Chapter 2

He moved unlike anyone she had seen before. She watched as he wove through the mages attempting to capture her. In one hand, was a emerald colored double blade sword, with the other, he fired off spells with ease. Rumia remembered being entranced by the blue, sword shaped bullets, fired off by her savior.

She hadn't witnessed many things like that before then, so she was terrified at the time. It was always a source of regret, that she hadn't been able to thank him for saving her. She still needed to return the red shroud that he wrapped around her neck that cold day three years ago. Ever since then, she dedicated herself to becoming a mage to see him once again.

She had gotten excited when she first saw the professor in the streets, performing magic to those kids, thinking that he was the one. But, she remembered her savior having longer red hair, tied in a short ponytail with bangs. He also had two different colored eyes, his right eye was red in the center and orange on the outside. The left was dark blue and seemed to have a spiral type design that lightened in color towards the center.

The professor had short red hair with golden brown eyes, though she did notice a faint blue on the edges. So, her hopes were dashed, that was until the end of class when he removed his glasses. She saw them, the eyes of the man who saved her. But, it didn't seem like he recognized her. Though, this only served to make her want to try harder.

"Alright boys and girls, your homework for today, is to answer one simple question. Why do you wish to become a mage? What is the end goal? Think about this question long and hard, because it is the most important question for any mage. Even if its something childish, I want to know it. In return, I'll tell you why I became a mage. Now, that'll be all today. Tomorrow, be ready to start learning how to do magic correctly." Shirou said as the bell began to ring.

He headed to the rooftop, which he found himself doing more and more lately. It had a nice view of the setting sun, and most importantly, the rising moon. He leaned over the edge, his jacket hanging off his shoulders. He had to admit, he was enjoying himself here. He wondered what Aoko and his mom would think of his current profession.

He let out a small chuckle at the thought. He was glad that this world's magic academy was nothing like the Clocktower. He didn't have to worry about anyone trying to backstab and kill him here. It was truly a paradise when comparing the two worlds.

He was wondering about some of the things he could teach the students when he noticed something out of the corner of his eye. One of the rooms was currently being used by someone. He took off his glasses and channeled mana into his right eye, activating his mystic eye of precision and analysis. "Well, well, its been awhile since I've seen that magic circle." He said with a smile.

Rumia was sitting on the floor, looking at the book closely, trying to understand what she was doing wrong. She let out a frustrated groan, "That's weird, why won't it activate? I'm sure I set everything up like it said." She looked back towards the circle on the ground while quirking a brow. The door to the room opened, causing her to let out a surprised shriek.

She then heard a small laugh, "Sorry about that. Didn't mean to scare you." She turned and saw the professor standing in the door way, a smile on his face while rubbing the back of his head. "Noticed you from the roof, figured I'd offer you some help." He said to her, walking into the room. She took notice of the fact that he was no longer wearing his glasses.

"You knew that I needed help?" She said in a slightly disappointed tone. Did she mess up the magic circle that bad? She watched as the professor walked over to one of the shelves and picked up the mercury.

"I'm sure you would have gotten it eventually, but since I'm a teacher, it's my duty to impart some wisdom. The circle is perfect, you just needed to add a bit more mercury." He said in a gentle tone, which contrasted the somewhat aloof tone that he had when teaching. She wondered if it had something to do with the glasses.

Rumia watched as he poured a bit more mercury on the circle, being sure to watch him closely. "Magic is pretty touchy when done improperly. This is why the more visible aspects of magic are just as important." He then stood up, before he did something that surprised Rumia. He closed his eyes, before opening only his right eye to reveal the red and orange eye she remembered.

She let out a small gasp, not expecting him to reveal that so casually. If he heard her, then he didn't show it. He only looked at the circle, before nodding to himself. "Alright, looks good. Seems that was all that was missing, so good job. Now, try activating it. Be sure to use all phrases, no shortcuts, faster isn't always better." He said to her, leaning against a wall with his arms crossed.

"Round and Round, the cycle of life, by the laws of nature, become my path." Shirou watched as the magic circle then lit up with many beautiful colors, changing and moving like a rainbow. What looked to be bubbles and sparkles of mana rose from the circle into the air. He deactivated his eye and just watched. "Wow, it's so beautiful."

