YeOfLittleFaith's collected Drabbles and Ideas

[YeOfLittleFaith]

Exactly it says on the tin. If I ever have an idea for a TM fic that I find slightly interesting, it will go here. If I write drabbles, they will be linked here.

Since I've been trying to actively participate in the BL community, I ended up writing a drabble in the Fanfiction Ideas thread. And since that drabble had rather good feedback, and also at the suggestion of several people, I created this thread to store it and any other shorts I might write in the future.

INDEX

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Drabbles

A Second Chance - Based on the idea "Shirou and Rider travel to the past and become a family with Sakura and Rin".

Fate gets forward - Small drabble for Heroslayer's Mahou Senki Lyrical Days

Eastern Reflection of Paradise - Boundaries of Infinity - Contribution for ILurkNoMoar's The Lives And Times Of Kaleido Shirou Schweinorg thread.

Beyond The Hill Of Swords - Tribute to GB's The Hill Of Swords

PHOENIX - First in a planned series of "Shirou raised by Fujiwara No Mokou" drabbles. Prologue.

===

Ideas

Kariya Survives the 4th War

- In his last ropes, Kariya does not make it to the Matou house. Instead, he slumps towards the place where the Grail would appear, and is caught in the wave of darkness that erupts from it after it is destroyed. The same mud that gave Gilgamesh a physical body, saves his life by becoming a part of him. Possessed by dark thoughts and the Grail's Evil, he kills and consumes Zouken, saving Sakura from his torture.
Finding himself in the seat of power in the Matou house, he seals the basement and raises Sakura and Shinji as best as he can. Much to his chagrin, he recognizes the necessity to teach Sakura the basics of magecraft. Her suffering had been stopped, but the marks will remain. Even so, they could no pretend they did not exist.
Through years of guilt, Kariya is plagued by the remembrance of the evil of the Grail. That moment of recognition when he understood the true nature of the object by being consumed in its power. And as the 5th War draws near, he decides to participate and destroy the Grail, once and for all.

- Slider!Evangeline and Zeltrech meet in a random world. They proceed to go on wild adventures and crazy hijinks across the multiverse teasing and trolling everyone they can find. Hilarity ensues!

- Lancelot x Arturia pairing. Either Lancelot discovers his King's true gender by mistake and they end up having an affair while drunk out of their minds, or Fanon!Lily is used instead. (Also, maybe a Lancelot x Guinevere x Arturia threeway. Lance and Arthur would totally be Guin's bitches)

- After Kotomine heals Kariya in the aftermath of the river battle, he has a sudden bout of loyalty for Tokiomi and leaves him there, as opposed to taking back to the Matou House. Rider and Waver, deciding to take a more discreet way to their home, find him there, and end up allying with him.

Fem!Kariya x Kirei

During the bridge battle, Fem!Kariya manages to actually tell Tokiomi about the treatment Sakura has been receiving at the Matou house. When she collapses, Tokiomi brings her to the Tohsaka house. Tokiomi then asks Kirei to take care of her while he goes with Gilgamesh to clear up things with Zouken.
Kariya wakes up suffering of mana deprivation while Kirei is trying to heal her.

Kinky worm-lust driven sex ensues.

As he contemplated Kariya's blanket covered form and what had just happened, Kotomine Kirei found himself troubled. But why? It was something necessary to help her, he told himself. But the crux of the matter was, it being sinful, something wrong or right, justifiable in the eyes of God or not, none of these were what truly troubled him.

She did not do it because she wanted to. She did because no matter how much she denied it, she needed it. And she hated it. She utterly, completly despised it, being like that. Her soul loathed it, but her body desired it.

And somehow, just knowing that made his blood boil with some unknown emotion under his skin and something like a sweet flavor of appreciation taste in his mouth. That quiet second when her eyes filled with self-hate stared into his awoke something in him. An exhilarating shock that rushed through his spine with fervor he did not understand himself, filling him more than the empty physical pleasure possibly could.

Then it passed, quickly as it came when her eyes closed to sleep again and he could see no more into the turmoil in her heart.

- Genderswaped Kariya and Byakuya confort sex lemon.

