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A variety of misunderstandings and unreliable narrators.

Fanon or Canon? Sorry even I don't know. I tried though.

Hahaha, off-screen Servants go brrr.

Chapter 04 – Training/Misunderstandings

Within the last week, Miyu noticed that nothing much has changed in the Emiya household. Unexpectedly, her 'rival' didn't try to compete with her, she was still Shirou's partner in household activities, and her 'rival' didn't make herself a bother, she just borrowed the shed and is doing… something there. She was glad, but she was also suspicious.

'Why is she here then?' It appears that she didn't have any intentions towards Shirou or herself, but it would be better to keep an eye on her.

"Miyu, if you keep spacing out, I'm going to revoke your kitchen rights." Shirou threatened as he flips the contents of the pan.

"S-sorry Shirou!" Miyu snapped to attention and apologized. She didn't want her time with Shirou to be reduced because of her carelessness, besides, she loves working in the kitchen. Making delicious food for the people, or in this case person, she cherishes fills her with joy. Getting praises and head pats were just bonuses.

As they finished cooking, they started to prepare for the coming meal by setting up the table, their movements didn't have any wasted motions and they never got in each other's way. After that, there was only one thing left to do…

"Ritsuka! Lunch is ready!" Shirou shouted as he knocked at the door of the shed. Fujimaru was now living in the shed and didn't bother them except when it's time for food. She said that setting up her workshop was going to take pretty long, but he didn't expect it to last a week. 'That just goes to show that I don't have a lot of knowledge about Magi I guess.' To his mystic senses, the shed has overflowing Magic Energy pouring out of it.

"Coming!" Ritsuka replied as she approached the exit.

Shirou returns to the dining room and sat beside Miyu who was also waiting for Ritsuka so that they could start eating. As Ritsuka arrives at the room, she immediately plops down on the other side of the table, signaling the start of the meal.

"""Itadakimasu.""" As Shirou eats, he evaluates the dishes made by Miyu, and Miyu tastes Shirou's dishes so that she can understand what kind of flavor the food she cooks should have.

"You improved again, Miyu." Shirou praised.

"Thank you Shirou, but I still have a long way to go." Miyu answered modestly as she tastes another of Shirou's dishes.

While Miyu is certainly talented, she still didn't reach Shirou's level, after all, he has been cooking ever since he was saved by Kiritsugu. It was a necessity, because that man could burn water somehow, and cooking was integral to their survival.

As they finished eating, Ritsuka stands up and was about to return to the shed, but she stopped as if remembering something. "Oh yeah, Shirou, it's finished now, you can go inside if you want." She continued her trek back to the shed as she leaves the room.

"Shirou, what is finished?" Miyu fished, curious about what they were talking about.

"Err, the shed. She probably finished what she was doing in the shed." He answered vaguely. 'So she's finally finished…' Shirou could only imagine what kind of Magecraft he would be taught, but first, he should clean the dishes with Miyu.

On the other hand. 'So she finally made her move.' Miyu believed that this was Ritsuka's plan to get closer to Shirou but… 'They're siblings… do I have the right to interfere with them?' Right now, Miyu believes that her position in the household is 'guest', surely someone like that shouldn't interfere with family matters or get in between them. So, with a heart filled with envy, she simply watches as Shirou moves to the shed.

Shirou was very surprised when he entered. The shed's outside appearance hasn't changed at all, but the inside was completely different, and not only that, the shed also seems larger than before. 'Did she make it bigger on the inside?' Shirou was relieved that Fujimaru was a more peaceful Magus, his decision to avoid antagonizing her seems to be the correct one. He can't even comprehend what spells should be used to do something like this. It seems that she didn't put anything new except for the circular steel hatch though.

"Shirou, I'm at the 2nd underground floor if you want to start your lessons now, get down here." Spoke Fujimaru from… somewhere.

'So that's why it took so long, no, compared to mundane methods, it was done quickly.' Shirou decided that he should hurry and take the lessons, it would definitely help him if he is taught Magecraft like this. He opens the hatch… and sees nothing but a metal floor.

'Huh? Maybe it's one of those Magecraft defenses, she should've deactivated them or told me how to bypass it though…' Shirou rationalized. As he goes down to check for hidden mechanisms, the hatch above closes by itself.

'!' Shirou was rattled, but then lights appear, going through his body from head to toe. As the light dies down, a different set of lights appear, illuminating the cramped box he is in. As he shook of his confusion, a voice rang out.

