A Piece of Salvation

by The Dark Imperial

A man with nothing to lose. A man with everything to gain. And another, only sought to protect what little he has left. In a decaying world where everyone is out for themselves these three individuals survive for a singular goal. Their own piece of salvation. Content rated M for explicit, violent and highly offensive themes/words. You have been warned.

3. Chapter 3

Note: This is one of the three parts of the prologue. The others have been uploaded at the same time to make it a bit easier to get into the main story. They're also published in the single category of each respective franchises in FFN to act as something of an advertisement for the main crossover story.

Hello everybody and welcome to the third and final of the three parted prologue of this wonderfully messy little story. Many of you may have come from my other work known as "As Expected He Was More Warped Than Most" the rest are likely those who randomly stumbled upon this story hoping to find a harem story where character A chases his ideals while collecting women like pokemon, as is in most harem based stories... Okay, Okay... The harem part was mostly a joke but on the off chance that's what you're here for then I'll have to disappoint you by letting you know now that there will be little to no romance in this story, let alone a harem. There could be some... a lot of bromance though... :P

In any case, I realize the summary may not have been much in terms of summarizing the plot so I'll give you the proper explanation here and now.

"A three-way crossover between AU Oregairu, ReZero and Fate/Stay Night MCs surviving in a post-apocalyptic world of nuclear war, similar to the world of Metro 2033" (A novel written by Dmitry Glukhovsky which later was made into video games, I highly recommend playing them if you can)

It's short and super simplified but there are no better ways to explain than this.

Those that came from my other story out of curiosity already know this but those that're new here don't know this so I'll be explaining this on the progue chapters:

I used to write more a long time ago but lost the passion for it, leading me to stop writing altogether for a couple of years. So my skills are rusty, if not abhorrently so. Until recently that was the case but now I feel a bit different towards it so I'm back with this. Due to some unfortunate irl circumstances it's difficult for me to keep up with a proper update schedule but I will do what I can to update at least once a month(with the length varying on the plot and time). A couple of months ago a couple of my E-mails almost got hacked, one of said E-mails being the one that's linked to this exact FFN account. I was also nearly blackmailed so there's a small possibility of this account completely disappearing.

That's... That's about it, I won't bore you with any more extra details.

(Disclaimer: I own none of these franchises or anything related to them in the slightest sense. This Disclaimer will also be mentioned only in the prologue chapters and no more afterwards)

(Notice: This is also the last time there will be any ANs. Any and all future chapters will directly lead to and end with the story. Meaning if the story abruptly sees no updates for multiple moths there is a good chance the story is abandoned or I've lost interest once more.)

(IMPORTANT Notice: This Story is rated 'M' for cursing, mature and incredibly offensive themes+words. You have been warned.)

"Talking"

'Thinking'

Emphasis / Flashbacks

"YELLING"

"Radio / Television / Transmission / Text"

*Noises*

"Different Languages"

*Monster Sounds/Noises*

-A Piece of Salvation - Prologue: Shirou Emiya-

"OUT OF THE GOD DAMN WAY!"

*WEEEEOOOWEEEOOO*

"Ahahaha..." An orangish-red haired man chuckled nervously as he clung onto the safety handle of the vehicle. "That guy wasn't even in our way Giroro-senpai..."

"You don't get it rookie. Pedestrians tend to not watch for shit these days. Especially the ones that aren't even from here." the man on the steering wheel replied. "The first thing they do when they see a big ass fire truck is stare at the pretty sirens. Never mind the hulking mass of steel rushing to them at 50+ kilometers an hour." Wearing a fireman uniform much like the young man on the passenger seat, Giroro replied. "Inform command. We're almost there."

He nodded before picking up the radio and calling in. "Fire Service Unit 004 approaching destination ETA 02 minutes." Receiving confirmation about his radio call he turned it off. "I'll signal Dororo-Senpai." Sticking his hand out of the window for a moment, the young man signaled their cohort riding at the back of the truck with a thumbs up. Noticing a thumbs up from the rear view mirror he retracted his hand into the truck. "You'd think with how things are around the world people would try to be a bit more cautious for accidents." Shirou Emiya, age 25, sighed.

"Can't be helped." Giroro grumbled. "It's simpler for them to go about their usual lives and act as if nothing's wrong. Ultimately the thought process of the general publuc will always be stuck at if it's not happening to me then it's not my problem. A mentally for the weak that would rather swim in their fantasies of false security than risk the dangers of pain and death for a better future." The truck came to a halt right outside an eight story building. A building that had smoke and fire coming out of it's fourth to sixth floors.

The pair of firemen burst into action, with their third at the back doing the same. Giroro went ahead to the police officer who had gotten here earlier to get a better scope of the situation while Shirou rushed to the fire hydrant and began prepping it for the hose. The moment he was done, Dororo handed him the bottom end of the hose. The whole process took less than thirty seconds to complete. Giroro finished talking with the police officer and debriefed his fellow fire fighters.

"The building has been evacuated safely, the fire escape is still intact." the dark reddish haired man told them. "Backup is arriving soon. Let's get this done so we can go back to base."

