Chapter 13: A what?

Beta read by Shigiya and Darklord331

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-???-

He didn't know how long it had been since he came here. 

Everything just looked so blurry, he could barely discern the expanding landscape around him, a realm that felt vast yet so far away from him. He gazed at the white clouds above, dense enough to blanket the sky yet scarce enough to let some rays of sunlight pass through. 

There was no sound aside from his own heartbeat, no other sensation than the hot wind passing over his skin. The acrid smell of cold steel filled his nostrils. A peaceful space that brought nothing calmness and a sense of comfort along with safety to the boy. Yet many would doubt his words, unable to understand as covering the land was what looked like an endless wave of swords. Stretching as far as his eyes could see, even the blurry vision couldn't hide that fact.

One could believe this to be a battlefield but there were no corpses, not a smidge of blood on the ground that would stain his shoes. 

Soot and ash covered the land.

Shirou watched everything presented in front of him in a dazed state. A sense of wonder yet familiarity flashed before his eyes.

Everything around him gave the boy a sense of deja vu, he had seen this scene in the past — but couldn't remember where or when. 

Maybe with a similar dream.

Nevertheless, his eyes now focused on a single item in this terrain. In the sea of swords, spears, halberds and so much more — a single blade stood tall before him. Unlike the others, this was clear and unobstructed by any blurring or smoke. A simple katana without any special trait aside from its history. Everything there was about this sword before him, without even casting his Structural Analysis information poured inside his mind in waves. From the date it was forged, the material used, and every single damage it suffered, his body felt like he could wield the weapon expertly like those in the past. 

Shirou remembered that he got his hands on this weapon when facing the foul chimera monster. The desperation, the need to win, the anger and so many different feelings converged in his mind back then when he was at death's door. Having projected the sword with a different concept from his regular projection. 

Shirou added more steps when the sword didn't feel strong enough, when he needed it to surpass the strength of a regular projection, pushing it beyond every barrier he could think of to bring it as close to the original as possible. He never touched the real sword back then, leaving it on the floor after killing the beast… yet still knowing that this katana was inferior to the original. The redhead used reinforcement to temporarily bridge the gap and even surpass it, long enough to defeat the chimera. 

Yet as he grasped it, his surroundings turned dark.

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Gasp!

His eyes snapped open, Shirou tried to get up quickly but soon found his senses bombarded by a wave of pain and soreness coming from every inch of his body. 

"Gah!" He grunted, his body falling back on the mattress while an unfamiliar ceiling came into view. 

Wait, mattress? 

"What?" Shirou exclaimed in surprise at this new environment he found himself in. A room he did not recognise, filled with… girl clothes. "What happened last night?" 

His head throbbed with pain, so much so that he didn't even want to think that hard and closed his eyes to rest. But the boy persevered and memories slowly started to return to him bit by bit. With an ugly face, Shirou couldn't help but whine out loud. "I don't want to meet that woman again." 

She was a level far beyond his current self, perhaps even Luvia herself. Her punches hurt far more than anything the blonde threw at him — which was mostly grappling techniques — and even then something told him that Bazette was holding back the entire time. For a woman who could shatter bullets with a single punch, breaking his jaw should have been a trivial matter whether he reinforced his body or not. These enforcers were no joke, Kiritsugu wasn't wrong when he warned him to never mess with one. 

Yet he ended up firing bullets at one. 

'I didn't have a choice, I couldn't risk Ayako's life.' 

That whole night was a debacle he wished to go through once again. Next time Bazette would most likely stop holding back and break his limos before he could react insuring no underhanded tricks were used. Just thinking about it made Shirou sigh, guns wouldn't work every time.

Snore…

A sound came near him, a girl with brown hair sleeping soundly with her head on the bed. A bit of drool came out of her mouth as it seemed like she stayed by his side the entire night. Still in her clothes from last night that were now all dried up while he on the other hand was covered in bandages and smelled like disinfectant. 