–––––Base Sequence: Human Genome Confirmed

–––––Alignment: Neutral-Good

–––––Facial Recognition match found

–––––Magic Circuit assessment complete

–––––Welcome to Gudako Base, Emiya Shirou

As the voice finished welcoming him, he felt the box he is in move downwards. 'Oh, so it's an elevator.' Shirou realized. The tools Fujimaru use seems to be atypical for a Magus. Instead of the ancient looking defenses preferred by most Magi, she seems to use futuristic technology instead.

The door opens, and he sees golems standing at a height at least double or even triple his height, with dense bodies several times wider than him. The floor was a cacophony of movement, the giant golems moving items with their formidable strength. There were even golems with non-humanoid shapes. 'A bird, a horse, a dragonfly… is that golem making another golem?'

Other than the golems, there were also crystals scattered in various locations. The colors he found were yellow, silver, red, blue, black, and clear. Although he didn't know their functions, they seem to have a lot of Magical Energy inside them. Seeing such things, Shirou understood that he stood no chance if he and Fujimaru were to fight. Even if he uses Kiritsugu's Origin Bullets, he has no confidence in getting near her while she is protected by her creations.

Finally reaching the other elevator he saw as he roamed the 1st underground floor, he entered it, anticipation welling up in him. 'If she's this strong, then my decision to accept the contract was correct.' Not only did he get a powerful Magus as a teacher, but he also got her as a guardian of sorts. True, she won't help in attacking, but her protecting the estate is a huge safety net.

"You suck." Was the first thing that Fujimaru said to him as he entered the room.

"Errr… what do you mean by that?" Shirou questioned uncertainly.

"Magic Circuit number, a little bit above average, Magic Circuit quality, low, origin, sword, and element, sword. This is… difficult to work with." She responded.

"How did you even know all that?" Shirou curiously asked.

"When you first came down here, the elevator scanned your Magic Circuits. Didn't you listen to it?" She admonished.

Shirou didn't know that her methods were strange and didn't question her, since she is a better Magus than him. "Can't you, I don't know, teach me how to make something like those golems?"

"Rather than golem making, I think you're more suited for making weapons like your origin and element suggests." Fujimaru countered. "In the first place, having qualities like that make you extremely specialized. You would have difficulty casting even the most basic elemental spells with something like that." She explains.

"Making weapons huh…" Shirou thought about it. Most of the spells he tried to practice failed, but he didn't know the cause at the time. Hearing the more experienced Magus explain it to him, he decided to follow her advice. "How should I start?" He asked.

"I'll tell you, but first, let me ask some questions." She responded.

"Sure, I guess…" He agreed.

"First, do you practice Magecraft every day?" Fujimaru started.

"Yes, my dad told me to use them at least once a day." Shirou replied.

"Good, practicing makes your Magic Circuits better, but there are limits after all. Second, do you have the needed materials to make a workshop?"

"Oh yeah, errr… can you help me with it?" Shirou could only sheepishly smile at her.

"*Sigh* Just as I expected… I have the materials needed here, just tell me how you want it built. I even expanded the first floor so that you could have more space." She generously stated.

"Sorry, and thanks for the help." Shirou thankfully received. 'So it IS bigger than before.'

"Lastly, how long have those stuff in the shed been there?"

"What do you mean? Is it the objects I projected?" Fujimaru nods at his question. "They've been there for a year or so."

Her face suddenly had a pondering expression. She activates her circuits and [Projects] a pipe. "Shirou, do you think this pipe is going to disappear?" She gives it to Shirou.

"No, why would it?" Shirou was confused by the question, but answers honestly. Ritsuka silently waits while Shirou just stared at her with a confused expression. As Shirou felt more awkward as the silence stretches on, he saw the pipe dissipate into the air.

'But I didn't break it?!' His surprise must've been plastered on his face, because Fujimaru answered his mental question.

"That's the nature of a projection Shirou, it will naturally disperse, since it's merely an imaginary object made out of Magical Energy." She explained. "It's your own projections that are abnormal. Can you show me how you do it?" She requests.

Shirou activated his circuits and [Projects] a pipe which he gave to Fujimaru. She looks at the pipe, at Shirou, and then [Reinforced] her fists to crush the pipe, making it disappear in motes of light.

"I see, I thought that it was something like True Magic, but it looks like it's a Reality Marble instead." She noted. "After all, you have the same origin and element."

