Interlude 00: Introduce

He felt something soft wrapping all over his body, each time he moved his head, he could sense a soft and elastic sensation as if he was hugged in a bosom of his own mother.

A sunlight shone across the room on the king size bed where he slept on.

Tingled a little bit on his eyes.

"Hrmm . . . mm" He tried to move his head from where the light came from. However the sunshine was so strong, it pierced through his eyelids, penetrating into his dream.

"Let me have 5 more minutes….." He now buried deep into a pillow almost twice size of his body right now. Normally, he didn't do something like this, but this time was a special occasion, his body was dead tired like his muscle had been stuck by a hundred of needles, he couldn't remember anything happened to him, but right now the newly awoke faker would like to have more sleep.

Trying to pull up a blanket heavier than his futon, everything seemed so heavy, no it was his body that gave out, and a little weird fact he noticed. Why everything's so big for him right now? 'Wait? Shouldn't I prepare to fight Gilgamesh?' He slowly gather a piece of his memory while half-asleep.

"Eh…Gilgamesh?..." His eyes popping out "GILGAMESH!" His body forgot a burden placed on his very own limbs, a fatigue was gone from him completely, every cells of his were sparked by a sudden lightning.

The faker kicked off the heavy blanket over his body, using a small legs of his, and on top of that he didn't know what his body's condition right now, He stood on the bed while having his waking up hair and a drool on the left side of his lips.

He fixed his posture into basic fighting stance, that he absorbed from EMIYA.

His half-opened eyes was so heavy, and his vision was so vague.

"….. huh" He was speechless, after he calmed down just a little bit, and letting himself to use his eyes observing the surrounding. What he saw was, a room, a room bigger than Emiya household's living room, and he was standing on the bed, a gigantic bed with a gold-based color.

"Finally, you wake up, huh? How's your sleep? Was it good or bad?" The middle-aged man sat next to his bed. The man next to him had a pretty handsome face, a little bit trimmed bread, and his platinum-blond haired combed back, while having a gentle smile on his face looking at him.

"…Excuse me…Where am I?" The faker who still not noticed his drool on the left talking to the old man, who gave him a small chuckle as an answer.

"I guess…why don't we have a small talk? Before we go downstairs" His grayish-green eyes were focusing at the boy.

Uh…The faker dazed out just for a bit, then he quickly recovered himself and answered the man "…Yes"

(o)

(Flashback)

He carried the boy, the unconscious boy in his sturdy arm, his face was so tired. What happened to him? How much he had been through? He was the sole survivor of the kidnapped. He grunt for a bit, cursing his weakness for not be able to come here sooner.

"Duke, What should we do with the boy? Should we sent him to the orphan, erasing his memory, so that he won't have to remember about this"

After, he heard his subordinate suggestion, he shuddered just a bit, that was the right question, the only one true question for the boy to survive and live his life as a normal boy.

The rain still going, such a cruel for him to make a decision under this kind of weather.

He looked at the sleeping boy in his arm, he was so pure for him, this boy at the age around five, he should be playing with his parents, siblings, and friends, but he now thinking about adopting this boy to their world.

"…." He looked up to the jet-black sky, a night under stars was a stage for his lifetime decision, this was the hardest, and the cruelest for him, will he leaved the boy or training him to be his successor.

His wife had no chance in delivering anymore child for him, after Alice was born, her condition worsen, She couldn't afford to get pregnant anymore.

His family line would be ended in his generation, usually, almost every noble would adopt an orphan with a great magic potential to be their heir. However his case was so different, this boy may had no any aspect of magic, nor superior blood that would allowed his offspring to utilize a great magic potential. He just met this boy an hour ago, so he couldn't tell anything.

His hand grab the boy shoulder tightly, now, his mind had a huge conflict, should he take the boy? Or left him to the orphanage, let the boy to be free from his tragic life.

The cold rain hit his shoulder harshly as if it was pressuring him to give the answer.

A steam out of his mouth, vaporing to the jet-black sky ornamented with a stars.

His feet on the green grass field, he lifted he head up.

Recollecting from what he'd said.

'You are my son' His words echoing in his mind, his hood brushed off by a sudden gust of wind along with a breeze.

He raised the boy up high, an auburn haired tinged with gold on the tip.

The rain stopped, so suddenly, the moonlight casted on, his shadow illuminated woth a golden color for a second, he could see.

