Chapter 2: New beginnings

Beta read by Opal

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-London-

(A few weeks later)

In a large harbor were rows of container ships where the stationer was a team of labor workers carrying large boxes and other miscellaneous items from the boat's cargo to the storage facility on land. Some were doing checks for any damages, counting, and inventory, and a few lazing around smoking cigarettes. 

"Hey kid, want one?" James, one of the labor workers, offered a blunt to a new recruit who joined a few days ago. He worked for hours on end while doing a large part of the heavy lifting whilst only taking a quick ten-minute break to eat before starting once again. 

A youngling who wanted to prove himself, a sight James had seen many times in the past. Just because their bodies were young and strong they barely paid any attention before regretting it heavily in a matter of a few years and even months for those who pushed themselves a bit too far. 

The new kid was a foreigner, probably a student who tried to earn enough money to pay for his studies and rent. He respected such a mentality and wanted to help the redhead with his burdens a tiny bit.

Shirou turned his head at the middle-aged bald man offering him the last remaining cigarette inside the pack and politely refused. "Thanks but I don't smoke, I appreciate the gesture though." 

"Good, you shouldn't smoke when young, that's my bad." James took it for himself, lighting it up and taking a large puff. "Fuuu, you should rest more, Sherou, your body needs it. I know we're getting paid by the hour, but if you're so pressed for money then me and the buddies can treat you to a meal and drink at the pub down the road after every shift."

 "It's Shirou," he sweatdropped at the name, even in another world it kept following for some reason — though he didn't mind when Luvia used it. "You don't have to worry about me, I'm indeed lacking money but it isn't that urgent. I'm just working hard to take my mind off of some things."

He couldn't help but sigh inwardly again at those words, a hardship he has been going through for the last few days. When brought back to Earth by Nanoha and soon after discovering this wasn't even his original reality — Shirou felt lost. 

Afraid, worried, and stressed over his current case and how he could go back without the assistance of Second Magic. Without a place to live anymore, he didn't sleep the entire night and went to the local library to research Fuyuki. As expected, not a single mention of the city, a fact that further pushed him down a despairing road. Would Rin come for him? Could she pinpoint his location and take him back? He hoped so, that was why Shirou had been waiting. 

Hours turned into days, then days, weeks, and nearly a month passed since his arrival to this world and his hope continued to dwindle with each passing day. During the passage of time, he couldn't just stand around and do nothing. First, there was the issue of getting money to feed himself and finally finding a place to live. 

His Projection could technically allow him to print money, but it was both wrong and went against his beliefs — so he just went job hunting until an opportunity presented itself to work at the harbor. As for his living arrangements… Shirou returned to the old lady inside the apartment where he and Rin lived and asked her if she was willing to let him stay for a little bit. At first, she once again closed the door to his face until he used his own cooking and house-cleaning skills to impress her. 

"Must be some messed up thing that happened to you if you're pushing yourself this far. Did you go through a breakup? Found your girl cheating on you? Dead relatives? Wait, it must be the stress from your education. I went through the same bloody mess back in my teenage years. Crazy time." James said, already halfway through his cigarette. "Still, you're quite strong for a kid your age, I saw you pull that giant broken anchor chain. It usually takes two people to do that. Yet I just can't see where you're hiding all that muscle."

Reinforcement was sure useful in everyday life, especially in such a work environment. Another difference he noticed in this world was the Mana density and abundance. Not by a large extent compared to his old world but definitely higher. This led the boy to experiment at first before his old training habit kicked back in. Continuing to practice Tracing in his room in the middle of the night for hours. 

'I'm still quite far away from using my Reality Marble with my current reserves and magical circuits. It'll take a few years for them to reach their full potential and to fully mature.' He followed some class back in the Clocktower, so Shirou learned that he wouldn't need to forever rely on a secondary source of Magical Energy to summon Unlimited Blade Works. He just wished that the time his body could reach that threshold would accelerate. 

"Alright, I'm done with my lunch break. I should go back." He packed up his bento box before rushing back to help others. No matter his current situation, if he had the opportunity to lessen the burden of others then Shirou wouldn't miss it whatsoever. 

He wondered how Nanoha was doing.

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"Ah, welcome back, sonny. I baked some cookies!" 

Back to his apartment, Shirou found the old lady happily going through the kitchen baking with a large smile on her face. Other than cooking and house cleaning, he also helped her financially and it seemed that this allowed her to splurge on activities she enjoyed. 

"I'll be sure to try them out, let me take a quick shower so that I can start with dinner soon." He said before walking inside his room.

The inside of the room was basically the same as his old one. Quite Spartan with barely any decorations or furniture. A simple desk with a plastic chair and a bed. Dropping his bag filled with his uniform, Shirou gazed at the card sitting on his desk — the one Nanoha gave him. 

He collapsed on the bed with his eyes facing the ceiling. Looking outside the sky had darkened with heavy dark clouds that showed that it was going to rain soon. The light of the lamps and cars illuminating the streets with a small neon sign of a small pub turning on at the same time each day. A routine he grew used to seeing for years since he came with Rin to study in the Clocktower. But now… the sight didn't bring him any sense of familiarity whatsoever. 

Everything was so foreign, so cold and distant. This room wasn't his, the apartment no longer held any significant place in his heart and each day in London was a trial in itself.

Shirou realized he was living a lie, a mere illusion of a world that held no attachment to his heart. No different than if he was left on the dying planet with aliens, a place that wasn't comfortable to live in. 

"I can't go on like this." He said quietly, watching the clock tick every passing second. His gaze locked onto it for the next five minutes. Could he truly escape his current reality by overworking every day? No, Shirou had a limit like anyone else. "But… what can I do?" 

Waiting in limbo like this until something happened… it wasn't a life the boy was willing to live. 

