The moon shone brightly upon Kiritsugu Emiya, the former Magus Killer. The curse of Angra Mainyu was spreading throughout his body, his limbs were weakened, his vision was fading fast and his Circuits were all but withered. This was to be the end of Kiritsugu Emiya, but he was fine with it. He may not have been able to save Illya, but he was able to take care of two children at the very least.

"Papa!" Komaru waved at Kiritsugu. Due to his vision fading, he only saw her hair and familiar sense of cheer, "Aren't you gonna go to sleep?"

"...Soon," Kiritsugu looked at his daughter, "Komaru, promise me something."

"Huh? Yes?"

"Stand by your brother at all times, okay? Keep him in mind," Kiritsugu said. He looked at Komaru, wishing that he could see Illya one last time. He never saw Komaru as a replacement for Illya, but rather a girl who Kiritsugu saved as well as Shirou. Komaru was almost like his lost daughter. Happy, hyperactive, teasing her older brother despite being the younger one.

'I wonder how Shirou, Komaru and Illya would be if they grew up together…' He thought to himself.

"Sure! I'll protect him!" Komaru exclaimed, "Good night Papa!" Her small feet running off to another part of the house.

Kiritsugu nodded. He looked at the sky when another voice called out to him.

"...Dad, are you going to go to sleep? You should probably go to bed if you're going to sleep. Not here, you'll get cold!"

"...I'll be fine," Kiritsugu looked at Shirou. He let out a small chuckle when he recognized the ahoge. It was one thing that had always cursed the young man, something that Taiga could never put down to her great annoyance. Even Kiritsugu was unable to put down the ahoge that had affected Shirou Emiya. To Kiritsugu, it was a symbol to that show that Shirou was approaching, "I just talked to your sister a bit."

"Dad?" Shirou sat down next to Kiritsugu.

"...You know when I was little… I really wanted to be a hero," Kiritsugu slowly said.

Shirou looked excited, "A hero!?" But then, confusion set in, Shirou Emiya tilted his head, "Wait, you don't want to be a hero anymore? Dad, did you lose hope?"

That was another thing about Shirou that Kiritsugu was cared for. Shirou Emiya lost all his memories during the fire, minus his little sister, but Shirou was always just slightly more optimistic than most people. Questioning if a person lost their hope, lost a part of them and fell into despair. Kiritsgu saw that as his son being different than most people. He was strange, but somehow in a good way. He was Kiritsugu's hope after all. Shirou always believed that he could use Magecraft after all, despite Kiritsugu's initial protests. Eventually, he relented and taught him the basics, but it wasn't like Shirou that he was any good at it.

"Well... I didn't lose hope as much as I grew up. I learned that..." Kiritsugu sighed, "That wish had an expiration date. When you grow up, it's hard to call yourself one." He let out a soft chuckle.

"I wish I learned about that sooner."

Shirou crossed his arms, "Well, you've got that wrong dad. Not about you being too old, that is pretty true, but well..." Shirou was quiet, almost like he was thinking of something to say.

Was Shirou always this argumentative? Well, he was pretty forceful about him being "wrong." Still, Kiritsugu did like that about his son. He wasn't blunt, hardly, but he was someone who would try to keep people's spirits up. Kiritsugu looked up, musing to himself now.

"Yeah, right. I guess not. The moon sure is beautiful tonight..."

"Yeah…" Shirou said looking up before looking at Kiritsugu, "Okay Dad. I'll be a hero for you!"

Kiritsugu looked at Shirou with a slight bit of confusion, "Huh?"

"Well, you said it yourself dad, you're old. You're an adult. You can't be a hero anymore, but me?" Shirou grinned, "I'll be a hero for you. I believe in that statement."

Kiritsugu stared at his son with a soft smile, "Alright. You do that. Shirou, you don't lose hope. That's who you are. I can...rest easy now." His eyes closed for the final time.

Shirou sighed in slight annoyance, but smiled at his father. His dad was always like this. Lethargic, lazy, but he was a good man. Shirou Emiya stood up and went to sleep. However, Kiritsugu didn't say anything. Not even a good night.

The next morning, his children would try to nudge him awake, both of them in deep tears and in deep defiance that their father had died. As their family friends took Kiritsugu's dead body away, the two siblings knew they needed to rely on each other. Shirou knew he had to protect Komaru and Komaru had to protect Shirou. During the funeral, Shirou Emiya would close his eyes. He knew his dream. His promise. His hope. He was going to become a hero that would protect everyone in front of him.

