Author's note: Hi, this is my first time writing fanfiction, so I apologize for any mistakes I might end up making. I really loved the Fate Stay/Night visual novel as well as the anime and after reading so many amazing fanfictions I decide to try writing one myself. I'll try to update weekly or biweekly.
P.S: As I said, I'm new at this. Please go easy on me but any constructive criticisms are appreciated.
P.P.S: I may decide to write some lemon scene but don't get your hopes up.
Damian and Shirou's enrollment is complete. It is time for their first day of school. They're at the front door about to leave, and Kiritsugu saw them off.
"Make sure to Behave, okay?" Kiritsugu said.
"We know," Shirou replied in a tired tone.
"Make sure to look both ways before crossing the street."
"Were not toddlers." Damian rolled his eyes.
"And don't take candy from strangers," Kiritsugu grinned.
"How dumb do you think we are?" Damian snarled. It might be normal to say to a child, but he was sure that Kiritsugu was making fun of him.
"I'm just looking out for you guys," Kiritsugu says while patting their heads. "Go on now. Come straight home after school."
And with that, Shirou and Damian left the Emiya Residence and walked to school. They began talking about various things such as magecraft, magi in general, and what rules they should follow to avoid trouble with the mage association.
"First rule of magecraft: don't talk about magecraft. The second rule of magecraft: don't use magecraft in public unless it's life or death." Damian lectured
"But isn't that exactly what these bracelets are for?" Shirou pointed at their matching leather bracelets with a small sapphire embedded in them.
They were one of the mystic codes Damian found in his old parents' safe and the reason their family went unnoticed for so long. The bracelet is a mystic code that absorbs the magical energy that magi leave behind so that they won't get tracked by other magi.
"They only work when you don't use magecraft Shirou. We could get in a lot of trouble if we draw too much attention to ourselves."
Once they got to school, they ended up in different classes. Damian stood in front of his so-called peers and introduced himself.
"Hi. My name is Emiya Damian. Please take care of me."
He looked around the class, half expecting to see Toshaka Rin, but he didn't.
'Oh, right. She should be a grade below me. If anything, she would likely be in Shirou's class.' Damian thought.
The class looked at him curiously. Damian figured they probably wondered why a student transferred near the end of the school year.
'Come to think of it, why did Kiritsugu enroll me near the end of the school year?' Damian thought.
"Thank you, Emiya. Please take the empty seat in the back left of the class."
'Thank you, God!' Damian inwardly cheered. Taking the back seat will make it easier to daydream without getting caught.
After Damian took his seat, the teacher began to teach basic mathematics, which sounded like plain common sense to his twenty-six-year-old mind. He leaned his head on his left palm while staring at the clock, waiting for the classes to end.
'I can't believe I reincarnated to another world only to go back to elementary school. Worst. Plot. Ever.' He inwardly grumbled.
Emiya Household
"SHIROU! FOOD!" Taiga yelled while sitting and repeatedly banging her utensils on the dinner table.
"I'm almost done," Shirou shouted from the kitchen while adding the finishing touches to the meal and bringing it to the table
"Calm down, Taiga." Said Damian while sitting across from her at the table. "And remember to leave some for the rest of us this time."
"He's right." Said Kiritsugu while sitting at the side of the table between Damian and Taiga. "Eating too much and too fast isn't good for your figure."
"No way! I've been training all night for the kendo tournament tomorrow, unlike you couch potatoes. I need all the fuel I can get!" Taiga replied.
Dinner went as usual for the Emiya family household. With Kiritsugu calmly eating his food while enjoying the sight of Shirou desperately trying to calm Damian and Taiga down as they once again fight over the last piece of turkey. Much to Shirou's relief, the conflict didn't devolve into a food fight that he had to clean up after like the previous three dinners.
As usual, Taiga was the first to finish and the last to even consider cleaning her plate. "Goodnight, Kiri-Kun. Dinner was great, Shirou. I'll one day have my revenge, you little demon!" Taiga yelled as he left the house.
