Chapter 1
The small auditorium had been filled with chatter about why those who were here had actually been summoned. Especially since all of them had received the same seemingly cryptic request that gave them no real explanation why they should respond and come to this place. When he stepped out however, the room went silent and all of those in attendance knew that they were here for a reason.
His presence was immediately felt, still adorned in the armour he wore on his day to day routines. He was such a familiar face yet few ever truly had interacted with him outside of an odd job here or there. Even then he had stepped above and beyond what they could do. There was a reason he was currently ranked eighth of the professional hero charts.
Yoroi Musha looked over the podium that he stood at, the veteran hero gazing at those who had gathered before him. 'Less than twenty,' he internally mused. 'Thousands of registered heroes and less than two percent decide to show.'
He wasn't surprised however, he had expected this. It didn't help that he had arranged this meeting with less than forty eight hours notice, barely enough time to postpone or cancel any real plans on short notice. Despite having solidified his place within the top ten heroes many years prior he was aware that he wasn't a flashy hero but he was reliable, always dependant when the situation called upon.
Or at least that was what the public was aware of.
It wasn't unheard of for heroes to be defeated by a villain who outclassed them in some way, shape or form. Sometimes it was simply due to a mismatch and it became more of a battle of skill and stamina. As a member of the top ten it was essentially unheard of him to possibly even suffer a loss.
That was not the case.
"Thank you all for being here," Yoroi Musha started, silencing those few who had been conversing amongst themselves. He could understand if they were nervous about why he was here, a few of them probably assuming that this was a retirement speech. If that had been the case then there would be members of the media present. Since there were none however it did beg the question as to why they had been summoned.
"What I have to say to you tonight, I trust you not to spread to those who would use this to slander my name. I cannot swear you to anything, but I do trust you as professionals to adhere to this." Yoroi Musha paused as he allowed these few words to sink in. Many of the heroes present were of veterans in their own right having gained their hero license many years prior before making their mark in the world. In fact the only one who had only recently made their mark was the wooden hero, Kamui Woods who had debuted a handful of months earlier. Yoroi Musha was merely glad a member of the younger generation had chosen to come.
"Two weeks ago, I combated a villain much like any other and once he was defeated I left it to the authorities when I heard a nearby scream, a woman having had her handbag stolen and the perpetrator was escaping down a nearby alley. I thought it odd only momentarily as to why a villain would strike after having just witnessed what happened but I pushed it to the side as I gave pursuit. What I swiftly found however was that the handbag was never the target, having been taken out of the eye of the public and hidden from view, I learnt that I was his goal."
He paused momentarily as the crowd before him gave a startled gasp. The mere idea that somebody would lure a hero into an alley wasn't an impossible idea, the minds of villains worked in very different ways. Letting out a hefty cough, the attention was brought back to the hero standing in front of them. "He stood in front of me, a boy no older than fourteen but he stared at me with eyes that spoke of experience, as if what he had been doing he had been doing for years. I tried to converse with him, get any sort of reaction but he refused to speak before bursting forward with twin blades in his hands, one white and one black."
"We clashed, our blades crossing paths time and time again but every time I thought I broke through his guard he would counter in ways I hadn't expected. The strength in his blows made me assume he had a strength based quirk but that didn't explain the swordplay. The art of the sword is a dying breed yet it seemed as if he had been born with a blade in his hand. It pains me to say this, but upon that day I was defeated in one on one combat."
The silence was deafening as the fact sunk in and the realization of why the media were absent became clear. To know that such a high ranking hero had been defeated in battle would cause the public to panic; their faith in the system would be shaken and it would be many months or potentially years for the damage this news could potentially cause to be rectified. No wonder the heroes present were being requested to be silent.
"With my blade cast aside and having been taken off my feet I was at his mercy before he turned his back on me and for the first time, he spoke. He thanked me for the fight, which in and of itself took me by surprise. He then told me that my strength was genuine and I should be proud of all that I accomplished and to never forget what a true hero is."
"I took all this into heart before I called you here tonight as opposed to simply informing the media of a powerful villain on the loose. This is simply because I do not think that he is a villain but rather a misguided youth, powerful, but misguided. He deliberately sought me out to test my strength but to also show me that I have potentially grown content with my own abilities. I still have something left to give in this world and pray that you too can learn from my mistakes. We are heroes and are potential weaknesses may cost not only our lives but the lives of those we are trying to protect. Strive to be better tomorrow than you are today, and again better the day after."
"Thank you for your time."
"Yoroi Musha, can you at least warn us about what he looks like?" asked one of the heroes in attendance.
"He was lean, fit with white hair and brown eyes. He also wore a red cloak which he may have used to conceal his weapons," explained Yoroi Musha.
"A name, did he say his name?"
"Not his actual name, but an alias, one which he might have crafted as a child one day dreaming of what his hero name would be."
"What was it?"
"Archer."
...
Shinji Nishiya, other wise known as the hero Kamui Woods, left the meeting with dark thoughts clouding his mind. Unlike many of the heroes who had been in the presence of the veteran of the industry, he hadn't had his hero license for long and the next youngest hero in the room had been fighting the good fight for at least a decade prior.
Having heard from one of the oldest heroes in the business about a vigilante of sorts who seemed to merely wish to test himself was unsettling. For one so young to walk down such a dangerous path which could easily turn villainous, he wished to know just how such a boy had gone down such a route. Preventing other individuals from walking down the road of villainy was just so, if not more important, than capturing criminals.
Archer.
The name sounded almost foreign in the modern era. Like with how the boy was seemingly more than capable with blades, many had also forgone the art of archery. Perhaps part of this kid's agenda was to remind those of a time before quirks were common place and what society had left behind in its wake. Could a teenager have such ideas however and if so, how had he gotten these ideas in the first place? Teenagers should be laughing with each other down the mall, making new friends and dreaming of a peaceful future.
Looking up at the roof of the tallest building nearby, he reached up and used his power over the wood covering his body to grasp hold of the ledge. Pulling himself up, Shinji easily scaled the fifteen odd stories before landing safely and staring out at the horizon. Even in the night, the city he had sworn to protect looked at ease.
It was comforting.
"You look content."
"I'm merely glad that there is no unrest in the city this night," declared Shinji.
"There's always unrest, I can guarantee you that somewhere right now something is being plotted and schemed that will cause panic and confusion to the populace."
"I suppose you're right, but when it does happen, I'll be there to stop it!" he declared boldly, clenching his fist in front of his body. It was at this moment that Shinji realized that he wasn't alone, a foolish thought after just having conversed with someone but still a thought that crossed his mind. Turning around slowly, Shinji simply hoped that another hero from the meeting had come to join him atop the roof to admire the scenery.
