There was a fire. A fire that seemingly started for no reason, but in a matter of seconds, consumed the entire neighbourhood. Local authorities would later blame the fire on a natural gas leak, but that didn't really consolidate things for Shiro. After all, it was a fire that killed everyone he knew and one that should've killed him too.
But he was saved.
And from that day on, he regarded his saviour as his idol, his model, and above all else, his father. That's why Shiro Emiya will do whatever it takes to fulfill Kiritsugu's dream of becoming a hero of justice—even if it means the possibility of dying in the next few days.
"Umm…Senpai?"
A quiet voice interrupted Shiro's contemplation. Surprised, Shiro turned in his seat to face the girl sitting behind him. She was pale in complexion, with long, violet hair. Worry was etched on her face, along with a slight blush that she always seemed to have when talking to Shiro.
"Oh, hi Sakura. I didn't notice you coming back from lunch" said Shiro with a sheepish laugh.
"That's quite alright senpai. I just came in a few seconds ago and saw you staring blankly, and I was wondering if something was wrong…?"
The sound of stilettos on the ground made Sakura stop in the middle of her sentence. Looking around, everyone else stopped talking as well, and began scrambling about. Some were busy getting back to their seats, while others hurriedly ordered their desks while looking at the door with apprehension.
A few seconds later, all the hustle and bustle stopped and a tall brunette walked into the room. Dressed in a loose-fitting blouse with a matching black mini-skirt, her stern expression was the picture of discipline. After calmly surveying the room, Ms. Aoi gave a satisfactory nod and began organizing her belongings around her desk. Shiro could understand the sudden silence; to say that Ms. Aoi was a master of controlling the class was a great understatement. No one dared to make a noise, or appear disorganized in front of her; after all, Ms. Aoi was a master of punishments…as one student will soon find out.
The muffled sound of Namikai Ozayashi's latest single sounded somewhere at the back of the room. Shiro cringed; he knew what happened to students who forgot to turn off their cell-phone in class.
Yet strangely, the anticipated yelling, scolding and hour-long lectures did not come. Instead, Ms. Aoi raised a lazy eye to look at a particularly suspicious looking girl sitting in the third row, before clearing her throat and beginning her lesson.
Strange indeed. There was a time when Ms. Aoi was nothing but smiles and soft-spoken words, but that was before her husband cheated on her with a relatively famous, local celebrity a few months ago. Since then, her temper explodes at the slightest provocations, and she hasn't let any rule-breaker off easy. Until now that is.
However, the strange behaviour of a homeroom teacher really wasn't much of a concern to a magus like Shiro – especially not to one that is about to perform that ceremony later tonight.
Author's Note: My first fan-fic evarrrrr! I know this chapter is a bit short but hopefully it laid an appropriate foundation for the rest of the chapters to follow.
As always, review, review, review! I already have a basic idea of how the story will turn out, but I'm open to all inputs too. =)