*BSSSSSSSZZZZZSSSS*

Water gushed out of the hose at full force, reaching the fourth floor. Dororo did what he could but the water simply couldn't reach higher. Wordlessly Giroro rushed to the ladder while Shirou rushed to the controls in the driver's seat. "Giroro-senpai!"

"READY!"

Shirou controlled the ladder, pushing it upwards so Giroro would be closer to the higher floors. The water source was in the truck itself so this one didn't require external sources. Now, with the help of Giroro the fires began to weaken. Shirou moved the ladder according to Giroro's commands. Suddenly, something from the side caught his eye. Inside an ambulance was... A paramedic? No the person had an oxygen mask on their face and wore civilian clothing. Clearly someone that escaped the building. But there was something strange about the man, he was reaching for the building. Or at least, struggled to reach for it. Glancing up at Giroro who was attempting to put out a particularly large fire then at Dororo who seemed to be finished putting out a smaller one, Shirou came to a decision. "Dororo-senpai! Take over the controls for the ladder!"

"Wha- Emiya-kun stop!" Dororo tried to stop the younger man but was too far to do anything as Shirou jumped out of the truck and ran over to one of the ambulances. Dororo finished dousing his current target before covering for the younger man. "Damn it." Without him on another hose it would take longer. Even with the additional help that was undoubtedly coming to them at this very moment.

"Stop!" Shirou cried out at the ambulance about to close its door. "Stop!" The paramedic paused and watched in confusion as Shirou ran towards them. "Wait." He told the man before entering the vehicle. "You. You were reaching for the building. Why?" He asked the wounded man who grabbed onto his shirt. "Why isn't he speaking?" Shirou asked as the man on the bed only replied in gargled noises.

"He inhaled too much smoke. There are signs of swelling and he's already vomited twice. Please exit the ambulance so we can take him to the hospital sir." the paramedic attempted to push Shirou out but Shirou resisted. "Please he needs immediate medical care."

"Just one minute. That's all I ask." Shirou didn't even wait for the reply before putting his hand under the patient's upper back and raising him slightly. The injured man, barely clinging onto consciousness raised his hand and pointed at the burning building. "The building? Is someone in there?" His question yielded no worded response. But what came out of the man's burnt throat was likely doing more harm than anything. "Don't try to speak. Just nod. Or even Blink if you can. Once for yes and twice for no."

The man nodded in return, finger still pointed at the building but with much less strength. Shirou turned his eyes to the building and asked the most obvious question. "What floor, sir? Fourth? Fifth?" He received no reply. Upon returning his gaze to the man in his arms, Shirou realized it was too late. He had already lost consciousness. He cursed under his breath and allowed the ambulance to return to its origin. Without realizing his, his legs already began moving towards the building while His hand reached for the radio to alert his companions of his findings. "Just found intel on someone still inside the building, exact location is still unknown. I'm going in though the fire escape. Inform Control."

"?!" Dororo looked shocked and was about to stop him had it not been for Giroro commanding him otherwise.

"It's too late to stop him, move me closer to the fire escape!" Giroro shouted. "KID! KEEP GOING! WE'LL COVER YOU." Upon spotting a quick thumbs up from Shirou, Giroro began clearing a path for the young man. The fire was still visible somewhat, one could only assume the best at this point. Giroro tried his best to aim near Shirou in an attempt to soak his body without hurting him and was relatively successful. Still, as he witnessed Shirou enter through the fourth floor's fire escape door, he couldn't help but mutter. "Should've guessed you'd do something this reckless..." He clicked under his tongue, remembering how he accepted the young man into his Brigade despite being told of his reckless streak by other Brigade Captains. 'Where the hell is that fucking backup...' Hopefully they would get here before something worse happens.

Shirou Emiya was, on many accounts, a strange man. He liked to cook. He liked to clean. He even liked to go to the gym on leg day... and actually train his legs. Of course that also meant there were things he didn't like. There were certainly many. And among them all, some specific things stood out. To put it bluntly.

Shirou Emiya did not like seeing other people suffer. It seemed like something no one else would like either but it did lead to the other thing he didn't like. And that was-

-being idle while someone suffered in front of him.

Some would call it stupid and reckless. Others would call it admirable. He himself would call it the right thing to do. He wasn't stupid, he had realized long ago that he couldn't save everyone. He was just one man. He held no power to move mountains nor the wisdom and charisma to steer the masses. But still...

... "Leave it to me. I'll fulfill that dream of yours."

Smoke entered his lungs through the wet cloth and mask draped on his face. He looked around through his protective goggles for the last person trapped within this hellish inferno. He didn't know where his target was and there was too much ground to cover. He could already feel the heat through his suit but that was something he had trained for at the academy. He went deeper into the fourth floor, eyes searching for the unlucky soul stuck here. His hand went to his phone to play a recording in full volume.

"My name is Shirou Emiya and I am here to help. If anyone is hearing this, call out. I'm here to save you."