- Short introspection piece about Shirou in the Land of Steel. Except he's no longer Shirou, but a being infinitely closer to the concept of Sword. And he's planning on releasing Ado Edem. So he can see his sword and add its concept to himself.

- A teenage Tokiomi unlocks a certain heirloom of his family that gives him and Kariya alot of headaches.

Spoiler:

In a little corner of my mind, this always makes me think that the reason Tokiomi didn't use the Kaleido Stick during the War was because it caused troubles around Fuyuki and made him and Kariya into Kamen Riders to deal with it during their high school years.
Every one of their acquaintances thought they were going through some chuunibyou phase, and the two swore to never speak of it again.

- Ayase Yue knew few people as contrived yet as resolved as Emiya Shirou.

Spoiler:

Emiya Shirou x Ayase Yue

Because I was reminded how awesome a character she was, and thought of it. And also how much fun it could be to see her deconstruct his ideals with logic while simultanously encouraging him to follow them despite their flaws, and also pinning over him.

If I were to do it, I would go with Fate!Shirou. On the other hand, leaving it vague which route he comes from (other than HF) and just writing a Yue centered piece in which she reflects about his ideals could also be fun.

HF Shirou does have ideals, or else there would no reason he would suffer so much.

And Yue is a cynical idealist, though unsure of where she stands on most things.
She can give good pep talks sure, but she is similar to Chisame. I see any Shirou getting more thought provoking conversations from her, but breaking down? Likely not, she still is hesitant sticking it to people where it hurts like Kotomine, if you want the bite to his emotional ribs, Chisame would be a better bet, since she is the more cynical end of the pool.

Hmm... They meet every now and then, talking about stuff. And the more she deconstruct his ideals, the more she fall in love with him. Why? Because even in the face of all that, even knowing that it is a tragedy waiting to happy, he still chose to chase it, because it is a beautiful dream.

Point made. Not that I wanted Shirou to break down (and honestly, I doubt many people would be able to do that).
And Chisame is an awesome character too. Although the reason I suggested Yue was because she is alot more prone to thinking philosofically from multiple standpoints than Chisame, who is more downright cynical and blunt.

That is one setup I thought up yes. I think it's a fun premise to think about.
Allows us to have Magic Detective!Yue and Wandering Hero Of Justice!Shirou too.

- Post-UBW!Shinji x Emi Ibarazaki

Spoiler:

I don't know why this came to mind but I will say it anyways.
Post-UBW!Shinji x Ibarazaki Emi.

He's in rehab, and the Nurse thought she'd be the perfect person to help.

You could probably spin it so that his heart, which is in reality Illya's heart, is rather weak, being from a girl with a ten year olds body, leaving Shinji dangerously anemic, and frail.

Oooohhhhh.

Intriguing. I like the thought. Emi would certainly try to cheer him up.

... Don't know, I think he would be a little bit repelled by how much of a genki girl she is. but Emi has a way of gaining people over just by being her, so it might work.

Sakura would be behind it, you know that much.

Ya, definitely.

... I am amused by the prospect of Shinji dealing with Kenji, too.

15/10, would read.

Not that anyone will every write it. ;_;

Matou Shirou?

Ehhh, the main point that would need REALLY good addressing is why Sakura isn't with the Matou, given Tokiomi's mindset and Zouken's need of her.

I'd find it more interesting if, when Zouken took him in on a whim expecting he could maybe be useful in the future given his number of magic circuits, he then decided to train Shirou as a combat-focused mage simply for the sake of supporting his winning Grail War representative in the future.

5th War rolls by, Shinji is likely ten times as pissed as canon because not only is Sakura the heir in his place, Shirou is that much more powerful and better than him, and a more useful piece to Zouken than him.
Naturally, this would also mean Shirou is the one to repeatedly sleep with Sakura to keep in her urges, because lol, proper magus has more magic in him than a circuit-less worm like Shinji.

Rin finds out she's related to Luvia?

Getting sick and tired of that hussy Luvia, Rin decides to go through her family's records of the Third Holy Grail War to figure out how to beat down and disgrace the Edelfelt.

What she instead finds is her grandmother's journal, and discoveries that force her to rethink a lot of things.

Shirou Kotomine in Lyrical days?

Wait, wait I got this.

