AN: Welcome to what happens when you mod Fallout 4 and make things feel like a well made Post Apocalyptic anime. I'll try and answer some non-spoilery questions down below but for now please enjoy the story.

Chapter I: Welcome Home

"I'm heading out, be back later!" Shirou called out, sliding the door to his home open with the familiar sound of wood sliding on wood. Another day of school - another day of helping people out at Homurahara, something the young redhead boy was quite intimate with. The 'Fake School Janitor' nickname did have to come from somewhere after all. He had almost made his way out the doorway when another voice cut through the air to stop him in his tracks

"Not so fast Shirou…" a firm, yet still somehow gentle voice rang out

"Mom…"

"Nuh uh, I know you - you'll probably share your lunch again with Sakura so take this little extra to go alright? I don't want to hear your stomach growling again the moment you open up the door when you get back later" the familiar teasing chuckle rang out, the young teen turning around to face the voice and take the extra bento's worth of food.

His mother was a bit plain to many folks' eyes, short chestnut color hair framing a rather rosy face, a single cowlick that she never could quite get to bend to her will curving out to the left, aqua blue eyes that just seemed to sparkle at times in the light and a smile that held a mix of teasing and playfulness rolled into one.

To be honest the woman before him was not his biological mother. She was a friend of his father, someone who had helped raise him from his youth and took care of his father as his condition had deteriorated over the years. She had tried to help with all manner of medicines she had brought along but none of them could stop what had been inevitable...at least his dad had gone with a smile on his face and a torch passed in a sense.

"Earth to Shirou, you aren't fantasizing about your mom now are you? Should I be worried or something?" she spoke up as she shook the wrapped container of food for emphasis, her tone going for the more teasing side of things as the redhead blinked and realized he had been staring into space for a minute there.

"Ah no, I was just...thinking of things. Got a lot on my mind again I guess"

"Thinking about Kiritsugu's words again hero boy?"

"Yeah…" he admitted slowly, taking the extra bit of food finally from her hands "It still feels like yesterday sometimes" Shirou added as he tucked things away. He would have continued with a few more words but those thoughts he had were pushed out of his mind the moment he felt his face get dragged into something quite...soft. A warm, comforting embrace which he returned for a few moments before standing back up straight and moving to leave "I gotta go now mom, don't want to be late or anything you know"

"Just remember Shirou, I'm always here if you need to talk okay?" his mother reminded gently, giving him a quick kiss on the forehead before she fondly ruffled his hair to mess it up a bit more than what it already was. The teen could only grumble but nodded with a warm smile of his own before heading down the steps and out the gate - a brisk walk as the sun slowly rose over Fuyuki City.

The woman simply leaned against the doorway, watching the boy she had come to raise for the past five years on her own head off to school - a soft smile gracing her lips before another sound broke her out of her thoughts.

"Kid's been thinking of that night again?" a gruff voice spoke up, prompting the woman to look back into the house where a familiar face returned her gaze with a nod of greeting. Bright yellow eyes looked back - cold, and mechanical yet filled with life in her opinion. Stepping closer into the morning light revealed a being that could only be called human in form. Sure it wore the clothes of a human; a faded beige trench coat over a simple white suit and black tie combo, topped off with a rather well-worn black fedora, but the many holes in its skin only exposed steel, wiring and a well oiled machine.

"You know how stubborn he is Nick, once he gets invested in something even you'd have a hard time swaying his one track mind"

"Sounds almost like a certain Vault Dweller I know, over 200 years old, pretty much fought all of Boston just to reunite with her son, did some crazy things I tell you" Nick Valentine smiled, the servos in his face giving the machine man a more smug look than anything else to which the woman playfully returned with a weak punch to his shoulder - both of them sharing a laugh as she closed the door behind her. She made her way past him and was about to offer the man something to pass the time until a change in Nick's tone made her freeze mid step on the way to the kitchen.

"Nutsume, the ley lines are powering up again...it's gonna be starting real soon and you know he's going to be involved somehow"

"..."

