AN -
OK, so I finally got around to actually making a story instead of just collaborating with others. Naturally, I thought of a Mind of Steel sequel - one of those bad ends you just weren't satisfied with as they were. First things first, what I want out of this fic is simple. I want to take Mind of Steel Shirou, and take him to an outcome I think is quite appropriate for someone such as him. MoS Shirou is a tragic figure, one who took his promise to Kiritsugu in the same way Kiritsugu went - breaking his own heart and soul for the benefit of humanity in general. But still, that doesn't mean he is Kiritsugu. The difference is that Shirou is empty, like Kirei - he cannot sacrifice something he does not have. So yes, this is just the prologue, provided this is well received.
So...writing style. Well, to be honest, most of my experience writing has been done with other writers, meaning that my entire goal has been to suppress any possible hint of a style I might have, and "fit in" to someone else's style enough that I can write sentences and even paragraphs into their work without it feeling horribly dissonant. Now that I'm soloing, it feels like I'm missing something if I don't have that, so I basically decided to totally rip off someone else's style. Today, that was RadiantBeam. I hope Radiant doesn't mind too much, its just that I can't work without having someone's style in mind, and it seems Radiant shares my joy of crushing the soul of the reader, so it worked well. Better than the first draft where I tried ripping off Gabriel Blessing's style, that didn't work out so well with this kind of story.
So, lets let the story speak for itself, eh?
"I'm sorry, Illya. I can't follow such an obvious thing."
Emiya Shirou has made his decision. He cannot stray from his path. He has chosen to become a superhero, so he suppresses the tears that threaten to betray him, and the gastric juice rising up his throat. The pain stops. For the sake of everyone who could not be saved, he will not allow any others to share their fate.
The silver haired girl looks at him. She has been betrayed twice now. But the look in her eyes is not one of anger, but of pity.
"...I see. So you're choosing the same method as Kiritsugu. You're going to cast away the person you love most for people you don't even know about."
"That's right. Kiritsugu and I are the same. If you want to curse someone, you can curse me."
His face is cold and hard. He no longer cares about the opinions of others. He will do what is right, and anyone who gets in the way shall be ruthlessly removed. But the intimidating facade is ruined by the tear-tracks still evident upon his face, and the girl smiles sadly at him before giving him her final goodbye.
"I pity you, Shirou. You're going to be deceiving yourself forever with that crying face of yours."
It begins to rain. The boy is alone in the park, the small playground creaking emptily in the light wind. He is still staring at the spot the girl was last seen, a bitter and wistful expression on his face.
After a minute, he masters himself.
There is nothing left in him but sheer determination.
Tohsaka Rin stands alone in the church. Her heart aches, but she suppresses it. A magus cannot betray emotion. If the procedure...no, *when* the procedure fails, it is her duty to destroy her sister for the sake of others. A small hope lies within her heart, that perhaps Kotomine Kirei can achieve a miracle and save her sister, but that is a foolish hope. She long ago decided that Kirei was a poor man to place even the smallest trust in, let alone hope for a miracle from.
The church door opens slowly, creaking emptily as if to echo her own heart. She cannot look up at the man entering through it. Emiya Shirou will no doubt force her to examine her own heart, and she has no desire to let him. No matter what her heart says, no matter how much it bleeds, her duty will be unchanged.
If Kirei fails, Sakura must die.
If Kirei fails, she must kill her sister with her own hands.
But the boy does not speak. She is grateful. She can maintain this facade better if the boy does not question her heart. Besides, there is nothing to say until Kirei returns. At least until then, she can pretend to have hope.
Kotomine Kirei walks into the chapel, and sees both Emiya Shirou and Tohsaka Rin waiting for him. The sight of their grim faces brings joy into his heart, but he suppresses it. On second thoughts, perhaps allowing himself a smile would have given them false hope for an instant, but there is no point regretting so small a torment. Besides, it would not be like Rin to fall for so simple a trick from him anyways.
Sakura was awake and presumably listening in. He would have preferred that she had simply ran after he woke her, but the mind of a young girl such as her was foolish, and did not merit further examination. The girl in front of him, however, had been a pet project of his for awhile, so as long as her sister was here, he should try and set the stage a bit more elegantly.
The boy...well, the boy certainly looks interesting today. It reminds him of Kiritsugu - a face set with determination, but with an emptiness he has never seen before. The boy has always been empty, like himself, he knew that, but...the boy was always trying to fill it through others happiness, just as Kirei filled it with their torment. Today though, the boy looks like...a magus.
