What makes a man?
What draws the line between adult and child?
Is it age? Is it experience? Is it wisdom?
Or is rather the will to step forth and bear the burden of one's own existence; of one's own choices?
Emiya Shirou had made the decision to become a hero who could save everyone, with the knowledge that such thing is not possible.
"One is a hero only to the people he sides with," Kiritsugu had told him.
Even though he knew it for a fact, Shirou could never just accept it. Surely, if there was a method to save one person, then it should possible to save everyone.
He was willing to pursue this belief, knowing full well that he would never succeed, but intending to bet his own life on it all the same.
His life, and his life only.
If it came down between his and someone else's life, Shirou would walk to his own death without a moment's hesitation.
But this time, it wasn't his only life on the line. It was Taiga's.
It didn't matter who the other party was or whether they were right or wrong. The price for trying to lay an hand on her would have to be paid in blood.
[EMIYA SHIROU]
[THE GAMER]
[LV 25 - 22500/25000]
[HP: 2500][MP: 35][MC: 27][ST: 850][SP: 10]
[STR: 42][DEX: 43][INT: 50][WIS: 33][CHR: 77]
"Trace... On!"
The words that had come to represent Shirou's resolve rolled out of his mouth without hesitation. The stab of pain that came with the creation of a Nerve Circuit would have reduced an ordinary man to a puddle of tears.
Shirou barely acknowledged it.
With a series mental commands the Equip Menu appeared in his vision. Shisui was selected and equipped, appearing in his hand with a flash of light.
"W-what the hell?" Taiga nearly screamed. "Shirou, what-?"
But Shirou had no time to answer. The sword had barely materialized in his hand that he already had to put it to good use.
He whirled around and thrust it towards Taiga. The stab came too fast for her to do anything but flinch in place. The blade passed next to her face and dug into the shoulder of the man that was trying to sneak behind them.
"Aaargh!" he cried.
Taiga's face was splattered with warm blood, but before she had the opportunity to react in any meaningful way, Shirou grabbed her and pushed her to the ground, while at the same time yanking his sword out of the man he had just stabbed.
They came at him from every direction at once, holding blades of their own.
Taiga rolled on her back and watched. For a split second, her heart was seized by the dread of knowing that Shirou was about to die.
Then, the impossible happened again.
Shirou blurred into motion and started fending off six grown men simultaneously. His sword was as fast as lightning and the only reason why he had yet to cut down anyone was because he was he had no time to follow through with his offense that he was pushed on the defensive by another opponent.
Thunderous clashes of steel filled the night, as a child-sized man fought tooth and nail against those who tried to harm them.
Paralyzed by shock and disbelief as she was, Taiga would have thought she was having an alcohol induced hallucination if not for the tangible fear she felt. Even though there was no way this could be real, she knew it could not be otherwise.
Against her face she clearly felt the air being cut by the clashes of blades, just as she could feel the vibration of the ground underneath her from the deadly exchange going on all around her.
Unable to do anything but watch, she couldn't help but notice that she lay in the center of circle drawn by Shirou's wild dance. Everything around her was pure chaos, except for the spot where she was lay.
'He... he's protecting me,' she realized. She had no idea what was going on or why, but amidst all of this confusione there was this absolute certainty.
She was an expert kendoka and the nominal heir of a Yakuza clan. She had seen and been in fights, therefore she could clearly tell that Shirou was being forced on the defensive simply because she was with him.
They couldn't advance a single step past the line he had drawn. The absolute limit beyond which they were not allowed to get. An invisible wall made by a single blade and insurmountable determination.
This... was how Shirou looked when he fought for real.
They threw themselves against this barrier, against him, and all they got for their efforts was being pushed back just as strongly. If not for the fact that there were even more people ready to step in and take their places, their formation would already have long since crumbled.
She already knew he was powerful beyond what anyone his age had a right to be, but this was a different dimension altogether.
Just who - or what - was he really?
Wei Kang gritted his teeth. Twelve of his elite, hand-picked subordinates couldn't get the upper hand against a single brat.
Kang was not a fool. Emiya Shirou, as he had learned the brat was called, was strong. Not as strong as Kang himself, but certainly strong enough that his men couldn't hope to win even while the brat was being held back by the woman he was trying to protect.
