Disclaimer: I do not own My Hero Academia or Fate/Stay Night

...

All Might knew that he didn't have much time left in his muscular form and given the extensive damage that he had taken from this battle, he sincerely doubted that he would be able to maintain this form for large amounts of time at all anymore. Fifteen minutes maybe if he was lucky. Regardless, he needed to utilise the time he still had to ask a question of his compatriot in battle.

He raised his arm in victory, the arrow that had been lodged in it having already dissipated into nothing, well aware that the cameras were still on him. He couldn't stick around long however, knowing that every second mattered right now. He dawdled long enough for his point to get across and for the authorities to restrain All For One before he leapt away. In doing so he knew that he had likely infuriated the nearby reporters who wanted him to give an interview for however many hundreds of thousands of people had been watching. Were he to stick around and find himself reverting back into his normal form, that could have disastrous consequences.

It wasn't difficult to judge where his assistance had been launching their attacks from. The direction they had been sent in and the destruction surrounding where the battle had taken place meant that the archer had been firing from atop the building which had withstood All For One's initial attack. The question of how the towering construct had survived in the first place was for another time. There were more important things to ask first.

A bounding leap sent All Might rocketing up the length of the building before he landed safely on the roof where Shirou was waiting, his bow still in his hand and his eyes locked on the battlefield. Or more precisely his gaze had not yet left the unconscious form of All For One, watching intently as he was being handled by the nearby forces.

"Why'd you stop me from killing him?" asked Shirou, not bothering to look at All Might.

"Why'd you try to kill him in the first place?" retorted All Might, a scowl on his face. He felt that the coldness of Shirou's initial question gave him many of the answers he was already seeking. Shirou had intended to end All For One once and for all and would have done so had he not stepped in the way that he had.

"It was the safest option I saw," said Shirou unflinchingly.

"You were prepared to murder a man because you believed that it was the best course of action," clarified All Might, taking a few moments to get his thoughts together. Again, the coldness and the casual tone Shirou had made his statement in was unsettling. Here was a boy who had been willing and prepared to take a life, while the world was watching no less. He had been prepared for the consequences that such an action would have brought upon him.

"He gave no care for the lives of innocents, even utilizing them against you," stated Shirou, having been able to watch the entire thing unfold from his position. "If he gets out, would your conscience be able to bear the weight of how many people would die because you were too soft."

"He will never get out," declared All Might boldly.

"You can guarantee that now can you?" said Shirou as he turned to face All Might, All For One having been locked away for the time being. "You can guarantee that nobody in the world would perhaps wish to break into whatever prison he is sent to and set him free? Last I checked he had a whole crew of people serving him who would probably be more than happy to storm any facility in the hopes of getting their leader back."

All Might couldn't help but flinch lightly at that. He wanted to say that it was an impossibility but in actuality there was no way he could predict what the future would deliver. It was at this moment he was reminded that he wasn't simply chatting with an ordinary teenager who would hear his words and feel confidence resonate within them.

Shirou Emiya had seen things and utilized a power that wasn't a quirk. His background remained something of a mystery but there was one thing that both he and the rest of the U.A staff were aware of. Shirou, and most likely his companion Rin, had experienced things which no child their age should ever go through.

"Tell me Shirou. Why were you so prepared to stain your hands? The taking of a life is a serious issue which shouldn't be taken lightly."

"Which part of this do you believe I have taken lightly?" said Shirou as he allowed his bow to fade into nothing. "Had you killed him during the heat of battle, you would still be heralded a hero. If I had killed him after he was unable to defend himself, I would be called a murderer. The result would have been the same and there would have only been a handful of seconds between one of us being in the right and one of us being in the wrong. The difference however is that you wouldn't allow yourself to do something which will be seen as a villainous act."

"The people need to..."

"The people need to know that they are safe because somebody isn't going to half ass their attempts at keeping them safe," interrupted Shirou. "Speak of all your moral high grounds if you want but the fact of the matter is we're not good people. You wish to save someone but the crux of the matter is that if someone needs saving, they are in trouble. In this society, children dream of saving the day. They dream that they will save hundreds if not thousands of people. Those children willingly dream that thousands of people are in trouble and are in suffering until they come in to rescue them."

"There will always be trouble in the world," stated All Might.

"On that, we can agree," said Shirou. "Just remember this though, as great as you are, you are not without failure. People will die, there is no greater certainty in life. If you tell the world that you will save everyone, then you have to back it up and save everyone. Can you do it, can you truly wish for humanity itself to be in so much trouble that you are forced to save everyone?"

