Fate: Hammer Time

Chapter 14: First Blood

"Shinji. What is going on in your house?"

Shirou asked this question after cornering the blue-haired boy in an alley on his way home, going as far as to grab his shoulder to prevent him from getting away.

It might seem unusual for the redhead to act so aggressively towards his friend, but although Shirou regretted he had to do it, he nevertheless felt he no longer had a choice.

Ever since he had won the fight against the Phantasmal Beast in Iwakuni, the fight in which the Beast had suggested that Sakura might be abused at her home, Shirou had been paying much closer attention to Sakura, and Shinji as well, trying to get a picture of what things were like in the Matou-household.

At first sight, things seemed to be... alright. Not great by any means, but good enough. There were no obvious signs of abuse, and while both Sakura and Shinji had their issues, they did not seem to be suffering from any serious mental problems.

Still, the first sight was often wrong, or at least deceiving, and that went doubly so for Magi. That it didn't seem like Sakura and Shinji were being abused didn't mean that they really weren't, and Zouken really, really rubbed Shirou the wrong way.

So the redhead had opted for a harder approach, and part of that was the interrogation he was now subjecting Shinji to.

"Eh? What the hell do you mean, Emiya?"

Shinji clearly didn't appreciate it though, and glared right back at Shirou, annoyance and indignation prevalent in his voice.

"I mean exactly what I said. I want to know if everything is fine at your house, with Sakura and you."

"Of course it is." Shinji snarled, though he tensed ever so slightly. "Grandfather might not be the kindest person around, but he's alright... Why am I even explaining this to you? Mind your own business!"

"It's just that you both seem distinctively unhappy whenever you must go home." Shirou continued, not put off by his friend's behaviour. "So we were concerned about you."

"We?" Shinji narrowed his eyes, before shaking his head. "Never mind, I can take a guess. Well, let me set you all at ease, Emiya. Grandfather has never laid a hand on either of us, and if you're as smart as I always thought you were, you will stay out of this."

The words were spoken with anger, but there was also worry in there. Not for Shinji himself, as one might expect, but for Shirou. Shinji was actually worried for him, concerned about what Zouken might do when he realised Shirou was trying to meddle.

"Sakura and I will just have to last until he kicks the bucket." Shinji continued, almost spitting out the words. "After that, we're getting out of that place, so don't you worry Emiya. There is absolutely no need for you to play hero, not with us."

Shinji then knocked Shirou's hand off his shoulder and stormed off, leaving Shirou behind.

Rather than feeling reassured however, the redhead just felt even more concerned. Shinji's reaction had not been that of a happy man, and it was likely that everything the blue-haired boy had just said was nothing more than an attempt to get Shirou off his back.

It would seem more investigation was required.

Once he returned home, Shirou immediately went to the kitchen. It had been a long day, and he needed to relax for a bit, not to mention that he had hungry guests coming over soon.

Taiga indeed arrived quickly enough, but Sakura, contrary to all expectations, didn't show up until dinner had already started, looking far more subdued than she normally did, refusing to meet his eyes.