Shirou Emiya would become a Hero of Justice.

Chapter 2: His Decision

Shirou looked at the letter. He looked at his laptop. He looked at the forums. So many big-names in class with him. And then there's him, a second-rate Mage who just got "lucky." Shirou still felt sick thinking about that. "Luck." If he was accepted as a janitor, he'd be okay with that. People gave him the nickname "the Homurahara Brownie" for a reason But, he was "lucky."

'Like last time…'

Shirou was in his toolshed. Maybe it would be best if he trained his Magecraft, get his mind off of things, but instead he was up at night, just practicing Magecraft. This was his Workshop. A shoddy one, fit for a second-rate Mage. Still, what he could do was helpful in the small things.

"Everyone said that I should go," Shirou said, "But do I want to?" He stared at a broken microwave. Junk. Useless pieces of trash, but good for his Structural Analysis.

"..." Shirou lay down on the concrete before letting out a soft chuckle, "Knowing my luck, Komaru probably signed me up already." He reflected on his want. He wanted to be a Hero of Justice. Sakura knew that, but would she encourage him being a Luckster? She liked to spend time with him a lot. Komaru knew that and encouraged being a Luckster. Fujimura, well, she wanted him to be a Luckster. It was a more feasible feat than a Hero of Justice now. A thought occurred to him. Could it be? Could it possibly be?

There was no denying that he'd become a more well-known figure if he did go to Hope's Peak. Imagine something like that. Shirou Emiya, Ultimate Luckster, Hero of Justice. There was no denying that it would be an easy way in. But should be take the easy way in?

Maybe with his influence he could become an activist, saving lives. Using what he learned to save others. Yes, that would help Shirou in his dreams and while being an activist, he could also stop wars personally. He would use his Magecraft to save the world, he would use Hope's Peak as a stepping stone for greater things. He walked up to his laptop and grabbed it.

"Senpai?" Shirou saw Sakura and smiled at her.

"Oh, hey Sakura."

"Are you...really going to Hope's Peak?"

Shirou paused, "I...don't know. I… I think I should, but if I do…"

"I…" Sakura opened up her mouth, looking slightly more confident, "Senpai, I'm happy for you." She gave Shirou a warm smile and admittedly Sakura doing that had given Shirou more confidence.

He made his choice. Of course, he was willing to think that Komaru would keep Sakura company. As soon as the two of them had met each other, they hit it off well. Shirou was incredibly surprised by that fact. Of course, Komaru was a year behind Sakura and unfortunately, Sakura would be going to high school while Komaru was doing her last year in middle school. Still, he trusted Komaru to look after Sakura.

As well as Fuji-nee.

Shirou smiled to himself as he started to go forward. His hopes, his dreams. Maybe Hope's Peak would allow him to get his dreams go forward. He walked forward, his head up high.

There was a lot to finish now that Shirou had made his decision. He still needed to succeed in his final exam, help out around Homurahara Academy as much as he could before the start of the new school year, research who would be in his class.

So many famous people: Mondo Oowada, the Ultimate Biker Gang leader, Junko Enoshima, Ultimate Fashionista and, well, a very familiar face, Sayaka Maizono, Ultimate Pop Sensation. To Shirou Emiya, it was, to be quite frank, exhausting. But finally, he was ready. He packed his bags and was waiting for the train to arrive.

"Shiiiirou!" Fuji-nee hugged her little brother, "Please don't go! I'll miss your cooking!"

"Fuji-nee!" Shirou laughed before looking at her, "Don't worry. I'll come by to visit every now and then. Hope's Peak really isn't that strict with people staying on campus. You could miss a few days every now and then."

"Okay," Fuji-nee pointed her finger forward at Shirou's chest, "But I want you to promise me one thing."

"...Okay?" Shirou looked at his big sister as she whispered in his ears.

"...If you meet a person named Fuyuhiko there, tell him that Uncle Raiga says hi," Fuji-nee whispered. Shirou's eyes widened before nodding rather quickly. He looked over to Komaru with a smile.

"Komaru, I'll see you soon, right?"

"Yeah!" Komaru looked at him with an intense look on her face, "And I want Sayaka Maizono to be your girlfriend next time I see you!"

