Chapter 1
Shirou stood waiting for his prey to enter his line of sight. The dead apostles he was hunting down were nothing more than small fry. They weren't combat types and possessed very little in terms of offense. However, whenever Ciel asked him for something, he found it hard to deny her.
He knew why she asked him to help her, especially when he found out she had asked Bazett, his runecraft teacher, to assist them as backup. He really did appreciate what she was doing, but he had already mourned his wife's passing. While he missed Illya, it wasn't as if he was alone.
He still had Medea, Bazett, and Ciel, and despite what they thought, they had gotten him through the tough times following her death. Sure, he was still a bit gloomy, but that was to be expected, right? He let out a sigh. 'Then again, my emotions have never been completely normal.'
He shook his head, readjusting the sling bag on his back. If it came down to it, he would need to use the mystic codes Medea made for him. However, he highly doubted it. He even slightly regretted wearing the knight gear Riesbyfe made for him when he was offically inducted as a knight of the church.
However, it was a badge of pride to him, along with Ruler's holy shroud, so no matter how weak the enemy was, he would wear his armor with pride. Besides, with his luck, he knew that something would happen that would make his armor invaluable. Shirou watched the doorway closely, waiting for his prey to enter. He had already set up his black keys beforehand, along with tracing Martha's staff for the confrontation.
There he stood, Martha's shroud wrapped around his neck. The blessings on his black knight jacket were active, as were the ones on his breastplate, armored gloves, and greaves. Underneath that armor, was black pants and a white robe with red cross designs on the flaps.
He appreciated Riesbyfe customizing it with the red crosses when she had them made for him. Admittedly, he did feel a bit odd dressing so similar to her, but the robe being in the style of Martha helped him get over it. Of all his gear, the robe and shroud were the only things that were untouched by Medea, much to her chagrin.
He worked hard since joining the holy church. He viewed his robe as proof that all that work as an executor was worth it, even surviving being the eigth reserve member of the Burial Agency. All of it led to him becoming a knight, his greatest achievement.
Shirou looked down at hand, imagining a ring underneath his glove. He was glad that Illya was able to see him achieve it, along with Medea. They may have had mixed feelings about him joining the church, but they understood why he felt like he had to.
He let out a small sigh, it was time for him to move on. He knew that lingering on his sadness wouldn't do any good, nor would it be what Illya would have wanted. She wanted him to be a hero, to try and be a hero again. To have a family and to be happy.
He refused to bear the title of 'Hero of Justice' ever again. Even if the way he went about it would be different, it was still an ideal that was stained red with countless lives by Kiritsugu Emiya. An ideal that dragged down and betrayed his potential future self, forcing him to further stain that ideal with the blood of innocents, of women and children.
While he didn't have children, he had no doubt that he would eventually have some, especially if Medea had anything to say about it. Whether it was with her, since she incarnated, or with Ciel, the thought of his children being killed for the greater good sickened him.
No, he would be a hero who protected them. He would be the hero of those he loved. A hero for the few, rather than the many. The servants he met during the Holy Grail all showed him a different facet of being a hero. What not to do and what to do. He was a knight, a member of the church, and a guardian, he would extol the virtues of those titles.
All he had to do was finish this hunt and return home. There was no doubt that Medea and Ciel would be overjoyed at his decision. A small part of him was actually excited about the future.
The rancid scent of a dead apostle was fast approaching. 'One less than expected. Ciel and Bazett must have taken one down.' Shirou knew the two were powerhouses, but sometimes they still did things that surprised him. Even the weakest of dead apostles were more than a match for a normal magus.
Planning, quick thinking, and the use of proper weapons was all a must. Something they all had. So, Shirou didn't think anything bad would happen, however, he still didn't know about the research the two were doing. The lack of knowledge on that front disturbed him.
Shirou then heard footsteps approaching, 'It's time." Shirou then took a deep breath, before striking the staff on the ground, emitting a faint light on the cross. "Here me, Lord, my strength. The Lord is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer..." Shirou watched as the dead apostle stepped into the same room as him, clutching some sort of mechanism.
His eyes narrowed, but he continued on anyways. "Lord, bless this land upon my feet. May it shower all who tread upon it with your grace and mercy, with thy light of holiness. Bless the blades that lay the foundation of thy garden. So that all that is evil shall perish here, so that the innocent may flourish. Amen." As he finished, the black keys in the room began to glow white.