Still, even confident of his own strength, Kang would not take necessary risks. He would let his underlings chip away at Shirou before stepping in himself and finishing the job.
And so he waited... and waited... and waited... and waited. Seconds turned into a minute, then two, then three, then four.
Five minutes into this relentless barrage and the balance of power finally toppled.
Not in the direction he expected it to, though.
One of his men was sent flying at him fast enough that Kang had literally to bend over backward to dodge it. The unlucky mook slammed his back against a tree with a sound of shattered bone and then crumpled on the ground without so much as a twitch.
Three more of his men followed soon after, while two others were cut down on the spot. They weren't outright lethal wounds but they were bleeding enough that they would die if not treated quickly enough.
They remaining six backed off very quickly and Emiya Shirou stood with his sword ready, looking completely unfazed by it all. His shirt was cut in several places and shallow wounds were bleeding all over his body. Yet, he didn't look like he was tired or strained in the least.
Kang knew he had yet to come at him just because it would mean leaving the woman defenseless.
"Brat... you are starting to become a headache," Kang growled.
"You came looking for me," Shirou replied, matter-of-factly. "You'll forgive me for not dropping dead to spare you the inconvenience. Now... how about we call it a night and we all go back home before even more people get hurt?"
"No," Kang said stepping forward and removing his cloak, exposing his bulging muscles and tree-sized arms.
"... Alright, then."
Shirou's stance lowered. The sword in his hand moved.
"Come!" Kang taunted with a ferocious grin on his face.
"I don't want to kill you," Shirou said in a voice that was as close as begging as he could muster.
"You are the only person who is going to die tonight. Your lady friend will live until I'll get tired of her, at least."
"Is that so? Then... I'm going to have take back my previous statement."
"Hmm? What are you on about?"
"I'm definitely going to kill you here, tonight."
Shirou dropped his blade and shot his arms outward. During the motion he equipped his Black Sparrow knife set and threw ten of them simultaneously. With his mastery of the throwing skill, he could easily direct even that many at the same time with sufficient precision to make them into an actual threat even to skilled fighters.
Six of them he sent at the remaining underlings, while four flew with deadly precision towards Wei Kang himself.
To his credit, the man reacted to the threat even before realizing what it was, smoothly dodging the almost invisible knives. His subordinates were less lucky as several cries of pain were heard, and several message boxes appeared in Shirou's vision.
[Wei Enforcer 7 (mid tier) defeated - EXP gained: 750]
[Wei Enforcer 8 (mid tier) defeated - EXP gained: 750]
[Wei Enforcer 9 (mid tier) defeated - EXP gained: 750]
[Wei Enforcer 10 (mid tier) defeated - EXP gained: 750]
[Wei Enforcer 11 (mid tier) defeated - EXP gained: 750]
[You have gained a level]
Shirou took advantage of the opening by grabbing Shisui, which had yet to hit the ground, and shooting toward Wei Kang with explosive speed, but Kang regained his footing in time to intercept Shirou's swing with his steel arm-guards. Shirou was then put on the defensive as Kang retaliated with his own sword, engaging him in a fierce exchange of blows.
Even though there was a substantial gap in level, they were nearly evenly matched thanks to Shirou's self-Reinforcement. Despite his composure, Kang's eyes widened at the sheer power behind Shirou's blows.
If not for his self-Reinforcement and the power of the Gamer Body, Shirou would have succumbed to the difference in body mass. Instead he was able to meet the much bigger man on an even grounds.
Still, regardless of that, Shirou had already failed. Rather than wait for Kang to come at him backed by his remaining subordinates, Shirou had opted to finish him in a single strike and then regroup with Taiga before the others could gather their wits. However now Kang was keeping him from going back to her. Unless he had been so lucky to simultaneously hit all six targets in immediately lethal spots, it was only a matter of seconds before they…
"S-Shirou..." he heard Taiga call with a feeble voice.
Shirou's heart fell, knowing all too well what he would see if he turned.
"It's about time you gave up, brat."
Shirou jumped away and this time, Kang didn't press him. Shirou craned his head and sure enough there was Taiga, with a blade poised at her throat. Five out of six of Kang's underlings were on the ground, completely unmoving. Dead, he presumed since he could no longer see a name over their bodies, but one had survived and had taken Taiga hostage.