Shirou didn't wait for an answer, taking a step off the side of the building and vanishing from view. All Might took a quick step to look over the edge only to see Shirou had crafted a sword and had pierced it into the side of the building to slow his momentum down to what could be considered a steady pace.

In a blast of smoke, All Might reverted from his muscular form into the barely recognizable husk of a character he knew would dominate so much more of his life. All Might took a moment to rub at his eyes as he considered everything that Shirou had said. Not only that, but he took note of how Shirou had said everything that he had. While his words held great meaning, the tone in which he had spoken said something even greater.

The conclusion that he came to was that, at some point, Shirou had been unable to save someone. Perhaps when he had had the chance to save someone it meant ending the life of another. He could speculate until the break of day but there was one thing that he was certain of.

Had Shirou successfully taken the life of All For One, it would not have been the first life he had claimed.

...

While many would have thought that Shirou would have left the area after the heat of battle, he opted against it. First and foremost was because there were far too many professional heroes present helping with clean up duties and ensuring the safety of everyone. Were one of them to find him it would be difficult to talk his way out of what could very quickly become an awkward situation if they asked the wrong questions.

So instead, he sought solace in the most secure place he could imagine. Rin's workshop.

Placing his hand on the door handle, he immediately felt a wave of compulsion wash over him. The first of what he could assume were multiple hazards that Rin had planted throughout the building to assure that nobody unwanted stepped foot within her territory. Shioru could tell from the strength of it that only those with the highest mental fortitude would be capable of making it past this point. Considering how many years they had spent together though, it felt more like a comforting warmth as opposed to something trying to force him away.

Stepping through the doorway, Shirou could smell the scent of old blood in the air. It had been cleared at some point but the job had either been done hastily or by someone who simply didn't care. Given the fact that it was on the bottom floor and Rin likely occupied the highest point of the building, it could be either.

Still though, there was a sense of familiarity about this place and Shirou knew that was because, while he hadn't personally been here, Rin had made it her own. That was something that he could feel to his core.

...

Bakugo sat in the comfort of his room atop his bed, the darkness of the night well and truly enveloping the sky outside. It had not taken them long to escape from the chaos that was the mob watching the television and after having secured passage back home they had done so immediately.

The ride had been a touch unnerving, none of his shitty ass friends really saying much as they headed towards salvation. He could understand though that it was difficult for them to comprehend the difference in the battles they had been in thus far and the collateral damage done by the strongest out there. The level was something he could only dream of...at least for the moment.

Still, the looks on the faces of those who had saved him hadn't been cheerful or happy in the fact that they had successfully pulled him out of the battle and away from harm. There was a level of concentration as they kept an eye on any and every possible danger within the train, as if there was still a chance that they would be ambushed. Given the fact that the crappy League of weak ass Villains had gotten away, there was a chance however little it was.

Deku, of course, was the one he was focused on the most. Even if he was still a pebble, he had grown rather sharp around the edges. Trying to rush forward over him would only result in injuring himself and hampering his progress, as loathe as he was to admit it. The climb to the top had become far more treacherous if even those aiming for the same goal were prepared to claw their way there, however hazardous the journey.

Still, even if the chance of them being attacked on the way home had been miniscule, Deku had not relaxed until they had arrived back in Musutafu and even then he had still been on edge to a degree. The person who he had thought had been freaking quirkless for so long was prepared for any assault and ready to spring into action. It was disturbing to see how much had changed so quickly.

At the rate they were going, it was possible that he would be overtaken, however difficult that was to comprehend. His largest handicap however was several questions that had been on his mind for what felt like far longer than they actually had been. They all unfortunately revolved around what a hero truly was and when he figured that one out, maybe he could work out just what hero he would become.

Once upon a time they had been simple to answer.

Now however...

...

"When I realized someone was here I should have figured it was you," said Rin, not even bothering to greet the person sitting on her couch. Hearing Rin communicate with someone, Stain had to restrain himself from leaping into action. To break into the stronghold that was their base without suffering any sort of consequence spoke volumes of their capability. To see it was only the boy whom he had encountered on one of his errands for Rin made him visibly relax, but still be moderately wary.

He didn't like that people could come and go as they pleased.

"Good to see you as well," said Shirou, watching Rin move across the room. "Any trouble getting through the hoard of people at the door?"

"Please, as if that would be an issue," said Rin waving off the topic.

"Of course, why would it be," said Shirou knowing full well that if Rin didn't wish to be spotted walking through her front door then nobody would have seen her enter the building.

