A/N: Interlude time! It's just a minor break before the next arc starts. So- Here's this! Caution though, some things are mostly unexplained this chapter… at least the few parts, they're gonna be explained sooner thought.

Now, unto the reviews:

Bladist: Thank you for the response, I kinda realized later that I didn't really need someone who expertly knew nasu lore, I probably know just enough to keep this fic going. Appreciate the (sole lmao) response though.

EnkiduKingu: Guess what?

TheRaiderKing: Yep, I kinda realized that, with the speed that this fic is going, I'll probably outrun a marathon runner by now. Jokes aside, it stems from my fear of "not moving the plot", I will fix that though. Also about Meriel… hmmm, I will answer with question: If the main bad guy is too weak, are they really the main bad guy? Lastly I'm still kinda deciding on the Rin and Sakura thing.

Loli4Lyfe: It's good to see you here.

Bucio: As always, I appreciate your responses. You're probably one of my oldest reviewers. I hope you look forward to my work.

Dimensionador: (Special thanks to autotranslate) Hmmm, undecided.

Kurogami Mikoto: Thank you for the review, I hope you're ready for what's next.

GrandSaberEmiya: Well… I've got good plans for the heroine. Like example- a plSAJJDOCNONCW! Oopsie~ Revealed too much!

S0LARIS: Well, someone's gonna appear this chapter. Still deciding on more though.

That's all for now! Back to the fic!


Shirou (5 Years Ago)

Soldiers march their way in the middle of city, the city folk cheering them from their previous victory. They cheered as peace was achieved once more, but… the soldiers were anything BUT happy, the things they did, it wasn't glorious, it was… brutal, no honor, nothing. But they achieved their goal, and that's what matters. The splinter rebel groups were successfully routed during the extermination campaign, led by the man in armor in front of the marching soldiers.

Helmsly Ionius Meriallis, the current king of Antaria after his brother was killed ten years ago by an attempted coup d'etat led by the Gremsville Duchy. Fortunately, Helmsly arrived just in time to save the heirs and defeat Duke Gremsville, who retreated after said bout, but it came at the cost of the life of his older brother and sister-in-law, one who he'd also thought as a sibling.

After that, he took the throne and vowed to protect the kingdom with all of his life, raising the heir, the current crown prince and the young princess. Despite his self-proclaimed ineptitude.

Beside him is a dashing young man with fiery red hair, he wore a shining plate armor layered with a red cloak. He is the current heir to the throne, Crown Prince Castus Isaiah Meriallis III, named after his late father. At the early age of fifteen, he took the seat of second-in-command in Helmsly's army.

The expression of the young prince was as stoic as always, the people knew that the prince doesn't smile very often. But this was different. As he walks the streets of the grand capital, his expression would sour for a split second, and then he would stare at the air, as if remembering something.

The young man suddenly shook his head. 'I need to see Elise after this… see if she's alright.' He reminds himself of his 13-year old sister, the poor girl was terribly frail, barely even being able to walk by herself. The girl always has that cold, empty expression, as if waiting for something, something missing… something lost.

Onii-chan!

A tiny voice rang through his head. 'No! No… She's not Illya, even though Elise reminds me of a standard Einzbern Homunculus.' The prince remembers his encounters with said homunculi in his days as a freelance mage, they were emotionless… he hates their comparison with dolls, much to his dismay, it was all too accurate.

"Isaiah!"

The prince broke off from his thoughts, hearing the call of his new name.

"Nephew, is something bothering you?" It was the king who called him, the man's eyes were full of worry. "I know you didn't like what we did… those villagers… they were just defending their home, I do not claim to be innocent if that's any better. But it was for the good of the kingdom. They were housing rebels, most of them still plotting a second coup." He spoke with calmness and assurance, even showing his well-hidden guilt for a moment, he knew all too well about his nephew's sense of justice, he inherited it from his father afterall.

"… I- know. It was a hard choice, my king. But, if I were to inherit the throne one day, I need to be brave, even if it means setting aside my frankly insignificant feelings…" His nephew sighed, his fist clenching in determination mixed with anger, not to anyone, but to himself.

"Here we go again…" The king sighed. Ofcourse the man knew about his dear nephew's apparent selflessness. The child was too selfless, and not even in a heroic way. 'In what world does a prince clean the stables because they were "accidentally requested to"!?' Helmsly squeezed the bridge of his nose, he can't even blame the child, it was a good virtue afterall, but he wishes that the young heir would tone it down a little.