The dead apostle then fell to his knees, his body racked with pain. He looked and saw a bounded field set up between the black keys. He couldn't understand what was happening to him, it felt like his body was burning from the inside out. He looked around and saw Shirou walking towards him.
"You're reign of terror comes to a end now, dead apostle. Don't struggle and I'll make your death painless." He noticed the cross staff he wielded, particularly, the cross being altered to be sharp like a spear. He groaned as he unwrapped the object in his arms. However, he quickly raised his hand, firing off a fire spell.
Shirou quickly spun his staff in front of him, batting the fire away from him. He jumped to the side, summoning a black key to his hand, before throwing it directly at the apostle. However, he managed to throw his body to the side and dodge the blade.
"What did you do to me, executor?" He managed to growl out. He was still fiddling with the object in his hand, causing papers to fall to the ground. Shirou noticed this, causing him to push forward.
"I haven't done anything. Your body is doing it to itself. You stand on hallowed ground Apostle. All that is unholy, inhuman, and evil cannot exist here. This is my Garden of Saints: Hallowed Ground of the Holy Land. You no longer have the grace of god, as such, you are slowly dying within this field." He threw his spear into the leg of the dead apostle, causing him to let out a scream.
"It has a long setup, but the effect is well worth it. Trace on." He projected his most treasured noble phantasm, as using The Scripture of Saints and Sinners he created wouldn't be needed this time. The thought of summoning the scripture from his coin seemed like a bad idea as well.
He shook it off, before noticing the apostle beginning to laugh, just as Clarent materialized in Shirou's hands. "It doesn't matter anymore, Executor. I have the power of the second true magic in my hands. Not even you can stop it!" He laughed, Shirou's eyes widened, looking down at the papers.
He noticed multiple notes, however, the most prevalent phrase on the paper was, 'The Kaliedoscope, sphere of transportation'. Shirou immediately began to channel magical energy into the sword, hoping to destroy the apostle and object before the desired outcome was achieved. He needed to stop the apostle from using whatever was in the sphere.
"Shirou!" He heard from behind him, he turned his head and saw the one person he wished wasn't there. A beautiful woman with shoulder length blue hair and blue eyes, dressed as a nun. Her eyes were wide, taking notice of Shirou activating a noble phantasm.
Ciel was pretty sure this mission was going to be a cakewalk. The Burial Agency didn't even think it warranted anyone but normal executors to investigate, but Shirou was being gloomy and she thought it would be a good way to get him to vent out any frustrations he had.
The mission actually went far smoother than any other, even resulting in her and Bazett managing to take out one of the apostles. Admittedly, she should have realized something bad was going to happen. She just wished it had happened to her and not Shirou.
It was obvious from the moment she saw inside of the room. His bounded field was set up, so the apostle's death was already a sure thing. If it was stronger, then it would only weaken it, but she knew this one wouldn't be able to stand it. Even then, Shirou had already pinned in place with his spear.
But it seemed like whatever the two were researching was in its hand. The sphere was beginning to give off a multicolored glow, signaling its activation. She needed to help him. Just as she was beginning to enter, mutiple swords formed in the air and blocked the doorway.
"Shirou?! What are you doing?!" She yelled, the sound of the object was beginning to grow louder by the second. She watched as Shirou thrust his sword into the dead apostle, causing it to laugh, obviously knowing it wouldn't be killed just like that, especially with the magical energy in the sphere.
"Crimson Lightning!" She watched as Shirou activated Clarent, however, she noticed that he was continually pumping magical energy into. 'He's breaking it!' Just as she finished that thought, the crimson lightning and Clarent burst, unleashing a large explosion from within the dead apostle, throwing Shirou against the wall.
The sphere was still suspended in the air, beginning to spin wildly. Shirou quickly crawled to his feet, however, it was obvious that he was injured. His armor protected him, but his right sleeve was torn and blood could be seen coming from the wounds.
"Shirou, let me in, I can help you." She said to him while hitting the swords covering the doorway, however, each time one broke, another took its place. She watched as Shirou turned to her and gave her a reassuring smile.
"Sorry, Ciel, but I can't let you do that. My bounded field is containing the magic in here, somewhat. However, whatever that apostle was researching wasn't complete. The device is defective. If I used Rule Breaker, it would break whatever was containing the magical energy inside the sphere." He walked over towards the entrance, stopping just before the edge of his bounded field and the swords.
"My analysis on the object won't give me a clear cut answer on what will happen if we do nothing, however, I know it won't be anything good. It's our job to prevent things like this from harming civilians. I have a plan, but I won't let you be harmed. I'm a hero and I refuse to allow anything to happen to you." He said to her with a warm smile.