"...You can't shield him forever you know, he isn't Shaun-"

"I know" she stopped him with a tone of finality, giving Nick pause. For a few moments, there was no sound in the Emiya household except the ticking of the clock echoing out through the old Japanese home.

"You're also going to need more juice for your Noble Phantasm...a lot more than what you already have split between our merry little gang"

"That too...but I'll cross that bridge when we get there, right now the six of us should be enough to handle things. How's Piper's investigation going?"

"To quote her words to me, 'Kuzuki's ass is real tight in those pants he wears'..."

"...I think Piper's been sharing one too many drinks with Cait lately"

The familiar sounds of Westminster bells rang out through the schools, those slow relaxing chimes followed by the scraping sounds of tables and chairs as students got up and began to prepare to head home. In one of the many classrooms of Homurahara - Taiga Fujimara, homeroom teacher to one Shirou Emiya and another family friend reminded her students of the homework she had assigned to them and how there would be consequences should folks conveniently forget to bring their papers in again.

"Now excuse me - I've got a hot date with food!" the energetic woman grinned, exuding a satisfied glow of happiness as she practically skipped out of the classroom before the other students began to file out. A few groups remained but mostly they were those with a few after school activities or plans set out with friends.

"Oy Emiya, what are you planning to do after class today?"

"Help fix a few things for the Student Council Shinji"

Shinji Matou, Shirou...didn't know at this point whether to call him a friend, an acquaintance or just a plain dick. He could be good...rarely but lately things seemed to be getting more strained than usual.

"Hah, so playing janitor again? That's so like you mister boy scout" the bluenette mocked, sitting himself atop Shirou's desk as the redhead packed a few notebooks and papers into his bag. Deciding not to reply for the moment and check if he had the needed materials for their assignment, he nearly missed the next half of Shinji's usual words "Me on the other hand, I've got plans today to get Tohsaka to go out with me"

"Wait, you're planning to ask Tohsaka...Rin Tohsaka? Really?" Shirou paused to reply, processing what Shinji had just said while ducking down to check for a few things he had tucked away in his desk.

"Yeah, why?"

"Good luck, you'll need it. Also here"

"...Bandaids?" Shirou could almost smile from beneath things as he heard the confusion in Shinji's voice.

"It's going to hurt, trust me - you'd be just one more casualty"

"Oh ye of little faith, I'll have her eating out of the palm of my hand soon enough. Anyways, thought you'd like to know that while you're playing at being Fix-it Felix, I'm gonna be Wreck-it Ralph~" the Matou answered with a smug look and utter confidence. Shirou had to admit, looking at his odd friend...enemy...whatever, he did have to wonder where the bravado came from at times. To be so sure of yourself in the face of certain defeat.. That and he couldn't help but also quip;

"You do realize Ralph loses...a lot, like thrown in the garbage levels of losing"

Seeing Shinji splutter at that reminder was totally worth it - Shirou could already imagine his mother's sarcasm bleeding out through him with those words. Yet before the Matou could retort, the classroom doors slid open again to reveal a foreign, African American man in a rather unique outfit. A lightweight, loose fitting, old America militia-styled coat worn right over a faded vest that had a green heavy scarf tied up beneath the other two.

Seeing the man make his way over towards them, Shinji stood back up with a bit of a scowl "Bah, whatever - see you tomorrow Emiya" the other boy spoke up as he made his way out of the near empty classroom, the sudden notice of how much more quiet the place was making Shirou realize that nearly everyone else had already gone ahead to do their own thing. He picked up his own bag first and nodded towards the familiar face before his mother's friend spoke up.

"Ah Shirou, I know I probably sound like a broken record here but another-"

"-Heater needs my help right? Don't worry Mr. Garvey, Issei sent me a heads up about it before class started earlier" Shirou smiled, giving his English teacher a nod of understanding. Winter was coming up soon and by sheer coincidence, the heaters all around the school seemed to be breaking down more often in lead up to the holidays. The budget was tight enough as is and the school was lucky enough in a way that the young Emiya was willing to do this extra bit of work for free.

"Need me to mark where it is for you?" the man smiled at the memory his words brought up.

