Okay, just to curtail any questions which version of the FMA series I'm using, the answer is a combination of manga and the original anime, since I've seen more of those two than Brotherhood. Hope that clears it up!


Shirou found several important facts about his new body.

Fact one: he had apparently developed a hair trigger temper whenever his height was mentioned. Namely if anyone was stupid enough to comment on how short he was. This was apparently an instinctive reaction.

Fact two: his body had an adverse reaction to milk. Namely he could not stomach the taste of cow's milk, not that he was lactose intolerant. Fortunately he had access to the internet and found some viable substitutions.

Fact three: what he lacked in height he made up with three things he would have killed for at his apparent 'age'. Muscle definition, flexibility and speed. His new body was compact, yes, but it was limber, fast and powerful. His right hook was positively devastating to the local thugs, and his left leg was unusually strong.

It looked like this body emphasized speed, power and movement over just power and skill. He could work with that.

However the most startling differences he found about this body was the power he held at his fingertips. Almost literally in fact.

Alchemy might operate on a basic principle, but he found it much easier to grasp than any of his training in magecraft. It was almost hardwired into his brain.

All those hours spent with Rin during her failed attempts to teach him runes and formalcraft were being put to use in unexpected ways. On their own, he was abysmal at them at best.

Combined...well, he doubted even Rin would disparage his efforts. His automatic skill at structural analysis had been put into overdrive to the point he was almost certain he had gained the world's oddest form of Mystic Eyes. It would explain quite a deal. His skills at projection, reinforcement and gradient air had been boosted beyond what even his prodigal levels had been upon his death. In fact he wouldn't be surprised if they had gained a near legendary status on their own.

He processed the world with analytical detail, almost down to the last spec. He could comprehend even the most detail oriented scientific theory, something he couldn't do before.

Hell, after the incident with the cop (word had apparently spread about the odd foreign kid with blond hair and gold eyes) he spent most of his time in the library.

He literally spent entire days in the public library pouring over every book he could get his hands on. The more scientific and detailed the better. And that was before he mugged some local thugs to get a laptop, something he would never have bothered with before.

Sometimes he wondered how the Magi would react to the fact that a good chunk of their precious research was available if you knew where to look and how to ask.

Waver El-Melloi II was rather helpful once he realized that he was talking to someone who knew what they were asking about, and not some magic enthusiast.


Six months after suddenly waking up in the past, Shirou was doing what he should have done the first time he summoned Saber.

He had gotten the circle from Waver, who seemed more than enthusiastic to help him. From what he recalled, the man had once summoned Iskander as Rider in the last war, and it had changed him for the better. Clearly he was hoping to do the same for another lost youth, except this time with permission.

Shirou had no catalyst. He didn't want a specific servant.

Instead he used his own blood as the catalyst.

He waited for the perfect moment to summon, and recited the incantation he wished he had known the first time.

The circle flared red, and he could feel Truth take an interest in what was going on. His right hand felt like it was on fire as he connected to the true Grail, not the corrupt one. Then like a rubber band his magic snapped back into place.

From amid the smoke, an androgynous figure emerged.

"I have come in response to your summons. I ask of you, are you my Master?"

"I am," said Shirou, trying not to cough from the smoke.

"Then I, Servant Lancer, will help you obtain the Grail."

Shirou had obsessively looked up Gilgamesh after the war. So that his Archer self could better kick the man's ass like he so richly deserved.

As a consequence, he had also learned of the one person Gilgamesh considered his equal.

Enkidu.

"Your name is Enkidu, isn't it?" he half asked, half guessed.

Lancer blinked, surprised he recognized him so fast.

"I am," he confirmed, a little confused.

To his confusion, his new Master started laughing to himself.

"Instead of summoning him, I get the best friend of the biggest asshole in the damn war!"

Enkidu was confused. But it wasn't just his Master's amusement about who he summoned.

No, it was because this boy who had summoned him without a catalyst looked a lot like Gilgamesh, only more cynical and realistic. In a way he was almost the polar opposite of Gilgamesh...yet if Enkidu didn't know any better, he'd swear that this boy was related to his friend.

Which was impossible. Gilgamesh had no children, and he certainly didn't have any siblings.

So Enkidu observed.

Shirou Elric had a very set schedule.

Every morning he ran a several blocks before picking up breakfast. Once the library was opened, he went straight there, as the police had little interest in an underage boy who spent his days reading in a public place rather than attend school. Close to lunch he would get something to eat, before exercising a bit more. He would return to the library with a laptop to do online research for a few more hours before heading off around the less guarded areas of the city.

He had gained a bit of a reputation, though it was strange to see some thugs nod in his direction, a discreet acknowledgment that he had earned his place on the streets.

Enkidu later found out that Shirou had an...agreement...with one of the local families. He left the Fujimura group alone (mostly due to some fond memories of the granddaughter, who was a recently hired teacher at the local school) and they discreetly sent him into the path of people known to cause problems.

Rapists, hardened killers, those that delved a little too deep into the darker aspects of humanity. Shirou had no patience for them, and neither did Raiga Fujimura. A few days after he came to Fuyuki, there was a sudden decline in such activities. Most had taken the hint within the first month that a new power had arrived and certain standards were going to be...enforced.

After he was done roughing up the idiots who didn't get the message, or thought to try their luck, he generally left them tied up naked as the day they were born after robbing them blind. Some were left go, but most were arrested.

By all outward appearances, Shirou Elric was nothing like Gilgamesh. But there were many little details that Enkidu kept seeing that reminded him strongly of the man.

It wasn't just his appearance. There was an air of arrogance, confidence and a sort of "this world is mine, bitch" attitude that he had. Not that he was aware of it.

Though he had to admit, the way Shirou snapped at people for commenting on his height was definitely not something Gilgamesh had done.

