The pair stood in the middle of a small clearing beside a shallow stream.

For the past few days now, the two have been following this specific stream further south. This was all because of Summer. She firmly believed that this stream would eventually lead them to the coastline.

Apparently, this was her second time encountering this specific stream. The first time occurred all the way back when she first arrived on the continent. They were just lucky that she even managed to recognize the thing at all.

Come to think of it, Shirou still did not know why exactly she was in a place like this. He had probed at the topic a few times throughout their journey, but every time, Summer's lips would clamp shut. She adamantly refused to answer.

Shirou took her refusal as just another symptom of the suspicion that she secretly harbored towards him. Despite how friendly Summer acted, an underlying gap still existed between the two of them. For some reason, the huntress kept him at an arm's length away, their interactions laced with a type of caution and wariness that would normally go unrecognized by most people.

In short, she was hesitant to get closer to him.

He wouldn't go as far as to say that Summer's attitude towards him was fake; if anything, her sincerity was almost blinding. She was simply cautious of what information she revealed to him. She was afraid of what Shirou would do with that information.

Shirou did not blame her apprehension, not really. After all, he too had his own secrets that he refused to divulge to anyone. Unfortunately, there were individuals out there who could subconsciously identify that sort of thing. Not lies per se, but rather, when someone withheld information from them.

Unfortunately, Summer was one of those people.

Shirou had enough self-awareness to identify the oddity of his current situation. A child, all alone in a mysterious and deadly forest populated by monsters. That sort of thing was horror movie-levels of suspicion and he didn't even watch horror movies.

As for what Summer Rose was doing in the Grimmlands, he honestly didn't know. Still, he could hazard a guess. His mind flashed back to their first conversation. The woman had offhandedly mentioned something about a castle in the forest. Perhaps this castle was related to her mission?

In either case, that wasn't really something for Shirou to concern himself with. Regardless of whatever Summer thought of him, one thing was clear: she was a person that could be trusted. Whether it was the history of her weapons or the way she had treated him, a potential threat, it all came together to paint a picture of the type of person that Shirou desperately wanted to become: a hero.

"Shirou, are you sure about this?" A voice broke through his thoughts and snapped him back to reality. He looked up, only to see Summer Rose awkwardly fiddling with one of her long swords. The other sword was currently in Shirou's hands.

Truth be told, she did not like the idea of sparring with Shirou. As far as she was concerned, the boy was someone with barely a month of training. Most huntsmen trained for years to get to their current level. Even for huntsmen-in-training, at least a year's worth of fundamental training was required before any form of live sparring was implemented. In her eyes, Shirou was being reckless and impatient.

Still, the boy was insistent. His tactics were like a combination of Ruby's adorkable puppy-dog pleas and Yang's annoying badgering. In short, there was no way for her to refuse.

To his credit, Shirou's progress has been rather fast, far faster than what even the most extreme of talents should allow for. In the time since he first had his aura unlocked, the boy had already mastered the basics of Aura manipulation. He could keep his Aura active even while in the midst of active combat and he had even perfected Aura augmentation (strengthening oneself with Aura).

Essentially, he had mastered two years' worth of training, all in under a month's time. It was as if Shirou wasn't actually learning anything new, but rather, he was remembering how to do something that he already knew how to do.

'Could that be it? Could he have been faking his inexperience?' She wondered silently to herself. The latent concerns she had about Shirou's dubious origins began to resurface. 'No, that can't be right. When I first met him, his Aura was still locked. That isn't something that can be faked. So how is he so good? Is Shirou just that much of a natural prodigy?'

Summer had no way of knowing this, but the reason for Shirou's rapid improvement lay in his prior experience with Magecraft. Specifically, with Reinforcement. Foundational Aura techniques were basically just a degraded and simplified version of Reinforcement. To someone like him, Aura was a cakewalk.

Shirou nodded his head, an all too serious expression etched onto his youthful features. "Please, Summer. I need this."

Truthfully speaking, Shirou did not actually know what was pushing him to spar with her so badly. He could only hazard a guess. Maybe he was just getting stir crazy from his lack of progress, or maybe it was a desire to get a closer look at those swords of hers, but regardless, one thing was clear: Shirou wanted a fight.

In the face of his sudden shift in demeanor, Summer could do nothing but go along with this ridiculousness.

The diminutive huntress let out one last sigh. She shook her head before her lax posture suddenly shifted to something more serious and combat-oriented. "Fine, you win. I'll fight you, but we need to set some ground rules first."

Shirou hurriedly nodded his head. He also lifted his sword up until the tip of the blade pointed at mid-level towards his opponent.

"Good. Firstly, we'll only go for forty-five minutes. No more than that. We can do this again after we get off this continent. Does that sound good to you?" Seeing Shirou nod again, Summer continued. "Secondly, all fighting will stop if either your Aura shatters or if you get physically injured."

