Chapter 1: Fem-Shirou (1)

"Shido!... Shido!!" A girly voice called out, repeatedly uttering a certain name as her hand reached for the name's bearer, attempting to wake him up. They were both in the same bed, bathed in the faint glow of sunshine filtering through the incompletely covered window. With very long, untidy, dark-purple hair, Tohka Yatogami lay completely naked, her efforts focused on waking up the boy beside her. She didn't bother covering her upper half, leaving her breasts hanging naked. The blanket only partially concealed what remained below. "SHIDOU!!" "Aah..." He woke up feeling like crap. It was hard to imagine anyone waking up feeling this way, especially with a beautiful naked girl beside them. But for a playboy like him, it had become a sort of routine. "Ugh... What is it, Tohka?" "Shido, it's an emergency!!" Tohka started shaking him violently. He met her worried eyes with an awful tired one and then to the clock on his right. "..." Shido wordlessly pulled the covers over his head. "Aaah! C'mon! Why are you going back to sleep?! It's a dangerous emergency!!" "You're hungry...it's still 6 AM. I'll prepare breakfast for you at 8 AM," Shidou replied without bothering to open his eyes, his head still hidden under the blanket. "Wha!!!!" She raised both hands in shock. "How did you know!! Shido, did you use Rasiel?! But I didn't see you use it." "Tohka, I've known you by heart in less than a month at our first meeting. How do you think things will be after a whole 3 years?" "Oh..." "Anyway, it was a long nonstop 6 hours, even with my spirit power. We have to deal with Tenka and her meddling, or else, she will break me." (Good thing I put a Spirit field around the room to insulate the sound, or else the whole neighborhood would have heard my screaming...) Tohka blushed and turned her face to the side. "I-I'm sorry, but it seems she's taking it as a challenge and a fight she has to win... for her, that was a war..." "...Geez." He sighed, pulling his blankets back up. "Don't worry about it. In the end, we enjoyed it." He reached out to pat her on the head, which she returned with a happy smile, resembling a content cat. "I think I found something as enjoyable as eating food." "...Well, just this time I'll make an exception, and I'll make you a personal breakfast. Let's just be quiet so we don't wake up the others." "YAY!! Thanks, Shido!!" (Well, I'll continue my sleep in the afternoon anyway.) Shido sat up in bed, scratching his head. With a big yawn, he reached for the floor with his right foot to stand up but... "Ah?" There was nothing under his feet, and in the next moment, he found his head upside down, facing a different floor than the one he was familiar with. "Aghh... that hurt." He reached for his head, scratching it in hopes for the pain to disappear while his eyes wandered around the new room he found himself in. It didn't take him long to realize where he was, and before he could mumble the answer, a familiar girl's voice called to him from behind. "Master!" "Mukuro... Oh right, it's Thursday." He turned around, facing the golden-eyed flowing blonde-haired beautiful young woman. "Correct, Master! Sorry, but Mukuro couldn't wait any longer to spend time alone with Master! A week is so long... " She paused for a second noticing the man in front of her was naked. "...Mukuro hopes she didn't interrupt anything." She pointed at him, and he realized what she meant. "Oh..." His face flushed as he looked down, and with it, a glow of white light appeared around his body. In the next moment, he was clad in a simple black T-shirt and pants. "Sorry about that, I had just woken up." "You slept naked?" "..." "Just kidding, Master. Mukuro knows Master was with Tohka." She turned around with a chuckle, spreading a large map of the city in her hands. "Anyway, where shall we start our date, Mast..." As she turned back, Shido was nowhere to be seen, leaving the rest of her words hanging in the air. ...er?" .... "For the love of God, guys," Exasperated and still half-asleep, Shido muttered to himself as he picked himself up from the cold, unforgiving steel floor. "It's barely 6 AM, Can you stop teleporting me around like that?" he grumbled, rubbing his sore cheek. His bedroom had become an unexpected teleportation hub lately, and it was starting to take a toll on his morning routine. He sighed deeply. This situation felt all too familiar. Without bothering to check if his head was still intact, he slowly rose to his feet, bracing himself for what would come next. "Yo, Onii-san. Doesn't this bring back some memories?" A sweet, cheerful voice rang out, and Shido didn't need to lift his head to know what awaited him. After all, he had been here nearly every day three years ago. "It certainly does," he replied, his voice tinged with resignation. In front of him lay the bridge of a warship, a vast elliptical floor spreading out from the door behind him. Positioned in the center was a chair that resembled the captain's seat. And seated in that chair was the captain herself—a high school girl who looked like she should still be in middle school, with long, vibrant red hair tied up in twin tails adorned with ribbons of a black color. "So, Ratatoskr is still in charge, huh? Even though the place looks pretty empty," Shido commented, his eyes wandering around. The once lively ship he used to visit daily now appeared desolate. The computer screens that used to flicker with activity on both sides were dark and vacant. Even the lights around him were faint, leaving a single light source shining above his beloved sister, Kannazuki Kotori. "Well, there was no need for Ratatoskr to exist, as Mio gave up her plan and the