"Is she talking about how I easily beat her or our battle for the last turkey?" Damian asked as soon as Taiga was out of earshot.
"Yes," Shirou and Kiritsugu sighed simultaneously.
The remaining males enjoyed the peace in quiet as they finished their meals.
"Old man, are you okay? You're eating a lot slower than usual" Shirou pointed at Kiritsugu's plate that was only half-empty while he and Damian had already finished.
"Oh, well, you see." Kiritsugu trailed off. He looked apologetic. "I need to go on a business trip tomorrow."
Damien flinches at the news. He knew precisely what Kiritsugu would do on his "business trips."
'I forgot about her. How the hell could I forget about Illya of all people?' Damian scolded himself.
"Oh. How long will you be gone?" Shirou asks.
"Shouldn't be longer than a couple of months. Don't worry. I'll have Taiga look after you two." Kiritsugu replied, "I'll be back before you know it. Just behave and do what she says, okay."
"Ok," Shirou said
"Good." As Kiritsugu got up to leave, Damien grabbed him by the sleeve.
"Old man comes with me to the dojo, will you? We need to talk about your business trip," Damian said with a severe tone.
'I need to convince him to take me with him. I know I have the power to help him. The only question is how. I'm not supposed to know about Illya because he never mentioned her.' Damian thought as he went to the dojo with Kiritsugu in tow.
"So, what did you want to talk about," Kiritsugu asked after being left at the dojo.
Damian took a deep breath and turned to him. He needed to choose his words carefully. If he fails, in the best-case scenario, he'll refuse and go on his own. In the worst-case scenario, he'll get suspicious of him and kick him out.
"You need to take me with you," Damien said bluntly
"Hmm?" Kiritsugu raises an eyebrow. "Why?"
"Because you're going to need my help. You won't be able to save your daughter in your condition Damian replied
"What!?" Kiritsugu's eyes widen in shock. He was sure that he never mentioned his daughter to him. "How did-?"
"I already know all about you, old man." Damien cut him short. "I know that you're the mage killer. I know the Einzbern hired you. I know that you fought in the fourth holy grail war."
Kiritsugu narrowed his eyes but said nothing. They stared at each other in silence for what seemed like hours.
"How do you know all of this?" Kiritsugu asked, breaking the painfully tense silence.
Damian took a few seconds to gather his thought. He knew he couldn't tell him the truth about how he reincarnated from a universe where this entire world was just a fictional story. He'll think he's lying or just crazy, likely both. Heck, he still has a hard time believing it himself. But lying isn't a good idea either. He never was the best liar, and even if he was, he doubted he could fool someone who spent most of his life hunting the worst of magi.
So, he mixes truths with lies.
He told him about his family that stayed hidden in Fuyuki and what little he knew about their history. He said that despite his family's decision to stay out of the war, they kept tabs on its participant and learned about him and the Einzbern through his family's connection rather than the visual novel in his old world. He told about his training and his mystic eyes.
Kiritsugu listened to it all without losing his mask of indifference even for a second. He closed his eyes for a moment as if he was processing all the information he was given.
"If you know that much about me and what I'm capable of, what makes you think I can't save Illya on my own," Kiritsugu asks.
"You're a cursed old man. You can barely even use magic anymore, can you? I have already told you what I'm capable of. Do you really think I wouldn't notice after living with you for months?" Damian replied
Once again, Kiritsugu stays silent, but Damien knows he's considering it. He just needs to push the right buttons.
"I know as well as I do what the Einzbern is capable of, and I am sure you know that there not just going to let you walk away with her. You can't fight them in your current state!"
"And what makes you think you can help me. No matter how gifted you are, you're still a child." Kiritsugu said.
Damian was getting annoyed. He activated his magic circuits, used the runes implanted in him, and reinforced his body. Kiritsugu stared in awe and caution at the glowing runes that covered most of his body and the Sheer magical pressure emanating from him.