Ciel hated him right now. Why did he have to be doing this now? "Shirou, whatever you plan on doing, don't. Just come with me and we'll get as far away as possible. You, Bazett, and me can just put some space between us and whatever this thing is." She said, attempting to talk him out of whatever he planned.
"Thank you, Ciel, for everything. If this sphere contains the second magic as the apostle said, then I don't know what will happen to me. But, as long as I have this..." He lifted up his gold and purple cross from his neck. "You and Medea will know I'm alive. I promise, I will find you." Shirou then turned and walked towards the sphere.
Ciel began to put all her power into her punches, hitting the swords that were beginning cover the doorway. "I am the bone of my sword." Ciel's eyes widened, hearing him begin his aria.
"Shirou, stop!" His most treasured weapons began to appear, blocking the doorway. The sphere began to shine brighter and spin more wildly. She knew she could use magecraft, but what kind of effect will it have on whatever was happening.
"Steel is my body and fire my blood." Shirou could feel the rampant energy beginning to go haywire. 'Stupid dead apostles, dabbling in things they have no clue about.' "I have been tempered by a thousand blades."
"Lost, now found. Broken, yet reforged." He could feel, his reality marble was already beginning to come to life. His inner world that represented all that he was, all that he cherished.
"Both saint and sinner, refusing the scales of justice." For Martha, Medea, Ciel, Bazett, Illya, and the many others who got him here, he would give his life to protect them. That is the justice Shirou believed him, the love he believed in. Much like the wielder of Balmung in his reality marble, he would strive for his own justice.
"The miracles of hope, light the way to salvation." Medea was going to be angry with him when he saw her next. That was saying nothing of Ciel as well. But, he knew what this sphere and the magic within could do. A true magic that was out of control was a hazard that even even the world would recognize as a threat.
"The shards of my heart shall always forge..." He wasn't doing this for the world, he was doing it for those he loved. His family. As he thought this, he felt something land on his shoulders. He turned his head and saw a blue cloth on his shoulders, joining Martha's shroud.
He turned his head and saw Ciel looking at him with a determined look on her face. "You better keep your promise, idiot. We won't sit idly by. You better hope we don't find you first!" She yelled out to him. His eyes widened, before he gave her a nod and a gentle smile in reply.
"Take care of Medea and Sella for me." He said to her loud enough for her to hear. He turned his head back towards the orb, before finishing his incantation. "Unlimited Blade Works!" A light emerged from his outstretched hand, followed by a blue ring of flame that spread out to the dimensions of his bounded field. Ciel then saw a flash, then he was gone.
Within his reality marble, Shirou summoned Merodach to his hands. "Alright, show me what you got." He said to himself, the sphere was now beginning to activate. "Sword of the first selection, the original foundation of the sacred right to select the king, let your light burn away the unworthy! Pass judgement, Merodach!"
With an overhead slash, he fired off the noble phantasm at the sphere, directly hitting it. The last thing Shirou heard, was the sound of breaking glass, followed by a tear. The last thing he saw in his reality marble, was the falling snow, the blue moon, and Medea's purple butterflies. Then, he felt unimaginable pain, followed by complete darkness.
Outside of an abbey, a young nun was gardening in their designated field. Not many enjoyed taking care of the garden, but it was something of a hobby to the young nun. She was wearing the usual dark teal nun outfit with light blue accents and brown boots with black straps. A white viel covered head, though it did little to hide her beautiful, long blonde hair.
A gentle smile was present on her face as she hummed a small hymn. While she was happy and enjoying herself, she had to admit that she was lonely. Her name was Asia Argento, and she was revered as a holy maiden of the church. It was this title that caused her loneliness.
She was always separated from everyone. Everyone was always afraid to get close to her for a multitude of reasons, though one of the main ones, the one that hurt her, was that some viewed her ability as unnatural. 'I pray that one day, I'll be able to have a friend. One that sees me for me and not my powers.'
She decided to plant flowers for once. Usually, she enjoyed taking care of the vegetables, but she felt something telling her to do a flower. She carefully planted multiple flower seeds, hoping they would grow to be beautiful. She brought her hands together and offered a prayer so that they may grow healthily.
As she opened her eyes, she noticed a flash of light in the woods nearby, followed by a crash. 'What was that?' She thought as she stood up to get help, however, she felt that same feeling as earlier. Something was telling her to go towards the sound. Despite her fear, she listened to her heart.