Comes Third War, nazis are a bombing shit, imperial japanese army is rolling down tanks on the streets.

continuation implies spoilers

The Grail summons him as Ruler to deal with the chaos, and thanks to his presence the nazi don't manage to steal the Grail, but since the Lesser Grail is destroyed, Amakusa sticks around with the leftover supply of the Greater Grail.

4th War happens and he doesn't manage to alter the outcome much, but his Sainthood and status as Ruler manage to save him from obliteration by Grail Mud and he ends up getting a physical body from the deal. Since the 5th War should still be some time away, he goes traveling through Japan.

Eventually he ends up in Uminari and gets involved with the odd occurrences there.

Post-Fate Emiya Shirou x Fiore Yggdramillennia

Emiya Shirou x Fiore Forvedge Yggdramillennia

Post-Fate.
When on an on and off visit to Rin at the Clocktower, he bumps into the wheelchair bound girl with the contagious smile of a person who's enjoying her simple days and can't help but be reminded of Illya despite their completely different looks and personalities. They end up hanging out sporadically after that, with Shirou wanting to be able to do something for her, given how her talents actually limit her.

I admit, I really just had this idea because the image of Shirou pushing her wheelchair while they talk happily is just...
Adorable.

Considering it. Honestly think it's an idea open for exploration due to the many things that could branch from Fiore and Shirou's relationship.

It could cause certain other people to develop an interest in him... like say, Darnic. He does so wonder about that boy his darling heir has been spending so much time with.
And then if he'd learn about his unique talents... well, the Yggdramillennia are always recruiting. 8P

[Lycodrake]

Sweet, glad you got it up. And still a great work, and with a lot of possibilities to build upon. ^^

...though it does make me wonder if the HGW will effect any of it, or if you wanted to keep the idea outside of them.

[YeOfLittleFaith]

I didn't really think things that far, actually. I just desperately wanted to try something heartwarming with them as a family, so I did.
It's got potential though.

[Lycodrake]

I didn't really think things that far, actually. I just desperately wanted to try something heartwarming with them as a family, so I did.
It's got potential though.

Fair enough; I can understand that quite well. ^^

[Mike1984]

Hmm, your link doesn't work properly. It links to the page number, not the actual post, so people who aren't using 10 posts per page will get the wrong page....

Honestly, you're probably better off just pasting the fic in here directly. It saves people effort that way....

[YeOfLittleFaith]

Hmm, your link doesn't work properly. It links to the page number, not the actual post, so people who aren't using 10 posts per page will get the wrong page....

Honestly, you're probably better off just pasting the fic in here directly. It saves people effort that way....

Is there a way to link it directly to the post?

[Old_Iron]

Is there a way to link it directly to the post?

Something like this seems to work:

URL="http://forums.nrvnqsr.com/showthread.php/1000-FSN-x-MGLN-crossover-Fate-Night-Sky?p=639471&viewfull=1#post639471"

Compare your code in the URL tag to mine and see what differs.

[YeOfLittleFaith]

Yep, fixed it.

Thanks!

[Fafnir]

You could just repost it.

[YeOfLittleFaith]

Eastern Reflection of Paradise – Boundaries of Infinity

The day looked bright in every way as the uninhibited sun spread its warmth across the almost clear blue sky and unto the land.

Until the air started to ripple with the crackle of rainbow electricity. There, in an invisible, paradoxical plane, cracks began to appear. They spread in an instant, covering a small portion of that endless sky like a spiderweb.

Pure blue shattered into a multitude of billions of glass-like shards that reflected a prism of shifting colors from catching the lights and reflections of the Second Magic. The awe-inducing spectacle blinded out the sun before they gave way to a flaring explosion of smoke and various debris.

The boom of the blast resounded through the air and the smoke started to thin. The ash hanging in the air rippled outwards as it mixed with the black dust, and a meteor was spit out from the suffocating cloud.

The flaming orb left behind a streak of flowing orange and stagnant grey as it raced to the surface of this world and collided against the earth with devastating force. The waves of a delayed concussion washed around it, searing the ground and flattening soil instantly. The shock-wave subsided, and after a few seconds, the miniature hell had dissipated. The fractured sky had mended itself and returned to normalcy. The only sign left the event had even happened was the pillar of smoke rising from ground zero.

