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Chapter 1:

Shirou looked at the space where Arturia, his Saber, had been just before. He wanted to rant. To rage against the world's unfairness, but that would only have the effect of making himself feel childish. Instead, as he walked away from the bridge, he resolved himself. He would find some way to find her. To get back to her.

The only question was, of course, how? He understood his limitations. He would always be akin to a third-rate magus, and to find his way to her would take magic on par with sorcery. Shirou paused as he stepped from the bridge, and an older man as tall as Shirou himself walked out the door of a nearby building.

Something about him was wrong. And though the short cloak he wore was something an otaku might wear to a manga convention, that wasn't it. He was a magus, but the scent and the feeling of him combined into something that said he was more. The impression was of something old like he'd been to thousands of places and had as much power as the number of places he'd seen. It must have been over six thousand; then there was blood, lots of blood.

Shirou had to stop himself from running away. He was sure of only one thing. If he ran, the man before him could end him before he got more than a step.

"There is a way you know," the man said as he peered closely at Shirou.

Before Shirou could answer, the man continued. "I can help you reunite with her."

Any thought of running or attacking the man in front of him, though he was sure it wouldn't do any good, disappeared at that moment.

The man laughed, "That got your attention, didn't it, boy?" He said and turned his attention to look out over the water, "You are a very special Emiya Shirou. The exact one I've been searching for."

Shirou's mind was moving like a bullet train. The ancient feel, the offer of reuniting him with Saber. That he, Shirou Emiya, was a special Shirou Emiya.

"I'm not sure how you know my name, sir, but I don't know what you mean," Shirou said.

The man paused as if considering something while looking off into the distance. "Your caution only assures me that you are the one I'm looking for."

With a wave of his hand, a hole opened in the space beside him. "All you have to do is step through here, and as soon as things settle down, I'll reunite you with your Artoria."

Shirou no longer doubted the man knew what he was talking about, but Magi, no matter how powerful, never did something for no reason. It wasn't their way.

The man, noticing Shirou's hesitation, took a step forward, "Come now, boy, you'll be able to help a great many people and return to her side. After all, it's never wrong to want to help people." He said and gestured to the undulating hole.

Shirou still wasn't so sure; there were several reasons not to go. He hadn't graduated, Fuji-nee would probably start a man-hunt for him if he just disappeared, and there was his part-time job, to name a few.

Despite all that, Shirou walked steadily toward the hole. There was no way he could turn away from someone, anyone who might need his help. When he was several steps away, the wormhole rippled and raced about to wait beneath his feet. Just like that, Shirou was falling.

Shapes of every kind and every size flew by in a myriad of colors. A kaleidoscope and it was then Shirou knew just who the man was. Zelretch, the Wizard Marshal, keeper of the second magic.

"You were taking a bit too long, and you were going to say yes, weren't you? Don't worry about things here! I've made sure to leave a note on the table for your caretaker!" Zelretch called after him.

For all that he fell through the tunnel, Shirou wouldn't have been able to tell if it weren't for the sensation that came with it. The hole he'd come through had vanished, and the world between that he was in seemed intent on rotating in every direction available. Worse, he'd no idea how long he'd been falling.

Shirou gripped his stomach as it heaved and slammed his eyes shut. Focusing on his breathing, he found his center as he had so many times before in the archery club and began to count. Every five minutes, he'd open his eyes and look for anything that might suggest the end of his interdimensional trip.

Twenty-five minutes later, he spotted it, far off to his right. A golden ring that the colliding greens and reds disappeared against, the single point of stillness. He plummeted towards it.

As he breached the new reality, he found he was still falling, a chilled wind scraping across his face. Below him was a large building looking something like a mansion in the center of what could have been a park or forest; it looked quite a bit like the Einzbern mansion. Shirou shunted magical energy through his system, saturating his muscles and pushing them to their utmost limit and braced for impact.

He slammed into the roof, throwing up a massive amount of roofing tile, wood chips, and splinters, not to mention the cracking and crushing sound one would expect. He didn't stop there. He crashed through the attic and then another room. When he came to a stop on the next floor, however, he found his landing was far softer than he'd been expecting. The dust kept him from seeing even with his reinforced eyes, but a single touch was all it took for Shirou to realize he'd landed on and broken some kind of furniture, a couch or bed perhaps.

He was on his feet as the door slammed open, though he wasn't quite sure what to do. He knew enough about the Wizard Marshal to know his landing site was no accident, but that didn't mean he was in hostile territory. Still, he readied several swords for projection. He'd learned his lessons during the grail war well. He wouldn't be caught unprepared.

"Who's there?" It was a feminine voice, strong and authoritative.

Shirou stilled what he was supposed to say to that? "Emiya Shirou. Sorry, I fell through your house?" Granted, he was half sure lancer might have said something like that, but he wasn't going to. Three figures moved closer from the depths of the dust, and Shirou found himself taking a breath.

The first and second people had a smell that left him with the impression of poisons, antidotes, and depression. The third, well, there was something off about the third. There was nothing he could attribute it to beyond the feeling he'd gotten from a few of Kiritsugu's old contacts that came not knowing the man had died. It was something inhuman, demonic perhaps giving him the impression of hot ash coated his skin, and then there was the warm scent of blood, lots of blood.

Moving to his feet, Shirou raised his hands, palms up to indicate he wasn't a threat. This also left him in a position to trace a sword to attack or defend was just a valuable bonus as far as he was concerned. It was a good thing, too, as he caught sight of the cloud of dust billow away from something that was quickly moving through the smoke.