She slowly made her way into the forest. She took her bible out of the satchel on her hip and proceeded to hold it close to her chest. As she grew closer to the location, she caught a glimpse of what caused the noise. The moment she saw a arm peeking out from a bush, she immediately forgot her fear and rushed forward.
She pushed aside branches and leaves, finding the person in question. She let out a gasp, seeing someone who was dressed similar to an exorcist, though his gear seemed different in design. His jacket with white crosses on the sleeves appeared to be a type of armor. Though it was heavily ripped, the right sleeve being torn off.
The breastplate was useless and he only had one glove. His white priest robes were frayed and burnt at the edges, though the red cross designs seemed unblemished. She noticed two shrouds were wrapped around his neck, though the blue one seemed like it was wrapped there on accident.
He was unconscious and was on death's door, but Asia refused to let him die. She immediately began to use her sacred gear, Twilight Healing, to heal him. As she did so, she took note of the bag that landed nearby, wondering what was inside of it. However, she could feel a holy aura from it and the shrouds.
She then looked closely at his features, noticing his red hair, though it seemed like the tips were turning silver or white, yet he appeared close to her age. His features seemed foreign, but only partially. She noticed the skin on his right hand beginning to darken, though it seemed it was only on the hand and wrist. His fingers still retained their natural slight tan.
She kept healing, watching the injuries closing. The color of his skin was steadily regaining its natural color. His breathing was beginning to steady and his pulse was regulating. Once she realized she had healed most of the damage, she stopped, breathing heavily.
'I've never healed someone this much. I'm exhausted, but I still need to get him back to the abbey.' She then put her bible back in her satchel, before putting the stranger's sling bag over her shoulder. As she was about to try and carry him back, she noticed his cross on the ground.
Without a second thought, she grabbed it and proceeded to tie it around his neck with a piece of cloth. She took a deep breath, before trying to lift him up, managing to get him onto her back. She then began to slowly trudge back to the abbey. As she did so, she heard him muttering.
"Sorry...you had...to help...me again...Martha." Asia's eyes widened, wondering who he was talking about. Though, she knew what shrouds were and that he was wearing one around his neck. 'Could that be her shroud?' She thought, however, she didn't have time to think on it more.
Even though people noticed her absence and came to help, she refused to let them take him. She felt like she needed to take him herself. The abbey priests and nuns quickly set up a bed in the infirmary, allowing him to rest there. While they were a simple abbey, they often offered assistance to exorcists.
They removed his jacket and armor, but left his robe and pants, figuring he would wake up soon. Asia looked at his gear on the nearby table, wondering if the sword hilts were like the light swords used by other exorcists. She took extra care when folding his shrouds, placing them on her bible next to his bed.
Rather than leave, she decided to stay next to his bed, refusing to leave his side. Even providing extra healing from time to time. Two days passed without him waking, but she was worried, as she could tell he was having nightmares. When she noticed his restlessness, she would often sing hymns that managed to calm him.
It was getting late when she was reading her bible one night. She had just finished singing one of the psalms to the stranger, when her eyes began to grow heavy. She was getting ready to stand, when she felt his hand tighten around hers, causing her to let out a small yelp.
Her face reddened, before noticing he was still asleep. She let out a small sigh of relief. However, she decided that she wouldn't leave him. She sat back down and smiled gently at the young man. 'I wonder who you are. You were dressed more like a knight than an exorcist.' She hesitated, before reaching her free hand out to move the hair from his face.
'Could you be the answer to my prayer in the garden? Whoever you are and wherever you came from, I hope you wake up soon.' She thought with a sleepy smile on her face. Her eyes grew heavy until she fell asleep.
Darkness was all he knew. Visions would come and go, showing him different horrifying scenes. Scenes that would cause pain to his heart. When these dreams were at their worst, a voice would pierce through the darkness. He didn't know who it belonged to, but he found it beautiful, almost like an angel's.
Whenever those dark dreams came, her voice would chase them away. The warmth her words exuded brought peace to his heart. He longed to escape, to see the face of the one who sang so beautifully. Then, he got his wish. He saw light, a way to wake from his slumber.
His eyes opened slowly, fluttering softly. His eyes adjusted to the morning sun coming in through the windows. He inspected his surroundings, noticing he was in a building of some sort. He felt the bed he was laying on, then he felt the weight of something on his side.
His body was stiff, but he managed to move his head to see what it was. That's when he saw her. A beautiful girl with blonde hair was laying next to him, a bible sitting on his chest. 'She must have fallen asleep reading.' He thought just before he noticed her eyes fluttering open.