Shirou wanted to protest that last part, but seeing Summer's intense glare, he held his tongue. The boy's docile agreement somewhat mollified the doting huntress. She nodded again.

"Alrighty then." She lifted her long sword and entered a ready stance. Her knees slightly bent and her torso leaned forward. The grip on her handle was loose, almost feather-like. She took a deep breath and shouted. "En garde!"

With that, Summer Rose rushed forward.

Shirou blinked and before he knew it, she was on top of him. A flurry of barely perceptible thrusts were thrown his way. Shirou scrambled to retaliate but the veteran huntress was simply too fast. He already knew just how dangerous she was from watching her deal with Grimm every day, but experiencing it firsthand was a completely different thing.

After a brief exchange, Summer gained the advantage when Shirou overextended his swing and left his side open. She spun around and swung the flat of her blade onto his ribcage like a baseball bat.

Shirou grimaced in pain and doubled over from the impact. Before he had the chance to recover, Summer did something completely unexpected. She flipped her sword around and held the weapon by its blade. She then swung her sword in a very unsword-like manner. The edge of her cross-guard smashed into his face like a sledgehammer.

He tasted blood and saw stars.

Still, he did not give up. Shirou used the force of her swing to his advantage. He slackened his body and allowed the blow to send him flying backward. With a quick mid-air spin (something he emulated from Summer), he landed on his feet, roughly twenty feet away from her.

Shirou swallowed the blood that had begun to pool in his cheeks. He did not want to spit it out, for fear of Summer seeing it and prematurely ending the sparring session. Instead, he held his sword at the ready and waited for Summer to approach.

She did not disappoint.

The veteran huntress once again lowered her center of gravity and sprinted towards him. Shirou's eyes were bloodshot. He saw her approach but hesitated to respond.

What should he do? Where should he strike? Should he imitate Kiritsugu and aim for a vulnerable spot, like her feet or maybe at her tattered cloak (Kiritsugu had taught him that capes and cloaks were choking hazards)? Taiga would have ignored her opponent's vulnerabilities and simply rushed forward with brute strength and sheer power of will.

In the end, what was the best course of action?

What would Summer do?

His moment of hesitation cost him dearly. Before he could formulate a plan, the huntress was already upon him.

Again, she swung her sword forward like a war hammer. Instead of aiming for his body, she had aimed at the base of Shirou's weapon, right where the blade socketed into the handle. The impact sent his arms rattling and forced him to drop the sword. In his moment of weakness, Summer did not hesitate. With one hand, she threw her own sword up in the air, while with the other, she grabbed Shirou's dropped sword by the handle. A strike with her newly acquired sword further opened up his guard. As her original sword dropped back down towards the ground, Summer deftly caught it and continued her assault.

A flurry of blows, too fast for him to properly perceive. The only sensation that registered was pain. It lasted for a paltry two seconds, but by the time it ended, his entire body felt like a giant bruise.

Towards the end, something fast and hard struck him in the chest. It sent him flying through the clearing. He skidded to a stop near the edge of the stream. A pained wheeze leaked out from his lips like a tear in a car tire.

Noticing how Summer did not immediately rush at him, Shirou took a moment to catch his breath. Through squinted eyes, he looked up at the monstrous woman that he had dared to challenge.

Summer Rose was unmarred. Her face was dangerously blank with not a single hair or thread out of place. Before, Shirou had presumed that she might hold back during the fight or even hesitate due to her previous reluctance to spar with him. Those notions went right out the window from the very moment the fight started. Summer fought him with the same level of seriousness that she used when she fought Grimm.

Sure, she was slower and her attacks were meant more to incapacitate rather than to kill, but it was the intention behind her actions that made it so dangerous. After all, a serious Summer Rose was extremely dangerous.

"What's the matter, Shirou?" She called out to him from across the clearing. "You look distracted. Something on your mind?"

As expected, a veteran like her had noticed the way Shirou hesitated throughout the fight.

He quickly shook his head. "No, I'm fine. Just…" Shirou's words trailed off. He had trouble articulating what exactly happened back there. In the end, he said. "I just had trouble deciding what to do during the fight. I'm still good to go."

To prove his point, Shirou forcibly straightened his back and puffed out his chest. His false sense of bravado was met with silence.

Summer simply stared at him with an impassive stare. It unnerved him. For a moment, he did not know what to do.

After a long bout of uncomfortable silence, Shirou took a hesitant step forward. Still, Summer did not respond. Shirou took another step forward. Again, she remained still. Eventually, Shirou broke off into a sprint. Although unarmed and various parts of his body still very much in pain, Shirou willingly threw himself right back into the fight.

