Quick Author's Note
HA! Bet I surprised you all with another chapter so quickly! To be honest this one was a rush and I enjoyed making the prologue so much that I had to jump into this chapter right away! I wish my mind would continue to run at this pace and allow me to write faster!
Someone pointed out to me that Shirou Emiya would be hated by the Einzberns due to the connection to his father Kiritsugu. The two of them cost the Einzbern's their victory in the past 2 holy grail wars.
My idea was to approach this issue from the perspective of a magus. The agreement between the Einzbern family and Shirou Emiya was signed for the sole goal of research. Shirou would be supplying them their lost noble phantasm Avalon along with several others he copied from the war's participants. Which means that the Einzberns had a multiplicative return in terms of noble phantasms. Furthermore, Shirou's mastery of Structural Analysis works in parallel with Einzbern's mastery of Structural Manipulation. In other words, both sides combined the ability to perfectly craft and examine their projects. Thereby, producing advanced results, while also developing Shirou's Structural Analysis tenfold because of the constant practice.
Obviously, both sides would soon see that this agreement far outweighed any previous grudges both families had. Rinse and repeat until both sides just unilaterally agree to become close allies. After all, Shirou also has an interest to repair ties with the Einzberns and to help change the lives of their homunculus. In memory of his dear sister Illyasviel of course.
Sorry for the long paragraph, on to the story!
Shirou opened his eyes. Something felt wrong…very very wrong. But he could not pinpoint the exact problem. The red pine boards above him looked the same as it had always been…if not for the brighter shade from the morning sun.
He rolled on the straw mattress and saw that the other children were still asleep. Wasting no time, Shirou silently stood up and looked around the messy pile of sleeping bodies. He slowly crept across the slumbering kids and walked outside the common sleeping area of the orphanage.
Shirou was an orphan. Ever since he could remember, he lived in a small remote Fujiwara village near the eastern side of the Northern Barrier Mountains. The village was one of the many invisible outliers that none of the major clans bothered to control. Their distance from the main roads and the small resource value of their surroundings allowed them to stay neutral and safe from any external interests. The village stayed peaceful and lived on farming their own crops, logging from the nearby forest, and trading few mineral deposits from the local mine near the northern mountains. The only dangers the village experienced were the roaming packs of wild animals and the occasional monster attack, which was handled by the local Fujiwara clan who protected the town.
Because of the few villages in the very far outskirts of the mainland, most villages had to rely on one another for protection and trade to survive. The Fujiwara clan was the closest thing to adventurers and militia in hundreds of kilometers from their village. Many surrounding villages paid the clan's reasonable fees to have the support and protection of the Fujiwara. So there was the option to join the Fujiwara clan if combat was your interest.
Shirou reached the backdoor of the orphanage and pushed the creaking piece of wood slowly to avoid waking up the others. In the back of the orphanage was the outdoor pantry used to prepare breakfast, lunch, and supper. It was a convenient method to avoid burning or smoking up the interior of many homes.
Sakura was already cooking breakfast in a large pot with Taiga Fujiwara setting up the table for the children. Taiga Fujiwara was the clan heir and established the orphanage for many abandoned children from various villages. The orphanage was only running because of the clan support Taiga had. But in return, Taiga was able to train the children into future militia for the clan.
"Sakura, why didn't you and Taiga wake me up to help prepare breakfast?" Shirou pouted at the girls. His favourite place was the kitchen, and would often have to be dragged away for Sakura and Taiga to have a chance to cook. Age was not a barrier and Shirou somehow learned to copy Taiga's cooking at a young age of 5 years old.
"It was your birthday so we decided to cook for you instead. You always help around the orphanage the entire day and we wanted for you to rest." Sakura smiled at Shirou as she placed the lid over the breakfast stew and stoked the small flames underneath to keep it warm.
Shirou turned around and started walking to the small farm that the orphanage grew in the back. Only to be pulled back by Taiga and sat on the bench beside the long wooden table. "Shirou, I'm going to have to ban you from doing any chores today. Why don't you do something else like take a walk around the village until the food is ready?" Taiga lightly pinched Shirou's cheek before returning to help Sakura with the food.
"But you know I like doing chores…" Shirou grumbled before giving up. Once Sakura and Taiga made up their minds, there was no way for him to convince them otherwise. He left the two girls behind him and decided that the only thing to do was to burn some time enjoying the morning atmosphere in the village.
