Well... I'm sorry to say that this is an idea that popped into my head and refused to leave it.

Beyond that, it ended up fleshing out more than any of my other fics have, so I've decided to skip the Anthology phase and send this straight to full story status.

I realize that people will probably be annoyed at me doing this given my other works that haven't been updated for so long... but unfortunately, I have no control of my muse.

But yeah... for anyone who want's to know what sort of progress I'm making on anything, there is my forum accessible by my profile page.

I've even decided to add a non-editing link to my OneDrive Folder there for anyone who wants to read the incomplete works in there.

I shall also pre-warn you that the characters listed on the site are liable to take time to show up, so don't expect them all that early.

But anyway...

On with the show.

Fujimura Taiga found herself once again heading towards the Emiya Residence for breakfast.

That was nothing unusual, she did that every morning to make sure the boy that was legally her responsibility to care for was safe and not doing anything troublesome to the neighbourhood.

Not that Shirou would ever do anything like that, he was simply too kind and helpful to cause problems… so if anything, it was more to make sure he was safe and not alone.

The street was practically silent at this time in the morning, very few people travelled through the area at the busiest of times, but this early usually made her the only person out in the neighbourhood.

Upon reaching the Emiya Residence, she immediately opened the door and called out to the owner of the house.

"Shirou!" she cried out already expecting to smell the sweet aroma of the boy's cooking.

It never came.

Nor did a reply.

Was he sick? She had found him sleeping in the shed on occasion, so she immediately made her way to check on the small outhouse.

"Shirou?" looking inside made her frown by his lack of a presence… it wasn't normal for him to oversleep if he hadn't collapsed in the shed.

Checking his room made her worry when he wasn't there, nor was he in the bathroom.

Room after room was checked and she saw no hide nor hair of him anywhere.

She would've assumed he had decided to stay at a friend's house if it wasn't for the fact that she knew he was home the previous night.

And she doubted he would leave for school without leaving some food for her.

She felt her heart sinking as she considered exactly what this meant.

Emiya Shirou was missing.

XXX Fate/FINAL Night XXX

Emiya Shirou could feel his body aching as consciousness returned to him and his nose picked up on a horrible scent permeating everything around him, meaning he was somewhere that hadn't been properly cleaned in a long time.

Opening his eyes only made him grimace more.

He was currently sitting under an unfamiliar ceiling in a dark room that looked like it belonged in an underground mall.

The futon he was laying on had also clearly seen better days but in the end, he was in an unfamiliar place with no idea of how he had gotten there.

Sitting up, he rubbed his head as he tried to think back on the last thing he remembered.

He struggled to recall anything from before he woke up but the most he found himself managing to remember was his house and a blond man.

Beyond that, nothing.

The sudden noise of the door opening made him startle but he prepared himself to try and escape, only to find a man wearing a set of amour that looked almost like hockey pads, and carrying a shotgun enter the room.

Even if he was more capable with his magecraft, he doubted he could take on the person without at least a weapon.

"Oh, you're awake," the stranger spoke in a voice that sounded almost… pleasantly surprised at that, "we weren't sure if you would be able to wake up when we found you."

Shirou found himself frowning at that.

They had found him?

He had to withhold a derisive snort at that thought.

If he had been found, then he should've been taken to the police station and not put onto an old futon, in a dark room, with an armed man checking up on him.

"Where am I?" he asked, wondering if this man would answer him.

"Ueno," the response was quick and simple, causing him to blink in surprise before frowning.

He only knew of one Ueno off the top of his head and that was a district in Tokyo.

"Can you walk?" the man asked, and he found himself turning his attention back to him, noting that the gun was still lowered.

"Yes," he acknowledged, earning what sounded like a sigh of relief from the man.

"Great, then come on," and with that, the stranger motioned for him to follow.

Shirou found himself rising off the makeshift bed and following the man, only to frown as soon as he left the room.

It looked like a subway station, but there seemed to be no one in the area except for people who were clearly homeless, and more people armed to the teeth with armour and guns.

Wherever he was, it was clearly derelict.

He found his brow furrowing as he watched a child talk to one of the gun carrying people with what appeared to be admiration… causing him to look at the other people in the area and how they reacted to the armed figures.

No one seemed unhappy to have these guards in the area.

Did that mean that the guards were there to protect these people? But if so, then what from?

"Oh, so you're awake," he found his attention drawn just across from the hall and noticed a modified ticket booth with a woman currently manning it.

"Great, then you can deal with this guy," and with that, Shirou suddenly found the man leaving him alone and entering a door just a little further down the hall, as the woman released an exasperated groan.