"You do realize that eventually you'll hit a growth spurt and possibly get taller?" asked Enkidu carefully.

Shirou blinked, realized what he was referring too, and to Enkidu's amazement blushed in embarrassment.

"I actually don't care about my height. But for some reason just commenting on it seems to set me off. I know that I'll hit a growth spurt sooner rather than later, and that I'll likely shoot up like a weed. But for some reason just being reminded that it hasn't happened irritates me to the point I go off on others. I've actually stopped noticing it at this point," he admitted.

It was blatantly obvious to him that he was a "late bloomer" in the height department.

"So why do you go off on others?"

"Humans need flaws that others can relate to, otherwise the bulk of humanity will turn on them eventually," said Shirou bitterly.

That had been the downfall of Archer EMIYA. He hadn't understood that people need a flaw to latch on to, otherwise humanity would reject and turn on him. Very few heroes had a happy ending, after all.

So he wasn't that overly worried about his strange outbursts. In a way, worrying about something so inconsequential and venting out frustrations early was actually a good thing. It let him get any anger or negative feelings out in a healthy way, rather than bottling them up.

Seeing the expressions on people's faces when he exploded was actually kind of funny, to be honest.

Enkidu didn't get it, but he accepted the explanation. Shirou clearly didn't care, but for some reason he had the trigger so he made use of it.

Shirou finished off his night with what looked like basic stances that seamlessly shifted into hand to hand combat moves. The thing was, Shirou couldn't remember where he picked them up.

For the first few days, he allowed Enkidu to simply watch him. But little by little, the two of them became sparring partners.

The weird thing was that as he was teaching Enkidu how to fight, he started getting memories. Memories he knew couldn't be his, or even Enkidu's.

Memories of someone named "Edward Elric" and his brother Alphonse...who later became a suit of armor. If he didn't know any better, he'd swear it was a case of permanent transferal of conscience. With a runic anchoring mark.

Shirou had no idea who Edward Elric was. He merely borrowed his last name because it would be too confusion for three "Shirou Emiya" to be around during the war.

However he also remembered what Truth had told him. That it had used a fragment of a very special alchemist that had not only figured out the trick behind using alchemy without circles, but personified Equivalent Exchange.

So much so that the Homunculi (which were nothing like the ones he knew of) had targeted him specifically to open the Gate.

He was the ONLY human alive who had seen the Gate multiple times, much less survive the trip between the world Gaia controlled to the one that Truth had created to protect the alchemists from Gaia's counterbalance.

From what he saw of real alchemy, it was little wonder that the counter guardians had been called when one became too skilled.

Gaia didn't like things that went against natural order, even if they paid for it in a way that didn't upset the balance. The thing was that if alchemy had remained, then humans would have advanced as a species much quicker than Alaya would have liked.


Gilgamesh was in a foul mood. Someone in the city had summoned Lancer, but hadn't bothered to show up in order to report it like they were supposed to. And that annoyed Kirei, who had hoped to steal a Servant without anyone knowing he was a Master. It wasn't enough that he had Gilgamesh lying around. No, he had to be an active Master for his plans.

Naturally he knew better than to take it out on Gilgamesh (he would have killed him for the affront, no questions asked) but he was still very smarmy about the whole thing and told Gilgamesh he wasn't allowed to explore.

So he waited until Kirei went out on a trip and went out anyway.

It was how he accidentally stumbled upon the master of Lancer by accident. And something about the kid felt familiar in a weird way. He wasn't anything special.

He was short (the boy suddenly twitched, as if sensing his mental train of thought about his height), wore bright red clothing with black pants and combat boots, had sunshine gold hair about the same shade as Gilgamesh himself, and a foul temper.

However it was when he turned that Gilgamesh got a good look at his eyes.

Gold. Gold as bright and strong as his armor, with an intelligence few could match. He had no doubt the boy was stubborn, and there was a subtle aura about him that practically screamed arrogance and authority. It was an odd combination he had come to associate only with the mongrels that dared to call themselves "kings" even in his glorious presence.

However this boy didn't seem the type to lead. Let alone wear a crown. No, this was a warrior with the mind of a scholar, one who would jump into even the most dangerous mystery to further his own understanding.

It fascinated him...more than that adorable little Saber had fascinated him.

So he followed, and caught bare tendrils of conversation between the boy and what could only be his servant. He even knew how to disguise the fact he was talking to someone incorporeal perfectly...humanity had developed those silly little ear pieces that made it easier to communicate and freed up the hands.

Gilgamesh could tell at a look it wasn't even turned on, and was only for show. But the other humans assumed it was on and he was talking to someone on the other end.

It was something a traditional Magus wouldn't think of. They'd just find a quiet spot that would leave them open prey for the other Masters at the same time.

It was brilliant in it's simplicity.

He was so interested in the blond that he decided to stalk...er, follow him for the rest of the day.

And the more he watched him, the more interesting the teen became.

He practically lived on the streets, and spent most of his day constructively in the library learning directly from books rather than try to socialize with those beneath him. From noon to evening, he learned magecraft over the laptop with a well respected instructor from Clock Tower that Gilgamesh remembered from the last war. At night he honed his skills like any real warrior would...through actual combat that was only limited by the other party.

It was pretty clear that the boy knew how to fight, and how to fight well from practical experience.

All the fighters these days learned from dojos or private instruction. It was pathetic. Humanity remembered how to fight, but dulls their fangs on purpose because fighting was considered uncivilized. Instead they prided themselves on intelligence.

This boy held his head up with real pride, earned through experience and he most definitely didn't apologize for his behavior. Exactly how a king should behave.

Gilgamesh knew who he was going to keep an eye on. This boy was definitely worth keeping alive, if only for something interesting to watch.