A bit stunned at how far she went, he couldn't help but smile at her actions. She truly was a nice girl who helped him in a very dire situation even though she didn't need to. Nevertheless, her reckless decision to wander around the city after she caught Bazette was absolutely idiotic. Ayako was lucky that he ended up finding her by pure dumb luck than that enforcer. 

'Then again, Bazette did say she wasn't planning on killing her.'

Now what to do, she would obviously remember what happened last night and ask him questions. He couldn't exactly tell her that it was all her imagination and trying to manipulate her memories remained far beyond his current capabilities. 

"Mmnn…" the girl squirmed, about to wake up any second. Shirou panicked and tried to slowly leave.

But his movement only made the bed creak, making Ayako's eyelids slowly open up. She turned her head, golden orbs meeting amber, a beat of silence passing between them as both sides remained stuck in a loop for an entire minute. 

A slight patch of red formed on her cheeks, tears building up in her eyes, "EMIYA!" 

She jumped on the bed and grabbed his shoulders roughly.

"Wah!" 

"You're alive! You're alive! You're alive! I was so worried last night!" She shook his body with so much strength that it even surprised him. His pain flared up viciously, forcing him to cry out a bit, which, thankfully, made her let him go as she realized her mistake. "A-Ah! Sorry! I didn't mean to hurt you…" 

He tried to smile but failed as his face contorted from the pain.

"I-It's fine, Mitsuzuri, I'm fine." She carefully dropped him back on the bed before checking his wounds before sighing in relief when she saw that he seemed to at least stop bleeding. Ayako spent all night trying to help Shirou as best as she could and was even about to call the ambulance — but he stubbornly denied her to do that. She did not want to waste time arguing with him and worsen his case, so she brought him home where her parents were still late at work. Another hour flew by as she applied the basic knowledge of first aid she knew. 

Fortunately, due to suffering from slight cuts and other minor bruises from her daily club activities and other types of sports she participated in — didn't help that her family was known to practice various forms of martial arts — thus giving her the habit of stocking up on bandages and alcohol. With Shirou's case, she had to make a quick stop at the dispenser a bit more to cover his whole upper body. 

That night was both extremely stressful and weird as she was forced to remove his clothes. Her hands didn't stop shaking and she didn't expect Shirou to be this jacked for his age! Even while closing her eyes and applying the aid all she could feel were toned muscles. 

'Is this fucking idiot part of the Yakuza?' No, since when did Yakuzas deal with monsters? And since when did monsters exist!? 'No, for all I know that could have been a lab mutant boar or something, I've seen a lot of movies about such monsters escaping confinement and wreaking havoc.'

"Thanks, Mitsuzuri…" Shirou spoke, breaking Ayako away from her thoughts. "If you hadn't been there, I would have caught a cold and missed school tomorrow." 

Her eyes twitched, "Catch a cold? Are you dumb? You would have died there, Shirou!" In her state, she didn't bother calling him by his family name. Her face flushed red, not from embarrassment but anger. "What happened there? Who was that woman? What was that monster that disappeared into freaking light!? Am I going crazy? Were all of those things real or have I been dreaming this entire time? Are you real!? Am I real!? Is this some kind of cover up from a secret underground organization!?" 

Let it be known that Ayako didn't get a lot of sleep.

"Eh… Err, yes, it was all a dream. So just go back to bed, and when you wake up everything will be back to normal." 

She shot him a deadpan glare, her finger poking her bandaged chest which made Shirou flinch. 

"I was being sarcastic at the end there, mister dumbass. Or else you wouldn't have fallen out of a building and have me drag you all the way in my bedroom." 

He laughed awkwardly at her words, his hands scratching the back of his head. Now that she mentioned it, this was his first time in a girl's bedroom and looking around it was surprisingly girly with some martial art posters — it really suited her personality. 

"Oi, what're you looking at?" Ayako said noticing his wandering gaze across the room, it made her feel a bit embarrassed to have a stranger judge her place so suddenly.

"Nothing really, your room is exactly like what I imagined it to be." 

Ayako looked at him suspiciously before backing up a bit. "You were imagining the inside of my room? What are you, a pervert? Maybe I should have called the cops."

