Fuyuki's great fire.
The night of the raging flames, a nightmare that would haunt him for the rest of his life. Screams of pain and suffering reverberated all around him, yet he could do nothing. He was powerless. He shouldn't have survived, yet he did. With a kind and gentle smile, a tired old man saved him from his inevitable demise. The boy was reborn as Emiya Shirou, the son of the Fourth Holy Grail War, a sword to be used as a tool to save others.
That nightmare that had now felt so distant, that had happened decades ago, was once again his reality. He was powerless once more, his arms, both his own and the one he obtained from Archer, were weak from reverting into their younger forms. His magic circuits were once again in atrophy.
Buildings crumbled around him, smoke over the backdrop of a dark sky was all the eye could see. The scorched earth made for few survivors nearby, and the rescue teams he could see were few and far away.
It was not a dream, it was all too real. He did not awake from his tragic origin story, the inciting incident which would set his path in stone.
Whatever explanation the universe would give him, he didn't care. Whether reincarnation, time travel, or a stupid prank of the wizard marshall, it didn't matter.
Had had to relive the hell of the Fuyuki fire again.
But this time, he was not alone.
In his embrace was a familiar young girl, her black hair tied up in twin tails. For him, it was a little comforting to have her by his side, but she wasn't conscious. She was barely breathing, she would die if he didn't get her out. That would be his first priority.
Save everyone, starting from the closest person. Just like it has always been.
Shirou slung her body over his shoulders. His survival instincts were running in overdrive, his heartbeat skyrocketed as he trekked through the flaming debris. He was in pain, more than his heroic pride could admit. His arms, his legs, his lungs, they all screamed in agony.
Still, he trudged through the hellscape of rubble and fire, almost being crushed by burning wreckage multiple times throughout his slog. With every step he took, the heat of purgatory scalded his very existence. Breathing became increasingly difficult as the smell of ash clogged up his nasal tract.
"I have to... keep moving."
Despite his nerves sending warning signals to every corner of his body, he kept pushing. How could he call himself a hero of justice if he couldn't even save the person closest nay, dearest to him?
"Aaaaaaaargh!" a violent cry escaped Shirou's dry throat. He forced his already heavy and lethargic body through the gruelling extremes. If he stopped, they would both die. That's why he couldn't stop, he wouldn't allow himself to stop.
But fate was not on his side, his body would not last. His frame could only handle so much before succumbing to the pressure. No matter how much he willed it, he wouldn't be able to move forward without breaking. A chipped sword could only be swung so hard before shattering into pieces.
Even after all of his efforts, he couldn't escape the flaming prison. His legs gave in to fatigue, Shirou dropped to the ground face first with Rin still on his back. He was on the edge of passing out, barely staying conscious through sheer force of will. His motor functions were shutting down, most of his muscles were not responding to him, his arms being the only exception. With the last of his strength, he flipped both himself and Rin over, now laying backside on the ground.
Shirou didn't know if anyone would save him this time. His vision blurred, tears? but why? he thought. Emiya Shirou wasn't one to get emotional, he had never gone so far as to cry before. Ever since the fire, he was merely empty. So why were tears flowing?
His ears picked out a sound, he couldn't make out what is was. His nearly shattered heart held on to the idea that it was someone that would save them, just like he did back then.
"Karada wa... tsurugi de dekiteiru..." Shirou murmured the chant of his signature, his ultimate reinforcement spell. He couldn't give up knowing there might be someone there. He needed to know if it was someone's voice, or if it was the sound of the universe merely mocking him for trying his hardest to achieve his hypocritical ideal.
His circuits which usually glowed blue turned into a crimson red, almost going haywire from the amount of prana being rushed through them. "I am the bone of my sword", it was a reinforcement spell unique to the Archer of the fifth war, Shirou's current atrophied circuits couldn't hope to handle it without a chance of permanent damage.
But he went through it, he sucked up the pain and channelled the reinforcement spell to his ears. The reinforcement in conceptual effectiveness made sounds easier to make out and differentiate. He could now hear the sound clearly, it was a voice of hope.
"You... there!" an exhausted voice called out. "Are you... alright?"
It was a familiar voice, one Shirou would never forget.
Shirou gave out one last desperate cry for help before blacking out. He didn't have to worry anymore. That man would save both of them, there was no room debate. He was a true hero of justice after all.
Emiya Shirou opened his eyes, he was alive. His body was sore and his circuits were practically fried, but he was alive. He stared up at the white ceiling and breathed in the scent of carbolic acid. The smell of a hospital was never truly pleasant, but Shirou would take it over ash filling his lungs any day of the week. He was never fond of when Kiritsugu went out for a smoke. Speaking of which...
