Before my old life was burned to cinders, I'm sure I had a family. I'm sure I had friends. No, I knew I had both, but no matter how hard I tried, I couldn't remember them. Not the face of my mother, not whether I was a happy child or not, and not if I was a popular or respectful boy. It is all a haze. But, what I do remember is all of that being taken away.
There's skyscrapers rising up to the dark sky above me. In my memory, they reach up into the black gouts of smoke, giving the impression that they fly up and pierce into the sky, continuing on forever. So, seeing the flaming bodies rocket out of the smoke surrounding them and crashing to the flaming streets, in an attempt to escape the flaming buildings, made their attempt at escaping seem all the more horrifying and futile. Other than those standing colossal buildings, everything else was collapsed and in ruins. The only things that existed in that city anymore were the flames, the few buildings whose structures remained standing, the giant hole in the sky that poured down the black water and crimson flames… and myself.
However, the one thing I take solace in from this horrible event, is that I knew what happened next. Yes, after I collapse in the burning city, ready to die, a beautiful woman finds me and saves my life. I open my eyes and see her… "To save one life means to not save another." Those familiar words she muttered when she hugged me… they resonate within me.
Yes, that is the usual happy ending to this dream, but something's different this time. This isn't the comforting ending to the horrible nightmare that I always see. No, if that was the case, then there would be rain descending upon us, the city wouldn't still be on fire, and she, Irisviel, would be crying with a warm smile. But no. The flames burn bright, brighter than ever, the only thing falling from the sky is darkness and more chaos, and the woman holding me is glaring at me with a look of hatred while screaming. She does cry, though; tears of blood, that is.
The horrifying image begins to narrow and the only thing I can make out anymore is the wrathful Irisviel who is now squeezing me in her inhumanly strong limbs while we become surrounded by a halo of fire.
"Die." The first time she says it, I don't process it; for the voice Irisviel spoke in was not her own, but instead a deep, wretched voice.
"Die!" The second time, I had to come to terms with the fact it was her wishing my death upon me. Her face contorts in a way no humans should as her jaw seems to unhinge, and her mouth gapes open far wider than possible.
"DIEEEEEEEE!" She reaches her hands up to me and clutches them around my throat tightly while the flames enclose and engulf both our bodies. Her face, her figure, her being; they melt on top of me while she screams a hellish cry and I return by screaming in equal effort, out of terror.
My eyes snap open and I jolt up from where I'm laying on the hard floor, feeling my heart pounding against the inside of my chest. My voice dies down when I see that I've woken up, and I realize I was screaming when I did. Despite it being slightly chilly in the shed, I can feel my body slick with sweat as though the flames of the dream were actually affecting me. I look down at my right hand and see the sheet of sandpaper clutched tightly in my fingers. I let it go and watch it flutter to the floor, unveiling the skin of my right hand's palm as an angry shade of red, indicating how irritated it is. I must've been holding it really tightly while I slept. It's chafed up, but it's not bleeding…
I stand up and try my best to forget about the horrific nightmare while I walk over to the tool rack next to the shed door. Out of all the times I've had it, never has it been so dark and horrifying… I look back at the wooden pieces and random tools on top of the floormat and sigh in disappointment. "I guess last night was a night of letdowns and failures…"
Once I put everything back where it belonged in the shed, I walk out and only just realize how early it is. The sky is a pale blue shade and the light is still dim, indicating dawn was just over the horizon. I breathe in the fresh, cool morning air and lean forward to get ready to bolt straight to the house, but then I remember I'm forgetting something. I straighten up and slowly turn my gaze from the back door of the house and to my left, to the side of the yard my practice target rests in. As soon as my line of sight hits the target, I feel the thoughts about the nightmare dissipate and a smile grace my face. "And so, he does it again…"
After walking across the yard and to the target, I trace my finger lightly along the wooden shaft of the arrow that lies lodged, almost perfectly, in the center of the bullseye. I wrap my fingers around the arrow and swiftly pull it out so that I could inspect it more closely. After looking over the arrow, I scratch my head and sigh. Yep, by all rights, this looks like a completely normal arrow. Nothing fancy about it, nothing cutting-edge, nothing mystical or magical. So then, why am I able to do something like this?