Summer did not move. She simply waited patiently for his arrival.

Shirou was fast. With his Aura augmenting his physical body, Shirou's current speed far outpaced even the fastest sprinter on Earth. But as his steps brought him ever closer to his enemy, a distinctly unsettling sensation washed over him. For a moment, he felt as if he was moving through a pool of molasses.

The young magus scanned her body, looking for a place to strike. Her head? What about her torso? Should he sweep the leg?

By the time he got within an arm's length of her, Shirou had still yet to decide. Unfortunately, by then, it was already too late. Without warning, Summer exploded into action.

With a strike that practically came out of nowhere, she clipped him on the chin. Shirou's legs momentarily wobbled. The only reason why he was even still standing was because of Summer. Another strike to his lower back region kept him on his feet. How the hell did she even hit him from behind?

Just as Shirou attempted to regain his footing, a third strike hit him on the base of his skull and sent him toppling back down to the ground.

The young boy let out a mouthful of spittle and groaned. Despite the lack of injuries, the pain was still very much there.

"You did it again." Summer stated.

Shirou let out a wince as he slowly rose to his feet. "Did what again?"

She did not immediately respond. Instead, Summer titled her head to the side, mulling over her next words.

"Shirou, you need to learn how to be decisive." She stated.

"What do you mean?"

"More often than not, you won't be afforded time to think during a fight." She elaborated. "When you make a decision during the heat of battle, it must be made without hesitation. It's just like that phrase, 'shoot to kill.'" Summer paused for a moment, as if to register her own words. "Ah, that's not to say that you need to kill every time you get into a fight. Rather, you shouldn't be killing people all willy-nilly! Well, maybe it's okay to kill really evil people and Grimm, but—"

"Okay, I get it! Summer, I get it." Shirou raised his voice and hurriedly interrupted her before she could really get started. Fortunately, Summer did not continue the topic. He breathed out a sigh of relief.

"So, be decisive?" He parroted her words from earlier.

"Yeah, not just on the battlefield either. You shouldn't be carrying baggage into a fight. It will only get you killed." She stated in an authoritative voice. "Be decisive. Don't falter, don't let your mind wander, and most importantly, don't let your enemy know that you're even thinking."

"Don't let them know what you're thinking?" He murmured. "Like empty my mind?"

"No." She shook her head. "You still have to think, duh! But it shouldn't be obvious. Well, more like it shouldn't be active."

Summer paused for a moment. "Your thinking needs to occur on a deeper, subconscious level. On the surface, you need to be a blank slate. Whether it's your facial features or your actions, you can't reveal anything. That's the mistake that you made earlier."

Shirou furrowed his brow. He couldn't recall ever 'revealing anything' to Summer. "Did I really?"

She nodded her head. Summer pointed towards her eye. "Your eyes. The way your eyes moved practically revealed everything about what you were planning to do. Head, torso, and legs. That's the pattern that you scanned my body for openings."

Shirou widened his eyes in surprise. Summer's observational skills were far better than he had expected. It was quite impressive. "I… how do I do that?"

"Well, for starters you shouldn't be thinking of unnecessary thoughts."

"I haven't—"

She shot him a look that instantly made Shirou shut his mouth. "What's been bothering you, Shirou?"

"I…"

What's been bothering him? There were plenty of things, really. First of all, there was his desire to go home. Then, there was the niggling guilt that he felt for lying to Summer. Well, not really lying, but more along the lines of withholding the truth from her. He could somewhat tell that not knowing how someone like him got to a place like this was causing a barrier to form between the two of them. It was slight, but sometimes, he could feel that there was a specific precaution to the way she interacted with him.

But, in matters relating to combat…

He wanted to be a hero.

"I want to be a hero."

Summer frowned. "I know that already."

Shirou shook his head. He did not mean to contradict her words. Instead, it was the sentiment. The words 'I want to be a hero' meant something more to him than just a simple admission of a dream.

It was a crisis of faith.

The image of a hero, of what it represented to him… For a moment, Shirou thought of his adopted father, Emiya Kiritsugu.

For the longest time, whenever he thought of the word hero, it was always the visage of a tired and lonely man that came to mind. For Shirou, Kiritsugu was always the goal. Kiritsugu was the ideal that he so doggedly pursued, even to the point of self-ruination.

But it was impossible. Shirou couldn't be a hero like Kiritsugu. He had promised, after all.

The young magus's mind wandered back to a distant memory, of a promise made with a man who had long since passed away.

Kiritsugu died during the night. Shirou sat with him up until the moment of his death. They sat on the porch of their home, looking up at a starry sky.

Back then, the two had shared their burdens. Kiritsugu had confided about his family situation, of the sister that he never knew he had and of the Einzberns, who had kept her away from him. He had also told him of his failed childhood dream, of how the profession of 'hero' was a limited time thing, and of how in the end, his heroism ultimately turned him into a monster who brought nothing but death to the world.