Apparently, his momentary silence had left them with the impression he was an attacker.

He took a half step back. "Trace on," Shirou said. Two weapons that had become very familiar to him over the course of the past few days filled his hands, and he swung. He could feel something rip against the edge of the blade even as something wrapped about it. Cold shot across his palms and the feel of the hot ash began to cake across his skin.

He brought down Bakuya and sheared at whatever trapped Kanshou and settled into his stance. The dust whirled downward, pulled by whatever was whipping through the air.

When it finished, he found himself looking at three young women, one of whom had hair that flicked through the air. The very sight of it sent a shiver through Shirou. There was no way he wouldn't view it as dangerous. The other two, twins, were dressed as maids, one in the style of the far east and she had amber eyes and the other wearing an outfit far more common in Europe with jade.

Even after a minute, he couldn't come up with a better answer than the one he'd already come up with. "I'm Shirou Emiya, sorry about your roof," he finally said with a wince.

The lead girl's hair snapped out like a bullwhip. Shirou stepped forward and caught the tip of the assault against the flat of his blade. "Can't we talk about this?"

The hair spun its way around his blade in response as two more lengths launched toward him, and a small bottle sailed through the air.

"Kohaku, was that the mint oils you were making for us?" Whispered the one wearing the western maid outfit.

"You didn't need to say that." The one in the eastern outfit responded as Shirou eyed the ground where the broken glass lay in a shallow pool. It may have been as innocuous as the twin suggested, but Shirou wasn't about to risk it. Which meant the maids had managed to limit his movement.

"Can we please just talk about this?" Shirou called.

"Certainly, just hold still for a moment."

The hair pulled across his arms leaving the area it touched, feeling like he'd left it outside in the harshest of winters. It was so cold, it burned. He flicked his hand, and Kanshou whirled out to his side, arcing around like a killer buzzsaw that had been implanted with a homing beacon. The hair girl tried to snag it and lost a good chunk of her hair for her trouble

Shirou lurched toward the girls, Bakuya singing as he hurled it toward the opposite wall and kicked himself into high gear as he ducked under another of the chorded strands.

"Lady Akiha!" The maid who'd thrown the vial said, the worry in her voice not only caught Shirou's attention but Akiha's. Seeing his chance, Shirou burst into a sprint as she turned to her companion and winding up slammed the blunt edge of the blade to the back of her head.

Like a sack of bricks, she dropped to the floor, the feel of the charred scent immediately grew lighter.

"My Lady!" The jade-eyed twin said aghast.

Looking at the young woman on the floor, Shirou winced, he hadn't meant to hit her quite so hard. Still, she wasn't bleeding.

His traced copies fell from his hands breaking down into motes of magical energy, they never even had a chance to touch the ground. Leaning down, Shirou scooped the unconscious girl into his arms and turned to the maids, neither looking particularly pleased.

"Get away from her!" The one who'd asked if her sister had thrown the mint oils demanded.

Shirou sighed, "Is there somewhere I can put her down that won't be on a floor covered in a bunch of debris?"

The other maid gave him a scrutinizing look before gesturing back through the door they'd come in. "Hisui, lead him to the study, we can place Lady Akiha on a couch for the moment."

"But Kohaku!" Hisui said, she seemed ready to argue but her sister stopped her with a look and she promptly made her way out the door.

When Kohaku looked back at him Shirou started after his guide, keenly aware that the more dominant twin was at his back looking for any reason to pull a knife or some other weapon she no doubts kept on her person and bury it into his back. Though he was fairly certain her attempt would fail he'd no intention of creating more distrust by giving her a reason.

"Care to explain why you decided to break into the house via the roof and floors? I do believe you'd have had an easier time using a window."

Adjusting the girl in his arms, Shirou looked back at Kohaku. "I don't suppose I can explain this after your lady wakes up so I only have to do it once?"

"Afraid not, I require an explanation."

He'd spent enough time with Rin to understand the hidden meaning in the seemingly benign comment. She wanted to see if his explanation matched what he gave the girl in his arms after she woke up.

So, after he placed the Lady of the house onto a rather plush burgundy couch, Shirou began his explanation. Or at least a simplified version of it. They were already aware of the moonlit world so he'd no reason to even attempt to hide too much. In the end, it came down to "A super-powerful magus who had a few screws loose got him with some kind of displacement Magecraft leaving him to fall through the house's roof and several subsequent floors."

Kohaku merely hummed after he'd finished speaking.

She gestured for him to take a seat in the chair furthest from the lady of the house and so he did. What came next was silence. The twins spent their time adjusting the young lady for her comfort or preparing tea, of which there were multiple pots to ensure the tea was at its greatest potency and temperature. They were very good at it, the only change Shirou would have made is he would have allowed the steeping process to continue for about thirty more seconds.

Shirou bit his lip as he looked over the girl, he was starting to wonder if he'd struck her too hard. He had been fighting people with a constitution that would find even steel wanting, stood to reason he would attack as if he were still fighting them. Which if that were the case then there was a chance she wasn't going to wake at all. His stomach contracted, twisting itself into an extra tight ball.

And then, if she was okay, he couldn't ignore the fact that he broke her house! Even if he didn't mean to cause it, even if it was done to him by someone else, there had to have been something he could have done. Still though, needing a new roof was a much better thing than her being hurt, the damage that he'd caused could be fixed. Heck, he could fix it! He would fix it! It was the least he could do! Of course, there was whatever the wizard marshal wanted from him.