This old, wooden arrow is very special to me. I refer to it as my "lucky arrow". But, there's a reason for it to have such a name. Ever since this arrow came into my possession, every time I've fired it, every time I've shot it, it has hit my target. I don't know whether it's coincidence or luck or just an extreme case of conditional skill, but I've never missed a shot with this arrow. At first, I never noticed that the specific arrow was so accurate, but one day my injured arm spasmed when I released the string to fire. Up until that point, I'd only ever missed one shot, and just as it was the case with that one, I knew this shot was going to miss the moment my fingers let go of the bowstring. But then, not only did it not miss, but it hit the target right in the bullseye.
That experience is what gave light to me about how special the arrow is. In that moment, I reflected on it and realized that every time I've used it, it's always been a bullseye. So, after that surreal moment, I started testing whether the arrow was something strange or if I was just imagining things. From that point on, I started picking out targets and shooting the arrow at them to see what would happen; I started shooting at varying distances of which I'd never attempt normally. The bullseye, the innermost ring on the target, the outermost ring, the flower pot on our back porch, the icicles that hang from the edge of the roof in the winter, yen coins I use as tiny targets, falling leaves from trees; anything I deem my target, I'm able to hit. Even last night when I had no light at all and knew nothing other than the general direction the target was in, my arrow landed exactly where I wanted it to; I knew where it was. With it, I'm confident I can do something not humanly possible; hitting whatever I want just by willing it. Though, I'm sure if I did something unreasonable like wanting to hit the target and then shooting it in the complete opposite direction it would miss, but I'd never try anything that-
"Shirou!" I drop the arrow from my hand and jump slightly at suddenly being called out. I look over my shoulder at the back porch and see Irisviel standing there with a blanket wrapped around her, waving at me.
"Yeah Irisviel?" I shout back at her before snatching up my arrow that I dropped and beginning to walk over to where she stood.
"Why are you out here so early in the morning? You didn't stay up shooting all night again, did you?" I frown at her while stepping up to stand next to her on the porch.
"No, I wasn't up shooting my bow all night. I was actually working on making another bow. I was only pulling out an arrow I left in the target just now." Irisviel looks at me inquisitively while I move past her and into the house through the sliding door. Not long after I enter and start walking down the hallway, I hear the sliding door close and footsteps following not far behind me. "So, what are you doing up this early, Irisviel? You normally only get up when it's time for breakfast."
"I had a really bad dream; it was super scary. I woke up all panicky and crying. I ran all around the house frantically to try and find you, so you could hug me and make it all better, but you were nowhere to be found. I should've known to check your stupid shed first!" I could tell by the tone of her voice that she was being pouty, but then I remembered the horrible dream that I myself had. I almost ask her what her nightmare was about, but I decide against it, not wanting to reflect on dreams or nightmares or anything of that sort for a while.
"I'm sorry Irisviel, but it's fine now. It was just a dream after all." Irisviel doesn't respond for a moment and just joins me in walking down the hallway in silence. Once I reach the door to the bathroom though, she finally speaks up again behind me.
"Yeah… you're right Shirou. Just a dream." I thought she sounded sorrowful in her response, but I didn't pay it much mind as I entered the bathroom and walked over to the tub so that I could get it ready for a bath. Once the tub fills up to about halfway, I reach down and pull my shirt up and over my head before reaching down to unfasten the buckle of my belt. Had I not turned to look and see if we had towels on the towel rack next to the bathroom door, I wouldn't have noticed Irisviel who was silently observing me strip down, showing no embarrassment at all.
"Irisviel!?"
"Shirou."
"No! What are you still doing here? Can't you see I'm about to take a bath!? I thought I closed the door behind me?" Irisviel blinks at me in confusion and then glances back at the door before returning her gaze to me.
"Oh yeah, you did. I just opened it again and followed you inside." I look at her in shock and then hold my face in my hands in a mixture of embarrassment and disappointment. Does she try to be this oblivious or does it just come naturally?
"Ok. Why did you do that?" She looks at me in confusion and then walks past me and to the toilet, of which she sits down on after lowering the seat.
"Well because we were still talking of course. It is a bit sudden, but if you want to have a bath together again after all these years while we have out little chat, that's fine by me."
