The next chapter~

Shirou was walking down a dirt road with a bundle of clothes in his hands. He was following Evangeline and Chachamaru, who were a little ahead of him.

Hours earlier

Shirou had to buy clothes for his new job as an assistant teacher, and Takahata-san went with him as a guide.

"So, you actually wielded the legendary sword Excalibur?" He asked, an unlit cigarette hanging from his mouth.

"Yes, is there some problem?" Shirou asked back.

Both men walked into a clothing store.

"Welcome!" A lady at the cashier greeted.

"No, it's just that I never knew that the sword was real," He replied, leaning against the wall.

Shirou did not reply, and set about looking for some clothing. He found a red shirt, and he chose it, as it reminded him of Archer.

'After all, I have him to thank for, for giving me all of my knowledge. And he is me, right?'

Shirou also chose a black tie and black slacks to wear in conjunction with his shirt.

Ironically enough, Shirou found clothes similar to the ones he wore back in Fuyuki. He also chose those as well as some other clothes.

When he went to the cashier to pay, he realized he didn't have any money. That was when Takahata stepped in.

"I'll pay for it. The Dean said to pay for this at least, until you get your paycheck," Takahata said with a grin. "Now let's get back, Evangeline will kill me if we're late."

Shirou nodded, from the looks of it, Takahata wasn't a bad person.

He was just a person who wanted to protect his colleagues.

As Shirou focused back to present time, he noticed that the destination was in sight. It was a quaint cottage, from the looks of it, one with two stories. It was built with logs and had a chimney on the roof.

Once they stepped inside, Evangeline spun around.

"Look, you're not here 'cuz I want you to be, alright? The old man forced you onto me!" Evangeline started to blush as she said this with her finger pointed at Shirou.

"But Master, you said th-" The robot began to speak, but she was cut off.

"No I didn't!" The girl jumped on top of Chachamaru and covered her mouth.

Shirou sweatdropped at her actions. "Um…is there a guest room or something?"

"Yeah, follow me," Evangeline motioned towards the second floor.

She led Shirou into a moderately sized room, slightly larger than the one in his home in Fuyuki.

"There, are you satisfied with your room? Good. After lunch, we're going to have a little spar. I'll give you all the weapons you want, but the condition is that I set the fighting arena," Evangeline said with no pause, ignoring Shirou's possible objections.

All that Shirou could do was nod.

"Chachamaru, make some lunch," Evangeline ordered. "Also….."

Thanks to Shirou's increasingly sharper senses, he heard the last part.

"Get the diorama sphere ready," She whispered.

With that, both occupants left the room, leaving Shirou alone. He put his clothes in the dresser and sat crosslegged on the floor.

"I am the bone of my sword…." Shirou chanted.

Then he saw swords.

When Shirou opened his eyes again, there was a note by his feet:

"I think something good will happen after your 'fight'. Make sure you win~"

Needless to say, Shirou knew who gave the message.

A little while after, a knock was heard on the door.

"Emiya-san, it is time to eat now," Chachamaru intoned.

"Just call me Shirou," He said when he opened the door.

"Alright Shirou-san," She replied.

The smell of cooked food permeated Shirou's nose. It was Japanese food.

"I didn't know that you liked Japanese food," Shirou commented as he sat down.

'Ha? Just because I'm English doesn't mean that I don't enjoy good Japanese food!" She crossed her arms with a huff.

Yup, she's just like Rin.

"You know, I can cook, and I should cook for us since you let me stay here," Shirou said as he drank some miso soup.

"Are you good at it?" Evangeline asked.

"I cooked for five girls back at home, and they all enjoyed it. Everyday," Shirou replied. "After all, hunger is the enemy."

After a moment's thought, Evangeline said, "Alright, give Chachamaru a list of what you need, and you can cook everyday if you want. But now, it's time for that spar."

"Are we going outside?" Shirou asked, wondering where they would fight.

Evangeline got up and walked towards a door, "No, just follow me."

They walked down stairs into a basement. Down there, Shirou saw a glass globe sitting on top of an altar of sorts. Upon closer examination, Shirou saw that it was a diorama of sorts, holding a habitat.

"Don't worry, just step on top of the circle," She said, pointing at a rune circle on the floor.

Before he could reply, Shirou was pushed on to the circle by the vampire. Lights shined as the magical circle was activated.