She sat up groggily, obviously still tired. She stretched out her arms and let out a small yawn, which was a rather cute sight if he was being honest. When she opened her eyes, he found himself entranced at their green color. She looked around, before looking down and noticing him.
Her eyes widened, before she let out a small yelp, causing her to tumble backwards. She would have fallen onto the ground, but he managed to stretch his hand out and catch her before she hurt herself. "Careful, wouldn't want to hurt yourself." He managed to say, though his voice hoarse and dry.
He noticed that the girl seemed puzzled by his words, as if she didn't understand them. "Um, I'm sorry, I don't understand." She said, with him recognizing it as italian. Something about the sadness in her voice bothered him, as if he recognized it from somewhere.
He tried to clear his throat, before closing his eyes, looking for knowledge that he, somehow, knew was there. After a few seconds, he found it. "I said to be careful, I don't want you to hurt yourself." He replied with a smile on his face. "Um, do you know where I am?"
The girl's eyes widened, as she could now understand him. She quickly nodded her head, "You're in St. Margaret's abbey, south of Alessandria, Italy." She answered quickly, knowing that he must be confused, especially if his expression was anything to go by.
He brought a hand to his head, trying to recall how he ended up in Italy. He remembered pain, darkness, and the sound of glass breaking. 'No, go further.' He mentally commanded, 'I was in Russia, hunting a vampire? No, dead apostle. I used my reality marble to contain something, it exploded and here I am.'
His memories were jumbled. He barely remembered anything. He knew that he was fluent in multiple languages, he was an executor for something called the Burial Agency in the church. 'So I was a priest of some kind? No, while I could be one, I wasn't. No, I was a knight of the church.' He remembered slowly.
'What else?' He thought, before he felt like a knife pierced his brain. He visibly winced, causing the girl to step close to him. "Are you alright? I'm sorry, I know you must be confused." She said, though Shirou only responded with a smile while shaking his head.
"Don't worry about it, I was just trying to remember stuff. My memories are scrambled right now. However, I'm glad a member of the church is who found me. Thank you, miss..." He trailed off, not knowing her name. She easily understood, making a surprised expression.
"Oh, I'm so sorry, my name is Asia, Asia Argento. I'm a nun who does most of the healing around here. It's nice to meet you." He could tell she was a sweet girl who probably didn't have a single malicious bone in her body. She reminded him of someone. 'Martha?' He remembered that name. 'A saint, she's like a saint.'
"Likewise, my name is..." He paused, before the information entered his mind, "Shirou, Shirou Von Einzbern." That sounded right to him, though, something told him that it was only partially true. He hated not being able to remember. Though, he could tell his memories would return, as he was recalling things faster now.
Asia's face seemed to brighten at knowing his name. "How long have I been asleep?" He asked, as he guessed her happiness was because she was curious about his name all this time.
"You've been here for two days. Well, I guess it would be two days and three nights now. You were in really bad shape when I found you. But, I managed to heal you." She said as she brought her hands up with a determined look on her face.
"Man, can't believe I slept that long. Though, if I was in such a bad state, then I guess I should thank you for saving me, Asia." He noticed a slight reddening on her cheeks after he spoke.
"Oh, you don't have to thank me. I think God is the reason it worked out that way. If it wasn't for him, I might not have found you and I wouldn't have been able to heal you without him." She said resolutely. Though, Shirou was a bit confused as to why she said she couldn't heal him without God's help.
'Did she not use healing thaumaturgy? Then again, most members of the church never use mage terms, so that was probably it.' He thought to himself. However, just as he said that, he noticed the rings on her hands and unconsciously analyzed them.
While he didn't get much, he got the name, 'Twilight Healing'. It also told him that it was something called a sacred gear, which was a term he was unfamiliar with. He had amnesia, so maybe that was why, but it didn't seem familiar either. He had a lot of work to do.
"Well, I'm glad God made it possible for us to meet." He replied, happy to see Asia's face light up. The door then opened, revealing an older nun, who was more than likely the head nun. 'What was it called? An abbess? Ugh, I wish I paid more attention to Ciel's lessons.' Shirou then stilled.
'Ciel? I know her, but it's still fuzzy. She was important to me.' Once again, he felt that stabbing pain. He shook it off, 'That was more than enough. At least I know I had someone special.' "I see that you're awake. That's good news." She said to him, knocking him from his thoughts.