It wasn't the case.
Shinji's eyes sharpened as he braced himself for any sort of confrontation that could potentially happen with the individual in front of him. Here was the teenager who had been the entire cause for the meeting that he had attended, the red cloak he wore lightly billowing in the breeze. Thankfully he wasn't armed but as far as Shinji knew, that didn't make him any less dangerous.
"What do you want?" asked Shinji, mentally preparing himself for conflict.
"I was merely curious to see how many people were attending this meeting," answered Archer. "I do have to say, the number is a touch lackluster."
"What, did you truly want your name of terror to ring out to as many people as possible?"
"Hardly," scoffed Archer. "Frankly I don't care how many people do or don't know my name but my message is a simple one."
"Simple? You think attacking an elite hero sends a simple message?" questioned Shinji, getting even more worked up.
"What is a hero?"
The question rang forth and Shinji momentarily found himself at a loss of words before answering. "Heroes are those who step forth whenever there is trouble."
"So what happens when there is no more trouble, when the world is at peace?"
Shinji was silent as he took in the words being said to him by the individual in front of him. Not only that, but it was the way that he spoke. Something like this he imagined quite an amount of passion, anger, fear, disgust, SOMETHING...yet there was nothing. The words he was saying came out seemingly as easy as breathing.
Archer continued, "For a hero to step forward there must first be someone in danger. For children to dream of becoming heroes, they too are wishing for some villainous act or catastrophe to occur for them to step forward and save the day. The more heinous the moment, the greater their name rings forth. The more people who stream an event, the more of a household name they become. Heroes almost actively have to interfere with one another just to get a piece of the action. The mere fact that the act of saving people is a popularity contest is a farce in and of itself. Only a handful of the heroes are worthy of the title."
Shinji found himself stunned, each point that had been made had struck him to the core. He could recall his debut, how he had helped rescue some civilians from a burning building. He had been praised for having helped those who had been screaming for help from the windows despite the fact his quirk was weak against the flames. The media had loved him as the hero who confronted his fears. It was a debut that had made headlines, there was nothing more that any hero could want. It was something which aspiring heroes dreamed of.
And it came with a reality none of them had truly thought about. Archer's words stung harsher than any weapon could and it struck more than a single nerve.
Finding his voice after several seconds of uncertain pause, Shinji spoke. "So what, you're plan is to go around and assault as many heroes as you can and force them to see things differently?"
"No, the world cannot be changed so easily. Whatever I say or do will get spun out of control by one outlet or another and the words of a renegade will never hold. What I say, what I do, will inevitably mean nothing to the eyes and ears of the public. To those who the public idolize however, that's something completely different."
"You want us to spread your word?"
"Hardly."
Shinji said nothing as Archer turned his back to him. Part of him wanted to capture the person in front of him, bound him up in such a way that there was no way for him to escape. At the same time though he knew he had to exercise some form of control, the mere fact that Archer had the confidence to show them an opening meant that he felt himself safe or perhaps even overconfident. Either way, he knew that any sort of attack he could unleash could potentially result in a swift downfall.
"If you want any more reason to attack me from behind, know that I'll be going after Mount Lady later this week," proclaimed Archer.
"Mount Lady!"
"Yes, her quirk isn't suited for a hero."
"And who are you to judge such a thing? It is not our quirks that make us heroes but our actions," declared Shinji.
"Even if those actions are for their own benefit?"
Not surprisingly, Shinji didn't have a response for that.
"You can warn her in advance if you so wish," said Archer. "It won't matter regardless."
Shinji watched as Archer leapt off the building and momentarily feared that the man had just decided to end his own life. He watched in surprise however as he continued onwards, easily traversing the necessary distance between where he had been standing and the rooftop of the building across the street.
Shinji could do nothing but watch as Archer leapt into the darkness and he found himself conflicted. Throughout the entire talk he had been calm and composed while discussing dark topics of conversation. That wasn't normal. Even saying how he was going to assault Mount Lady, he had done so as if he was explaining how he had changed a tyre or gone for a walk in the park. He made it sound so mundane. Coming from a teenager this was more than confronting.
Now he had the opportunity to protect one of his fellow heroes. He would muse over the intel and figure out what to do with it later.
...
'The Musutafu Orphanage got a surprise today when Mount Lady visited and spent time with the young children. The professional hero had been suspiciously absent of late, loyal fans noticing that her social media accounts had gone oddly quiet over the past fortnight, made her reappearance..'
Shirou Emiya turned the television to mute, ignoring the morning news as he set about making breakfast. A traditional Japanese breakfast was on the agenda complete with steamed rice and miso soup. It had taken him a while to get his bearings around the place he had found himself and after garnering some manner of accommodation had immediately went about finding a grocery store that would provide immaculate quality fresh food.
At least one that wasn't manned by someone he had initial difficulty looking at without getting freaked out and nearly treating them like some kind of monstrosity.
After having arrived in this world it had taken him a while to get used to the whole concept of everyday heroes. That and the fact that an incredible percentage of the population had a superpower specific to their person. It had both taken him and his partner completely by surprise, especially to those who had some sort of physical difference.
Speaking of his partner.
"What smells so good?"
"It's just breakfast Tohsaka," answered Shirou, underselling the wonderful meal he had made like he so often did.
Without another word, Rin took her seat at the table with all of the enthusiasm she usually carried at this early hour of the morning. In other words, none. Shirou was used to this routine by now, he and Rin having managed to live together on this world for quite some time now. Not to mention the years prior where they had studied together at the Clock Tower. It was also there where they may or may not have encountered a certain incredibly powered mage who had found it quite entertaining the idea of Shirou dreaming of being a hero of justice.
So entertaining that he decided that the dream needed to be messed with a bit.
He was a powerful man, incredibly powerful and he loved flaunting his power. Shipping two people to another world was well within his power.
Rin and Shirou had silently sworn not to speak of the man again. Especially since that not only had that man sent them to another world without warning, had also reduced their age to that of teenagers. For what point and purpose had became obvious once they got their brains around what this world was.
Both Rin and Shirou were at the age necessary to enter a hero school and start becoming official heroes of this world. A course which would only start in a few short weeks.
Except Shirou had found fault with this world. The heroes and what they represented. It had conflicted with his beliefs and he had immediately set about trying to come up with some way to rectify the situation. Rin had hated the idea from the get go but knew what Shirou was like when he set his mind on something so she set about finding themselves accommodation.
They currently were lodged in a small apartment, the third story of an inconspicuous block in a quiet little neighbourhood. Funding had been one of the tougher parts but they had managed. They went mostly unnoticed on their day to day activities which allowed them to set about doing things their way.