Shirou shifted his gaze to the man sitting beside him, the experience was surreal. He wouldn't in a million years have thought he would see the face of his foster father again. But there he was, his black scruffy hair and slight stubble were exactly as he remembered it. Once again, Shirou cried.
"A-are you okay?" Kiritsugu asked, taken aback by Shirou's sudden waterworks.
It was a few moments before Shirou could give a coherent answer. His feelings were just too jumbled. Complicated happiness washed over him as he inspected his guardian's face. His voice struggled to find the right sounds to make, but he eventually got there.
"Yeah... I am," Shirou reassured.
"I'm glad. The name's Kiritsugu," he replied. "What's your name, kid?"
"E-Shirou, it's Shirou. That's about all I remember. I don't know about anything else, who my parents were, where I lived, I don't remember," Shirou said. "In the end, it doesn't matter, they're probably all gone anyway."
Kiritsugu's smile faded into a more sombre expression, he was never good at comforting people. Jogging his memory might just make him relive the pain that he probably blocked out subconsciously. But, it would be the right thing to do, right? Kiritsugu thought.
"Then, who was the girl you were with? It seemed like you were carrying her."
"I..." Shirou hesitated. "..I don't know, but... I do feel like she was a friend and... I couldn't just leave her behind."
He didn't feel like lying to Kiritsugu was the right thing to do, but concealing his memory was something he needed to consider, lest he says something that contradicted the world he was inhabiting. He couldn't say they knew each other, only to find out that Rin didn't remember a single thing.
"That was very heroic of you, I bet she would be very grateful."
"Thanks..." but I didn't do it for gratitude. It was on the tip of his tongue, but he couldn't say it. The conversation would take a much deeper tone if he did, that wasn't what he wanted. He just wanted to feel like a kid again, being watched upon by his foster father.
He was a tired cynic, but it seems that if you were cynical enough, you would come full circle and go right back to being pure. Shirou chuckled to himself at that thought, it had been years since he could enjoy a calming conversation without negativity. Even his time with Rin hadn't been sunshine and rainbows. Now that he's thought back on it, it was a miracle Rin didn't give up on him. He needed to make it up to her as soon as he could.
He refocused his mind on Kiritsugu as he was about to speak.
"Well, I have a couple of other things I have to ask you, Shirou-kun. What's your quirk like?" Kiritsugu asked.
"Quirk?"
It was a completely foreign term for him, even if he did understand the word that was spoken. It was something unique to this world, he would have never encountered the term in his previous one.
"It's a superpower, almost everyone has one, it can be as cool like super strength or super speed, or as mundane as having horns on your head," Kiritsugu said.
"I don't know about that, sorry. I might have one, I just need to rediscover it."
"Then we can discover it together, Shirou-kun."
"Together, that sounds nice."
Staying in the Emiya manor, cooking food, doing mundane chores, going to school. After everything he's been through, those things sounded like bliss.
"You see, Shirou-kun. I'm someone that's called a pro hero. I get paid by the country to save people from disasters and villains using my quirk."
"That sounds awesome, what does your quirk do, Kiritsugu-san?" Shirou asked, not entirely faking his innocence.
"It allows me to speed up and slow down my body up to three times the normal speed. Any more and there's a chance it could be a threat to my life."
Shirou remembered the time he spent with Saber and her anecdotes of Kiritsugu when she was fighting alongside him, along with the recounts of Lord El-Melloi II. His quirk was exactly like his old magecraft, Shirou would have believed it to be magecraft if Kiritsugu hadn't stated otherwise.
"I see, so these quirks can also sometimes work against a person?" Shirou asked.
"Indeed, my quirk isn't totally compatible with my body. You seem like a good kid, Shirou. You would be a fine hero whether you had a compatible quirk or not. I see potential, not in your strength, but in your heart." Kiritsugu explained.
"Well that brings me to my next question, you have two options going forward. You can either go to the local orphanage, or you could stay with me and become my ward. What will it-"
"When you put it like that, that second option is a no brainer, Kiritsugu-san." Shirou interjected.
"But can you take her too? I don't want to part ways with her, even if I don't remember exactly who she is." Shirou said as he pointed at Rin. "Of course, I'll make sure both of us aren't burdens to you!"
Kiritsugu smiled hopefully at his soon to be son. He breathed out a sigh of relief as he went to pat the kid on the head.
"Of course, that's what I planned to do. I'll get the paperwork all sorted out, Shirou."
Rin awoke shortly after. Kiritsugu gave her the rundown of the situation, asked her about the things she remembered, and gave her the offer of adoption. The soft look from her companion nudged her to accept. She was in a foreign timeline with her body reverted to when she was a child, the silver lining was that her magic crest was intact. She would need help to survive, even if she didn't want to admit it.
As she was contemplating, Shirou got up from his bed and walked towards her. He excused himself and snuggled up in Rin's blanket, tightly embracing her.