The words echoed among the sound of embers flickering and objects burning. This wasn't how this were normally done and he would surely be reprimanded for causing such a problem for everyone else in the brigade. But Shirou found himself uncaring of such a thing. Even if he lost his job, even if he lost his limb. If he could save someone in turn. A single person even. Then it would all be worth it. He clicked his tongue at the lack of response from any living being. 'I have to go up.' The fourth floor was a bust, he needed to head up to the fifth to continue his search. Turning his head around, he realized the staircase had to have been barely ten meters away and just around the corner. But there were a couple of obstacles in his way. And going back to the fire escape would take too long. Unfortunately, the water couldn't reach him because he was too deep inside. Meaning only one thing. He had to push pass this rubble.

'Damn...' He cursed in his mind, hand reaching back to grab his pick headed axe. It was smaller than the conventional one used by other firefighters, used for mobility and swiftness rather than raw power. He jumped over the table standing between him and the door by using a burnt chair as leverage. Turning the corner, much to his relief, he noticed the staircase close by. Ducking under a collapsed wooden door Shirou shielded his visor from the dust and ash floating in front of him. He reached for the door handle to the staircase and attempted to turn it but to no use as it was locked. Without hesitation he raised his pick headed axe and jammed its backend near the lock. A couple of more strikes weakened the door somewhat, but ironically what helped the most was the fire threatening to choke him to death by burning the wood and turning it brittle. His radio buzzed, indicating that someone was attempting to contact him.

"Emiya-kun. This is Dororo, what's your status?" Dororo's voice floated in, followed by the familiar static of the radio.

"No signs of life on the fourth floor. Heading up to the fifth." Shirou replied while raising his feet and kicking the door in an attempt to break it. "My clothes are already dried up, Tell Giroro-senpai to be ready to water me down if he see's me through the windows."

"Understood." Dororo responded. "Our backup has arrived. We'll have a safety net ready just in case. Be careful up there Emiya-kun."

"Copy." Shirou replied back. One final kick caused the door to break off from the lock. He grimaced, not from the splintering wood but from the higher difficulty of breathing. The heat was also nothing to scoff at. Even with a lot of the fire doused he felt no different than being inside an oven. Climbing up the stairs Shirou suddenly found himself clinging onto the railing as water gushed in from the window next to the staircase. He protected his ears and phone from the water, the rest of his body and his radio had no need for such countermeasures. Once the water stopped he began climbing up again. Fortunately the door to the fifth floor rooms seemed to be open. Unfortunately that was far from a good sign. If his target was here that only meant two things. Either the remaining survivor was trapped...

Or he was dead.

The recording played again. But it's voice was far more muffled than before. The fire was more intense, no doubt causing sensory overload over time for anyone trapped in here. "Is anyone here!?" He yelled as loud as he could. Without waiting for a response he dashed forward and began checking any and every room he could. "Hello?!" He dodged a wooden shelf that was about to crush him. A beam stood in his way, one he quickly hacked into two using his axe. Brittle wood broke easy, especially if they were reduced to charcoal or were still in flame. "I'm with the fire department!" He continued moving to the next room. 'WAIT!' His mind screamed at his body. 'What is that noise?' Didn't sound like a burning object. Nor did it sound like a crackling fire. It was too fluid, like running water. He wasted no breath and began searching for it. 'Water... Water...' The sink was filled with dirty plates but the water was turned off. The toilet? Door opened and no one inside. 'Bathroom.' He turned a corner and spotted a door. "Is anyone in there?!" He received no answer but upon nearing the bathroom he felt something under his shoes, looking down he noticed water seeping out. Reaching for the knob he gave it a twist. It opened without much resistance. Swinging it open Shirou was met with steam. Not fire. Not smoke. But steam. His visor fogged up instantly causing his vision to blur temporarily. "Hello?" He took a step forward while attempting to clean his visor and nearly tripped. Latching onto the wall before he could completely lose his footing Shirou peered down. Next to his feet was an elderly man. Easily around his seventies. Unmoving. He knelt down next to the old man and flipped him. A sigh of relief escaped him as he felt a weak pulse on the old man. He turned the radio on to call it in. "Found him. Male, late sixties to mid seventies. Unconscious but breathing. No visible injuries. Possibilities of a stroke. See if you can do something about the fires on the fifth floor. Left side rooms." Heat from above and below and a running sink faucet. 'The heat must have caused him to faint.' The water turning to vapor from the heat probably didn't help at all.

"Copy that." That was Giroro. Shirou could only assume he and Dororo switched positions for their own reasons. He picked the elderly man up and placed him on the edge of the bathtub to use as leverage before pulling him onto his shoulder. Bridal carry would be most optimal but he needed a free hand in case his axe or radio needed to be used.

'Window.' Shirou thought. 'They should have the safety net ready by now.' An assumption perhaps, but judging by the old man's condition it was unlikely he'd be able to survive the heat and smoke. 'Of all the times to forget my Apparatus.' The SCBA was something of an air filter that allowed the user to breath easier in environments like this. It wasn't as effective as a gas mask as it didn't have an independent source of oxygen but it was still better than nothing. 'The Bedroom is nearby.' Bedrooms generally have large windows. And the rest of the firefighters should already be in the middle of dousing the flames of this room. His goal was clear and his body was able. He moved slower, the added weight caused him to wobble a bit. But this was also one of the many things firefighters were trained for.

