The Queen's Continent was a rather large landmass with varied geography and completely surrounded by water. The landscape was dominated by forests and mountains, but it does possess a few other notable landforms. One of these landforms is the huge swamp that lays to the north-east, and the desert that lays to the south-east. There didn't seem to be much other variation in the geography besides those two things and a few rivers here and there, but not much else. However, what was really strange was that the swamp didn't appear to be located near any body of water, and the location itself was pretty strange and abnormal.

Shirou tapped his pen against the table and sighed. "I was unaware that the Vance Territory was located so deep in the north-east. It will take me a while to get to any of the major cities." He noted before putting an 'X' on the map. "The closest city is Sheldan Free City, so I think I'll stop there first."

"I found a map." A small female voice could be heard. Shirou looked over his shoulder to see Leina holding an armful of rolled up maps. "I found quite a few actually."

"Good job." Shirou praised her with a kind smile. "Set them down on the table please."

Leina obeyed and placed the maps on the table like Shirou had said. Shirou found that Leina was probably the most helpful out of his three sisters to him, but that is not saying that Claudette and Elina weren't helpful too. Claudette and Elina simply had...circumstances. Claudette was often too busy to assist him in any way and Elina... it wasn't wise to stroke her ego too much. Leina was quiet, didn't get in the way, and completed whatever task she was given. It seemed that she was always happy to be of assistance.

"You know," Shirou started as he rolled open one of the new maps. "you don't have to help me with this. Why don't you just run along and play?"

"That's alright. I'm fine doing this." Leina replied. She must've went to look for more maps because her voice sounded far away. "I finished my studying and lessons so I have the whole day off."

Shirou sighed and nodded. He felt both sorry for Leina and guilty that she was spending her free time helping him plan his journey. It was no secret that Leina had very little time to do little girl things because she was often being groomed to be the next leader of the Vance family. There was nothing wrong with training her, but training her too much wasn't exactly a good thing either. She needed time to be a child and actually do child things or else she might grow up to be a boring adult. That was the last thing that anyone wanted for her.

"If you say so." Shirou said before turning his full attention back to the map. "Now, about this swamp."

Shirou's golden eyes drifted to the large swamp located to the east of the Vance Territory. It was labeled Marshlands and was represented by a black splotch that looked more like an ink stain. He couldn't tell if that was how swamps were represented or if the cartographer made a mistake, or if it was done like that to look off putting. Regardless of the reasons or intentions, the swamp was not an area that Shirou put high on his list of places to visit, but he did want to see it for himself.

"I'll have to ask around to see if anyone knows more about it." Shriou concluded. "It'd be foolish to venture into a place like that blindly."

At that moment Leina came back in with only two maps as opposed to the armful she had a while ago. She dutifully placed the maps where she had put the other ones. Shirou took a quick glance at the maps, but didn't find anything significant about them other than that they were larger than the ones brought previously. Nonetheless, every little bit helped and it would be foolish to turn away help. It would also be pretty rude to Leina to disregard her efforts despite the fact she didn't have to help out.

"Thanks." Shirou said with a small smile. "I think I'm done for now. I'll look at those two later."

"Okay." Leina said lowly before she sat down in the chair next to Shirou. "What are you doing anyways?"

Shirou glanced at her. "I'm marking locations that I want to go on my journey."

"Journey?" Leina repeated while tilting her head to the side. If only she knew how cute she looked right now. "You're leaving?"

"Yeah, but not forever." The redhead replied and rubbed the girl's head softly. "I'll be back. Besides, it's going to be a while before I'm even able to leave."

Leina didn't say anything afterward but Shirou could tell that she was both satisfied and dissatisfied by his answer. She was satisfied that she got an actual answer, but dissatisfied by how vague it was. She obviously wanted a clear answer, an answer that he really didn't have and one that he probably won't have for a long time.

"Well, I got to go to the barracks." Shirou said as he gets out of his chair. "Everyone is supposed to spar today."

"Can I come and watch?" Leina asked in a hopeful voice.

Shirou sighed and shook his head. Oh, he could see the upcoming scolding already. "I guess, but stay safe by watching everything from the side lines and do what Claudette or I tell you."

"Alright!" Leina enthusiastically replied.