He shook his head, he'd handle that when he had some clue as to what he needed to do. The next question that came to mind was where was he. Japan, to be sure and from their accents in the Kanto region. He scratched at his head, he was going to need a map.

It was fifteen minutes later when she first stirred. The ball in his stomach gave way and when she finally woke ten minutes later, Kohaku explained the situation to her.

A few moments later, she turned her attention to Shirou and spoke. "Emiya Shirou, I would like you to enter the service of my family."

"Why?" He asked, already knowing there was a decent chance he wouldn't like the answer.

She raised herself to look at him, her mouth forming a thin line. "Setting aside the damages your entrance has caused to my home, which you're working here will repay. It's quite possible that whichever magus sent you here thinks you dead."

She raised an eyebrow in askance to which Shirou nodded. Not many magi bothered with reinforcement and likely would have been killed by the fall alone.

She nodded and picked up her teacup. "So it would be better if you remained here for a time. As for us, if you know what we are, then you should understand I fear for my brother's safety. He doesn't know, and many of my family would prefer him to have never walked through the halls of my home today."

"You think they might come after him?" Shirou asked, doing his best to hide a wince at the damage he'd caused with his landing.

"I do. My brother does not have much luck, I'm afraid." She took a sip of her tea as she finished speaking.

Shirou considered his options, of which there weren't many. He had no money, no shelter, or work and didn't even have any of the connections Kiritsugu had left him at his passing. Plus, Akiha was worried for her brother's safety though he didn't quite understand why her brother cut up someone so efficiently. Then again, he didn't seem to have meant to do it.

Shirou nodded. "I'll look out for your brother, Lady Akiha."

"Welcome to the Tohno household Emiya-san."

Shirou bowed, "I'll be in your care."

She waved a hand in the universal sign of dismissal as she turned back to her tea. "Kohaku will explain your duties."

If Shirou hadn't been paying attention, he might have noticed the barest tightening of the girl's mouth as she moved to guide him through the house.

"During the day, you will accompany Master Shiki to his school. Should anyone ask why? You will answer that it is in regards to his health. When you are here, you will be in uniform. We will provide those to you come morning."

Shirou nodded, and though he did listen, he was watching as she seemed to once more adjust her path ever so slightly to move onto a collision course with an elephant statue. He readied himself to catch it when she appeared to stumble over her feet. Shirou took a half step forward, grabbing her arm with one hand and wrapping his other arm around her waist.

He'd barely gotten her back onto her feet when Shirou found himself shoved away, though the effect was less than ideal. Shirou, not expecting to be pushed, did move, but Kohaku came with him.

Together they slammed into the floor. Shirou jerked away as she continued to struggle, and a moment later, they were on opposite sides of the hall.

He watched Kohaku shake as she worked to even her breathing, and when she had, she cocked her head toward him and smiled the same smile she'd been using earlier. "Apologies, Emiya-San, I don't much care to be touched, you see."

Shirou shook his head; there was nothing to explain. He'd seen similar behavior before. He also remembers how she reacted when he'd brought it up. The breathing she'd been working so hard to keep under control became erratic all over again. Simply enough, it was better not to.

"Don't worry about it," Shirou said, waving off her apology.

"Very well, shall we make a stop so that you can call your family and tell them where you are?"

Shirou shook his head, "I appreciate the thought, but there's no one to call." He said. Primarily, he thought, since I'm not even from this dimension.

She stared at him for just a moment before continuing down the hall. "Right this way then," her words carried over his shoulder.

He followed after her. She stopped at a door that was slightly ajar. Just enough to show the corner of a dresser on which a knife sat. "This is Master Shiki's room, memorize its location as you will be attending him come the morning." She said before continuing on.

At the end of the hall, she opened the door that led to one of the smallest bedrooms Shirou had ever seen.

"Please settle in. You'll be served dinner here tonight. You will join us in the dining room starting tomorrow morning, where you will be introduced to Master Shiki. Please note it is forbidden to wander around the house after ten p.m." She gave him a short bow and walked away.

His room was spartan. A single bed pressed into a corner, a desk a few paces from that, and a small dresser placed beside an equally small closet. Probably this small because they didn't want a servant to get above their station, Shirou thought as he looked around.

Shirou had the feeling that no one had ever used the room.

Shirou lowered himself onto the bed as he slipped his wallet from his back pocket. He already knew that the ten thousand yen he had in his wallet wouldn't stretch very far, and he wasn't going to expect his employer to foot his clothing bills. Which likely meant he'd be wearing his uniform during some of his off-hours as well.

Reaching over, he opened the desk's top drawer and was surprised to find a note inside.

Shirou, my boy!

I wanted to let you know I have the utmost faith in your abilities to handle what's coming. It will not be easy, but there'd be no point in having heroes if things were.

The ancestors are powerful beings. As you are, victory may be out of reach. As such, when you face something you cannot defeat. I urge you to remember the words of the Archer. "Imagine something that can."

In other news:

I must say your caretaker isn't taking your absence well. Rest assured, she will be fine. I'll see to it. I have also enclosed a copy of the note that I left for her so that you might see it for yourself.

Z.

Shirou wasted no time in reading through the note that Zelretch had left for Taiga. As soon as he finished, he crumpled it into a ball and heaved it across the room.

"Jackass!" He snapped.