The sound of gushing water reached his ears as he opened the door to the bedroom. 'Must have been empty when the fire started.' If that was the case for some of the other apartment rooms then no wonder it was taking so long to douse these flames. 'Hopefully the upper floors are unharmed.' He reached for his radio with his free hand. "I'm near the window, stop the water flow." Instantly, the water stopped coming in from the window. He approached steadily and placed the old man down on the bed next to the window before taking off his mask. Peering out of the window, Shirou looked down at the numerous men and women in various uniforms out there. He signaled them to move the safety net in accordance to his position. He turned from the window just a bit to check on the old man's condition. 'His pulse is low...'

"Shirou, come in." That was Giroro. "The net is in position. Wait for my signal."

"Understood." Shirou responded back before picking up the old man in a bridal carry. "Ready." He didn't need to be on the ground to see people tensing up.

"3..."

"2..."

"1..."

"NOW!"

A leap of faith. A gust of wind. And a heart racing at an unhealthily high rate. Shirou clung onto the old man as hard as he could with his body below the old man's so that if they missed their mark then at least his body would take the brunt of the impact. Even if it ended up killing Shirou in the process.

"When I was little, I wanted to be a Hero of Justice." A beautiful moon in the sky. A lukewarm smile on a tired face.

Shirou Emiya was a strange man. Some would call him irrational and reckless. Others would call him insane or maddening. But in reality? He liked to believe that he was just a guy trying to keep a promise.

*TTTHRUUMP! BOOINNNNG!*

He fell on the net with about 5 feet off the center. Causing the people who held it reposition themselves a little. A couple of more bounces and before he knew it he and the old man in his arms were laying cozily on the safety net. A sigh of relief escaped his lips as his heart rate slowly stabilized. A few paramedics arrived with a stretcher. Two of them quickly took the old man from him and placed him on one stretcher while another began checking him for signs of injury. Shirou glanced at the ambulance speeding away with the old man inside it and sighed in relief. All the tension left his body and fatigue hit like a truck. Had it not been for a gloved hand suddenly latching onto the back of his uniform, he surely would have fallen to his knees then and there.

"Kid, your reckless abandonment of code and conduct in dire situations is gonna get you killed one of these days." a gruff voice from behind called out with a huff. "Even if you ended up saving a life, this is still gonna be getting me hell from the higher ups. Not to mention the wretched paperwork."

"Ahaha." Shirou chuckled while scratching his cheek sheepishly. "Sorry, Giroro-senpai." He didn't bother giving any excuse. Knowing it would only get him into more trouble. Better to take the scolding now then another lecture later. He thanked the paramedic for checking up on him before noticing the third member of their squad approaching them.

"In any case, Emiya-kun. Good job up there." Dororo appeared before them. "It's good to see you unharmed even after that."

"Hmph." Giroro grunted, letting go of Shirou when he realized Shirou could stand proper on his own again. "He better be. Or that wife of his would tear us a new one." He shuddered, imagining the terrifying image of one of the few people he feared. The woman made him feel as if he was a little frog underneath the paw of a bobcat. A strange analogy yes. But it certainly fits more than say, a tiger perhaps?

"Now you're just being over dramatic senpai..." Shirou came to the defense of his wife.

"I'm sure he's just joking." the blue haired man laughed. "Let's get back to the station. The cops can handle the rest." With the sun beginning it's descent in the distance, the trio of firefighters began making their way back to their truck. Everyday weren't as hectic for those in their line of work but those that were certainly had a habit of taking everything out of them.

They entered the vehicle, this time with everyone sitting inside. Giroro drove, as was one of his few rules. The man rarely let anyone else ever touch the wheel. Dororo sat in the center, hands crossed in front of him as he leaned back and rested his eyes. Shirou kept next to the window seat, leaning against the glass panel while observing the outside scenery. His muscles ached from all the abuse and his lungs felt a little sore from some of the smoke he likely inhaled during the rescue. Still, he felt a small smile form on his face as he recalled saving the old man from certain death.

"I wonder what Keroro-kun is up to these days..."

Shirou heard Dororo mutter from beside him. He had heard that name from his comrades before. From what Shirou could tell, both of his partners were once a part of the military. Serving the country alongside three others in a platoon of five. Doing mostly covert missions in order to not stir up any trouble with overseas powers. But that was all before the current wars. He considered it at first but decided not to ask them why they weren't out there now, fighting when the country needed them the most. It was not his place to pry. Especially since they were his superiors. This was probably the last place that would accept his antics after all. Last thing he needed was to get kicked out of the only place that would still accept his behavior.

"I'm sure he's fine. His combat skills may be subpar and though his intelligence is above average at best." Shirou glanced over through the rear-view mirror, expecting to see Giroro frowning as he always did but was met with the sight of him smiling. Sort of. "But his leadership skills are unmatched. Plus the fucker's crafty as hell. Even if shit hits the fan I'm sure he'll make the right decisions." Shirou couldn't help but feel like he was forgotten at the moment.