"Shirou... don't give up," Taiga said, shaking her head. "He said he was going to kill me anyway."
"I know... I know but if there is just a chance that you may live... forgive me. I wasn't strong enough to protect you, after all."
His fingers loosened and Shisui fell on the cold ground.
Kang advanced with a victorious grin on his face. "Ah, you can die at ease, midget. I assure you that a few days from now she'll be more than happy of her new place in life, and if she puts herself to it with all of her heart, I might just pass her to my subordinated rather than just kill her once I tire of her"
"I'll warn you. If you harm a single hair on her head, I'll raise from the grave and drag you down to hell."
"Pfft. Sure. Let's see you do that," Kang chuckled before raising his blade and swinging it down.
"SHIROU!" Taiga screamed as spurt of blood ached through the night.
A moment later, Shirou's body hit the ground, cleaved from shoulder to hip, nearly bisected in half.
"NNNNOOOOOOOOO! SHIROOOOOOOU! SHIROOOOOOOU! SHIROOOOOOOOU!"
Kang turned around and advanced toward Taiga, who was struggling to get free from her captor's hold. He backhanded her viciously across the face, causing her head to whip in the other direction.
"Shut up!" He snarled. "That shitty brat cost me most of my best men. I'll have you pay back his debt plus interest, but I don't need you to have all your teeth still in your mouth to do that. You, call someone to clean up this mess."
"Hu- Shirou..." she hiccuped, tears flowing unbidden as she glanced one last time to the place where his body had fallen... only to find him gone.
"Boss!" the last underling called out. Kang spun around and in that moment something brushed past him. He heard the sound of a body hitting the ground and he knew without looking that his last man had just dropped dead where he stood.
He wouldn't turn his head to check though, as he was currently busy staring at an impossible sight.
Emiya Shirou stood on his own two legs, despite his torso being nearly cut in half.
Even though Wei Kang was born in the Moonlit World he wouldn't expect the man he had just killed to be standing back on his feet.
As far as gambit went, this was the most dangerous to date. He hadn't planned it until he found himself cornered.
It wasn't something one would see as a viable tactic, not even one like Emiya Shirou. True he he was willing to bet his life on his ideals, but coldly planning to get himself killed to get the drop on his opponents was a bit excessive even for him.
After Wei Kang cut him, Shirou saw his HP bar drop to zero. He felt his strength leaving his body and his vision darkened completely. All he could hear was Taiga cry out his name desperately.
There are no words to describe how much it hurt to be cut in half, to have one bones and organs destroyed. One lung and his heart had been reduced to useless lumps of flesh. His spine had been severed and his ribs crushed.
None of it hurt as much as hearing Taiga cry like that.
He wanted to move. He wanted to get to her. He wanted to protect her. He wanted to hold her.
And then, a message prompt appeared in the darkness.
[DIE HARD MODE: ACTIVATED]
Light immediately returned to his eyes as if someone had flicked a switch.
In truth, the blood loss and the approaching of death had greatly lessened the amount of pain Shirou could feel. Now that his senses were returned in full, it crashed against his mind like a violente barrage.
Only an idiot would believe that living past the point where one should have died could be a blessing. Useful or not, it wasn't an ability just anyone could live through with their sanity intact, even should they be bestowed with it.
It was not a gift, but curse. It was hell on earth and only a fool would willing go through something like that.
As there was no greater fool in the world than Emiya Shirou, he gritted his teeth and willed his body to move.
However, even though [Die Hard] allowed for continued action past the point of death as long as the energy to spare without suffering a decrease in his stats, it didn't change the fact that his body was nearly completely bisected and therefore lacked the structural stability to pull himself up, Gamer Body or not.
It didn't seem like his organs needed to be in working order for him to act at full capacity, nor a spine to transmit his will to his limbs. Everything inside him worked according to the Mystic Eyes of Game Perception, but everything outside was bound to regular, Gaia-enforced physics. Hence when he tried to pull himself up he folded like a puppet with half its strings cut.
A puppet with blood and organs trying their hardest to get out of its torso.
