A/N: Well, here goes nothing. This is my first Fanfic, so hope you enjoy! Constructive criticism is appreciated, and, well, I guess that's pretty much it!
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Chapter 1: The Raid
Hero.
That term is often misjudged.
What makes a hero?
Is it how many people you save?
Is it how much you're willing to sacrifice?
Or is it how many you're willing to kill?
Harsh reality makes it the last one.
And that is precisely why Emiya Shirou will never be a true hero.
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Live. Live. Stay alive. LIVE.
This was all that was going through Shirou's mind at this moment. They were everywhere. Searching. Scanning. All that they wanted was mindless bloodshed. Shirou wasn't going to stand up for it.
That's what Shirou thought in the first place. But now? Not so much. What could he do when they wanted him? Nothing. He hated it. Hated his weakness. But there was nothing he could do right now.
What were they anyway? Shirou had no idea. In fact, probably no one did. But everyone knew that they were dangerous. It was quite obvious.
Shirou saw a dark looming shadow behind him, throwing him back into the present. The beast was white, with two rows of sharp teeth. It had no visible eyes on its long, oval head. The beast stood on its back legs and extended its long, curved claws…
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The blood.
"Ah!" Shirou woke with a start. Still in his blood stained clothes, Shirou's first thought was to make himself presentable for Sakura and Fuji-nee. Shirou checked the clock. Shouldn't they be here already? Wait…
Blood.
A horrendous thought broke into Shirou's mind. Did… did they… get taken? W-why? Shirou's mind burned with rage.
"These… things… whatever they are… are bent on destruction. Why, I don't know. But they don't seem to kill certain beings. They merely… how should I put it… capture them." Rin had stated in the past.
This was not the first time Shirou had come across their type. They were a menace to all. Their heads were dementedly long, and ovular. Their body was slim, but their skinny arms ended in huge claws, two large ones on each hand and one small one, kind of like a thumb. They had no visible eyes, two rows of huge teeth, and their feet were like talons. Each beast had a different symbol imprinted in their heads in red.
"No…" muttered Shirou. They're gone? But that leaves…
"Onii-chan!" Illya burst into the room. "Where's my breakfast?! Where's Sakura?! I'm HUNGRY!"
"…" Shirou was silent.
Illya finally noticed Shirou's appearance. "Onii-chan… did something happen? Your clothes…"
"Are covered with blood, yes." Shirou had a hard time getting his voice to work. "Didn't you notice the 'raid' last night? They came again."
Illya stood there, silent for a moment, and then dashed out of the room. Shirou didn't know why, and, right now, didn't care. Shirou didn't notice the door open and close, didn't notice the fact that Illya went out on her own, because Shirou didn't care. What was the point of caring?
It seemed like hours passed, when, Illya, now accompanied by Rin, who was holding a large book, came into Shirou's room.
"Emiya-kun, what happened to you last night?" Tosaka started. "They came last night, but what--"
"I couldn't protect them. I didn't help them. I wasn't strong enough, wasn't good enough to save them." Shirou cut her off. "Because of my weakness--"
Now it was Rin's turn to cut someone off. "Shirou!" Shirou flinched. "Being a hero doesn't mean saving everyone! Nobody can do that! So stop… stop beating yourself up!" Rin was on the verge of tears, but in a moment she composed herself. "Anyway… I came here because Illya told me you needed help. I'm here to give you that help.
Shirou was confused. Actually, much more than that. "Wait, I-"
"Let me finish! As I was saying, I'm here to give you that help, by getting someone to help you," Rin finished.
"Wait, who could possibly--" Shirou didn't finish the sentence. He didn't need to.
Rin and Illya simultaneously grinned.
"Saber?"
