Disclaimer: D-do people still do disclaimers? God, I'm old.

Anyways, Fate/Stay Night is owned by Type-Moon. Please support the official release.

Chapter 2: Tohsaka Rin (I)

The house was silent.

"I'm home!"

The lights were turned off. The ancient mansion was bathed in darkness.

"Father? Grandfather? Anyone here?"

Not a single soul was around.

"It's me, Shinji. I came back early."

I walked through the black corridors, looking for acknowledgement.

"W-where is everyone?"

The smallest sounds could be barely heard from below. So subtle it was like gentle static.

"Are they in the basement?"

With each step down, the sound became a little louder.

"What are you doing down here-"

Dim, green light greeted me.

"Wh-what's going on?"

A million critters scraped across the room.

"Father?"

Two dark silhouettes standing above a pit.

"Grandfather?"

Expressions of surprise and apathy.

"What are you doing down here…"

A purple figure among a sea of black.

"Who is she?"

The dungeon was cold.

"Answer me!"

I shivered.

"WHAT THE HELL IS HAPPENING!?"

"Emiya. Oi, Emiya."

My eyes opened and were greeted with warm sunlight. Above me was a familiar ceiling, though it wasn't my room's.

"Yes? What is it, Issei?"

I immediately turn to my bespectacled friend, who had kindly woken me up.

"Good grief, I was worried you had fallen asleep."

"Oh, don't worry. I was just basking in afterglow."

"Of what?"

"My lunch."

I gave him a smirk, to indicate it was a joke, causing him to heave a sigh.

"Really now…"

"I'm kidding, I'm kidding. Thanks for waking me up, I started dozing after eating too much."

I put up my arms to show my surrender before using them to drink the tea Issei had brewed. At that moment, we were peacefully spending our lunchtime in the ever empty student council room. Since Issei had the authority to enter it, too often did the two of us spend our free time in this room getting away from the more crowded areas and spending a precious period of peace.

Perhaps it is rather strange that the two of us are so friendly. Issei happens to be the son of the town temple, and, true to his religious background, he has a rather plain, strict personality. President of the student council, he's been working to reform the lax standards of the council as well as improve the school on multiple levels. We seemingly couldn't be more different. And yet, here we were. Strange. I guess it might be because we kind find traits in each other that we truly appreciate.

"Oh yeah, Issei. Wasn't there something you needed help with?"

"Yes, the situation's a mess."

Without losing a beat, Issei looked up from his papers and nodded. Sheesh, was he just waiting for me to ask?

"Frankly, our school's budget is unbalanced."

"Because the athletic clubs are favored, right?"

Issei's expression wavered for a moment.

"Well…"

"It's fine. I don't care. Even if I'm captain."

I make a show out of scoffing at his worries, exaggeratingly shrugging and brushing it off. Luckily, it seemed to work, as Issei was immediately back on track.

"Right. The other clubs are thus in trouble. I've been desperately trying to allot some budget for them but it's difficult. In particular, there's a painful shortage of heaters, this winter."

I nodded along with his explanation. Certainly, it was a problem. Just thinking about the archery range in the cold made my martial arts spirit waver.

"So, we need stoves, huh. Are there any broken ones?"

"Yes. In the 2nd AV room and the art club."

"Alright, then I understand the situation. I'll go there and check those when I get some time."

Once the explanation ended, I snapped back up and began to pack my stuff. In a dramatic gulp, I drink the rest of my tea.

"I'd love to get to it right now, but I have something else to do before lunch ends."

I stand up to say my farewells to Issei, yet he sighs instead.

"Yes, you do, don't you."

"Ara? Did I tell you, beforehand?"

That's weird. I don't remember explicitly saying it to him.

"How could I not? You were announcing it to all the men in our class yesterday, like you were some sort of revolutionary hero."

Ah, that did happen, didn't it?

"Well, what do you think my chances are? Honestly."

"Personally, I hope you fail."

Like it was being shot by an arrow, my body took a heavy blow at my friend's harsh dreams.

"Ow. Mean, but at least it means you think there's a chance I'll succeed."

Undeterred, I twist his words to create a new hope for myself. This ability to twist any situation to make it seem favourable is the special technique of Emiya Shinji! Taste the power of my super positive egoism.

"Honestly, I expected better of you, Emiya. Her?"

Issei showed me a look of disapproval that really dug deep. Instead of staying to quell his disappointment, I instead decide to take the cleverer tactic of strategic retreat.