Shirou laid back in his bed, staring at the night sky, pondering all the various ways he'd get his revenge on the wizard marshall. Sure most of them weren't viable as he'd see them coming. Other's weren't anatomically possible. But, all in all, it did leave him feeling much better about it.

After a time, the stoic sister, Hisui, Shirou reminded himself, brought him his meal and quickly left.

Dinner was a very well-done curry and rice. Though as far as Shirou could tell, it could have used a little more garlic. Still, it was enjoyable. He'd have to find who made it and give them his compliments and a few suggestions to improve the dish as well.

As he finished his meal, Shirou turned his attention to the boy he'd be looking after. Or, more specifically, the knife he'd seen in his room. It was a special one.

Bringing forth the image of the blade, Nanatsu-Yoru or "Seven Nights". Shirou saw it was a demon-hunting blade. For centuries the weapon severed demonic beings tether to reality. Passed from one hand to the next in the Nanaya-clan, it continued its task until it reached its current holder.

Never before had the blade slept so long, nor cut so smoothly through the body which it struck.

It was a tool of life and death.

The weapon of an assassin, as it was one of the clan's techniques used on the woman.

So it wasn't the knife itself, which meant that Shiki was the one with a unique ability. Overall it left Shirou with more questions than answers.

Who was Shiki Tohno? What was his ability? Was he some kind of psychotic killer? According to the blade, it had cut through someone while he'd held it. Of course, it could have been in self-defense.

In the end, he realized that Akiha was most definitely right. Her brother needed some protection, and those around him might need it from him.

It was Hisui who came to gather his dishes and when he expressed his enjoyment and his suggestions alike, she hummed in response. The same way a few of his classmates had before he'd brought in an extra bento for them. Of course, it led to a number of the cooking club members coming to him for advice.

One look at the clock, and he found it was nearing ten. Deciding it was time to turn in for the night, Shirou settled into bed.

That night he dreamed not of great battles or long campaigns, not of countless people burning in the wake of a fire that he survived nor even the hill of swords that had permeated his dreams from time to time. Instead, he dreamed of his Saber and walking with her through a field of tall green grasses.

He woke early the next morning and moved through the house as quietly as he could. In each open room, he passed, he looked in search. Then he found it.

The kitchen was dazzling. Marble counters, stainless steel knives of the highest quality, and all the latest appliances not including a microwave. Which was just well in Shirou's opinion, those things only provided lazy and poor eating habits. The fridge was extraordinarily well-stocked. Fresh meats and vegetables, the cheese looked as if it were never packaged in plastic.

But the quality of the foods didn't matter. He had more important things to focus on.

Shirou sliced relentlessly, tirelessly. Red chunks fell away, but he knew it wasn't enough. Locking on to his next target he continued. One by one they fell to pieces, the red of their life force pooling around them. With the slightest smile, Shirou moved to the next step. With practiced ease, he cracked his quarry into the counter he stood beside, innards splayed across the steel, faster he moved, others joining the first, and he began working so quickly the lost fluids merged into a slurry.

Still, he wasn't done. The edges of his blades raked across his foe gouging grooves and scoring until shredded bits were all that remained.

They doubted his ability, and he was going to show them they shouldn't have! Even the King of Knights had acknowledged his ability. He would leave them staring, speechless, nothing was going to stop him! He was going to destroy the enemy.

A fire sparked at his other side. Metal scraped and clanged against metal. Soon enough he'd no targets left, and the liquids hissed against the fire's heat.

"Oh!"

Shirou turned and found Kohaku staring at him. She stood in the doorway looking on at him in a mix of surprise, and no small amount of annoyance. The look vanished in a moment replaced by the almost unnerving smile she always wore.

"Emiya-san," she said, "While I,-"

Shirou smiled, "I woke up early and couldn't sleep," he explained cutting her off.

"So you decided to make breakfast?" She asked with an arch of her brow.

He nodded, "It was the least I could do after Lady Akiha gave me a job." He explained, and though she smiled still he didn't miss the microsecond of aggravation that slipped through her facade.

"I'm sure it'll taste wonderful." She proclaimed, "I'll see to the table and set the mistress to waking then."

As she left Shirou turned back to the stove, the last of the omelets were finished as was the miso soup, the tomatoes were sliced and ready and the rice only had minutes left. Though as he looked it over, he had to wonder if he'd made too much, he'd made enough to even leave Arturia content.

But it wasn't as if it'd go to waste.

"If there's too much, it'll make a fine lunch," he told himself, and after looking over the rice one more time he began scrubbing the dishes he hadn't gotten to. After all, as far as he was concerned, if the kitchen or his sleeves were messy, one couldn't call themselves a proper cook.

As he finished bringing the breakfast to the table he found it had been filled, if one could count two people sitting at a table full. One was, of course, Akiha and the other was a bespectacled boy who looked to be the epitome of the word, "average". Shiki Tohno, no doubt.

Kohaku, Hisui, and himself ate their meal in silence in a room just off the main dining hall. A room meant for servants so they were all on hand. Both girls had their eyes on him as they slowly almost reverently ate their meals. He felt the briefest surge of pride which he quickly shoved down. Still, they beat a hasty retreat as soon as they'd finished their food. Kohaku headed back toward the dining hall and Hisui took a side door that Shirou was certainly led back into the kitchen.

He hadn't even finished his meal when a bell was run.

"That's for you," Hisui said as she moved back into the room.

Shirou walked into the hall as the bell rang again, a good thing too as it guided him away from the dining room and back into the study.