His resolve was steeled, around his trimmed-bread, a smile on his face.

"James, I've decided to take this boy as my heir, the heir to my house, he would be my blood. I shall declare to you all my faithful comrades, this boy would be my son, he would be the greatest knight of our kingdom. He'll join a round table one day, along with ancient family!"

He now facing his comrades, kneeled down to the rightful heir of his.

""YES MY LORD!""

"Yes…" The faker was pretty reluctant to answer, his faced was confused by something 'I think the boy may still scared by his presence?' The old knight tried to fix his posture to be….relaxed….He really had no idea how to take care of this kind of thing, so it was so hard for him to make an easy-going face in this kind of situation.

"By the way….You are Emiya Shirou right?" He gave the small kid a forced smile 'Dammit, I should let my sweet lady to take care of this kind of thing!' His look might be serious, in truth, he was a carefree guy. If he didn't have to succeed his father position as Duke, he would be a magic knight, roaming all over the world, finding a great enemy to fight.

His lips was trembling from the forced smile and stress pressing on him. 'Dear. If you're going to handle this by yourself, you'll need to be a little bit more relax. Oh! And don't you dare wear that!' This was a conversation 2 hours before.

At first, He was going to wear a uniform, a formal one, not a business suit, so his wife stripped him, and dressed him a white shirt and black trousers.

Underneath of his face was a screaming 'Holy crap! Did I scare that kid?' No, no, no.

"Ummm...Before we talk, I think I have an important thing that I need to tell you."

"Actually, I'm a magician" He was doomed, when he was in a normal situation, he would be calmed and composed, but this was so stressed.

"!" The boy seemed to be surprised by a little bit.

That guy talked like Kiritsugu, after he heard that words from the wise-looking man words, the boy had an image overlapped in his mind, this was almost like the first day he met with his adopted father, he starred at the man sitting on the chair, he had a pretty hard to describe facial expression.

The well-crafted face had a mixed emotion between fear and…somewhat happy.

"Well, nice to miss you mister" His ears were ignoring the fact that his voice had so high pitch, only lock all of his sense to the man, whom he just met.

After, he heard my greetings, his nervous face was gone almost instantly.

"Um…This might be hard and blunt for you, but I want to ask you, I want to hear you answer. Emiya Shirou will you be my son? Training in knighthood and protecting people in the dark" His voice was shaking.

"Knight?" The boy never heard this terms before, the reasons why he didn't freak out, because of the man who talked the same way as Kiritsugu somehow made him forgot about the surroundings.

"Well, It's kinda training to be a mage and sword" The duke tried to explain to the boy standing on the bed; he really did try his best, because the terms he told the boy was the simplest way to describe his lifelong career.

"….." The boy dazed out for a bit, and then "I think I'll accept the offer then" He answer to the man in white with the same face he gave his father before. 'I would like to go back as soon as possible, but for me to be alone in the place I've no knowledge about, this was a very good deal for me'.

"That's great! Then prepare yourself, I'll wait outside, take your time and meet me when you're ready!" His cheerful voice was echoing all over the marble wall, the golden sunlight's reflecting on his platinum blond hair while he ran out through the door happily.

(o)

His finally got out from that room, He sigh a huge and long one, that maybe the longest ever in his life-times, he pressed his chest hard, so that his heart wouldn't explode from his chest, because talking to the boy wasn't an easy task as he thought it would have been.

"Dang, that's so stressful" He might declared that the boy's his son, but it would be a possibility that the boy may refused, so he needed to prepare himself a lot 'All credits are for my wife, If I didn't have her be my adviser, I would be doomed by now' He wiped of a drop of sweat on his forehead.

He now had a grind on his face 'How should I train the boy then, should I start with magic? Or Sword? I can't wait, because my daughter can't wield a sword, so this was so exciting.' Brimming with a vigor as if he went back to his old days…..He's not that old though.

But what so surprised for him, his wife had no protested on this. He almost wore and armor to go to their chamber while holding this boy in his arm.

Her angelic smile showed him a light of salvation immediately after He told his wife about the boy, her tears ran down from her emerald-eyes as if she was the boy himself, even if she's still weak, but she also wanted to hug the auburn-haired boy.