"Well, personally, I see no problem with it. Anyways, I'm out of time. Gotta go. Thanks for the tea. Bye."

A second later, I was gone.

Having left the student council room, I steadily headed back towards my classroom. Despite the eventless walk, my nerves began to sharpen. As if anticipating before the coming battle, my senses refined themselves. Like a swordsman repeatedly applying his blade to the whetstone, my body continuously cut away at unnecessary thoughts. With each second, I grew more conscious of my surroundings and myself.

I first entered my own classroom to drop off my stuff. In doing so, I encounter the soon-to-be witnesses of my glory. My classmates shifted their attention to me, and, once they realized I've entered and left, they knew it was going to happen soon. In mere moments, the spectacle would start.

I set up camp not in my classroom but in the hallway. People pass by me, paying no heed to my presence, while I alone felt conscious of my existence. Just standing there made me realize that I was soon to enter a battlefield. In just moments, a moment could determine my fate. Win or lose, succeed or fail, live or die. The gravity of those differences weighed heavily on my body.

I could still run. I still had time. If I casually stepped back into the classroom, everything could be avoided and I could forget ever even daring to stand up here. Yet, the eyes of men stabbed deep into my form. Although inconspicuous, the gaze of many expectant jurors fell upon me. Retreat was not an option. Not in front of the people. For if I were to be a beacon of hope, an idol for men to admire, how could I flee? No, Emiya Shinji could not escape, lest he abandoned his very pride. Such an act would not be justice.

At that moment, the air changed. Something, or rather someone, had entered the stage. Strolling elegantly down the stairs was a girl in red, and the countless men drew their breaths. The stage was set. The battle had begun.

A final wave of nervousness ran through me. My heart pounded. My knees shook. My breath hastened. Yet I fought them all down. I clenched my fist and gritted my teeth. I could not run. This was my battle to fight.

Like a predator having found its prey, my instincts kicked in and every fiber of my body concentrated on one task. It all began with the first step. After that it was downhill and the prey was either caught or it got away. My mind screamed to take that step. Move. Move, Shinji. GO!

"Hey, Tohsaka."

The words slipped out of my mouth without me realizing. Before I knew it, I had engaged and the battle had begun. Like a block that had finally been pushed out of static friction, the heavy anxiety that had been holding me back lightened. Those two words had changed the atmosphere, from nervous anticipation to the fervor of battle. No more were my doubts; I could only move forward.

"Oh, hello, Emiya-kun."

Elegant as always, Tohsaka Rin answers casually, oblivious to the inner turmoil a man's heart was experiencing. Getting closer, I can't help but once again take note of her impeccable beauty. As if trying to raise my own stock in comparison, I smoothly brush my hair aside and shift to a more relaxed posture. I get up to a slightly intimate but still comfortable distance and let my words do the rest. Don't fail me now, wit!

"Do you have a moment? I wanted to talk to you for a bit."

My heart pounced again. It knew; the time drew near. As the moments passed by, I could physically feel the impeding chance, in which the battle would be settled instantly. The intense atmosphere spread even to the watchers. Some were breathless, anticipating what might happen next. Some were bitter, hoping for my failure. None were allies, even believing for a second I'll succeed. But it matters not that I am alone in this battle. I will overturn every expectation and return victorious. I am Emiya Shinji, the man who never admits defeat. With all my concentration on this task, I will definitely win. In but an instant, my victory shall be secur-

"Sorry, but I'm in a hurry."

-Or maybe not. You know, no big deal.

"I'll take to you later, Emiya-kun. Farewell."

"Oh, ok. Cya."

We exchanged farewells and she left.

A sudden silence swept through my mind. I was left dumbfounded at how the intensity of the atmosphere had been drained in six lines of dialogue.

Slowly but surely, time began to move again. Held breaths were released, keen eyes blinked, and nervous postures relaxed. One of my classmates got out of the classroom and walked towards me. With Mother Mary's compassionate smile, he patted my shoulder and just looked at me with warm eyes, as if telling me everything was okay. And then, he jumped up and cheered.

"Shinji got rejected!"

"""YAY!"""

A tear nearly fell from my eye. I have such great friends.

So that we didn't cause more of a ruckus, I was brought back into the classroom and the whole gang crowded around my desk to ridicule me.

"Dammit, guys. I'm telling you, I wasn't rejected. She was just busy okay. I still have a chance."

"Yea, yea. Sure, whatever you say, prince."

I fervently tried to get the idiots off my back but they were stubbornly refusing my completely logical analysis.