It wasn't until the wind from his window blew that he watched the card fall into the ground. Nanoha's name and contact details written clearly on the front with the logo of the Time-Space Administrative Bureau probably printed in the middle. 

'There are still people out there who need to be saved…' 

In the infested world, if he hadn't reached the planet in time, then what would have happened to the inhabitants? They would have died, eaten, and consumed by those ghouls. Nanoha was powerful and very capable from what he'd seen and understood of her Rank — but even she couldn't be everywhere at once. 

Searching for purpose in an alien world, wasn't this the perfect opportunity?

Shirou was certain that his current self possessed no ability anywhere near Nanoha's to recreate the same attack as before. Flying remained out of his reach, a form of magecraft that even if he tried to learn would be impossible due to his Origin and overly specialized magecraft. 

"Though Luvia did give me the idea to test whether I can stand on my swords before launching them… didn't turn out well." He tried it as an experiment, but standing on a slippery blade going at the speed of sound wasn't the best idea and he ended up getting a concussion. 

Nevertheless, his current self lacked a lot, but Shirou was certain he could help in a pinch. He was willing to help them in any area, as long as… as long as he could leave this place for now. Shirou didn't feel comfortable staying here for now, it brought back many memories of the past. 

With a sigh, he picked up the card and soon realized that there wasn't any number or email on it he could use to contact her. Confused, the boy tried to read the card from different angles — yet it still came out blank. 

Beep!

"Woah!" 

Light flashed from the card as a holographic screen appeared before him, showcasing a keyboard along a message screen with Nanoha's name on the top. Hesitantly, he touched one of the keys and the letter device registered his input. 

"Does this count as advanced alien technology? And how does she get the message without internet or signal?" So many questions passed through his mind, Shirou was by no means an expert when it came to technology but he has had his fair share of interest in the latest products and his tendency to help people by repairing their machines like cars, air conditioners and much more gave him a better understanding than the average person. So it came as no surprise that this small card that felt like it was made of hard paper would actually be a communication device with no use of magic. 

A quick use of Structural Analysis showed layers and layers of microscopic-sized chips and motherboards so infinitely small embedded inside the material. There was even a battery-like object inside… "Can I make some of my own? Wait, I'm getting distracted here!" 

Still, his hand touching the phone inside his pocket, Shirou wouldn't let it go anytime soon. That item thankfully survived the journey from his original world and served as important memorabilia. 

"I wonder if the timezone is different from where she is right now? Do they even have the same Monday-to-Sunday system over there? It is a different planet after all." Thinking about what he should write, Shirou decided to keep it short just in case she was busy — he didn't want to needlessly stress her out for his case.

"Ah, there is a word limit, I'll need to write something short and simple." 

{Break}

-Midchilda Central-

At the headquarters of the Time-Space Administrative Bureau, specifically in the city of Cranagan which was the capital holding countless skyscrapers and training facilities for the upcoming mages and long-time veterans. From restaurants with cuisines coming from all around the galaxy, hotels that attracted tourists from countless planets, and a general thriving economy that added another layer of prosperity to the planet. 

Within the main area where the TSAB held their main offices was a young lady happily typing on her keyboard while looking over the details of the latest mages taking the exam. Teana Lanster and Subaru Nakajima.  

"Hummm~♪" she hummed a song while reading their bio, accomplishments, and qualifications. "They're quite talented, don't you think so, Fate?" 

By Nanoha's side was her longtime enemy turned best friend, Fate Testarossa.

"Yes, they've shown remarkable team spirit and even their previous examiners mentioned how they're capable of becoming A-Rank mages. Teana Lanster, a user of the Midchildan magic system and a telepath at that. Proficient in shooting from the reports, we'll see more of it during the exams. With Subaru Nakajima using Belkan Magic with rollerblades, I've seen a lot of types but her case sure is rare. Her hand-to-hand mastery is superb and sharp instincts that will be crucial during battle." Her eyes focused on Subaru's profile. "Though if I remember correctly, I understand she happened to be one of the fire victims you've saved in the past. Will you look over their examination?" 

The incident that happened all those years ago, four years to be more precise, was an event where barely anyone knew that they were involved in the rescue operation. This was due to them having not announced their presence there officially — thus not making the local authorities give them the proper credit. In the end, neither she nor Nanoha cared about such a minor thing, so they didn't try to change anything.

Nanoha nodded, "Of course, I wonder how she'll react when seeing me." 

"Ecstatic, you're her idol after all. Though the girl will wonder if you even remember her in the first place." 

"Fufufu~, Of course, I remember her, the day of the fire was quite a harrowing experience, and I'm glad I could manage to save her in time. She was a brave child, glad to see Subaru grow up into such an accomplished mage." Nanoha couldn't help but feel a sense of pride coming from her heart, seeing the younger generation bloom right before her eyes was a feeling few things could replicate. 

'I sounded like an old person…' 

Given how long she has been working as a mage it certainly felt like a long time. 

'I wonder how's Shirou doing?' The matter from them still occupied her mind, especially the young redhead. Coming back to Midchilda she tried to research the town he mentioned, Fuyuki, and once again came up with nothing. And even Japan's database which she asked to get temporary access to for research purposes didn't hold anyone under the name Shirou Emiya which further puzzled the young girl. 

In the end, she left this matter to concentrate on her current work. Perhaps she was overthinking things once again as she usually did. 

"Hayate has invited us to her apartment for a sleepover after the exams for the new recruits are over, are you free?" Fate asked, reading the message she just received. 

"A sleepover? Sure, I don't mind coming over." Her device beeped with a message notification. "Ah, that must be Hayat—"

Nanoha's words died down her throat as she read the message. It wasn't a message from her friend, but rather from a person, she was just thinking about not that long ago. 

"Eh, Nanoha? Is something the matter?" 

Fate noticed the sudden change in the expression of her friend. She glanced at the screen, curious to find out the cause, and grew confused when reading a single message on it.