"I don't want to take a bath with you! We were done talking! Get out of here!" Irisviel ignores my embarrassed shouting and instead stares at my abdomen and my arms. Feeling her gaze pressing into me, I grab the shirt I dropped onto the floor and cover myself up like a squeamish girl who realized she was being peeped at. "W-What is it?"
"I was just shocked by your body. I haven't seen you shirtless, or without any clothes for that matter, in a few years now. You sure have changed since then. More muscular… and even more scars than back then." I thought she was going to start being weird and poking fun at me about me being half-naked in front of her, but I could tell from her expression and tone of voice that she was concerned. I instinctively pulled my shirt back over my head and on, feeling shameful about my body and how grotesque it probably looks to her. "Shirou?"
"Yes, Irisviel?"
"Why do you push yourself so hard? I know you're passionate about archery and all… but it's not normal for a teenager to look as though his hands have been worked to the bone and his upper torso lashed at, burned, and broken. If anyone saw you shirtless, they'd think you were enslaved or put to work at a labor camp." I almost blurt out what I'm thinking about what she said, about how I don't care and that she's pissing me off, but then I remember that she's just worried about me. I look away from her and down into the half-filled tub, of which I stopped the water from running out of the faucet and into whenever Irisviel sat next to me for our talk. "Shirou… do you like archery?" My eyes widen at her question and this time I can't help but turn back to her and shout out my response.
"What kind of a question is that?! Of course I like archery! I wouldn't spend so much time on something I didn't like. I wouldn't let it control my life and sap away time that could be spent with you or Sakura if I didn't feel compelled to do it." Irisviel sighed and stood up from her seat, grabbing the edges of the blanket she wears around her shoulder so that she can wrap it around her more snugly. I notice that her right hand she slammed in the dresser yesterday now has a bandage wrapped around it. Irisviel smiles at me and steps forward and to my left so that she can maneuver to the bathroom door. Before she walks past me though, I feel her lean close to me and hear her start to whisper.
"There's a difference between liking something and feeling as though you have to do it."
The bath was considerably less enjoyable than normal, and I found myself soaking in the hot water much longer than usual. Irisviel sure has been weird lately. Hurting her hand, saying we're going on a road trip starting tonight, bugging me about archery even though I've practically given it up for her already, and wanting to watch movies and be super clingy… no, she always does that. But still… I reach up and to my left to grab my shampoo bottle that rests on the ledge of the bathtub while contemplating. The water of the tub has cooled off quite a lot, almost to the point where it's room temperature, so I finish washing myself before it loses all its heat.
I rinse out my hair and pull the stopper from the drainer before standing to my feet. I don't leave the tub immediately though; and I don't brush the wet, matted bangs clinging to my forehead and covering my eyes away. I instead lean forward and raise my right fist up and to the plaster wall of the bathroom and slowly inch it forward until I feel it press against the hard, cool surface. Irisviel… what you said may have had some truth to it. My scarred and callused knuckles stay pressed against the wall, unmoving, while I feel the water lower and pool around my feet before flowing forward and down the drainage pipe. But… I do love archery. I do.
When I walk into the dining room while putting on my brown school overcoat, I'm surprised to see Irisviel isn't there and Sakura is in the tiny kitchen preparing breakfast. I look next to her on the counter and see a brown grocery bag. "Sakura?" She jumps a tad and turns to face me with a light blush across her face. A pink apron is wrapped around her and she has a cookbook open and in her left hand.
"Yes senpai? Is something wrong?" I walk to the counter and lean onto it on my elbows while frowning at her.
"Yes, something is wrong. Did you go and buy groceries for us again? I've told you already that that's Irisviel's job. I feel bad knowing you're always buying them for us." Sakura closes her cookbook and gently sets it down next to the array of foods she was preparing for breakfast before turning to face me.
"No, senpai, it's fine. It's the least I can do for you since you always let me come over and spend time with you and Miss Emiya. Besides, I need to make it up to you somehow for not being able to come over last night, right?" I suddenly remember the call I had with Sakura last night and how she insisted she couldn't come over. I instinctively look her over from across the counter and she blushes and fidgets under my gaze. From what I could tell, she looked completely fine. I do, however, notice that she is grabbing the hem of her long right sleeve in her hand and hiding it behind her back. I ignore it for now and nod at her before turning away from the counter and stepping towards the small dining table.