"Isaiah… That is hardly what is required of a king. One must sympathize with their citizens if they aim to rule effectively, how could you do that if you set aside your feelings?" He puts his hand on his nephews shoulder. "It is best not go the same path as the first Isaiah… your Great-Great-Grandfather, who put all of his focus to his kingdom, setting aside everything, he destroyed himself in the process."

The prince contemplates the words of his uncle… "…Just like Saber." He whispered. The king of knights blamed herself for the fall of her kingdom, unable to understand the feelings of her people. Especially her knights.

He looks around while the king was waving at the citizens. He saw a store selling stuffed toys 'Maybe Elise would like that…' He knew deep in his heart that she wouldn't, as the princess doesn't have emotions afterall. But it's the gesture that counts, right?

"My king, if I may? I would like to remain here." He called the king beside him.

The king raised a brow, confused by his nephew's request. 'Hmmm, this doesn't happen very often.' He mused. "For what reason?"

The prince gestured his hand the store beside them.

"A souvenir for Elise, I presume?"

"Yes." Isaiah said flatly.

The king paused for a moment. He nods in approval afterwards. "You have my permission then, but you are bringing at least one guard with you."

"I will, sire." He walks away from the formation, gesturing one of the soldiers to come with him as the rest pass them by.


Minutes later, after entering the store and buying a rabbit plushy, the soldiers were nowhere to be seen anymore, Shirou and his Guard deduced that they arrived at the castle awhile ago.

The pair looked around for the way home. "Your Royal Highness, are you sure that you know the way to the castle?" The guard asks.

Shirou nods. "Yeah, I've been here before." He spoke nonchalantly

The guard's eyes widen. "…Here?" It was peculiar, but not unheard of. But the crown prince barely even goes outside except if it meant work for him. He shook his head. 'No, just let it go. He's a really weird kid as His Majesty has told me.'

"If you say so… now, what do we do-!"

"AAAAAAAAAAHHHH!"

He was interrupted by a scream.

"Your Highness-!" He turned to warn Shirou. But the prince was already gone. "-Oh, COME ON!" He screamed.

Elsewhere, Shirou was running to the source of the scream. He ran as fast as he can, reinforcing his senses to better the search. 'I hope I'm not too late!'

Not long after, he found himself in an alleyway. It was nearing dusk, as the soldiers arrived during afternoon. The alleyway was dark, shadows of establishments casting over it.

"GAAAK! WHAT'S WITH THAT WOODEN SWORD, YOU CRAZY WOMAN!?"

It's that scream again.

*Thwack!*

"AAAARGH! ARIGHT! Alright! I'll return everything I stole- just stop with the swo-!"

*Thwack!*

"AAARGH!" The screaming man passed out.

Shirou peeked through the corner of a building. What he saw was a passed out man, with a bag beside him. And a brown-haired woman with a ponytail, holding a wooden sword… not just any wooden sword, but a cursed wooden sword. 'Where did she get that?' He asked nobody in particular.

The woman looked at him. "Who goes there!?" It was a familiar voice for Shirou, eerily familiar in fact.

'Shit! I've been discovered.' He slowly comes out of the corner, raising his hands in surrender, he thought that it's best to approach this situation calmly, judging from the woman's attire, she seemed to be a civilian.

"My name is Isaiah Meriallis, Crown Prince of Antaria, and I come in peace." He spoke in royal dignity.

"Urk!" The woman looked at him weirdly, as if seeing a ghost. "Y-you are-."

Now that Shirou got a good look at the woman armed with a wooden sword, he thought that the woman resembled someone. Someone close to him. When the woman spoke… he saw something distinct from her mouth. 'A single canine tooth.' He thought.

"Shirou!?" She dropped her sword, her knees started shaking.

Now he's sure of it, he deduced the woman's identity. However improbable it may be, he spoke the name of the woman. "Fuji-nee?" It was Taiga Fujimura, Shirou Emiya's good friend slash older sister, last time he saw her was her marriage.

"I-impossible- How!?" A tear dropped from the woman's eyes. Her palms were shaking, her breath getting faster by the minute. And suddenly- she bolted and hugged the prince tightly. "Y-you bastard! Do you know how much I worried about you!?" She told the young man in front of her while crying. "I-I thought I lost you! I buried you!"

Shirou patted the woman's head, stroking her hair while trying to console her. "It's alright now, I'm here."