Spirits were finally safe. You could say everyone went their separate ways." Shido's eyebrows furrowed as he listened carefully. "...Did you just say 'was'?" Kotori nodded solemnly, her expression grave. "Yes, Shido. I don't know how this happened. We know that Spirits were once humans, and with Mio's involvement in using Sephira Crystals, they became what they are. But this...if Mio doesn't have anything to do with this, we need to find out how things became like that." "W-wait, don't tell me!" Shido's eyes widened with realization. Kotori nodded in response to Shido's unspoken question. "Yes, Shido. A Spirit appeared out of thin air just a few hours ago. MARIA was the one who informed me." "MARIA?" "Did Shido-sama forget about MARIA?" As he repeated the familiar name, it was answered by a little girl's voice from behind where Kotori was sitting. In the next moment, a head popped out from behind the chair, followed by the rest of the body. A little girl who appeared to be around 12 years old and no taller than 158 cm stood there. She had white hair and beautiful blue eyes. "How could I forget the one who ate my cake at 3 a "How could I forget the one who ate my cake at 3 a.m.?" "Eekk!! He knows?" In shock at Shido's comment, she turned her attention towards Kotori. "I told him..." "Ehhhh??! Did MARIA just experience betrayal?" "There was no other choice. If I didn't snitch on you, he would have suspected me." She avoided the little girl's face as she let out a defeated laugh. "Ehhhhhhh?!!" "I saved this cake just because at that time of night, sweets become even sweeter, and I needed to recharge my energy..." The little girl blinked, puzzled. "I-I am sorry, but why would Shido-sama need to recharge his energy at such a time?" Shido cleared his throat awkwardly. "Well, uh... sometimes I have late-night studying or work to do, and a little sugar boost helps." MARIA chimed in, looking rather serious. "But it's crucial to maintain a balanced diet, Shido-sama. Late-night snacking can lead to various health issues." Kotori, trying to divert the conversation, spoke up, her cheeks slightly flushed. "Ahem... Let's put that aside for now. MARIA, can you show Shido the footage of the Spirit, please?" MARIA looked confused but didn't press further. She nodded briskly and began operating a holographic console. A projection of the mysterious Spirit appeared, sitting calmly on one of the park benches near the higher school Shido used to attend. The Spirit seemed to be sitting peacefully, her left hand resting on her thigh while the other one gripped what appeared to be a magical wand with a star on top of it. "Is she wearing what I'm thinking about?" Shido mumbled as he noticed the unique clothing of the Spirit, which resembled that of a magical girl, with its purple attire, young appearance similar to Yoshino, and long, distinctive light pink hair, not to mention her striking red eyes. The girl looked like something out of a magical girl anime. The girl looked like something out of a magical girl anime. "There haven't been any Spacequakes since she appeared. Everything's been strangely quiet for a Spirit," Kotori chimed in, interrupting her brother's deep thoughts. "There also no Anti-Spirit forces or threats, based on our current knowledge, there's nothing that should be targeting her. So, for now, she should be safe. But we can't say the same for her surroundings, as we have no idea about the nature of this Spirit." "If she's appearing as a magical girl, she should be friendly, right?" "We hope so. For now, let's stick to our usual protocol. Until we know more about where Mio disappeared to, we need to maintain contact with this Spirit." "Didn't she decide to take a vacation two months ago? Where did she go?" "I have no idea. The thing about her vacations is that they don't just involve the Earth alone..." "Oh, right... by the way." "Hmm?" "What should we call her? You guys used to give new Spirits code names, right?" "...Magical girl" "...make sense" Part 2 Amidst the quiet sanctuary of the park, and Between the whispering leaves of the trees and the soft rustling of the wind, a figure rested on the grass, gazing up at the canvas of the dawn-painted sky. This was not the place where she had closed her eyes, nor was it the comforting refuge of her room. It was an unsettling awakening, to say the least, one that left her perplexed and a touch uneasy. "W-Where?" With cautious grace, she rose to a sitting position. The dew-kissed grass embraced her, and a shiver of coolness ran through her form. Her attire remained intact, as if untouched by the unseen hands that had transported her here. As her eyes surveyed the surroundings, the lustrous verdure that stretched as far as the eye could fathom whispered secrets only the trees could understand. "M-My voice" Her delicate voice resonated through the serene park, but to her surprise, it was different, not as commanding as she had expected. A sense of vulnerability crept into her consciousness as she realized that her voice sounded oddly higher, lacking the assertiveness of the higher schoolboy persona she believed herself to be when she slept. Confusion gnawed at the edges of her thoughts. She tentatively raised her hand, inspecting the slender fingers that had. The soft strands of pastel-pink hair cascading down her back caught her attention next. They felt foreign, alien, nothing like the short red and practical hairstyle she had known before. Her fingers moved to touch the vibrant locks, a bewildered expression knitting her brow. She looked down at the unfamiliar attire that clung to her body—a costume that screamed "magical girl." The delicate frills and pastel colors contrasted