Blade Borne to Kill

Chapter 7: The King of Heroes

Chapter Seven: The King of Heroes

"'The jaws that bite, the claws that catch!'" Shirou read out loud. "The fuck am I reading right now? I've seen reality explode and I still can't comprehend this!"

Shirou was in a church at the moment, it was mostly empty, the only other occupant being the local priest.

The man looked like what you'd expect of a man of the Lord. He wore black vestments and a navy blue cassock with a golden cross around his neck. He was a solid six foot three and was around his mid-twenties.

He was someone Shirou was very familiar with since he was ten years old.

The priest sighed. "Shirou, it's a nonsense poem, what were you expecting?"

Shirou closed the book. "Fine, nonsense poem, you win this round. Kirei, why did you give me this frustrating thing?"

"Are you frustrated?"

"Yeah,"

"That's why," he answered.

Shirou deadpanned at Kirei. "You vex me, my sociopathic friend."

"Hello Pot, I'm Kettle." the priest smirked.

The boy known as Shirou Emiya had started visiting the church three years ago. Kirei never really got a concrete explanation as to why he always stopped by.

"I don't know it feels...homey, I guess."

That was the only explanation given to him.

Whenever he'd stop by Shirou would either sit there quietly for a few hours or try to strike up some kind of conversation. Mostly mundane things, Kirei would usually ignore the boy's one-sided ramblings. But then one day, he asked something that struck a chord with him.

"...Ever felt like there was nothing to live for?"

The average person might say Shirou Emiya was quite the enigma. Split personality, dark sense of humor, and had a talent for messing with people. If one were to ask Kirei Kotomine, it was like looking into a mirror. Just like Kirei, Shirou didn't have a sense of purpose, or one could say he didn't really have anything to live for.

Shirou's split personality threw most people for a loop, Kirei was not most people. He knew a coping mechanism when he saw one.

Others had visited his church to check up on Shirou from time to time. Miss Blue, the Kaleidoscope, Eclipse Princess of Black Blood, the heir to the Matou family, and his father... Kiritsugu Emiya.

Truly, the had quite the following. But all of them seemed to believe that it was the "Child" that was the real personality of Shirou, but Kirei knew better.

After all, it takes an empty person to know one.

"So, should I schedule another playdate with you and Caren again?" Kirei asked, smiling like the devil he was.

"No!" Shirou shouted in a panic. "A thousand times no! Your daughter is crazy!"

Two years ago Kirei had offhandedly told Shirou about his daughter, Caren Hortensia. Shirou started asking questions and joking asked for a playdate. Shirou didn't know that one does not simply joke around with Kirei Kotomine. The very next day Kirei brought over his daughter, she only one Shirou had ever met that could fluster him at all. It didn't help that Caren did it constantly just because she thought Shirou being a blushing wreck was funny.

Every once in awhile Kirei would drop by the Emiya residence unannounced to let the eldritch monster that is Shirou Emiya be toyed around with by his daughter.