"Eh?"

"Hah, forget about it Shirou - it's just a bit of an inside joke between your mother and me. Which reminds me, Nutsume's worried with all the accidents going on lately and news reports of attacks at night" the boy's teacher spoke with a bit more seriousness in his voice that the teen couldn't help but nod slowly.

"Gas leaks right? That's what the news has been calling them so far, kinda hard to believe it's taking this long to find the cause…not to mention those murders popping up..."

"Just be back home before it gets too dark okay?" Preston reminded with a bit more of a serious tone before going back to more jovial tone "Codsworth is prepping dinner for a change of pace this time and as much as I like your cooking Shirou, I've just been craving something a bit more filling like steak you know?"

"It's no problem" Shirou waved it off, an understanding look on his face while mentally he made a note to have his mother's household assistant teach him a few more Western dishes that the others loved. "Oh, before I forget - about today's lesson…"

The two went into a bit of idle chatter for a short while, mostly school related stuff before they went their separate ways with Preston mentioning a meeting he had to attend to while Shirou himself made his way over to the Student Council's office to get to work on that broken heater.

Another day, another bit of help to give to those who need it

Shirou rolled his shoulders and flexed his circuits

'Trace on'

"Rin...something is wrong"

Up on the roof of the school, a young woman with black hair tied into a simple twintail style regarded the empty air beside her, glancing for a moment before turning her back to the scene below as the Track and Field team went about their usual practices.

"Is it a servant?" she asked simply, a few dozen thoughts going through her mind

"I can't say, it feels like a Servant but at the same time it's as if they are right here with us and far away at the same time"

"A familiar maybe?" she suggested, wondering if the upcoming war's Assassin was staking out the school as well

"No, definitely not a simple familiar…"

"And here I thought Archer's had a knack for accurate senses. Didn't you count all the rivets on the bridge last night?" the teen teased back, a bit of a smug smile on her face - one that lasted only for a few moments when she realized her Servant wasn't making a witty retort to match.

"Archer?"

Archer grit his teeth a bit at the unfamiliar feeling brushing against his senses. He could already say for certain in his mind that this Holy Grail War would not be the one he knew by heart.

Someone had already dug in to Homurahara Academy...and it wasn't Rider.

"Shirou...listen to what you are saying, you want to save every single person out there? That's going to be impossible you know..."

"But...I was going to die and you saved me, pulled me out of the fire with mom helping you out. If you could save me, why can't everyone else out there be saved too?"

"You're not getting it...Shirou, generally if you want to save someone - to give them the salvation they're crying out for…"

You better be ready to damn someone else to the grave.

[North Miyama Station coming up]

For a gentle announcement, Shirou sure awoke with a start. Blinking the tiredness out of his eyes, the young man guessed he must have been a bit more tired than he had expected. He did at least call it lucky that he had woken up for the right stop instead of being made to either catch another bus heading back.

It was already dark outside, he noted with a bit of a grumble - checking his watch to make sure he was still on schedule and inwardly letting out a sigh of relief as a simple 7:00 blinked stared back from his watch's face. As soon as the bus had stopped, he thanked the driver with a smile and hopped off to begin a silent walk back home.

With all that had happened today - the news, his fixing up of a few bits of school equipment, his part time job at Copenhagen...hell, he took a bit of a breather after work by swinging around Fuyuki Central Park and just losing himself a bit in the memories of the past.

A fire, blazing and angry - all consuming in its path...the screams of men, women and children all around him…

Ten years prior - a great blaze had swallowed a great chunk of the Shinto district of Fuyuki. It has been dubbed the Great Fuyuki Fire, the cause of hundreds of deaths and untold millions in property damage.

It was also the day he had been saved.

As a young boy, he had remembered wandering the streets of fire - crying for help amidst the many others pleading for their own miracles to appear and save them. When he had finally collapsed, his lungs burning from the air he was breathing in...that was when he met his father and mother.

