tvk | ITP: Not a True Self

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shirou emiya

ITP: Not a True Self

[Action/Fleeting Glance; AKA Locked From Others]
[He had seen the others viewing their other selves lately, and had been in contact with Lancer's.

He was completely blank on the current situation, until he was caught off-guard one night after meeting Lancer's Shadow.

Those wandering around the Velvet Key will find a scuffle going on between... Two Shirou...? But after a while one of the Shirou disappeared, and the real one was left gasping for breath on the ground, before he got up himself, and went back to the hotel.

Shirou was unavailable for the night if you tried to call him after that, but for some reason, a weird feed came on the next day...]

[Video]
I don't exist.

[There was a toneless voice coming from the screen, which was obscured by a strange sword.]

I never existed ever since that fire.

[The voice continued droning on as the sword was lifted, showing Shirou with his eyes covered by his bangs.]

The me that existed could only be achieved by one foolish man saving a life that should not be saved.

[He then turned off-screen, where the signs of one struggling with a hold could be heard.]

Just stop talking-!

[If the Shirou on-screen heard the other Shirou yelling, he didn't show a sign of noticing it, and continued.]

I suppose it was a mistake, for I know that this borrowed ideal would betray me in the end, but out of duty to the man who saved me, I carried on.

For what...?

[A slight hint of despair flowed through his voice as he turned to the camera.]

Tell me, Prospero. What should you do to someone who is not supposed to exist? Do you kill them to end their suffering? Or do you let them chase that futile dream of existing?

Your answer might just save a soul from living a life paved with despair tonight.

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That's what everyone said.

[The Shadow didn't have any emotions on his face.]

In truth, I existed because of your selfish act during the fire.

You've made friends since then. Ilya, Taiga, even Saber. Can you really say you should have never existed in front of them, Shirou?

Perhaps I can't.

[There was silence for a second.]

They shouldn't even care for me anyways. Only I'm allowed to save them from any danger. To protect.

I'm not worthy of being protected or cared for.

...Nobody can be a hero all the time. You're just as much of a person as them.

Even heroes have to be saved now and then.

[The rapid sound of footsteps starts slowing down.]

...-Ah, so that's it, isn't it?

Even if its to save countless others, are you so willing to fall your own son by your bullets?

Others don't matter now.

I'm not planning to save anyone but you, Shirou.

Very well then.

Trace, on

[And like a hammer hitting the trigger, the door suddenly bursts op- No, slashed open by a sword-like weapon.

Those who knew it call it 'The Sword In The Stone', the mystical sword that was put there in order to find Britain's next king after Uther passed away.

That sword, called Caliburn, or at least an almost perfect copy of it is now being held by the Shadow of a boy who was close to the original owner.]

[Had Kiritsugu been a second faster, he would be dead on the spot, but it's good luck that the distance makes the shockwave simply knock him to the ground.]

Guh...!

[A Noble Phantasm. Even before coming here, Kiritsugu was aware of his son's specialty, but to be able to project such a blade was a feat he could have never expected.]

[His hand rests on the recently-acquired Calico M960, but seeing his son's face, the unprecedented happens, and Kiritsugu can't quite bring himself to draw it.]

Put down the sword, Shirou.

And what? Let you shoot me with that gun?

[Any other person would've yelled at him, but this Shadow is eerily calm for this current situation.]

Tch...

Where is he?

He's breathing, if that is what you'd like to know.

[He starts standing up, clutching his side as he does so.]

[It would help if he had his Origin bullets, but he doesn't know if the magic connecting the Shadow to Shirou would affect him. Irrelevant as it may be, use of the bullets would still be discarded as an option.]

[Sniping from a distance would have been a good option, certainly, but Shirou knows his methods almost better than anyone. The moment he saw him through the window, the hostage situation would go south.]

[As things stand, it looks like it's a simple human against the equivalent of a low-power Servant.]

Why are you doing this? Killing him won't help you.

On the contrary, it would put him out of his misery.

[For the first time ever since the Shadow appeared, a smirk crossed its face.]

Throne.

[That did it. Using Sukukaja to enhance his speed, in what is comparable to an improved version of Time Alter, Kiritsugu dashes towards Shirou in an attempt to subdue him with a punch to the head. Kiritsugu knows this is a stupid move. By all rights, he should simply shoot the Shadow and be done with it. While Caliburn is undoubtedly capable of blocking bullets, Shirou would also need the appropriate reflexes to do so.]