It was then that from within it, a groan made itself heard.

“Ugh.”

Covered in ash, with his mop of now darkened hair plastered to his skull by blood and sweat, was a figure in tattered and singed clothes. Kaleido Shirou Scheinworg emerged from the cloud with a small limp and an annoyed scowl set on his features.

Cursing mentally, he swore to whatever deity or deities who oversaw the Multiverse that he would never visit that particular world again. Getting involved with a batshit insane gang armed to the teeth with deadly weapons and their personal depravity, and just happened to be at war against a major crime syndicate was a bad idea. And not just an ordinary crime syndicate, no. A crime syndicate made up of classy European mafia, Mexican wrestlers and goth-techno-emo kids. How such a powerful criminal organization became composed of this kind of selection was beyond him. He made a mental note to have his companion lock that particular world for the sliding options so there wouldn’t be a chance of ending up there again.

Not that it’d stop the coming recurring nightmares of the professor with the giant smiling cat head and the penetrator that were sure to come and haunt him for some time.

“You okay Boss?” rang the voice of the jeweled sword at his side, most commonly known as OS, shaking him out of his thoughts.

In response, Shirou ruffled some ash out of his hair with his hand. “I’m mostly okay. A little burnt and sore, but your barrier stopped most of the impact. Thank you for that by the way.” He said with a small smile.

“No problemo. Uhh, I know you must still be kind of shaken, but you really should take a look at this.” OS retorted.

“What –“ Shirou raised his gaze to attempt and discern what the kaleidosword had meant when he noticed the scenery around him. A large field of sunflowers was spread out before him for an immeasurable distance, until the horizon met a brilliant green forest and majestic mountain. The sunflowers were each taller than him, growing on grass and earth filled with smaller, miscellaneous flowers. Their rich yellow petals were all turned up towards the sun, forming a golden carpet from a bird’s eye. The life and vivacity surrounded him completely…

Until they ended in the area around where the ground became charred and flattened, forming a crater of split rock and compressed earth, with him as the center.

The sorcerer sighed. “So I guess this is what happens when you slide inside an explosion, uh.” He massaged his left temple with two fingers when he caught a whiff of the air around him. His eyes widened slightly at what he felt. “OS.”

“I was beginning to wonder when you’d notice.” If the kaleidosword could’ve looked smug, it would have been as it spoke. “This place is saturated with mana. There’s so much that you could tell just by sniffing the air, Boss.”

Looking pensative, Shirou drew the sword from his side and stared at the jeweled blade.

“You said ‘in this place’. Do you mean that the ambient mana isn’t evenly distributed in this world?” he asked.

As Shirou stared down his own reflection in the blade, the latter remained silent, as if staring in return.

“Not quite right. In this world, the mana is dispersed more or less equally. But on the other side, it’s much less concentrated. The original layer of the verse itself doesn’t have that much. But this is more like a stratified alternate that’s been over-layered on a spacial location common to it.”

“And that means?”

“In layman’s terms, we’re on a separate dimension that exists simultaneously with a certain physical location in this verse. It’s kind of like a Reality Marble in the way that it’s a projection over the existing world, and that it doesn’t share the same laws as the local Gaia.”

Shirou narrowed his eyes. So, he was just in a realm possibly bound to something or someone who had the ability to deploy a distinctly different reality over the world and maintaining it permanently. It would probably be for the best if he didn’t stay here too long. Just enough to see the sights and then leave before trouble found him again. Yes, he thought. That sounds like a plan –

“By the way, there’s someone standing behind ya, Boss.” OS interjected over Shirou’s thoughts.

The latter immediately turned around to see who had snuck up on him like that. What he saw was not what he expected. A woman in red shoes, with matching plait skirt; who wore a waistcoat over a plain white shirt. Her mature face and amicable smile gave off a sensation of friendliness at first glance. Holding a parasol in one hand, she stood motionlessly in the air. But what concerned him most about her appearance were the pair of red eyes that stared at him framed by shoulder-length wavy green hair.

Choosing to ignore the faint sliver of danger that ran through him for the moment, Shirou turned his look to his sword. “When exactly were you planning on telling me this?” he deadpanned.

“Oh, you know. If it was dangerous, I’d have warned you already.” OS answered.