When the light dissipated, Shirou was astonished.

He was transported into the glass globe, which the habitat was extraordinary.

It appeared to be a large and tall building with a fighting arena at the top. There was a walkway to the exit, where Shirou was standing now.

'You won't be able to leave for twenty-four hours," Evangeline said from behind. "But, only one hour passes outside when twenty-four hours pass inside here."

Shirou nodded in understanding. 'This would be a great way of training,' He thought.

"For now, however, let's begin," Evangeline disappeared and landed away from Shirou.

"Wait, how did you do that?" Even when Shirou reinforced himself, he couldn't move that fast.

"Why don't you win the spar? Maybe I'll teach you, as well as some other things…." She said ominously as she prepared herself.

Shirou also readied himself. 'I wonder how I'll fare against a user of First Magic….'

Chachamaru landed at the center, and she announced, "This is a friendly spar, so fight until the other person surrenders or is unable to fight. No deaths."

And with that, she flew off to the side.

It was silent, and nobody moved. Both Shirou Emiya and Evangeline McDowell wanted to see what the other would do.

But, the silence was broken by Evangeline, "I guess I'll start out first. Let's go to level one."

She rose up into the air and began to chant an aria, "Lic Lac La Lac Lilac…..Sagitta Magica: Thirteen Arrows of Ice!"

Suddenly, orbs of ice materialized around her and turned into long arrows which were fired all at once.

Shirou dodged left and right, not having any weapons to use.

It seems that the magicians had to use an aria to use First Magic.

"Oh right, I forgot about that," Evangeline muttered, still hovering in the air. "Do you need a weapon?"

Shirou shook his head, "No, it is all right here." Shirou closed his eyes and muttered.

"Trace. On."

A matte black, western-style straight bow appeared in his hands. It was of a simple build, but it was resilient enough to fire Noble Phantasms.

Shirou had also seen this in his visions, and he could also do this.

Shirou nocked his bow, and muttered his aria again. A large, distorted-looking arrow appeared.

In its normal state, this would be a sword that was used by Beowulf to kill the mother of Grendel, Hrunting. It was pitch-black with a few small edges coiling around to make somewhat of a spiral.

However, it was not a sword now.

Archer would force enough prana into his projections to cause them to be broken, but he was able to fire them as arrows which would explode after striking his targets.

Additionally, these arrows could be up a rank higher than what the original rank was.

These arrows were Broken Phantasms, and these would be destroyed after firing.

Other servants would use this as a last resort, but Archer, and now Shirou, could trace as many as they needed through Projection.

They would also counterbalance the fact that Tracing would lower the rank of a Noble Phantasm.

"I thought you mentioned your magic had to do with swords? Aren't those weapons a bow and arrow?" Evangeline nonchalantly commented, leaving her guard open. "I don't even think you can reach me with those kinds of weapons."

Shirou began to charge up prana into the Broken Phantasm.

And then he fired.

The arrow turned into a bullet enveloped in red light and zoomed towards Evangeline.

Evangeline dodged the bullet easily.

"Hah, so what was that? Was that supposed to hur-"

Evangeline moved to the side, and the arrow passed right where she was a moment earlier.

The bullet then changed its course and circled back around, aiming for her again.

"What is this?!" Evangeline did all she could to stop the bullet, but all her movements were wasted as the bullet continued to follow her.

'How did he get the arrow to home on to me? It's not a freaking heat seeking missile!' Evangeline began to get tired from all the dodging and began to fire magic arrows at it, but with no use either.

"GAH! OK I GIVE UP! HOW DO YOU STOP IT?" Evangeline yelled out.

Shirou cupped his mouth. "Stop moving!"

"What? I can't hear you!" Evangeline yelled back, but then she saw the bullet coming up from under her.

"Oooof!" She fell to the ground.

Shirou approached her and crouched down. "Are you alright? I didn't know that it would hurt that much, I was only aiming for your shoe….."

What, her shoe?! She aimed killing blows at him, and all he did was aim for her shoe! He even had the reflexes to go along with her assumption of him.

She quickly stood up, a bit flustered. "Hmph! You just won the ranged spar. Now it's time for the close combat one!"

Evangeline flew off and landed away from Shirou again, but a little closer.

"Ready?" Evangeline asked.

"A moment please," Shirou responded. "Trace. On."

