#kitsurgu emiya

[nightsblossom]

Fate Stay Re:Tail

Synopsis: A mysterious store appears in Shirou's neighborhood.

Genres: magical realism, action/adventure, alternative universe

Rating: teen and older

Content: canon divergence: au, retail: au

Chapters: 1/13

- - - - -

It was midnight.

The cool wind traveled through the dew dripped grass

beneath a shabby house,

beneath two little feet that kicked back and forth,

as he gazed interminably at the dangled stars above,

"one star...two stars...three stars", the little boy murmured.

"four stars...five stars...six stars", his kicks motioned gradually.

"seven stars...eight stars...nine stars", his kicks continued,

the wind traversed its way to his soft linen kimono loosely wrapped in an obi belt. 

His skin prickled but not enough to make him shiver.

"I wonder where he is? It's past his usual time" , he thought to himself.

 - - - - -

The pleasant evenings of being held by his father’s hands furnished his mind.

They crossed a field of pasture dipped in shades of blue below a dark sky. 

The temperature was slightly breezy with a subtle hint of cold.

Luckily for Shirou, he didn’t need to bring an extra kimono to keep himself from  the weather.

This man whom he called father assured the boy not to worry, since he was familiar with Japan's seasonal changes. 

At least, from how he confidently spoke about it.

The dark-haired man held Shirou’s hand close to his waist,

as their wooden sandals left trails of cemented footprints at each corner.

- - - - -

It seemed like a winded path to Shirou as he wondered where?

where was Emiya taking him to?

Could it be a relative he wanted to meet?

Could it be a new shop he wanted to eat at?

Or could it be his secret workshop where all those talks of magic and tricks he creates?

Whatever it is - it made Shirou lit a small flame inside of him.

His thoughts deepened until a foreign object whacked him in the eyes.

His left hand jerked Emiya’s arm back.

Emiya stopped and turned his head to his son. 

Shirou slowly rubbed his eyes from the hit.

“Is something wrong, Shirou?”

He nodded.

“I’m alright.”

“What happened?” Emiya leaned over with a concerned look.

“Oh I got hit by this weird thing”

Emiya retraced Shirou’s step and then, saw a strange U-shaped object.

His eyes were fixated on it.

It looked strangely familiar, he thought.

As his thoughts pondered,

his fingers dwindled around the outlines like a confectioner who pinched and smoothed out the dough.

They made their way to the stem inwardly, then outwardly to the end tip.

He leaned in, while his thumb and index gently pressed to avoid tears. He sniffed it. He stood in awe.

“Oh! This smell- this is an x.”

“An x?” Shirou tilted his head.

He never saw his father this excited since he took him from the children’s hospital.

“Shirou, this plant is an x. It’s part of the genus family x. The Latin term means y. If you put them together is w”

“Ohhh…”, Shirou nodded and pursed his lips.

“This kind of stuff sounded like those big brain books grown ups like him enjoy reading .”

- - - - -

There was silence.

“I don’t get it but it sounds neat.”

Emiya chuckled. “Here”, he said, while he motioned his hand to come forward.

He went close to him to see the spectacle.  

“When a plant comes into bloom. It gets plucked and then, it gets turned into many different

things...like...”

His left hand gently laid upon his son’s shoulder.

“The blanket I wrap around you at night.”

Shirou’s mind felt the warmth of the softest cotton.

“The lingering scent of the woman...or a medicine to cu-rr-”

His eyes widened. He tried to open his mouth again.

“To-to..he..”

“To he?”

“No-no, it’s he he-”

“He-he?”

Emiya fell silent.

The wind flew past them like a ghost.

The cool temperature turned cold.

Nothing but the sounds of  grasshoppers filled the void between father and son.

Shirou felt a sudden strong pressure on his shoulder.

It was heavy.

It was shaky.

It was his father���s hand.

Now, this wasn’t something he was used to either.

The movement reminded him of an earthquake rumbling through hard cement -

creating, breaking, and destroying everything in its path.

Curious, but frightened the little boy slowly looked up at his father.

His countenance was shadowed by the darkness, but with one small squint fell a teardrop.

Another fell and then another.

A stream of glistening water overflowed his shadowy eyes.

Shirou didn’t know what to do.

Emotions like sadness and anger are hard to soothe away.

It’s even harder to know what caused him to cry.

“I’ve never seen him like this..” , Shirou thought.

His brown eyes slowly moved away from his father to the strange big plant.