'I'm in trouble, need your help.'

Trouble? The message looked ominous enough for Nanoha to get up from her chair quickly and grab Fate's shoulders with a worried face. "Fate-chan, is your ship available? I need to take it and leave for Earth!" 

She would have used the teleportation pods to directly get to Earth, but the usage of such devices was heavily restricted, and getting permission to use it outside a battle environment necessitated an extensive procedure that would take longer than just traveling there by ship immediately. Unless… 

"Um, it's in the workshop getting its monthly maintenance, you can ask Haya—" 

"Yes! Hayate can help me!" Not giving Fate any time to respond or even react to this unexpected change, the brunette left the room with hastened steps leaving the blonde all by herself. 

***

The first thing Nanoha saw when entering the entrance hall of the headquarters was a familiar figure standing in front of a large door — a fellow brunette and her longtime friend, Hayate Yagami.

"Hayate-chan, thank you for coming over." The two mages gave each other a quick hug. "I know you're busy with your role and duties, but there was no one else I could count on coming here so quickly." 

"Oh don't worry, I wasn't doing much, to begin with. Truthfully, I've been trying to negotiate certain matters with Regius, you know how sensitive matters can be when it comes between him and me." She said calmly, though Hayate was a bit worried over how unusual Nanoha was behaving, there was a tension in the background she managed to discern.

A sense of urgency.

"The meeting was adjourned due to small complications on Regius's side, we decided to reschedule for another day. So, your message came at the perfect time, given I have nothing to do, for now, I accepted." 

Nanoha winced, hearing the person her friend had to deal with. Regius Gaiz, a general in charge of cases related to criminal mages and maintaining order in Midchilda. He and Hayate shared a rather infamous dynamic, she knew full well that the man disliked her friend and held an immense amount of distrust as well.  All of this because of the latter's involvement with her past — calling her the former master of the Book of Darkness on many occasions. 

"A-Ah... Sorry about that, it must have been hard." She immediately apologized, the last thing Nanoha wanted was for her rash action to cause unnecessary trouble for her old friend. 

"It's nothing," she tried to placate Nanoha, "don't worry about it, I'll handle this myself. Besides, Regius isn't evil or a bad person by any means, he just has suspicions over my presence given everything he had to deal with as a general, so I don't blame him." Soon enough, her face became serious, "So, what happened? What did you need my help for?"

Nanoha smiled at her friend, relief washing away her. "Well... It's a bit complicated but I want you to lend me your help and let the higher-ups give me the authorization to use the teleporters. I just need to go home to Earth as soon as possible. Someone I know is in trouble and I promised to help them out!"

Hayate's eyes widened, "You mean that Shirou Emiya from Japan?"

"Ah," she was caught by surprise with Hayate already knowing about Shirou. "How did you know about him?" 

"Rein told me, remember I get a full report of every deployment she's involved with — including yours." She actually wanted to discuss this matter with Nanoha at one point in the near future but never got the chance with her increasing workload. Rein mentioned how this Shirou Emiya was a mage from Earth who somehow ended in the infected planet through unknown means. 

As the 2nd ground commander of the Time-Space Administrative Bureau, she was in charge of many different things, including but not limited to information gathering. 

An interesting piece of news was how long Nanoha spent talking to him, for the entire journey according to Rein. It wasn't that shocking given the girl naturally wanted to help people and accompany them if they were feeling uncomfortable in a foreign environment. Still, it didn't stop her from getting the idea to tease her friend for fun.

Nanoha blinked, surprised at the information. "R-Really?" She momentarily forgot that Rein worked directly under Hayate thus would give her the full details. "Anyways, can you help me? Please!"

Hayate chucked, "Come on now, we're friends, why would I ever not help you with such things, Nanoha-chan? Let me make a quick call." She went to the side before starting to talk to someone on her communication device. In about five minutes she came back with a complicated face. "Now, we have a small problem but not really. The teleporters inside the headquarters here are strictly used for approved missions and I'll need it may take a day to get them to accept for you to use them. Fortunately, I was granted permission to use another teleporter but this one is a bit far away, so let's stop asking such questions and follow me." Taking a car, the pair drove off into the main hangar bay situated on the East-side of the capital. As a commander, she was given access to the facility's inner region and multiple privileges to utilize a spaceship without the need to fill out paperwork. 

"Arthra is quite a beautiful spaceship," she said. "I believe Chrono should be its current captain." 

Nanoha agreed, the white-coloured ship not only held a beautiful design that always captured the attention of many whenever deployed, but its firepower and reliability were also second to none. "I've heard that Arthra will soon be out of commission given it has reached its half-a-century-long lifespan — can't believe it's that old." 

"One could see it as a well-maintained jewel. I actually opposed the decision to retire the vessel. It still can run a few more decades without any issues. Some of its components may be outdated but a few replacements can easily boost its performance." A smile appeared on the ground commander's face as she gazed at the spaceship, many memories were made inside it, and nearly every adventure she had been a part of involved the presence of Arthra. To see it get scrapped and repurposed was a future she wanted to avoid and delay as much as possible. 

Nanoha looked at Hayate suspiciously, the way she said it gave her the idea that she was trying to get control of the ship and become its captain. Perhaps so, she also didn't want to see the vessel destroyed and stripped of its material. 

They drove past it and parked near a hangar at the edge of an empty field. Inside was a much smaller ten-person ship used by high-ranking officials to travel to different planets for diplomatic relations or other work-related trips. It had a teardrop shape with only two weapon systems and a basic forcefield capable of withstanding bullets and weak magic attacks — but not any sort of powerful explosions or high-powered magic cannons. Coloured in a deep blue reflective coat of paint — it was a true jewel. 

"Did you..." 