Unprepared by her statement, he tried to hastily explain himself. "W-Wait, I didn't mean it like that! I was just expecting that someone who has a lot of interest in archery and other types of sport would have a room like this. It was just a passing thought!" 

"You were having such thoughts about me? What next, what kind of panties a girl who loves archery wears? You truly are a letch, Emiya." At this point, it was Shirou who was experiencing a full blown blush on his face. How could he explain to her that these thoughts were just random things that propped inside his head without any ulterior motives? He wasn't trying to be a creep!

Ayako's brows relaxed as she watched as the red headed boy seemed to go into a panic, trying to further explain himself while losing his composure. The girl would never admit it, but his whole demeanor at this moment was kind of cute. He was so easy to mess with, just like back then at the cafe. It made her stress from this entire ordeal lessen considerably. 

She was also not being serious or anything at this moment, just venting her frustration a bit on the boy. 

In the end, she couldn't hold it in anymore and ended up bursting with laughter soon after. Shirou stopped his hasty explanation then proceeded to glare at her — realizing that she was messing with him. 

"That's not funny, Mitsuzuri. It's not alright to accuse someone of being a pervert, you know?" 

"Think of it as payback for me hauling your ass all the way here. Plus I didn't expect you to be so easy to tease, that it's giving me ideas." An evil smile emerged on her face which gave Shirou a dangerous premonition. 

"If you try something like that I'll tell Shinji that you like him and are just shy to admit your true feelings." His dry voice mercilessly cut through any mental barrier she had and made the girl start coughing from experiencing a huge amount of disgust and dread simultaneously.

"What the hell, Emiya! I thought you were supposed to be the good guy! What's with the sudden cruel and unusual punishment!?" She asked loudly, going so far as to even sulk a bit, trying to gain some pity from him.

"I'm doing this for my own safety. I think the lack of sleep has made you more dangerous than your regular self." He didn't falter one bit, keeping up eye contact the entire time which Ayako couldn't hold for long

"Damn, Emiya, I didn't expect you to be this cold to a young maiden." 

A strange sight one could say, not a moment ago Ayako was panicking and nearly broke down crying when she found him awake. Truly a sight he considered bizarre in more ways than one, 'she cried for me?' a question that filled his mind before he dismissed it. She would indeed worry about him, they were classmates after all. Yet the tense and somewhat moody atmosphere slowly regained its colors, and they were joking with each other. Almost as if everything that happened before became a mere dream which both experienced. 

But he knew that was not the case, as Ayako's following words confirmed it. "Can you tell me what happened yesterday?" She asked calmly this time, tired and exhausted. Good thing there was no school today, she deserved some rest. 

Shirou pondered, lying was never his strong suit nor would it ever be. Though he came to know the brunette for just a couple of days her personality was an aspect he mostly grasped. She would never stop if he lied, possibly going outside like before and purposefully searching for Bazette or the monsters. He dreaded that idea more than anything else, he wanted to keep her sheltered from his world but had to admit that it was already too late for that. 

'Was this how the old man felt?' 

Taking a deep breath, he gathered his wits before speaking clearly. 

"Mitsuzuri, I have something I must confess to you beforehand." The memories of the past came back, his body resting on the bed when that man who saved him from the fire entered his room. Looking physically and mentally exhausted, he ended up adopting him when he had no one. And during that conversation, he said something Shirou repeated once more to someone who nearly lost his life because of his actions.

Now, it was his turn to repeat that phrase from long ago.

"I am a wizard." 

Each word felt heavier than the last.

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"The heck?" 

{Break}

-Fuyuki church-

Bazette wasn't in a good mood, after yesterday's event she returned to her apartment given by Kotomine. All expenses paid from meals and even transport all around the town. Whether he was using his own funds or the church's, she didn't ask nor care for that matter. 

