By all means, I should've been dead.
Everything had gone to hell. The town had been turned to ashes. As far as the eye could see, there was nothing but fire and rubble, a landscape as black as the despair it imparted. In that absolute wasteland, I should surely have died.
To be honest, I had given up all hope even before I had come to my senses. Gazing up at the dark clouds in the sky was only a confirmation of what had happened. My life, my everything, had all been lost already. Whether it had been fire or ice or nothing at all, I would've still been in that pitiful state. In the end, I was fated to die that day, like everyone else in the fire.
Yet, he still appeared, a person dressed as black as the landscape.
I remember his face. He had tears in his eyes from finding someone still alive, a man who was happy from the bottom of his heart. He looked so happy that it seemed like it was him, not me, who had been saved. He grabbed my outstretched hand and held it as if it was the greatest treasure in the world.
"You're alive… You're alive! You're alive!"
He thanked me for being alive. He said he was glad he had found me.
In that fleeting moment, I felt something grow within me. Even though I was on the brink of death, the man was so grateful it made me envious.
I thought to myself that I wanted to become like him.
It was on a beautiful night. The moon shone overhead and bathed the garden in a blue light. Although it was winter, the temperature wasn't very low; it was ideal weather to view the moon.
I sat next to that man, the one who saved me, and we gazed at the moon together in silence.
"… when I was a kid, I wanted to be a hero of justice."
He suddenly muttered those quiet words. His eyelids were drooping from lack of youth, but his eyes seemed to gaze at something far away, even beyond the moon.
"What? You wanted to? Does that mean you stopped?"
"Yea… unfortunately, being a hero is a limited time thing. When you grow up, it gets hard to call yourself one. I should've realized that earlier…"
His voice poorly hid his sorrow. With his distant gaze and bitter smile, I thought he might've been crying.
After contemplating those casual regrets, I found myself shrugging.
"I see… I guess it couldn't be helped then."
"Indeed. It couldn't be helped."
Once again, he gazed at the night sky.
"Ah, what a beautiful moon."
Even though it was the same moon he had seen before, he seemed overjoyed at it that night. That memory alone made him happy.
"Yup, it can't be helped. I guess I'll have to do it for you."
In that moment, that man seemed to pause.
"You're an adult now, so you can't do it. But I can. Who do you think I am? I'll definitely fulfil it. Your dream."
Saying those casual promises, I boasted under that beautiful moon. Those were my first prayers, my innocent thoughts, turned into an unforgettable memory. Hearing them, the man softened, as if every scar in his heart had been healed.
"Yes. Then, I'll be at peace."
Remembering a long lost smile, Emiya Kiritsugu closed his eyes.
Chapter One: Emiya
Day One: January 31st
I hear a sound. Something is ringing. I toss and turn but, no matter how tightly my eyes are closed, the sound won't go away. It takes me a while to realize it's the annoying tone of an alarm clock.
"Stop that. Shut up. I can't deal with you today."
I bark at absolutely no one. It takes a few more moments of fighting nothing before I muster the strength to stop the alarm clock with a fist. With an overly pointless yawn, I crawl out of my futon and try to regain my bearings and consciousness. Like clockwork, my body begins to move, conditioned to not waste those precious morning moments. I grab my uniform from my dresser and change before making my bed. All the while, I have to be careful not to step into any of the miscellaneous objects on the floor. I was never really comfortable with how large my house was so I essentially camped out in my room, making it a sort of secret base and keeping all of my important items in it. That's why, despite being the largest bedroom in the estate, it could feel cramped when the futon was rolled out.
Once I was finished changing, I stumbled out of the room and was greeted with a healthy dose of fresh air and sunlight. As it was winter, the sun was only partly out. Well, that's to be expected; it was a little before six after all. I don't care what doctors may say, waking up alongside the sun like this can't be that healthy. Well, not that there's anyone around for me to complain to.
Before I can start picking a fight with an imaginary existence, I prod myself to move through the long cold hallway towards the much heartier living room area, which was where my kitchen also was. Like every day, I begin to open up the fridge and break out the pots and pans. I heard some people like to take a shower in the morning to refresh themselves, but I personally feel like nothing is better in the morning than a good, light meal.
With experienced precision, I simply fry a few eggs and ham. Such a meal might seem blasphemous for a proud Japanese family, but it's easy and fast to make. I live alone so I can't be bothered to prepare rice and miso soup every morning.
Once everything has been prepared, I calmly eat breakfast alone while watching the morning news on television. The only sound in the living room was the announcer's voice. It was a lonely morning… but also peaceful.
"This should be enough for Fuji-nee."
Once I'm finished, I leave a significantly larger portion than mine on the living room table under an insulating tray. Fuji-nee, my teacher and guardian after Kiritsugu passed away, always hates when I don't eat with her but it's really her fault for not getting up earlier, right? Honestly, she's much less of a motherly figure and more like my irresponsible older sister.