Or at least they had imagined they had went unnoticed.
A knocking on the door turned the heads of the occupants just as Shirou was putting down breakfast. "I wonder who that could be at this time of the morning?" he asked nonchalantly.
"It's probably nobody," mused Rin as she started picking away at the meal in front of her, not worrying about waiting for Shirou to join her.
"If they're selling something I'll just turn them away," said Shirou intent on shooing whoever had disturbed breakfast away. Rolling his right shoulder, the man in a teenager's body unlocked the front door. "Can I help you?"
It was of course after he had asked this question did he have any sort of realization who he was talking to. "Excuse me son, we're with the police on behalf of family services," said the man standing at the door, another policeman on his right and a woman on his left. "Are your parents available?"
"Ah," said Shirou slowly. Now this was a problem they should have seen coming.
Chapter 2
Shirou sat in the holding cell, knowing full well that Rin was likely either being or would shortly be interrogated by someone in the office. Understandably, she was less than thrilled to be taken away at such a time in the morning. Whatever difficulties anybody had with her would be more than understandable and he merely hoped that she didn't say anything regrettable.
It would have been quite simple for Rin to alter some memories here and there, make it seem as if they had doting parental guardians looking after them. The issue then was that they didn't know where the reports were or if they had been passed on to higher up authorities who would get increasingly concerned were the same issues brought up a second time. This truly was something they should have forseen coming but having actually lived as adults for an extended period of time they had not thought it as much of an issue. Perhaps it was also because during their times as teenagers they had effectively been as independent as possible, even going so far as to looking after others in times of need.
The door to his cell opened up and two people walked in, taking a seat opposite him over the table. "I apologize first and foremost from taking you and your friend away at such an early time of the day but the reports from your neighbours were quite startling," said the woman of the group. "We have more than half a dozen reports how two teenagers seemed to be living together in close quarters without any parental supervision. As you can understand, this is something we had to immediately take into consideration."
"I understand," said Shirou hoping that Rin was being as cooperative as he was intending.
"So first and foremost, where are your parents?"
"As far as I know, dead."
The tension in the room immediately shifted.
"As far as you know?" repeated the male officer.
"There was a fire when I was young, I have no memories before then," stated Shirou in a matter of factly manner.
"Memories blocked by trauma," mumbled the woman as she wrote down on the bit of paper in front of her. With her notes jotted down, she looked Shirou in the eyes once more. "That must have been quite terrifying for someone so young. Did you have anyone support you after that?"
"I was adopted shortly after..."
"And where are these adoptive parents now?" asked the male trying his best to get down to the bottom of the situation. It was quite clear that he didn't want to be dealing with this at this time of the morning.
"He died."
Shirou couldn't help but feel some kind of amusement from the way the gentleman started rubbing at his temples.
...
Rin sat in her own room, legs and arms crossed as she waited for whatever results to be delivered. If she hadn't been as forthcoming as they had wanted her to be then it was their fault for not having allowed her to finish her breakfast that morning. The answers she had given were sharp and to the point, blunt and clearly showing her distaste for the entire scenario.
The entire scenario being everything that had happened ever since the Clock Tower.
She truly hated this world, not to mention the fact that due to her look she was being treated like a child. Even when she had been this age, nobody treated her like a child. Walking down the school corridors, nobody dared to even step foot in her way.
Taking a sip on the mediocre tea that she had been brought, Rin considered what the likely options would be from here. To the authorities, they were two teenagers who may have either lost or run away from their family. If they thought the second case were true, they would assume that the two of them had run away to be together. Frankly though she couldn't care less what they came up with, it would be nowhere near the truth.
The only real thing which had gone her way was the plan that was currently in play. Only a handful of days after having arrived in this world had she set an idea into motion. Even now, here at this station, her mind was active and going over possibility after possibility in her head to make this all work the way she wanted to.
The way it had to work.
The door opened up and Shirou was led in, thanking the officer as he passed by. With the door closing behind them, a single glance between the two occupants of the room was all that was needed for them to both understand they had to be careful with what they said. Both of them had likely said things that may or may not have infuriated those listening and a bug could potentially have been planted to try and catch them off guard.
"So what did you tell them?" asked Rin.
"How my parents and adoptive father died," answered Shirou causing Rin to snort out a chuckle. One which her venomous glare afterwards silently decreed that the noise would never be spoken of again under fear of intense punishment.
"I imagine that was quite an experience for them," she said trying to drive attention away from the noise she had made. "Your story is not really a glamorous one."
"Glamorous is overselling it," quipped Shirou as the door to the room opened. Both of them went silent and turned their gaze over to those who had entered.
"So," said the man as he looked over his files. "Shirou Emiya, Rin Tohsaka. We've run your names through the system and neither of you are on file. In your case it may be understandable Shirou, as your adoptive father might have been using an alias. At this stage we can only make assumptions but one thing that we do know is that you two are close, perhaps even hiding something from us for your protection."
The woman chimed in, "I hope that the two of you know that we're here to look after you. It is our job to make sure both of you are in a safe and welcoming environment."
"Anything wrong with the household we were living in?" asked Rin doing her best to stoke the fire.
"While, at least on first inspection of your living arrangements, everything looked more than perfectly normal and the two of you seemed to be handling yourselves more than adequately..."
"So what is wrong then?" asked Rin once more steering the conversation how she saw fit.
"Please understand that two adolescents living under the same roof without adult supervision is something that..."
"Something that we have dealt with for quite some time."
"Is something we legally cannot allow," declared the man, trying his best to stamp his authority to little success.
"What my colleague means, is that it is in the best interest..."
"I believe you meant your best interest," interjected Rin.
With a surprisingly level of professionalism, the woman continued. "It is in the best interest of society that the two of you be accommodated with a caring and loving family."
"Nobody's going to adopt us," stated Shirou, speaking for the first time since the two adults stepped forward. "Not only are we far older than most children in the orphanage but as you may have been able to tell, we can potentially be more than a bit more for unprepared families are ready for."
"While it's true that statistics aren't necessarily in your favor that doesn't mean that you should give up hope so easily," the woman said trying to sound as caring as possible. "I'm sure that out there would be a family more than happy to take one of you in."
"No deal," stated Rin harshly. "We're not leaving each other." Well at least that would solidify the runaway lover theory.
"You don't have any choice on the matter," retorted the male officer. "Why don't you just let the adults handle this before the two of you are placed in a juvenile correction facility."