An hour had passed since the recruits sparred with their assigned partners. Since the recruits weren't as seasoned as most of the guard they were assigned partners that only recently became part of the guard themselves to make up for it. However, the sparring itself didn't go off without a hitch. A certain white haired medic suffered multiple injuries and had to retire to go patch himself up. Aside from that one incident everything went pretty well: Leina was well behaved and stuck close to Claudette, said captain didn't scold Shirou for bringing Leina to the sparring, and Shirou himself got to see firsthand what the other recruits could do. Everyone, except Pathfinder, had a decent session

Currently, Shirou was sitting in the library, his journal out in front of him and a pen in his hand. He was making notes of the different fighting styles of the recruits… for future reference of course.

"Claudette did a pretty good job finding a mix of different fighting styles and skills." Shirou noted while looking over the very detailed notes he managed to write. "A lot of potential here, I guess that is why she's the captain."

It was quite clear that Claudette picked everyone, except Shirou, for something they brought to the team. Pathfinder, for example, had both superior medical skills and a powerful dual wielding style. His purpose was to train the other medics. In contrast Amber, his sparring partner during the session, was skilled in a variety of different weapons, but lacked any other notable skills and her only purpose was to be a fighter. The Vance Knights took in anyone who wanted to join as long as they could pass physical and mental tests. However, Claudette could also pick anyone she wanted if she felt them to be fit to join, which is what she did with this batch.

"That's my captain." Shirou chuckled lowly in case anyone was around to hear.

"My, my what are you doing?" An amused voice asked from behind him.

Shirou jumped a little in surprise but quickly recovered and looked over his shoulder to see Maria. She was wearing that lavender colored dress she loved so much, in fact, it was probably the only dress she actually did like. It was no secret that Maria was a tomboy, a beautiful tomboy at that, but a tomboy all the same. It wasn't that she didn't like dresses themselves, she just didn't like wearing them. It was a shame though, she always looked so nice in them.

"Good afternoon Ms. Maria." Shirou greeted with a nod. "I'm making notes of the sparring we had back at the barracks. I've noticed that everyone seems to know what they're doing, but they all lack proper experience."

Maria smirked as she walked over before sitting down in the chair opposite to Shirou. "Well of course! The point of a recruit is to be molded into what you want them to be."

"I guess you're right." Was the simple response.

Maria tapped her finger against the table rhythmically. "So, is the planning for your trip going well?"

"Yeah." Shirou replied before he scribbled something down in his journal. "I have all the locations mapped out and most of the servants offered to help me get supplies. The only thing I need now is money."

"I'd be happy to supply you with an adequate amount." Maria offered with a smile.

"Thanks for the offer, but I don't think it will be needed." Shirou declined politely. "Besides, I've been taking more jobs than usual and Pathfinder also pays me to bring back any herbs I happen to find."

Maria nodded. "So, you seem to have a pretty good idea of what you're doing huh?"

"I guess, but there is one thing that kind of bugs me."

"And what would that be?" Maria asked while tilting her head in confusion. Well, at least Shirou now knows where Leina got her cute manners from.

"A swamp." Shirou stated plainly. "There's a large swamp in the west, now normally I wouldn't pay much attention to it, but its size and location are... abnormal."

"Don't go near it." Maria almost hissed. Her face had no signs of hostility, but the disgustingly sweet smile on her face made up for it.

"Maria, are you-"

"I mean it Shirou." She interrupted him with the threatening smile still on her face. "Don't go near that place."

The redhead arched an eyebrow. This was a complete shift in the way that Shirou was used to Maria acting. She was never this menacing, except when she fought with Count Vance or disciplined her daughters. Leina and Elina never disobeyed their mother, "Alright. I won't go near the swamp." Shirou said, before leaning back in his chair and folding his arms. "But, you have to tell me why."

"It's forsaken." Maria replied surprisingly fast. "That swamp rejects all life, nothing grows there and anything that does will just wither and die."

Shirou narrowed his eyes. A place that rejects life? That sounded really fishy. It wasn't that he didn't believe it, but he has his doubts. Maria had never lied to him in the past and was always helpful, so he would heed her warning. However, he felt there was more to it than she was telling him. Something like that… is never as simple as it seemed.