"I'm telling you guys. It's not over yet. Her answer has not been determined."

"Oh, don't lie to yourself. You know her answer even before you attempted anything."

"Come on, do you really think you can just ask out the Tohsaka Rin and succeed? Get off that high-horse buddy."

As one can observe, Tohsaka has built quite the image of being unattainable over the years. Her perfect image alongside her detached, unsocial behavior makes it hard to even imagine being close to the girl much less romance. Even before the brave few dare to ask her out, most would give up just thinking about it. Well, I'm not exactly most people.

"Of course. Unlike you average mongrels, I happen to be a worthy individual. Who better to court the perfect Tohsaka Rin than the equally immaculate Emiya Shinji? It's a match made in heaven, if you ask me."

"Yea, yea, keep running the mouth, narcissus."

My classmates' rebuttals are accompanied by sharp playful taps. Some are more forceful than they should be, likely due to not only their annoyance but also my suggestion that someone could actually meet Tohsaka's approval. With her being the idol of all the boys at Homurahara, anyone who could successfully court her would surely be the target of scorn and envy amongst hordes of students.

"Really, though, Emiya. Just give up and save yourself some face."

"Hmph, I refuse. Why should I stop when I might win?"

"C'mon. Don't get stuck with this one girl. There's plenty of cute girls at our school, not to mention other schools."

Perhaps out of benevolence, my classmates begin to give me advice, as if I actually needed it.

"What about Arashiyama from 2-B? She's fashionable, isn't she?"

"Yea, she's got a pretty nice rack too."

"The gal-girl? No way, she's way too cakey."

I shake my head at the bad suggestion.

"How about Shimane-senpai?"

"Eh? I don't know how I feel about older girls…"

"Well, that's true. Plus she's a flat chest."

The boys begin to rack their brains for ideas.

"Kane Himuro from 2-A?"

"That emotionless girl? Does she even care about romance?"

"Fair. Plus, her bust isn't that impressive."

"Oh. What about Emi from our class? She's kinda cute, right? Though she's gross when she eats a lot and she has bad manners. Haha."

"… dude. She's literally right behind you."

"Eh?"

The guy who suggested it turned to find the face of Asura.

"Keeeeeeiiiiiittttaaaaaa…"

"Oh, shit. Bye, guys! Tell Taiga I'm protecting my life, oh god she has a weapon-"

He was gone before he could finish his sentence and the demon of bloodshed and anger followed suite. The rest of us were left praying for his survival.

"Okay, um… I got this. What about Makidera from class A?"

"Dude, can a man even love a monkey?"

"Not even breasts can save that, bro."

"… shut up. She's my type…"

The student faced away after his (shit) tastes had been insulted.

"Ooh, ooh, I know. What about that first year, Matou?"

"Eh?"

I involuntarily flinched at the abrupt suggestion.

"You know, the first year. Purple hair, huge tits."

My fist clenched. A short moment passed before a smile returned to my face.

"Huh, I don't think so. She's not really my type…"

"Huh? B-but dude… her tits are ginormous! Freaking huge!"

"Is that the only thing you care about!?"

Honestly, what the hell. Now that I think about it, this guy has been commenting for a while and he's only been talking about boobs this whole time.

Luckily though, the banter calmed me down and I regained my natural posture. Having seen enough, I decided that it's high time to end this worthless debate.

"Look guys, I appreciate the effort and all but my eyes are set. It's Tohsaka or bust."

"Heh, bust."

"Shut up, you perv!"

Much to my personal satisfaction, my shoe finds itself stabbing into the breasts guy's shin. Hah, that should show him.

"Wait, wait, Emiya. I just thought of one."

Another students cuts in eagerly, as if he didn't want his hard work to go to waste. I make an exasperated sigh before signalling to wrap it up.

"What about Mitsuzuri from 2-A? You're in the same club, right?"

And half-way through, my sigh becomes a spit-take.

"Are you stupid? Who the hell would fall for that martial-arts girl?"

"Eh, really? I thought you two were close."

The student shows a look of disbelief which only makes me want to ridicule him further. Honestly, Mitsuzuri? What a mismatch. No way in hell.

"You say that because you don't know her, but let me tell you. She has no feminine traits whatsoever. She's brash, brutish, and bossy. And she totally doesn't respect me as captain. To even think of her as a girl, please. Just the thought makes me laugh. Hehehe…hahaha… Hahaha!"

"Oh god, she's somehow listening to me, isn't she?"