Shirou knew that the idea of being placed in such a facility was likely more of a threat than anything else but at the same time the potential outcome couldn't be completely neglected. They weren't on any records, schooling or otherwise so they were effectively untraceable. Both had no parentage and the answers they had given would make it obvious that they had been independent for quite some time. Even when he had lived under the supervision of Taiga he had acted more of the adult than she had. That wasn't something that simply was removed from one's habits and it showed. He had been cooking for Rin for years now but nobody would believe that due to the age they were at.
"So what, we're just meant to wait while you fail at finding us suitable living?" asked Rin.
"That's exactly what you'll do," stated the man as he headed towards the door, closely followed by his colleague who was looking less than thrilled. When the door closed behind them, Rin turned her attention to Shirou.
"Shirou."
"Yes?"
"Get us out of here."
"As you wish."
...
It would be several minutes before anybody came in to check on the two teenagers only to find that the side wall had been partially removed, as if cut clean away giving enough space for a human to easily leave.
...
Shirou stood atop the roof of the apartment that they had called home for so long. Rin was currently working on shoving whatever was worth keeping into any sort of bags they had. Both know that it wouldn't be long before the authorities returned to this area in search of them. Part of them had wanted to simply head off somewhere new but they at least needed some belongings to get by.
Belongings which may have included funding that had currently been used to support their lifestyle.
Shirou tilted his head lightly as he heard the sound of movement behind him. Turning slowly, he found himself looking at a hero dressed in something reminiscent of a suit of armour with pipes extending from his elbows. "You got here quick," commented Shirou.
"Speed is my thing," declared the hero. "Why did you run, what are you hiding?"
It wasn't like they had much, honestly the fact it was taking Rin this long to get together their necessities was confusing. "Being locked up really doesn't suit us," answered Shirou casually. "They say that they want to find us a home but we have one, right here."
"Be that as it may, the law is the law," stated the hero.
"I know. What kind of panic would ensue knowing that two teenagers broke out of a government facility with such ease?"
The hero tensed slightly as he braced himself. It was clear that the teenager before him was stalling, probably so that they're associate could get everything ready for their escape. No matter how fast they ran however, he would not allow them to escape. Not that he'd allow them the chance to run.
"Please know that I take no pleasure in dealing pain to one as young as you," the hero proclaimed.
"Shirou Emiya," announced the teen, feeling almost honour bound to introduce himself.
"Ingenium," he replied in kind as he prepared to charge. He paused however as the boy before him spread out his arms before twin blades appeared in the palms of his hands. 'Weapon creation,' he thought, quickly realizing that the foe before him may seem more dangerous than he first appeared, especially if he was trained with the blades he wielded.
He wasn't a pro hero for nothing however and raising his arms up, a quick burst from his engine shot the hero forward at incredible speed. He intended to incapacitate, drive his fist into the stomach of the boy in front of him and finish it in a single blow. Even if he knew how to fight, chances were that he wouldn't be able to accommodate for a sharp burst of pain to the senses.
His plan took a swift dive however as the teenager before him matched his speed, his knuckles connecting with the flat of the blade Shirou held in his left hand. A couple of immediate thoughts rushed through Ingenium's head, most prominently that the teenager before him was strong, his blade not even shaking from the strength of his blow.
Ingenium had to react as the right blade swung wide and a quick lunge backwards prevented the armour on his torso from testing the sharpness of the blades. He was given no real time of reprieve however as Shirou pushed forward with the determination to harm that no teenager should have. Sure there was being able to defend oneself from harm but it was clear that the person before him truly knew how to fight.
Channeling only the engine located in his right elbow, Ingenium swiftly turned around in a full circle with his leg raised in an incredibly fast paced roundhouse kick. Shirou ducked beneath the blow before raising his blades in a cross to block the follow up fist that had been targeted square at his nose.
Pushing the fist back with reinforced strength, Shirou did his best to force Ingenium off the edge of the building. Noticing what the teenager in front of him had planned, Ingenium channelled more power into the engine in his shoulder in an attempt to throw Shirou off balance. It unfortunately worked in Shirou's favour, the boy tilting his blades to the side and forcing Ingeniuum's fist to glide off the edge and leave his ribs vulnerable to the knee that was swiftly delivered.
While his costume negated a good deal of the damage that could of been done, he undeniably felt the blow connect and it hurt like hell. His mind was suddenly in overdrive for some sort of reason why somebody with a quirk such as Shirou's was able to have so much strength without the use of a weapon. Even when he had been blocking his attacks, he should have at least been blown backwards but he had remained rock solid.
Ingenium's instincts kicked in and he propelled himself backwards once more to avoid the blade that had threatened to strike him. Knowing that their had been a gap in the buildings, he had accelerated himself upwards as well to safely cross the distance between the rooftops and although his landing was less than perfect he had managed to give himself some time to plan.
Shirou meanwhile remained stoic wondering what was taking Rin so long. Surely she had gathered everything they needed by now.
"You're quite skilled," commented Ingenium.
"I'm not the only one stalling for time am I," stated Shirou realizing that Ingenium likely wasn't the only hero who had arrived or perhaps had even been here beforehand.
Ingenium said nothing which was all the answer that Shirou needed. While they had been getting interrogated, it wasn't beyond belief that their belongings were being checked over, living quarters investigated and such in the hope of answers that he and Rin were unlikely to give. Unfortunately for them, they had no idea of the power that Rin possessed. Even if they had discovered the workshop beforehand, they wouldn't remember it now.
"Guess that means I should get serious."
The coldness of the words momentarily froze Ingenium and for the life of him he couldn't believe that it was a bluff, something to throw him off his game. Yet the ice in his eyes told Ingenium that it would be very unwise to go in with anything less than intent to harm. He hadn't necessarily been pulling his punches earlier but knowing that a single one of his attacks had the possibility to shatter bone if it properly connected had prevented him from going all out.
"Need a hand Ingenium?" asked a new voice from behind him, the tension of the moment almost causing the speed based hero to strike out of a sense of necessity.
"Kamui Woods," acknowledged Ingenium as the hero stepped forward beside him.
"This isn't your usual area of jurisdiction," declared Kamui Woods.
"No, I had been visiting colleagues when I was asked to assist in this," said Ingenium as he pointed to the teenager in front of him. Shirou meanwhile was happy that the duel blades in his hands hadn't earlier been shown to the wood based hero who had joined the fray. He didn't quite need his alter ego being recognized at this moment in time to create even more trouble.
That one word immediately sprung to Shirou's mind as Ingenium said it. Colleagues. Perhaps another hero who had studied with him and they had been catching up after some time. So Rin was potentially dealing with another hero in their room. That would mean...