He needed to stabilize himself somehow. A way to… sew himself together. He was scrambling his brain to find a solution when Taiga's cries were interrupted by the back of Kang's hand hitting her face.
Shirou grabbed Shisui, which was still laying next to him where he had dropped it, and unceremoniously stabbed it across his own torso connecting the two mangled halves together like a horrific stitch.
Without sparing a single moment of consideration for the gruesome act he had just performed on himself he rose to his feet.
He saw the last underling notice this movement. Shirou had a split second to equip another Black Sparrow and threw him between the man's eyes, while Kang was still turning around to see what his subordinate had just witnessed.
[Wei Enforcer 12 (mid tier) defeated - EXP gained: 750]
And so the last surviving conteders both stood, staring at each other.
"... what the actual fuck," Kang eventually said, disbelief etched into his voice.
Shirou saw his opportunity and seized it. With a single burst of speed he crossed the distance was on Wei Kang again. With his primary weapon currently busy holding his body together, he had to disregard any doubt about feasibility and just fucking do it.
[Projection: Success]
Another Shisui appeared in his hands, every bit as real and lethal as the original. Kang raised his arm-guards to parry again, but unlike earlier he was one fraction of a second too late.
The fake Shisui found Wei Kang's unprotected neck and sunk into his flesh. At the same time, in a last ditch attempt at saving his own life and ending that of his enemy, Kang stabbed Shirou's already broken heart.
They were both killing blows, but only Shirou could temporarily disregard something like that. He didn't even get a prompt for an HP loss from his Gamer Eyes. He was already at zero anyway.
They both kept pushing their blades into each other. Shirou saw Kang's horrified look as he realized that his struggle was a pointless one and that his own death was inevitable.
He gurgled something that Shirou interpreted as a curse addressed to him. At least, the blood that Kang spat in his face in the process made him think as much.
Eventually all light left the man's eyes and his huge frame fell sideways, dragging Shirou down with him.
He hit the ground hard and the impact dislodged Kang's blade from his chest.
He lay on the decrepit grass, looking up at the starry night sky. It was a beautiful sight that belied the tragedy that had just occurred underneath it.
"Taiga...," he called out. "Taiga are you alright?"
He turned his head and found her sitting on the ground, next to the body of the man he had killed. Her eyes were wide and shocked, with tears still flowing down her face.
Even at a distance, Shirou knew that she was trembling.
"Taiga? Are you alright?" he grunted, pulling himself up from the ground and approaching her.
Taiga didn't move. She was rooted in place by sheer, unadulterated horror, looking straight ahead without daring to look at the personification of death that was getting closer to her.
Shirou knelt next to her and brushed her face with his finger. She flinched at his touch, but she did not pull back, possibly believing that he would tear into her if she tried to get away.
It wasn't surprising, really. She had just witnessed him being killed and then getting up like a zombie. That after watching him kill several men with blades summoned out of nowhere and fighting at speeds that normal human couldn't comprehend.
Even Wei Kang, an experienced warrior that actually lived in the Moonlit World was freaked out to the point of dropping his guard long enough for Shirou to kill him. Of course someone like Taiga would be completely shell-shocked.
So, Shirou just kept gently caressing her cheek.
"It's okay. Everything's okay, Taiga," he lied. His body was damaged beyond repair and he had less than a quarter of his stamina left. Without doing anything, at that rate he would be completely dead within a few hours.
Eventually hearing his voice Taiga dared to look up and into his eyes.
"S-Shirou?" she asked in a whimper.
"Yeah," he nodded slowly.
Taiga's eyes darted around, looking at the several dead bodies scattered all over the place and then finally settling on him.
"W-what is...? Why are you...? Who were...?"
"It's a very long story and I don't have much time left in this state. We've got to get back to my place."
Her eyes dropped to his injury and she blanched even further. More tears swelled into her eyes as her hands cupped his face.
"Are you... are you going to be fine?"
It was not a question. It was a plea.
He glanced at his stamina which was quickly dropping. Once it reached zero, he would die for good. He did not have a single mean to restore his health other than...
"Do you have a phone?" he asked without answering her question.
"Y-yes, why?"
"I need to make a call."
With trembling hands, Taiga pulled out her phone and handed it over.
Shirou quickly punched in a number and brought it to his ear.