"Shiki, this is Emiya Shirou, he will be your attendant for the foreseeable future.

It was not a comfortable scene, Akiha was sitting in her armchair, Kohaku at her right side, while her older brother Shiki was frowning at her, that is when he wasn't glancing at Shirou.

"I don't need a minder Akiha!" He said, and Shirou found himself at the wrong end of the other boy's glare. Not that it was particularly threatening. For all that, the boy gave off a feeling that set Shirou on edge, Shiki Tohno looked more like an angry hamster than someone who might be dangerous.

"You collapsed brother." Akiha said, "Added to the fact that you are to be the next head of the Tohno family, it is only proper that you have an attendant."

The boy scoffed. "So I have a small issue with anemia, that doesn't give you the right to hire some guy to follow me around and make sure I'm not about to collapse."

Akiha stood, "Shiki, this is not up for debate. Emiya-san will be accompanying you."

With a gesture at Kohaku, she walked out of the room, leaving Shirou alone with Shiki.

Chapter End

I hope you all like the newest version of the chapter a lot more. Not a huge amount of changes but enough. If you'd like to join my Discord server the link is:

(htt) ps:/ (/discord.) (gg/hN3eEHq) Just remove the parentheses and spaces.

(htt) (ps): /w -ww. (patre) on .c (om) /posts/49687716 will lead you to the buttons image.

And let's face it, you were all waiting for this. The best part of the story, right? The Omake: The note left behind.

Fuji-nee.

After recent events, I can't stay here. Not if I want to be a true Hero of Justice. So, I have decided to go on a journey. I hope to find the path that will lead me to the future I want.

Shirou had to stop himself from shredding the paper as he read the words written in a hand that looked so much like his own.

Someday when I have found what I'm looking for, I will come back. I promise. And don't worry about my studies, I won't be slacking off. I've already set it up so that I can send in my coursework.

While a comforting thought that he left her with hope about his academic future, Shirou had this weird thought that Zelretch would be flinging his classwork into the vortex and having him do it. It seemed like something the jerk would do for a laugh.

Don't get too mad.

Shirou

"What a complete moron! Of course, she's going to be mad! I would never write something as dumb as that!"

A scene unfolded before his eyes. Taiga slapping missing person photos all over the place. Ranting on that, she knew he didn't write the letter for that one line. She might even go so far as to get her Grandfather's men to start scouring the countryside to find him.

Shirou shivered. He almost didn't want to go back if that was the case... Maybe Zelretch would send him straight to Artoria instead?

Living in the past couldn't be that bad, could it? Who needs things like indoor toilets? Though he would truly miss his kitchens.

Chapter 2

When Shirou got back to his room he found a package was waiting for him at the bottom of his bed. Upon opening it, he found a school uniform identical to the one Shiki had been wearing, awaiting him.

"Do not waste time, Master Shiki has already left for school." Hisui's dull voice came from behind him.

"On my way Hisui-san," Shirou said as he began pulling off his shirt. He didn't receive a response and a glance over his shoulder told him what he already knew, the maid was gone. It was something about the maid, she never lingered, which added to the fact that she never smiled amounted to all of the knowledge he managed to learn about the girl.

Still, it was a mystery for another time. He changed as quickly as he could manage and all but bolted out of the house and sprinted down the way until he got through the gates. Shiki was nowhere to be seen.

Shirou sighed, he knew the boy was resistant to his presence but he figured he could have at least gotten directions to school.

Turning his head back toward the house he found that a sleek black sedan was rolling toward him. As it pulled in, he found the tinted window rolling down and they're sitting in the driver's seat was Kohaku.

"It's to the right, if you hurry you should be able to catch up relatively quickly. Under other circumstances, I would suggest you allow me to drive you to catch up but the lady has to get to school as well."

Shirou shook his head, "You've been plenty enough help." He bowed as the car pulled away and turned his attention back down the way his ward had headed to reach his school. He thrust his magical energy through his system, suffusing his muscles, his bones, his ligaments, and even his senses so they would not only meet the capabilities of the apex of humankind but surpass them.

Shirou took off. The wind clawed at his face as he moved, sprinting down the sidewalk, bolting across the street, blowing past two girls headed in the same direction as he himself. He'd likely draw some attention but it wasn't enough to worry about, especially if Akiha was correct and there was someone out to end Shiki's life.

It was as he began down a curving slope, he found Shiki. The boy walked with purpose, one handheld at his side curled into a tight fist, the other clutching at his bag. The only question was what was his purpose? To get to school or to get away from the Tohno house and Shirou by association.

When the boy stopped beside a couple of vending machines and began looking around, Shirou had to conclude it might have been for a different reason entirely. Still, as he made his approach, the boy didn't seem to notice or care. Only when he made to move on did he seem to see Shirou.

"Just leave me alone." He said and started back down the street.

Shirou walked five paces behind Shiki, not out of any sense of duty or propriety but for two far more important reasons. The first because it was far easier to keep an eye on the young man when he was right in front of him and two because the boy would not stop glaring at him.

So when they passed by a park, a blonde woman that felt like she smelled of blood and ancient stone, stepped in front of them, the hair on Shirou's arms stood on end.

"Well hello there." She said.

Shiki just stared back at her for a moment and slack-jawed, "You, you, you," He stuttered.

"Oh come on, I'm sure you remember well enough, the way you killed me? Cut me into seventeen pieces. It takes a lot of time to heal that kind of thing you know?"