"Sorry about that," the woman spoke up not too long after that and Shirou found himself moving closer to her window, "but you know what hunters are like."

"Uh... hunters?" he couldn't stop himself from asking, from the way she spoke about it, it sounded like she thought it was obvious he knew the man was a hunter.

But then again, it would explain why everyone seemed so at ease with people carrying guns.

"Oh, come on," she sounded exasperated by his confusion, "hunters, you now, the people who go around outside, collecting relics, gathering food and killing demons."

Now he was officially confused.

Why was this woman talking about demons like it was a perfectly normal thing to do?

"What's with that look?" the woman asked with a raised eyebrow, "don't tell me you hit your head or something?"

"Ah, sorry, it's just what you said about killing demons," he admitted while rubbing the back of his head, "it's just that you sounded serious then."

Her stare at him made it clear she didn't know how to respond to his response.

However, she finally seemed to come to a decision.

"Kid, what's the last thing you remember?" she asked and he found himself frowning at that.

"I remember being at home when… I think someone attacked me," he admitted as he slowly started to wonder if this woman was even a normal human, "next thing I know, I was waking up in that room behind me."

"So… where's your home?" she asked before continuing, "Shinjuku? Kinshicho? Maybe Shibuya?"

He couldn't stop himself from frowning as she listed of Train Stations in Tokyo… why would he live in any of them?

"Fuyuki City," he stated bluntly, earning several blinks off the woman.

"Excuse me?" she sounded almost dumbfounded by his response.

"I said, I'm from Fuyuki City," he repeated with his annoyance coming through.

"Great… just great…" she sounded almost defeated as she made that claim, "guess that means you did hit your head."

He had to control his breathing at that response by her, but before he could reply, she continued.

"Look, I don't know if 'Fuyuki City' was a real place or not," she started, causing him to frown, "but if it was, then it probably stopped being during God's Plan."

He couldn't stop himself from blinking in response to that.

What did she mean by 'God's Plan'?

His confusion must have shown on his face given the way the woman was now releasing a sigh of defeat.

"God's Plan, is the name we gave to the nuclear holocaust that happened back in twenty-thirteen," she stated, and he felt his blood run cold.

From what she had just told him, he had somehow ended up over ten years in the future… a future where humanity almost wiped itself out.

"What year is it now?" he found himself asking automatically, earning another sigh off the woman.

"Twenty-thirty-five," her response made him close his fists.

If a nuclear weapon had gone off just twenty-two years ago, then radiation would still be a problem.

"So, everyone's down here to protect themselves from the fallout," he said out loud.

"The what?" her question made him freeze.

"The Nuclear Fallout," he clarified before noting the confusion on her face.

"Hmm... I think I've heard that somewhere before," she muttered to herself, "but I can't say I know what it is."

He couldn't stop himself from staring in disbelief at that statement, surely she should've been taught about that if bombs had been dropped.

"But, if nuclear weapons did go off, you should know about the radiation," he protested, earning a few blinks off the woman.

"Uh… you do realize that the ceiling stopped them from hitting us, right?" her statement made him stare at her blankly.

"Even if you're in a subway, it shouldn't have been enough to protect people from the blast," he was finding himself growing more frustrated with every point made.

"… uh… I said the ceiling… as in the several kilometre-thick dome of stone that covers all of Tokyo," he could do little more than stare in disbelief at that explanation.

"… what?" was all he could say in response to that.

"Back when the bombs were dropped, a giant dome formed and protected the city from the destruction," she told him with an exasperated sigh, "of course, that also meant that we were trapped in here with the demons."

"Demons?" he couldn't stop himself from blurting out in confusion, earning a choking noise from the woman.

"W-w-what?" she could barely make a coherent sentence before she continued, "you don't even remember that demons have been around all our lives?!"

He also noticed the noise of others displaying shock at what had been said.

So he decided to be blunt and open about his situation.

"Given that the last time I checked, it was the year two-thousand and three, I'm a bit behind on the times," he stated with the blandest tone he could manage.

Almost immediately, the woman seemed to display a look of comprehension.

"Shit... why didn't you say that earlier?" she asked him and he found himself somewhat surprised she believed him.

"I thought it was too ridiculous for you to believe," he responded bluntly, "I'm actually surprised you believe me at all."

"Yeah… when you're born into a world filled with demons and a giant stone wall in the sky and stories that the world outside Tokyo has time moving faster than inside… the idea of time travel isn't that hard to buy," she pointed out with a bluntness in her own tone.

He honestly couldn't say he could argue with that reasoning.

"Still, must he hard for you to handle," she seemed genuinely apologetic as she made that statement, "being dragged from your life and thrown into such a shitty situation."