He saw Rumia's face light up with wonder, a big smile on her face as she watched the magic move around her. The sight caused Shirou to smile himself. Now, he understood what Celica, Aoko, and his mother felt like when they first taught him magecraft. Most notably, when he finished constructing his first owl puppet with his mom. It's been a long time since he made the first Athena, but he'd always remember how proud and happy his mom looked when he completed it.

Then there was the sight in front of him, much like the first time he saw the magic of this world, taught by Celica. He marveled at this particular spell, since it was mostly just to look pretty. It reminded him of when Aoko showed him how to shoot a magic bullet that exploded like a firework. "See, isn't that super cool!?" He imagined Aoko saying to him. He let out a small chuckle, causing Rumia to look at him, before she giggled too.

The two were walking away from the school, along the bridge that led to the main entrance. Shirou thought they could have done without the long walk, but he supposed it did deter intruders. "Thanks a lot professor, I don't think I could have done it without you. You were even able to figure out what it needed with just a glance." He heard Rumia say cheerfully.

He rubbed the back of his head, before taking out a cigarette and placing it into his mouth. "We're not in class anymore, you can just call me Shirou." He replied while lighting it. "As for the magic, well, Celica likes to draw that spell a lot. Plus, I have a habit of cheating." He said, pointing at his right eye with a smile.

Rumia tilted her head, before her usual smile appeared. "You know, profes...I mean Shirou, I don't think I've ever seen a teacher so happy with a student activating a spell before. Was there a reason why you seemed so happy?" She asked him, causing him to stop walking.

He let out a hum, before taking out his cigarette and turning towards her. "I suppose if I had to answer that, I'd say that it's because of memories. I remembered seeing that look on the faces of the ones who taught me magic, so I always wondered what that felt like. To see magic bring joy and happiness, rather than what it usually brings was a nice feeling." He took a drag of his cigarette, slowly exhaling the smoke.

He'd have to make more pain relief cigarettes when he got home, he was running out. 'Serves me right, using my eyes like that after not using them for a year was stupid. Ugh, I hate headaches.' He groaned mentally. He focused back on Rumia, whose cheeks were slightly reddened. "You alright? You look kinda red there." He said to her, hoping she didn't have a cold.

'Can amplifiers even get colds?' He thought to himself. The whole reason he was having such a bad headache, was because he used his mystic eye to analyze her earlier, not realizing until too late that she was an amplifier. "I-I'm okay, prof...I mean Shirou. I just remembered something is all. Can I ask you something? It's about what you said in class."

Shirou raised a brow at her words, 'I suppose there isn't any harm in it.' He gave her a small smile, "Sure, if I have an answer, you'll definitely hear it." He said, thinking about putting on his mystic eye killers, but decided to not to. He much preferred being who he was now, rather than being his teacher self. He blamed his mom for that particular quirk.

Rumia looked down at her feet, suddenly becoming a bit nervous. "Well, I just wanted to know if you could tell me why you became a mage? I know you said you'd tell us tomorrow, but I suppose I'm a bit impatient." She said to him, though the real reason was because she wanted to get confirmation on his identity.

That day was very important to her, as was the person. She was pretty sure it was him, but she only saw one of his eyes. She watched him close his eyes, before he looked up into the sky. "There are a few reasons, one was that I was born into a mage family. Two, I wanted to make my mom and aunt proud. Though, if we're talking the most important and personal reason, then it's because I wanted to be a hero of justice."

Rumia's eyes widened, before she noticed the sad smile that made itself onto his face. "Sadly, the world of mages isn't a place where such an ideal is possible. I suppose you could say, I sacrificed my ideal so that my brother's wouldn't die out. I sacrificed my optimism, so that Glenn could accomplish what I couldn't." He took another drag, before exhaling slowly. "That's not to say I gave up, I just see things differently than I used to."

Rumia watched as he let out a small laugh, one that seemed hollow. She wondered what it was that caused him to think that way. However, she was glad to hear that he hadn't given up, as he was the whole reason she even wanted to become a mage. 'Even if he doesn't remember me.' She thought to herself.