"Yes, I'm looking for Matsumoto-san. ... . Yes I know. Yes, it's an emergency. I'll wait."
"Who... who are you calling?" Taiga asked.
"Someone who can help me out. I need to get back home to recover from these wounds. I can't exactly walk there or call a cab in this state."
"Gramps... he could send a car."
Shirou sighed while he waited for the call to be switched to Matsumoto.
"Fuji-nee, this is beyond what the Yakuza can handle and I'd rather not involve your family with this mess. Ah! Matsumoto-san, it's Shirou. I need to ask you a favor. Yes, I know that's not how Soul Society works, but you are the only person I could call... Thank you. Do you have a car? Can you pick me up at the Fuyuki Memorial Park?" he glanced at the dead bodies scattered all around. "And, huh, could you also bring a shovel? ... Yeah, it's that bad. Thank you, Matsumoto-san. I owe you big time."
Having said that, he hung up the call and gave the phone back to Taiga. Shirou would have called Yoruichi, but he didn't think she had a phone and at this hour she was down in the Abyss and there was no line or receptiong down there. Matsumoto was usually up in the Velvet Room unless business demanded otherwise. Besides, Shirou was positive Yoruichi did not have a car. Or a driving license.
"Let's move away from here," he told Taiga as he stood up and offered her his hand. Taiga looked at him, at the impossible wound on his body and lastly at his waiting hand.
Slowly, she reached out to it and pulled herself up as well.
She wobbled and nearly fell. Shirou stepped forward and grabbed her.
Through their point of contact, Shirou could feel how cold Taiga was and how fast her heart was beating. It was a testament to her strength of mind that she was still mostly functional.
Of course she was still scared. Certainly of Shirou himself as well, in no small part. In his current conditions he would look like a zombie to anyone.
"I'm never going to hurt you, Fuji-nee," he told her, caressing her hand with his thumb. "I promise."
"O... okay," she nodded.
She followed him to the the tree-line not too far from the place where the fight had taken place and they both sat down on the grass.
"I think you have figured it out by now, but I'm not exactly a normal human," he said after a moment. "I'm a wizard... or a Magus as we call ourselves."
Taiga was silent for a moment.
"Like... like Harry Potter?" she asked tentatively.
"Nothing so whimsical," Shirou replied, shaking his head. "Dad always said that being a Magus is to walk with death. I guess tonight really drove that concept home."
"Kiri... he was a wizard too?"
"Yeah," Shirou nodded. "It was him who taught me how to do Magecraft."
"And those… those guys back there too?"
"No, they were...," he blinked. "Actually I don't really know who they were. Some time back I got in their way when they were trying to kill someone else and I guess they didn't want to let me get away with it."
There was a deep, poignant silence as Taiga tried to reconcile everything she just learned with what had happened.
In the meantime, Shirou summoned an onigiri from his inventory as inconspicuously as he could he started eating it. If possible Taiga looked at him even more disbelievingly.
"Huh. This probably look gross," he concluded. "Sorry, I need to restore some energy or I'll die."
"Can you eat in that state?"
"I have… a peculiar constitution even for a Magus. My body isn't exactly normal."
"Shirou, did you ever use Magic on me?" she asked
"Huh? No, of course not. I can't do any magic that would affect others, and even if I could I wouldn't do it to you."
"Then… then why didn't you ever tell me about any of this?"
"It is supposed to be a secret, you know. People who live in the Moonlit World are bound to hide it from normal people."
"Moonlit… what?"
"It's a very long story. Fuji-nee. Sorry, I'm not in the best conditions to explain anything right now. I promise I'll tell you everything tomorrow."
"W-why tomorrow? How is tomorrow going to be any better?"
"Because I should be completely healed by then," he explained. That, or he would be dead for good.
Taiga didn't object to this statement. Shirou had already performed things that she didn't consider possible and by throwing in something as vague as Magic she was ready to believe almost anything.
The silence continued indefinitely and was broken only some time later by the sound of approaching footsteps. They were soft steps, but there were arguably several people.
Shirou moved closer to Taiga and they both scrutinized the darkness for the newcomers.
Three figures approached the place where the bodies lay.
"Huh, would you look that," one male voice said. "Did the kid do all of this on his own?"