"Buy this? No, even with my salary I can't purchase something like this so easily.  This is a vehicle I'm borrowing from one of the generals, she never used it anyways. Come on, the teleporter is further inside the building, we can check out Kaguya later." 

"Kaguya?" 

"Heh, just a name I gave to the ship, even got the general's permission to make it official." With a single press on her watch, the doors opened and the two headed inside a room with a large pod which Nanoha recognised as a slightly older version teleporter. "This should be enough to send you to Earth, we'll need to set the coordinates."

"Set it for London, near Big Ben." 

"Got it, though give me a few minutes this system needs to be put up to date so you can use it to come back or I can just pick you up later on with Kaguya — your choice." Hayate sat near the computer and started the procedure. Nanoha didn't waste any time and got inside while touching the red ruby around her neck. "So, you haven't told me what's going on with this Shirou fellow?" Her friend asked, while typing on the light keyboard. 

"Since you've read the report, you must know that he's a fellow mage from a rogue organization of magic users on Earth. I believe he called it the Clocktower? Aside from that, he knew nothing of the Time-Space Administrative Bureau and our system. I didn't get the opportunity to bring up what sort of spells and the magic system he used as it was our first time meeting and I didn't want to be too intrusive. He's a good guy, risking his life like that to save those people, he showed a lot of bravery and skill that would class him easily as a C or B-rank mage." 

"That's impressive, such people are rare, especially when it comes to our home planet. Anything else?" 

"Well no, he did mention coming from Fuyuki, do you know such a place?" 

"I'm afraid this is the first time I'm hearing about it." She answered.

"Exactly, I too never heard of this place. But it could be a village for all we know. Nevertheless, he was equally curious about myself and the mages beyond Earth. I gave a small summary and introduction to what our role is — to save people and races all across the galaxy and maintain order. He was quite impressed with what I was seeing so far. I gave him my contact card in case he wanted to know more or desired to pursue a different sort of career."

"Eh?" Hayate looked at her baffled, making Nanoha wonder what the weird expression was about. "Since when did you have a contact card? You never gave one to either me or Fate!"

"Not you too," the girl whined, unable to understand why the others were having such a reaction over a small thing such as this. "I ordered them after becoming an instructor officially and I never gave one to you or Fate-chan because you both already have my details." 

"I see," Hayate didn't continue that topic, it was a minor curiosity after all. "By the way, do you have any idea what's going on with him to elicit such a response?"

Nanoha had some thoughts on what it could have been and the idea itself was vastly horrifying and she prayed that it wasn't the case. 

"When I first met Shirou it was on a planet overrun by some ghouls. So I'm dreading that such creatures might have followed him there or it was an entity from a sort of infection spreading through the population."

Hayate frowned and brought a file on another screen and read it while continuing to prepare the last bits of command to activate the machine. 

"From what I'm reading, there was no particularly dangerous virus or pathogen from what we discovered. And Rein did mention how his body was checked beforehand and cleansed. You're worrying too much, Nanoha." With the last bit done, the pod started to glow with an ethereal pale blue color. "Still, be careful!" 

Nanoha nodded, seeing her body start to glow before she disappeared completely.

{Break}

-Earth-

"This is too expensive," back on Earth, Shirou now stood in front of a vendor in the farmer's market picking up a few fruits for the elderly woman who let him live at her place as a thank you gift. Also because he discovered just recently that the lady was suffering from an illness due to her advanced age that made her forget simple things from time to time. She even forgot who he was a couple of days ago and almost called the cops on him as an intruder or burglar.

"I still can't believe that she remembered me by tasting one of the leftover dishes I stored in the fridge." The boy whispered, chuckling a bit when recalling the chaotic morning back then.

Let's see, he cooked a hotpot, and shepherd's pie and made her favorite dish; jellied eels this morning. This was pretty good despite its unappetizing appearance, just needed a bit of red chili sauce on the mash. 

The cooking distracted him from his messy thoughts from last night. Writing the perfect message to Nanoha was harder than he expected, Shirou didn't know what to say or convey in the message.

Saying something like, 'Hi, I just found out that I'm from another Earth in a different reality than this one. Could you come back to pick me up?' was ridiculous. He doubted the girl would even believe him given he didn't have any proof of such a claim aside from his missing record — but that hardly proved anything. The redhead worried that Nanoha wouldn't believe him and recommended to visit a psychiatrist.

That would really push him to end up crying. 

He contemplated buying a ticket back to Japan and once again tried to search for Fuyuki and other towns to also find the existence of people he knew. Though this plan came with many issues, first being his lack of sufficient funds and an actual plan when in Japan. Second was the fear of being slapped with the cold reality that he truly was all alone with no one he knew. 

"Boy, a bag of apples for three quid is quite reasonable given it's no longer the season." The middle-aged seller said, not wanting to reduce the price in the slightest. "Tell you what, buy two of 'em and I'll give it to you for five quid, deal?" 

"Alright, thanks," he paid the price before packing up and walking out. 

"No problem, come again!" 

Having already bought some flour coupled with some sugar and other ingredients to bake an apple pie for the elderly lady. As he wasn't planning on staying for long, this would serve as one of his many appreciation gifts for letting him stay. Today, Shirou had a free day from work, this giving a lot of free time. Shirou did try to search for a second job for such a moment but was unable to find out. 

"Hmm?" To the side was a narrower road that he remembered using in his past world, a path which acted as a shortcut to his apartment. "Guess I'll take it, it's almost sundown." 

Would Nanoha come by spaceship like last time? The possibility of traveling through space was something he looked forward to actually, as last time he didn't get the opportunity to see much of the outside given he was in his room the entire time. Though the question came of how would the girl contact him? Not like she had his number or contact, a small worry of his. 

Step

Step

A sound of footsteps came from behind along with a small group of people, four men, on his path on the other side of the road. All of them were wearing hoodies and beanies.