"I can tell in your eyes that you're not here for a social call," said Rin as she plopped herself down on the chair opposite Shirou. "What did you get yourself into this time?"

"It's not what I got myself into, but it's rather who I fought," started Shirou, only to be interrupted.

"A Heroic Spirit," stated Rin, taking an educated guess given her recent experiences in the last few days.

"I take it you fought one as well," said Shirou, eyes focused.

"Rider," said Rin.

"Lucky, I got Saber."

There was a sharp intake of breath as Rin quickly concluded just what that meant. "Did you beat her?" she asked.

Shirou gave a small shake of his head.

"If you don't mind, I feel a little out of the loop here," said Stain, leaning against the wall with his arms crossed. While it didn't feel like a conversation he was meant to be a part of, given the strength he had witnessed in the battle between Rider and Rin any information was good information. "Heroic Spirits, Rider, Saber? Can I get some context here?"

"It's nothing you need to worry about," said Rin offhandedly, flicking her wrist at him as if trying to shoo him out the room.

Thankfully, Shirou was more than willing to offer some details. "Heroic Spirits are heroes of old. Men and women whose incredible deeds are etched into history," he said, opting not to go into the whole summoning part of how these heroes found themselves in the material world. Describing the Holy Grail War itself would take far too much time.

"You've encountered them before, otherwise you wouldn't know them as Rider or Saber or whatever," stated Stain.

"That was their title they were known by," said Shirou.

"So who were they really?"

"Well, one of them was Hercules."

Understandably, Stain was more than a little shocked by this announcement. "Hercules..." he repeated slowly. "The Greek God Hercules."

"Demi-God but yeah," said Shirou, feeling like that point was important enough to clarify.

"And you survived in a battle against a Demi-God?"

"Yeah, yeah, we survived," said Rin cutting in, wanting to get to the crux of the matter. "When I defeated Rider, her body returned to that of a normal person, meaning that somebody or something was using her as a vessel to bring forth a Heroic Spirit. Since you were unable to defeat Saber, we can't confirm if it was the same in her circumstance though we can assume it to be so."

"The question is why now? We've been here for quite some time now," said Shirou.

"Well, what were you doing before you were attacked?" asked Rin.

"Channelling my mana, trying to increase my level of reinforcement," said Shirou. "What about yourself?"

"You did so outside of the school didn't you," declared Rin, ignoring Shirou's question. "Outside of the runes we placed around the boundary of the academy."

"Runes?" asked Stain, feeling like this was another thing that he should be aware of.

"These runes prevent our magecraft being felt by anything outside the boundary we set up," explained Shirou, giving the very smallest of details he could with the knowledge that Rin would want the conversation to continue.

"So, these Heroic Spirits can't sense you when you're inside these runes but are actively trying to hunt you down when you leave them," said Stain, feeling like he was starting to get the gist of what was being discussed.

"Theoretically, but for them to only have attacked us now would mean that something or someone has become aware of our presence," said Shirou. "I sincerely doubt that we'd be attacked down the street if we're not using our magecraft and signalling our status for whatever it is that is trying to track us. Likewise, if we're only using minimal amounts then it is unlikely that we will be detected."

"It's better though if we try to keep it to as little as possible," said Rin. "It is highly possible that now that they are aware of our presence and that it has become easier to track us down."

"And these aren't exactly theories that you can test without precautions," said Stain.

"Precisely, hence it would be far better for us to limit ourselves out in public," said Rin, glaring daggers at Shirou. Shirou of course knew what the look meant. If what they were discussing was on point, then were he to go around the streets at night utilizing his Tracing it would be very possible to bring forth another Servant and that could have disastrous consequences.

"Understood," said Shirou. "Only in extreme circumstances."

"If I find out that you've done something stupid then Heroic Spirits will be the least of your worries," threated Rin.

"Still, that doesn't explain why they're attacking you in the first place," said Stain. "Why you two?"

"Well," said Shirou, lacing his fingers together as his elbows rested on his knees. "You've heard me say the word magecraft on more than one occasion and haven't questioned it, hence you are aware that our power is unlike the quirks of everybody else in this world. Hypothetically, we are being targeted for that reason."

"I don't think it's hypothetical, I think it's all but confirmed," said Rin.

"So, if that is the case, what almighty being did you piss off?" asked Stain.

"The planet probably," said Shirou.

Stain waited several seconds for Rin to scold Shirou for having given such an answer given the seriousness of the discussion. When none was given, he couldn't help but raise his forefinger and thumb and rub at his eyes. "You're kidding me."