[But he can't. Even if the person in front of him isn't his son, it's still hardly different from that dark vision that culminated the War. Kiritsugu told himself he wouldn't be so quick to discard his loved ones for others after his encounter with the Grail. Not when he has so little left to lose.]

[So why?]

[Why? Why? Why does this keep happening?]

[~~Because the Emiya family has E-Rank Luck on everything.~~

While Kiritsugu is attempting to subdue him with a punch in the head, he might find his attack blocked by a barrier.

...

A golden one.

The Shadow then reared back, and performed another slash with Caliburn.]

[The last time Emiya Kiritsugu had seen Avalon, it had been upon meeting his adoptive son. The irony would be recognized by him if it weren't for the danger of a Noble Phantasm nearly running him through. Deterioration aside, it amazes him that an EX rank Noble Phantasm could be replicated, but now is not the time for that.]

[Thanks to his Persona, Kiritsugu manages to be fast enough to dodge Caliburn. That is not enough to completely avoid harm, however. Being not quite as durable as Shirou, the shockwave is enough to act like a hit by itself, slowing his retreat.]

[The element of surprise has been lost. To remain at this range will be suicide. The assassin draws a steel dagger, the single one he has, and throws it at the Shadow's chest. It may not be a direct hit, but at least it will demand him to parry it. That should occupy him for the second it will take Kiritsugu to get away.]

[The same stratagem will not let him escape alive twice. There is nothing stopping Shirou from assuming use of two swords the next time.]

[Adrenaline slowly takes its hold over Kiritsugu's thoughts. Enough to force him to draw a firearm. Not enough to make him forget about both: the Calico M960 and the SIG Sauer P220. Having lost his access to Origin bullets, there was no longer a practical use to acquiring a single-shot hunting gun such as the Thompson Contender.]

[He does not shoot. He hasn't reached that point. He just stares straight into the Shadow's eyes. Gold. Just like the original.]

Stand down, Shirou.

[The Shadow, having parried the knife earlier on, stayed impassive as the man that is the adopted father of his true self pointed both his guns.]

Give it up, Kiritsugu, you know that its useless against the protection you gave me to save yourself all those years ago.

[Not even the five magics have any chance of getting through the sheath. Avalon, All is a Distant Utopia. He's right. Being unable to benefit from Saber's presence, even a single hit could be fatal, due to his lack of regeneration. But getting it through in the first place? That's the problem.]

...Shirou.

[It sounds different from his tone a few moments ago. A complete lack of enmity. It's clear that he's not talking to the Shadow in front of him, but the person inside the room.]

...Dad?

[There's a voice coming from behind the couch, and you can sort of hear that the owner of the voice had been struggling against his bonds even before Kiritsugu arrived.

However, the Shadow will take none of that and charge at Kiritsugu with Caliburn again.]

[Avalon works under a very simple principle, when you get down to it. You cannot hurt what is not there. By shifting the very existence of the wielder, it can make it as if the attack never hurt him at all.]

[But that's only within its confines.]

[To attack someone relies not only on one's own environment, but that of the target. If the exterior of a barrier is unable to be seen, then all offense would be useless.]

[Drawing a M83 smoke grenade, Kiritsugu takes advantage of that. The scalding shell falls to the ground, quickly filling the room with hexachloroethane smoke. Not enough to get through the Shadow, and even simply swinging Caliburn around will be more than enough to kill him.]

[How did Shirou create such a masterful replica of Avalon...? To project a Noble Phantasm of that level...]

[Of course. Avalon is not the norm. It is the exception. It is now that Kiritsugu realizes that storing it inside him for a decade must have perfected Shirou's projection of it. Caliburn is not the same. Therefore...]

[It is applicable to the rules of projection.]

[The mental process of acknowledging something as real. Creation of something that should not be allowed by the world. A paradox. One must recognize it as real for it to hold, or else...]

[A voice comes from the smoke.]

You said you weren't supposed to exist. If you don't belong to the world, doesn't that mean your abilities are illusions as well?

-!

[And just like that, a momentary stop in acknowledging that the Caliburn the Shadow is holding is real caused it to crack, and then shatter like glass, as if it never existed in the first place.]

Clever, but I suppose its to be expected of the Magus Killer.

[Kiritsugu does not take the time to respond. Taking advantage of the smoke and lack of weapons, he heads straight for Shirou, the lack of his disease hopefully allowing him the strength to let him lean on his shoulder.]

We're leaving.

[Shirou complied with Kiritsugu's action, while the shadow just grimaced in disgust.

-however, just as sudden as the Dark Hour began, it ended, taking the Shadow with it as well.]

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ITP: Not a True Self

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