He didn't remember the street being this crowded or dirty for that matter, though chalked it up to another difference between his old world and this one. Given the Clocktower's presence, the nearby neighborhood was quite clean and less crowded. 

"..."

The people in front of him stopped moving, blocking his path. 

"Wagwan fam, went for some shopping man see. Where's your phone at? Want to know the time, see."

'Damn it,' Shirou wasn't dense enough to not realize what was happening to him. Trying to turn around and leave the other side he found another group of three people making sure he wouldn't escape. 'I should have taken the longer path.'

"What endz you from, my gee?" Another one asked him, having a twisted smile on his face. A few of the men chuckled around him, he could feel their gaze sizing him up and his items. "You an outsider, innit?" 

Nevertheless, it was best to dismantle the tension peacefully, he didn't want to fight them and unfortunately was incapable of using any hypnosis spell. 

"Hey, I don't want any troubl—"

"You're pissing me off, fam. Did you not hear my question?" 

"Hah," Shirou sighed, unafraid that these people would hurt him or anything like that. He suffered enough crushing defeats in hand to hand combat against Rin and Luvia that dodging became one of his better skills at this point. "Listen, I don't want to hurt anyone here. I'll give you my groceries if that's what you want along with all of my money — which isn't much, to begin with. But I'll be keeping my phone." Giving away his phone was out of the question, it held hundreds of pictures of his past world and everyone he knew. It was the only tether that connected him to his original reality and carried more value than anything he owned.

Unfortunately for him, his response only seemed to have triggered the people in front of him. 

"You think this is funny? A joke?" A man wearing a dark blue hoodie snarled while coming up to him. 

He didn't even laugh or say anything related to that. 

"No, I just want to go back home," the irony of those words was not lost on him. 

"Then don't waste man's time and take out your phone and wallet, now!" 

Right, looks like they weren't going to let go of his phone. Shirou was willing to hand over his clothes even but these people would obviously not listen or care. So instead, he shook his head. "Again, I'm afraid I can't give it to you… it's very important to me."

Their response came from all seven of them taking out knives from their pockets, further worsening the atmosphere. Now having faced a weapon like Gae Bolg and even having his heart carved out once, coupled with nearly dying by facing a certain golden king or that white haired bastard — Shirou wasn't afraid. His face showed helplessness over his bad luck, though the others saw it as a sign of terror which made them smirk. 

"Afraid to get shanked? Too late for regrets!" The same man who spoke to him at first made a move. His arms extended forward for a simple thrust attack which Shirou evaded by simply turning his body sideways.

'Simple knife bought at a local store, forged with cheap stainless steel and a plastic handle. He attacked five people with this, only one of them resulting in a death.' Information swarmed his mind from just a glance of the blade before he stepped back and avoided a slash to the face. 'His movements are filled with faults and his stance is weak.'

Shirou's completely calm expression just further infuriated the attacker as it looked like the redhead was looking down on him.

"You messing with man here!?" 

"I'm honestly not." 

With a loud roar, he swung the blade a couple of times which his opponent kept moving out of the way and dodging easily. 

'Left, going for my arm. Ah, he nearly tore through the grocery bag.' He berated himself from overlooking the items he carried when moving out of the way. It would be a shame if the fruits were to get ruined by the end of day. 

"Stop fucking with me!!!" 

'Getting angrier, Luvia-san did mention that such people would become easier to predict and strike down. Though I think she was just trying to trigger Tohsaka back then.' Still, her advice was proven right as the next attack was far too predictable with the hooded man telegraphing his moves way more than last time.

'He changed it to a reverse grip. Trying to stab my chest. Shit, I can't step back with the three other people behind me. They'll be able to backstab me easily if I'm not careful.' He quickly glanced at the people behind him. 'Hm, none of their blades were ever used to hurt anyone for that matter, bought this week and quite new. Probably when they joined this small group, so just for show and they might not harm me.'

"Haa!" 

"Watch out!" 

Since he couldn't go back, he bent down with his knees folded. With a loud clang the man's knife continued to sail forward and almost stabbed someone else. Both guys fell with their knives now having fallen on the ground.

"Woah there, nearly dropped the apples."

"..."

"..."

"..."

"..."

"..."

All the remaining five guys were rendered speechless. Both at the humiliating scene that their leader experienced and how this redhead sounded more worried about dropping his groceries than his own life!

"Fam, is this one of those old Kung Fu masters you see in them movies?"

"Don't know, Will. This guy is crazy, he made Jimmy look like an idiot. Also, this lad barely looks over twenty."

"Shhh! Don't say it out loud or else Jimmy will shank ya to death. Also, you may never know, he might be wearing makeup to look young or did one of them plastic surgeries." 

Shirou didn't know whether to laugh or cry when hearing such things from the others. They certainly feared their leader, that was apparent enough. He tried to sneakily walk away…

"Where do you think you're going!?" The guy who he now knew was called Jimmy got up with a red face. Probably furious over what happened and looking at him with enough killing intent that Shirou started to contemplate whether he should land a few hits or not. "You're dead, you hear me!? Dead! And what are you idiots standing there like that!? Get him!" 

"You really don't have to do this," said Shirou with an exasperated expression. Seeing the entire group now glare at him with the intent to attack evidently in their eyes — he decided to get a bit more serious. He would only use reinforcement and try not to go overboard. Seven people no matter how skilled he turned out to be was not something he could end with one hit alone with his skills. Unlike Rin who excelled at Bajiquan and could probably break all of their bones in a matter of seconds without using reinforcement, he wasn't so talented with hand to hand martial arts. 

'Hmm, I can use reinforcement to end things with one hit rather than dragging it out unecessarily.'

"Trace, o—"

Fwish!

Before he could even finish uttering his magic trigger, he saw the sky lit up with a large pink magic circle the size of a human body.