It took a few minutes but Taiga eventually wiped the tears from her cheeks. It was nighttime now, the sky were filled with stars and the moon shined above them.

"You okay now?"

"Mhm." Taiga nodded, still sniffling and wiping her nose with a handkerchief.

"Your Highness! Where are you!?" Shirou's guard called from far away.

"Just Here!" Shirou sighed. "Fuji-nee, I know now's not the time, but I gotta go. I'll come here tomorrow, I promise." He turns back. But before he could go, Taiga calls him.

"Sarah's Essentials for Adventurers! That's the name of my store! You better come or I'll storm the castle myself!" She told the prince with a semi-serious tone.

Shirou gulped. It would be a headache for King Helmsly's aide if he messes up. "Yeah, I promise- also, turn that guy to the authority, I'll take care of everything." He pointed at the passed out thief beside Taiga.

Taiga nodded and waved her hand as a gesture of farewell, Shirou doing the same. 'I hope this is not a dream.' She thought.

Out in the alley, Shirou saw his guard panting in exhaustion.

"Where have you been, Your Highness!?" His guard asked in barely hidden irritation.

"Heh, just meeting an old friend." Shirou chuckled.

'Did the prince just laugh!?' The guard thought, confused. "Alright, let's go. His Majesty must be worried."

Shirou nods. "Yeah, let's."

(A Day Later)

The horses' hooves clacked as the royal carriage slowed down and stopped in front of an establishment. "Ya sure this is it, Your Highness?" The coachman asked his passenger inside the carriage.

"Aye." Shirou answered, if the directions that Bartholomew told him were right, then this is Taiga's place. The prince stepped out of the vehicle and threw five pieces of silver at the coachman.

"This is…?" The coachman asked.

"Extra pay… consider it a tip."

The coachman smiled and laughed. "Well then! I won't refuse." He points the coins in his bag. "Now, where do you want me to wait for you?" He asked his boss.

"I'll probably be here all day. Go back to the castle, I'll send a messenger if I wanna go home." Shirou answered.

The coachman nods and took the carriage back to the direction of the castle. Shirou turned his back and scanned the establishment. It was a two-story building painted with white, it has a few flower ornaments hanging at the window. The wooden signage beside the door reads: Sarah's Essentials for Adventurers.

A wave of relief hit Shirou as he realized that he was at the right place. He looks at the door and proceeded to open it, stepping in and greeting everyone inside. "I'm coming in."

The young prince looked around and identified the items at the shelves, they had potions, basic magical scrolls, and some guidebooks. At the weapons racks were blades ranging from axes to daggers, it was affordable too, they really had anything a newbie adventurer would need as Shirou thought.

He looked at the counter. What he saw was a man barely older than him, the man has their mouth agape while pointing a finger at Shirou. "Y-you ! At the parade! Pri-P-Prince Isaiah!?" The man spoke with a nervous tone.

Shirou tilts his head. "Yeah? That would be me."

The man started trembling and fidgeting. He looked at the prince once more and started speaking. "Y-your H-Highness! Just wait a sec, I'm gonna call my boss!" He bolted to the stairs behind the counter.

"Sarah!? Who the fuck did you piss off this time!?" Shirou heard from upstairs.

"No one in particular, Dan, why?" It was Taiga's voice who answered.

"Then WHY, on Antaria's good name is the godsdamned Crown Prince here!?" The now identified "Dan" asked, yelling on the top of his lungs.

"Finally!" Taiga's said enthusiastically, her footsteps getting closer and closer.

"Wai-Wha-? You're looking forward to this!?"

Taiga finally arrived downstairs while ignoring her clerk's words. Her eyes were set on the young man on a fancy attire in front of her. "Shirou."

"Fuji-nee." He spoke with a slight smile. "Well, now that I'm here, I might as well- Ow!" He was bludgeoned by a wooden sword before he could finish speaking. "What was that for!?" He said, clutching his thankfully not-bleeding skull.

"You sure took your time, huh!?" Taiga remarked.

"It's eight in the morning!" Shirou rebutted, still massaging his head.

"Eight too Late as the say out there!"

"You know very well nobody says that!"

"Excuses, excuses. Now come with me upstairs! We've got a lot to talk about." She dragged the prince upstairs with almost inhuman strength.

Dan looked at them and pinched the bridge of his nose. "This wasn't at the job description, dammit." He sighed and continued working. "It would be one of those days, isn't it?"

...