Shirou was about to step in when Shiki began hyperventilating and bolted into the street, right into the path of an oncoming car. Shirou sprinted for him, slamming his shoulder into the smaller boy and sending him tumbling from the car's path but out of the street entirely.

He looked at Shirou, surprised, and for a second, he thought he saw the other boy nod before one glance at what Shirou knew to be the blond still waiting on the sidewalk sent Shiki running off again. Pausing only long enough to whip his head over his shoulder.

At that moment, Shirou turned his thought of telling the Male Tohno exactly what was going on into an item list, and right below it, he added, warning him not to run into the path of cars while another item came as to inform the young man he'd run faster if he didn't bother to look back. The last one was extremely important. There was a decent chance that in the near future, the other boy would be running for his life.

He tailed the other boy all the way to his school, an unassuming place that while in good repair had clearly seen better days.

"The office is just inside to the right, okay? See if you can't get into a different class than me." Shiki said without a backward glance at Shirou. Having said his piece, he headed up the stairs into the building leaving Shirou to follow his directions, because there was no denying he couldn't just walk into the boy's class and take a seat. The world didn't work that way. Or at least he didn't and judging by the way Shiki told him to visit the office before anywhere else, it was said to bet that it was the same in this world as well.

Upon arriving, Shirou entered the office and found himself facing a desk. The secretary was obviously away from their desk but the only other door connected to the room was wide open.

"Emiya-san, please join me in my office." A voice called from within the open room.

Shirou took a seat opposite of the principal, a short man with thick glasses and what was probably the worst comb-over Shirou had ever seen. Despite that, it was easy to see the man took a great deal of pride in his appearance. There wasn't a hint of stubble on his face, his Armani suit was perfectly pressed, even his teeth almost shined, they were very white.

"Emiya-san, I am Tenjouin Kenichi, the principal of Misaki Municipal." From the top of his desk, he lifted a thin file. "I do make it a point to read up on all the new entries to the school." He flipped the folder open though he didn't so much as glance at it.

"Records of your time in Fuyuki are slim, to say the least, and that was before you and your father seem to have vanished from the face of the earth… Three years of nothing and then."

He threw the folder onto the desk in front of Shirou. There were a few sheets but the topmost sheet was nothing more than a list of his grades and recent test scores. "I studied while we were on the road," Shirou said.

Internally, however, he was focused on the fact that there was a Fuyuki in this reality and a Shirou Emiya in it as well. Or at least there was one. At the very least he'd have to be careful who he might run into if he ever visited the area. Who knew how different their lives might have been.

In addition, Akiha had managed to doctor up or at the very least have someone else doctor up the necessary paperwork to get him into the school. Which meant that she'd gotten her hands on his records. To do that in just a single night showed just how much reach the girl had.

Shirou turned his attention back to the principal as the man took a deep breath, "I am reluctant to believe that your scores are as accurate as they could be without testing you myself." He paused to peek at the clock before standing and pulling his jacket off of its hook.

"Sadly, that will have to wait until next week. Until then I have received notice that you are tending to Tohno-san in regards to his health and general needs. As such you have been placed in his class for the time being."

He headed for the door gesturing at Shirou as he passed. Recognizing the dismissal Shirou followed the man out. "In the meantime, I suggest you go out of your way to prove you are where you're meant to be."

Throughout Shirou's life, there were many times when the conversations he was having took a turn he wasn't expecting, but he could count the number of times he'd almost missed the conversation entirely on one hand. As Tenjouin-san walked away, a fairly attractive young woman in a pantsuit walked in. She pressed a thick booklet into his hands and placed a diagram of the school on top of that, it was clear it was hand-drawn but very neatly.

"I apologize for not guiding you myself but today is a busy day. Just follow the map and you'll get there." She said before nodding to herself as if confirming what she said was what she meant to say.

Shirou nodded, "I appreciate that," he responded and made his way out of the room. To the woman's credit her directions were well done, there wasn't a missed turn or anything else that kept him from finding his way. It even showed the location of the student store and listed off the bathroom locations.

It took him less than five minutes to find his classroom.

"Excuse me," Shirou said as he lightly knocked on the door before sliding it open just a bit. There a man stood the epitome of an unappreciated teacher. Slightly slumped shoulders, shallow face, worn grey suit.

The man barely glanced at Shirou before speaking. "Ah, yes, yes, I believe Tenjouin-sensei mentioned a new student earlier, come in, come in." He said with a sigh and waved Shirou into the room.

"Class, I do apologize for the disturbance but we have a new student today. Emiya-san would you care to introduce yourself?"

Shirou blinked, he had totally forgotten that people actually introduced themselves when entering a new class. In Fuyuki there hadn't been a new member in class for several years. He took a breath and began. "Hello, I'm Emiya Shirou, it's a pleasure to meet all of you. I'm sure we'll get along just fine."

"Swell, Emiya-san. Just swell. You can find an empty seat in the back near the window. Now as I was saying-" As soon as he waved Shirou toward the back of the class, he returned to the book in his hands.

He knew most eyes were on him, most specifically the annoyed hamster glare from Shiki Tohno himself. Though the boy seemed a bit pale if one were to ask Shirou. As he settled into his seat Shirou found that he'd learned the material they were teaching a handful of months ago. He blinked in surprise.

'It seems like so long ago.' He thought, however even as his mind began to wander slightly from where his attention was supposed to be placed, his pencil scratched away at his paper. His notes were going to need to immaculate just in case, after all.

As soon as the bell rang, Shirou found himself surrounded by a handful of students.