"You know, right after Sistine's family took me in, some mages managed to abduct me. They wanted to kill me for a ritual or something." She said, recounting the memory to Shirou. She was nervous about telling Shirou about it, but she resolved herself. Unknown to her, but Shirou was listening intently, a pensive expression on his face.

"However, another mage came to my rescue. He wore a red shroud around his neck like a scarf, which contrasted with the black uniform he wore. He killed one enemy after another, using his emerald colored sword, or the magic blue bullets and beams he fired from his hands. With a glance, some of them couldn't move, or began to scream about monsters before he cut them down. He did all of that, took those lives, all to save and protect me."

Shirou closed his eyes, subconsciously raising his hand to his left eye. Rumia hadn't looked toward him since she started, so she didn't notice the moment when realization dawned on him. 'Three years? Or was it more?' He thought, looking over towards Rumia. 'I can't believe I didn't recognize her.'

His memories were a bit jumbled, his missions began to bleed into one another after having to kill so many mages. However, saving her life was one memory that did manage to stick with him. In fact, he came to this city to try and find her, just so he could keep an eye on her. He didn't think she would change so much after three years.

"I remember being so scared that I couldn't even speak, which meant I couldn't even thank him for saving me." Shirou heard the regret filled tone of her voice. He wanted to tell her that she didn't need to thank him, but decided against it. She likely wouldn't care anyways.

"What makes you think you wouldn't be scared upon meeting him again? From what you said, he was more than likely a mage killer. Which means he was likely a warped individual, as most mage killers are." He said offhandedly, taking a look at Rumia out of the corner of his eye. Noticing a sad smile appear on her face.

"Because I'm sure he was a kind person. I could see it in his eyes every time he cut down one of the mages, a deep sadness and pain." Rumia's eyes and voice then became more determined, "Ever since then, I wanted to become a mage who was in a position where I can help others, and make sure they don't use magic for evil. Just so I can help ease my savior's burden a little."

Shirou noted that, even when she was being serious, her voice had a certain beauty to it. He gave off a small smile, one that Rumia now noticed, as she was now looking towards him. "I see, that's an admirable goal you set for yourself. Well, with your current skills and academic level, I don't see you having too much trouble achieving that goal."

"I also have one more dream, though it's a bit more personal." She said, holding her hands close to her chest. Shirou saw the radiant smile appear on her face as she spoke. "I want to meet the man who saved me. If only just to thank him for saving my life." She then let out a nervous laugh. "Though I understand that's pretty weird, now that I'm saying it out loud."

Shirou looked at Rumia closely for a moment, letting out a sigh, before he smiled. "A man you met once had that big of an impact on you?" He said, though he seemed to be talking more to himself. 'Perhaps, something good did come out of all that mess.' He thought to himself, before letting out a small chuckle. "It seems I'm weak when it comes to blondes." He whispered, though Rumia's head tilt indicated she heard it.

"Professor?" She asked him, with a little bit of hope in her voice. Shirou only gave off a slight smirk. He patted her on the top of the head before turning around and walking away.

"Come on, it's getting late, and you're crazy if you think I'm going to let you walk home alone." He supposed it was nice to know that he had such a big impact on someone. Even if it was only Rumia, it meant that his dream wasn't as much of a mistake as he was beginning to think it was.

As the two were walking, Shirou stopped abruptly. "This is where we part ways." He said to her. Rumia looked up to him, noticing that the intensity of his eyes didn't match up with the tone he used. It seemed as if he was looking at something far away. She felt a pang of disappointment, as she was sure that he was the one, but couldn't tell if he remembered her or not.

She let out a sigh, until she felt his hand on top of her head again. She looked up and saw him looking down at her with a smile. She almost let out a small gasp, but managed to hold it in. He had the two different colored eyes that she remembered. He began to walk away, continuing to talk as he did so, "Don't be late for class, and..." He paused, stopping and turning his head towards her. "Thank you, Rumia."

He then continued on, not stopping. Rumia wanted to call out to him, but felt like something was preventing her from doing so. She wanted to follow him, to make sure he wasn't doing something dangerous, however, she couldn't. When she finally did move, he was long gone. Despite everything, she couldn't bring herself to be upset. She had finally found him.