"So? What do you think?" Taiga showed the upstairs of the shop, it doubles as management office and bedroom, which was neat in Shirou's mind. The room was clean and orderly, a brown carpet on the wooden floor and two couches with a single table between them for management businesses and leisure. "Sure, it's no royal quarters, but I tried my best."

"It's…good." This was Shirou being honest, sure it was not the best that he's seen, but everyone knew that he's not into fancy things anyway. Some even dreaded his senses in interior design, he owns a room so plain the only thing distinguishing from the servant's quarters was the bed and the overall size of the room. 'Maybe I should let the headmaid decorate for once, god knows how pissed she is at me."

"Alrighty~ Make yourself at home. I'll call Lana for tea." She pointed at the couch, signaling Shirou to sit.

"Lana?" Shirou inquired with confusion.

"Ah-oh! Yeah, she's a kid I picked up at the streets a few months ago, pretty good with tea too!" The older woman spoke.

"Tsk, can't really do anything by yourself, can't you?" The prince grumbled.

"Hey! You can't blame me. She said she likes making tea!" Taiga opens a window and looks outside, she looks down and calls a child aged between 6 and 8, feeding a cat. "Lana~ Come here for a sec, there's someone I gotta introduce to you!"

The child looks up and nods. "Coming." She rushes inside after petting the cat that she fed. Moments later, she faced Shirou. The girl didn't say a thing and proceeded to make tea for the two.

"Oh, don't mind her. She's just shy like that." The store-owner remarked. "Now where were we? Ah, yes." She sat at the couch in front of Shirou. "So, what have you been up to?"

"I…uhm...princely things mostly, some battles here and there, you can't avoid that avoid that if you wanna be king someday. Most of it was helping out at the castle, checking on Elise if she's okay… other than that, nothing mostly." He relayed while touching the back of his neck, none of it was false though. "You, what have you doing since I left?"

This made Taiga's heart ache, left means since his death. A sad day that was, her husband really worked hard to get her to move on. She forced herself to smile. "N-nothing out of the ordinary really, I… returned to teaching, even earned a master's degree. Daisuke expanded the fishing business, we opened a sushi store? The kids eventually grew up, had families of their own- good god, my grandchildren are cute as hell. And- by the way! Twenty years after you… died, I actually taught about you at school."

"Me?"

"Yeah! Shirou Emiya, the Hero and Victim, there's a book about you, it's a critique about the global justice system." She cheered enthusiastically. "New witness accounts and the testimony of the apparent mastermind became public, we even contributed for an autobiography… The author though, she just goes by "M. Watson". We didn't even see her face, said that you saved her one time." She spoke, perplexed. "Tohsaka-san said that she was trustworthy though, so that's that."

Shirou looked down and thought for a minute, he doesn't remember anyone named "Watson", well to be fair he doesn't remember the names of everyone that he saved. He'd need to think real hard if he wants to remember anyone like that.

"But, oh well. She painted you on a positive light, so all is well. You're probably on the annals of history by now." Taiga grinned with a toothy smile. "Well… I know it's pretty dark but people were really impressed when I bragged about taking care of you."

"Pffft- little did they know, it's the opposite." Shirou quipped.

"What was that?"

"Nothing."

"Haah~ It's good to see you again, Shirou. Don't you know how much I missed you?" Taiga puffed her shoulders, receiving the tea from Lana, who just finished preparing it. 'Thank you' She whispered, the little girl then bowed in response.

Shirou looked at his pseudo-sister, she looked tired and weary, might be because of taking care of the store? Or was it because of him? There's one thing he's sure about: Shirou Emiya is back to the cooking business. The young prince stood up and took off his coat. "Well, If you missed me that much, then that stomach of yours probably missed my food too."

Taiga immediately focused on Shirou. "Wait… you're not-?"

"Yep, now where is the storage?" He spoke while grabbing the apron with a tiger stitch that was hanging at the wall.

The shocked (and drooling…yeah, he's not gonna comment on that) woman pointed downstairs. "The door to the left, kitchen's at the back." She spoke in excitement.

"Thank you, how many serves do I need to make?"

"As many as you can." Taiga blurted out.

'Heh, Fuji-nee, never change.' He thought. 'Now where to start?'


A/N: Taiga my beloved you are back! Someone critiqued me about not explaining Taiga's existence, so here's a chapter! Please follow and favourite as always! Also more review would be appreciated! Bye~ For those who are confused about Elise: Read the prologue.