And so, my standard morning routine ends as I exit the house and head towards school. Evidently, the city had yet to wake up and the streets were quiet and empty. At times like that, I can't help but feel like I'm in another world, one where I alone lived.
When I arrive, there is practically no one at school. Even the clubs with morning practices wouldn't arrive for the next 30 minutes or so. Which meant that I had 30 minutes to get my business done.
I make a straight path for our school's archery range. It was an impressive building of such grandeur and fancy that it seemed weird to let a school club use it.
"I swear, the school director loves archery way too much."
Since the archery range was so impressive, it always took quite a bit of work to keep the place maintained properly. As such, I grab my usual tools, cleaning tools to be precise, and begin keeping the place in order. To be honest, I'm quite the lazy person and I always neglect afterschool cleaning, so I'm forced to get up early and get everything in order. While I'm at it, I do some maintenance on the bows and check the range's tea stock. If you're wondering why there's tea and cakes in a respected place of martial practice, you can blame the club's frivolous advisor, Fujimura-sensei.
By the time I'm done, I notice it's already almost 7. Well, everything's mostly good so I should start-
"Come on, there's still time before practice, so let's go in and have some tea."
"Ah."
At that moment, a pair of girls make their way into the archery range. One of them was the club's member, Mitsuzuri Ayako, the one who was cheerfully inviting other people into the range. Opposite to her is a girl with a red overcoat, Tohsaka Rin. A lady who lived in a big mansion and commanded the respect of everyone. Beautiful, smart, athletic, well-mannered, modest, and rich, she was the type that guys would fawn over. It wouldn't be an exaggeration to call her the school's idol.
Our eyes meet for an instant before I remember my manners.
"Yo. Don't mind me, I'll get out of your way."
I smoothly make my exit to give the two some privacy. As I leave, Mitsuzuri seems to exchange a few glances with me but I escape before we can properly communicate via eye-contact.
Once outside, I get a moment to catch my breath.
"Huh, didn't expect to run into Tohsaka this morning. Well, she sometimes comes into the archery club to watch so I guess it's not that unexpected."
Since I don't really have anything to do while I'm outside, I sort of just loiter next to the club building. It isn't until I spot a few other club members entering and Tohsaka leaving do I finally move and re-enter the archery range.
"Good Morning~"
I lazily greet everyone already inside, and am replied to with quite a few energetic answers.
"Good morning, Captain."
"Morning, Captain."
As usual, the members are respectfully greeting me. Well, all except for one.
"Yo, good morning, captain."
Mitsuzuri Ayako greets with a sunny smile.
"Yes, it's a nice morning, isn't it, Vice-Captain?"
I smile back and the two of us stay still for a while facing each other. Now, to an outsider, it might seem like our face-off was filled with hostile sparks, but clearly our impassioned greetings are a testament to our close, personal bonds.
Eventually, I break off the smiling festival and bring everyone together.
"Alright, everyone, let's start practice!"
"Phew."
After practice, I plump down into my seat, just before class starts. I'm careful to make sure I'm not sweating profusely, partly to keep from sweat spilling onto my seat, but mostly to keep myself from looking like a sweaty fool.
"That was close. You're a little bit late today."
"Oh morning, Issei. Yea, practice ran a little late today."
The person greeting me was my friend and student council president, Issei Ryuudou. Papers were set out in front of him on his desk, so he must've been studying.
"Well, no matter what, I wouldn't dare miss homeroom."
"Well, that's true."
Issei nods at my reasoning. After all, our homeroom teacher was the fabled Tiger of Fuyuki.
Strange… why does it feel like Fuji-nee is exerting herself in every aspect of my life?
While, I'm thinking about useless things, a few of my classmates slide up next to me.
"Yo, yo, today's the day right."
"You were bragging all of yesterday how you'd do it today. Don't back out on us now."
"Man, I can't wait to see your face when you fail miserably."
As expected of my commoner students, eager to see the misery of their kindred spirit. Despite all this though, I grin.
"Hahaha, of course I'm going do it. And succeed. Unlike you mongrels, I am cut of greater cloth. Who do you think I am?"
Pumping out my chest, I proudly announce my name, the symbol of my pride. It was the name Kiritsugu left me and a testament to who I was.
"I'm Emiya. Emiya Shinji."
Author's Afterword:
Hello, welcome to my fanfic. This is my first time doing a Fate story so I hope the lore police don't crack down on me too hard. Though I've been writing for a while, I'm still an amateur, so I'd appreciate it if you guys could review. Other than that, I hope you enjoy the chapters to come.
In regards to the story itself, if I were to sum up my entire thought process behind the concept in one sentence it would be:
"Even a worm deserves the spotlight"