"Asia, could you get him some food and a drink? I'm sure he must be quite hungry." She said, causing Asia to realize that she hadn't asked him about it. She immediately said yes and hurried off. "It's good to see her look so happy. I thank you for that. However, I'm afraid I'll have to ask you some questions."
Shirou knew that was most likely coming, but decided to do his best to answer her questions. After informing her of his amnesia and answering basic questions, he informed her of his position as a knight, keeping his association with the Burial Agency a secret.
He was surprised to learn that the Vestel Shield Knights was actually a defunct order, though they figured that he was a student of one of the last surviving members. While this did bother him, it did explain why no one had heard of him either. They were just glad to find someone trained by that order, as they were still considered formidable warriors.
This also gave him a big answer to a question he had. This wasn't the world he remembered. Which meant Martha and Ciel weren't here, meaning regaining his memories would be a slow process. However, the head nun offered him a position there as an exorcist, that way he had a place to call home.
He was more than happy with that arrangement, as was Asia. He couldn't explain it, but he felt drawn to her. It was much like how he remembered Martha. Which brought more memories, such as the Holy Grail War. His reality marble was also another source of memories, pertaining to the war.
Then there was the coin, the Tenth Scripture of Saints and Sinners. A conceptual weapon he created out of multiple different artifacts of the church. There were nine coins in total, one for each member of the Burial Agency and one for Riesbyfe, his mentor. He had gotten a lot of information from it.
Though, he noticed the info all pertained to his life with the church. He couldn't remember anything else, other than his magecraft and certain names from the war, such as the seven classes, Mordred, Medea, Sella, Illya, Rin, Sakura, Bazett, and Taiga. Anything more and there was a block of some kind.
However, he knew of their relationships and emotions, but individual moments were hard to recall. Such as Medea and Mordred, Caster and Saber, he had strong feelings for them, but the specifics were hard to recall. He hated it, he hated having a whole life that he couldn't remember.
Even now, he felt older than what he was. Asia and him were fifteen, about to turn sixteen, yet he felt like that was wrong. He looked at himself in the mirror and had a strange feeling in his gut. The white on the tips of his hair, one eye being steel colored and the other the usual golden brown, and the darkened skin on his right hand all gave him complicated feelings.
He supposed it didn't matter, he would live as his mentor did, living in the moment and not worrying about tomorrow. For now, that would be enough. His memories would return in time, for now, he would continue on his path of helping others with Asia.
Two months passed, with Shirou doing small jobs for the church, where he learned a lot about the new world. He had his suspicions when he noticed true ether in the air, but what he learned confirmed it. The world was still in the Age of Gods.
To make matters worse, there was a three way war between factions, devils, fallen angels, and angels. There was a fragile cease fire at the moment, but Shirou knew that it was only a matter of time before war broke out again. The church was doing its best to protect humanity, but they couldn't be everywhere.
This led to his fascination with sacred gears. Gifts from God to humanity, so that it may protect itself. Though, it seemed that it just made them bigger targets for those that coveted that power. It was through his research that he found a way to hide his magecraft. A sacred gear called Blade Blacksmith.
So far, he only used black keys to subdue stray priests and such, but when he fought against the stronger races, he would need an explanation. Blade Blacksmith gave him such an explanation. So far, the church only saw him use the sword of St. Catherine, though they only thought it was a normal holy sword.
Shirou, however, underestimated how effective his conceptual weapons were, as well as his reinforced body. The moment he realized it, happened shortly after the two month mark, where he found a surprise waiting.
Asia and Shirou were currently in the garden. Shirou had just returned from a small job pertaining to some stray exorcists the day prior and wanted to spend time with Asia. He hated leaving her to go on missions, as he realized how lonely she became when he was gone.
He hated seeing her sad, it gave him the same feeling when he remembered a certain girl's face. Illya was her name. Asia brought forth similar feelings, as Shirou wished to protect her smile. For some reason, he felt like fighting to protect her smile was his reason for fighting, his ideal.
He knew it had to do with Illya, who he knew he loved, but he didn't know the backstory. It frustrated him, but at least he had a personal reason to fight now. Which led to him gardening with Asia. He found that she loved to garden, planting fruits, vegetables, and flowers.
'She'd probably be a farmer if she wasn't a nun.' He thought to himself. "Shirou, look, the bluebells we planted by the forest have bloomed." Asia said excitedly as she pulled his arm, breaking him from his thoughts. He allowed himself to be pulled along, before looking at the flowers.