Towards the end of the conversation, Shirou had made a promise to the weary man. He had promised to live out his dream for him. Emiya Shirou would be a hero of justice.

Unfortunately, Kiritsugu disagreed with him.

"You can't do that." He had said. "Don't waste your life following the footsteps of a man with as many regrets as I do. Live your own life on your own terms. Find happiness, treasure family. Try to live a life without regrets, but…

"If you still want to be a hero… if it's truly something that you feel that you must do, then don't be a hero like me. Become your own type of hero, Shirou."

Ever since then, Shirou's been lost.

He wandered through life, lost and confused, looking for an answer to Kiritsugu's unasked question: What type of hero would the man known as Emiya Shirou become?

For a while, he thought that he'd never find his answer, but then, something strange happened. He stumbled upon this world and met Summer Rose. She was a hero, but one different from Kiritsugu. She was optimistic, her cheer infectious. She helped people all across the globe, saving villages and catching bad guys. Even though her official title was that of huntress, in truth, she was a hero.

Was that it, then? Was she the type of hero that he wanted to emulate? Was that the sort of hero that he wanted to be?

Even now, he still hadn't quite found his answer.

Memories of Kiritsugu clashed with memories of Summer. A hero who measured life on a scale and treated everyone as equal or a foolhardy and optimistic hero who indiscriminately saved all those within her reach. In the end, which one was the correct path? Which one should he follow?

Did he… did he even want to be a hero?

"I'm just unsure of the path that I should take." He reiterated lamely. "Whether or not I should even be a hero… with my borrowed dreams and stolen ambitions… I… do I even deserve to be one?"

Summer solemnly stared down at the boy before her. Emiya Shirou should be no more than thirteen-years-old. He was far too young to have a crisis of faith, yet the anguish on his face was one she had seen far too many times before. Usually, it only ever cropped up in old, wizened huntsmen who had seen far too many battles and lost far too many loved ones, not on children barely into their training.

She didn't have all the answers, nor did she fully comprehend Shirou's own unique situation. Still, one thought echoed in her mind: What sort of tragedy have you seen?

After a long bout of silence, Summer eventually spoke up. "Well, who cares."

"W-who cares?" Shirou felt a twitch in his brow.

In return, Summer rose simply smirked at him. "Yeah, who flippin' cares! Don't let those depressing thoughts drown you. Instead, focus on what's in front, of your current goal, of the current battle. Abandon those worries and focus on achieving victory over the current moment. It doesn't matter how small the victory or how inconsequential the decision, those little things will eventually pile up, until one day…" She suddenly clapped her hands. Shirou couldn't help but flinch.

"You'll be right where you want to be."

"…"

Summer's smirk widened into a genuine, heartfelt smile. "In other words," she then tossed one of her swords over to him. Shirou did not catch it. Instead, the sword landed by his feet, the blade sinking half a foot into the hard soil. "Be decisive!"

She did not give him time to respond. Without warning, Summer Rose dashed towards him. Her speed was far faster than any she had displayed throughout their entire fight.

Shirou couldn't think. At some point between his blinks, he had somehow managed to grab onto the thrown sword and block her initial strike. Summer pushed against his blade. Shirou's Aura enhanced strength buckled underneath her own. The huntress pressed even further, all the while, an innocent smile stretched her face.

"Don't think, Shirou." She once again moved. Again, her speed far outpaced even the speed of his thoughts. The only thing he could rely on was instinct and carefully crafted habits. "Don't hesitate. Just move. Always keep moving. Don't slow down."

Each 'advice' was punctuated by a swing of her blade. Even as Shirou desperately blocked, he still wasn't fast enough. Cuts and tears covered his clothing. Shirou was forced onto the backfoot.

He gritted his teeth and swung. In response, Summer parried his blade and locked the edge of it between the handle of her sword. She flashed a cheeky smirk. "You're doing it, again. You're over think—"

She did not get to finish her sentence as a small foot slammed into her stomach and sent her flying backward. Even as she sailed through the air, Shirou did not dare let up. Without thought, without preamble, he lunged after her.

Summer righted her body in mid-air and stared down at Shirou's diminutive form. He had gotten faster, each step forward stripping away all the troublesome thoughts that once plagued his mind. Doubts, fears, concerns? It was just as she had said; on a battlefield, those things were utterly useless.

"That's right, Shirou!" Summer shouted back at the top of her lungs. "Be decisive! Fight!"

She kicked off the ground and ran straight towards him. In the end, the veteran huntress met his charge with one of her own.

Their battle raged on.

Author's Note: Advance warning, the status quo of both verses will be thoroughly fucked by Shirou's actions.