Shirou opened his mouth to retort when a new voice joined in the conversation.

“It isn’t very polite to ignore the owner of a place you are trespassing on.” The woman said.

“I’m sorry. It’s not –“

“Oh, so you’re not trespassing? You must be a guest then.” She said over his words, as her smile grew wider. “I don’t usually get guests here.”

“Why’s that?” this time OS asked. Shirou shot him a dirty look from the corner of his eye for speaking out just like that, but the sword showed no signs of realizing it.

“I forbade guests from coming because of the destruction they would always wreck on my sunflower camp.” She explained, dragging out her voice and closing her eyes.

Shirou swallowed dry once he realized the smile had grown dangerously friendly-looking, and simultaneously cold.

“You have two seconds to explain what happened to my sunflowers, or I will visit pain on you.” She said, raising her parasol and pointing it right at him as it started to gather mana. “One.”

Little orbs of yellow light began to gather in the tip of the parasol.

“Wait!”

The light acquired the shape of a sphere, as some final points joined the orb for the attack.

“Two.”

An expanding pillar of light shot out from the tip of the parasol with an intensity to match the sun, as the yellow particles raced with enormous strength and easily bore through the place where Shirou had been standing, leaving a massive, boiling gash in place of him.

To the side of the scar in the earth, he heaved himself up from the desperate dive he’d done to avoid the attack and began to run, kaleidosword in hand.

“Now this is dangerous.” OS snarked.

Shirou briefly cursed his Mystic Code under his breath and prompted him to search for an appropriated Prism Trace that would allow him to survive this onslaught.

[YeOfLittleFaith]

Beyond The Hill Of Swords

It’s cold at first. So very cold. I can’t feel myself properly, as though I have melted into a part of this ocean of blackness I swim in. My mind feels as a cloudy mirror. I suppose I could shatter it if I just let it go, but I’m not very anxious for seven years of bad luck. I think – is it a private thought or one said out loud? –, as if time mattered anything to me now. But one clear and lucid fact illuminates me.

It’s not an unfamiliar feeling. Quite too familiar actually. Oddly enough, it seems the sting of death has grown on me due to our increased association. More often than not seeking for it may also have something to do with that.

I know what comes next. I’ve died, or been close to it, enough times to know this road like the back of my hand. Even though I have never seen it through to its end. Until now, I hope.

My soul shakes, and a peaceful emptiness enters my heart. The release of all the regrets, sins, and actions of a lifetime. What follows is a calm stirring, not unlike washing ashore on a lonely beach. The feel of my body returns to me. Weary, but rested. My legs, which have carried me such a long way, my arms and hands, tainted with blood and hardened from battle, and my eyes which have seen the dichotomy between justice and murder, peace and war. An invisible force compels me to open the latter. I do so, but ever so slowly.

Softly, things come into my view. The dusky sky of sunrise – or perhaps sundown, but my gut tells me otherwise –, the fading stars, the milky clouds. In epiphany, I realize I am lying down. Feeling the brush of grass against my palms as I use them to lift my body up – the deed takes no effort from me – the full scenario comes into view.

A solitary hill, surrounded by forlorn woods and covered in partially dried grass blocks the sun. And stabbed into the hill, like a graveyard of conquerors, knights, kings and heroes, are hundreds upon hundreds of deadly familiar blades.

My hill of swords lies before me. The place where my journey ends, depicted before me with a twisted legitimacy. The place where we promised to meet, even should it take us more than an eternity. I scan it all with an acute view, making sure it isn’t a dream or an illusion. In my rush, I at first miss the emerald-eyed blond beauty that stands on the foot of the hill.

I halt my scurrying sight, and as possessed, turn all of my body to the blurred person whom my pleading gaze let by in its impatient assessment.

Numbed, I finally take note of the smiling woman standing on the foot of the hill. Our eyes meet. Those eyes, which I would recognize anywhere and in any time, lock with mine, and my heart cries.

I finally meet her again. She, whom I have left waiting for so long, is here, waiting for me. And I now return to her. We finally fulfill our promise, of meeting on this hill of swords.

No words are needed. Our feelings, which have transcended time to this ephemeral moment, are clear as the purest crystal. Her smile is enough to bring over the heavens. Filled with immeasurable bliss, I return it with a grin of my own, as wide and honest as I can manage.