"Accel shoot!" 

Everyone was shocked but couldn't even scream as one by one each began to drop to the floor. Seven different balls of light impact each and every one of them to the head with enough accuracy and force to knock them out. Shirou swayed when a few of these almost hit him as well, though at the last second they swerved around and only aimed for the people around him. After that, the attack dissipated leaving him confused and on the edge as he didn't expect to meet another Magus!

In spite of that, Shirou gritted his teeth and continued to push past the feeling of uncertainty and tenseness until his eyes widened when a familiar voice came to his ears.

"Shirou-kun!" 

Ah, his eyes caught a white dress along with winged shoes descending from the sky. A pair of hands resting on the side of his shoulders with surprising strength to prevent him from moving. Cherry blossom coloured energy washed over his body which slowly dissipated the agitation he felt before. 

It was her.

"Nano…ha?" 

Why was she so distressed?

His vision slowly went back to normal as he gazed at the brunette who saved him in the past. 

"Are you okay? Did the mage association try to hurt you? Are you bleeding!? Have you caught a virus or disease from the previous planet? I tried to find you but the card was left in your room, I panicked and I-I thought the worst…" 

A flurry of questions were shot coupled with a worried face. 

"Quick, we need to take you to a hospital!" 

His body felt… lighter? 

As soon as he fully came back to his senses, Shirou noticed his feet leaving the ground and immediately realized what was happening. 

"Woah! Calm down, Nanoha-san! I'm fine! I'm fine!" He hastily tried to calm the anxious girl. "I'm n-not in any danger, th-those people didn't even get t-to touch me. Can you put me down, please?" 

The idea of suddenly getting flown all across the city by a girl dressed as a magical girl was a bit… weird. And there was no need to seek any medical attention, even if he did get hurt such injuries didn't pose any issues to heal over.

Also, the idea of someone spotting Nanoha using magic by flying was a big red alarm in his mind. Even if this world was different from the last one, it didn't change that Shirou didn't want to take any unnecessary risks.

"Eh?" Confused at his words, Nanoha stopped and looked at him. "Then why did your message mention; 'I'm in trouble, need your help.'? I thought your life was in danger!" 

"Ah!" Embarrassed, Shirou wished he could only slap his past self for not having written a better message and instead ended up causing this weird misunderstanding. "Um, I think I have a lot to explain first."

{Break}

-Cafe-

After making sure the cops came to pick up the unconscious group who tried to rob him, Shirou brought Nanoha to a cafe. A place where he could discuss matters with her peacefully without having the worry about other outside factors that much. 

A nice place he and Rin would frequently visit after their work in the Clocktower. 

Located near a park where barely any cars would pass by at this hour. 

Now they sat facing each other whilst also having ordered some coffee. Nanoha still had a concerned face on her face which she couldn't hide with a forced smile. 

"Before we begin, I would like to apologize about the previous message I sent to you. I didn't think about it well enough and sent it without giving it a second look."

"So, you aren't in any trouble, Shirou-kun?" 

"Well… no, but I kinda am," said Shirou, making Nanoha tilt her head at his response. "Also just call me Shirou." 

"Did someone try to kidnap you?" 

Shirou spurted some coffee out of his mouth. 

"W-*cough* w-where did you get such an idea from!?"

When she first arrived on Earth, she honed in on the card she gave to Shirou. She tracked it to a small apartment complex, but when rushing inside she found an old lady, and the card was left on a desk. The room itself was empty, having no belongings of the redhead aside a bed and the table. 

When she asked the old lady where Shirou was, the woman didn't even know who Shirou was and denied there ever being someone living inside the room!

A terrible thought surfaced in her head as she believed that he had gotten kidnapped. He talked about a mage association to her back then, maybe they took him away and erased the woman's memories! 

'I even was about to call Hayate and Fate-chan to send reinforcements,' she thought, figuring that with the help of her friends Shirou would have been saved in time. Though as she flew across the sky, having Raising Heart scan for anyone remotely similar to Shirou's appearance — she had finally found him surrounded by a group of people which she mistook for his kidnappers.

When the girl explained the whole story to him, to her surprise he just facepalmed himself and started muttering, "Not again…" 

"Is there something I should know?" She asked, wondering what was going on here and the whole story in general. 

She saw Shirou taking a deep breath,

"Alright, might as well say it now rather than avoiding the subject." His eyes sharpened, the air around him changed as a heavy atmosphere descended upon the two.

"Nanoha-san, I don't know how to bring this up in a way which won't make you look at me as nothing short of a madman or a crazy person who needs medical attention… but I seriously can't think of any other way to reveal it to you."

"Please don't say that," she said, a bit sad that he didn't think she would believe his problems or have such an opinion. Being part of the Time-Space Administrative Bureau, Nanoha had seen and met people from a myriad of different origins and backgrounds, many having to deal with problems no one could even imagine. "I know that this is only our second encounter, Shirou, but you can trust me. If there is any problem or people that are bothering you and putting your life in danger then it is my duty to make sure that as a fellow Earthling and friend that you remain safe."

Wow, he didn't expect such an earnest reply from the girl. It was enough to make him fluster and a bit speechless on what to say next. Nanoha obviously looked like she cared and genuinely wanted to help out, so he gathered his wits and just decided to spill everything.

"Nanoha-san, the part I said in the past about me being a magic user was the truth."

"And I believe you, as a fellow mage this isn't something that shocking. Though Earth does have a small number of people like us, it isn't to the point where I would doubt your claims. Also because having seen you use a bow and those magic arrows to blow up those ghouls more than proved your words regardless." 

"Right… well that's not the part I was going for." He made sure no one was nearby to eavesdrop. "You see, the issue starts with my friend who was working on some spells she just learned from her teacher on me. The same spell that teleported me to the alien planet filled with those creatures and where you found me. You remember when I mentioned how I was from Fuyuki and you never heard of such a place?" 