"Aren't you done up here already Shirou?" asked the girl in question as she landed on the rooftop, her hair a little messed up but other than that looking completely fine.
"I was only stalling," commented Shirou.
"Of course you were," said Rin as she raised up her arm, likely charging up one of her infamous Gandr shots. Whatever ability the hero she had come across was capable of, Shirou knew from experience that all that was needed was a single shot of that to be taken out of action. "Let's make this quick shall we."
"Hold up, things just got more complicated," said Shirou taking a peek over his shoulder and down to the street below where the first sounds of sirens could be heard.
"If you think for a moment that we're giving up only to be taken apart Shirou I will..."
"You don't have to say it Tohsaka. I'll save us."
There was a calmness in his voice before he tossed the blade that had been in his left hand out towards where Ingenium had tried to get the jump on him, the speedy hero having to maneuver midair in order to avoid the impending impalement. In the air however he found that a weapon was the only thing he had to avoid, twisting thrice more in order to avoid consecutive dark purple balls which were constructed by the woman standing next to Shirou. He had to be cautious about them, whatever they did had managed to take out his friend and he knew that even coming into contact with them was dangerous.
Kamui Woods saw his opportunity to charge forward, his arm already shifting as his quirk came into play. Leaping into the air, he couldn't help but pause momentarily as Shirou looked squarely at him with eyes that seemed terrifyingly familiar.
...
The brawl had eventually made its way onto the main street and inevitably onto the world of social media. The media would report it during the evening news but by then opinions had already been formed. Comments and queries sprang up from all around the world as civilians, heroes and even villains watched two teenagers fight side by side in synchronicity which spoke of such trust and devotion to one another. All around them was the controlled carnage they had created, policemen and even heroes having fallen in their attempts to apprehend the duo before they had finally collapsed after no less than thirty five minutes of continual combat. Despite that, not a single civilian had taken a single hint of damage.
Even with blood and bruises painting their bodies, none could be turned away as the two were detained; clinging together as they were dragged away by whatever force remained, exhaustion having finally rendered them unable to defend themselves.
Conflicting views would be the major point of gossip for weeks to come as everybody had an opinion on the matter at hand.
For some, they saw two individuals fighting for their belief and love with one another.
Others saw hoodlums who wished for nothing but chaos.
A few would say that this was nothing but inspiring.
Some saw an opportunity.
And some could only smile menacingly.
...
Shirou paid minimal attention to the man yelling at his face, his words would pretty much be everything that he assumed it would be. Instead of focusing on the rant being delivered to him he was going over the battle he had partaken in the previous day. He knew that were he in his adult body he would have been able to keep the fight going for much longer than it had but he had to consider that he wasn't at his physical peak. It had been beneficial though to see what his limits were at this time, though when he got the opportunity he would be doing his best to create a training regime in order to boost his current levels.
"Are you even listening to me!"
The shout slowly drew Shirou's attention away from his own hands which had some point clenched into fists. He would have raised them but they were currently shackled to the desk he was seated at. It seemed they were determined not to lose him again. Considering that if he truly tried he could use a touch of reinforcement and break out once again they didn't know of his full capabilities as of yet.
"Excuse me, but I believe that I might be able to get a better response out of him," said a new person as they stepped through the door.
"And just who...oh! I'm sorry sir, go right ahead."
Apparently whoever the person was well recognized by the interrogator who simply left his paperwork on the table and walked out, possibly to get a decent amount of water to rehydrate his throat after so much yelling. The new person took a seat and a quick analysis from Shirou immediately informed him of who he was.
"How are you feeling Ingenium?"
"I've been better, that kick you delivered which sent me through that window had almost been my last straw but I should be back to active duty in a week or so," declared Ingenium as he rubbed the back of his head almost sheepishly. He had tried to continue putting his all into the bout but that single blow had dented his chest armour and cracked at least two of his ribs. From that point on he was effectively only aiding those who were in danger of getting caught up in the crossfire.
"That was clearly not the first scuffle you've been in, the fact that eight heroes were hospitalized by you alone speaks of incredible skill. Plus your friend, I don't know what her quirk does but a lot of people couldn't even join the fight having been hit with whatever it is that she shoots. At the same time though, it was noted that none of you sought to inflict extra damage when a hero had been downed. As a result, while humiliated, a lot of heroes are currently or will shortly return to their respective positions."
"That's it?" questioned Shirou.
"What do you mean?" asked Ingenium.
"You and your fellow heroes were just beaten, pretty badly I might add," added Shirou nonchalantly. "The public eye on you just shifted. How can a society trust those potentially unable to protect them?"
"So what would you have us do?" asked Ingenium wondering where Shirou's reasoning was going.
"Improve, use the humility of your loss and become better than the you of yesterday," said Shirou, as if it were the most simple solution.
Ingenium chuckled lightly at the teenager's viewpoint. "I employ sixty five sidekicks, each of them has sent me well wishes and hoping that I return soon. I think it speaks volumes that all of them however did not mention what you just did. You're a unique individual Shirou Emiya. I'll definitely keep your words in mind and perhaps I should put my team through their own training regime."
Shirou simply nodded his head, his message seemingly sinking in. "So this is the part where you start asking me the approved questions given to you by the investigators so they can make notes while having listened in to everything we say?"
Ingenium chuckled once more, this time Shirou could see a flicker of momentary panic in his eyes which told him that he was on point. "What makes you think that?"
Shirou leaned forward, almost as far as the chains cuffing his wrists would permit him before speaking low, his eyes sharpening dangerously. "You have no idea what I've seen, what I have been through."
"Then tell me," said Ingenium, almost pleadingly.
"You wouldn't believe me."
The words were almost cold and Ingenium knew better than to pry further. The experience shown in yesterday's battle spoke of years of fighting. It had also been in the way that Shirou fought. He had been calm, no signs of panic with every passing minute which was terrifying in it's own right. Even when he had taken a blow he nearly showed no reaction.
Mildly shaking his head and realizing that he had derailed from his original plan there was still something he needed to say. "One last thing," said Ingenium as he pushed himself away from the table, Shirou leaning back in his chair.
"I imagine it's what's going to happen to me."
"Well, you technically have a choice..."
"What's the option other than prison?" asked Shirou, already having deduced what one of the options was.
"Enrol at U.A. Academy and become a hero. You clearly have the ability and the strength to become someone great," declared Ingenium with a pump of his fist.
"I don't imagine that I'll be welcomed, what with having attacked other heroes and all that. I imagine I'm seen more of a villain than a hero at the moment," stated Shirou.
"It was actually the principal of U.A. who suggested this course of action," acknowledged Ingenium. "He saw you and believes you have great potential."
