- Chapter 2: Home -

For the second time in his life, Shirou walked through hell.

Something out there was laughing at him, he supposed. Why else would he have been summoned to such a bitterly ironic place?

He took a deep breath, letting it out in a slow exhale. Though he hadn't stepped foot in Fuyuki for a matter of years (the exact number of which eluded him), there was still a faint sense of belonging. In his mind's eye, he could still see it. The bittersweet sight of the town he grew up in, superimposed upon what was now naught but smoldering rubble.

Hmm. He wondered if they were proud of him, if he was living up to their promises.

"Whatcha thinkin' about, Shirou?"

An unexpected shoulder check pulls him back to the present. His new master ('Call me Gudako! Everyone does!') gives him a cheerful grin as she falls into step by his side. "Ah, nothing in particular, Ma- er, Gudako. Just that it feels a bit weird to be back home."

"Back home?" she repeats, a curious gleam in her eyes. "Whatcha mean by back home?"

"He means that he used to live here," a new voice butts in from behind them. Turning around, it was Lanc… Caster. It was Caster, giving him a casual nod. "Bein' one of the former Masters in this shitter of a Grail War and all."

Huh. So he'd summoned someone in this timeline as well? Who? "Ah, really? Who did I-"

"What?!" Shirou winces as someone shouts right in his ear. Olga Marie. "You fought in this war!? As a Master?!"

"A war similar to this one, yes." he says with a slight nod, before remembering a tidbit that Rin had once told him. "The Throne exists beyond time and space, right? So this really isn't out of the realm of possibility, I think."

The white-haired girl seems to be at a loss for words. "You- I mean- what? Really?"

"You were a magus from the modern age, Mister Emiya?" comes the soft voice of Mashu, clear awe in her expression. "And you still managed to reach the Throne of Heroes?"

"Just call me Shirou," he says with an embarrassed cough, absentmindedly rubbing the back of his neck. "And not really. As a friend of mine repeatedly said, I am… was only a third-rate magus at best. Like I said before, I'm here only because of being chosen as Muramasa's vessel, who decided to leave me in control of our shared body."

"That's still really cool, Shirou!" Ritsuka says, cheerfully patting him on the shoulder. "After Shielder, Saber's like the next bestest class!"

"Of course it is." Shirou immediately replies, ignoring Caster's scandalized 'Oi'.

A quiet hum comes from Olga Marie, who still seemed somewhat flustered. "Be as that may… I can't help but feel like I have heard the name Emiya before. "

"The Magus Killer, probably."

The white-haired girl smirks in triumph, having finally solved the mystery that had been plaguing her ever since the summoning. Her features then instantly twist in horror.

"My father." Shirou further elaborates.

"Ah." Olga Marie squeaks out, looking ever paler than before. Hmm. Maybe he shouldn't have mentioned that little fact about himself?

"...That's so awesome! I wish I had a nickname like that!" his Master exclaims, sparkles in her eyes. "He must've been really cool, huh?"

"In... in a way... I suppose so? He quite literally saved my life." is Shirou's careful response, the glimmer of that beautiful smile instantly manifesting in his mind's eye. "Yet he... I don't know if he was what one would call a good man."

Gudako hums. "Well tell me about him, and I'll see for myself?"

He blinks slowly, before a small smile spreads across his face. "Sure."


The clash of steel against steel, sparks flying high into the air as a gigantic shield rises up to block a rusted sword. Bringing the shield around in an arc, Mash smashes straight through the skeletal monster's rib-cage, killing it instantly.

"Woo! Go Mash!" Ritsuka exclaims, enthusiastic in her cheerleader-like movements. Olga Marie was a bit more calm, though her attention was split between watching the action and nervously side-eyeing Shirou.

...Regardless, to relatively untrained observers like them, Mash's movements were fluid and perfect, the soft spoken girl shearing through the dragon-tooth warriors like a hot knife through butter.

Shirou grimaced at the sight. Clumsy. Hesitant. Weak.

Had he really been like this, once upon a time?

The ability was there of course, the sheer raw potential of the Servant that had taken root in Mash's soul. But it was as clear as day, she didn't know how to handle that power. Yet.

...Should he just tell her?

As the girl pivots to block another blow, trying her absolute hardest to force her Noble Phantasm to activate, his eyes are naturally drawn to the titanic shield in her grasp.

Lord Camelot, the physical manifestation of the holy Round itself. It was the very foundation of Arturia's rule given form, a gathering place of legendary heroes, the metaphorical (and now literal) shield that protected her fabled land from any and all danger.

With one word, he could tell Mash just who had taken residence within her soul. With one name, he could make all their lives so much easier.

But… no. No, he really couldn't.