Her actions of going easy on him ruined her chance of capturing him, letting him slip through her hold by bringing a flashbang near her face — a rather ingenious move she wouldn't lie. Still, it didn't change the fact that he escaped and she still had to hunt more of these monsters. On top of that, a civilian saw her kill that beast, one of the worst mistakes she could make as an enforcer. One that hurt her pride so much that she vowed to find them both and erase their memories — with a couple of punches to the head for the boy 

So for now, best to focus on important matters first. 

Arriving at the local church, Bazette couldn't help but notice the rather eerie atmosphere. Not a single trace of any passing people anywhere near. 

She pushed the gates open and walked inside the church. 

Candles were lit all around the room where in the middle of the altar was a single man's back facing her. He was reading a book, the Bible most likely given his profession and duties as the local priest. 

"Enforcer Fraga, what brings you to the humble home of God?" Kirei Kotomine spoke, closing the book in his hand with an audible snap before turning around and facing her. 

Two pairs of eyes that showcase very little emotions chaser at her with an empty smile which many found uncomfortable. But she was used to it, given that was how he always looked. 

"You didn't inform me of another Magus in the city." She said with a voice filled with displeasure. 

"Oh," Kirei took interest in her words. "Another Magus in Fuyuki you say? That is rather strange." 

"A kid at that, I swear that last thing I expected is fighting a possible highschooler when coming here… one that shot me with a sniper no less! Tell me how many Magi are currently living in Fuyuki, I don't want to be caught off guard next time."

"There was no falsehood in my words, Bazette Fraga. My mind and body serve the Lord, and I have sworn never to lie to myself and others. From my knowledge, the only magic users here were you, me and the second owner." He spoke eloquently, not showing the least change in his facial features. "Of course, there is also the head of the Matou family, but I strongly doubt this young man you met has anything to do with him given the current descendant — Shinji Matou — has been known for his lack of magical abilities. A complete wastrel from the words of the current head himself."

"Then you should update your records, because obviously you're missing some crucial details here." She sighed, knowing that it wasn't Kotomine's fault. He couldn't be omniscient and knew everything that was happening in Fuyuki. "Listen, I'm not asking you to do a better job, I know you're plenty capable as it is. Just… make sure you keep me up to date with everything as of this moment." 

The priest nodded his head solemnly, "Rest assured, you have my word on this. I'll be certain to keep a watchful eye on every matter of the city and relay to you all information that I find suspicious. We are allies after all, you can trust me." With his left hands brought up to his chest, the man gave the woman a slight bow filled with elegance. His smile never wavered the entire time they conversed. 

"Trust doesn't come easily in my line of duty, but given our past history then I'm granting you this." Her hands retrieved a small package which she passed onto the curious Kirei. "The body of the monster broke down, so I couldn't bring it like I initially planned. Fortunately, the horn which I broke apart remained behind so maybe you can uncover something from this." 

He threw a quick look inside, examining the object for a few seconds before closing it. "It should be more than enough for me to identify its DNA and even the magecraft behind its creation. I'll call you when I'm done." 

"Good," Bazette didn't have anything else to say, she walked back outside where she passed by a man who drew her attention. Wearing a black jacket with bright blonde hair and a weird, but unsettling aura around him. She couldn't put it into words, an oddity that intrigued her for a moment before she ended up ignoring it, as she left the premises.

Kirei watched as the woman left the church from where he stood, disappearing from view as she got into a black car and drove away. The blonde man walked inside the building before leisurely sitting on one of the benches, his whole attitude exuding an arrogant air filled with infinite confidence. 

"Quite an audacious girl isn't she?" He spoke even sneering a bit. "Failing her duties over a nobody and then trying to put the blame on others rather than her own naivety as going easy in the first place. Yet, I can see she is not the same as those boring fools — she'll provide me with a lot of entertainment. Still, nothing more than a slightly competent mongrel with an intriguing treasure."

"I'm glad you feel this way, my King. Your judgment is an honor to any humans who have the fortune of listening." Kirei spoke politely and respectfully. Like a servant speaking to their master. After all, showing the least sign of disrespect to the one titled as the King of Heroes would be equivalent to suicide. Everything involved around him and his desire to be entertained. Gilgamesh of Uruk was a difficult person to please, but what he delivered surpassed any kind of disagreement or frustration Kirei felt to play the role as his humble slave. "Even though her presence was unexpected, it turned out to be a blessing in disguise if it brought you this much interest. I'll strive to keep making this play even more enjoyable for you and gather all pieces where they belong in the future." 