"They actually bloomed a lot faster than I thought they would." He replied, though internally, he found their fast growth to be a bit odd. 'We didn't really do much, other than Asia and me offering a small prayer every once in awhile.'
"You know Shirou, this is around the area that I found you." Shirou looked at her, noticing the small smile on her face, though he could see some worry present. "You aren't going to leave when you get your memories back, are you Shirou?" Shirou's eyes widened.
He placed a hand on top of her head, causing her to look towards him, letting her see the reassuring smile on his face. "Of course not, silly." He replied, before a thought occurred to him. "Unless, you want to cause a scandal and leave with me, in which case, sure am." He joked, causing a blush to appear on her face.
"Y-you shouldn't joke about things like that!" She said with an embarrassed face. Shirou let a laugh, causing Asia to let out a small whine. "Why do you always enjoy teasing me?"
"I have no idea what you're talking about, Asia. I wouldn't dare to think about teasing the one who saved my life. Such behavior would be unbecoming of a knight." He said with a smile on his face, though Asia only had a pout on her face as she turned away with an adorable huff.
He let out a small chuckle, before stopping abruptly. An unfamiliar smell entered the range of his senses. Asia obviously noticed his change in demeanor, as she quickly made her way over to him. "What's wrong, Shirou?" Shirou couldn't answer, as he didn't recognize the smell.
At least, not until the scent of devil magic entered his nostrils. "Devils, but I also have another scent that I'm not familiar with. Judging by the location and movement of them, one is being chased." He let out a sigh, as he didn't have his sword with him.
Asia was quick to reply. "Then we've got to help whoever it is, Shirou. They could be in trouble." Shirou took in a deep breath. 'They are definitely in trouble, but I don't want to risk your safety.' He thought about saying, but held it back. He knew that Asia wouldn't take no for an answer.
"When we get there, stay behind me. If you can help the one being chased, then try to get back to the abbey. I'll take care of the rest, okay?" Asia hesitated for a moment, before nodding her head. She reminded Shirou of his younger self, wanting to help everyone.
'Where did that thought come from?' He thought to himself, before shaking his head. 'Doesn't matter.' "Hop on." He said, lowering himself to the ground. Asia quickly jumped onto his left shoulder, with Shirou wrapping his arm around her legs to steady her.
"Trace on." He spoke softly, before reinforcing himself and clicking his boots on the ground, activating the runes on them. "Hang on tight." He said, causing her to tightly wrap her arms around his neck. "Too tight, too tight." He choked out, causing Asia to let out a small eep, before lessening her grip.
'Time to be hero.' He thought, just before charging forth, his thoughts being occupied on saving the life of whoever was being chased by the devils. Little did he know, this would change his life.
Shirone remembered being carried by her big sister, Kuroka. She had just woken up when Kuroka rushed in and began to run away with her. She didn't know what was happening, but Kuroka told her that she was doing everything in order to protect her.
The two sisters were nekoshou youkai, the rarest and strongest of all nekomatas. Shirone had white hair, with a white tail and white cat ears on top of her head. She had golden eyes and was still quite small for a nekoshou. She supposed that this was why Kuroka was protecting her.
Kuroka ran for a long time, hiding from devil patrols until they reached the outside of the city. It was their that Kuroka began to cast a spell that would save her. "I'm so sorry, Shirone, I wish I could come with you. But, the devils want me, not you. I promise that I will find you when it's safe. Until then, live a happy life for me."
Those were Kuroka's words to her. However, she didn't know how to do any of that. she had always had her sister by her side. The spell activated, sending her from the underworld, to the human realm. She didn't where she was, only that she was surrounded by nature.
Admittedly, she was afraid of using senjutsu. While she was grateful that Kuroka had saved her, she was still afraid of the look that had appeared on her face. She killed so many devils with that manic look on her face. It was said that senjutsu could cause a youkai to lose their minds.
She didn't know if that happened to her sister, but Shirone didn't want that to happen to her. She didn't want to lose control of herself and hurt someone. Which was why, when a pair of devils followed her, she ran, rather than fight back. She didn't know what to do, as they were closing in.
She kept running, the devils closing in. She didn't know what else to do, so she did the only thing she could think of. As she ran, she closed her closed her eyes tight. 'Please, someone, save me, I don't want to die!' Her thoughts essentially forming a prayer.
Luckily for her, however, there was someone who tended to be the one who answered those prayers nearby. As soon as she cried out in her mind, someone landed between her and her pursuers, causing her to trip and fall over. She peered up, getting a clear look at the one who answered her pleas.