"So effectively he wants to show the world that his school has the power to reform those who are potentially being led down the wrong path," declared Shirou, his eyes sharpening ever so slightly. Ingenium once more felt whatever he wished to say stay hidden behind clenched teeth, not having even considered that the principal of the school had any alternative motivation behind the offering.
Shirou meanwhile was contemplating all that he had done up to this point as Archer. The heroes of this world had almost seemed to have become complacent in his eyes, content with staying in the shadow of those at the top. Their only drive seemed to be the fact that saving people came with the added bonus of a paycheck, a huge injustice to the title of 'hero' in his eyes. Very few that he had encountered had actually been worthy of being called a true hero and fewer still would ever change their ways.
The next batch of potential heroes however...
"I take it there are some conditions," said Shirou, relaxing his gaze ever so slightly.
"Being a minor without a parental guardian, the principal is offering you a way through the course via a scholarship. The only way he can do this however without media blatantly pointing out favouritism and consequently putting themselves in a bad light is if you pass the exams as the highest scoring applicant," said Ingenium remembering the offer he had been told to give. "If you fail to accomplish this, then there will be no place for you at the academy."
What would happen were he not to be successful went unsaid but Shirou didn't need to be told what the alternative would be. Undoubtedly there would be a good deal of heroes present at the event to ensure that he didn't make a run for it were he to try and escape. The threat that he would be labelled a villain if he were to make a successful run for it meant nothing to him. It simply meant that he would save people in other ways.
"Do we have an agreement?" asked Ingenium.
A steady breath escaped Shriou's lips before he responded. "Yes."
"Very well," said Ingenium as he stood up from the table. "I'll inform the authorities of your decision."
"Ingenium," said Shirou, gaining the attention of the man before him moments prior to him turning to leave. "Never allow yourself or your men to lose sight of what's truly important. Can the Ingenium of tomorrow save more than the Ingenium of today?"
The hero gave no answer, or more correctly he could give no answer.
Shirou watched as Ingenium left the room, leaving him alone once more. The entire conversation had come and gone so quickly but there was one thing which didn't get talked about in the slightest. While this offer had been given to him, nothing had been mentioned about Rin.
Chapter 3
Shirou sat in the auditorium, his arms crossed over his chest. He was one of hundreds of potential applicants wishing to get into the hero course of U.A. Well, wishing was an overstatement. He had been a hero once before, saving people wherever and whenever he had gotten the chance. Years upon years of selfless acts. Some acts these kids sitting around him would never even dream of. The mental and physical scars he had suffered from helping others were burdens that he dared not share with anyone.
Yet he would continue to do so, to bare the burdens these children would not dare. For half the teenagers here it seemed like they were only trying to become a hero because it was cool.
He had nothing against the ideology of helping people. To only do so to be applauded by the public and expect monetary funding for doing what felt so natural to him was highly conflicting. If they were unable to focus completely on the job then it was very possible that they too would possibly need saving. But who saved those who spent their lives saving others?
"This is how the test will go my listeners!" shouted a person from the stage of the auditorium. "You'll be experiencing ten minute long mock cityscape maneuvers! Bring along whatever you want! After this presentation you'll all head to your assigned testing location! OK?"
Shirou watched as the screen behind the presenter changed as he continued. Shirou listened as the man, whom he assumed was a professional hero, explained how there were several different types of faux villains for them to take down in the test and how each would be scored. Shirou knew that it wouldn't be that simple however, otherwise it would simply be an issue of speed. Certain people wouldn't have any chance if that was the case. There had to be a secondary option for scoring that simply wasn't being mentioned.
Regardless, he needed to be top of this whole thing and if that meant he had to destroy every single robot posing as a villain then so be it.
...
Rin sat in a separate examination box on campus where she could overwatch the proceedings, already having been accepted into the school under the general studies course. It hadn't taken much in regards to convincing the school to accept her, especially with her practically guaranteeing them that Shirou would come out of this test on top.
She did wish that she wasn't isolated like this however, being monitored by the camera that clung to the roof watching her every moment. Didn't help that whoever was watching said cameras would immediately contact the number of heroes currently present creating a whole lot of chaos.
The door to her observing room opened up and she managed to only flinch slightly at the sight of the principal, the mouse with superior intellect having scared her almost witless the first time they had met. "Thank you for not running when the two of you had the chance," said Nezu as he leapt up, gripping the edge of the spare chair and pulling himself onto the surface that humans had no issue with.
"Don't pretend like you didn't have eyes on us during the week, if we made any sort of move you would have had heroes come down on us with full force," scoffed Rin. While she and Shirou had been able to perform a more than adequate feat in fighting off the ever increasing swarm of heroes she knew that both had once been able to do better. The bodies they were currently residing in, while familiar, were not fully grown. Having been adults for years, fighting at the age they were now was awkward, clumsy almost; their limbs only remotely responding like they should have. Their stamina had also suffered, something which she knew Shirou would be determined to get up to scratch and perhaps even become better than what he had been before they had found themselves in this world.
One on one, she was confident that they could go toe to toe with the greatest this world could offer. As the other week showed, a long drawn out fight against multiple opponents was something they could confidently confront at a later date.
"Is Emiya truly as bad a case as you said?" asked the principal, referring to the conversation they had previously had.
"It's a possibility," said Rin. "His ideals at the moment are distorted and I like to think I've done as good a job as I could keeping him in line." That was an understatement considering the number of times she had to comfort and console him ever since that first time she had told him that he was broken; it was amazing she still found reason to continue doing so. "If I could, I would like to talk to you in a purely hypothetical sense."
Nezu seemed momentarily perplexed before reaching forward and turning a switch off, a small red light blinking out of existence. Rin wasn't surprised that there had been an audio recording program running in the background, she still didn't have their full trust after all. She accurately assumed that this was the principal's way of showing that if she wished to divulge in something and keep it private that she could do so. "So what is this hypothetical topic you wish to speak of?"
"Hypothetically, will Shirou do well in your school?"
Nezu's eyebrow contorted slightly, wondering why this was under the guise of a hypothetical conversation. "I would see why not. From what we witnessed the other week he is a remarkable teenager."
"Not physically, but mentally," corrected Rin.
"We strive on our ability to help any student in any way we can to help them grow," recited Nezu as if reading a public address statement. "The heroes that come out of this academy will be sound of strength and mind."
"Then what would be the case were you to discover that he is a man trapped in a child's body?"
Nezu paused, wondering just what Rin was talking about. A possibility did come to mind however. With the vast number of quirks in the world, it wasn't impossible for someone to have such a quirk. Why they would use it on the person sitting beside him and the one that she had such trust in left more questions than answers but there was one which needed to be asked now. "An age regression quirk?"