"K-k-k-komaru!" Shirou exclaimed.

"Heh, as if you'll ever get Sayaka Maizono to be your girlfriend," Shinji approached Shirou with a leering grin. Shirou's response? Well, it was to look rather neutral, "Still, just because you're going to Hope's Peak Academy doesn't mean you have to forget us. Especially Sakura."

Sakura gave Shirou a small smile, "Senpai, I wish you the best of luck."

"Don't worry," Shirou looked at his friends, family and Shinji, "I'll be safe."

With a smile and a rather large grin on his face, Shirou went off into the station. He wasn't sure what fate had in store for him, but he knew that he was going to bring hope into the world.

Shirou remembered having dreams of the fire when he was younger, but this dream was different. He was in a strange place. He saw a girl, no he watched a girl, undergo an execution of sorts. He saw her in sitting on a desk on a conveyor. He could see something, something that went thud.

Thud.

She was going closer

Thud.

Closer.

Shirou wanted to say stop. He wanted to stop this insanity. He was a hero, but he couldn't. He couldn't stop this innocent girl, a girl who he knew was innocent to go into an execution.

Thud.

She was getting closer.

Thud.

Damn it, why couldn't he move? He ran toward the girl or at the very least wanted to run toward the girl, but again, he couldn't move. There was a strange bear and a chalk board that appeared. He started to point at the chalkboard.

Thud.

Closer.

Thud.

She was so close.

He watched her color change, her eyes going into fear and then acceptance. Finally, she was squished. Shirou wanted to scream, but instead, all he felt was a strange form of satisfaction. Why? Why?

Oh, it was because it was the only hope they had.

Hope…

Hope…

"NO THAT'S WRONG!"

What?

What was going on?

Shirou Emiya couldn't answer those questions. All Shirou Emiya could do was simply…

He gasped for air as he heard a voice. He looked around the room as the voice calmly stated the following:

We have arrived in Hope's Peak Academy. Please watch your step and carry your belongings.

Right, he made it. Shirou Emiya stood up and clutched what he could bring to his dormitory. As he exited the train, he watched as various people all wandered out of the train. Some of them may have been his classmates and others, Shirou believed them to be from the Reserve Course of Hope's Peak Academy.

A place Shirou had believed he belonged to. After all, he was likely not even that great compared to the people he was going to become classmates with. Even then, Shirou thought, he might as well go into what would likely be his fate.

He watched people go by quickly. Perhaps some of them were his senpais, but what if someone was different?

However, there was one girl who caught his eye.

A girl, the same age as him. She had lavender hair and a calm demeanor. She wore gloves and appeared to be having some trouble with her bags. And Shirou Emiya, ever the hero approached her. He looked at her with a concerned expression on his face, "Do you need help?"

She glanced at him, as if studying the boy. Shirou felt the air tense up, did he do something incorrect? Or maybe this was completely different? However, the tense air stopped as the girl nodded.

"Yes, I believe some help would be warranted," she looked at Shirou's own bags with curiosity however, "Though, wouldn't you need some help?"

"Oh, I'll be fine," Shirou said, "I can help you as well."

The girl nodded and now that Shirou could get a better look at her, Shirou could have sworn she looked familiar. That was honestly odd on multiple levels.

"Hey, could I have your name?" Shirou asked her.

"Kyouko Kirigiri," she simply said, "Ultimate Detective."

Ah, that explained it. He had heard about the girl from looking her up to see who would his potential classmates be. A genius detective, well-known throughout the world. It was honestly not a surprise that she would be invited to Hope's Peak Academy.

"Shirou Emiya, Ultimate Luckster," Shirou simply told her.

Kirigiri looked at him, studying him before nodding, "A pleasure." There was little conversation between the two of them after that. Shirou simply helped Kirigiri to her dormitory before entering his own.

It was plain and simple. And more importantly to Shirou Emiya? Perfect to train his Magecraft.

Now was the day he would become a Hero of Justice. Hopefully at least.

A/N: First off, I want to apologize for taking over a year to upload the next chapter. I know this fanfiction has gotten a lot of attention over the last few months and I want to continue the attention of Fate/Trigger Happy Havoc. Anyways, I do want to update everyone that the third chapter has been finished, but is in the process of being edited. Thank you so much for following this fanfiction if you are still reading this work.