"Hey, isn't this the Wei clan?" another one asked. "These guys weren't pushovers. Are you telling me they were done in by one brat?"
"It sure looks that way. Oi, Shirou-kun are you here?"
Shirou sighed in relief. This voice was one he recognized.
"Matsumoto-san. Over here."
He stepped out from behind the trees and he felt Taiga follow him, clinging with one hand to his tattered shirt.
"There you are, midget," one of the two men with Matsumoto said. He had bright red hair brought up to look like a pineapple and he sported outrageously tattooed eyebrows. Shirou had seen him around in the Reverse Side, but he didn't know his name. "Who the hell do you think we are, your fucking clean up crew? I oughta smack you over the- SWEET FUCKING JESUS!"
As he came closer to the group the faint ambient light was enough to illuminate the extent of his wounds. The man's reaction was somehow understandable.
"How the hell are you standing like that?" he asked. "Shit, how the fuck are you even alive? Are you a goddamn Apostle?"
He held a shovel with both hands, clearly ready to bash Shirou's head in if necessary.
Matsumoto stepped in front of him and regarded Shirou with a worried look that barely belied her interest.
"Are you alright, Shirou?"
"... not really," he grunted painfully. "Thank you for coming, Matsumoto-san. I need to return home quickly before I die from my wounds."
The other man laughed. He was a skinny looking man with a shaved head.
"You should have died the moment you got them, then."
"I can take you home no problem," Matsumoto agreed, cutting the chit-chat. "You and..."
"She's my guardian. Fujimura Taiga," he explained. "She got caught in the crossfire."
"I see. Pleased to make your acquaintance, Fujimura-san, though the circumstances could have been better. Please, follow me to my car and I'll take you both home."
"Ah, about the bodies...," Shirou started to say.
"Don't worry about it," Matsumoto cut off with a wave of her hand. "These guys will take care of it. They were just slacking around and getting drunk when you called me, anyway."
"Bitch, you were right there getting plastered with us," Pineapple-hair muttered, but he immediately started shoveling when Matsumoto shot him a murderous glare. The other guy just cackled and followed suit, shaking his head in amusement.
"Thank you, both of you," Shirou nodded. He would have bowed in gratitude but he was barely holding together. Literally at that. "I am in your debt."
"Yeah, whatever. Just get going before you fall apart on your lady friend. Fucking Magi and their fucking bullshit, I swear."
They followed after Matsumoto and they climbed into a black sedan with tinted glasses.
The car took off through the streets of Fuyuki, with Shirou and Taiga sitting in the back.
Taiga wasn't catatonic, but she was still very much shocked, looking straight ahead and holding Shirou's hand in a vice-like grip. The Gamer Magus had no clue what to say to make her feel better. The only consolation was that she still trusted him enough to cling to him in this moment of absolute uncertainty.
Maybe, if he had been a better Magus he could have made dull her memories and make them more bearable, but that wasn't an option for him.
There was little to no traffic at that hour and about fifteen minutes later they were in front of Shirou's house.
"Are you sure you're going to be fine like this, Shirou?"
"Yes, thank you, Matsumoto-san," he lied again. He wasn't actually sure it would work. He had never been hurt to his extent before. so he never looked into healing himself. To this day, he had only recovered any lost health simply by going to sleep in the evening.
Would it work this time as well, while he was technically running on fumes? He had no way of knowing until he tried. If it didn't work it would be GAME OVER for him.
They got off the car and Taiga helped him to his room.
"Don't worry, I'm sure you'll find a way to return the favor some day," she winked, playfully. "I'll see you at the Velvet Room once you're all better."
They got off the car and into the house, with Taiga supporting him as best as she could and leaving a trail of blood all across the wooden floor.
As he stumbled towards his room Shirou caught himself thinking that it would be a bitch to clean up in the morning after it had dried up and he wondered if he'll get a specific skill for getting rid of the bloodstains.
Eventually they made it to his room and Taiga gently lowered him to the floor while she pulled out a futon from the closet. She was running on autopilot, doing everything he asked of her without question or hesitation.
While she did that, Shirou took some bandages he had conveniently stowed away in his closet and started wrapping his torso in preparation of removing Shisui. He didn't know if having something stuck in his body would get in the way of whatever regenerative process the Gamer power used to restore him.