Her happiness glows through her eyes. Still smiling with all her body, she takes my hands and beckons me to follow, even though I offer no resistance. We walk towards the hill of swords. I remember that top, consecrated by a thousand swords. Yes, that is surely our destination. But her gaze turns back towards me and says otherwise. I can’t contain an amused rising of my eyebrows. If not our end, then what, what is our hill of swords?

I am blinded before I can contemplate further. My eyelids, which had closed by reflex, open slowly to the divine painting before me. The blessed sun rises over the hilltop, filling as far as sight goes with the warmth and light of life, and silhouetting her goddess –like figure. She smiles again.

I jest. She is beyond a goddess. I move closer to her, where she stands at the very top, but suddenly I am again blinded. Not by the light, but what it now reveals to me.

I see now. There was still what was beyond the hill.

She pulls my hand, and I fall into light steps alongside her. We move past the dried up grass of the hallowed hill, the end of my journey alone, and start a new path, through greener ground. And I know what our destination is. A paradise for the two of us.

The promised utopia, beyond the hill of swords.

================================================== =

Small tribute to Gabriel Blessing's The Hill Of Swords.

[YeOfLittleFaith]

PHOENIX

The inferno raged.

All around, fire and death consumed everything below that cursed sky, leaving no hopes and no lives. But amongst the flames, there walked a red-headed boy, no older than seven or eight, with a face like one dragging himself through pain. As he walked in the center of the calamity, he heard them – voices that begged for help, voices that cried, voices that sought an end to it, whatever it may be. They wanted release, they wanted to be loosened of the pain and suffering. Anyone would do, won’t please someone help, they wailed.

He paid no heed to the supplications of the dying around him, gave them no importance. He simply single-mindedly kept going, the heat scorching his form and the smoke suffocating and burning his lungs, refusing to yield to his end. He had to survive. He wanted to live, live and leave this behind, he thought, never stopping. Maybe hoping that if he kept walking, he’d be out of that hell. Telling himself that things would work themselves out if he just persevered. But they wouldn’t. And in this place, there was no hope.

He knew he was already dead. He simply refused to accept it. Not when he felt his body unbearably sore and stopped feeling it; not when his vision began to smudge and darken, black spots filling in; and not when he realized breathing hurt and it would be infinitely easier to just stop.

Only when he collapsed onto the ground and couldn’t get up; only when he saw that clear crack in the smoke-filled sky dome, a spot of salvation, but he couldn’t lift his arm to reach it; Only then, he acknowledged it. He was dead. There was no way he could live through this. He wanted to sigh softly in lamentation, but he couldn’t even do that. It didn’t bother him as much as he thought it would. And why would it, really? The dead don’t feel anything.

They shouldn’t. So why was it that he felt so warm? Not the kind of warmth that was like heat. Something completely different. So unlike the cold of the grave that the flames and the pain had set in him. It was comforting.

It was the warmth of life. Rushing over his being, spreading from his chest to the rest of his body, and up his members. And the end of his arm, he could feel, cold droplets dripping on his skin, and his palm touching another’s warmth.

He came into sight a second later. Standing over him, cradling his arm and feeling his small hand to his rough face. A rugged man of tussled dark hair looked down on him, with the brightest smile of relief, crying from his dark orbs, looking like someone who had just been saved. His lips moved, and the boy could barely hear his whispers at first, until they grew loud enough for him to understand. Thank you, thank you so much, he said with a fragile but so bright tone, over and over like it was worth the world to him.

As the man endlessly thanked him through flowing tears, the boy couldn’t understand. Why was he so happy?

The boy’s mind flooded with questions he did not understand. He was resigned to his end. And yet, defying all odds and expectations, it had not come. This man had shown up out of nowhere and saved someone who was supposed to be dead already. Why? What was the point? Why did this simple, meaningless action make him so happy, his expression so blindingly grateful?

However, he would never hear these answers from his savior.

Just then, the moment was lost was as wave of flame rose from a collapsing structure and swept towards them. With the boy still not in a position to move, the man did the only thing he could’ve done. With a desperate look on him, he shielded the boy from the fire with his body and cradled his small form against him.