Shirou wandered around the village in the process of waking up. His small footsteps were soon accompanied by the sounds of life from the other waking villagers. The light scent of breakfast and of cool morning air mixed together into a pleasant staccato of smells on his senses. Shirou observed some guards shuffling about the village borders, eager to swap from their late night shifts with the freshly rested replacements for the morning. A flap of wings caught his attention and he turned around to a hen leading her chicks towards the stream running on the west side of the village. A dog barked somewhere along the houses lining up both sides of the street, while a soothing breeze passed by bringing fallen leaves from the trees only reinforced the relaxing atmosphere of a scenic village near the mountains.
Then Shirou stopped. For a split second, his mind blanked out on him. He rubbed his forehead and looked carefully at the village around him. For a single moment, he felt lost. For some reason, the village didn't feel familiar to him. The dawning realisation that he remembered a city with tall buildings that he had never seen before appeared in his mind. "This place isn't Germany…" he quietly mumbled before a headache wiped all the thoughts from his mind.
Shirou blinked a couple of times before he tried to remember what he experienced. But after a few minutes of racking his brain, he gave up because he couldn't remember any of it. Kicking a small rock to the side in annoyance, Shirou turned around and walked back to the orphanage.
Breakfast was a quick affair. Everyone sang Shirou a short happy 8th birthday before guzzling down breakfast into their hungry stomachs.
Taiga called some friends to watch over the orphanage and warned the other children about "extra training sessions" should they skimp out on doing the daily chores. Shirou and Sakura shivered at the thought of having to take extra lessons from Taiga and her wooden bokken.
That thing was cursed. Everyone was sure of it, including her clan members.
Taiga slowly led Shirou and Sakura to the front of the orphanage before turning around to look at them both. "Shirou, Sakura, do you both know why I'm bringing you along today?"
Sakura looked at Shirou before answering hesitantly. "Wasn't it the same for my birthday? You brought me to the shrine in the other village that I wanted to visit, and you brought Shirou because you knew I'd want him to come along."
Taiga laughed and smothered Sakura into her chest for answering in such a cute manner. She swore that these two were the perfect couple, even if they didn't notice it. It was common for the villagers to awe at the cuteness and inseparable bond they both had.
"Correct answer! How about you Shirou? Where do you think I will be bringing you today?". Shirou glanced at the village before returning his eyes to Taiga. "Honestly, I don't have any place in mind that I'd want to visit."
"That's because all you do is cook and clean! Poor Sakura over here is forced to take up half of your chores out of concern you would overwork yourself! Can't you have some decency for her sake?!" Taiga grabbed Shirou's shoulders and shook him roughly.
"Anyways, enough guessing. I'm bringing you both to the trading caravan at the next village and we are going to buy Shirou a present. Sakura can help us pick out a gift for you if you can't find any you want." Taiga smiled at Sakura's bright smile at choosing a gift for Shirou. Meanwhile Shirou's face didn't show any reaction at all.
"Aren't you the least bit excited Shirou? We might find something you want there." Shirou looked down and shuffled in place. "I don't really remember ever wanting anything…I would rather buy food and cook for everyone instead."
"Ah shut it already, I've decided that we are going to get you a gift and that's final!". Taiga dragged Shirou and Sakura with her to the clan estate. There, they picked up money for Shirou's gift and started travelling to the trading caravan.
After about 2 hours of travel, they reached the village that the trading caravan was staying in. The village was surrounded by the plains to the south and west, forests to the north, and a lake towards the east. The village took the advantage of having a lake beside it and cultivated fishes in small fish farms. They were one of the few villages that could supply fish around.
As they travelled closer, the lake glistened in the sunlight. Its natural beauty and beautiful emerald forest backdrop made for an inviting scene for people to swim in its waters. Sakura was grinning in excitement when she asked Taiga if they could swim in the lake.
Taiga looked at Shirou and noticed him also sneaking a glance at the lake. She grinned devilishly and started planning how to have the 2 children to enjoy a little moment to themselves in the crystal clear waters of the lake.
"Very well, since we have a few hours before returning…I will let you both swim ok? Do it on the opposite bank of the lake where there are no people. I will be waiting for you both in one hour." Shirou and Sakura both ran off excitedly to swim in the lake.
Behind them, Taiga was hiding the mother of all grins watching the two adorable kids have their little date in her eyes.
What a devious matchmaker we have here…
Shirou stared at the lake's beautiful water before dipping a toe into it. Looking at the lake beside it did more wonders than looking at it from afar. The water was clear and reflected a rich cerulean color that entranced him. His toe confirmed that the lake was cooler than the midday heat. He then slowly started to wade into the water, watching Sakura splash around at the shallow depths further ahead.