Would he be a good brother to Alice? A fantasize of them playing together was illustrated inside his brain, he did have a son and daughter at the same time, so this was a dream-like for him, because he would never expected himself to be a father when he was a child.

All he wanted in life was to be able to hold a sword and finding a fine foe to fight with, but now all he wanted was to let his children to have a happy life, he had no idea why he was so caring toward the boy whom he just met yesterday. However, he would forget about that soon, because he was all-giving guy after all.

He walked along the sunshine shone through a giant-sized window illuminate on the golden curtains.

"Maid! Prepare a feast tonight! My son would join us today!" He ordered the maids waiting for his command. "Yes. My lord" All the servants in this household were answered his command almost instantly after his words reached their ears.

(o)

"Such a weird guy" The tugged of the blanket on a part of his feet, while jumping down from the king-size bed, he noticed something, the most important fact, he forgot due to the atmosphere kept him from learning this. 'Wait? Something's off. Why everything's so big…..No, no, no. That can't be.' He slowly touched on his cheek, a soft feeling from his own face, the baby fat under his skin was so smooth and elastic. This traits shouldn't be on a teenager's face, it should be on a child at the age around 0-10, but Emiya Shirou was 16 so he should have a face with more….maturity such as pimples or rougher skin.

His left-eye was twitching, an ill-omen he could feel ' ' His head was empty.

He ran as fast as he could to the nearest mirror, the mirror possibly taller than him, a reflected image of his showed a picture of the boy at the age of 5 or 6, but the faker was more over than 16, he should be 17 next month, but this was far more to horrid for the boy.

He almost lost his feet and fell on the ground, but before that he was frozen by a shock so strong that his body was stopped.

His mouth gaped like a fish trying to breath, he didn't move just a bit, all he could do was trying his best not to scream or jumping out of the window.

'Calm down, calm, calm, calm…calm' After repeated those words over a thousand times in his head, a cold water was splashed at the boy's mind to calm him down just a bit.

He slowly examined the reflection of himself on the Victorian-style full-body mirror. His face was still the same….probably, his red auburn haired was still intact only a tinge of gold on the tip of his hair, the facial structure wasn't change just a bit, and the most important, he's still a male.

He tightly touched all over his body to observe the change in his body other than his face, but nothing worth to notice.

Then he averted his gaze from his image looking for a cloth to change, there's a chair next to the mirror. It had a well-folded cloth on it, same as the man wore before, white shirt and black trousers.

Actually, He was confused, but he needed to be cooled before everything got worsen for him.

Shaking his head violently, a needless thoughts was brushed away.

He stepped forward to the door, the biggest door he'd ever seen as if it was a wall rather than a door. However, after he pressed on it the wooden wall 'It's lighter than I thought, though' He's easily pushing the door away without any hardships.

"….Ahhh…This's going to be messy." He scratched his red-haired slightly before walking on the way out from his room.

(o)

He walked on a carpet, a scarlet red carpet with a color of finest wine being illuminated after the golden light of sun. This was so fascinating for him. The boy had never seen anything like this. His house was big compared to a normal house, but this one was on another level, this was a palace. He may got lost if he took his guard down, so the young faker would like to find a servant of this house as soon as possible.

The marble gave him a cool, each time he touched the wall, is this a winter? During this time in Japan it shouldn't be this cold, but judging from the man's face. He could boil the information down to one conclusion. He wasn't in Japan right now.

Loosen a button on his shirt to be franked, He was so nervous right now, his body'd been reverted back to a child and now he was in a foreign palace of nowhere, a place like this would be around Europe he guessed, but how could the grail take him here? How could it rewind his time? A lot of question left unanswered. Although, the grail was an omnipotent wish-granting device, it shouldn't grant this kind of miracle 'How can this happened? I'm already de-' A head smashing pain raiding his brain 'What the heck!?' His left-knees dropped on the ground, His eyes got bloodshot on the left, his vision faded, His mind was crooked like someone inserting a red hot iron rod inside his spine.

But on a blink of an eyes, an immense pain was gone as if it was a lie. His body lighter, and his head cracking headache was gone. Not only his body had been altered, his memory also fogged and blurred. He couldn't recall his battle with King of Heroes well. He could recall some of it, but not all of it, all he had was his fight in 'Unlimited Blade Works' A fire burning inside his eyes, The sunlight was gone from his eyesight left him only a greyscale-liked vision.