The flames rushed and began their work. The man fought not to grimace against the fire licking at his body and the burning sensation consuming him. Even if the child he held on to could not see it, he forced himself to smile in reassurance. It would be alright, his expression said. The flames ate through the layers of clothes and now scalded his skin and boiled him alive, but he persevered. This small life he had saved, this child he had rescued, the single person he had been able to help, he alone the man would not give up on.

Even so, the scorching flames slowly devoured him until they dissipated. But by then, nothing was left of the man but a smoldering husk bearing a ghost of the reassuring smile he’d worn through his death. In the wake of the sudden conflagration, only the boy remained. But even protected from the flaming outbreak, the rest of the inferno still raged, and slowly but surely encroached on him.

How pointless, he thought, contemplating the charred shape of his would-be savior. To save him from the verge of oblivion, only for him to be left to his end once again by a cruel twist of events. In the end, the man died a meaningless death. And now, so would he, definitely. There was no reason to think about it any longer. Slowly, he closed his eyes, and waited.

Unbeknownst to him, another watched him with ever curious eyes.

Far above him, there was a gap hanging in the air. A rip in reality, like someone had torn open space, with ends tied by red ribbons. And standing on this gap was a buxom woman who could not be called anything but beautiful. Her long blonde hair flowed freely down her shoulders and back. A pink mob cap adorned by a thin red ribbon rested on top of her head, and she wore a deep purple dress ending in frills. An open fan rested in front of her face, held up a gloved hand as the other rested on the gap. Her unreadable violet eyes gazed unfazed at the scene of destruction ensuing below her, and more importantly, at the boy right in the center of it.

This was the Youkai of Boundaries and the Great Youkai Sage of Gensokyo, Yakumo Yukari. And she was also a very bored person these days. Which had brought her to witness the unfolding of this particular tragedy to its expected conclusion.

But this time, she found more than she expected.

Though the boundaries of time and parallel universes, Yukari had seen this particular scene many times. In most cases, the boy would be saved by the mercenary. Sometimes, either by the mercenary missing him, or dying beforehand, he would be picked up by the priest or the golden king. Sometimes, he’d even be picked up by other seemingly unrelated people, like the youth magus of the Clocktower.

But even if circumstances changed, one thing was almost always the same. The boy would participate in the Fifth Holy Grail War, and greatly affect its unfolding, for better or for worse. But not this time.

The one time she had decided to actually drop by on the event, instead of watching it through windows of possibilities, it had deviated from the norm. The mercenary had saved him, but then died for the sake of keeping him alive. And as the boy lied amidst the approaching flames, there would be no one to ultimately rescue him from them. No black priest, no curious king of heroes, no twist of destiny that brought someone to him.

He would just die there, not changing a thing. Making no difference in the world and amounting to nothing.

Now, that would just be a waste, she thought. If his presence would mean nothing to this world, why could she not simply take him to somewhere it could? She narrowed her eyes in a moment of quiet consideration.

Snapping her fan closed, she came to a decision, an amused expression slipping into her features. With a wave of her hand, a large gap opened beneath the boy and swallowed him whole before closing.

=====\\==============//=====

“Whoaaa, I’m stuffed.”

In the quiet night, silent except for the noises of loitering animals and bugs, that single satisfied exclamation disturbed the serene atmosphere only so slightly.
Contently patting her belly through her clothes, Fujiwara No Mokou walked in a lazy stride through the road that led back to the suburbs of the bamboo forest, her long white hair trailing behind her.

“Damn, Keine’s food really is too good.” She said.

Being an immortal, Mokou didn’t really need to eat per se. In fact, sometimes it was just less troublesome to die from hunger and then be revived. Even so, eating well was a small pleasure of life she relished quite dearly. One of the few that hadn’t become tasteless to her some centuries after consuming the Hourai Elixir.

Which was why when her friend Kamishirasawa Keine invited her for dinner, she wasted no time in accepting. After all, Keine was a great cook. And one does not simply refuse an offer of a delicious dinner, much less when it is given by a friend.

Well, her only friend, really, but that much was irrelevant to the matter.