"Sorry about this, Fuji-nee. I promise I'll tell you everything in the morning."
She just nodded, unable to say anything in response.
"Can... can I sleep here with you?"
"Yes, of course," he quickly agreed. In truth, he would have asked it himself if she hadn't done so first. He had gotten so close to losing her earlier that he didn't want her to go anywhere too far from him. At least not right now.
"You might want to look away for this part," he suggested after she helped him into his futon. She understood what he meant when he reached for the hilt of the katana sticking out of his chest and she promptly turned her head away.
He yanked it out and dropped it on the floor next to him. More blood dripped out of the new hole, but not too much. His heart was cut in half so it wasn't pumping, otherwise it would have squirted blood all over the place. He would have to throw away the futon and some of the tatami in the morning, but it really wasn't an issue worth worrying about.
The bandages he had put on earlier did their work in keeping his body together and so he lowered himself down and pulled the covers over himself.
In the meantime, Taiga had pulled out another futon and laid it next to Shirou's.
"Don't you want to take a bath and change clothes?"
Taiga shook her head. Right then, she was too scared and shocked to go anywhere. After turning off the light, she crawled under the covers and curled into a ball. A moment later, Shirou felt her hand slip into his and he held onto it firmly.
"It will be alright, Fuji-nee. I promises."
She just squeezed his hand tighter without saying anything.
Shirou sighed and closed his eyes. Under the covers, unseen by Taiga, he took out a bottle of painkillers from his inventory and put a several pills into his mouth. He had tossed it inside his inventory in case someone else ever needed them. He did not expect he would have to use it himself. The amount he had taken was about four times the maximum recommended daily dose. There was just no way he would fall asleep otherwise with those wounds.
That amount of pills was enough to kill a grown man, but having a Gamer Body meant that one would die only from losing all HPs, [Die Hard Mode] notwithstanding, and since he was already past that point the only thing he got was an intense drowsiness.
[Altered Status: Heavily Numb]
The Gamer Eyes confirmed what his other senses already told him. He felt the pain slowly recede and his eyelids becoming heavier with each passing second.
Within minutes he was sound asleep. The last thing to be swallowed by blissful unconsciousness was the faint warmth of the trembling hand he held into his own.
Taiga felt Shirou's hand slowly relax as he slipped into sleep. She just tightened her own hold on it, afraid that he would disappear if she let go in the slightest.
Everything that had transpired that night had left her shocked or terrified, but nothing had made her experience despair like that moment when she thought Shirou had died. Even now she wasn't sure that she hadn't just gone insane from grief and that his impossible resurrection wasn't just a product of a shattered mind.
Even though she was exhausted, she did not dare to fall asleep, afraid that of what reality she would wake into come morning.
She would have loved nothing more but to have dreamed everything from start to finish, even if that meant that she had hallucinated Shirou's profession of love.
She would gladly give that up if it meant he would not die, so that he would not disappear from her life.
Even though she had already made the choice of giving up on being with him in any shape or form, she would have been content of watching him from afar.
As long as they lived under the same sky, she would have been fine with it.
But when she thought she had lost him for good it had felt like her heart had been ripped out of her chest.
The emptiness left by his loss, however temporary, had shaken her mind more than the violence she had witnessed and suffered, or the revelation of magic. Only Shirou's comforting touch abated the inner maelstrom of emotions that was sweeping her left and right.
Thus she held onto him.
She held onto the man that had faced death, brought death and defied death all to protect her.
After that night, Taiga could no longer trust heaven and earth to keep their places, but she knew without the shadow of a doubt that no matter what came to pass, she could always hold onto him.
For the time being, it would be enough.
XXX
AN: Hell yeah! Badass Shirou is badass. The [Die Hard] title finally came into play for the first time, though with Shirou being Shirou it won't be the last time. Anyway, Taiga's arc is about to reach its climax in more ways than one. *wink*wink*
Many kudos to my beta Zaiaku for his proofreading of this chapter.
Don't forget to read and review. Your opinion is always valued.
Also, if you want to read more of my stuff, both original content and fanfiction make sure to visit my Pa treon account at "pa treon [dotCOM] / ichaichasennin"
Thanks