Damian completely disappeared. Then reappeared behind him. He didn't teleport. He was just that fast. He found it amusing seeing the mage killer jump back with a fish-like expression.
"With the runes that had been implanted in me and my mastery of reinforcement magecraft, I can move almost as fast as a heroic spirit!" Damian exclaims, "You know I can help you, old man!"
Kiritsugu crossed his arms, furrowed his brow, and sighed. "Fine. Let's say that you can help me. Why would you? Why risk your life for a little girl you never even met?"
Damien how to answer, mostly because he never even thought about it before. Why was he doing this? Why was he risking his life a couple of fictional characters? Why not just let the visual novel take its natural course? Because of his curiosity? Because he had nothing better to do?
No. He didn't even need to think about why. The answer was obvious.
"Kiritsugu. What if I told you that for the past few months, you, Shirou, and Taiga have been more like a family to me than my parents ever were."
"Hmm?" Kiritsugu wasn't sure what he was expecting him to say. But it sure wasn't that.
"You of all people should know what most magi like. What they would do to their own children for the sake of research, old man." Damian's choices of words cause the mage killer to grimace. Reminding him of his father that sacrificed an entire island for his sick experiments and what Acht might be doing to his daughter right now.
"I wouldn't go as far to say they abused me, but they didn't care for me either. When they found out about my eyes and potential, that was all that ever mattered to them. At best, they treated me like a disciple. At worst, I was their test subject. They acted like strict, demanding masters, and it was never enough no matter how well I did. Unlike with you guys, we never had family dinner or talked about our day or talk about anything that didn't involve research."
What he said was mostly true. There were no fond memories of Damian Dracon's parents. They never treated him like a son and focused entirely on his magical training. And whenever they weren't, they would focus on their own research.
"So, to answer your question, All I'm trying to do is to protect the only real family I have ever known" Damian stared with determination at Kiritsugu's eyes.
'Well, I made I pitch. Now it but to Kiritsugu to take it or not' Damian thought
Kiritsugu pinched his nose and frowned. He didn't like it. He really didn't like the idea of dragging a child, however gifted, into his world. The same world that ruined him in the end. That was the reason why he never wanted to teach Shirou magecraft. But he's right. The Einzbern will likely perceive his destroying the grail as a betrayal, and as he said, they wouldn't let him take back Illya.
They just stood for a long minute before Kiritsugu broke the silence. "Alright. You convinced me. I'll take you along."
Damian grins in triumph.
"We'll leave in about a month"
Damian's grins turn upside down. "Why? Didn't you say you need to leave tomorrow?"
"I'll admit that gifted and that you're not wrong about my needing help, but you're still a kid with little to no experience."
"But-." Damien tried to argue.
"Have you ever actually fought a magus before. Outside of sparing?" Kiritsugu cut him short.
"No," Damian whined
"Do you have any experience with anti-mage tactics?"
"No," Damian whimpered
"There you have it; I'll take you with me to get Illya. In exchange, I need to make sure you won't get in my way personally."
"Does that mean you'll teach me your way? Oh, great magus killer?" Damian asks sarcastically.
Kiritsugu chucked, "Something like that. Now follow me. We have a lot of work to do."
That night, Kiritsugu beckoned Damian to the shed. Kiritsugu had Damian tell him everything about his training and magecraft. While most magus would rather die than give up the secrets of their research, but Damian had no such issues. Besides, he was going to teach his methods. From his perspective, it was a fair exchange.
"Alright, based on what you told me, there's not much I can teach you about magecraft itself. In fact, I'd say you're already a better magus than I am," Kiritsugu concluded
"I heard you were extremely skilled at penetrating bounded field. Can't you teach me that? As far as I know, the Einzbern magecraft isn't well suited for fighting, so their bounded field and homunculi should be our biggest obstacle." Damian mentions explicitly that because he felt that it was the most important thing, he could learn from him right now. Kiritsugu can't break through the Einzbern bounded field, but he could.