"I'm sure he would." Dororo chuckled, opening his eyes as a soft smile formed on his lips. "... Maybe we should've stayed with them after all..."

"No, it's better this way. I'm too hotheaded and old for direct combat. And staying behind a desk or even commanding from the sidelines would just drive me nuts." Giroro dismissed Dororo's thoughts. "And you've grown too soft Dororo. Don't think I hadn't noticed you sparing and not reporting in those CIA agents in Shinjuku while the rest of us were busy handling Bergamo el Zorro's attempt at establishing a foothold in our country." Giroro clicked his tongue at the memory. "The US maybe fine with letting Mexican drug cartels operate from the shadows but I refuse to let such a thing happen here."

'I... don't have the heart to tell him...' There were rumors about the cartels already having their own organization in Japan but their government weren't too keen on leaking information about that stuff. Especially since Japan started allowing refugees into the country. Still, Shirou chuckled to himself quietly. Normally these sort of conversations were not something they'd have in front of others. For good reason too. A part of him wanted to directly ask about their past. Even if it was just to take notes for his own goals of similar nature.

"Emiya-kun." Dororo suddenly called out. "You don't have to act like you're not listening. We're talking about these things because we trust you."

Surprised, Shirou looked directly at the blue haired man. "Aah, Sorry senpai. You usually don't talk about these things around others."

"Considering how fucked up the world is now, I don't think it really matters anymore." Giroro replied for the both of him and Dororo. "It's a miracle China hasn't declared a direct war against Japan already. They might not act like it but they're still pissed off about the second world war."

"That is... true." Shirou grimaced. Several wars erupted across the globe around a year ago. Many people have lost their lives. And as the wars progressed things only got worse. The middle-east might as well have more corpses than living people nowadays. India was fighting both Pakistan and Bangladesh on two fronts with the help of America. Russia and Ukraine were at an all out war. "So many lives..."

"We live in a world where pride and greed run rampant amidst our leaders. The common masses crying injustice in lands of peace while ignoring the lands where certain ethnicities and beliefs merely existing are considered sins or even satanic. Even though some of them simply want co-existence as much as any other groups of people." Dororo chimed in. A frown on his face similar to that of the two men sitting next to him. "It is unfortunate but that is how this world of ours is. No matter how much we wish for it to be otherwise."

Shirou nodded, frowning. Dororo was a kind man, despite being in the military once and likely even having killed dozens of people in the line of fire. "I just wish people would learn to sort things out without violence-ah please stop the truck for a bit Giroro-senpai." His sudden request certainly caught both senior firefighters off guard for a moment. Some would even say the way he spoke was disrespectful towards his superiors.

'Hmm...' Deciding to question the young man for his request later, Giroro did as he was requested of and parked the truck on the side of the road. Next to what appeared to be a subway station. He and Dororo watched as Shirou exited the truck and jogged over to- "Heh." He grunted with a semi-smirk. "To be young and naive again."

"Now now, Giroro-kun. His heart is on the right place." Dororo leaned back, crossed his arms and closed his eyes once more to rest.

Shirou jogged towards the entrance of a subway station. But his intention was not to go anywhere inside the place. No, what he wanted to do was something else entirely. "Here, let me help."

The person Shirou was talking to was a young man. But definitely not a teenager. He had short black hair that were combed back and a pair of strikingly nasty looking eyes. He was standing in front of the subway gates with the handles of a wheelchair in his palms. "Oh-um thank you, sir."

Shirou smiled warmly at the younger man who seemed to be a little bashful at being approached by him. He waited as the nasty eyed man pick up the pale woman on the wheelchair. She seemed unresponsive to the young man's touch and Shirou couldn't help but wonder if she was okay. Judging by the movement of her chest she was definitely breathing at least. He was certain this wasn't a kidnapping either. The young man shared too many physical attributes with the woman. Particularly her eyes. 'Probably mother and son.' He picked up the wheelchair and descended down the stairs after the nasty eyed man. His eyes stayed on locked onto the younger man's black hair. Shirou noticed the nasty eyed man shift his head slightly towards Shirou a couple of times, likely to try and stir up a conversation. But for some reason he didn't. Not that Shirou minded of course. He was, in all accounts, a complete stranger. Even though he was also a firefighter there was no obligation for a conversation, even a short one. "There you go." He placed the wheelchair on the ground, at the bottom of the staircase. There shouldn't be any other stairs or obstacles for a wheelchair user so there was no more need for him to accompany them.

"Thank you so much. When I saw the elevator closed for repairs I thought I was screwed." Mustering up the courage, the young man spoke before placing his mother back onto the wheelchair. "I should be fine from here."

"No problem friend." Shirou smiled warmly at the man before turning around. "I think it's great that you brought your mother out for a stroll. Still, be careful out there." With that he began moving back to the fire truck where his companions -and a scolding- awaited him. But he was fine with that. As he exited the subway he spotted a vending machine nearby. 'Couldn't hurt.' He already did something out of line twice today. A small token of apology could help. He searched his pockets for money and managed to fish out a thousand yen note. It was kind of wet though. Probably from when he was hosed down in the burning apartment building. "At least it's smooth." That should be enough. "A beer for Giroro-senpai. Green Tea for Dororo-senpai. And a Diet Pepsi for myself..."