"Trace on." Shirou was in a full sprint. He wasn't completely sure of what he saw, but if it was what he thought it was, then he'd make sure to get to the bottom of it. He grabbed the moon arcana from his pocket and held it in his left hand. Better to destroy it, then let it continue on as is. He quickly jumped to the top of a building.

'No need for my card. Guess I'll just have to do it the old fashioned way.' He traced his black bow, before calling a arrow that would never miss. A bloodthirsty black blade manifested in his hand. He nocked the sword, altering it into an arrow. "I am the bone of my sword." A burst of mana manifested around him and the arrow. "Hunt it down, Hrunting!"

He then loosed the arrow, it disappearing into the night sky like a red star. To any that saw it head out of the city, they would swear it was a falling star. Shirou watched with his right eye, before seeing his target be reduced to a bloodless husk, before the broken phantasm finally exploded. "Tch, stupid chimeric researchers." He said aloud.

"More than likely the Researchers of Divine Wisdom doing. Which means that there must be someone trying get in, or already in, the city." He let out a sigh, before he noticed a familiar smell. It was faint, but it was coming from his home. 'It seems like she was able to able to get here a lot quicker than she said she would.'

Just as he was beginning to head back home, he let out a grunt of pain, holding his head. 'I get it, you stupid eyes, I have to start using you more anyways, so give me a break.' He thought to himself, though he knew they wouldn't answer. He figured he had a bigger rebound because he didn't use an activation phrase and brute forced both his precision and enchantment spell earlier.

He reached into his jacket pocket and took out one of his cigarettes, going through the usual motions, while putting his mystic eye killers back on. He ran a hand through his hair, before holding out his hand. Athena, the owl puppet, quickly landed on the palm of his hand. "She make it back home okay?" He asked, with the puppet making a few hoots.

He smiled, "Good. Go show Luvia some of your new tricks, I'll be back shortly." The puppet bounced around happily, before flying off into the air. He watched as she flew off, however, he was a bit worried. He felt like something was off, but couldn't quite explain what it was. He supposed that it didn't really matter, as he now had Luvia with him. If something did try to start trouble, they would be more than enough to handle it.

"It'd probably be overkill actually." He said to himself. "I'm sure it's nothing, but I'll be sure to let Celica know." Shirou then jumped down from the roof, before heading back home. Unknown to him, the gears were beginning to turn within the city. The Researchers of Divine Wisdom now had the location of their target. All they had to do was wait for the right opportunity, when all the teachers were out of the academy.

They wrote off the substitute teacher of the class they planned on raiding, thinking him to be a novice mage. Little did they know, they would soon be running into a pair of mages who were feared by the enemies that knew of who they really were. Operative number 18, The Moon, A.K.A 'The Blue', and his partner, Operative number 19, The Sun, A.K.A 'The Lady of Jewels'.

Finished, now onto FoZ. This took me a bit because I had to go back and read up a bit on Akashic Records. It's been awhile and I wanted to try and relearn some things. Rumia will be getting the spotlight before Sistine, because of story reasons. However, Luvia will be important to Shirou. Someone guessed it on a review, Luvia was heroine before they ended up there. Their background will be explained, along with some of the past events that led to Shirou being who is now. I want to try and make him be a mix of him, Touko, and Aoko. Also, I want to explain now, before someone begins to point it out, Shirou's title of 'The Blue', isn't because he can use the fifth magic. The new world's mages and soldiers call him that because of his spells. They see a lot of blue when he traces, fires off mana bullets, uses his mystic eye of enchantment, along with a few other things, also his magic circles are normally always blue.

Anyways, I entered into a writing contest thing for Alex Kellar, a deviant art artist, so I'll be doing that soon. I have five months for a 20,000 word story, so that'll be easy. I won't neglect the stories already going on for that one, so don't worry. Also, the chapters will be coming out faster after this. Promise. It will be a GATE crossover, I will be putting this at the end of FoZ too, what Shirou should I use? One of the ones I made already, or a new one? Or one of the 'canon' Shirou's? I like Aozaki and Fraga Shirou, but I also really like my church executor Shirou. Let me know what you think. Thanks for reading, I appreciate it, hope you enjoyed, until next time.