"Yes, I am, Captain Emiya."

A tang of killing intent approaches from behind. A quick turn reveals a highschool girl as its innocuous source. A very very happy smile is planted on her face, so positive that it could haunt the nightmares of little children.

"Oh, come on. What the hell are you even doing here?"

"I came to talk about practice. But, I guess I have to settle something else first."

She took small steps forward, pressing her advantage. I unconsciously find myself stepping back. No good, at this rate I'll be cornered.

I look around to signal my buds to help… and they're all looking the other way, pretending they have nothing to do with me. As I find myself, backed up against a desk, I think with warm thoughts: I have great friends.

"Now, what'd you say about me!?"

"AAAAHHHH!"

I spent the rest of the day with a severe bump on my head.

"Be careful on your way back."

"Okay~"

"See you tomorrow~"

School ended without problem and the golden sun began to sink into the horizon. Bathed under the dim orange lighting, the school grounds were filled with the chorus of farewells as its students began to head home. In the end, Mitsuzuri ended our stupidity and went back to her class just in time for Issei and Taiga to return and start the next round of classes. Like any other day, the hours flew by without incident and, before I could catch my breath, even club practice had finished and everyone was going home.

"Ow, ow, ow. That Mitsuzuri really doesn't know how to hold back."

I grimaced in pain as I held my head wound from earlier. It wasn't anything serious but it still stung. As I slowly changed out of my archery clothes, I couldn't help but check on it and make it she didn't damage my scalp. I'd be pissed if she damaged my beautiful hair. Luckily, it wasn't deep and my elegant looks were saved.

"What a day. First the thing with Tohsaka and then Mitsuzuri's berserk mode. I still need to go back and make dinner too. How tiring…"

My shoulders feel heavy with the weight of my depression. Honestly, I just felt fatigued and frustrated that nothing was going my way. Nothing that made me want to cry or anything but it still made me not want to do anything.

"Oh well, I wanted to check on the heaters but I'll do that tomorrow. I'll skimp on cleaning today as well. I need a bath…"

Muttering mumbles that you'd expect from a middle aged man, I made my way through the empty changing room and back into the archery range. Since I was taking my time with changing, everyone had basically left and I was left alone to ponder my melancholy and close up.

Or, so I thought. Yet, I was stopped in my tracks as I noticed two club members still around, moving smoothly across the floor.

"Oi, what are you two doing?"

"Eek."

Startled by my call, the two flinch before cautiously acknowledging my presence. Upon closer inspection, I notice they're both freshman and holding cleaning tools.

"Oh, it's just you, Senpai- er, Captain. Don't scare us like that."

"We just thought we'd clean up today. Don't mind us."

The two young girls smile warmly, brandishing their utensils to emphasise their objective. It was rare to have reliable volunteers want to clean after a hard session of practice, making their offer even more benevolent.

Having given a sufficient answer, the two of them went back to work, cleaning up the exceptionally large archery range. They were like a godsend, relieving my fatigued body of one of my chores. Now, I could happily go back and rest up after my tiresome day…

Oh, who I was kidding?

"Tch. Gimme that."

"Eh?"

The underclassmen seemed surprised as I stepped back into the range and held out my hand.

"I said pass me one. I can't trust you guys to clean properly, so I'll show you girls how it's done."

Standing just a little bit off, I turn my head away so they can't clearly see my expression. My hand continues to urge them to hand me a broom or something.

"Oh, um… thank you very much!"

A broom finds its way into my hands as they bow. Instead of facing them though, I just turn away and start working on the floor.

"Don't get the wrong idea. I'm just doing this so I don't have to clean after you guys when you mess up. I'm not doing it for you or anything."

""Yes!""

The evening drags on and three pairs of hands move back and forth throughout the range.

"Alright, Shinji. Calm down, you got this."

Facing myself in the mirror, I slap my cheeks to get a hold of myself. Even so, my body felt unreasonably stiff. Could you blame me though? I was about to go and prove my worth.

Back at home, evening made way for night at an arbitrary border. After my usual dinner with my guardian/teacher, Fuji-nee, I sent her home in a hurry as I had bigger fish to fry that night. (Opposed to the fried fish we actually ate) And so I found myself in my room standing hesitantly in front of my home phone like it was some sort of bomb.

"I can't back down now, I can't back down now, I can't back down now…"

Endlessly repeating to myself those words of encouragement, I tried to quiet my beating heart. The time was almost 8. I could stall no longer. I had to go now!