"If you say so Sakura. Just please try not to make a habit out of buying our food for us all the time. You wouldn't want us to become dependent on you, would you?" I kneel down at the table and wait for Sakura to respond to my joking question. After she doesn't, I turn and look at her from the floor of the dining room to see her diligently working away at preparing our morning meal. Maybe she didn't hear me ask? I continue to stare her down while she cooks. As always, she seems diligent and eager to make something for me and Irisviel, but something this morning catches my attention. Both of the sleeves of her long school shirt are still down and to her wrists. Not rolling your sleeves up while you cook? Interesting…
It doesn't take Sakura too long to finish cooking, and with her doing so, Irisviel magically appears at the dining table, ready to eat. She's still wearing my t-shirt and I feel like screaming in embarrassment when I notice that Sakura noticed. She didn't comment, but when she entered into the dining room with the rice cooker and saw Irisviel joined me at the table, wearing that, she gasped and fumbled the rice cooker in her hand, almost dropping it. As she went back and forth from the kitchen to bring back the items to set the table with, she occasionally glanced at Irisviel with an embarrassed look and I did my absolute best to avoid looking at either of them in the eyes.
I waited for Sakura to finally sit down and after we thanked her for the food, I continued to carefully watch her while she ate. Normally her sleeves were a tad loose around her wrists, just like every girl who wears the school uniform, but today it seems like she did something to make the cuffs enclose around her wrists, skin-tight. At this point, I knew something was up. I thought about how I could make an excuse to see her arm and when I let my gaze move from her and down to her plate and then to the soy sauce that sat in front of it, I knew how I could. "Sakura, could you pass the soy sauce?" Sakura looks down at the bottle and smiles at me while setting her chopsticks down.
"Of course, senpai. I'm sorry I didn't think to offer you some sooner." She reaches over her plate and grabs the sauce. Just as I was hoping, she did so with her right hand, assumingly since I'm sitting across the table from her to her right. After she lifts it up and guides her hand across the table to bring it to me, I ready my jittery hands under the table for what I'm about to do. Once her arm's in my reach, I jump up and grab the soy sauce with my left hand, quickly place it down on the table, and firmly hold her by her right forearm.
"Hold still, Sakura!" She yelps in shock and instantly tries to pull her arm back, but I don't let her.
"S-Senpai, stop it!" I feel bad for holding her against her will and making her beg me to stop, but I have to see if what I think is true is true. Problem is, she won't sit still long enough for me to check her arm.
"Sakura, stop squirming. I just need to take a bit of your clothes off." As soon as I said it, I blushed and cursed myself for wording it in such a pervy way. Sakura noticed the innuendo as well, indicated by her face burning quite a few shades redder than my own.
"You- you what?!" She jerks her arm back even harder, and this time I fall forward and onto her, barely missing the table arranged with food as I fall. We both collapse onto the ground and I now find myself in an even worse position than what I started in. My face is only a few inches above hers and the distance between each of our bodies is even shorter. I can't see it, but I can feel my left leg is lying in between both of hers, keeping them separated from each other, unable to close. I stare into her eyes and feel my heart to begin pounding faster than I thought possible in my chest. Her defiant, hesitant, and embarrassed face from earlier melts into a submissive and almost passionate look. Wait… what was I trying to do again? "Senpai… it's ok…" It's ok?! What's "it"? I look up and over the table to see Irisviel casually eating and staring at us like a cat watching a laser pointer dart across a wall. I look back down at Sakura, who's now breathing heavily, before flipping over her right wrist.
"Pardon me, then." I see that it was a safety pin keeping the cuff wrapped snugly around her wrist and I swiftly pull it out and drop it onto the table before quickly rolling her sleeve up her arm, making sure to do it as fast as I could to hurry and get out of the intimate position I was stuck in. It didn't take long for my suspicions to be proven. A nasty, purple bruise rested on Sakura's forearm, starting at the elbow and reaching almost halfway up the arm. "I knew it…" I sit up and jump to my feet before walking back to my side of the table and retaking my seat. Sakura also jolts straight up and glances down at her arm before quickly snapping her gaze back to me with her embarrassed expression still ever-so present.