"It's not that bad," he admitted, this was the perfect opportunity to help people after all.

"You won't be saying that if you go above ground," she told him, and he found himself giving her a smile.

"Sorry… but you said something about demon hunters earlier?" he asked her and she seemed to deflate at that.

"Yeah, they're people who do jobs for rewards," she seemed to be more than willing to tell him now that she knew he really was clueless about any of this, "but it's dangerous work, many hunters die in the line of duty."

"I see… and what do I need to become one," he asked, earning a wince off the woman.

"Look, being a hunter is dangerous," she started to say, "you're talking about risking your life every day and the rewards are rarely that good… you'd probably be better off helping out somewhere else."

"Maybe, but being a hunter sounds like it would satisfy me more," he declared, after all, it would give him the chance to save people.

"… fine," she seemed unhappy with what he said but continued to speak regardless, "you need weapons and a smartphone… then you need to speak to a regional boss to be registered."

That caused him to blink.

"Why a smartphone?" he had heard about smartphones being released a few years ago… well, it would be longer now, but he didn't understand why he would need one.

"Well… smartphones are what allow hunters to access the Demon Summoning App," she stated, and he found himself blinking in surprise, "after all, most hunters make small deals with demons to get them to fight with them."

That news was enough to make Shirou even more confused than before.

"After all… demons are naturally more powerful than humans," she continued, "so without a smartphone, you're pretty much screwed if you try to fight one."

"How do I get a smartphone?" he asked, earning a sigh of defeat from the storekeeper.

"You don't," she responded clearly, "the Ashura-kai and Ring of Gaea have done everything in their power to collect all the remaining smartphones for themselves."

"Are they factions of hunters?" his question was obvious.

"Oh no, they're completely different," her response made him blink, "the only reason the hunters have any smartphones is because the Ashura-kai and Ring of Gaea let them… so there is quite a backlog of potential hunters waiting for phones."

That sounded like it would be beyond his ability to get around.

Which meant he would just have to leave the phone issue alone and do what he could without one.

"So I probably won't be able to get one," he stated, earning a nod off the woman.

"Yeah, but there is plenty of work to do that doesn't need a phone," she told him, causing him to blink in response, "and you're going to have to do something if you want to eat."

Shirou almost found himself snorting.

The idea of not earning his keep was a foreign concept to him.

"Isn't that normal?" he asked, earning a shrug off the shopkeeper.

"It is here," she responded, "I was born after the Ceiling appeared, so I only know what I was told… and that included people leeching off others so they didn't have to work."

"Well… I guess there were people like that," he admitted with a frown, "but I've been working ever since I was allowed to, so it's nothing new to me."

"Well, then you shouldn't have too much trouble gathering supplies should you?" she asked him with a small grin on her face, "don't worry too much about going out, the Hunters should be able to protect you from the demons."

"Ah, you don't need to send hunters with me," he told her, earning a sigh off the woman.

"Look, I get that you don't know how dangerous demons are, but if you meet one without a hunter protecting your ass, you're dead," she told him without any trace of humour in her tone, "there are no two ways about it, you need the demon summoning app to stand up to them and without it, you're little more than a snack for them."

Shirou wanted to disagree, he wanted to be able to say he would be fine because he knew magecraft… but the simple fact of the matter was that he could barely use any of it without suffering severe pain.

But that didn't mean he could just accept the situation and not do anything about it.

It just meant that he would have to be careful to avoid outright fighting a demon.

"I guess I'll be careful then," he told her, though he couldn't shake the lack of conviction in his words.

"… I get the impression I'm not going to change your mind," she responded with a sigh of defeat, clearly hearing the lack of conviction herself, before she seemed to decide to change the topic, "are you hungry?"

He was used to eating good meals every day, so he could tell his stomach was expecting food, however there was something important that he couldn't dismiss in this situation.

"I'm good enough to skip a few meals," he pointed out.

"If that's the case, are you up for some gathering?" she asked him without any hesitation in her tone.

"Yeah," and with that acknowledgement, he found himself getting his first job in this new world.

XXX Fate/FINAL Night XXX

Shirou could do nothing more than feel frustration as he searched for usable resources in the ruins of Tokyo.

It was dark, illuminated only by the lights that hadn't blown since the city had been engulfed by the giant dome of rock that loomed overhead like a headsman's axe.

Because as long as that ceiling existed, the humans trapped under it were living on borrowed time.

Sooner or later, they would run out of provisions or be hunted down to the last person by the demons that stalked the streets… because the city had already gone from over eight million residents, to less than a thousand, ending the species wasn't an insurmountable task anymore.