He leaned himself to the wall, rubbing between his brows, a color had been slowly returned his eyes. A body of his was altered, and his brain was messed up somehow. He let out a huge breath out of his mouth, a shooting pain was gone not completely, but mostly. At least he could walk straight for now.

(o)

The duke was swinging his wooden sword in the garden, the garden of his household was beautiful, a flower bloomed all seasons, his ancestor claimed this territory flourished with a magical energy almost on par with a sanctuary in Vatican or Parthenon in Athens. However, this place was kept secret from except a royalty.

The place with a flourished magical energy was called 'heart' Each time 'heart' had been discovered the property would be transferred to the royalty almost instantly or 'Kings' If they wanted to claim it.

There's a 2 'Heart' In his own country, the first one was at the middle of London, the second one was at his placed, a privilege granted to his house a couple century ago, there's a lot of marriage proposal for Alice, so that they could claim this territory and invest a torrent of mana from the ground.

While the chilly wind of winter had pass his body, he noticed that someone was watiching him from afar 'Maybe that child was coming out of his room' He couldn't see well from the garden, so he assumed that the boy was ready "Regina, Would you go and escort my son?" He asked the head-maid of this house, she was a women in her old age, but her eyes still sharp as if he had been starred by an eagle.

She slowly bowed at him "Yes, I would go and guide him here." Her cold-voice answered the golden duke.

He slowly nodded his face in return.

(o)

The boy still had his headache, but it lessen than before. It wasn't a head-cracking like a minutes ago, so he regained a balance, and started to walk.

The point had been made in his mind. Something off inside his brain with altered body, he couldn't do much but wait 'At least I would have to discover how much is this body capable off, If I'm lucky then this body would have some magic circuits, but If it doesn't possess any then I'm doomed' He messing with his bang unconsciously.

The faker may survived the most unbelievable event on earth, but he never heard of anything capable of rewinding someone's time at least his father never mentioned anything like this. Although, Saber may had 'eternal youth' gaining from pulling 'Caliburn' from the ground, but that when magecraft was stronger than nowadays.

Magecraft grew weaker when time had passed over a millennia. The fierce magic caster demonstrated in the war was served as a prime example how weak human was compared to the residence from 'Age of god' The boy would dearly love not to be associated with someone capable of casting 'magic' because it probably led to his death, fighting someone who's capable of utilizing that kind of spell in this body was a suicide thoughts.

His companion wouldn't recognize him either. His change in appearance wasn't an issue, the fake could just explained what happened. However, there's a change inside his smell somehow. His nose was what he could be proud off, an extra sensitive sense of his gave him a small notify about a change in his body, a smell of steel he'd always smelled had been changed.

All magi had their own unique smell. Tohsaka would smell like tea, a red tea probably, and Saber had a smell of grass and milk. This was his biggest concern, no one would believe such an absurd story about being washed away a content inside the soul and still remembered about their previous life.

Letting out a sigh again. The boy with golden-tip haired frown by the fact that he wasn't Emiya Shirou anymore 'Why everything like this always happened to me. Did I court a thousand of nuns in my previous life?' He cursed his own lucked, but he didn't regret or anything 'Even so, I don't regret, never' He vowed to himself that he wouldn't regret his decision, taking part in grail war wasn't a mistake for his. He had a chance to know such a wonderful person, and have the answer for his very own dream.

He gave a faint smile to his fate 'Well, It can't be help right?' His golden-tip swaying along with sunshine, shone with a brilliant reflection.

"Young master" A voice came from the back, a cold and flat tone of voice.

Turned his head back to where the voice came from, he saw a woman cladded in maid uniform standing beside the knight armor. Her face was aged a bit, but still beautiful.

The maid slowly opened he mouth while retained her unemotional face.

"Master Shirou, The duke, he requires your presence, I would like you to follow me."

"…..Okay" The boy answered the maid obediently.

"Then shall we head out to the garden, young master" The maid raised her arm, then a light dazzling on the floor.

(o)

"Dear, You don't have to be that excite, weren't you just talked to the boy? I've thought that you've overcome your unease feeling" His wife dressed in white dress, sitting on a chair watching his training while breastfed little baby.

Her face was angelic for everyman to see, he couldn't resist how cute she was, but for him to meet with his adopted child, he didn't want to show his son a reckless behavior.

