Chapter 2: Observation from the Gap
It's been another five years, with both himself and Souji at the cusp of being 9 years old. Those five years were filled with a childhood that Kiritsugu dearly missed, one that filled his heart with the joy and hope he was barely clinging onto in his past life. The girl was good company, he has to admit. More often than not the two of them hung out whenever time allowed, exploring the fields of their estates, practicing kendo with each other, and just enjoying the serenity of their early years.
Oh, there was one important thing that Kiritsugu found out about the girl.
Her family name is Okita, which would make her Okita Souji. And the meeting between them wasn't a setup for anything political either, no talks of marriage, or anything of that sort. And considering the history of the figure that shares the name, especially with the matching birthdays, it's safe to say she is the very same Okita Souji as is described to be the best swordsman in the Shinsengumi. Well, swordswoman in this case. Thankfully because of his experience with the 4th Holy Grail War with his own servant, he wasn't too surprised at the gender rugpull.
One other thing, he found out was about the existence of the supernatural in this world. Several times he has seen or been near someone who had higher than average amounts of mana stored in their bodies, and others outright were just abnormal in the amount stuffed in them. It also helps that the air was absolutely dense with magic, almost as if the Age of Gods never ended. That caused him to be cautious when practicing his own spell casting, having put up wards that remained inconspicuous.
From how little he was able to test out the now completed Time Alter magic, even with Kiritsugu being a kid, was massively better than what it was in his past life. Yet, he is unable to unlock the thing that was tucked into his soul once he transferred here. It has him worried, was it some sort of curse? Did Angra Mainyu tag along for the ride? He doesn't know, but he will with time.
For now he will contend with another sparring match with Okita. Kendo was something he was never interested in, and swords always seemed impractical to him, but he decided to try them for the sake of it. It was a bit exhilarating, fun one could even say, though clearly he was on the backfoot, mainly having to rely on all his combat instincts forged in the past. It was clear that Okita was a natural, no, an outright prodigy. Even at such a young age and play-sword fighting, someone like the infamous former Magus Killer was caught on the backfoot.
"Gh-" The dark haired boy let out a grunt once Souji hit his head once she was able to make an opening, leading her to smile. "Okita-san Daishori!" was her response to yet another win under her belt, leading Kiritsugu to chuckle and lowering his bokken before dropping it down. "Ach, that's 12-6 now right?" asked the former mage, deciding to plop down and sit on the grass underneath them, utterly exhausted from the back to back matches.
"Mhm! Don't feel too bad though Kiri! Okaa-san said I'm the best swordsman born in a long while!" He couldn't refute that point at all as Okita dropped her own training weapon, and simply nodded. That woman knew talent when she saw it, even in Kiritsugu which took him off guard the first time they talked. Being told that his combat instincts are far beyond his years by someone he didn't expect to be able to tell that sort of thing was almost panic inducing.
"Right right.. So what now? I'm already exhausted." Claimed the boy, holding out his hand to the Swordswoman to be. She grasped it without an ounce of hesitation, helping him up. "Ah, we could always visit the nearby shrine! I still haven't done that this month!" This led Kiritusugu to mildly nod. He never felt particularly religious, but it wouldn't hurt to get more in touch with the culture that he was kept away from for so long because of his original father being an unethical runaway.
"Sure, lead the way." The former assassin nodded, noting that she didn't let go of his hand as she led them off the grassy fields, and towards one of the dirt roads. Kiritsugu's views on relationships have sort of evolved ever since he became acquainted with Souji. His prior relationships though obviously all lead to tragedy, Shirley turning into a Dead Apostle asking him to kill her, Natalia being blown out of the sky by him to prevent a mission failure, and Irisviel being sacrificed by him for an oversized Monkey's Paw.
He thought of the possibilities where this friendship might go in the future, and of what happened to the original historical Okita Souji. The odd thing is that he has detected not a single fragment of tuberculosis from her. Was it something else later in life, that might've not been tuberculosis at all? Or perhaps he was just lucky in this world, where the first friend he ever made will not die off by the time she is 25. Yet he still had a bad feeling, that one day this illusion of peace will be shattered, that the world will pay him back in dividends for daring to think for once he can have some stability in happiness.