A soul of honor and chivalry like the one before him wouldn't be pleased with him just outright telling Mash the secret. Ruining a hero's journey like that just wasn't done... doubly so for one of Arturia's chosen knights. He shudders, knowing exactly how she would've reacted to him doing something like that.

He'd made up his mind. Mash would have to take the long road to power.

"So..." a voice causes him to look to his left, where La- Caster was idly sitting and watching the training. "Who won?"

Shirou stares at the Irishman for a brief moment, before flicking his eyes back to where Mash was fighting. "The Grail itself? Nobody. But the War? I suppose Saber and I were technically the last pair standing."

"Ah." Caster says after a moment. "Was I..."

"You stabbed me through the heart."

"So I was a Lancer there?"

"I nearly died."

"Maaaaan, my luck fuckin' sucks."

"You then stalked me back to my house."

"Alternate me got a never-missing demon-spear and all I got is this shitty staff!"

"And tried to stab me again."

The conversation dies down there, the two Servants once again falling into relaxed silence. A ghost of a grin washes over Shirou's face, one mirrored by Caster. For all the trouble and terror that the Irishman had put him through, Shirou didn't really hold it against him anymore. Compared to madmen like Gilgamesh and Kirei, the straightforward and easygoing attitude of the now Caster was a million times more preferable.

After a few more minutes, Caster speaks up again, waving a hand in Mash's general direction. The girl still hadn't managed to activate her Noble Phantasm. Even with Gudako doing her level best to console her sad kouhai, the girl was looking more and more depressed by the second. "This stopped being funny five minutes ago. So… are you gonna step in, or should I?"

Shirou takes a moment to consider. Though he still wouldn't reveal the secret so easily, there was nothing stopping him from giving her a bit of help along the way, now was there? Even the greatest of heroes needed a bit of a boost sometimes, he knew that now, even if it had taken him way too much time and way too many broken bones to fully internalize that lesson in the first place. "I… wouldn't be against it."

"Great," Caster says with a lazy wave of his hand, before laying down on the ground completely. "Wake me up when it's time to leave, will ya?"

Shirou grunts in acknowledgement, before standing up from his cross legged position. It was time to get his inner Tohsaka on, and actually try to teach someone something. Hopefully Mash was smarter than himself, and would actually take his words to heart.

"Hey Emiya."

Shirou turns back to where Caster was lying, an uncharacteristically serious expression on his face. The Irishman flicks a finger in the direction of Mount Enzou, the sickening stench of rot and corruption palpable even from this far away. "You summoned Saber."

"...Ah."


It takes more time to recollect himself than he would like to admit, though thankfully none of the girls seemed to notice anything.

An impromptu lesson on the instinctive nature of Noble Phantasms later, after which Mash managed to pull out a lesser version of Lord Camelot called 'Lord Chaldeas', they were back on the (basically non-existent) road.

It didn't take too long for them to find trouble. Or rather, for trouble to find them.

Shirou hums quietly, eyes narrowing at the shadowy form in the distance. Truly, he had E-Rank Luck. "Enemy Servant sighted."

"A-are you sure?" Gudako says as she comes to stand next to him, all of her playfulness draining away in an instant. "What class?"

"Servant Archer. Capable of creating a currently unknown amount of Noble Phantasms out of thin air. Able to fight with twin swords, as well as the archery of his namesake."

"WHAT?!" comes the strangled voice of Olga Marie, the moment Noble Phantasm creation was mentioned. "How do you know this!? And who is he!?"

"He's me, from another timeline." is Shirou's simple response, answering both questions with one stone. "Counter Guardian EMIYA."

"Y-YOU.. C-COUNTER GA-"

"Alright Gudako, you can do this." the girl in questions mutters under her breath. "Mash, uh... focus on protecting me and Olga, but be ready to move at any time! Cu... blast em from a distance, I think. And Shirou... take point!"

A moment of stillness, before everyone moves to enact the given orders. Though clearly still somewhat lacking confidence, his Master's plan was reasonably sound. And at least she didn't insist on joining the fighting herself, like some bone-headed idiot once did.

Shaking the stray thought away, he begins to dash towards the figure in the distance, the massive bow clearly visible in his counterpart's grasp. A broken phantasm was already formed and nocked, ready to be launched. E-Rank Luck indeed.

Cutting through the silence of the night, twin voices reverberate through the air. Though barely above a whisper, they seem to carry along the wind, clearly audible to all present. A subtle pressure manifests. Olga Marie gulps.

"I… am the bone of my sword."


A/N: Not going to actually run through all the singularities. Fuyuki's special cause… well, y'know.

(Recommend 'Last Stardust' by Aimer for this next part. If not, it's completely fine. I'm actually adding these recs in months after the chapter release, just as a 'hey so you know' sort of thing.)