And despite everything, he was currently stuck rummaging through derelict stores looking for anything useable.

The worst part was knowing that there was someone just a few dozen feet away that was watching over him and the others that were scavenging just in case a demon appeared to attack them.

The idea that there was someone who would be putting themselves at risk to protect him made him clench his fist… it was the last thing he wanted to happen after all.

Shaking his head clear of those thoughts, he looked through another section of the building and found a slightly damaged set of mugs… they weren't something that would be suitable back when he came from, but given the situation this future was in, they'd probably be more use here.

And so, he picked them up and put them in the tattered rucksack he had managed to get his hands on before feeling… some type of sensation spread through his body, one that he couldn't identify.

Looking around, he found himself wondering just what this… unnatural feeling was and what was causing it.

"Hey, you okay?" another person not far from him asked upon seeing him looking around the area.

"Sorry… I just… got this bad feeling," he decided to be honest about it.

"Heh, first time gathering?" the stranger asked and he found himself frowning at that, "don't be surprised, I think most people feel uneasy when they first come out the shelters."

Shirou hoped the person was right, that it was just the fact that this was the first time he had been out on the streets of Tokyo since he had gotten there, but the feeling just seemed to grow more as time passed.

"Well, why don't you just get back to work, if you don't gather enough, you won't eat," and with that the stranger continued to rummage through their own pile of rubble.

Shaking his head clear, he was about to turn to return to his pile when he noticed movement out the corner of his eye.

Turning to face whatever it was he had noticed, he found himself looking at a large man with long brown hair, wearing what looked like what little he'd seen of Scottish clothing on TV, with a blue Tartan kilt, studded leather breast-plates, a long fur cape and wielded a one-handed sword and shield.

However, what truly caught his attention concerning the man, was the distinct lack of legs he possessed, the numerous swords and arrows impaling him through his body, the blood flowing from his forearms and the fact he was floating above the roof that was directly above the Hunter standing guard.

"Above you!" he called out as his body moved towards the man.

The Hunter immediately jumped away, resulting in him only receiving a deep gash down his back instead of being cleaved in two completely, but at least he was alive, even if he was laying on the ground, groaning in obvious pain.

The screams that echoed through the area made it clear to him that the other civilians were more concerned about running away, but he couldn't leave the Hunter to die.

"I missed," what was obviously a demon stated with a clear sense of annoyance in its tone as it moved towards the injured Hunter.

Shirou found himself looking for a weapon, the only one that he could really see was the gun laying at the Hunter's side, but the demon would definitely reach them before he did.

He didn't have time.

And there were weapons he could probably use.

So he rushed towards the legless demon as fast as his legs could carry him.

"Foolish boy," and before he could reach the demon, he found himself stopping as suddenly as he could and leaning his head back and to the side as the blade the demon held in it's right hand cut into his cheekbone.

He was certain it had left a nasty gash if the feeling of liquid flowing down his cheek was anything to go by, but he immediately pressed forward and reached out to grab one of the swords currently stuck in the demon's flesh.

"I missed again," the demon sounded almost frustrated as Shirou found himself trying to rip the blade from the demon before finding himself getting knocked back by the shield, "an amusing plan you had there boy, but my swords are part of my body."

For the first time, the demon seemed to actually regard him as something more than an insect.

And Shirou found himself facing certain death.

But if he died, then who would save the hunter that was laying on the ground, bleeding out.

Gritting his teeth, he looked for something to use against the demon but once again came up short.

There were no weapons he could use.

… except for one.

A weapon he had never thought he would have to resort to, a weapon his father had told him wasn't worth bothering with due to how inefficient it was.

Once again the foes weapon headed towards him, this time he didn't have time to dodge.

Pulling his hands up, he looked at the sword that was swinging at him and pushed.

The next thing he knew, the blade that had been heading towards him was no longer there as a copy of it appeared in his hands and let him parry it to the side, much to the apparent shock of the sword wielding demon.

But with that sword, came an unfamiliar pain, three shots of heat flowing through his body, practically burning away at the flesh around them… he was certain he wouldn't be able to fight with that in his body.

And so he put everything he had into a swing that he had never known he knew, possessing power he never thought himself capable of, and somehow managed to cleave into the demon's flesh as easily as it had cut into the Hunters.

He heard it grunt in pain as it staggered backwards in response to the slash he made against it, and with as much strength as he could muster, forced himself off the ground and into a second swing, one that managed to strike true, severing the demon's head from its shoulders.

Watching his foes body collapse to the ground, he found himself taking several deep breaths as he watched some form of red, bubbling energy rise from it and move towards him.