So, following that friend’s insistence in cleaning up by herself afterwards, Mokou had decided to take a long leisurely stroll back to her home to properly digest the teacher’s food (which deserved no less) and the recurring lectures on taking care of herself a little better (as opposed to just catching dinner when invited or convenient), and enjoy the peaceful night (as a welcome breather before returning to her tussles with the moon princess sometime soon).

On a night like this, she was expecting to find a troublesome small-fry youkai or two in her way, but was determined not to let them ruin her evening.

What she was not expecting was finding a person passed out on the ground right in her way.

Eyes wide as saucers, she rushed to the person’s side both fearing the worst and asking herself how he hadn’t been eaten by some stray youkai yet.

“A kid?” she noticed, kneeling down besides him.

His unfamiliar clothes were singed and burnt, and where it was exposed, his skin was covered in bits of ash, lightly burned in small spots. A strong shake failed to wake him, and Mokou pressed her ear against his chest as she simultaneously checked for a pulse.

He was barely breathing, and his pulse was uneven, and weak.

“Shit.” Cursing with a tiresome look, she swiftly picked the boy up in her arms and flew away as fast as she could.

Keine had just finished cleaning up after dinner when she heard the loud bang of her door being opened and noticed Mokou standing there looking haggard.

“Mokou, what –“ she started, but then noticed the child on Mokou’s arms.

“He needs a doctor.”

The severity of the situation taking hold of her, she nodded vigorously and hurriedly led them both out of her house and further into the human village.

As Mokou and Keine raced to bring the child to a doctor, uncaring of the noise they were making in the dead of the night, an eavesdropper observed them unnoticed, overhead.

Yukari hung from a gap like one would hang from a window, her half-closed eyes spying on the events below. She allowed herself a smile. The boy would be taken care of, if those two had anything to say about it. At first, she had contemplated where to drop him. Maybe leave him at the mansion of the devil for his presence to breathe some life into that gloomy place. But she decided against it. The little sister was a little too volatile for how he was now. Well, if she had her way still, the boy would maybe yet change that house for the better. Not now though. A small chuckle escaped her. In the end, she had made a good choice.

After all, who better to raise a child killed and reborn in flames than a phoenix?


-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Drabble inspired by the proposition of "Shirou raised by Fujiwara No Mokou". Quite happy with how this turned out, and I may do a continuation in the future. :>

[Lycodrake]

Looks like it all came together quite nicely, YOLF, despite your misgivings.
Glad you wrote more on it, and this start was nice to see completed.

Looking forward to more. ^^

[Grimmair]

Very nice. Loved how Kiritsugu died

[Anduriel]

Oh fuck yes! Finally some F/SNxTouhou stuff.
Great job!

[RadiantBeam]

A Second Chance - Based on the idea "Shirou and Rider travel to the past and become a family with Sakura and Rin".

This is beautiful and amazing and makes the Shirou/Rider part of me squeal with delight.

[Highwayman]

Shirou's thought process while trying to escape the fire seemed very true to his character. Nice work!

if she had her way still, the boy would maybe yet change that house for the better. Not now though. A small chuckle escaped her. In the end, she had made a good choice.

There are a lot of original ways this scenario might go if you do end up writing more. Seeing Shirou's perseverance develop in the whimsical world of Touhou could be a real treat.

[Flere821]

PHOENIX

*snip*
Drabble inspired by the proposition of "Shirou raised by Fujiwara No Mokou". Quite happy with how this turned out, and I may do a continuation in the future. :>

Very nice Any more of this would be welcomed.

[YeOfLittleFaith]

Thank you all! I probably won't be writing more on the Touhou idea for a while, since I'll be busy for some time, but things to look forward to would be: Shirou getting worried about Mokou when she comes back hurt from a fight with Kaguya; THE STRONGEST meets Boy; and Yukari trolling, of course.
*w*

This is beautiful and amazing and makes the Shirou/Rider part of me squeal with delight.

Your praise on this piece makes me infinitely happy.

Some ideas just 'click', you know?

[Lycodrake]

Thank you all! I probably won't be writing more on the Touhou idea for a while, since I'll be busy for some time, but things to look forward to would be: Shirou getting worried about Mokou when she comes back hurt from a fight with Kaguya; THE STRONGEST meets Boy; and Yukari trolling, of course.
*w*

THE STRONGEST you say? Looking forward to that. :3