She didn't know where he was going with this but still nodded in agreement, "I believe you also didn't know about the place where I came from, Uminari City." 

"Yes, I have indeed never heard of it beforehand. Nevertheless, I didn't pay much attention to it back then and asked to be dropped off here in London. After coming back, I walked back to my apartment and noticed a few different details. The road looked more used than I remember. The building was a completely different color, walking inside I was met with people I had never seen before and a layout that was completely different. At first, I thought I must have entered the wrong building, but no, I hadn't made any sort of mistake with that." 

The more he spoke the darker his face became. Nanoha could hear just from his voice that something painful must have happened to him. So she stayed quiet, her heart palpitating with unease when processing his words. A different looking building? Different streets and people? A somewhat outrageous idea emerged in her mind which she discarded immediately.

'No… It can't be something as ridiculous as that, right?'

"I was beginning to panic, so I ran up the stairs and continued to see more and more differences. My panic turned into fear… after I reached my apartment room. I called out for my friend who I've lived with for years. I was expecting her to open the door and be greeted by her furious red face or a shocked one given she was the one who sent me to another planet entirely. I was waiting to be met with a messy room as she never was one to clean up the house with me there… guess I spoiled her too much. But no, none of that happened as the one who opened the door was that same lady you met before suffering from short-term memory loss." 

His voice had turned into a whisper as he gazed at the cup of coffee in front of him, mindlessly stirring the spoon. 

Nanoha's eyes had widened as her fears were proven correct… but, it was just so unbelievable that she was having a hard time grasping how such a thing was even possible. After all, Shirou did mention that he hadn't even spent a day on the ghoul-infested planet and the journey back barely lasted six hours. Maybe she was overthinking things and he was about to say something else entirely disproving her wild imagination. 

But the following words were the final nail in the coffin that sealed everything.

"I asked her where my roommate had gone, and whether or not she moved somewhere else. Rin can be quite eccentric so I wouldn't put it past her doing something like that." His chuckle sounded so hollow to Nanoha that her eyes began to tear up. "You know what she said to me? She said that no one aside from her lived there for years and that I must have made a mistake." 

Shirou retrieved his phone and put it on the table. 

"I called everyone on my contacts, yet I always received the same response. That the number didn't exist." He said while showing a few pictures. "Just further proof to back up my claim. This is my hometown, Fuyuki. The high school I graduated from, Homurahara Academy. My home, my guardian, the same apartment that I used to live in." 

Her eyes focused on some of the pictures he was in along with a girl with a darker shade of brown hair tied in a ponytail. Both of them smiling whilst sitting in a picnic somewhere outside along with another blonde girl.

The next scene made her heart stop, as Shirou put on a smile that looked so wrong and lost.

"I… I don't know what to do, Nanoha-san. Can you help me, as this isn't my world? If possible, can you take me with you away from this place? I-I can help you with any problems and cases like the ghoul incident, my magecraft hasn't reached its full potential nor is it as versatile and powerful as what you've shown back then… but i can still—" 

"I accept!" She didn't wait for him to finish, just wanting to help him as soon as she could. 

Safe to say, Shirou was caught off guard by her immediate response. 

"E-Eh? I thought you would ask me for more proof of my claim." 

Someone you just met mentioned that he was from another world was something that even he would have had a hard time to accept. 

"Of course I trust you, Shirou!" She said sternly, wiping her eyes with her sleeves. "I promise to help you." 

Oh, Shirou was beginning to understand what type of person this girl was. 

For all his words that could have easily been fabrication, she chose to believe him regardless. 

To take a path even he doubted he would have been capable of walking.

She believed him.

And just for that, he realized…

'Nanoha-san is a good person.'

{Break}

Click!

The door to the apartment opened, it was the dead of the night and an old lady woke up from her nap. 

"I'm back, Miss Brown." 

"Ah, sonny, you're finally back. And who's this girl?" She asked, seeing the boy be accompanied by a rather beautiful girl in a white and blue uniform that looked like something from the army.

Nanoha felt awkward, they had spoken before but it looked like she had forgotten her. "H-Hello, my name is Nanoha Takamachi. I am Shirou Emiya's friend." The girl proceeded to give a quick bow which surprised the lady.

"My, how polite you are. She's a keeper, boy, mark my words and don't let her go. Please come in, make yourself at home!" She said to Shirou, the latter shaking his head and laughing at her words. He whispered a small apology to Nanoha while scratching the back of his head. 

"It's okay, I don't mind it, she looks like a sweet lady," 

"If you say so," after their conversation back at the cafe, Nanoha mentioned how they could leave at any moment and even right then and there. 

But he declined.

Having promised Miss Brown to bake her an apple pie, Shirou also couldn't leave so suddenly without saying his final goodbyes to the person who helped him in a tough time. So he invited Nanoha back for dinner as well, feeling the desire to thank her in his own way. 

"Miss Brown, I know this is sudden but I'll be leaving today." 

"So soon?" His statement shocked the elderly woman. "I don't mind you staying a few weeks or even months, sonny. You don't need to feel any pressure to leave." 

"Hahaha, you're too kind to me. But it isn't about that. I… I have some duties to attend to. My time here has been like a vacation to get my thoughts sorted out and it's time I return doing what best at. Though before that, I wanted to throw a feast and bake the promised apple pie." 

"Hohohoho, you're such a gentleman, dear. You've spoiled me with your cooking, I will certainly miss it a lot." 

Nanoha watched the conversation between those two. Unconsciously smiling at the scene she considered as wholesome. She didn't anticipate Shirou to be so good with older people, watching him assist the older woman across the room to the dining room with both patience and care was cute. 

"Do you need any help with cooking?" Not wanting to sit around and do nothing, Nanoha decided that it would be better if she participated with the preparation. As she was about to hold the knife…

Fwish!