"Dear, How are you going to raise the boy? I would love not to get him involve with our world, but I can't change your mind anyway, so what you really expected from the boy? He lost his parents and got kidnapped as a sacrifice for that 'wicked' are you intend to rub a salt on his wound?" Yes, what his dear wife suggested was the issue that conflicted inside his mind. However, the answer had been resolved, the boy would succeed him with that he needed to aware the existence of magic.

"Yes, my lady. The boy would learn how to fight and becomes my successor, he would be our daughter protector" He made his face solid to express his resolve to his dear wife.

Her well-crafted face seemed to surprise just a bit, then "I've no more question, please do as you see fit, I'm always believed in your judgment, Julius" She answered him with a gentle smile "I'll be his mother, please let me share your burden, my dear"

"Thank you, Amelia" His body moved slowly to hug his wife and his daughter.

"We've arrived, my lord" A cold-voiced reached his ears before he could hug his wife.

….Such a bad timing.

…..

A silence filled the garden. 'Someone pleases do something!' The boy's looking at him while his face turned red, Regina still wore her usual face.

"…..Um….Sorry for interrupting your time, I would go somewhere else, please take your time" The faker ran off as fast as he could.

"Regina Catch him!"

"Ara, ara" His wife laughed faintly.

"Yes, My lord"

(o)

"Ahem, I'm sorry for showing any indecent act, but I would like to introduce you my wife" His voice was trembling, and his face was beet-red 'Don't laugh, don't laugh, don't laugh' The boy repeating this world while trying not to laugh at the man in front of him.

"This lady here is my wife, Aemelia Maria Goddoulin, from now on, she would be your mother"

"Nice to meet you. Sorry for my husband's reckless behavior, Shirou. You know? My husband, He was fidgeted in front of your room for an hour." She answered the boy with a playful tone of voice.

"Dear! You don't have to say such a thing" The duke almost scream at his wife for exposing his secret. His face instead of beet-red, it was scarlet right now.

"….Ah! Nice to meet you….Amelia-san" The boy stagnated for a second, because he didn't know how should he call the lady sitting in front of him.

"No, no. You need to call me mother, I'm your mother, am I not?" He bubbled he face while making a sulking face. 'To be honest, She looks like Saber, so seeing her like this make me thing of her, but what is that sulking face, I'm sure if saber saw this she would cover her face for sure.' He face was sunshine itself, It gave him a warm atmosphere each time he saw her.

The duke seemed to lost his place in this garden, so… "Ahem" Coughing again to gain his attention. "It seems that you've been familiar with your mother, I think you should introduce him our daughter, this is my child, Alice Louise Goddoulin" The duchess handed the duke his daughter, wrapped in a white cloth.

The duke slowly couched, so that he boy could see his sister's face clearly. 'I want to grow up' He cursed his height, but the thoughts had been washed away after he was charmed by the cuteness of the baby in the man's arm, a small and pure little baby. His face automatically smile, his gaze locked to the child as if he was charmed by her innocence smile.

"May I hold her?" The faker, who never knew, how did it feel to have a siblings now, he would tasted that sensation for the first time in his life. "Sure, Why not? She would be happy to be held by you, I can guarantee." He gently gave me the baby, she was so beautiful, the girl in his arms, sleeping peacefully. At that moment, Emiya Shirou pledged himself to protect the girl, his sister.

"How's she? Is she cute?...I think, she would love you as a big brother too" The duchess gave him, her gentle words while the boy was charmed by the loveliness of the girl. "Yes, I've promised to myself, I'll protect her till the day I die." His words shook the two figures, they nodded at each other while having a smile on their face. "Thank you, Shirou. I hope you will protect her as a big-brother too." The duke patted the boy's head softly.

Under the golden brilliant light, The boy was given a new identity, a new family, a new purpose in life, but that's just the starting of the greatest legend of all "Come, we would love to have a small chat with you, Shirou Emiya Goddoulin"

(o)

Author's note

I need a beta! Does anybody knows how to find a beta? I really have no Idea. Please Pm to me, If you know how to find one.

Oh! The next 2 arcs would be boring for someone by the way, because Shirou is not going to be Campione soon, I would let the next arc to give Shirou a small details of this world, again Shirou won't be Campione soon.

I love review, please review, I begged you, please review, so that I could fixed or improve my story.

(o)