Oath To The Other Side

VII - A Moment of Respite

The atmosphere of the car is tense as they drive down the road. Shirou stares out the window as time passes, driving from the centre of the city outwards. He watches the cityscape, how the large glass towers rise high into the sky, and he's reminded of Shinto back in Fuyuki. This place is far more populated though, the streets filled with people going about their day. Children running along in groups, others holding their parents hands as they cross the road. Students sit in shop windows, relaxing on their day off. It's odd, seeing a world thriving like this.

He wants to ask questions but he forces his mouth closed, hands clenching into fists and then unclenching. The journey is taking too long, he can't sit still. His mind can't focus, a thousand thoughts running every second. That Ainsworth had been around Miyu for an entire month? Of course she wouldn't have killed his little sister, she's probably poisoning her mind, trying to manipulate her into becoming a mere tool to be used.

No, he'll hold off his opinions until after they've had their little reunion. If she has looked after Miyu, then he can begrudgingly admit that she isn't completely awful, and he won't immediately dispose of her. A ten minute head start is generous right? At least he thinks it is, most mages aren't that nice. He'd seen and heard more than enough of their cruelty, the scars all over his body from that night proof of that.

Eventually they reach their destination, parking their car outside of a nice apartment building. It's a bit out of place, with the other cars parked visibly more expensive. The walk is slow and it grates on Shirou's nerves as they walk inside and head to an elevator, passing through the lobby. How was he meant to fight like this? He can't make weapons, and even if he could his body isn't in the right state to fight, he's useless. Worthless.

After another painfully long time, the elevator finally reaches its destination, opening up onto the top floor. Zelretch confidently strolls out and down the hall towards a singular doorway, with Shirou hobbling behind him. He presses a doorbell, and Shirou notices a camera in the back of the hallway as he's looking around, angled to watch the two of them but leaving the elevator in a blind spot. The door at the end of the hallway clicks open, and as Shirou turns around he stills, cane slipping and clacking against the wooden floor.

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Sipping on the tea made by their host, Kiritsugu watches his daughter and her friend face off against each other in whatever dancing game it was they were playing. He tried his best to pay attention to Illya when it came to her games, but it just constantly slipped by him, and he couldn't understand it. If his wife was here, she would probably know, Irisviel was the one who bought the games for Illya and played them with her the most. Whenever he played, he ended up losing. Games just weren't his thing, but he'd play them since every time he did Illya was so happy.

Life as a pro hero was taxing, he knew the risks going into the profession but he underestimated it in the area that mattered. He'd been more than prepared for the long hours, the hard and gritty scenarios he'd have to face, the tough calls, and the fact that every operation could be his last. He'd decided on underground heroics before he'd even tried entrance exams, he didn't care for recognition or media deals, he just wanted to save people and he was best at that working away from the cameras.

With everything he'd calculated and come to terms with, the one area he'd underestimated had been relationships. He never intended to form any meaningful or lasting relationships at school or as a hero, the most he'd expected was to form work relationships that boiled down to 'If you're in help, give me a call'. Instead, he'd walked away from his time at U.A with a wonderful girlfriend and a few people he could genuinely say were his friends and that he cared for.

While he loved his job, for all the good and bad it involved, he had to start pulling back from it as he and Irisviel's relationship got more intense, as they married and even had a child together. With Illya around, the two had established a routine. Kiristugu would look after her in the mornings while Iri went on patrol, and then in the evenings she would take over when he went out. It was sound in theory, but they had greatly underestimated the challenge that was raising a child.