Fate Coiling Sword

Chapter 2: Visit

Beta read by n1ch, Shigiya, Solitary heart and 8kagi

.

.

.

-???-

He always had the desire and needs to help people ever since the incident.

Shirou could not explain this urge inside of him. It was there, always forcing him to go out of his way to help anyone. Sometimes his actions, influenced by these needs, got to the point that it was a detriment to his health and well-being.

Always them and never himself.

His father had noticed this aspect of him in the past. He never truly scolded him about his acts of heroism, like when he returned home covered in injuries and bruises because he wanted to protect Sakura from those bullies in the park. He remembered the lonely girl with broken eyes standing still as the other kids pulled her hair or smeared her with mud, she neither reacted nor tried to stop them. He intervened and fought against the group on his own, still getting beaten up quite harshly in the end. Fortunately, he and Sakura became friends and she never got into trouble since then. But, that sight still haunted him from time to time, it made him wonder what could have forced a young girl to have such a broken expression that reminded him everything he would look in a mirror. Even when he tried to ask her about it, she claimed to not know what he was talking about and that she had forgotten the entire thing.

Now, she acted much cheerful and her eyes filled with life whenever he met her. This gradual change relieved him a lot, but somewhere in his heart, an uneasy feeling still popped up from time to time.

He planned to pay her house a visit one day, going against the promise he made to his old man about staying away from that place.

It wasn't the first time he had gone against Kiritsugu's advice.

Normally, he would just slightly scold him or sigh at his stubbornness. But he did react differently that one time when Shirou heard the news of a criminal escaping the police and roaming the streets of Fuyuki. At that point in time, he had learned to activate his natural magic circuits and used reinforcement on a simple metal bar. Thinking that it was more than enough for what he was dealing with, the young redheaded boy tried to take the law into his own hands. He found the criminal after days of searching at another store robbery in the middle of the night in one of Fuyuki's sketchy areas and attempted to stop him all on his own.

Safe to say, it didn't go well.

He nearly got shot, had his shoulder grazed by the bullet, and worst of all managed to lose the thief.

His first failure.

One that the young Shirou Emiya didn't want to acknowledge.

But Kiritsugu decided it would be the perfect opportunity to remind him that he couldn't just run headfirst into any dangerous situation and hope everything would work out. He was quite upset with him. His actions could have easily killed him or harmed other civilians.

Seeing his already weak father get so riled up and suffering from it later made Shirou promise to never run headfirst into any scenario without thinking of a plan.

"Shirou, remember my words. Always prioritize your safety first before anyone else's. If you get hurt or, god forbid, something unthinkable happens to you, then who will save you? No one, and you will end up hurting more people instead. Sometimes, you have to make small sacrifices to save the majority. If only one or two die and you manage to save ten people, then that is the best outcome."

Shirou did not want to accept that outcome. He had to save everyone.

That was his goal.

Nevertheless, he couldn't deny it after seeing Kiritsugu's state. He gave his word, to never put himself into unnecessary danger when he had other options, all while doing his best to save those who needed his aid.