Kiritsugu Emiya had held him close to his chest, crying in happiness at the one life he had managed to save from the fire. Shirou could remember something as well...a light...something warm and the feeling of being able to breathe a bit easier. It was when he had been picked up and cradled in his father's arms did he see his would be-mother standing a few steps away, surveying the destruction around them.

His father said something...he couldn't remember it even if he was so close, it was one word that he spoke that got his mother's attention - her head whipping his way.

She had looked so different back then, wearing a uniform he couldn't recognize. It did not look like that of a local police woman or someone with the JSDF but it did give off that military feel - something that was only made all the more obvious with the varying guns slung on her back and hanging from her hip. Her expression had been colder, almost like steel - something in contrast with the absolute joy coming from Kiritsugu Emiya. In fact, if he could compare the first memory of his mother to the ones he had today - he would have thought them to be two different people.

Their lips moved once more.

Shirou embraced a blissful sleep….

"Hey mister"

Shirou was once again jolted back to reality - realizing that he was no longer alone on the lone empty street towards his home. A few meters away under the light of the next lamppost stood a young girl who looked no older than ten, her white hair and crimson eyes that pierced through him giving the redhead a bit of pause.

She was distinctly foreign - the pale, almost albino skin something you'd be hard pressed to find here in Japan. She was dressed quite warmly with a purple coat that went down below her knees and a white scarf tucked around her neck. A velvet like hat of matching color to her dress topped her head and completed the ensemble, a sign to the teen that she was most definitely well off to afford such things.

"H-hey what are you doing out so late!? Haven't you heard the news, it's dangerous to be out at this time without supervision!" Shirou spoke up with worry as the girl approached him. Despite her age, her cheery disposition and a skip in her step - the young Emiya couldn't help but feel like he was a piece of meat being examined by a viper, what with how those eyes stayed firmly on him until the girl had walked right past him before he could properly process her next words

"Best summon your servant mister or you're going to die very soon~"

His head whipped around at those words but as unbelievable as it was to his senses - there was no one beside or behind him and the street was as empty as it was before the girl had appeared.

The streetlight above him flickered a bit and Shirou took it as a sign to walk just a tad bit fast towards his home. On second thought though, perhaps a brisk jog would be better…

"Here you go madame, a nice serving of tea prepared to just the right temperature!"

Shirou at times just had to wonder how easy it was at times to pass off an advanced robot as a personal project. Sure Taiga took it at face value and chalked it up to Japanese technological prowess but even he and Sakura could tell Codsworth was far more than just a simple floating robot though his childhood friend didn't really bother to contradict or point out how many holes that explanation of his mother's had. Still, only those in the dining room at the moment knew of the mechanical butler…

"Is there something wrong with the food Shirou?" the distinctly synthesized british voice of Codsworth asked, one of three eyes looking towards him.

"Oh nothing - it's great, just a bit more butter than I'd like on the greens…" he replied, smiling a bit as he heard the floating orb give a slight "Ah" in understanding, probably already filing that away as a specific note for the future.

The evening was as lively as usual, Shirou having returned just in time to see his homeroom teacher Taiga and classmate/oldest friend Sakura Matou arrive at the same time. Now here they were at the family table enjoying a western spread of foods prepared by the mechanical wonder that was Codsworth - a 'Mr. Handy' as his mother had called him.

Three different eyes mounted on a steel spherical core, all kept afloat by a small jet engine underneath the assembly. Mounted right underneath the sphere at the same points where the camera like eyes were positioned up above were three mechanical arms, one being a simple clamp like hand that Codsworth used quite often to pick up things, another nozzle attached to a small yellow container and the last being...a rather intimidating circular buzzsaw.

As Shirou said, he could tell it wasn't modern day mechanics that had given birth to Codsworth but he chalked that up to his mother's odd style of magic and charisma that she had just pretty much convinced Taiga and Sakura that nothing was wrong.

He looked to the others at the table with a bit of a fond smile, seeing the local journalist Piper Wright in her iconic red leather trench coat talking with Professor Garvey. Another odd friend of his mother, one who had a bit of an obsession with making sure people knew the truth via investigative journalism. In the years that he had known her, she had cracked a few cases and blown a few dark deeds into the open for the police to catch. Yet even with the heat she sometimes caught thanks to poking her nose into things - she never backed down. It was admirable and something he could relate with in terms of his ideals (Even if his mom told him it was a bad thing).