"Okay, I won't go near the swamp." Shirou said with a sigh, "I won't only because you asked me not to."

"Thank you." Maria said, clearly relieved. "I can rest easy now." She suddenly stood up. "Well, I have to go now as I have some things to do. I'll leave you to your own devices."

The redhead gave a nod and leaned back in his chair as Maria left. When she was gone Shirou sighed again and looked up at the ceiling. His eyes narrowed when he remembered something from his battle with Melona. The slimy creature mentioned something about a Swamp Witch… and there just happened to be a lifeless swamp? That was way too suspicious.

"A lifeless swamp for a Swamp Witch." Shirou thought with a frown on his face. "Great, another headache I'll have to deal with in the future."

A lone candle illuminated the normally dark shed with a low orange light and shined on Shirou who was sitting behind a desk and holding a knife in his hand. The knife, or a dagger was pretty insignificant and the only thing that seemed to be unique about it was its sharpness. However, there was much more to it than that. This knife was the one that he traced earlier in order to test Gaia's presence in this world. At the moment, the knife had been in this world for seven days, three hours and twenty-seven minutes.

An eyebrow was arched when the blade suddenly disappeared. "So it seems that Gaia is really weak in this world or is simply nonexistent." Shirou noted before he traced another knife. "I figured it was something like this."

The door suddenly opened and a girl walked in who seemed oddly familiar. She had long light brown hair with a single emerald eye being visible while the other was being covered by her hair. It took Shirou a minute to realize that it was Nyx, she looked so much better now that he almost didn't recognize her. Adding to the dissimilarities, Nyx wasn't wearing the maid's uniform he was used to see her in as it was replaced with a brown dress and leather shoes. However, despite how much healthier she looked or what she currently wore, one thing that never changed about Nyx was her hairstyle.

"Oh, hey Nyx." Shirou greeted with a smile. "You're looking a lot better."

Nyx smiled and nodded. "Thank you." She said. "The mixtures Mr. Pathfinder gave me really helped."

"That's good to hear." Shirou nodded. "How is your mother? Is she doing well?

"Yes, she is." Nyx stated happily. "Mr. Pathfinder said she'll be on her feet in a few days if she continues to take her assigned medicine."

"That's good." Shirou said. "I also noticed that you're not wearing your maid uniform. Is it dirty or something?"

"Nope." The young girl shook her head. "I don't work here anymore."

The traced knife in Shirou's hand dropped to the ground with a clank. Did he hear her correctly? She wasn't a maid anymore? His first instinct was to blame Elina because it was probably her fault. Although that wasn't really fair to Elina, considering she had been on her best behavior lately.

"You don't work here anymore?" Shirou asked to which Nyx nodded. "Why? What happened?"

Nyx smiled. "You." She replied with light blush on her cheeks. "Now that my mother is getting better I don't need to work here to pay for medication anymore."

"Oh," Shirou sighted in relief and leaned back in his chair. "so what are you going to do now?"

"Mother and I are moving to a farm village south of here so we can find a job there." Nyx answered as she looked around at the shed. "I just came here to say goodbye before we leave."

"Ah, well I guess this is goodbye then." Shirou replied awkwardly. He walked up to her and extended his hand. "Good luck Nyx."

"You too." Nyx replied taking his hand and shaking it, but when Shriou tried to pull it away he was surprised when she suddenly pulled him in instead and hugged him tightly. It took him only few moments to recover from the sudden, but pleasant shock and hug her back. "Thank you… thank you for everything you have done…"

"Um, you don't need to thank me, I really didn't do anything that mu-" Shirou was cut off from finishing his sentence when Nyx suddenly released her hug and instead placed her hands on his shoulders.

"Don't say that! If it wasn't for you rescuing me from Elina that day I would have lost my job, If wasn't for you bringing me to the infirmary when I collapsed during work I could have seriously gotten sick… and finally… if it wasn't for your help in getting the needed money for the medicine… I would have lost my mother… so please don't say that." Nyx then again hugged Shirou tightly.

At first he didn't know how to react to her words, but in the end Shirou only sighed and smiled gently while continuing to hug her.

Few minutes pass and they just stood in the shed, holding each other until Nyx finally broke the embrace, "It's time for me to go… thank you, for everything that you did… Shirou." Nyx said and gave him a small peck on the cheek. She then quickly turned around and left while trying fight down a huge blush from appearing on her face because of what she just did.