There were two of them. The first one she noticed, wore the typical get up of a nun, though it was teal in color. Shirone took note of the flowing blonde hair and green eyes that she possessed. The second, who was obviously an exorcist, was the one who stood out the most out of the two.
He wore blue pants and with boots, a black shirt that appeared to be armor, and a black jacket with white crosses on the arms, though the sleeves were rolled up. His right hand was wrapped up with a blue cloth up to his wrist. A red cloth could be seen hanging on his right hip from his belt.
He had red hair with white tips and two different colored eyes, one of steel and the other was similar to hers. The two couldn't be more different, though they also looked like they belonged together. She watched as the exorcist let the nun down from his left shoulder.
She quickly ran over to her, speaking to her. Thankfully, Kuroka had placed a translation spell on her before she left. "Are you alright? You aren't hurt are you?" She asked frantically. Though, Shirone was too shocked to be able to speak. The exorcist then turned around to face the devils, who had stopped when the two appeared.
"Asia, take the girl and hide. I'll take care of this." He said in a calm voice, though Shirone felt a a shiver run through her body at his words. The nun named Asia nodded her head and took grabbed her hand, giving her a reassuring smile. Shirone knew that she wouldn't harm her, so she decided to go with her.
The two quickly ran from the location, though Shirone made sure to keep an eye on the exorcist. The devils seemed worried at the appearance of the exorcist, though the moment they noticed his age, their fear seemed to fade away.
"Listen, kid, we only want the girl. This is devil business, so why don't you and the nun just walk away. We'll just act like we never saw each other. How does that sound?" Shirou looked at the two devils in front of him, noticing the magic they had wasn't anything impressive.
Shirou was surprised by the appearance of the little girl they had saved. Her hair color triggering a memory, one of the girl named Illya. He remembered pushing her in a wheelchair to watch the cherry blossoms. Though she had managed to live far longer than she should have, her body was still weak.
"Shirou, promise me you won't give up on saving others. When I'm gone, I want to know that you'll still be the hero who saved my life." She raised her hand up and took his hand in hers. "Never give up your dream of being a hero, Shirou. Keep being the hero I love."
Shirou opened his eyes, looking at the two devils with a determined expression. He dropped a black key into both hands. "I'm afraid I can't do that. I made a promise. So, why don't the two of you head back to the underworld where you belong. I'd rather not have to make more of these." he said lifting up the hilts.
"That girl's sister is responsible for the death of a devil of the house of Naberius." The devil informed, though Shirou only raised a brow at his words.
"I see, that completely answers the question as to why your hunting down an innocent girl. Punish the girl for her sister's crimes, truly, you devils understand where to place the blame." Shirou's words caused one of the devil's eyes to narrow. He let out a growl, before speaking.
"Just move out of the way, why we want her is none of your concern human. Who do you think you are to butt into our affairs anyway? Exorcist or no, you're only a pathetic human." The older looking devil only sighed, before deciding to agree with his brethren. Both devils summoning up magic circles in their hands to intimidate Shirou.
Shirou took in a deep breath, before throwing his black keys into the air. He silently whispered, "Set." freezing them in the air as the blades materialized. "I am..." the devils, thinking he was giving up, paid no attention to the black keys. However, they stilled when they felt a surge of magical energy hit them. "the bone of my sword."
Within Unlimited Blade Works, a pair of swords responded to Shirou's call. One white and one black, their names, Kanshou and Bakuya.
Merry Christmas to all my readers! I managed to finish in time for Christmas. Yay! This is the first chapter of Hero and Holy Maiden Redux. While I could have continued on with the story as it was, I decided I wanted to go back and streamline it. It was the first ever story I ever wrote, last updated a month afterwards. I feel like my skills at writing have improved, so I wanted to go back and improve the story and clean it up. For those that like the original story, don't worry, the story line will be largely the same for the most part. Some things will be changed, like Shirou's amnesia. He'll get his memory back eventually, so for those that don't like that, sorry, just wanted to find a way to make Shirou actually want to stay with Asia and Shirone in their world, rather than just forget about his old one. I'm hoping the timeline will be easier to follow for everyone.
I will be trying to pump out a chapter for each story before the new years, but no promises, hehe. I will be releasing a special christmas one shot, well, technically, it will be a new series based on crossing over my stories in fun ways, while giving small peeks at the future of each story. First one, will be Archer running into some peculiar summons during the HGW. Anways, hope everyone has a merry christmas! As always, hope you enjoyed, and until next time.