It didn't take long for him to return with the canned drinks. He heard Giroro mutter a word of gratitude before taking the beer from him and placing it on the cup holder. Dororo hadn't take his green tea though. The blue haired man had fallen asleep it seemed and neither Shirou or Giroro tried to wake him up for it. Shirou took a sip from his drink. "Senpai... How come you never had kids?"

A change of topic so out of subject compared to everything that happened today it blanked Giroro's thoughts for a bit. "That's a... strange question to randomly ask." He sighed. "Well, I spent most of my youth studying to get into the military. And it's a bit difficult to hold onto any outside relationships when you spent all of your time in the barracks or out in the field. I guess, I just never really had the time." The engine started, pushing them forward.

"Did you ever think about it?" Shirou pressed, the topic was already out. Might as well finish it. "I mean, you had to have thought of how things would have turned out if you didn't join the military at least once right?"

"Of course I did." Giroro replied. "Military or not. I'm sure most do. Besides, there's only so much blood, death and discipline one could handle in a lifetime. Sane people at least. A wonderful wife, a couple of bratty kids to whip into shape. Most men dream of such things. Unless they're fags of course."

Shirou's eyes widened comically as he blanched at the blatant homophobia at the end there. Even though Giroro wasn't... technically incorrect. "I-uh-I suppose so." Thankfully they weren't in the west. Or else there would be hell to pay. 'Is this what they call a generational gap?' He thought to himself, jokingly.

"Why the sudden interest in my personal life kid?" The moment those words left his mouth, Giroro came to a realization. "Oh are you worried about-" The older man was unable to finish his sentence as their phones began blaring ringtones. Not just Giroro's but Dororo and Shirou's as well. To say such a thing was strange would be an understatement.

Dororo was awoken from his slumber by the noise, causing the man to become alert in an instant. "What's going on?"

"Oh no." Shirou gasped while looking at his phone.

The older man shared a quick worried glance. Dororo pulled out his own phone. Giroro held back the urge to do the same even though he was driving a ten ton vehicle. But something in the corner of his eye caught his attention. Everyone outside were looking at their phones. Everyone. Their expressions rapidly turning to fear. A pit formed in the stomach of the ex-military personnel. 'Oh fuck.' He cursed before increasing the truck's speed.

"Nuclear threat imminent. Estimated time till impact: twenty minutes. Find shelter immediately. This is not a drill." Dororo whispered beside the two redheads in horror. The very next moment he and Shirou ended up holding onto whatever they could as Giroro began speeding the truck. "Giroro-kun?!"

"All units, proceed to subway stations. I repeat: all units proceed to subway stations. The station you are required in have been uploaded to your shop computers." the radio on the fire truck called out. It was clear what was supposed to happen.

"Our designated stations are likely based on our current location and on the nearest subway station. Dororo?" Giroro's tone changed completely from the annoyed nonchalance it was only seconds ago.

"Confirmed. I know a shortcut. Take a right here." No sooner did the words leave his mouth Giroro turned the vehicle. The abrupt turn caused Dororo to fall towards Shirou, but the younger man did not complain as he was still in shock from the massive turn of events. Something Dororo noticed immediately. "Emiya-kun. Focus. We can't afford you to freeze up right now." He ignored the panicked screams from outside. Of men and women rushing around to the nearest shelter or attempting to fulfill their worst desires in their final moments. Of children crying in confusion and fear. It hadn't even taken a full minute for society to descend into chaos. "The people of this city needs us."

"Twenty minutes." Giroro growled. "China then? Should've known the bastards had their eye on us." He openly smirked for a moment when the truck went off road for a bit, hitting a grown man that was chasing a young girl. Probably killing him. If not merely crippling him. Silver lining, he'd think. Shirou on the other hand grimaced at the visible splatter of blood on his side of the window.

"Doesn't matter anyways. I don't know how he did it but I just got a text from Keroro-kun. This isn't just happening in Tokyo. This is happening everywhere." Dororo spoke in horror. Shirou's jaws clenched at the realization.

"Are you kidding me? But most of the people in the country were against interfering in the war to begin with!" Shirou cried out. Recalling the rallies and protests to prevent Japan from sending their own people in the wars of others. To double on their policy against immigration and accepting refuges from the numerous wars across the world.

"War doesn't care for things like innocent people." Giroro replied. "Expecting a war without civilian casualties is a height of stupidity on its own. But still, something this bad doesn't just randomly happen. Attacking an entire country, let alone all of them, with warheads like this is definitely nonsensical of no matter the reason behind it. Something isn't right." They were unable to ponder longer as their destination came into view. Scores of people were rushing into the subway station. Pushing, pulling, screaming in fear and agony. Some fell on their run, only to be trampled by the masses. Their cries sent a wave of sympathy among the trio. But hearing their pleas weren't why they were here. "There." Giroro called out, pointing at the wave of policemen and military personnel rushing towards the entrance as well. Many of whom were already armed with batons, guns and even riot shields. And just like the three firemen, their goal was not what many would call the obvious.