"Here I go!"

With a dramatic swoop, I grabbed the receiver and dialed in the numbers. Even though my fingers were rigid, I was surprisingly calm overall. Perhaps, I already used up most of my tension this afternoon. Once everything was dialed in, I called it, Tohsaka Rin's phone.

That's right, I was here to get revenge for the battle earlier today. Or in more basic terms, the time had come for me to properly ask out Tohsaka. But don't think things will go the same way. I've learned my lesson. My mistake was in asking if she was free, which allowed her to deflect my charge with ease. Instead, I shall charge right in and boldly do what no man has ever successfully done. I'll ask her out on a date!

*Beep*

As if answering my enthusiasm, the phone connected. I internally heaved a sigh of relief. It would've sucked if she didn't answer.

"Hello? Who is this?"

Tohsaka's voice sprung out of the receiver, much to my bliss. Not only was I happy to hear her majestic voice, it also confirmed that I wasn't speaking to her parents or something. Now, that would be awkward, though I actually believe she lives alone, right?

"Good evening, Tohsaka. This is Shinji speaking."

"Emiya-kun? Why are you calling me this late at night?"

"Huh? 8 p.m. isn't that late, is it? Sorry for disturbing you."

Her voice was a mix of confusion and surprise. There also seemed to be a hint of annoyance but I'll ignore that because I want to.

Still, does Tohsaka consider 8 as horribly late? I didn't think of her as an early bird, but maybe she's the type that goes to bed at 9 and gets up at like 4 in the morning.

"Hm? That's weird. It can't be eighttttttt-"

She suddenly paused and her voice disappeared as if she moved away from the phone for a second.

"T-tohsaka? Is everything alright?"

"N-nothing's wrong. Nevermind. What did you call for Emiya-kun?"

Looks like the time has come. No heading back, just gotta go straight for it. My hand gripped the receiver tight while my body leaned back against the drawer. Here it comes, my ultimate smooth talking skills.

"Actually, there's that new movie coming out, this weekend right? I was thinking of the two of us seeing it together. Make a date out of it."

As my mouth stopped, so did my heart. That was my best shot. The rest was up to fate. I could only pray to the heavens for a favorable result. Please accept. Please accept. Please accept. Please accept.

"Sorry, but I have to decline."

And, I am now officially rejected.

A wave of depression came over me. The words replayed back and forth in my head until they became engraved in my brain. I could not comprehend. Why? My calculations were perfect, my seduction skills immaculate, my greatness without flaw. Where did I go wrong?

No, no, wait a second. Calm down, Shinji. Don't jump to conclusions. This might just seem bad but if you analyse the situation things might be okay. She just said she's declining, but that says nothing about you as a person. It's just one date, no big deal. This isn't even a loss, just a minor roadblock. That's right, there's no way anyone would reject me. I'm Emiya Shinji. Everyone loves me.

"I-I see… I suppose you must be busy, huh. Can't be helped"

"No, I'm actually free that day."

Shit, I think my heart just shattered.

"If that's all, I'll be going now. Good night, Emiya-kun."

"Ah, right, good night…"

She hung up.

The monotonous beeping of the phone vibrated throughout the house. Like a dastardly reminder of what had occurred, it spared no one its sound. For a while, I just stood listening to the beeping. Nothing moved. No thoughts occurred to me. The world was still.

Eventually, I broke that frozen status as my body began to respond. Like clockwork, it put the phone back and walked slowly away. Without even the slightest hesitation or hurry, I made my way through the wide estate, put on my shoes and exited the front gate.

On that cold winter night, the street was empty. Nothing but the lamp light above to cut through the darkness. No one around to witness my pitiful state.

And so, I cried.

"WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH"

With streaking tears and broken pride, Emiya Shinji ran through the night and away from his sorrows.

Author's Afterword:

As expected of Wakame, taking rejection like a true man.

Hello again, readers. Thank you for making it to chapter two, I hope you'll you be here for number 3. As of this chapter, I have officially discovered that Pride Boasting Justice shall be released on an irregular schedule. I hope you can all understand. As you can see from my use of breast jokes, I am a very mature, sophisticated author, who needs time to get the creative process going and think of ways to torture Wakame-kun.

As for commentary on the chapter, I can really only say that, while writing, the theme I had in mind was "Things Shirou would never do". And of course, that happened to be talking about cute girls with his friends. 'Cause Shirou-kun is a loner that nobody likes.

In that respect, I guess Shinji is the more likeable character. Yay!