To avoid getting their clothes wet, both of them hung the wool clothing at the trees nearby. As young children, they didn't understand the concept of nudity. So it was perfectly acceptable for them to swim together.
Shirou submerged himself into the water, enjoying the cool sensation that surrounded his body. He entered a peaceful trance-like state for a few moments…before Sakura splashed him out of his reverie. Shirou grinned after the attack and splashed her back with his own.
Laughter and splashes accompanied the two children as they played with each other in the water…
30 minutes later…Sakura and Shirou emerged from the lake tired but happy. It would take more than a few minutes to dry up using the forest breeze, so the two decided to take a nap underneath the shade of the leaves.
They woke up after 20 minutes energised and ready to return to the village. Sakura and Shirou hurriedly dressed up before going to meet up with Taiga at the entrance.
"How was your swim?" Taiga greeted the two youngsters after they arrived at the gates. Shirou smiled "The water was great! It looked bright and clear up close, better than how we saw it from far away. We saw some colourful fishes, I didn't know there were more fishes out there than the ones we cooked!".
Taiga laughed. "It's a big world out there! There are lots of things to discover in the wide open world. Maybe one day the both of you will want to travel to see them all.".
Sakura hugged Taiga's leg and answered eagerly "Yes! We will also take Taiga with us to travel when we do!". Taiga ruffled her hair with a smile.
"That would be nice. Now then, let's eat before we buy Shirou a gift! There is a nice restaurant on wheels that is with the trading caravan. Let's try some new food for a change! Are you both excited?". Shirou and Sakura only looked up at Taiga with glowing faces. As the best cooks in the orphanage, the both of them were always trying to change their recipes for new flavours. If they were lucky, they could ask the cook for his recipes.
Taiga led the group deeper into the village. They passed some roads before turning left before the large village hall built near the center. A little further beyond and they could see a small market area. On the opposite side, the trading caravan was arranged haphazardly.
Shirou and Sakura were surprised at seeing such a large number of people for the first time in their lives. There were over thirty shops set up in the large open field and there must've been hundreds of people checking out the goods being sold. There was a steady stream of people leaving and more arriving as each second passed by.
Taiga held both of them close as they traversed the large crowd in search of shops that served food. Shirou and Sakura saw many new things that were sold by the shops. One shop was even selling figurines of people. For some inexplicable reason, they both could not understand why that shop only sold female figurines…and why it had a longer line compared to the other shops they saw. Taiga made sure to walk by that quickly while blocking Shirou's eyes.
Then they came upon a shop that sold southern cuisine. The smell of spices and sizzling meat floated in the air made Shirou and Sakura's stomachs grumble in hunger. Taiga laughed and urged them to sit on the high stools in front of the shop. Breakfast had been a long time ago for the three and she was eager to treat Shirou and Sakura to a different style of cuisine.
Taiga observed the kids look in confusion at the large number of different sizes and shapes of pots in front of them. Beside the pots were a messy arrangement of knives and many other wooden objects that Shirou and Sakura did not recognise. On the opposite counter was a collection of jars filled with exotic herbs and spices that interested them. Taiga smiled knowing that this was a good choice as any other shop to introduce the children to a whole new world of flavor.
The dark colored Nidian cook turned towards the new customers. "Hello there, what food would you and the children like to order?". Shirou and Sakura watched Taiga look through the chalk menu drawn over the top of the shop's table. She considered buying food that was new or rare for them to taste. The first order that came to mind was Aloo Gobi, a Nidian Classic of lightly simmered potatoes and cauliflower. Palak Paneer was the next choice. A Curry of Spinach mixed with small blocks of cheese. This would be the first time Shirou and Sakura would taste cheese in their lives. Lastly, Kofta finished the set. It was a dish of pork meatballs mixed with spices and cooked over a low heat to slowly squeeze out the juices of the meat.
"Shirou, Sakura, make sure to watch him cook. He's going to use all those unique objects in cooking and you could learn a thing or two.". Taiga smiled as the words flew over the heads of the two enchanted children that were watching the Nidian shuffle back and forth to prepare the dishes.
He began with pulling out a medium-sized pork cutlet and grinded it on a large grater. After grating the piece of meat into little chunks, he picked different spices and herbs before sprinkling it all over the pork. The Nidian slid his hands across the table like an artist, he had noticed the children watching his preparation with eyes of wonder and wanted to put on a show for them. He slowly shaped the pork into round balls before pouring some of his special marinate sauce over them. Using a small stick, he stoked the flames and placed a pan with oil on top. Carefully, he moved each ball of pork into the pan and allowed them to slowly cook.
