Fate: Hammer Time

Chapter 19: Pest Control: Aftermath

When Shirou woke up, three hours after having fallen asleep, he didn't feel refreshed at all, rather he felt tired, spent, his whole body felt bruised and battered, and the throbbing pain in his head seemed to have intensified.

For a few seconds, he struggled to remember what he had done that left him in such a sorry state, blinking slowly as he tried to sit up.

His fatigue disappeared instantly however when he recalled what had happened that evening, what he had done. Within a second, he was out of his room, on his way to check up on Sakura and Shinji.

To his immense relief, both were exactly where he had left them, Sakura in the guest room and Shinji on the couch, neither of them having moved as far as he could tell.

The moment he entered Sakura's room though, the girl let out a soft groan, stirring in her sleep and turning over on her side.

That was the kind of behaviour that indicated one was close to waking, and Shirou estimated it shouldn't be more than an hour now before Sakura would wake up.

He contemplated staying next to her until she woke, but ultimately decided to leave the room, to give her some space. He thus took place in the living room, where he would be able to keep an eye on Shinji and from where he'd be able to hear Sakura call out once she woke up.

As he sat there, Shirou tried to think of what to say to his friends, how he could apologise for missing them being abused for such a long time, and how on Earth he was going to explain the fact that he was a Magus, which they were surely both aware of now.

After failing them so terribly, and having lied to them for so long, it wouldn't surprise Shirou if they didn't want anything to do with him anymore, that Sakura would hate him for betraying her trust, and would walk out of his life forever.

He could scarcely think of anything that would be worse than that. So, even though he didn't deserve it, he still hoped that she would forgive him. That he and Sakura would make breakfast together again this morning and would be doing so for many years to come.

It was bordering on the impossible, but he couldn't help but hope nonetheless.

Shinji was a whole other matter however.

Shirou knew what the boy had done to Sakura, he had heard it from his own mouth, but it hadn't been voluntary. It was something that he'd been forced to do, and it had no doubt left its own marks on him.

Shirou honestly didn't know what to do with Shinji, and many minutes went by as he tried to think of something, a punishment that fit the crime, but without success.

Sunken in thought as he was, Shirou didn't notice Sakura wake up about fifty minutes after he'd left the room, nor did he hear her trying to get to her feet, but he did hear the sound of her falling back on the ground with a squeak after her legs gave out from under her.

He was in front of her room in a flash, about to enter, but just as he placed his hand on the handle, he stopped.

Then he knocked on the door instead.

"Sakura...? I-It's me. C-Can I... Can I come in?"

For a few seconds, no response came from inside, giving Shirou the time to cringe about how stupid he sounded, before...

"SENPAI?!" Sakura suddenly shrieked, scaring the life out of Shirou with her sudden volume. "W-Wha-? W-What are you doing here!?"

"This is my house!" Shirou answered in a voice that was definitely louder than normal, as he tried to calm his racing heart. "I brought you here last night."