"Your family is clearly well informed about me." Kiritsugu sighed. "What else did they tell you?"
"That you're a crazy, heretical, poor excuse of a magus who spits in the faces of all those who practice thaumaturgy by relying on guns and explosives," Damian replied with a smirk. Those were the exact words Damian's parents used to describe the magus killer.
"Heh. Well, that's not untrue." Kiritsugu's mood lightens a little. "I am… rather skilled at anti-magi tactic, and despite being an average magus at best, I earn myself a reputation as the magus killer."
"And to answer your question earlier question, I could teach you how to break through bounded fields, but you don't have the mindset for it yet."
Kiritsugu walks to a tall shelf at the corner of the shed and picks up a black case. With a soft click, he opens the briefcase.
Do you know what this is?" he asks while showing Damian a black metal object.
"A gun?" Damian replied
"A Beretta 92F," Kiritsugu corrected.
"Ah," Damian was a little embarrassed for not recognizing it. Apparently, playing call of duty does NOT make you a weapons expert. But why would he need to show him his gun? Unless.
"Why are you showing me this?" Damian nervously asked, already fearing the worst.
"you're going to take this gun apart and put it back together," Kiritsugu answered.
"Why?" Damian whines as his fear become a reality. "What does this have to do with breaking through a bounded field?"
"See? That exactly what I mean when I said you don't have the right mindset." Kiritsugu said while pointing at him. "You may be incredibly talented and have mystic eyes, and I'm sure you'll grow up to be an outstanding magus, but as you are now, you're no better than those narrow-minded fools."
Damian felt an urge to defend himself but suppressed it and waited to hear him elaborate.
"I've killed plenty of magi that are far more talented than I by preying on the most common weak point of magi. Can you guess what that is?"
'A magi most common weak point? That's a broad question. There are so many different branches of magecraft with their unique strength and weakness, so I never gave much thought about it.' Damian thought
"Their hubris?" Damian settled on the best answer he could think of on the spot.
"Good guess but no." Kiritsugu shakes his head. "You're not strictly wrong, but it's more accurate to say that it's their negligence derived from their hubris. Magi tend to believe that the only true threat to them is a magus with similar or superior skill, so naturally, they only make countermeasure against thaumatology and ignore anything devoid of magecraft."
"Like guns and explosives," Damian concluded.
"Exactly." Kiritsugu nodded. "Most are incapable of even considering the idea that a bullet in the brain can kill as easily as a fireball. Bounded fields are no exception. As you already know, I can easily break through the bounded field because I use magecraft as an auxiliary rather than a means to get results. Since bounded fields are specifically created against magi, they're useless against me."
Damian pondered Kiritsugu's words. "I get what you're saying, but I still don't understand. Do you shoot the key points of the bounded field with a gun or something?"
"That's closer to the truth than you might think." Kiritsugu laughs as he hands him the gun. "This is the first step before I teach you anything else."
"But I never even held a gun before!" Damian tried to protest.
"You're a smart kid. I'm sure you'll figure it out. Goodnight, Damian."
Kiritsugu left before Damian could utter more complaints, leaving him alone in the shed with his gun. Damian stared at the weapon, realizing that Kiritsugu had given his gun to a 9-year-old kid.
'Maybe my old parents weren't so bad after all,' Damian mused.
To say that Damian grumpy was an understatement. He spent the entire week disassembling and reassembling Kiritsugu's gun. Thanks to structural grasping, understanding how the gun work was easy. Unfortunately, neither his spell nor Mystic eyes could tell him what piece went and what didn't. He even drops the gun during assembly, causing the pieces to fly off everywhere, and then spend an hour finding all of them while cursing Kiritsugu's name.
'I wish Unlimited Gun Works were a thing,' He inwardly grumbled.
Damien has gained two things for his efforts by the end of the week. Intricate knowledge of the inner workings of most handguns and the biggest headache he had in his two lives.