"And you should have seen Asakura's face when I got front page article again - I swear she's made me out to be her journalistic rival or something…either that or she's taking a competitive streak somewhere unhealthy..." Piper recounted, a small chuckle escaping her lips as she recalled her co-worker's expression.

"Well redhead's to tend to be a bit more fiery and passionate…"

"Ohh~ is that a bit of gossip I sense? Someone caught your eye Preston-don't tell me it's one of your students?"

"Piper!"

Turning his gaze away from the two as Piper proceeded to poke a bit of fun towards his other teacher, his eyes swept past and met with Sakura who he smiled towards a bit apologetically. The girl understood but still found herself flushing red with a bit of embarrassment. Honestly she did prefer things this lively - it beat the rather dead dinners with her brother and grandfather by a long shot.

Still...being caught in between the fiery Taiga Fujimura and equally fiery Irishwoman that was Cait was a bit of a worry.

Cait was...unemployed, or rather didn't work for any one person in particular outside of Shirou's mother. She could be spotted in many places in Fuyuki taking odd jobs; from helping out at the docks unloading fish, to assisting Taiga in the occasional kendo class (which never ends well the moment Cait just resorts to her fists…) and sometimes he's even seen her help out with a few deliveries to the cafe he worked at. Out of his mother's friend - he knew Cait probably the least as she would usually head out early unless something needed her attention or he needed a lesson in hand to hand combat.

Overall as Shirou Emiya sat there enjoying his own cup of green tea - listening to the varied sounds of his family doing their own things, the teen found himself happy to be surrounded by such warmth. Still...he did feel a bit of sadness seep in - knowing other people didn't have what he had or had that chance ripped away from their grasp.

'Everyone deserves that chance…' he thought a bit glumly - smile just losing a bit of its shine until the old clock down the hall rang.

"Oh is it that late already?" Taiga noted in surprise- still butting heads with the foul mouthed redhead who found herself falling to the floor with an undignified yelp when Taiga stood up from the table - taking Sakura's hand as the purple haired girl found herself blinking a bit at what was happening.

"You two fine with going out this late? You do know we have extra rooms…" Nutsume offered with a bit of a worried look, one that was shared by Shirou to a degree.

"It's fine Mrs. Emiya" Sakura assured "Besides, my grandfather is a bit strict really - I do have to get back home tonight. Besides, I'm sure Miss Fujimura can take care of things" the young girl added to which Taiga smiled widely before throwing in her own two cents "Don't worry Nutsume, Sakura is safe with me~ Besides I still got my beloved Tora Shinai with me in case someone tries to get handsy"

"Alright if you are sure, just remember our door is always open to you two okay?" the chestnut haired woman nodded in understanding.

"I'll see them out mom" Shirou added, wanting to talk to Sakura for a bit before they parted ways which Nutsume understood with a teasing smile and a playful "Go ahead then"

The remaining group soon found themselves alone as the Trio exited the front door and headed out to the gates.

The air just got a bit more serious in a few seconds as Nutsume took a slow sip of her remaining tea, holding the empty cup out for Codsworth to refill.

"Did you feel it too Blue? It was just last night" Piper started, looking to the woman she had a deeper connection to than anyone else in Fuyuki could guess.

"Yes, another servant had been summoned, I discussed it earlier with Nick. That makes it four that we can be sure of and leaves three unknown spots left…"

"The Matou, the Tohsaka, the Einzbern, and that one servant up there in the mountains who cut off your supply line..." Preston listed off before Piper continued

"Do you think-"

"I've seen Kiritsugu's circle in the workshop, it's getting clearer with every hour now. If my son isn't involved I'll gladly eat Preston's hat"

"Hey!"

