Shirou was stopped in his tracks as he forced the doors open to the hall of the Einzbern Castle. There she lay, on her side, in the middle of the torn and singed red carpet that lined the floor's center. Her long, wavy auburn hair was gracefully sprawled around her head. No sign remained that anyone else was still alive.
"Oh no, no, no, no, no..." This couldn't be it. This couldn't happen to her. Not now…Not now, she's still so young…. Shirou snapped himself back into reality as he raced toward his daughter, praying that this wasn't the end, not for her.
He stopped when he reached her, finding all of his hopes and prayers draining from him as he saw the large stain on the carpet below her. His knees buckled, and all he could do was shake his head in disbelief. He held out his hands, trembling and clammy, to take one of her own.
"A-…Amaya," he pleaded. Something within him died as soon as he felt the chill of her skin. But he wouldn't acknowledge it…This couldn't be it. She was such a smart, strong girl. She wouldn't let this happen…It was some trick by the Grail. It had to be. Because this was impossible. Amaya wouldn't just die.
But it was real. He was holding her against his chest, his dark blue coat gaining smears of crimson.
He put a hand on her cheek, then brushed her bangs out of her face. He wouldn't believe it. She had to be alive. "Amaya...Amaya!" He cried aloud her name countless times, begged for any breath of life that might remain. He ran his fingers through her bangs and into her long locks. They had come unbraided in whatever battle had taken place, letting down the ponytail that used to hang where the braids on the sides of her head met. His hand held up her head as he stared into her lifeless face, tears beginning to blur his vision. His chest quivered as he inhaled and exhaled erratically.
He put his elbow just beneath her neck, to keep her head up, and took his hand from beneath it back to her face, his fingers entangled in auburn strands of hair as he drew them, trembling, over the features of her face.
"Amaya..." He could feel it now, that which had died within him. A rock hard lump blocked his throat as his eyes welled over, and all at once, he gave up.
He cradled his daughter even closer, and howled silently as he doubled over her, letting the tears stream down his nose. He sobbed, the breaths racking his dry throat, his cries of anguish becoming audible. They were torn from deep in his throat, as he rocked back and forth with what had once been the greatest pride of his life.
Her hair was like silk, straight and smooth until it reached its end, where it would get so wavy it completely curled in places. Sometimes, it would even seem as bright orange as his own, when it was late in the afternoon, and the setting sun would hit it with just the right colors.
Her eyes…Her bright teal eyes had unmatchable depth, and they had always reminded him of the pictures one might see of an exotic island, where the waters were crystal clear, yet still full of color, and the shifting waves would cast dances of light and shadow on the sand below.
As he continued to cradle Amaya, his mind stood completely still yet was crashing all at once. It was still absorbing all the tragedy, all the oncoming negative emotions, from rage, despair, and above all, an overwhelming grief that he would never heal from. As it did so, memories of her came flashing through his mind of her. Small things, little mannerisms, like the way she would wink back at him sometimes when they were joking, or the way she would yell at him when he would be texting and walking down the street at the same time, just as he figured her mother would.
So this was failure. Failure to keep your word. Failure to protect that which meant most to you. He swore he would always be there for her. He promised nothing would happen to her. He knew he could find a way out of this bloodshed. He had always found a way out. But this…This was failure.
And all he could do was hold her and weep.