Gilgamesh scoffed, "Do not bother with these fake flatteries; they're irritating." 

"As you wish, my King."

"You seem to be more interested in this Magus she spoke about." Gilgamesh spoke with a smirk, looking at the man directly in his eyes with crimson orbs that would shake the hearts of anyone. Capable of seeing everything and anything, through every secret and mystery which were layed bare before him — even Kirei himself.

The priest's face hardened, he was once again faced with the fact that nothing could get past this man no matter how small it was. 

"You are wise, it is truly impossible to hide anything from you. I admit, her remarks of this particular encounter did catch my attention. A Magus using guns, how nostalgic." From the beginning, Kirei and Kiritsugu were set up as rivals, with him perceptively knowing that Kiritsugu was the most dangerous of all the masters. A shame how things ended, he wouldn't lose this time around given there was no one left to oppose him. "If this truly was him then Bazette wouldn't have survived the encounter. Though I can't help but grow curious about this new piece who remained hidden so far." The death of the Chimera they found at the museum, the empty bullet casing and destruction made him realize that this must have been the same person. 

"Humph, not like it matters, a mongrel is still a mongrel in the end. I just hope he doesn't ruin the board and end my only form of entertainment." Gilgamesh said, getting up from the bench and leaving the church with Kirei giving him another bow.

"No such thing will happen, I will personally make sure of it."

{Break}

-Miyama-

Twenty minutes after taking the bus from Ayako's house, Shirou arrived at the neighboring town of Shinto across the bridge. The talk with Ayako where he confessed his nature went just about how he expected. She didn't believe him, and started laughing thinking he was joking. A quick use of Projection made her shut up immediately. 

He had to cover her mouth as she was about to scream out loud, "Magic is real!?" With his luck, that enforcer from last night could have easily been taking a stroll nearby and end up overhearing his shout. 

She started bombarding him with questions that he tried his best to answer, but some were just plain ridiculous.

"Can you create anything?" No, he couldn't. Gradation Air was basically just shaping his Magical Energy into the form of an object in accordance with his imagination. They weren't real and the raw material didn't just pop into existence out of nowhere. Just Magical Energy imitating their form and feel which would disperse overtime and fade immediately if damaged.

"Can you fly? Teleport!?" No, he couldn't.

"Hey, where is your wand or staff that shoots out energy blasts?" He didn't have one, even if he did those spells were impossible for him.

"I got a request, can you make me more athletic, beautiful and bigger here?" She said while crossing her arms under her chest. If he couldn't shoot out energy blasts, what gave her the idea he could do something like that!?

"Wait a minute… you cheated with your magic back in the archery club to hit all those bull's-eye didn't you? I knew something was wrong back then!" He destroyed Ayako's hope that his skills were less than hers by giving his word that there was no cheating involved or use of magic. "Damnit."

"Are you sure you can't transform into a magical girl… boy? And fly around town to defeat evil monsters?" She certainly had a wild imagination.

"Aside from poofing things into existence, can you do anything else?" He talked about Reinforcement and Structural Analysis, though it didn't seem to impress the girl as she gave him a disappointed look. "That's all? I won't lie, it's a bit lame." 

How rude, he could set up some basic bounded fields as well! That took Shirou months to learn! 

"Are you one of those people who summon creatures like Cthulhu from the abyss and present it with virgin maidens as sacrifices? If so, then I will defend myself accordingly, Emiya."

"..." After that he just left the place.

Miyama City was a residential district, so there were no part-time jobs there, but the developing place had many available.

The school approved of students having part-time jobs, he made sure to check before working at Copenhagen. Now he didn't come here to take another job, no, he had someone to take care of diminishing supplies of ammunition. A former subordinate who worked for Fujimura years ago before the whole Fuyuki fire incident. Someone Kiritsugu mentioned to be trustworthy to keep secrets and supply the best goods without anyone knowing, not even that man's former boss.