"What about Sakura?" Cait piped in, folding her arms across her chest after picking herself up "You know she's a Mag-"

"But she isn't a Master" Nutsume cut her friend off with a stern look "We felt no connection - well now at least. There's some lingering feeling but it's gone now which means-"

"Either she got her Servant killed early on, someone took them from her and for some reason left her alive or we're being played like a fiddle" the familiar voice of Nick Valentine cut through the air, a shimmer moving right behind Nutsume as the older woman nodded in agreement.

"What did you find Nick?" she asked, having a feeling in her gut she wasn't going to like what came next.

"Well a certain young Einzbern missy met your son on the way here…"

A dull thud rang out in the dining room as Nutsume's head hit the table and a groan left her lips. The others feeling just a tad bit sorry at seeing one more problem being piled on their leader's plate.

"That's it, I'm calling it right here. This world can officially bite my ass…"

And that's a wrap for this - its a one shot at the moment born of a plot bunny that hit me really hard but I do have a whole framework for the entire 5th Holy Grail War that I can work on. For now though I'll see how this gets received in terms of an idea. Now to answer a few questions you folks might have.

Q: What's with the name?
A: It's literally the name I ran with for her. It started as an inside joke between friends but I kinda came to use it seriously for her as I expanded on her story in the Commonwealth. Eventually the Fate Crossover idea hit me and I just had to write it. Besides, you should see the other Sole Survivors up in the Throne of Heroes - there are many more...colorful names.

Q: Did she replace any servant from the 4th Holy Grail War?
A: No, this will be a bit of a thing in the future. There's a skeleton of a storyline in place for the changed events of Fate/Zero but that will come later on after this. Either that or I will probably write another one shot with a bit of explanation.

Q: Got a Servant Profile?
A: I do - a certain part will be left empty though for plot reasons but I can imagine a few folks might guess to what it is. The Servant Profile for Nutsume the Sole Survivor will follow and I hope it can provide a framework for more creative Fallout 4 ideas.

SERVANT PROFILE:

True Name: Nutsume

Alias: The Sole Survivor

Class: [REDACTED]

Sex: Female

Alignment: Neutral Good

Strength: C

Endurance: A+

Agility: A+

Mana: B

Luck: EX (though she considers it D at times…)

NP: [REDACTED]

CLASS SKILLS:

Counter Evil (A) - A power of survival towards an existence that has taken the trait of Evil. What started as saving a small group of folks from Raiders out of the goodness of her heart soon blossomed into the legend of the one who fought evil to restore some semblance of peace to a lawless land.

Charisma (A) - At this point it is no longer a case of popularity or just a skill but rather a kind of spell or curse in itself. Any army led by her will have a tremendous increase in abilities.

PERSONAL SKILLS:

Independent Action (A+) - At this rank, a servant can function without a master and even access their Noble Phantasm (though those that require massive amounts of mana still need the backup of a master)

Settler of the Stars (EX) - A unique skill given to heroes that became turning points in human history. All difficult voyages and challenges which are considered 'impossible' turn into 'events that can be realized'

You're S.P.E.C.I.A.L. (EX) - A unique skill granted to those heroes born of the Nuclear Apocalypse. This skill is tied to the unique Mystic Code known as a 'Pipboy' and grants the servant access to a plethora of abilities unique to different iterations of the Sole Survivor. No two Sole Survivors are exactly alike and may come with drastically different classes, skills, and even Noble Phantasms. (ex. One Sole Survivor may be completely obsessed with shotguns, one might take V.A.T.S. above and beyond, one might be focused on the usage of a baseball bat, another might rely solely on speed, etc...)

V.A.T.S (A) - Another unique skill, one tied as well to the Pipboy. This skill increases perception and can speed up thought. At its highest rank (EX), time is completely paused in the eyes of the wielder allowing them to analyze their targets, calculate chances for their attacks to hit, and even plan out a limited set of moves to be executed once the wielder exits V.A.T.S. At Rank A though, Nutsume can only see things with all actions being slowed to a crawl in her eyes instead of the complete peace of mind the higher ranked skill has access to. Lower ranks of V.A.T.S. remove the slow down effect and only allows the wielder to view weaknesses and discern chances to hit.

NOBLE PHANTASM:

[REDACTED]