A big and wide area of grass and soil was in front of him. Lots of trees and flowers covered the park beautifully under the summer light.
Shirou liked this park.
Yuzu wanted to spend her time at Karakura Park, which was quite famous amongst kids and adults. They played in the park with some other kids who came by when Yuzu called them.
As the oldest, Shirou chose to watch them from afar. He smiled constantly, feeling slightly empty inside. Looking at them running and smiling felt so... distant.
Despite all he had done to regain control of his own life, deep within his heart Shirou knew this peace wouldn't last. His peace had never lasted. Just like how Emiya Shirou became Archer in previous life, Shirou would lose everything once more.
Just like in the past.
Just like the Holy Grail War.
Maybe it was how fate decided to torture him.
Shoving him into this peaceful world after his death in Fuyuki was its way to show him just how powerless he was.
How pathetic.
'Maybe Gilgamesh was correct.'
He was just a Faker.
He was lucky enough to have survived against an enemy beyond Heroic Spirit level. How would he fare against more of such beings?
It was far easier to defend something that he had rather than saving someone he never had before.
And thus Emiya Shirou died as Kurosaki Shirou rose. Or so it was supposed to be.
But even if he was reborn in this place, the burden on his shoulders was as real as ever. He lived a fake life for nine years and still couldn't get rid of those memories haunting him everytime he slept.
"It's alright now, isn't it?" A feminine voice whispered behind him. "No matter how many times you have failed, the future is yours to decide."
"Saber?"
He turned around, only to see nothing but air. Did he imagine it?
Yeah, he must be. But why did the voice sound awfully familiar, yet at the same time...
"Shirou-nii-chan!" Yuzu suddenly called from the ground, jumping excitedly.
Turning around, Shirou saw Yuzu smiling brightly while raising her hand.
"Nii-chan, can you become it and play hide and seek with us? Can you?" She pleaded. The look of happiness on her face made Shirou forget the oddity he experienced moments ago and he nodded in confirmation.
"Okay."
Seeing Shirou nodding, the kids screamed out happily in unison. "Yayyy!"
'So lively.' Shirou commented inwardly.
Yet... something didn't feel right. It was something he couldn't comprehend, and yet he just had to go along with it anyway.
Afternoon passed, and the sun started to hide in the horizon. Dark clouds looming over, covering the light and turning the sky purple. The wind blew in chill breezing, making it unpleasantly colder than usual.
"It's time, Yuzu. We have to return now or it will rain," Shirou said to Yuzu, who kept running with other kids around the park.
"Okay. Bye, everyone!" Yuzu waved goodbye and bade farewell to her friends. "Let's go home!"
"Do you want to buy ice cream on our way back?"
"Yes!" She answered energetically, but she suddenly looked worried, "But mom said no ice cream before dinner."
"Don't worry. We can keep it a secret from mom." Shirou put his index finger in front of his lips, gesturing to Yuzu to remain quiet about it. "We just don't talk about this, okay?"
"Eh? Is that okay?" She tilted her head in confusion.
"Well, unless you want mom to find out?" Shirou winked.
"Ahh~ You're so bad!" She pouted.
"Hahaha, let's run. I think it'll start to rain soon."
Shirou grabbed her small hand and dashed toward the road, making Yuzu run while giggling along the way. They walked by the riverbank side, skipping happily after getting their share of ice cream. This was one of Yuzu's favorite routes whenever she returned home from the convenience store.
At that moment, rain suddenly poured down hard. The cold wind started blowing and Yuzu shrieked, hugging her brother instinctively.
"Aaahhh!!" She held onto Shirou tightly, scared from the sudden outburst.
"Let's run, Yuzu."
He pulled his frightened sister into a shadow of the bridge that could shelter them from the rain.
"This sucks." Shirou hissed angrily.
It rained more heavily than they expected. The wind turned sharply colder as night slowly approached.
'It will be difficult to return in this condition.'
They wouldn't get sick, hopefully.
Things couldn't get worse, or so he thought.
Rumble- Bam!
"Kyaa!"
Thunder suddenly struck somewhere nearby.
The scared Yuzu crouched, trying to endure the noise and sound by clutching Shirou's pants. Even he winced at the intensity of the thunder booming in the sky. That was awfully close to thunder.
However, being the older sibling that he was, Shirou must remain calm, acting strong in front of his sister.
"It's okay, Yuzu." He reassured her. "It will end soon."
"O-Okay..."
Then suddenly...