"Step Away from the subway entrance!" A military officer, one could only assume to be the person currently acting as a leader, called out through a megaphone. "I repeat, step away from the entrance!" Obviously, the panicked state of the crown made them incapable of listening to the simple yet outrageous command. "Form a barricade! The station isn't equipped with enough rations for this many people!" As commanded, the policemen and soldiers equipped with riot shield charged forward. Pushing the number of innocent civilians back and away from the subway entrance. Of course in the eyes of the civilians this was no different than telling them to roll over and die. Something that most certainly didn't go sit well with many of them.

"Let me in! Let me in!" a man screamed, pushing at one of the riot shields.

"No! No, please! I don't want to die!" another at the back wailed, tears and snot running down his face. A foreigner.

For a moment Shirou's vision was filled with red hot flames. It went as soon as it came. Unknown to himself, Shirou Emiya's hands clenched as a harsh frown fell upon his lips. All these voices crying out for help filled him with dread and pained nostalgia. Yet he could do nothing to help these people. He realized that the moment his eyes landed upon their frenzied dash to what they hoped would save them from nuclear fire. He was, after all, just one man. A thought went through him. The world as he knew was about to end. There was nothing he could do to help, no matter how much he wanted to otherwise. 'If that's the case... then wouldn't it be better if I just le-' He was brought out of his thoughts by a hand on his shoulder. His despaired expression came face to face with Dororo's grim one.

"You won't make it. There's not enough time." Giroro said what Dororo didn't want to. Bringing to light what that tiny voice in Shirou's mind was telling him from the get go. "The most we can do now is this..." No more needed to be said.

"Saving someone means being unable to save someone else." a regretful tone.

"Let's go."

The police had already formed a barricade. Riot shields at front with armed support from behind. The man commandeering it all seemed to be taking it easier than the rest of the people around him. Or it just could be that due his age and experience, he had already given up on survival. "You there! Don't look back! Hold the line! You two, link up tighter!" He noticed the three firemen approaching from between the mass of people. "Let them through, they're with us!" He didn't bat an eyelash at the civilian that was beaten back for trying to push through from the gap provided for the firefighters.

"Corporal Major Giroro, It's been a long time." The chief spoke, his hand reaching towards Giroro who took it instantly.

"My military rank is no longer of any value Sargent Fushiwa. It's just Giroro these days." Giroro answered. "What do you need us to do?"

"I need you and your men to head inside and do a headcount. We may still be able to save a few more people if there aren't too many inside." Sargent Fushiwa handed Giroro a radio. "If something goes wrong Inform me immediately then come back up here. We need all the help we can get. These two will be your bodyguards in there." He motioned towards a couple of backline officers who were wearing body armor and fairly armed. "Hey! Stop slacking!" Without waiting for them to accept the task the old man went back to commanding the barricade.

They headed inside, the pair of police officers right behind them. Shirou checked his phone, they still had roughly ten minutes till impact. A thought came to him. Or rather, should've come to him the moment all this mess started. He hadn't called home yet. His wife, likely worried sick and terrified, had no idea what to make of everything going on. He tried calling her... Only to receive the bone chilling tone of a failed connection. His jaw clenched in desperation.

"Don't bother." He heard one of the officers say. "All forms of telecommunications have been shut off. No one knows why and the teams sent to investigate haven't reported in yet."

"This feels more and more deliberate than an out of the blue thing." Giroro muttered beneath his breath. Once again, before he could lament on the what and why, another problem caught his attention. "Why is the lighting so weak in here?" True to his observation, it almost appeared as if the station was experiencing low voltage. "No, I understand. They're probably shutting down all the powerplants in the country as fast as they can." Nuclear powerplants existed in Japan for many years now. But due to the Fukushima and Nagasaki incident during the second world war many were weary of this source of power. For that reason over half of the reactors were inactive most of the time. Right now, under nuclear threat, keeping them online would only spell trouble.

The team spread out with Giroro separating from the rest on his own while Shirou and Dororo stuck with the bodyguards assigned to them. Shirou bit his lip as what he saw could only be described as fear. Yet this fear had a striking contrast compared to the chaotic fear that plagued the people outside. People were huddled around each other. Families that managed to get inside clinging onto one another. Some trying their damnedest to contact their loved ones despite failure after failure. Children crying in the corner and some even injured. Likely from rushing into the station. He spotted a few officers here and there, likely the ones responsible for the controlled state of the station's new inhabitants.

"Three hundred. About fifty of them wounded to a degree." Shirou muttered a rough number. Children and elderly included. He didn't have enough time to get a specific number to report in. Even so, It may not sound like much but that was actually a lot for a cramped space like a subway. If the numbers from the others would reach around that much then this place might be too crowded for any additional people. "Damn it." Shirou felt a tug at his uniform.

"We're out of time." The officer left without him, causing Shirou to promptly follow. As the two of them ascended the stairs to ground level they reunited with the others and shared the information they had gathered.

"Wait, where's Dororo-senpai?" Shirou asked, noticing one of their members missing.