"Reality Marble…!" Kiritsugu talked about it before. It was a power infinitely close to True Magic. It manifests one's own mental landscape, overwriting the current surroundings at the time. To think that he had something like that within him… unfortunately, before he could even imagine what kind of Reality Marble it is, Fujimaru immediately pulled him back to reality.

"You can't do it right now." She spoke with utter certainty. "Not only are your circuits too weak, you also don't even know how to activate it. Although I think that it is a Reality Marble that creates items within itself, and when you [Project] something, the product made inside is released to the outside world. It seems to be degraded from the original, but it's a lot tougher than normal projections."

"How long would it take for me to use a Reality Marble then?" Shirou asked hopefully.

"Decades." Fujimaru stated bluntly. "If it was that easy, it wouldn't be called a forbidden Magecraft. I think you should give it up for now."

Shirou deflated at her response, nothing was ever easy it seems. "Oh yeah, back to my question. How should I start?" He could only move forward one step at a time.

"How does smithing sound to you?"

Two months passed in the blink of an eye. Magecraft training from Fujimaru, doing the chores with Miyu, and grocery runs. Shirou's life routine was repeated over and over.

His workshop was finished quickly thanks to Fujimaru. When he is making weapons, his talents shone. He was able to quickly make a lot of them and imbue magical properties with some runes. The first few tries were quite disastrous though… Still, with something as amazing as forging techniques of a Muramasa blacksmith, that should probably be expected. He is amazed by Fujimaru's generosity, to give someone like him a legendary blacksmith's manual and materials like metals and alloys. When he asked why not something like western weapons to expand his proficiency with other kinds of weapons, she said:

"You are currently in the land of the east, forging weapons that corresponds to the land would make it more effective and easier. Besides, I think powerful western weapons are mostly made by supernatural beings instead of blacksmiths. As a result, there are few good blacksmiths there."

He had a lot more trouble on armor, but it was nothing as terrible as when he tried to forge a magical cooking pot. After asking Fujimaru again, she answered:

"Just as swords, spears, and axes are under the category of weapons, weapons and armors are under the category of armaments or equipment for combat. That's probably why you find forging weapons easier and armor being more difficult. The farther away you move from the concept of a sword, the difficulty of making it rises. I don't know why you can't do guns though. What would you need a magical cooking pot for anyways?"

It's a good thing that he can accelerate the forging process with Magecraft, since he didn't know how long he would be stuck in his workshop if he didn't. And if he did, he sometimes end up sleeping in the shed with Fujimaru tucking him in if he did.

"You should get a bed if you plan on sleeping here."

Was what she said when he woke up and found himself tucked in a futon. It was quite the embarrassing experience. To avoid it, he bought his futon in the shed, but it still happens sometimes. The longer he was with Fujimaru— no, Ritsuka, the more he came to admire her. To be such an accomplished and knowledgeable Magus at her age is absurd, though it made him sad since she must've been forced to reach her current level. After all, the world of Magi is unforgiving of the weak, she must've desperately struggled to not die or worse.

"Do you want to try your new sword?" She asked.

"No, just looking at it, I can tell that it won't be enough." He replied. Ritsuka's golems were ridiculously tough, no matter how much effort he put in striking them with his weapons, it would only result in a small chip on its exterior. Right now, Shirou could only try to make a weapon that could damage one significantly.

"Don't be so sad, those golems would give even an enforcer a bit of a workout and depending on the matchup, they can even win."

"Ah, no wonder I couldn't beat them." Enforcers were Magi who specialize in hunting other Magi. If Ritsuka was saying that her golems could defeat those people, what chance did he even have?

"By the way, how are your projections coming along?" Ritsuka changed the topic to prevent Shirou from getting discouraged at his lack of progress.

"I can make them faster without a decrease in stability, but their quality is still the same." In short, their quality, compared to the original, is still lacking.

"It is in the nature of a counterfeit to be inferior to the original. Hmmm, why don't you try to use them as disposable weapon? Since they can be made repeatedly, you can just use them as a grenade or a projectile. Oh, but you should manage your Magical Energy properly too."

Somehow, Ritsuka always knew how to improve his abilities or use them in a unique way, and he was thankful for that. "That sound promising, let's try it now." He stood up from his forge and walked to the hatch, but he was stopped before he could enter. "Ritsuka?"

"That's no good, Miyu is waiting for you." She scolded.