He could feel it, entering the flow of heat that had appeared when he had used his magecraft against the demon.

With his mind now clearer with the active threat gone, he found himself almost laughing at the thought that this heat was probably some form of magic circuit… though it felt… off, compared to what his nerves felt like when he used them.

Without any further hesitation, he moved towards the fallen Hunter and noticed that while they were definitely unconscious, they were still at least breathing.

And so he proceeded to let his makeshift weapon disperse into nothingness before picking up the man that had stood guard over the area, and started to make his way towards the entrance to the subway.

"Hey! What's going on here?!" he felt relief flood his body as he saw a group of Hunters coming out of the entrance… that would be helpful given how tired he was right now.

XXX Fate/FINAL Night XXX

"Thanks," Shirou found himself saying as the shopkeeper finished cleaning the cut on his face, stemming the bleeding and applying bandages.

"It'll leave a scar, but given how close you were to losing your head there, you should feel grateful," she responded with a sigh.

"What about the Hunter?" he asked, hoping it would be good news.

"From what I've heard, he'll probably make a full recovery," she responded, and he found himself blinking in surprise, "unlike you, Hunters have demons capable of healing injuries like that."

That made him smile.

Knowing that his short struggle had meaningful consequences definitely helped him ignore the feeling of heat that was flowing through his newly opened magic circuits.

"… can't you at least look like you're going to try and get someone to heal you?" she asked him, and he found himself chuckling in response.

"They've got more important things to use that power on that a cut like this," he told her easily.

"… hey… was everyone back in your time like that?" he looked at her and blinked in confusion, "I mean, was everyone so… selfless?"

He found himself frowning at that.

He wished he could say they were, but that would be far too much of a lie.

"No, most people were pretty selfish," he admitted with a sigh of defeat.

"So you're just a special case," her words made him frown.

"No… I had a time when I thought of myself and ignored others," he admitted as the memories of the flames flickered at his mind, "I'm just trying to make up for that."

"… well, I don't know what happened back then," she spoke up, "but you saved a man today… he had a kid you know."

Shirou couldn't stop himself from jerking in surprise at that.

"So that's a man that would've died if you hadn't been there, and a child that would've been without a father," she told him bluntly, "so as far as I'm concerned, you've probably made up for whatever selfishness you had before."

He couldn't stop himself from frowning at that.

She didn't know.

He would never make up for the lives lost that day.

That was why he would continue to save as many people as he could… he would save others in the hopes that it would justify his survival when everyone else had died.

"Look, I get that you might be used to moping around," the shopkeeper said with a sigh, "but be happy with every victory you get… the losses are far more common."

He looked down at the ground as she told him that.

"Now why don't you go to bed, you look so exhausted, one of your eyes is drooping," she said and he found himself snorting, it wasn't his tiredness that was making his eye droop, "I'll make sure you get something to eat and drink delivered later."

He was about to reject the idea of food but his stomach made it clear it wasn't happy with the idea of not being fed after such a bad situation.

"… thanks," he settled on instead.

"It's not a problem," and with that said, he forced himself up off the floor he was sitting on before making his way back to the room he woke up in, "just know, you'll probably have company tonight… the other rooms are too cramped if you're taking one to yourself."

"Okay," he didn't really have anything else to say about it and so, he made his way for the bed.

Hopefully, these circuits would calm down and he would be able to fight the demons again.

Because he had learned that he could still defeat demons and save people even without a smartphone.

He just needed to recover from whatever he did to open those three magic circuits.

XXX Fate/FINAL Night XXX

This… was not what he expected.

Hunger had caused him to attack a human from above and behind with the intention of satiating himself.

The strike had failed in achieving its intended result but had still crippled his victim.

But then that boy had gotten involved and had somehow managed to manifest a sword in mid-air.

He was certain he had been slain by the boy… but this was most certainly not the expanse.

An endless desert, with his only company being a set of swords that lay in the centre of the region.

At least his hunger was dying down though.

Well… it wasn't like there was anything to do here, so he started to look at the weapons resting before him.

That one looked just like the sword in his hand, it even had the same nick from wear there… and there… and there… and there… and there.

Okay, that was… wrong.

Looking between his sword and the one resting before him, he couldn't identify a single difference between them.

The others seemed to reflect the swords that were impaled in him as well.

Never before had he been so confused.

Where was he?

And why did he feel like he had been bound?

So many questions… well, he was sure answers would appear at some point.

For now, he would just wait.

And look at the swords again.

And that's it for this chapter.

There are actually a few things planned out already so if you want to learn anything about where I'm planning on taking this fic...

Like I said before, my forum has it all.

So until next time...

Shadow Out.