The small walk was quiet as the two kids explored their surroundings, Souji leading them to a large stairway. Ascending them slowly. Several times did singular people or couples walk past the two, smiling at them as they ascended. It took a small while until Souji and Kiritsugu stood in front of the old building. It felt like someone was watching them, then again with how odd the supernatural is here, Kiritsugu kind of expected it, but it still unnerved him. She finally let go of his hand, letting the two of them step up to the altar.
Souji then checked her pockets. She looked over towards the donation box, and addressed the former assassin "Oh Kiri, did you bring enough coins for the two of us?" This managed to get a wry smile from him, the boy dropping in two yen coins for the both of them. Once the two kids heard clangs of metal hitting metal, they both put their hands together and closed their eyes to focus.
What should he pray for? It was straightforward, for him to keep his new friend safe. For once he doesn't wish for eternal peace for the whole world, but rather for something more personal to him. Like he should've in his first life. He shouldn't have abandoned Shirley, he should have stopped Natalia from boarding that plane, he shouldn't have sacrificed Irisviel and his daughter Illyasviel for the Holy Grail. Kiritsugu will not let his self centered ideals of being an arbiter that decides who lives or dies get someone he cares about killed again. It happened three times, and for that he himself faced the ultimate price. He was afforded a second chance, a chance to show that he has abandoned that mindset. And he will graciously in all his power make sure that Okita Souji will not be sacrificed by him on the altar of 'the greater good'.
Once his emotional rollercoaster of a prayer was over, he nodded and opened his eyes, looking over at Okita who was still seemingly praying. This causes the boy to smile wryly, and once she finally opened her eyes, he patted her head to get her attention, ruffling her hair a bit. "You all done Souji? Let's get back home, before we are late for dinner."
Addresses the former Magus Killer with a nod of the head and already took off. This caused Okita to pout in response before taking off after him. "Mouuu, Kiri! Don't leave me behind!"
As the two kids ran from the shrine, a small crack in space with an eye with a red iris watching them slowly closed from underneath the shrine steps. The sense of someone observing the kids melted away once that eye disappeared.
Kiritsugu sat with his own mother, Souji, and her mother, sitting down near the table, and picking at the fresh food with chopsticks. Dinner is rather quiet at first, until most of the food got shoveled down. That is when Okita's mother spoke up, addressing the two kids. "You know, your new grandfather offered to have you enroll in the Tennen Rishin-ryū school, and to take Kiritsugu-kun with you of course!" Okita seemingly beamed at that in utter excitement. "Really?! Kiri, you need to come with!"
The boy hummed in response, having already decided to stick with it in the long run, even if he had little talent with swords. If the Shinsengumi still forms in this place, this will be the best inroad for it. "Of course, I want to make sure to stick by you Souji." That response seemed to have gotten a small blush from the natural swordswoman, turning her head back to her food to distract herself from the statement. He then turned to his mother to ask more, directly for permission. She simply waved and laughed in reaction.
"You can go, it'll be quite a growing experience for you. Just make sure to check back in once in a while with your father and I!" That statement got a nod back from the boy, who smiled lightly. He still wasn't used to seeing those two as his parents, but he did enjoy their company and genuine care. Once all the small talk and food was finished, Kiritsugu got up with his mother. "We will be seeing the two of you again tomorrow, I'll help my son pack all his things."
The two Okitas smiled at that and said their goodbyes as the Emiyas left back home. His mother went to one of the storage areas to get his things ready. Meanwhile he walked to his room to get a good night's sleep. Once he closed the door, he exhaled. It was hard to act like a child, especially around adults. So he needs this time to relax his head. He tucked himself in, about to sleep. But once he drifted into his dreams, he found himself somewhere utterly foreign.
Kiritsugu got up from a field of white flowers. It was a mix of all different species, roses, daisies, tulips, and more he couldn't even name. He stood still, confused, was this some sort of controllable dream? He started walking, yet no matter the steps, nothing else was here, except the darkness and the ethereal flowers blanketing the landscape. He was about to speak, about to voice out his confusion to his own dream, until another voice cut him off.
"I didn't expect to awaken with you so young, then again, you are rather unique for a host."
It was a simple statement, straightforward and to the point, yet, it was dripping with power. Luckily for the Mage Killer, he was used to such situations where a foe was infinitely stronger than himself. So even from this vocalization that could bring most to their knees, he still stood tall.
'What? What is going on?'
His thoughts immediately went to trying to figure out what was going on, until he was interrupted again by the same voice.
"I can hear your thoughts, you could directly ask me instead."