"Wh- Eh? Was that all you were trying to do?" What? What did you think I was going to do?!
"Yes, that's all. You were acting awfully protective of your arm, and after what happened on the phone last night, I was very suspicious. To think, you lied to me." The embarrassing position we were in just now quickly faded from my mind, and my thoughts were instead occupied by anger and hurt from Sakura refraining to tell me Shinji touched her again. Sakura saw that I was genuinely upset while I angrily forked down the stir-fried vegetables from my plate and avoided looking at her.
"Senpai… I'm sorry, I…" I look up from the table to see Irisiviel looking between the two of us inquisitively, clearly lost on what's going on.
"Shirou, what's wrong with her?" I finish my last bite and set my chopsticks down to grab my glass of water while I answer her.
"Shinji went and hurt Sakura again. Go look for yourself; she has a bruise both the size and color of an eggplant all down her forearm. And who knows where else." Irisviel jumped up immediately after I informed her of what's up and rushed around the table and to Sakura's side. While I drank a sip of my water, I glanced over to see Sakura looking away from Irisviel and down at the floor in shame while Irisviel tentatively looked at Sakura's bruise and touched it softly.
"I-I'm sorry Shirou, Miss Emiya. I should've told you. B-But, it's really not that bad. Shinji just gets really mad sometimes and this time it was because of me so it makes it even more so my fault." I could feel my cool slowly fading away the more she talked, and my temper continue to rise. "Your fault"?! My attention snaps back to them once I hear sobbing. I at first think it's Sakura's, but when I look and see that it's Irisviel, who now has Sakura pulled into her chest, being held tightly, who's crying, I feel my blood really start to boil. "M-Miss Emiya, why are you… you don't have to cry; like I said, I instigated this. Please, if you cry, I'm going to end up crying too."
"I- *sniff* I can't help it! How can you *sob* ask me to not cry when I see my own daughter hurt by what should be her family! This isn't right! Nothing like that should ever happen to you!" I could see Irisviel's words deeply affected Sakura, based on how her face went into full shock, losing any trace of being reserved or embarrassed.
"Your… d-daughter?" After muttering the words herself, tears flowed freely from Sakura's eyes and trailed down her cheeks one after the other before she rose her arms up and returned Irisviel's embrace with equal force. They both sobbed and whined while holding each other tightly in each other's arms. Irisviel was hugging her just how any good mother would hold their own child when comforting them. So that's how it is, huh?
I finished my glass of water and stood up from the table, once again thanking Sakura for the food. Once I walked out of the dining room and into the hallway, I heard Irisviel call out to me. "Shirou! Where are you going?" I look back at them one more time and see them both staring at me with their teary expressions. I could see it; see it well. Both of their faces said, "don't go". I grab my bag after slipping on my shoes and, without looking at them again, I tell them where I'm going.
"To school."
Was it wrong of me to just up and leave them like that? Yes. Should I have stayed there with them? Maybe have comforted them and told them encouraging words? Yes. Should I not have unveiled Sakura's bruise like that and have gotten them both so riled up? Maybe.
This is how Sakura's life has always been; living with Shinji. Maybe she wasn't always hit, maybe she wasn't always mistreated, maybe she wasn't always unhappy; but that doesn't change the fact that she still lives with a man, with a "brother", who at some point caused all those things and more for her. I ask myself these questions and reflect on that hard, cold truth while I stare at my destination I left the house to arrive at. Only, this wasn't the school.
I grab the old, iron bars of the front gate and lift myself and jump over it and into the front yard of the Matou residence. I don't know what it is, but something about the place sends a chill up my spine and makes all my hair stand on end. But I don't care. I'm going to finally do what I should've done a long time ago. I walk up to the big, wooden door and waste no time in banging my fist against it to make them open up. It doesn't take very long for someone to respond to me pounding on the door, but the one who answers isn't Shinji. I'm met by a short, old man who looks far more aged than any person I've ever seen before. He doesn't open the door all the way and instead stays within, his figure being shadowed by the dark interior of the house. Even though it's dim, I can see the beady eyes and wide smile of the old man.