"Oh my, it rains harder than I thought. We need to run fast-"
From a corner near them came a familiar voice. Shirou and Yuzu turned their heads around, shocked at the sudden appearance of their mother who had just entered their hiding spot. Her clothes drenched wet because of the rain, sticking closely to her body.
"Oh, here you are!"
She beamed in smiles upon finding them.
"Mama?" Yuzu lifted her head to peek through.
"Why are you here? I thought you were home." Shirou added.
"We did return home, only to see that my eldest son and youngest daughter weren't there." She approached and hugged them. "How can I not be worried? You two were playing at the park, right? When I saw you two weren't there, I quickly went searching for you. Thank goodness, I found you."
"I'm sorry for making you worry..." Shirou lowered his head apologetically.
Smiling kindly, Masaki ruffled his hair. "Hahaha, I am glad you're safe."
A warm feeling spread in her heart as she hugged both kids, ignoring the cold from the rain. To be honest, she panicked a bit at the thought of her children getting involved in accidents like those that frequently happened lately.
"Let's go home. Your dad and siblings are waiting. Ah, Ichigo might have eaten your dinner if we didn't hurry." Masaki grabbed each child's hand, prompting them to follow her lead.
Shirou chuckled and took her hand, pulling his sister with him who smiled widely. "Karin too. She eats a lot when she wants to eat. We can't be late to dinner."
***
Days passed pretty quickly for Shirou. Every morning, he woke up faster than anyone. He would sit near his bed, touching a metal pipe that he got from his father after helping fix the sink.
His hand covered the surface, his eyes closed in concentration to feel the forgotten sensation running in his veins.
"Trace... On."
Something seemed to answer him, but then nothing. The pipe's history wasn't something that needed much prana anyway, but he still couldn't project it. His reinforcement didn't even get activated properly.
'I still can't use magecraft...'
Was this how weak he had become?
No, he had always been weak. He was a Faker, the lowest form of magus there was. He didn't even have a formal training.
Shirou clicked his tongue.
'Not even structural grasp...'
What else would come to surprise him? The loss of Avalon? Saber?
Tohsaka appearing out of nowhere?
'She isn't mine.'
Thinking about the past reminded him of what he lost. Saber. Rin. Everyone...
"Oi!"
But then again...
"What are you doing?" An annoyed voice distracted him out of his pondering state.
Shirou glanced toward the owner of the voice, who was still lying on his back comfortably, enjoying the comfortable bed while yawning sleepily. His eyes widened at the sight, he was surprised that his brother could wake up by himself.
"Are you a ghost?!" He grabbed the metal pipe and pointed it forward as if preparing to defend himself. "No, you must be an impostor. Who are you, where's my brother?"
"What did you say!? Of course I am Kurosaki Ichigo!" He growled angrily. "Don't joke about it this early in the morning!"
"Really? Who gave birth to you?"
"My mother, Masaki!"
"Our father?"
"What's that gorilla idiot's name again..."
"Ah! So it's really you!" Shirou placed his hand in front of his chest, pretending to let out a sigh in relief.
"Who said I was joking?" He raised his eyebrow.
"Well, I don't know. Maybe because you woke up before I try to wake you up...?"
"Bastard... Do you want me to punch you?!" Ichigo clenched his fists.
"You're waking up on your own, now this is really something unusual. Have you seen pigs flying?"
"You really want me to hit you?"
"Don't mind me." Shirou laughed awkwardly, scratching his cheek lightly in response. "By the way, we need to help Mom with breakfast. Karin and Yuzu are probably sleeping, right?"
"It's still so early though."
"What did you just say?"
"I understand."
Shirou watched Ichigo reluctantly roll out of his futon. The latter walked groggily toward the bathroom, mumbling curses under his breath and complaining about his unfair treatment as a younger twin brother.
The breakfast was fun, the warmth that the family provided comforted his soul greatly.
And the school... Shirou unexpectedly enjoyed it. Going with his twin brother, making friends, and playing soccer with them were all pleasant activities for the young magus who missed most of his childhood in his past life due to the fire tragedy and adoption into the Emiya household.
'Ah... Is this the reason I am here?' He blinked. Something flashed through his head. 'Family and normalcy that I yearned?'
How ironic.
He wished for something like this after all.
Trying to become heroes of justice had been one of his deepest, most hidden dreams. As his journey progressed however, he realized that his father's word to him was correct.
It was impossible to save everyone. But he tried, and died failing.
This time... This time he vowed to protect his important ones. No matter what.