The Magus Killer narrowed his eyes, his mouth forming into a true frown the first time he has been reincarnated. "Who are you then? And what do you want from me?"
"I never stated I am here to extract something from you, in fact I was stuck with you from birth, at least, since your second birth."
This made the assassin more nervous, his hands clamming together, as if trying to grab a pistol out of the air, anything to feel more secure in position, but ultimately, nothing appeared in his grip, causing the boy to tsk in annoyance.
"I know you are unfamiliar with this world, so let me enlighten you, I am attached to you due to a Sacred Gear. The best comparison I can give you is that it's like having a Noble Phantasm, but it is passed on to another user each time the original dies." Explains the voice in the shortest terms possible. This does enlighten Kiritsugu a little, but still has him wary.
"So I just got this handed to me? For free and with no say?" Whatever the voice was scoffed before retorting to the question.
"Neither did I have a say in being sealed in one, so for now until your death, we are stuck with one another."
The entity has no real reason to lie. Kiritsugu is currently just a child, if anything wanted to kill him, even with his improved abilities he would be but fodder for it. So he sighed and resigned that fate, deciding to roll with it.
"Then who are you exactly? I can't really address you without knowing your name." In response the creature hummed before responding. "I will not reveal such information yet until I can train you. I will reveal my true identity once you reach the age of 13, and only then, unless you get into an emergency, will you unlock my abilities. Your body is far too weak to handle it now."
This made the Magus Killer slightly frustrated, he needed some clue of what he was dealing with here, and blurted out right after the entity responded to him. "Then at least give me one clue, to what is living in my head."
The creature seems to chortle in amusement, before responding cryptically to the question, with yet another question. "How much do you know about the Chinese Zodiac?"
And then with that, silence reigned. Kiritsugu was now alone in the field, not knowing how to respond or interpret this dream, until everything fades from his vision, proper slumber gripping him firmly.
There we go, chapter two complete! First I shall address some things, more characters from other anime esque media will appear in the story, but they will be tailored to fit this particular version of the DxD world, instead of just being straight inserts. Otherwise two of them would be abysmally overpowered. Also, I have the story laid out in major checkmarks on how things will go, and I will not answer questions that will spoil the content of future chapters. That is simply how I prefer to work as an author. Again I love people guessing on what I mean at certain alliterations and word games, like I did with the 'Chinese Zodiac' bit. I will be looking forward to how people arrive at their conclusions for that one. Same with that hidden eye, and on figuring out what other verses I might throw in.
Now onto the reviews I got from the prologue, I don't know if everyone gets or reads PMs so best to address em here.
Gil Kaiser- Yeah honestly, Kiri should've just trained Shirou.
Pride of the Quincy- Yup! I have things planned with more members than just Okita, so look forward to seeing them in chapters beyond part one that focuses on them.
USSRParrot- She is my favorite Saber Face so I kinda had to lmao.
PureSalty101- Thank you Kindly, I shall continue doing my best.
BonesJones111- Thank you! It probably won't end in years lol.
Kaleidoscope's Beauty- Okita is indeed very cute. The Setting of DxD I've decided to spin on my own terms, so more things aside from Fate will appear. Though nothing like Naruto and stuff, not really into those shows anymore.
Styles - Extreme- I will not be revealing my hand early, but I will say I already have a plan for that.
Saif Omar - While it would be funny to give him basically Mystic eyes that stop time, I decided for a different Sacred Gear, and shuffled things minimally, one character has a different sacred gear, and one does not have one anymore, basically a take and then replacing it. the character who doesn't have one I feel would not fit in a story about Kiritsugu as a major figure, so removed them from the supernatural world.
1740- It absolutely is that very same Okita!
SapphireDraconix- Thank you kindly! And yes, Kiri deserves a chance to be the hero he couldn't be back in the Type Moon world, so I will be giving him that very chance here. Don't think for a moment though that the old Kiri is dead, it still lives within him, should things go awry, he will bring it out.
Alexander Lawliet- No, not yet ;^)
Qsofyoos- Quite! I haven't really seen a Kiri fic yet, so I decided to give it a shot myself, and maybe inspire others.
Guest-Questioner- I will not be revealing my hand on what Kiritsugu does specifically until the time comes. There are multiple factions he would fit in with, but I already have plans for him.
Guest- I already got that figured out, and yes yes, I shall put my all into this fic, the antics shalt be great!