Of course, if he could take a job, he would have done it. Though Shirou preferred hard physical labor that ended as quickly as possible. It killed two birds with one stone, as it built his body while getting paid for it. Last week's job was a simple loading job from five to eight o'clock.

Now, that was his initial plan at first until a certain brunette suddenly joined him in the bus at the very last second.

"Why are you here?" Shirou asked while having the bus doors close behind him. He left arm around Ayako as she insisted for him to do so. "I can walk on my own."

"You could barely leave my house an hour ago, and almost got discovered by my little brother. I don't want to deal with any nonsensical misunderstandings with my family by having a boy who has trouble walking come out of my room early in the morning."

Shirou just gave her a deadpan look, but he could still feel his ears burning from that salacious misunderstanding.

 "And… I'm worried you might fall on the streets again while I'm not here." She whispered quietly, forcing Shirou to sigh and accept her help in the end. 

"You need to sleep as well."

"Bah! Just do whatever business you have here and let me accompany you back to your house then I'll leave you alone. You're an idiot who doesn't want to go to the hospital, now, suffer the consequences with my presence!"

She really was stubborn.

Ayako was more caring than he expected, going so far as to avoid paths with stairs or inclines. They ended up taking the long path which was walking through the park.

This park among the buildings was like a big field. Which should have been filled with people like families and lovers on weekends, but it was empty now.

No, this place was always desolate.

"This place is the same as always." Ayako said, her face showing a bit of melancholy at the barren surrounding.

Shirou shared her sentiment.

The utterly neglected ground looked awful compared to the neatly organized surroundings. The desolate area made the wind feel cold. This was the remains of the conflagration ten years ago, the place where he was saved from burning to death.

'I remember some parts of that day, even as a kid many scenes remain vivid to me even now. I remember that it was hot and I couldn't breathe… the stench of smoke, and the many cries for help.'

"I wonder why they don't plant grass here. It's a waste to keep it like this," her words broke him away from his thoughts.

"They did, it's just impossible to grow anything here anymore." A taint left behind during the 4th Holy Grail War. A curse that destroyed all forms of life no matter how small, one couldn't even find insects within the soil.

"I see… hey, Emiya, you never told me what happened last night." 

Oh right, he forgot to tell her.

Deciding to sit down on one of the park benches for a bit, he thought about how to explain to her the situation. Mentioning about possible monsters prowling the area could lead her to do something stupid — he knew from personal experience. But unlike him, Ayako had no ways to defend herself and martial arts wouldn't help at all. 

He stared at the burned land for a few seconds.

"That person you encountered last night is called an enforcer. She was sent here to take care of a… monster." She didn't interrupt him or say anything so he continued. "I was patrolling that night, making sure everything was okay when I saw the fight. I initially wasn't going to do anything until you arrived."

"You were worried about me?" 

"Of course, what kind of question is that?" Shirou answered bluntly. "You see, in the world of mages secrecy takes top priority, having civilians witness an act of magic is a grave mistake that could be punishable by death to both sides." He heard Ayako gasp, sensing her body tense up at that revelation. "Though they also use mind-erasing spells when possible. But I couldn't risk your safety over the possibility the Enforcer would use the mind erasure option or not. So I thought it would be better that she focused on me, that's why I fired." 

Her eyes widened in shock, the image of his wounded body on the ground coming to her mind. "So the reason you were in that state was because…"

He nodded, already knowing her next words. "Yes, I was beaten to a pulp that it wasn't even funny. Even bullets were useless against her and my combat skills only got me so far before she overwhelmed me, and easily took me down. Heh, it was thanks to detonating a flashbang in between our faces that I barely managed to escape by jumping out of the… was it 6th floor? I don't remember. It was just a blur at that moment."

"A flashbang? Jumping out of a freaking building!?" 