"Well, now what do we have here? I never would've guessed Shinji had any friends? Shall I go get him for you? Or maybe you're a gentleman caller for my little Sakura? If that's the case, I'm sorry to say she's not here at the moment." His voice is a perfect match for his look. It is old and wicked, just like him. This must be Sakura's grandfather…
"No, you're wrong on both accounts, old man. I'm actually-"
"I know who you are, boy." My response is cut short by him interrupting me, suddenly sounding very impatient. "What I want to know is, why do you find yourself here instead of at your house, spending time with Sakura, or at school?" I turn my attention away from him and look into the dark house behind him, trying to see how it looks inside.
"Shinji. I need to talk to Shinji. We have business we need to attend to." I hear the old man chuckle and look down to see him clicking his walking cane up and down on the tiles of the inside flooring.
"Talking, huh? Are you sure that's all you're here for?" I feel my patience waning and I groan before leaning down, so I can speak to him on an eye-level.
"Since you're so curious, no. I'm here to give him some of his own medicine." My answer makes the old man laugh again and he swings the door open, barely giving me enough time to move out the way.
"Shinji! Get down here boy! That Shirou kid is here for you!" The old man walks out of the doorway and joins me outside. Almost as soon as he joins me, I hear footsteps approaching and Shinji finally reveals himself. He stops in the same spot the old man stood in earlier and gives me his usual shit-eating grin.
"Oh, what a pleasant surprise. Why in the world are you here, Emiya?" I glare at him and reach up to start taking my brown coat off.
"Come out here and I'll show you, Shinji." Shinji is taken aback by me suddenly removing my coat and challenging him to step outside, but it doesn't take long for his composure to apparently return and his smile to grace his face once more.
"Oh no need for that, it's much too early to trek outside. Why don't you enter the house and I can prepare us some-"
"No, Shinji." Shinji is suddenly interrupted by the old man, surprisingly. "Not this time. Now, our guest has requested you to come outside. Do it." Shinji loses his air of confidence and timidly steps outside upon being instructed to do so. He looks at the old man with anger and then turns his hateful look to me.
"W-What do you want Emiya?" I crack my knuckles in each hand and roll my neck once, letting off an even louder snapping noise from the joints cracking. Shinji takes a step back and I can see him starting to tremble.
"I know what you did to Sakura. You know the drill, get ready. I'm about to beat your ass." Shinji looks at me in utter shock, and what I could only describe as terror, but then forces out a laugh and tries to feign a smile.
"You're joking? No sane person would come to someone's house and try to fight them… In front of an elder?" I take a step forward to reestablish the original distance before Shinji stepped back.
"I guess that makes me insane then. Now, get ready. We're fighting. I'll give you seven seconds to throw the first hit, but after that, I'm going to start pummeling you senseless, whether you fight back or not." I could tell I was getting to him; he's practically shaking in his shoes. He looks over at the old man who only smiles back at his scared face.
"You heard him Shinji. He's being awfully generous giving you the first punch and all. I won't try to get you out of this one; I can tell this is a bout between men." Shinji looks back at me and I just stand neutrally, not stanced up, inviting him to hit me. He nervously forms his right hand into a fist and cocks it back but hesitates. Both he and I knew that time was running out though, so in the last few seconds, he made his move.
"HYAA!" He shouts out while extending his fist at me. I don't make any attempt at all to block or move, and I let his punch hit me right in my nose. The only force I exert is to hold my head steady and make sure I don't budge an inch from his hit. I want him to know how futile trying to fight me is. It takes him a moment, but he soon sees that despite the bit of blood dripping from my nose, I am unfazed by his attack. He desperately tries to figure out what to do, and finally decides to try and hit me again by cocking his arm back to punch me once more. I don't give him a second chance, however.
As soon as he pulls his fist from my snout, I immediately turn my upper torso to the left and strike him in his own nose. With my elbow.