"Why did you transfer in so suddenly?"

"Where were you before?"

"Is red your natural hair color or did you dye it? It's a bad job you should sue."

"Hori!"

Shirou smiled and answered.

So the day passed the class in and class out.

At lunch, Shirou pulled out his bento as he looked about the room, many of the students had left the room and a number of others had entered. Groups were quickly formed and the discussions began.

"I'm telling you, if you use the accursed crystal of Toll on the troll, in the beginning, you're wasting it! You need to save it for your encounter with Beelzebub!" A hefty young man with thick glasses said, grabbing another much smaller boy.

"Tomito, just because you aren't capable of matching Beelzebub even with maxing your defense doesn't mean a better player with a more rounded growth can't." A third boy said this one with bowl-cut saffron hair and thick glasses, leaning forward he pushed Tomito's hands off the smallest boy, no doubt the one who'd made the original comment that set Tomito off.

"I used a mix of evading and rend, and after ten minutes he went down." The small boy said.

Having heard enough, Shirou moved to the next group, four girls who'd pushed their tables together and were snagging bites off each other's food.

A blonde girl waving around a cherry tomato spoke first. "Did you see Ryo? The guy's really a model! I'm getting that sweater he was wearing for Tanimoto."

"Well, he does have the looks" This came from a short-haired girl with glasses and wearing butterfly clips in her hair.

The last was a buxom redhead with bright blue eyes who wasn't wearing the school's uniform, instead, she was wearing what looked to be clothing common to wanderers. "Personally, I like Handa, he's so mysterious."

"Rini, we all like Handa but it's like there's some kind of Handa wall keeping us from getting anywhere near the guy."

With a roll of his eyes, Shirou looked to the last group before Shiki was the only one left. All of them had their phones out and were frantically tapping at the screens on their phones. All save for one who was still playing with his phone but was poking at it at a more sedate pace.

"Join me in Gacha hell all of you, join me." He was whispering while glaring at all the other members of the group.

A boy wearing square glasses pushed the hair from his eyes, "Tanaka, just because you blew your entire allowance for J-alter doesn't mean you can try to curse us with the saltiness of your tears."

"Seriously dude, choose a different waifu."

"Never, Isuzu, Never! I WILL HAVE HER!" Any calmness Tanaka had vanished as he jumped to stand in his chair. "I have spent nearly a hundred thousand yen and will spend millions more for that is my way. You can claim Astolfo is enough, that you are content with your lineup. I shall walk as a man walks and pay whatever cost I must to attain what is rightfully mine!"

Isuzu sighed, "Fine just get down, you're an embarrassment."

"A true man cares not if he paints himself a fool! You will not- wah!"

The boy with the square glasses gave the other boy's chair a shove sending Tanaka onto the table.

Shirou looked away and reached for another bite of food only to find another pair of chopsticks moving away with a bit of rice and egg. He followed the arm back up to a blue-haired girl.

"Hi there, I'm Ciel!" She popped the food into her mouth and froze as her eyes slipped closed. "Oh god, this is divine."

Shirou gestured to the food, "Have as much as you'd like." He said as the classroom door banged open, in spilled four young men and a young woman who Shirou vaguely recognized and a teacher.

"Emiya-san, may we speak to you about the Archery club?" The first of the young men said, posing his question to the entire room.

Shirou stood and was about to apologize when the girl's arm jerked up and pointed right at him. "That's the guy sensei, he's the one you're looking for. He's the fastest runner I've ever seen!

Just like that, Shirou realized where he'd seen her. He'd run past her earlier that morning as he was trying to catch up to Shiki.

"The guy is one of the best archers currently in high school! He's joining us, not the track team!"

"Young man, have you thought about joining the Track and field club?" The teacher asked, ignoring the snapping of the archery club.

"Eh-hem," the clearing of a throat caught everyone's attention just as the bell rang. It was a young woman with auburn hair, behind her were the absent members of the class. "I think you all have places you should be," she said.

There was a decent amount of grumble as they all vacated the room but the teacher gave them all the evil eye until they had left.

"Now if we can turn our attention to Japanese literature please?" The teacher asked as she pulled out a book.

About halfway through the class, Shiki raised a hand. The teacher pursed her lips for a moment before calling him on it.

"May I be excused to the restroom?"

"If you must." She said pulling a wooden sign from the desk, she extended it to him, and just like that he was gone.

It was just as the bell rang and Shirou noticed it, Shiki never returned from the bathroom. Rubbing at the back of his head, Shirou quickly walked from the class and began his search. It wasn't really hard to figure out where the young man would go. There was only really one place he could go, home. Severe anemia would lead to too many accidents in clubs after all.

Bringing up the map Hisui had given him of the town Shirou began his search. There were several ways back to the Tohno residence, but most were the long way around leaving only two to fit the will of being the selected paths. Of those two one more uphill than the other leaving just the last one. That it was the path that they used to get to school just that morning made Shirou groan internally. Most people used the same route, especially if they didn't know their lives were in danger.

Telling Shiki was something he was really going to have to consider.

He caught up to Shiki as the boy started to pass a park when a blonde woman, the one who felt like she had the scent of ancient stone, of death and blood, who just so happened to be the one Shirou had seen Shiki talking to earlier in the day, stepped in front of him. Then, the boy ran.

Shirou started to follow when the woman began to move at a pace far beyond that of any humans. Add that to the many victims drained of their blood that had him on edge. He gritted his teeth and took off into a run.