“I didn’t know this plant could bring so much pain…”

- - - - -

The boy’s body remained unmoved, except for the increased pressure on his shoulder blade.

He couldn’t just let it go on.

He had to say something. Anything to calm his father. With all his strength, he formed a small o with his

lips and whispered,

“Father..your hand…”

His fingers gradually opened and then, his palm lifted up.

“Shhhhiruo…”, he croaked. “I-I’ sorry you hadd to see me like this.”

“It’s okay to cry.”

“No - it’s just allerg-ies.”, Emiya replied as he cleared his throat. “I should’ve known this plant was the

problem.”

He clenched his left hand to his mouth.

He coughed.

Shirou sidestepped away to make room for him. 

This was the first of his life he witnessed grief.

But what pondered him the most about it. 

This moment revealed a hidden past he couldn't rewind.

If he had the ability to go back, would it damage or enhance his view of his father?

 "I don't know what to do...what should I-"

His eyes widen at a touch on his shoulder blade.

He slowly nodded back, still turned away.

Emiya lowered his position to Shirou's height.

His hand still on his shoulder gently pulled him towards his direction.

Shirou's eyes looked down at his own feet, avoiding eye contact.

His father's eyebrows were raised by this peculiar behavior.

He was always so attentive regardless of the situation.

Emiya thought for a second. And then, an idea popped up. It had to be his outburst.

"He must think it's his fault..."

"Shirou....", he spoke calmly.

He hummed back.

"The years I spent with you weren't because you were a burden. My life is fulfilled because of you."

Shirou's shoulders jumped a little.

"I awaited for the day to help others; others who were needed someone to carry their burdens.

Whether it's big or small- I will help them."

He pivoted his entire body to face his son.

"One day, I know you'll become a champion of heroes" he murmured as his face titled to see his son's.

Shirou's stomach dropped by those words. Those words he remembers him reciting like a prayer to God.

'Champion of heroes' carries a strong aura in its title.

It evokes an image of a king clothed in the finest material and with the most 

powerful weapon in hand.

He stood on the highest peak of a mountain oversees his works and the people served.

The image moved Shirou ever since.

"I must tell you something I've kept from you. It's important you listen very carefully."

He refocused his attention on Emiya's instructions.

He whispered it so faintly in his ears.

Shirou heard it... but couldn't understand it. The message was cryptic.

"What does it mean, father?"

He stared at him.

"You'll know, Shirou. You will know.."

Emiya looked up at the star-lit sky.

- - - - -

The stars in the sky seemed to move like an ocean. 

They were vast in numbers.

They shined brilliantly as if guiding the viewer who sees them to their destination.

The destination had returned to a place he knew - home.

Shirou's felt his presence again in the same place he sat.

This was like the moment back in the fields.

Calm and unfiltered.

Before he got up to sleep, a doorbell rang from the hallway.

His eyes leaped with joy.

"It's got to be him. I know it's him."

Shirou rose while clutching his kimono up to his chest.

He opened and closed the screen door.

Then trotted on the floorboards.

The doorbell rang agian.

He couldn't wait to see his father. 

He always brought something interesting from his job.

He opened the door and to his surprise, it wasn't his father but Fujimura, Taiga.

"Oh, Shirou...I'm surprised you're still up?", she inquired suspiciously.

"Umm..yes",  Shiruo replied as he looked down at his feet.

"Did the big mean Tenju woke you up?"

He nodded his head no.

Taiga let out a chuckle while holding a brown package in her right arm.

The package jingled inside. It almost sounded like bells. It caught his attention.

"I got a special gift for you from a special person."

She laid her left hand under the bottom, then with her right hand on the top.

Taiga flipped it over and gave the box to him.

"From father?"

Her lips curled like a cat's whiskers. 

She wanted to say it but couldn't say it. It was visible in the way she clasped her hands together; tingling with excitement.

"Fujimura-san, where is he?

"Open the box."

"Is he coming back?"

"He will after his trip.."

"A trip to where?"

"Oh, he didn't tell me when... but I'm sure it would soon."

Shirou noticed something off but couldn't figure it out...

Taiga is usually upbeat but her reaction towards his questions was a bit different.

"Maybe it's for the best right now to ask more."

His fingers thumbed at the thick wrapping paper. 

The box was addressed to him in English.

Slowly but surely he ripped the covering with force. 

Leaving behind scraps of trash.

It revealed a white square object folded in tri-folds.

One by one, he flipped the folds and saw what he couldn't believe.