Rin hated that word, quirk. Having to put up with the idea that generations of family knowledge and experimentation was merely considered as some form of genetic mutation sickened her to the core. In this case however, it would work to her advantage. "Hypothetically, we were not found in the police's database due to the fact that we are indeed much older than what we seem, both having decades of experience behind us, both mental and physical. During those times, it is easily assumable that not all of those experiences were pleasant."
"No, we can assume not," said Nezu momentarily recalling his own past which had been full of difficulties.
"As far as he can remember, Shirou wished to be a hero and after certain events became someone who could save others. His method of saving others though never came with the idea of saving his own life. He would risk his entire being on a regular basis, just because someone else needed saving. At some point, he had seen a vision almost, of what his future could hold and he tried to steer as far away from that as he could but in turn it pushed him down another way."
Nezu motioned for Rin to continue, wishing now that he had bought some tea or coffee to share with the teenager sitting next to him. What she was saying, while farfetched, was not out of the question but he still had to believe that she wasn't telling him everything, that would be far too easy. Had things not panned out the way they had it was very likely that these two teenagers would have been labelled as villains by society.
"After one particularly bad time, he went about trying to save people another way. He was strong enough and if he could save everyone by himself he would but as you are aware there are certain times where there are casualties. For once though he didn't put the blame on himself like he did so many times before, but he blamed those he had been forced to work with. Blamed them for not being fast enough to save one more person, not strong enough to protect them and that they lacked the conviction to save people. He went back on it all, apologized profusely when it was all said and done but a seed had been planted in the back of his mind, an idea that continued to grow unnoticed until it had almost seemingly blended in with his ideals."
"That if you couldn't save everyone, you shouldn't try saving anyone," said Nezu, drawing his conclusions from what Rin had said. It was a conflicting notion and Nezu could understand why Rin had brought this up with him. Even with the incredible number of active heroes, this world was still rife with crime and villains. It was inevitable that lives would be lost.
"It's gotten bad," admitted Rin. "Shirou is, and forever will be, someone who will save people. Now though that also means that he prevents them from putting themselves into danger in the first place. Had we not been brought here, I feared that his ideals would have only continued to grow worse over time and I know what the worst outcome is. I tried my hardest and I have effectively stalled it temporarily but that's not enough. I want my Shirou back."
Nezu couldn't help but notice that Rin's final reasoning seemed almost selfish. "So you're hoping that by having him around students that are all pushing towards their own goals and dreams, it will help him, show him that there are other ways?" asked Nezu, only receiving a nod as an answer. "Without any funding though, you had to..."
Nezu's mind switched into overdrive. The person next to him, was it possible that she had planned it all? All for the sake of Shirou Emiya? Being discovered to have no adult supervision, being detained, breaking out of prison and showing their talents in front of the world. Nezu had seen their skill and knew that if they were to be accepted into U.A it would do well publicity wise in the long run, how children with unimaginable potential could become heroes with the right guidance.
Was that how it went though?
Nezu knew that he had gone to the police station having wanted to meet with both Rin and Shirou but he couldn't recall much of the conversation. Considering that Shirou was about to start the test and Rin had already been admitted to the general studies course, everything had fallen into place. But was it his terms that had been agreed to?
Knowing he had paused for perhaps a couple seconds too long, Nezu turned to face Rin before realizing that everything was a bit furry in the mind. "So you'll agree to the accommodation arrangements?" asked Rin.
Accommodation arrangements? Of course, that was what they had been discussing. "Yes, that's right, I'll have the appropriate arrangements made," stated Nezu. "If you'll excuse me."
Nezu left without another word, clutching lightly at the side of his head. It was probably nothing more than an oncoming migraine, inappropriate timing but it couldn't be helped. There was a test happening shortly after all that required his attention.
...
Mina Ashido was pumped, she was beyond excited. She stood here, outside of her designated block surrounded by her competition. Due to her pink complexion, she stood out amongst those around her and she had gotten more than one curious look, perhaps others trying to figure out what her quirk was due to her skin pigmentation. Regardless of whatever they guessed however, she was more than determined to blow them all out of the water.
The one thing which had caught her attention during Present Mic's speech was how the faux villains didn't technically have to be destroyed, but merely disable. She was well aware of her own capabilities and while the acid she could create from the palms of her hands were powerful there was only so much she could do before it started doing damage not only to her targets but herself. So she wasn't seeking to destroy, disable. Whatever made them move, so long as she could hinder that and prevent them from progressing, she would be able to take far more robots out that way then trying to actively destroy them.
"AND BEGIN!"
Those two words caused a wave of confusion to rush over the crowd, random murmurings between the individuals trying to figure out just what those two words meant.
"WHAT'S WRONG? THE TEST'S STARTED! RUN! RUN! THE DIE IS CAST!"
There was no hesitation this time as the crowd lunged forward, pushing at one another as if to get a better vantage point. Ashido was one of them, determined to get to the front of the pack and give herself an open path to start her task. She, along with everyone else however, were forced to come to a screeching halt as their path was blocked, dozens of swords plummeting into the ground in front of them and temporarily halting their movement.
"What?"
"The heck!"
"Who did this?"
Accusations started ringing out as fingers got pointed, yelling how each of them could have been hurt. It became abundantly clear who had done it as a single person walked forward, gripping the handle of one of the blades before he ripped it out of the ground and pointed it into the centre of the crowd. Ashido couldn't help but swallow a lump in her throat noting that the tip of the sword was only inches away from the closest individual.
"You think this is a game?" he shouted, his voice roaring with more authority than Present Mic's had. "You are here to become heroes! You are here because you believe yourself to be the best there is but everyone around you thinks the same. What makes you more deserving to be a hero then them? A true hero is one who puts others safety and wellbeing above their own, but if you are unable to save yourself how can you save anyone else?"
Ashido found herself releasing a breath she didn't know she had been holding. The teenager before them had lowered his sword before moving forward, far faster than any expected him to do. The wall of swords still blocked their path and it was a clear message. Those who had ulterior motives for becoming a hero, this was a warning. Don't get in the way of those who wanted to be true heroes. Was this actually part of the test? It also didn't help that he looked incredibly familiar but for the life of her she couldn't figure out where she had seen him before.
One of the other applicants allowed a roar to escape through their lips before he charged, leaping over the wall of swords on his march forward. A handful swiftly followed the initiative, Ashido one of them realizing that nearly their first minute, a whole ten percent of their test, had already passed. She ran forward as fast as her legs would take her but took a glance over her shoulder at those who had yet to move.