"While it is not outside the realm of possibility, I would much rather simply try my best not to figure out who it is trying to kill us," said Rin. "Chances are that I may not get such an easy opponent next time."

"Rider was an easy opponent," said Stain, shaking his head lightly before pushing himself off the wall. "I'm going to put the kettle on."

Honestly, it was better doing that than continuing to listen to whatever was to come next.

"I'm going to need you to come back with me to U.A," said Shirou. "I need to tell them why I won't be able to fight outside the school anymore and it'd be better to show them."

"You are aware of what you're asking me," said Rin.

"I've already told the faculty about how I don't have a quirk."

"Of course," said Rin. "We'll do it tomorrow then. Better to get it over and done with."

Shirou simply nodded. There were going to be far too many questions were he to simply talk about the situation, hence showing them the danger that they would all be in would be far more effective. They may have been the professional heroes of this world but that didn't mean they were capable of defeating any of the Servants of the Holy Grail War.

Let alone any Heroic Spirit that awaited upon the Throne of Heroes.

...

Being the veteran that he was, Aizawa didn't appreciate the fact that Shirou had yet to return to the academy. It spoke of far too many forebodings to come.

All Might had explained to them both the condition he was in and the fact that Shirou, despite the fact he was heavily injured and should have been comatose in a hospital bed, had assisted him in his battle against All For One. To hear that the number one Professional Hero could only maintain his form for a handful of minutes was devastating news but he was wise to not share it to the broader community as of yet. As far as the students and the general populace knew, he was recovering from injuries sustained throughout the battle.

It was a story that would hold until they figured out what the best course of action was.

Hearing from the top hero how Shirou had actively tried to end the life of All For One was not what anybody had wanted to hear. At the same time however, Aizawa could not fault him for trying to do so, as shamed as he was to admit it. Shirou had seen the man for the threat that he was and had acted how he believed he should have acted. The teenager wasn't like any other in the academy and didn't hold the same values that the rest of the student body.

Unfortunately, this made it incredibly difficult to judge how best to deal with the student known as Shirou Emiya. He had been willing to do the right thing by society even if the world hated him for it. Having spent as much time with him as he had, Aizawa knew that even if the world turned their back on him for trying to kill a defenceless villain, he wouldn't care. Even if they praised his name he wouldn't listen. All that mattered was the goal in front of him.

Rubbing at his eyes, he couldn't help but focus on the students that had also been at the battlefield during the intense conflict. They had been there to rescue Bakugo and it was difficult to figure out whether or not they would have been there if it hadn't been for Shirou's influence. To hear that the entire class had wished to partake and only a handful had gone after careful selection was both inspiring yet devastating.

To hear that teenagers that had just begun to find their feet had been ready and willing to walk into dangerous territory was unsettling. A couple he could understand, however much he hated it. To hear however that even those who had had little interaction with the explosive student were willing to risk their lives for their comrade was both the pinnacle of heroism and stupidity. How in the world could they think that with what little experience they had alongside courage alone would be enough to face experienced villains? The skirmishes they had been in thus far were mere tastes of what the world had to offer and everything had the potential to go catastrophically wrong at a moment's notice.

It wasn't that they didn't understand that either, many of their classes revolved around knowing what they were and were not capable of handling. Now however, it seemed as if all of them would be willing to throw themselves into the pits of hell in order to achieve their objective.

Aizawa rubbed at his eyes with his forefinger and thumb, trying to figure out just how this had happened under his watch. The thought of expelling the entirety of his class came to mind and by all means it wouldn't be the first time he had done so. However he had the feeling that it would only serve to create a wave of vigilantes into the community which was not what the world needed right now.

The principal's suggestion of the dorms was a step in the right direction, or at least the theoretical right direction. Some teenage shenanigans would probably do in order to prevent them from turning into soldiers outright. He just hoped that they still remembered how to be kids.

"Aizawa!" barked Vlad King, the homeroom teacher for 1-B.

"What is it?" asked Aizawa.

"Shirou's at the front gate," he declared. "He's got his friend with him as well."

Aizawa nodded in understanding as he braced himself for the upcoming confrontation. He simply hoped that it didn't end in violence because at this moment in time, it was difficult to say who would walk away victorious.

...

Hope you enjoyed.

I hadn't particularly thought about posting another chapter this year until I saw that I had done 38 chapters thus far and thought to myself, 40 by year's end sounds good. So here it is and there will be one more before the end of the year, provided everything goes smoothly. Catch ya next time.