"Eh?" Shirou moved faster than ever before and snatched the cutting tool before she could even get her hands on it. 

"Come on, you didn't think that I would let a special guest like you do any work, right?" 

"B-But that shouldn't be a problem, Shirou. I know how to cook and can help you with preparations." She insisted, feeling bad to let a boy who just was about to get mugged this morning and suffer with the reality that he was in another world with all his friends and family gone. "You should know that my best points are cheerfulness and my cooking skills!" 

He chuckled, "I don't doubt that, but leave such work to me while you relax." The way he looked at her made the girl feel that she was being treated as a small kid. 

"But you almost got stabbed today…"

"Don't worry about it, I got used to it, I can handle things by myself. Please, join Miss Brown and let me do the work — you're a guest after all." He said, bringing the stunned Nanoha to the dining room where he sat her down then ran back to the kitchen. 

"What just happened?" She whispered, making the person next to her start laughing at her face. 

"Hahahahaha! Shocked, right? Sonny treats everyone like that, he likes to do all the work by himself and have everyone else just relax all day. Sometimes I feel like a child talking to my mother, he even scolds me like my late ma when I forget to take my meds!" 

That… wasn't something she was prepared to see with Shirou. Looking over, she saw cut onions and other vegetables at lightning speed, the knife blurring to her eyes. The scene alone gave Nanoha some anxiety with how easily he could get hurt. Though it seemed like Miss Brown managed to read her thoughts.

"Don't worry about him getting hurt or cut. I was in your shoes at first but the boy kept proving me wrong with how skillful he is. I swear he has the capabilities to become a Michelin star chef." 

It was like watching a performance, Nanoha's eyes glued to the sight, not believing Shirou could be so skilled. Watching his movements was like a dance, each movement precise and sharp. She felt awe with admiration, her mouth half open in surprise.

He really did look like a pro when he was cooking. It was like he was born with it.

The fragrance alone made her mouth salivate, she could smell the aroma of spices. Nanoha was already full from lunch but she had with Fate to be honest, but the girl couldn't stop her stomach from rumbling with hunger.

Shirou returned to the dining room carrying a tray with many bowls and another one with a pie on it. "Miso soup to help you with your digestion, along with some rice, grilled fish and a new dish; ratatouille. For dessert we have the apple pie I promised you. Also Nanoha-san, I hope you're okay to use a spoon and fork, we don't have any chopsticks here… I forgot to buy a few pairs." 

"It's not an issue," Nanoha nodded along to his words as he placed the dishes then sat down beside her. Her eyes felt like they were playing tricks on her as the food looked so dazzling, it had been a while since she ate some Japanese food and she never tried ratatouille in her life. 

"Delicious!" Miss Brown exclaimed when taking a single spoonful of the miso soup. "I never get to try foreign food like this, I'm really going to miss you. This is honestly the best thing I had for decades!" 

"Hehehe, thank you for the compliment. Also don't forget to take your medicines, I won't be here to remind you like before." 

As those two kept talking, Nanoha took a bite of fish and ratatouille. The world turned pink and colorful, a party was happening inside her mouth and she enjoyed every second of it. Every time she chewed, a new flavor burst forth that she just kept wanting more of. 

This was dozens of times better than the food served in the cafeteria. 

'I should ask him if he can cook something similar for Hayate. The poor girl has been very busy and overworked lately. Having a taste of home will be a great experience for her, especially when it's this good.' 

"Hm?" When she went for more, her spoon touched the end of the bowl. Disappointment filled her being as she had unknowingly consumed everything so quickly. 

"Here, have some of the pie," Shirou said while giving her a slice when noticing her expression. "You can eat this slowly, the food won't run away." 

She pouted when seeing a smirk on his face. 

A small blush formed on her cheeks soon after.

.

.

.

(An hour later)

"Well, this is it." 

After having said goodbye to Miss Brown, Shirou and Nanoha left the apartment and headed for somewhere more quiet and secluded. She offered to fly him over but he preferred to just take a cab instead or walk. 

The boy did wonder how teleportation even worked in the world. He wasn't an expert with magecraft in this department like Rin and other Magi, but he had heard many times how difficult it was to achieve teleportation. Shirou didn't really have any thoughts on it, all he knew was that it was possible to do it since the command seals were capable of bending space to summon a Servant straight to where the Master was if used. 

"Yes, I don't see anyone here so it should be safe." Nanoha said, still in her uniform rather than the magical girl outfit as he liked to call it. "Give me one moment." She tapped her watch where a screen appeared. "Hayate? It's me, I'm ready to be teleported back. Oh, and I also have a guest with me. Yes, it's the person we were talking about, I'll explain everything to you later. Just trust me on this… what? You're here!? Oh… you wanted this moment as an excuse to drive Kaguya didn't you? I knew it." 

The screen disappeared.

"Wait, so someone else is teleporting us? You won't use that… pendant?" 

"Fufufu~, no, I can't use Raising Heart to teleport myself inside the Midchilda, it's not capable of such a thing. And teleportation in general is quite restricted in that space, so only an approved device can call us back. Now, given this is your first time then you may feel some intense nausea — but fortunately for you, we're not going to use any teleportation." Her watch beeped, that was the signal which she was waiting for. "She's here." 

He did, a second later, a large vessel descended from the sky. A blue coloured teardrop shaped spaceship, smaller than the last one he'd been in. 

"Here we go." 

Light flashed before his eyes, as the doors opened. Shirou saw another girl walking out of the ship, having neck length brown hair. She wore an identical uniform to Nanoha but in a similar color to her hair with black accents. Though on her shoulders was a tiny person which he recognised from the spaceship, Rein, he believed her name was.

"This is quite the surprise, my name is Hayate Yagami. It's nice to meet you, Shirou Emiya." 

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