"W-What's up with you?" Rin asked, slightly caught off guard.
"It's nothing," Shirou said as he sighed.
Rin giggled slightly at her apprentice before returning his embrace. This was a situation she could get behind. Just a warm and relaxing hug after all the pain and sorrow they've endured.
"What's so funny?" Shirou asked.
"How could I not be happy? You still have it in you," Rin said.
"Have what in me?"
"You're still able to be selfish with me, you know how frustrating it was when you were acting all cynical like you didn't need anyone's help?" Rin asked.
Shirou did not reply.
"I'll gladly lend you an ear to listen to your worries, a shoulder to lean on, and muscles to carry you when you feel weak. I want you to rely on me, Shirou.
Or should I call you Emiya-kun like the old days?"
"You're about to be an Emiya too, you know," Shirou joked.
"You're a few years too early to propose to me. I'm a child now, what are you, a pedophile? No wonder you gave Illya special treatment."
The two played around for a while before drawing the stares of the patients around them (who were obviously children), their looks were either that of envy or confusion. Noticing the audience they've gathered, they decided to pipe down and whisper their course of action.
"So, what are the chances of us going back to our world?" Shirou asked.
"Practically zero, I may be an apprentice of the wizard marshall, but that old vampire won't ever teach us about Kaleidoscope. We'll just have to make the best of this second life, it's a chance not many people get to experience you know?"
"But, are you okay with this?"
"I've left behind my attachments to the Tohsaka mansion and the Clock Tower a long time ago, I couldn't have possibly kept up with you if I kept getting homesick," Rin said.
Shirou exhaled a large sigh as he drove his head deeper into Rin's chest. It was comforting, he should enjoy it while it lasted. When he was on his path to becoming a hero of justice, he could not rest, for there would be strangers dying by his innaction.
Thinking back, it really was a stupid mindset. He started to see into Archer's mind more and more as he progressed further into his journey. He still thought that Archer was wrong, that he shouldn't have abandoned his ideal completely, but there were still some aspects of Archer that he has grown to accept, and ones he has grown further to reject.
You cannot save everyone. Emiya Shirou would never agree to this fact on an emotional level, but he has to accept it to move on in his journey. He is but a single person, he cannot challenge the barriers and laws of the universe.
To save the many, you must sacrifice the few. Emiya Shirou could never accept this, he had grown to realize that he cares about Rin about more than he does others, he could never sacrifice her for the good of many. Even still, if both the many and the few are total strangers, Shirou couldn't in good conscious play the judge, nor could he carry out the role of the executioner.
Still, he will continue to save everyone in front of him, that is the only path for Emiya Shirou.
A few days later, after multiple physical and psychological checkups, as well as the whole legal process, they were home. Back to the large and cozy Emiya estate. It was just as how Shirou remembered, although with much more people roaming about the place and an obvious upgrade in technology. There was also a large wooden sign at the front gate which was never there before, "Winter-Tiger Hero Agency," it read, written in white and yellow spray paint.
This... has Fuji-nee written all over it, Shirou mused.
"Well, this will be your new home. The place might get noisy during the day, so I'll make sure to secure you two a room in the back." Kiritsugu said.
Shirou put off his shoes at placed them on the rack subconsciously. He was too busy staring in disbelief to process what he was doing. His feet carried him across the warm halls and into the yard.
The scene of the courtyard looked straight out of a martial arts training documentary. As many as twenty disciples stood in formation before their yukata-wearing master, a woman with tiger ears accompanying her brown hair and small fangs protruding from her upper jaw.
They each fought with the tiger, mano a mano. The tiger swiftly dealt with her opponents, using the agility and ferocity expected from that of a wild feline. Soon enough, she and the disciples noticed the presence of a visitor, to which they immediately ceased training.
"Welcome back, Sever-san. And are those the little cubs you'll be raising?" the alternate-universe-version Tiger of Fuyuki spoke.
"Yeah, they'll be living here from now on. Also, you changed the sign, again." Kiritsugu said.
"Sever-san, you're always with the police anyway, why not give the agency to me?"
"Sure, graduate from UA first and obtain a ranking in the top ten, I'll give you the agency free of charge."
All while this exchange was happening, the disciples had their faces focused forward as if nothing was happening at all. Even the two people on the sidelines, the highly recognizable bald monk and... cat girl, who were watching the training session moments ago were pretending to not notice.
Shirou thought to himself as he stared at his two senpai, Reikan doesn't look very different but, why the hell...
Kiritsugu let out a hefty sigh, "Ryuudou-kun, Hotaruzuka-kun, please escort these two to their rooms. I still have a lot of paperwork to take care of."
"B-but I thought we did all of the paperwork?" the bald guy said.