Shirou himself was stunned and touched the cheek that Nyx just kissed. He quickly shook his head to reboot his mind before sighing and walking back to his desk. He was sad to see Nyx go. Even though he didn't know her for that long, it was a shame that she had to go so soon. However, it was probably better for Nyx herself in the long run.

"Now, where's my knife?" Shirou wondered while looking around.

However, before anything could become of his search, the shed door opened again and this time Pathfinder stepped in. It looked like he was all healed up since his sparring session earlier, but he still had those large rings around his eyes. Those rings around his eyes were becoming a common occurrence since he had them almost every single day.

"Hey lobster head."

Shirou's eyebrow twitched. Did Pathfinder even remember his name? The medic was always calling him something in reference to his hair color. Shirou ignored it pretty well, but it really did seem like Pathfinder didn't know or remember his name. What was really annoying was that they were frequently paired together, and this wasn't exactly good for teamwork even though it was so petty.

"So, I hear you going on a journey or something." Pathfinder said in his normal indifferent tone. "Is that true?"

"Yes, it is." Shirou nodded.

The white haired male scratched the back of his head sheepishly. "I think I have a proposition that will benefit us both."

Shirou's eyes narrowed sharply. If it was anything like taste testing, injecting or scrubbing there was no way in hell Shirou was going to be part of it.

"What kind of proposition?" Shirou carefully asked.

"Nothing life threatening I can a sure you." Pathfinder replied quickly, but awkwardly. That wasn't a phrase he was used to saying.

"Alright, let's hear it." Shirou said. Normally he'd be skeptical about this, but now wasn't the time. He could be skeptical later.

Pathfinder rolled his eyes. "Well, thank you, your majesty for this opportunity." The white haired male quipped sarcastically. "Anyways, this proposition is basically the same deal we already have. You find herbs and I'll pay you for them, but the payment will be different this time."

"What are you suggesting?"

"How about instead of money, I give you some training in herbology and other medical skills." Pathfinder said with a smirk. "However, you have to bring be back a handful of rare herbs of my choosing. Deal?"

Shirou tapped his chin in thought. At face value this deal didn't seem bad to either side, both will benefit. However, by digging beneath the surface one can clearly see that Pathfinder would have the advantage. He had the advantage due to the fact he could pick which herbs he wanted and the possibility of debt to him if the herbs were unattainable. Pathfinder was the one that really benefited from it.

"Alright." Shirou agreed against his better judgement, "These herbs better be real though."

"They are." Pathfinder replied quickly by producing a piece of parchment form his pocket. "Here is the list."

Shirou took the list and read the contents of it. At first glance they all looked like real plants, but a few of them looked pretty outlandish. Shirou wasn't quite sure what an Impish Nightshade was, but he was sure it was deadly. Shirou didn't know much about plants so he would have to check on them later to make sure he wasn't going on a wild goose chase later.

"I'll keep my eye out." Shirou said, folding up the parchment and putting it in his pocket. "However, I'm going to look these up. If even one of them is fake then the deal is off." Shirou finished with a sharp glare to get his point across.

"They're real, don't worry." Pathfinder waved him off before he started to leave. "We'll start the first lesson tomorrow, Shirou."

"Oh so he does know my name. So he's just being rude then." Was the only thought Shirou could muster in his thoughts before Pathfinder left the shed.

Two Years Later

Shirou inhaled the fresh, clean air as he stood in front of the gate to the rest of the land. It had been two long years of preparing, planning, and training in order to get ready for this day. It was the day that he was going to set out on his long planned journey. He noticed that when he was getting everything he needed for today that the entire estate was unnaturally quiet, almost like he was on his way to his own funeral. However, he soon realized why it was so quiet. When he walked outside, he was greeted by the sight of everyone waiting to see him off on his journey.

It was barely morning and the sun wouldn't be up for a few more minutes, but everyone was there: Leina, Elina, Claudette, Maria, Pathfinder, a lot of the servants, guards and even Count Vance. It was kind of surprising to see the big man himself out there, but apparently Maria smoothed things out a while ago and spent the last two years grooming him for this day. It was a bit cheesy since all of this seemed like something out of a romance novel or a fairy tale, but it was still very touching.