Next, he moved to prepare the Aloo Gobi and Palak Paneer. He made sure to begin with Kofta because the pork took the longest time to prepare between the three dishes. He pulled out a cheese block and started cutting out some pieces for the Palak Paneer. He put the cheese aside and started to blanch the spinach leaves before pureeing them. The leaves were placed into a pot along with sliced tomatoes, onions, and topped with another heavy mix of spices. He organised the pot beside the Kofta dish to share the heat from the flames.
Another pan was pulled from underneath the countertop and placed in front of the children. At this point, the Nidian and Taiga were grinning at the hungry but determined faces of Shirou and Sakura. The scent of dishes being cooked wafted around them and clearly made their stomachs grumble, but instead, they were staring intently at the pan eager to see what the chef would do next.
The Nidian poured a light amount of oil into the pan and tilted it to spread the liquid evenly. Next, he opened another jar and sprinkled a mixture of seeds into the pan. The cook chopped up a chilli and an onion before adding it into the mixture. He twisted the cap off a wineskin hanging by the wall and poured a generous amount into the pan. He placed the pan above the fire to let it simmer while preparing the potatoes and cauliflower. A few moments later, the chopped ingredients joined the rest to simmer in the pan.
Waiting for the dishes to finish lasted an eternity for Sakura and Shirou. But they were treated to more shows as the Nidian cook prepared different dishes for the other customers. He briefly returned to them some time later to serve the hot meals.
Taiga watched the excited duo dig into their shared meals like animals. Lunch passed quickly as the trio enjoyed the Nidian cuisine.
Shirou was staring intently at the small set of culinary tools in front of him. Sakura was also beside him looking at the pots and pans in the shop. After lunch, the duo were adamant to find a shop that sold the same objects they saw the Nidian cook use. It took them the better part of an hour searching for a shop that sold cooking supplies. Luckily, they were able to find one that provided some of the tools they saw.
"Shirou, Sakura, make sure not to buy too many. We can only carry a few pans and a small culinary set home alright?". The duo pouted at having to pick which objects to buy, but ultimately decided on buying one pan and a set of knives for Shirou. The trio packed the presents into their travelling bags and prepared to embark home.
A couple of minutes later, they managed to escape the crowds and see the fields of grass once again. A clang of metal pierced the air and cheers of another crowd caught the attention of the group. There was an audience watching two fighters spar using weapons from the smithy travelling with the caravan. Beside the sparring circle, there was a crudely constructed archery field and another audience watching the events.
"Come one, come all! Be the first to hit the furthest target and win yourself a prized longbow! Crafted by one of the master craftsmen from the big cities!" an announcer shouted. Sakura and Taiga ignored the events, but Shirou found himself slowing down to watch another person try to shoot an arrow down the field. The girls noticed him lagging behind and looked back towards him. "Shirou? You can tell us if you want to join, we'd love to watch you try your best!" Taiga cheered him on.
But it wasn't interest that drew Shirou's attention. The longer Shirou stared at the people using the longbow, the more he was convinced that it felt uncomfortably familiar to him. Which was strange, because Shirou had never touched a bow in his life. Much less thought of ever touching any weapon at all. His interests only lied in cooking and doing chores around the orphanage.
He decided to give the bow a shot. Shirou slowly approached the shooting stall and was greeted by the announcer. "My what a young man! I'm afraid this bow is too heavy for you, how about we let you use a smaller bow? We have a few prepared for aspiring little archers like you! There is a shorter range beside this one, you can try over there!". Shirou looked towards the smaller range for children, but his body gravitated towards the range for adults.
The announcer handed him a small bow along with five arrows. "Are you sure young man? Straight to the tough one? Very well, allow me to show you how a bow is used…". The announcer's words flew through one ear and outside the other for Shirou. He was holding onto the small bow, feeling it for any imperfections, as if he had been using bows his entire life.
To the announcer, the little child was listening to his instructions, but Shirou was in a trance. His body automatically moved to stand in the announcer's position after he finished his instructions. Shirou wasn't aware of his actions either, all he could see was the target and all he could feel was the bow in his hand. Like a serene painting, he fluidly notched the coarse arrow into the bow. His mind instinctively calculated the arrow's damaged feathers from repeated use and quickly adjusted his aim. Like a million shots before, Shirou's body expertly manipulated the bow in his hands like another piece of him.
Then in his eyes, the scene changed. Gone were the green fields along with the crowd. Shirou stood in an empty dojo aiming down at the target in the center.