In fact, Shirou was using Ritsuka's training as an excuse to avoid Miyu. After all, he shouldn't see her as a human, he shouldn't have feelings for her. With such thoughts, he might be able to fulfill Kiritsugu's dream and sacrifice—

"You know Shirou, she looks lonely lately. It must be because you're engrossing yourself in Magecraft training, because of that, I am going to postpone our lessons for two months. Ah-ah-ah." Ritsuka interrupted as Shirou was about to say something. "This is non-negotiable, I am also going to seal the workshop so that you can't enter for that long." She added. "She is trying her best to be with you. At least reciprocate it." She said as she evicted him from the shed.

It has been two months since Shirou started going to the shed. Unlike in her imagination, Ritsuka-san was very supportive of her. She was very considerate, not stealing nor interrupting her time with Shirou.

"You like spending time with Shirou don't you? Then I won't get in between you two when you're together." She said with a strange (teasing) smile.

'But in the end, family was more important after all'. Miyu realized after a few days. Shirou started going with Ritsuka-san in the shed more and more. Until eventually, Shirou was only together with her when they were doing chores and bathing (she didn't wash up properly and failed the test). Since Shirou started sleeping in the shed, she could no longer feel his comforting warmth. When she tried to go to there, she was blocked by both Shirou and Ritsuka-san. They told her:

""Sorry Miyu, you aren't allowed inside there.""

'So it was something that only family is allowed to enter.' Miyu's jealousy grew, but she simply bottled it all up. After all, Ritsuka-san did nothing wrong, and Shirou simply prioritized his family over a 'guest' like her. 'I… I want to be family too.' But she knew that it was impossible. She knows that she is spitting on her real family, but she couldn't help but yearn for it. 'If only I was born as Shirou's sister instead of Ritsuka-san.' She lamented. As she waited on her lonesome for Shirou to do chores with her. She felt a familiar warmth wrap around her from behind.

"Shirou?" Miyu hopefully asked.

"Sorry Miyu." Shirou was just about to leave the area and avoid Miyu, but that sad and longing look on her face made him want to comfort her. "Were you lonely?"

Miyu simply turned her body around and returned the hug. 'This is fine right? Even if I can't be family, I can still stay with Shirou right?' Such defeatist thoughts ran through her head.

Shirou then, finally made a decision. 'Sorry, I—'

At the Emiya estate at beginning of August, under the snowy sky of summer, there were two teenagers teaching a young girl how to make a snowman.

AN:

The off-screen servants are pretty obvious to those who are well-versed in Fate.

I tried reading a lot of stuff about the magic systems in fate, I think I have made a terrible mistake. Why is everything so damn vague? Please give us explanations for even 20% of the content and I will be happy.

Miyu is pretty depressed now. From what I know of her, she is very attached to people close to her, coldly rejects strangers, and is wary around 'rivals'. Her only perspective of family is blood related ones, she only understands it literally, like the dictionary definition, not the figurative one.

I got a lot of data that is suspect to bad translations or even being outright wrong. There will be some questions that I think will be asked and I will do my best to answer them here.

Q: Can Magic Circuits be improved?

A: Day 15 UBW seems to suggest yes, though it is not outright confirmed, nor is it stated as erroneous.

Q: Is Shirou really origin sword and element sword?

A: The CM3 seems to suggest that origins can't be changed, I don't know about the element though. I think there was a Q&A about this, but I forgot.

Q: How do Shirou's projections work?

A: First, the items projected by Shirou in his shed during Fate/Stay Night do not disappear even if they are there for a long time. Rin calls him out on it and corrects his knowledge base. The shed abnormality is emphasized on Day 9 Fate and HF. He is corrected at Day 12 Fate by Rin. Day 15 Fate, Shirou could skip all steps in projection since Avalon was perfect in his memory, I simply assumed that if he makes the weapons himself, he could skip some steps. Anything else, consult a Shirou expert since I am not confident about my answers there.

Q: How tough are the golems?

A: In Fate/Apocrypha manga, one of the golems was stated to have exchanged up to 3 blows with Mordred who has the following:

Strength B+, Clarent, Mana Burst A

Yeah, a normal Magus will have a really hard time or just die.

If there are other questions, don't expect me to have a reliable answer please.

This chapter ends at August 1.

Shirou – 14, 9 months till 15

Miyu – 7, 11 months till 8

Sakura – 13, 8 months till 14

Should I use '\' instead?