sharply with the surrounding natural beauty of the park. Her attire, it seemed, was a stark anomaly in this tranquil setting. "Is this some kind of revenge from Rim or wh—?!" Before the little girl could consume any more words, A new voice captured her throat. "Oh, I knew that Shirou-san would make the perfect Magical girl!!" The words hung in the air, and her head spun to locate the source of this unexpected declaration, only to find herself clutching what appeared to be a stick with a star-shaped emblem affixed to its peak. "Now we just have to train in poses and some fancy moves, and you'll be the best magical girl in history! Fufufu!!" The voice carried an excited tone, and its source was indeed the strange-looking stick. The girl, still bewildered, watched in stunned silence as the stick, now free from her grip, hovered in mid-air. For a brief moment, the girl was left in shock, her mind struggling to grasp the surreal nature of her predicament. But then, as if instinct had taken over, "Shit!!" She kicked the stick away before throwing herself backward into a fighting stance. The stick soared through the air before making a resounding impact with a nearby tree, a perfect strike. At the same time, the girl extended her arms wide and chatted. "Trace On!" In response to her incantation, two shimmering, ethereal blades materialized in her hands. "Good, my circles are still working," she mused internally. "They feel strangely more comfortable to use, but it's not time for pointless thoughts. Given the situation I'm in now, this must be the work of a higher-grade mage. But who could it be? And why?" "OW! OW! Why do I have to get beaten each time I choose a magical girl for work!" As she pondered her predicament, the stick, which had struck the tree earlier, now floated unsteadily in the air, seemingly disoriented. It emitted a series of odd complaints, and the girl couldn't help but find the situation both bizarre and surreal. She kept a close eye on her surroundings, her ethereal blades at the ready. "Who are you, and what's going on here?" The stick remained silent for a moment, then, with a sigh, "Well, aren't you the feisty one? I'm just a familiar, a magical guide of sorts. As for where you are and why you're here, well, that's a bit complicated." The girl's grip on her blades tightened. "Explain. Now." Ruby bobbed in the air as if it was nodding."Well, first, my name is Ruby, and I was looking for a magical girl after my ex left me." "...Huh?" "I had one in mind, your little sister." "W-Wait, you mean Illya?" "Correct. She was the perfect one for the job. Her personality and her appearance, everything was screaming for me to choose her, but then you captured my attention." "Me?" She raised an eyebrow. "Yes, Shirou Emiya, the hero of justice. Your mentality was exactly what I needed more of and what your sister was lacking at the moment." "...Why am I a girl now, and where exactly am I?" The magical stick didn't provide an immediate answer. Instead, it started floating away, moving slowly, as if beckoning Shirou to follow. With a mix of curiosity and caution, she trailed after it. They ended up on the main road, and she realized she was in a park. She watched as the stick stopped above a water fountain. "What about taking a look at your face?" Shirou hesitated for a moment but eventually decided to take a look at her reflection. She bent down to see her reflection in the water fountain. What she saw left her speechless. "I-Ilya? No, the hair color is different. What is the meaning of this?" Ruby hovered nearby, her form shimmering slightly, "I was having trouble figuring out how to deal with the situation. Illya-chan had the appearance, and you had the mentality. But my master came up with a solution. He essentially created a visual representation of your sister from a different timeline and put your soul into it." Shirou's mind was in turmoil as she touched her new face, trying to make sense of the situation. "How is this even possible?" "Honestly, I don't know. That man has some strange abilities and an even stranger personality." She tried to calm down and think more clearly. Taking a deep breath, she analyzed her surroundings. "We are not in Fuyuki. Where are we?" "I don't know..." "You don't know??!" "What I am sure of is that we have been summoned somehow by someone, which means we are probably not in our original timeline or dimension. I don't know how this happened, but you became a living servant, and you have a master whom we don't know yet..." "Oh, crap, that's so much to handle." She rubbed her temples as she took a seat on one of the park benches, feeling a faint headache coming on. "I wake up with a weird talking stick. Stuck in my little sister's body, probably in a different world, and I became a living servant... Are there any more twists I have to know?" "For now no..." "For now, huh..." Looking around where she had woken up between the trees, she noticed something odd. "There's no magic circle or any hint of a way to summon me." "You have to agree to be summoned first before becoming a servant of someone. That's what puzzled me. When I turned you into a magical girl with the help of my master, you were asleep. Did you agree to something in your dream or something?" "...My dreams are always the same, so I don't think so." Ruby floated closer to Shirou, before resting in her palm. "For now, let's explore where we are, and then see what to do" Shirou sighed, gazing up at the faint rays of the morning sun. "This is all your fault..." "Oh, don't be like that. I promise you, everything will be okay." "For the sake of God, don't raise a red flag!!" the girl screamed, shocking the whole empty park.