His fingers released the string and the first arrow flew, and another, and another, and another, and the last.
Shirou blinked out of his trance as he tried looking for another arrow. Surely there had to be more? He looked around him and found that he had somehow lost count of the arrows given to him. That was when he heard the silence in the air. Wasn't there a crowd watching? What happened? These thoughts ran across Shirou's mind as he glanced towards the announcer and the audience.
Only to see the announcer looking at him in shock and awe. The audience slowly started murmuring and clapping behind him. "Kid. You were amazing! The way you shot those arrows were far better than any archer I have ever seen in my life! I would go as far as saying that you might've perfected it already! It was like watching…" Shirou got lost at the speed the announcer was eagerly talking to him.
"Everyone, looks like we have a winner! This young boy here has won himself a longbow!". Shirou stared at the announcer incredulously. "Huh? I hit the targets?". The announcer held Shirou's shoulder and turned him towards the archery range again. "You didn't just hit the target boy! You split the arrows you shot at the furthest one!".
Shirou looked at the range, and stared in shock. There, at the last target, were four arrows perfectly split down the middle, with the fifth exactly the same spot the previous four had.
Shirou stared at the beautiful red bow in his hands.
"Shirou, you never told me you practised archery! I should've asked you to join us during the hunts!" Taiga gleefully poked at Shirou. In contrast to the adult, Sakura was off to the side, watching him worriedly. During the entire journey home, Shirou had been staring at the bow without talking to either of them. She was also sure that Shirou had never touched a bow in his entire life.
"Yeah…" Shirou absent-mindedly mumbled in response. Taiga released him from her clutches and started humming a tune to herself. She considered today to be perfect. Not only had Shirou learned more about cooking, he also won himself a longbow! There were only a few longbows in the Fujiwara clan and they were nothing compared to the quality and beauty Shirou's bow had.
"Shirou? Are you ok?" Sakura worriedly whispered to him. "I'm fine Sakura…I'm just…surprised at myself too…". Shirou's mind was confused. After winning at the archery range, he remembered experiencing the same event earlier that day. He may not remember what he saw at the archery range, but he definitely was the same feeling he had when he got the headache in the morning.
The rest of the journey back was quiet as Shirou stared at the bow in his hands. Sakura continued to sneak glances at him during the trip while Taiga marched in front.
That night while everyone was asleep, Shirou snuck out of the orphanage with the bow in hand. He climbed on top of the roof and stared at the full moon floating above.
Unknown to him, Sakura was hidden below watching him with a worried frown. She couldn't sleep either. She had never seen Shirou like this before. She knew that something was wrong.
After an hour, Shirou climbed back down to find Sakura sleeping beside the backdoor. He smiled unconscious form and carried her back inside.
Author's Note (some important details that helps build the story)
If anyone was wondering, the reason I didn't start this story from Shirou's first few days as a baby is because I have no idea how to write the thought process of a newborn. It also feels like a bad cliche to have a baby have the thought process of a battle-hardened veteran behind that cute adorable face.
Also if nobody noticed, this chapter showed some situations where Shirou is experiencing deja vu from his previous life. Even going as far as remembering Germany (the country the Einzbern family resides in) for a moment. I tried to picture a situation where the longbow triggered a stronger reaction, but that would be pushing the boundaries for chapter 1. Later in the story, I'll slowly release the answers as to how Shirou is remembering these memories in his second life.
In this life, Shirou was never subjected to the tragedy that was the holy grail war in his childhood. I just decided that it would fit better to make him an abandoned orphan because we didn't know his real parents. I added Sakura and Taiga just to make the story more lively to have more characters we all know and love. (I'm still racking my brain trying to make a story for why Sakura is separated from the Tohsaka family)
Based on the previous paragraph, Shirou doesn't know why he has a connection to the longbow. In his second life, he never had to fight or hunt. Instead, his energy was spent on developing his culinary skills which he assumes will define his future as a chef (or cook if we want to stick to medieval era titles).
Shirou and Sakura don't have last names because they are orphans. I'm leaning towards using Fujiwara in the future just to deepen their family bonding. (And for other reasons hehehehe)
I had to do some research on Indian food for this special chapter because I wanted to diversify a little and give Shirou and Sakura a wild introduction into the world of culinary arts. Yes, Nidian is a wordplay of Indian and you will be seeing more words like that because I am not creative enough to create fleshed out races out of nowhere.
Sorry for another long author's note but I'm just sharing my thoughts here since I struggle to explain the connections and reasons in the story. Think of this as extra details wheeeeee.