Ayako couldn't believe her ears, the kind of scene he was describing was like those she would see in movies. But as she took care of his wounds last night, she saw the damage done to his body. It was hard to imagine that such an innocent looking boy went through all of that just to save her.

"You… Emiya, why were you even patrolling the city in the first place?" She couldn't help but ask. If he had just remained in his house, then none of this would have happened. And if luck was by her side then this enforcer could have possibly used the mind erasure thing.

"Because… well you wouldn't understand even if I tell you but the simple answer is because I want to become a hero." 

"...a hero?" Out of every possible answer, this wasn't even among the list of possibilities she was thinking of. "You can't be serious."

Shirou laughed at her reaction. "See? I did say you wouldn't understand. But yes, I'm being serious, I just don't want people to cry, to suffer and experience any tragedies in their lives. I want to see everyone smile, to keep their peaceful life I'm willing to go to any length. Because that is a hero, one who saves everyone."

The boy did find it ironic that he mentioned those words while sitting in this area. Where he committed the ultimate sin of selfishness where many died while he lived. His old man did explain to him that people died trying to save others.

"I wonder why…"

For example, an adult that tried to save a child from a burning house. That same adult ended up dying while bringing the kid to safety.

He didn't like things like that.

It made him mad that those who tried hard were sacrificed. Was he being greedy to desire an ending where everybody was safe and happy? All Shirou Emiya wanted was to see people live peacefully.

"That's difficult. What you want is to save everyone." Kiritsugu answered his question many years ago.

He denied his father's words at that time, because that man was his hero. A person who could do anything and everything. 

When he told him that, Kiritsugu made a troubled expression and said something that Shirou remembered to this day.

"Shirou, saving one person means not saving others. Look, a superhero can only save the people he has saved. It's obvious, but that is the definition of a superhero." A logical explanation, but one he continued to deny for years. If he tried hard enough, pushed his body beyond its current limit and forgot the pain — then he could accomplish that goal.

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"Emiya, you're feeling okay?" Ayako asked, watching his gaze slowly get lost.

"O-Oh, yeah I was lost in my thoughts there. This place makes me a bit emotional."

Ayako then pondered over his words, there were still many things she did not understand about the world of magic which she didn't know existed till now. Having barely grasped the mere idea behind it while her brain was still trying to recover from the leftover shock. Yet at this moment, looking at the redhead beside her — Ayako slowly felt she was beginning to understand him. Seeing beyond that innocent face he brought to school and seeing a guy who was trying his best to help people.

Witnessing the downcast atmosphere, the girl wanted to cheer him up a bit. So an idea came to mind, "Hey, if it helps then you've achieved your goal. You became my hero from what you did last night." Gosh that was cringy, putting out those words was so hard but she did it anyway. Her cheeks reddened a bit from that and she even gave him a big smile. "And your dream is not weird, I find it to be very honorable, so cheer up, Emiya."

Shirou's eyes widened at what she said, never expecting that such words would make him feel this way. As he was about to thank her, Sakura's face flashed in his mind and that elation in his heart immediately died. 

What hero? He couldn't even help his friend, it was clear to him that something was wrong but he still couldn't do anything! What kind of hero was that? Not even close to being one…

"Thanks, Mitsuzuri, I appreciate your words." Though Shirou thanked her with gratitude, he couldn't accept her words yet. Not until he saved Sakura first. "I know you still have more questions about mages and our world in general. I'll be sure to provide you with an answ—

"Ayako, Emiya-kun?" He got cut off by a voice near him. Both heads turned to find a certain twin-tailed school idol standing not that far from their bench. 

"Ah, Tohsaka?' 

Damnit! Did she overhear their conversation?

Shirou panicked, this wasn't an ideal corner he found himself in.

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The next 5 chapters of Snafu, Harry Potter and my 3 other Fate fics (Fate Coiling Sword with 3 chapters, A Fake Familiar Reborn with 3 chapters and To love a sword having 4 chapters) are already available on my P@treon. With 4 more Broly chapters at /NimtheWriter. Also, I post monthly commissioned arts on each story, already posted a few on an Archer's Promise, Broly and Snafu.