So many candidates, frozen in fear. Each one of them had been raring to go only moments earlier but now they were questioning themselves. Was this truly what they wanted to do with their life? There was a life of hardship and struggles ahead of them and the first step had already caused a huge hurdle. One person, a single person their age, had effectively told them that if they weren't prepared to risk everything that they shouldn't risk anything. Ashido knew that just those handful of moments that they had originally cost them a handful of points. Those who had yet to move, even if they did find their conviction would likely find it too late. Even now as she looked forward she could see that all of the opening robots had already been put out of commission.
Running past one on her left, she saw that it had been nearly cleaved square in half. It was clear that the person who had stopped at the beginning was worthy of backing up their words. Well Ashido found her determination seeping back in, she would not be shown up anymore!
The explosion of a nearby wall caused her to smile almost in a sadistic manner. Before the dust had even settled she swooped into action, the acid on her palm forming before she slid under the upper appendage, her hand gliding across the leg. Standing upright, she grabbed hold of the extended arm and pulled, putting extra force on the slowly melting leg. It took only a handful of seconds before it began to collapse. She allowed a small roar of approval to come forth as the robot crashed to the ground, securing her first points.
Her momentary lapse in concentration however almost cost her. A glimpse of steel in her peripheral vision warned her of danger. She moved to leap away, get some distance between him and certain injury. There was no need however, the machine being put out of commision as an arrow pierced straight through the metallic frame before becoming lodged in the ground.
Ashido swallowed a lump in her throat before slapping herself in the cheeks. This was no time to lose focus. Time was not on her side and she ran off determined to find a new source of points.
...
Shirou stood atop the building he had perched himself atop, another traced arrow loosing from the bow in his hand. The projectile rocketed through the air faster than anybody could imagine before striking the intended target, rendering the robot immobile. Despite the distance, the arrow was able to soar through the air and strike with unrealistic precision.
Before the arrow had even sunk into the ground however, a new arrow had already been traced. He remembered his training however, the steps of kyūdō forever burned into his mind. Were he to ignore these he knew that he would have been able to take out more targets but that was something he just couldn't do under the circumstance.
The arrow he had notched soared through the air once more as Present Mic's voice broke forth, informing them that there was a touch over six minutes remaining. Shirou shifted his gaze to the starting gate, where a good portion of the attendees were either only just starting to move or would remained locked in place. He knew he had been harsh, shattered more than a handful of dreams in the process but it was for the best. He knew he was forcing his distorted views outwards but it was for the best. Heroes were those who would not hesitate to save others. The fact that there were those who had taken this long to muster up the courage to continue told him enough. From preventing them from starting, he had saved them from a life of pain and suffering.
He was forcing his ideals on teenagers, ideals which he had tried his best to hold onto after decades of saving people. The good, the bad, the young and old, it mattered not, he had saved them time and time again. Those times where he had been too late had dug at him deeply. Nights were plagued with simple questions, how small things that he could have done potentially changed the outcome. Rin had continuously told him that he was overthinking it, that there was nothing more that he could have done. No matter how many times she said this though he paid it no mind, always knowing that there had to have been some way to save at least one more person.
Gripping the bow tightly, Shirou ran to the edge of the building and leapt across the gap. This happened thrice more, the scope of the area in which they were conducting their test was vast to the point where very little of the area would actually be covered in the ten minutes they were being assessed in. Lifting up his bow, another arrow formed before being released moments later.
It was then that the ground began to rumble, the building Shirou was standing on top of shaking ever so slightly. Natural occurrence? When the behemoth of a machine appeared out of the middle of the tallest building, bulldozing it's way through other constructs on the way through Shirou knew the test wasn't over yet. Debris rained down onto the ground and Shirou sprang into action.
...
Ashido didn't know at first why she had stopped, the colossal machine only a couple hundred feet behind her. She had heard a plea, a cry for help and she had paused almost instinctively. Amongst the sound of screaming and destruction she had heard it.
Turning her head to the left, Ashido spotted one of the other hero candidates, the one who had been first to leap over the wall of swords trapped. She forced back the urge to vomit, it looked as if a part of the carnage had landed on him and his leg was now trapped beneath a huge chunk of debris.
She reacted, running towards her fellow applicant, narrowly avoiding a steel beam that landed near where she was. It only took a handful of seconds to reach the boy and she grabbed hold of the outstretched arm and began to pull. He groaned in pain but seemingly was willing to put his body through some more suffering if it meant getting out of this predicament. Even with Ashido's strength however, it wasn't enough to pull him clear.
Quickly thinking, Ashido released her hands from his grip and put them close to where his leg was trapped. "This is going to sting a bit," she declared before using her quirk, her acid seeping from the pores in her hands and sliding through the cracks and coating the teenager's leg. It would sting and so long as they got the acid off quick enough there wouldn't be any greater damage made but it would serve as a lubricant.
The man winced in pain but knew that she was doing her best to help him. Once more his hand was held onto tightly, her grip sound as she pulled with all of her weight. Now though there was movement, only a small amount but it was progress nonetheless.
Time however was not on their side.
Ashido tried not to panic as the monstrous machine lumbered closer, the steps it taking causing the ground to shake beneath her feet. Closing her eyes, she did her best to get her breathing under control. She was trying to be a hero! Heroes don't panic in situations like this!
A crunching sound made her eyes snap open and she saw that a steel rod had been jammed at the base of the debris trapping the person she was trying to save. Shifting her focus slightly she saw that it was the person who had hindered them at the entrance, wedging the bar in deeply. "When I say now, pull," he instructed, his words far calmer than they had been when he had first spoke. Ashido nodded and her grip firmed ever so slightly as she waited for his command.
"Now!"
Ashido once more closed her eyes as she pulled with all her might, this time though without the extra weight bearing down on the person she was trying to save, he slid free far easier than she had anticipated. Groaning in pain, the man tried to push himself up to his one good leg, Ashido quickly looping his arm around her shoulders for support.
"Get him to safety."
"What are you going to do?" asked Ashido, as the teenager turned his back on her.
"Stop it."
His words were calm, almost too much. Ashido wondered if the person her age even felt fear at the sight of the construction before him. As he slowly made his way towards the machine, Ashido turned around, helping the person she had saved towards where the starting gate was. It was slow going, the man could only move so far with every step but it was a step away from danger every time.
Behind her she could hear the sound of metal on metal scraping against one another but she dared not look back. What sounded like a huge piece of something crashed to the ground but again she dared not look back.
The teenager had trusted her to get the injured to safety. So she had to trust that he would do what he said and do something unthinkable.
Stop it.