He knew there was no way he was going to get a hold of her before she reached him and that was evident a moment later as she caught up to him and continued running pulling him along behind her. Shirou grit his teeth and pushed himself harder. From the road, he leapt onto a mailbox and from there to the nearest roof. Still, even with him pushing himself to his limit he found he could only just keep the blur that was his target in sight.

They exited the residential area and into the shopping district, somehow avoided drawing suspicion from the handful of shoppers around. They turned down an alley and as he reached the roof above, Shirou slid to a stop. It was a dead-end, the only way out was the way they'd come in unless they decided to start traveling along the roofs.

He was about to drop into the alley swords drawn when he found the blond woman had released Shiki and was talking to him, just talking, no threats, no weapons, not even the suggestion of the idea that he might get hurt. Not to mention he wasn't the only one that seemed interested in the two below. A blackbird settled on to the ledge, opposite to Shirou, seemed just as interested. Sure a bird wasn't a person but in a world where human beings would operate beyond the boundaries of the world's order, he wasn't going to dismiss it.

Shirou started to reach behind himself to begin his tracing when the bird looked at him, cawed, and took to the sky, as Shirou began generating the throwing knife he was going to use to bring it back to the ground, a low rumbling below him caught his attention.

Two demonic wolves barrelled down the alley, and while he knew there was something more to them than being familiars, Shirou couldn't place it. They were wrong, even for creatures markedly of the reverse side of the world. The way they moved, he'd seen the documentary his biology teacher showed about pack hunters, and even compared to that, the creature's movements were far too in sync.

Ten meters between them and their target, Shirou's mind began to race, a plan began to form. At seven meters he stepped from the edge of the building, the legendary weapons crossed like a pair of shears.

"Trace on," Shirou said as he dropped down from the roof he'd perched himself on. Bakuya's mirror-like blade and the tortoise patterned Kanshou filled his hands. The wolves were nearly on the male Tohno heir, three meters remained, and as the first one breached that mark, Shirou landed atop it and plunged the married swords through the beast's neck and spine.

There was a rumbling howl that pierced the air as Shirou stuck the ground in a roll. Planting the edge of Kanshou into the ground, he placed his feet beneath him and skidded across the concrete. The corpse he'd just made, a mottled tangle of limbs, and the black liquid was already breaking down when the other wolf arced above its fallen kin angling to split Shirou from throat to waist with its claws.

Shirou caught the descending claws against the edge of his sword and taking a half step forward lunged with the other to skewer the beast. Its flesh began to give way before it pushed off of Kanshou and leapt away from its death.

"That's not bad! I don't think I've seen a Magus fighting quite like you before." The blonde vampire girl said.

The wolf howled and it wasn't one of challenge or aggression. Shirou's eyes narrowed, it was a call marking its location. He whipped the sword around and slung it toward the beast. The blade spun like a circular saw giving off a heavy buzz as it cut its way through the air and was promptly avoided as the beast slid beneath it.

He swung his blade up, its edge clashing with claws and unlike the last time, Shirou found himself skidding backward. Every instinct he had as a swordsman told him to deflect the beast off to the side and maneuver himself behind it, but that wasn't an option. Not when his charge was standing with the vampire.

No, he had to keep himself between them. Shirou ducked back to avoid the snapping of the creature's teeth. He barely managed it. Worse it left him in a precarious situation where he was off balance. It was only going to take him another moment before he started to fall backward and he'd have failed.

'Imagine a weapon that can.' The words Archer had spoken to him what already seemed like a lifetime ago filled him.

'I already have that!' He thought and a thought struck him and he set to work. Pushing up against the claws, he pushed his way back up, his leg muscles pulsed angrily sending signals of pain which he ignored, he had something more important to focus on. The beast would lunge forward trying to catch his head, face, or throat in its mouth every three seconds, two of which were spent frantically trying to devour him after it lunged, it would then pull back for the barest of seconds and attempt the feat again.

It allowed Shirou a moment to find a rhythm. Duck back, swing his head right, then left and right again. He clutched a new hilt in his free hand, the mirror-like white blade extending away from him as it continued to form. Then as it pulled back he moved.

It lunged again but Kanshou was waiting for it. Between the force of its attack and Shirou's thrust, the blade was buried deep into the back of its mouth. It floundered and flailed pitching cries of pain and anguish as it tried and failed to free itself. A futile effort Shirou knew. Even if it had somehow managed to get off the blade which wasn't possible as when it pressed against the Kanshou locked against his claws Shirou gave way allowing it no purchase.

Then he heard it, the faint buzzing of Bakuya's return, and Shirou knew the creature had no hope. In the last moments, he pushed upon his sword and let it go along with the Kansho in its mouth while pushing himself away.

Blood sprayed everywhere as the wolf creature fell to the ground silently and unmoving. Shirou looked back over at Shiki and two warring feelings filled his stomach. Relief that his charge and the vampire girl were fine, annoyed at the situation the boy had gotten himself and by extension Shirou into.

There was no way the beast was something Shiki's extended family sent to end his life, especially since it seemed it was targeting the blond. Pushing himself to his feet Shirou looked around, the two were staring at him with no small amount of fascination but Shirou was focused on any enemies that may have chosen that moment to assail them. When he found nothing Shirou moved over to the corpse he'd made and pulled a pair of the blades free while breaking the image of the other in his mind.

There was, after all, no point in keeping it.

"Can someone explain what's going on?" Shirou asked with a raised eyebrow.