"AGHH AYEGHH!" Shinji instantly starts screaming out and falls down onto his back. I could tell when I hit him that I broke his nose. He reaches his hands up to cover his face, but before he can, I kick them away and press them down above his head with my foot. I kneel down on my other leg and swing once across his face. The punch stuns him and stops his screaming for a moment. After that brief pause, he shakes his head and snaps back into reality to see me pinning him down, getting ready to beat him like a rug. "H- elp. H-HELP M-"
"Ah ah, not so fast." I could hear the old man pipe up just as Shinji starts to call out, to whom I don't know, for help. "None of that now Shinji. As I said, this is between you two. If it's a fight, then keep the fight between you and him. And if it's an ass-kicking… heh, well keep it to yourself." I took the old man's words as an ok to keep going, so I immediately swung my other arm down and across Shinji's other cheek, which I'd yet to get to so far. I could feel him pulling his hands down with all his might from beneath my shoe, but he was far too weak to pull them away. All he could do was squirm his entire body beneath me and try to move his head around to avoid the next punch, which usually only made the strike hit him even harder.
"Agh! AH, please, Emiya I'm-" I punch him from below and up into his chin, midsentence, shutting him up and making him bite his own tongue all at once. My fist had a few specks and streaks of blood on it from how bad I was banging him up, but I wasn't quite done yet. "Wait, pl-pleathse! It's oveh I won't toucth Sakura eveh AGAIN!" I glare at him and let my fist unravel so I could grab him by his throat. I stand up and lift him up with that one hand before slamming him against the doorframe and pinning him there.
"You said the same thing last time Shinji and look where we are! I've already given up on making you realize that Sakura isn't your toy, but I want you to know…" I release my hand from his throat and let him get back onto his feet in the doorway. "If you do it again, I'll do something worse than kick your ass. I'll get domestic affairs on this place and make sure you won't be able to even look in her direction within 500 feet. And as for making Irisviel cry…" Shinji apparently sees me letting him down as a chance to escape and turns in the doorway to try and run into the house. "If you do that again, I'll just straight up kill you!" Before Shinji even takes his first step to run away, I raise my left foot back and behind me, and roundhouse kick him to the right, sending him into whatever shadowy corner lies in that part of the house. I don't bother to look in after him to see where he ended up, but indicated by the sound of wood breaking, I assume I got the point across pretty well.
I turn around and grab my bag and my coat up from the ground before leaving, when I hear the old man snickering from his spot on the sidelines. I'd completely forgotten he was there. "Ah s-sir, I'm so sorry about all of this. I know it's improper and I think I just broke something so, I uh… If need be, I can pay for whatever damages I caused." The old man walks up to me while still laughing and stops when he's only about two feet away.
"No need for all of that boy; Shinji had it coming. The kid's a bit too big for his own britches." I didn't know how to respond to that, but seeing how I'd gotten off the hook, I should probably leave quickly. I quickly apologize once more and try to turn and walk off before he could respond, but I feel a hand grab the fabric of my shirt. As soon as the little, decrepit man tugged on my shirt, the chill I got when I entered earlier returned full force, and a feeling of dread welled up inside of me. "One more thing, boy."
"Yes?"
"About Sakura… Have you ever considered courting her, or 'dating'? You seem to care for her an awful lot and you went to such lengths as uh, taking 'counter measures' to make Shinji leave her alone. Basically, what I'm asking you is are you interested in her. I mean, she does go over to your house an awful lot." His question takes me aback, but I feel relieved to reaffirm he's not angry. However… Do I like Sakura?
"No. I've never considered that, and I never will."
"O-Oh. My, you sure shut down that possibility quickly. Is she unappealing to you?" I turn to look over and down my shoulder at the little man asking me the strange questions with his hand latched on to my shirt. I tell him plain-and-simply my reason.
"She's my little sister." He looks shocked by my answer and for once isn't laughing or smiling.
"And you're sure that's the extent of your relationship with her? Of your feelings for her?" I don't respond for a moment and instead stare him down firmly. I sternly nod my head and maintain a serious expression so that he might finally get the point. "I see then…" He finally removes his hand from my shirt and walks away and back towards his house. On his way, I can hear him mutter "it looks as though we'll just have to wait." Once he makes it to the doorway, he turns one last time to me and I get the pleasant surprise of seeing his scary, little smile is back to normal. "Congrats boy, you get to keep your little sister. Even if only a while longer." With that, he reentered his house and slammed the wooden door shut.