Pathfinder yawned. "It is way too damn early for this."

Claudette turned to glare at him. "Stop whining. You wanted to see him off as well."

"Yeah, but I didn't want to turn into an owl to do it." Pathfinder rolled his eyes.

Everyone else ignored Claudette and Pathfinder's bickering, but Elina would occasionally chuckle at some of the verbal jabs they would trade with each other. Shirou couldn't even hear what they were talking about, but he really didn't care. Claudette and Pathfinder were like oil and water, but that was a story for another day as he was now approached by Maria and Count Vance.

Maria spoke first, "While I'm sad to see you go, I knew this day was unavoidable, so all I can do is wish you luck and safe travels during your journey. Don't forget to write us letters whenever you can and stay out of trouble." She then proceeded to hug him tightly for a few seconds before releasing him and nodding.

"I will." Shirou answered and then turned his attention to Count Vance who just stood there, staring sharply at him.

Maria noticed this and jabbed him lightly (by her standards anyway) with her elbow in his side which caused the Count to sputter for a moment before beginning to speak, "Um… uh…yes. Be sure to not tarnish the Vance name and…uh… stay safe…" he was wincing the entire time when he spoke those words. It was clear as day light that he wasn't happy about this.

Shirou shook his 'farther's' hand and nodded. Best move on and say goodbye to others before the Count changes his mind. Next to say their farewells were Claudette and Pathfinder.

Claudette went up right up to Shirou and shook his hand, "Goodbye brother, remember the training you received here if you ever encounter danger along the road and always remain vigilant… and… uh… don't forget to write, alright?" she muttered the last part so silently that Shirou was barely able to hear it. He smiled at her and brought her in a one arm hug. Claudette at first tensed up but quickly relaxed. When Shirou let go of her, a small, almost completely unnoticeable blush appeared on her face, showing how embarrassed she was from the whole sibling affection.

Shirou then looked at Pathfinder who only smirked and nodded at him, "You watch yourself out there alright? Also, don't forget about the herb collecting."

Shirou, despite how much the tall doctor frightened him, smiled and shook his hand. Afterwards he said his goodbyes to the Vance servants and guards. Many of them were sad to see him go as he was always the most helpful, besides Maria, Vance family member. He always helped the maids and butlers by either doing chores with them around the castle (in secret of course) and often sparred with the guards to help them get better. Not mention all of them had a taste of Shirou's divine cooking so not being able to experience it for quite a while was a serious downer.

"Well, it's time for me to go." Shirou said turning so he would face the whole crowd and slinging over his shoulders a big bag a few of the maids had made for him filled with necessities travelling on the road. "I guess I'll see you all when I get back then."

Everyone started waving at him and Shirou took this as a sign that he could go on his way. However, before he could even take a step he felt a tug on his pants. He looked down to see both Elina and Leina looking at him with curious looks. He was surprised to see them here at all as he hasn't seen his two little sisters for a few days. They both locked themselves in their rooms and besides allowing maids to bring in food they didn't let anyone else to enter.

"Hey you two, what's up?" Shirou rubbed their heads affectionately.

"We want you to take this." Elina said before she pulled out something of her dress pocket. It was necklace that had a small vial filled with plant attached to it, "Mr. Snow told us it attracts good luck." Leina nodded at those words.

Shirou examined the plant and thanks to his training under Pathfinder, identified the plant as aloe. Pathfinder told him that aloe had healing properties and was the ideal treatment for something like a scratch, rash, burn or cut. The white haired medic was a surprisingly good teacher and Shirou learned a lot from him, not as much as he did from Rin though.

"I love it, thank you." Shirou said as he put it on. "Since we're exchanging gifts, I made these for you two."

Shirou reached inside his bag and pulled out two pendants. Both of the blonde girl's eyes lit up when he handed one to each. The pendant Elina got had a long sword shaped jewel at the end of it and the one Leina got had two curved swords crossed together in an X shape. Shirou made them a while back with the help of a few of the servants. They came out much better than he thought they would.