"The operation is complete. There is nothing more I can do."
He breaks the silence, idly wondering which of them would respond.
"...So how's Sakura, Kirei?"
Rin breaks the silence with a question.
"I have done my best. That is all I can say."
Well, it was the truth. He *had* done his best. Even if his best was directed at maximizing his own entertainment, not freeing her.
Rin's face falls ever so slightly, a gesture easily missed. Still, Kirei was not satisfied. Her suffering has only begun, and it will not do for her to maintain the strong facade he has only seen broken once.
"Matou Sakura is sleeping. She should wake up tomorrow morning. What will you do as the successor of the Tohsaka family, Rin?"
"-I don't even need to say it. It's the supervisor's duty to eliminate a magus who has turned into a heretic. All the more so if the magus is a relative of mine."
Disappointing. The girl has once again hardened her heart, and has all the strength of a magus again now that her duty is clear. Still, there is potential for entertainment, even if his pet project is proving as resilient as ever. Rin walks over to the room where her sister lies, no doubt listening. She stops and turns to the boy, a small moment of doubt seeming to overcome her.
"- Aren't you going to stop me, Emiya-kun?"
The boy does not reply. Kirei had not foreseen this particular outcome, he had to admit. It seems that the boy was going to rob him of the entertainment he had planned on, but still, the alternative was not so poor.
"So you won't mind even if I kill Sakura?"
The boy finally speaks, a cold voice unlike the one which had rang within his church previously.
"I have nothing to say. But - if I can take your place, I will."
Rin's composure slips once again to one of shock, and Kirei savors her moment of weakness. Such gifts were rare from his apprentice. The girl quickly regains her composure and replies in a voice as cold as the boy's.
"No. This is my role. I can't give you this role."
The girl grits her teeth and opens the door to her sister's room. Kirei enjoys this moment well. True, it is not the moment he had planned on, but he truly anticipates the ending. He will have his talk with the boy. The boy owes him some compensation in exchange for ruining his planned entertainment. And then he will find his apprentice. He has no doubt that Rin will prove weak in the moments after she kills her sister, perhaps weak enough to break down before him.
And then, he will contemplate how to witness this new grail war, how to maximize his enjoyment of Emiya Kiritsugu's final failure. How fitting.
Emiya Shirou watches the priest walk away. His words are true. He will continue fighting, defeat the remaining masters, and judge the Holy Grail itself. That is the appropriate end for this war. That is the responsibility he took the moment he swore to be a superhero, all those years ago to his father. It is the first price he will have to pay for his ideal.
But...
His father's final moments echo back at him. They felt empty, hollow...alone. Even the old promise...
No. He pushes the thought away, along with the old pain. Such a thought can only weaken him right now. He made his choice. He cannot question the decision now, while lives hang in the balance. He must first make sure that no unsavory master claims the grail. Rin would make an acceptable...
You will be forced to fight her when you find out about the true identity of the Holy Grail.
His head reels as the priest's words echo within his mind. That damn fake priest. He knows something. He will have to find out what that priest knows. If Rin truly will become his enemy...
He clenches his fist.
"-Gah..."
As if to acknowledge his new determination and resolve, his hand burns, revealing new command seals. It is only natural. The command seals do not leave because of the death of a servant. They leave when one is no longer fit to be a master.
Emiya Shirou has once again accepted the responsibilities of a master, so it is to be expected that they should return.
Turning around, Emiya Shirou leaves the church silently. There is nothing for him here.
Emiya Shirou will turn his mind to steel, and become a superhero.
Alright! That was fun, right? Right?
As a side note, I want to crush the soul of everyone who reads this story This first prologue should have been...somewhat depressing? I'm not sure how you guys take this, I tend to be immune to emotional torment unless its ungodly awful, especially when writing it. There will be worse moments than this for Shirou if I have this right, but this moment should be one of the really bad ones. Not sure how well I got this across. Do let me know how well this went.
Finally, how similar was this to RadiantBeam's writing? I could feel a bit of my own self in there, which may be good or bad, but If the style feels close enough, I might see if I can gain the ability to do serious omakes of other popular fics by literally copying their style down to a close enough degree. Of course, none of this is going to change the fact that I like crushing the soul of the reader, but to be fair, this will probably be one of the more depressing fics I ever write.
As a final (really) note, I'd like to thank HopelessRomanticist and Komrade Kwestions for all the help regarding this fic, both in looking over the chapter and helping out with story ideas. Especially Hopeless, since I think I killed his soul a few times while even discussing this story with him. Heh.