell from my current death count. And, as I already mentioned, I built a empire. It was called the Superior Society, a tongue in cheek name. But, I was able to create it taking advantage of a particularly violent epidemic that was happening.

"There was a group of people lead by a man who claimed to save people by killing him. They destroyed worlds. Stirred up fear and panic, though it only proved to show how cowardly the people who ran the worlds were," he continued, a grimace appearing on his face. "In my infinite wisdom at the time, I decided to use the fear. I wasn't particularly interested in being a hero then, and I figured if people wanted this man to be stopped, they'd step up to do it themselves. So like a true business man, I coerced other worlds to enter an alliance with me, in exchange for protection. Using my replica disguised as somebody else to aid that man to steer the disasters in my favor."

Shirou paused and exhaled, realizing he was starting to talk quite a bit. "He was the one who actually killed me. Caught on to what I was doing and barged in. I, at the time, was disgusted with who I had become, how far I had fallen, and used the opportunity." He chuckled. "Funny. I used him up until the very last minute."

Marigold sat back in her chair, once more showing that attentive nature she had. Her features hardened as the description went on, with the former queen feeling that bit of paranoia spark up in her heart. At the back of her mind, she pushed the potential of someone, anyone rivaling her army, but it seemed as though Shirou did. The woman didn't fear those who were akin to her, but she knew what they were capable of should they be pushed far enough. From the sounds of it, the Lord of the Underworld was more or less a, "bad guy," in the eyes of certain people. Mari just classified him as a shrewd businessman, the very type she despised working with back in her homeworld. They were hard to work with and always tried to find ways to use their assets, otherwise they don't bother with people who can remain autonomous.

Shirou was young and foolish at the end of the day, but the way in which he described these events and how he's changed into a more respectable man now, leads to the imagination that he probably disliked his old self. Truth be told, it'd make sense because she disliked younger Mari herself. So many bridges burnt back in her yester years, but there wasn't anything she could do about that now. A smile came to her lips briefly, masked by seriousness as there was a particularly interesting subject that came about. A group that claimed to save people by killing them? Reminded her of a certain parasitic demon, except it was never stopped and allowed to continue its path of destruction. A group who destroyed worlds, killed people and Shirou used them up until the very end?

"What was the name of this group, who was their leader and what do you think became of them when you came back to life here?" Ah, yes, that famous Marigold Darkson paranoia, that allowed her to stay alive for so long, her legacy maintained. Shirou could go to another dimension or universe, Marigold developed technology to do so, and there were many others capable of similar feats. If Shirou died before he could put down the rabid dog, that was those fanatical group of people who killed others as a form of salvation. She wasn't a saint by any means, but those were exactly the type of people she never wanted to see come to these worlds...

Marigold seemed to have an interest in Onyx and his ragtag team, probably out of worry that they show up here and wreak havoc. A valid assumption. Shirou proceeded to tell Marigold all that remembered of the group, the members and the monikers they had gone by at the time. In truth, Shirou didn't know much about his followers, only Onyx himself since they fought and he was often at the forefront of the destruction. Sicarius would probably know more about it, since he spent more time, but he didn't have a way to contact him.

"If I were somebody to compare Onyx to, it'd probably be Hayden," Shirou concluded. "A part of me wishes there could be a rematch, where both of us went all out because I honestly don't know if I could have defeated him. Veara might be able to, but who knows."

It was truly and utterly disturbing. There was no difference between the two universes. Both of them had lunatics, who killed to further their insidious agendas. Anyone being compared to Hayden was a threat, short and simple. No matter what the intention is, the actions always dictated the severity of one's insanity and danger to the people at large. This, "Onyx," person and his, "Apocalypse," should they have had ever come with eyes for conquest...

"Pray, I don't think it'd be a fair rematch, Shirou." She started, her eyes gazing outward to the scenery once more. "Because I'd try everything in my power to lay him low. Those are the people you can't ever give the chance to have power or escape to plot another day..." Her words came dark, almost foreboding. Her brow was furrowed at the thought of potentially having to pull everyone from retirement. It'd take everything the Darkson's could throw at a group rivaling her own kingdom's power, in order to stop it. Such a vexing situation.

Those golden eyes eventually softened, her smile returning to her red, full lips. "Forgive me. The inner queen still hasn't left me and hearing about this group has me a little paranoid. Thankfully..." Her words had trailed off for a moment. "Thankfully, I was able to ask all the right questions, but another thing bugs me. Shirou, if you used them to further your own goals, how were you not able to gain more information on them? Didn't you have a spy among their ranks?"

Shirou chuckled as he shook his head. "Don't give them any breathing room, huh?" His tone was embittered with old feelings of frustration. "That's exactly what people did. He probably wouldn't have done so much if people had actually banded together instead of having pointless meetings and arguments."

"Onyx and his crew were an...enigmatic bunch. Unpredictable. I spent most of my time tending to expanding my empire, while having Sicarius keep an eye on Onyx," Shirou said with a shrug. "I didn't want to risk get exposed by directly approaching him and, well, Sicarius only told me what I needed to know. I kind of was getting tunnel vision from all the power, regrettably."

"Sounds like I should have came to that universe, instead of this one. Then again... Who knows what would have happened should Unicornius and Hayden had their ways here, so maybe it's some odd twist of fate." Marigold sighed, leaning back in her chair and cupping a cheek with her hand. "Anyways, it's unfortunate your universe decided to act like cavemen when dealing with the threat. Really, it takes immediate action to quell such a threat like Onyx and his group..." She concluded.

From there, she understood why Shirou's information was limited. Couldn't let himself be found out, plus only being told what was important to himself, almost as if Apocalypse had no idea Shirou was pulling their strings from the beginning. This Sicarius person must have done their job well enough to stay alive for that long, while his creator's head swelled with the arrogance of a ruler. "Tis fine, you were just a boy with power and that never ends well. Not many can have the luxury of being groomed into level-headed rulers." Marigold said with a coy smirk, clearly poking fun at the man.