Two gleaming sabers appeared in Shirou's hands. The one in his left hand was black, as black as the night. The one in his right hand was a shining white like a moon beam.

These were Kanshou and Bakuya, Noble Phantasms of age and legend.

"Ho? So you do have swords…" The vampire mused.

Shirou said nothing and stood in Archer's – his – fighting position: his arms were out in front of him.

"Let's go!" Evangeline dashed towards him.

'How could a fighter leave his side open?' She thought as she aimed for a hand strike for his abdomen.

Using the flat of the blade, Shirou immediately blocked into the attack and counterattacked with a thrust with the handle of one of his blades.

Evangeline doubled back. 'What? I was sure that I would've hit him….'

This went on for a while. Evangeline would aim, but Shirou would always block the attack.

"How are you doing that!? It's as if you are purposely leaving those…..spots…..open…" Evangeline gasped in surprise.

Yes, Archer's sword style was one that was developed over many many years of hard work, but since Shirou was Archer, and with the help of his memories, he was able to quickly learn the style.

Fortunately for him, Shirou was able to parry the attacks. If he wasn't…

"You could die! Who taught you that style?" Evangeline half-yelled, pausing the fight.

"….I taught myself," Shirou replied, still standing in his fighting position.

"Huh? Why would you teach yourself that sort of thing?" The girl began to grow red with frustration.

"There were circumstances, but if I know where the opponent was going to hit, then blocking and attacking back would be easy." Shirou looked down at the ground.

Despite the difference in worlds, most of the alternate identities still had to go through the horrors of the war, although somewhere in his mind Shirou recalled that there would have been a happy ending when it was over.

"Arggg! I don't get you! You're going to tell me everything after I beat you!" Evangeline held up her right hand which suddenly glowed with prana.

A sword began to form on the tip of her hand.

Shirou could only look in wonder.

"Like it? It's Ensis Exsequens (Executioner's Sword)," Evangeline smirked. "Since you're so confident in your own skills, why don't you try to fight me while I use this? Be careful though, you don't want to be sliced by this sword."

Evangeline's smirk transformed into one of malice. "Are you ready? GO!"

She disappeared from Shirou's eyes, but Shirou shifted his body so that the only place to hit would be…

*CLANG*

Shirou made a cross-block with Kanshou and Bakuya, stopping the prana sword from slicing him in half.

Shirou shivered. It was as if the sword would freeze him. Then he thought of dried ice….

Through sublimation, dry ice would be able to turn directly into a gas without going to a liquid.

That must mean…..

"You're going to turn me into a gas….." Shirou muttered.

"Ara? So you do know your science!" Evangeline replied. "It seems it's time to up the level, don't you think?" She disappeared again and swung towards Shirou's vulnerable back, or so it seemed.

Shirou turned around and countered, sending the vampire flying.

'Let's see if this works,' Shirou thought.

The red-haired boy threw both Kanshou and Bakuya at Evangeline, who blocked both and sent them away.

Spirit and technique, flawless and firm

Shirou traced another pair of the twin swords and rushed Evangeline, causing the sword's opposite to come back.

Our strength rips the mountains

He then slashed once with Kanshou, and the thrown Bakuya returned. Evangeline was hurt twice this way.

Our swords split the water

Shirou used Bakuya this time, and did the same.

Our names reach the imperial villa

Shirou traced yet another pair of the twin blades.

The two of use cannot hold heavens together

Another X-shaped dual slash was dealt.

Two great men, sharing a life

All of the blades used were finally destroyed, Gaia removing what was not supposed to be.

Crane Wing Three Realm (Kakuyoku Sanren)

How was this attack possible?

The main ability of the swords is their strong bond with each other, which not only allows them to attract each other, but it is also said they will return their owner even if events cause them to be lost.

If one is thrown while the other is held, the thrown sword will return to the wielder much like a boomerang.

This works well with projection, allowing an already projected sword to identify a new projection as its partner sword.

Unfortunately for Shirou, it was his first time using the attack. He was even lucky that he was able to trace the swords in time. There was also the prana usage to look out for.

Shirou chuckled. He had won against a vampire who was perhaps a True Ancestor.

However, deep inside, he knew that the only reason he won was because he took her by surprise.

He would have to work harder to be able to protect everybody.

Before he knew it, Shirou saw the ground and felt bliss.

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