"Well, more just came in, heroes never can catch a break. I'll do these ones myself, you two can rest. It wouldn't do if I worked my interns to death now would it."
Shirou was completely lost, why was Kiritsugu acting like...this? Why were his employer and his best friend's brother interning under him? Who are all these disciples? How many portions would he have to cook for these guys? Why is Otoko a cat girl?
Before he could ponder any further, Rin tugged on his sleeves and pulled him towards their escorts, giving him a 'don't just stand there like an idiot' look. The two interns led them towards their new rooms, making small talk along the way.
They ended up at the guest rooms, where Rin stayed during the holy grail war. They set down the bags of clothes and toiletry they bought with Kiritsugu into the same room, filling in the previously empty wardrobe. There was nothing wrong with the situation, at least for the two of them. The (former?) Homurahara duo was dumbstruck. Leaving them to their own devices, the duo slipped out before either of the kids could notice, as if they had seen something taboo.
"Strange, they've disappeared," Rin pointed out.
Not long after settling in their room, dinner time rolled around, the twenty trainees went home, and all that was left were the trio of Emiyas and interns.
"Kiritsugu-san, I'm borrowing the kitchen," Shirou said.
"Are you sure, I can-"
"No, it's fine, I'll cook," Shirou quickly responded, remembering the disastrous experience he previously had with Kiritsugu in the kitchen.
"Oh, we're having a homecooked meal instead of takeout?" Reikan said while entering the dining room.
"Where are the other two, Ryuudou-kun?"
"Taiga and Otoko are hitting the showers, they'll be here soon. Ah, want some help, Shirou-kun?"
"Sure, I'll be in your care."
Shirou cooked up whatever was in the barren fridge, just a few eggs, onions, butter. A dinner omelette was definitely not common, but it will have to suffice. Of course, no Japanese dinner would be complete without rice, which there was still an unopened bag of. Reikan took care of the rice cooker and Shirou handled the omelettes. Meanwhile, Kiritsugu and Rin sat in the dining room.
"Does Shirou have experience in the kitchen?" Kiritsugu asked Rin.
"Yes, he does, his cooking is quite good. I'm surprised he can still do it even after losing his memory."
"Well then, I'm looking forward to it."
"So, when are we starting school, Kiritsugu-san?" Rin asked.
"You already want to go? Well, you can start at Homurahara Elementary next week. You can stay there until high school if you want."
"But I assume Homurahara doesn't have a hero course."
"Naturally, all of the big names are in Tokyo. May I ask you a question, I understand why Shirou wants to be a pro hero, but what is your reason, Rin?"
"...Because wherever he goes, I will follow. I will support him to the bitter end and make sure he doesn't get himself killed. He's an irrational idiot that prioritizes the safety of others, never sparing a thought for himself."
"That's quite the... interesting observation for a seven-year-old, don't you think?" Kiritsugu commented.
"I'm a genius, Kiritsugu-san. You can't compare me to those my age,"
"I don't think you can chalk it all up to just genius."
"Then the only other explanation I can give you is that I have memories from a previous life," Rin said. "Say Kiritsugu-san, from this conversation I can tell you carry yourself as a mundane old man, if not a one that's a little tired. But why are your eyes so... dead?"
"...I'll take you on your word, maybe you do have memories from a previous life," Kiritsugu said, dodging the question.
Rin didn't pursue further. Everyone has secrets or things they don't like to talk about, no mage would be unaware of this fact.
"What's that smell, eggs?" Taiga rushed into the dining room, still drying her hair with a towel.
"Ohoh, Reikan's cooking, that's a rare sight," Otoko said, coming from right behind Taiga.
"C'mon guys, I used to cook a lot in Ryuudou-Ji you know, I at least know how to handle a rice cooker and chop onions."
"The food is almost ready, Reikan-san, can you get the plates?" Shirou said.
"On it!"
The household of six finally sat down around the table, with the usual 'itadakimasu', they all dug into the omelettes and rice Shirou made.
"Wow, this is really good for something this simple," Otoko complimented, "It's almost on par with Lunch Rush."
"Considering the ingredients, I'd say he could exceed Lunch Rush if he had some quality stuff to work with," Reikan added.
"Shirou, when I take over this agency, your gonna be my personal chef okay!"
Shirou would have loved for the moment to never fade, but of course, his path wouldn't allow that. He has chosen a long time ago, whether that dream was a counterfeit or not, that he would become a hero of justice.
Thanks for reading, this is my first fanfic on this site so I'm kinda just learning how to use the tools as I go along. I've done a couple of one shots before on Wattpad, but they're... not the best. Hopefully I can improve my writing through this fic.
I don't know how often I will be updating this. To be honest, I don't think I should be writing at all, seeing as it's almost exam season.
Anyway, I'll see you next chapter, whenever that'll be.