Chapter Thirty: Coping Poorly

Shirou POV

"Yesterday night the body of missing student Ayako Mitzusuri was found on top of the school police reports say that she may have been killed by either a teacher or another student investigations are still ongoing, meanwhile another student by the name of Shinji Matou was found this morning lying by the front of the school it appears he committed suicide-" I shut the tv off with a sigh. 

Flashes of Ayako's dead body appear in my mind...why? Why couldn't I have saved her when she needed to be "it's impossible to save everyone Shirou you can try save so many people as you can only to realize there are still the few who cannot be saved simply because of your own mistakes. If you really insist on being a hero justice then be one for those that you love put them ahead of everyone else," were the words I recalled that William once told me so long ago. 

I couldn't though in my eyes I had to save everyone didn't matter if they were a loved one or not the lives that I and William left behind had to be made up.

Then there's Sakura who'd been abused by not only Shinji but most likely her grandfather as well. I want to do something about it right now...but William still wasn't in his right mind right now to even be talking. 

The sound of the doorbell ringing catches my attention standing up I walk over to the door and opened revealing Tohsaka "oh good morning Tohsaka what are you doing here so early?" I ask doing my best to conceal the tiredness I was feeling over last night's events.

I step to the side letting her in "I've decided to stay with you and your brother for the duration of this war since it would be easier to communicate and because my place isn't exactly safe...plus I'd like to talk about the situation with Sakura but first we need William with us" she said taking her shoes off and slipping into one of the spare slippers. 

My brain takes a moment to process what she just said "wa-wait you want to stay here?!" I stutter out in shock causing Tohsaka to raise a brow "is that a problem Emiya?" she asks causing me to swallow nervously "no just...my brother may or may not agree to it especially with how he is now," I explained with an anxious smile. 

"How's he doing?" she asked her eyes taking on rare sympathetic look that wouldn't normally be found on her face more proof of the fact that she really was a good person I thought.

"He's....coping very hard right now actually I think it would be best if I just show you," I said leading her to where the shed was. 

Stepping outside the porch we approached the shed "holy shit this place is a lot bigger than what it really looks like!" Tohsaka exclaimed in sudden surprise.

"Mmh this place was a lot smaller before my brother managed to modify the whole entire place using alteration," I replied as she turns to look at me with wide eyes "wait you mean he did all of this with just a basic spell?" I nodded in response "yeah and if you think this was big you should see his work area, he didn't even show it to me until last night," I said walking over to the nearby shelf. 

Her hand shoots out stopping my arm I turn giving her a confused look "huh what's the matter Tohsaka?" I asked. 

"Th-this place is your guy's workshop so how can you casually let a magus like me come in here you have no idea if I will take your work or something," she said in a flabbergasted voice. 

"Ah don't worry about that Toshaka I trust you and besides it's not like we use this place for anything groundbreaking we just use it practice and improve on our spell usage unlike you were just third magi that know a few basic spells," I said grabbing the book that acted as the switch for William's real workspace. 

Stepping in we were greeted by a long hallway that had multiple doors and at the end was a very large room the sounds of bullets being fired echoed out from one of the many rooms. 

Tohsaka looked at the place in hidden wonder as we walked down to the main room where a large computer set with multiple monitors could be seen, on the left was a collection of various weaponry hanging on the wall with a worktable that had a bunch of books and mechanical parts lying around on it, and lastly on the right side of the room were three display cases one was empty but the other two contained their respective outfits. 

The first one was a short mannequin that wore a black torn hoodie with a black domino mask covering the eyes, a pair of reinforced pants, and lastly there was the combat knife it was gripping onto with its right hand. 

I never got to chance to really see the workshop in full since William just wanted me to show me where he would be if I needed him or something. 

My eyes look at the combat knife intently unknowingly starting to trace the weapon just like I had done earlier with some of the weapons that William had created and hung on his weapons wall. 

A memory appears I can see a younger version of William combating someone that I could barely make out from the shadows their combat was intense one single mistake and my brother would be cut down by the other person's blade. 

I can't hear what's being said by either of them, but I can tell that William was winning the unknown man tries to speak "you surprise me William-" but was cut off by a rapid hail of bullets killing the man. 

The vision shows William walking towards a familiar tied up women "Fuji-nee?!" I exclaimed wondering when this happened and why William never told me about this. The sound of something clicking echoed as I turned back to the supposed dead figure who had now clicked what looked like a detonator "what have you done!" came my brother's anguished shout. 

The man giggles "hehehehe scorched earth," he said before a large explosion went off in the distance "NOOOO!!" William screamed as he tackled the man and started beating him repeatedly across the face slowly blood began to coat his entire arm. 

 "Hahahaha so tell me hero how does it feel to know that you couldn't save them? How does it feel to be broken by me-arugh!" whatever the madman was about to say was cut for William finally snapped the man's neck out of sheer rage. 

The scene shifts to a very familiar, yet different scene of a destroyed building and an environment of flames.

 William looks around in desperation before collapsing on the ground in front of me "I thought I was a hero so...why couldn't I have saved them all," his whisper causes me to freeze in place. 

Was this reason why William had changed so much why he always insisted that I shouldn't pursue being a hero of justice and just focus on those I hold close to my heart?! My breath starts grow heavy as I try to find some reason in proving his reason wrong...but I cannot find any faults or flaws in William's ideal...even so though it doesn't matter if I can't always save everyone I at least still have to try. 

"Emiya-kun?" came the concerned voice of Tohsaka I shake my head and gave the best smile I could muster "ah right sorry Tohsaka I got lost in thought ahem so the room over there is where he is right now along with Saber," I said pointing back at the hallway where one of the rooms emitted the rapid shots of a gun firing. 

Walking over to the room I slowly open the door and there we were greeted to the sight of my brother dressed in a black tight tank top along with a pair of black jeans rapidly shooting rubber bullets at a target post while Saber silently watched a few steps next to him. 

The sounds of our footsteps catch's Saber's attention but William remains focused on the target "ah Rin I see you've arrived rather early today," Saber greeted. 

Tohsaka nodded her head "yeah I came here so that we could talk about Sakura...and also I am moving in here now," she says with a rather devious smile no doubt trying to see what kind of reaction my brother would give. 

William's trigger finger pauses from firing again as he slowly turns back looking at Tohsaka with blood shot eyes causing her to back up a bit. He then looks back at me after a short pause then back at her and again back me "...she can bunk with you Shirou," was all he said. 

I felt my face suddenly get hot as both Tohsaka and I exclaim "like hell!" but William returns back to his shooting "I am the eldest here Shirou and the house was left under my name so my place my rules otherwise Rin can go sleep outside with the rest of the cats and dogs outside...who knows maybe an enemy servant and their master just might kill her," he replies without a single care in the world. 

"Oi don't talk like I am not here yo-you...you fucking jackass!" Tohsaka exclaims with a pumped fist. 

-end of chapter thirty-

And that is the end of chapter thirty I finally finished this draft after many days of procrastination this will be my last consistent update as I will now uploading only on Saturdays and Sundays because I just stared summer school (rip me). 

Plus I made it to thirty chapters that's the highest I've ever done in my life ahahaha so cheers for me man!