"He's stayed behind to apply first aid on the people that made it inside." The officer that was in charge of keeping Dororo safe replied. He opened his mouth to continue but someone slammed onto him, pushing him aside. "H-Hey! What're you doi?!" The officer failed to finish his sentence as a bunch of people came in from outside rushed down. "Stop! There isn't enough room for all of you!" It was no use. They were already headed to the station and there wasn't anything that could be done to stop them.

*DRESHEW!* *DRESHEW!*

Whatever words or thoughts that were within the mind of the four of them blanked for a full second. Those were the sound of gunshots. In no scenario could that be considered good even remotely. They rushed up, passing any other civilian that may have pushed through the barricade above.

"The hell is going on up here?!" Giroro demanded the moment they reached the entrance. No one answered him. Whether that was because no one could or no one heard him did not matter. What they saw was all the answer he needed. The barricade made by the soldiers and officers were broken. Some people were forcing their way in while others were holding down and beating the officers who once held the barricade up. Several bodies laid on the ground, bleeding out from gunshot wounds. Yet somehow it seemed as if the number of people trying to push through had only increased significantly. It took everything Shirou had to not rush to their aid for help. The two officers next to them quickly went to help their fellow officers to de-escalate the situation. Giroro wasted no time and grabbed a riot shield that was on the ground.

"One of the civilians had a gun." A voice grunted out from behind them. Causing Giroro to pause for a moment. The red haired ex-militant ran to the crowd of people and slammed onto the next civilian trying to push through. Shirou, being the last one remaining turned to see Sargent Fushiwa, an arm clinging onto his other shoulder. The shoulder that had a knife stuck in them. "One of them stabbed me when I tried to stop him. Fucking niggers." The old man grumbled under his breath. "This was supposed to be my day off too."

"What now sir?" Shirou was the first to ask. "By our head count there was at least seven hundred people in there. Some of them even fell down to the tracks since there wasn't enough room for them on the platforms." Many of the subway stations across Tokyo had been turned into makeshift bomb-shelters a few months ago when the president of Russia and North Korea threatened their opposition with nuclear war. The shift of turning the stations into make shift bunkers Increased the number of people they could hold somewhat. The government also provided rations to the converted bomb shelters. But of course that supply was limited greatly throughout the stations. "There's no telling how many people got in back there."

"Frankly, It doesn't matter anymore." The old man said, pulling the knife out despite knowing it would only hasten his bleeding. His eyes gazed up, prompting Shirou to do the same. What he saw froze his blood in an instant. Far above their heads, just barely within their field of view were lights illuminating the rapidly darkening sky. It was mesmerizing in a way. Had those lights not been the equivalent of the harbinger of humanity's doom then Shirou could've been called them beautiful. The very next moment, the sound of sirens blared in the air. But these sirens wasn't from any vehicle. No, the were coming from the station itself. Shirou turned around just in time to spot a pair of siren like light sources coming out of the ceiling of the station's entrance. Blaring red and alerting everyone of the door that was slowly closing in from above. A sight that was not lost to the civilians trying to push through.

Many may not believe it. But Shirou Emiya once witnessed, here on earth, hell itself. And this though different for a number of reasons. It was completely the same in the core of it. The civilians, with frenzied strength began pushing the barricade back. Soldiers and police alike opened fire, taking lives in an effort to prolong the lives of those that made it. In less than ten seconds it was as if what little morality and law that remained after the initial warning had jumped out the window. A couple of the soldiers abandoned their posts and ran into the station in fear. No one stopped them. No one could nor had the time to spare. Shirou helped however he could even though hurting the civilians hurt him in ways he couldn't describe. "My son, someone please save my son" A woman's voice, hoarse and tired, reached Shirou's ears. He turned just in time to see a woman cradling an infant in her arms. Even in the dire circumstances Shirou couldn't help but notice the woman's sorry state. Her body, battered and bleeding. Her long platinum yellow hair, dirtied from dust and soot, covered her eyes as she trudged forward towards him. Time slowed for him as the woman fell to her knees but used what little strength she had left to raise the infant towards him. His own hands reached forward instinctively, taking the cloth covered crying infant into his arms. The moment her son was no longer in her hands she fell face first onto the ground, lifeless. He could see bullet wounds on her back, sickening him to his stomach as he realized she had likely been caught in the crossfire of a weapon, only to react in time and turn her back to protect her child.

"Shirou!"

A familiar voice called out to him. But he didn't have any time to react as he felt someone grab onto the back of his collar and pull roughly. The next thing he knew he was falling back onto the stairs leading into the station. The silhouette of Giroro caught his eye. Giving him the kind of regretful smile Shirou had only seen once on someone a long time ago. When his back hit the first stair of the staircase his instinct kicked in as he curled up, holding the infant closer to his chest to prevent any harm from befalling onto him. Rolling down to the last step Shirou found himself inches away from the closing blast doors. With another roll he crawled right inside at the last moment. The infant's cries was all he heard the moment the door shut completely, cloaking him in complete darkness. His heart raced as his senses failed to inform him of anything from outside.

That... only last a single second. For the very next moment. It was as if the world itself, trembled in agony.