"They're something to hold onto until I come back." Shirou smiled as he hugged them both tightly, before waving to everyone. A few rays of sunlight were peaking over the horizon indicating that the sun has finally started to rise. "Well, it's time for me to go. I guess this is goodbye for now, take care everyone."

The crowd again waved at Shirou as he walked past the gate. It's finally time to see what this world has in store for the young hero!

ANs

Story Related-

Anonymous Reviews:

raccoonsand-boy- Nothing against Gaara, since he's one of the ones I actually like, but I don't think I would be interested in doing that. Gaara's ability to control sand is pretty obnoxious, and that would prove to make him too strong for most of the Queen's Blade cast to handle. So, I have to decline.

There probably won't be characters from the Nasuverse showing up for all of those who were wondering. Unless you count Kiritsugu in the last chapter, but that was more of a cameo than anything else.

Harem:

I never said this was a harem. To be honest, that was probably the furthest thing from my mind and I only recently started thinking about that. So, I haven't decided if this going to be a harem or not. If I do decide to do a harem, I'll make it was realistic as possible, so it doesn't make a mess of things latter.

The Swamp:

So, it's way to early for Shirou to startle the witch. There's no need to go near the swamp, so don't expect Shirou running into the Swamp Witch anytime soon, but her minions (except Liliana), are still on the table.

Two Years:

Why was there a two year skip? Because there was really nothing left to do at Vance Estate. Shirou's met all the notable characters at the estate. Pathfinder's training, in my head, was slow and tedious. I doubt anyone would want to see that. Besides the training, I was drawing a blank on what I could do so...yeah, I was in pretty difficult spot.

Non-Story Related:

FSN x AGK:

Yeah, I'm gonna write a Fate/Stay Night x Akame Ga Kiru story. It's already in the planning phase, but it will be a while before I actually write it. My best estimate would either be when this story is over or when it's almost over. What I have planned so far is very similar to this story it has the same style of rebirth but overall it's a very different story. I'm not really impressed by the AGK crossovers I've seen so far, possibly due to the fact that AGK is always counted as the weaker universe...god I hate that.

"If the Empire didn't have the Teigu then the Elemental Nations would crush them easily."

And if you take chakra away from the ninjas what do you get? Dead ninjas that is what you get. Sorry, if that hit a nerve, but it's true and to be frank my patience is really thinning when it comes to that.

Now, before anyone asks let me get a few questions out of the way about this:

Will Shirou replace Tatsumi?

- Nope, Shirou's life is his own. If he replaced Tatsumi that would mean that Shirou would inherit Incursio or they would sent it back to the Revolutionary Army. I don't want either of those two.

Will Shirou have a Teigu?

- Yes, he will. However, he won't have any of the ones that have been revealed. It's one that I have created, but I won't reveal what it is until I actually write the story. It isn't OP and it's weaknesses and strengths are quite obvious.

Can Shirou trace the Teigus?

- Technically, he shouldn't be able to do that. All the Teigu are made from materials from Danger Beasts, living beings, so he shouldn't be able to trace them. However, he could probably produce a shell, a replica with no abilities. Plus, if he could trace the Teigu with their abilities he'd be extremely OP and I won't stand for it.

Shirou x Esdese?

- ...maybe. Now please help yourself to this short.

"Mom, how did you and dad meet?" - Purple
-sigh- Shirou
"It was a wonderful."- Esdese
"It was illegal."- Shirou
"You're father was so aggressive."- Esdese
"More like I was so drunk." - Shirou
"He was so passionate." - Esdese
"Again, drunk."- Shirou
"Wow, I hope I met someone like dad." - Purple
"Wait...what?" - Shirou
"That's it honey." - Esdese
"..."- Shirou
"Oh, how long were you standing there?"- Esdese
"..."- Shirou

I don't own Akame Ga Kiru

Inspiration:

I've been pretty inspired lately. Ever since I went back and started looking at more obscure series and since this summer season started. This summer season of Anime was pretty good and I have to say that it's given me all kinds of ideas. I'll probably write something with them at some point, but I have a feeling most of them will never have a category here. My favorites this summer were Rokujyoma no Shinryakusha!? (Invaders of the Rokujyoma), Tokyo Ghoul, Tokyo ESP, Akame Ga Kiru, and Gekkan Shoujo Nozaki-kun.

Questions, Comments, Concerns?