Shinji’s Bloodbath

Kariya believed that once he shared out his power to his family, they would no longer be so starved for power as those of this generation's Matou Family tended to be. He was hopeful that they would become a close-knit family like others.

However, he underestimated the Magus influence...

It was typical for Mages to view life less precious than the average person. Therefore, the children they raised wouldn't be able to live the 'normal life' he envisioned in his head. On top of that, he had misunderstood the nature of his own Sorcery Trait.

After having breakfast with Sakura, he gathered the family together and gave them a part of his own power. More specifically, he gave the three of them one 'Magic Circuit' that could be nurtured.

He expected them to only have a simple boost in strength after using his 'Spiritual Magecraft' to check that their conditions were fine after they fell unconscious. Those who gained a Magic Circuit from him fell asleep for a bit to get used to the new power within their bodies, as it was almost like the nature of his Sorcery Trait was awakening in different ways depending on who he gave it to.

He shouldn't have become careless... This was what he thought as he looked at the tragic scene before him: There, laying on the bed, was his older brother Byakuya, and above him was a bloodied figure who had ripped out his father's heart...

The blue-haired child with bloodied hands looked like he was both laughing and crying as he spoke:

"You don't deserve it! Go to where Mother is and apologise to her!!!" He spoke in a berserk state after ripping out the Magic Circuit that had been given to Byakuya and taking it as his own.

Even Sakura was unable to understand his violent outburst as it almost seemed like he had lost his sanity. Kariya stood there gaping, unable to say a word after realising his brother had already died.

He searched through Zouken's memories and realised that he had accidentally ignited a fire that was bound to erupt between his nephew and his older brother. Shinji stood motionlessly after killing his own father while in a chaotic state of mind.

He was awakening the latent 20 Magical Circuits he had within him using the two 'distributed' ones given to him by his 'Uncle', feeling that what he did was natural after how Byakuya had treated him and his mother, who had been thrown into the Worm Pit after she was deemed useless, and was surprised himself by the feelings the man's death brought...

It was only after starting to calm down did he start to regain some clarity, which caused him to vomit all over the corpse before him. He turned around to see his uncle and adopted sister looking at him in fear, as if he was nothing more than a psychopath.

"He... deserved what was coming..." Shinji spoke as he lost consciousness once again afterwards.

The horrifying scene burnt into their minds. Kariya couldn't figure out what to do in this situation.

He cleaned up Byakuya's body and made preparations to pass it off as an accidental death in the family. However, he was unable to understand what he should do with Shinji, who not only murdered his father, but seemed to become crazy.

Sakura grabbed his arm. Even though her uncle had his eyes closed, she could tell that he was somehow able to 'see' the situation as clearly as someone who had their eyes wide open.

"Shinji... isn't a bad person."

"Sakura-chan, he killed his father."

"But he isn't usually anything like this...!" The Shinji she knew was a little mean and couldn't hide his emotions well. He was a good kid, but after he got Kariya's power, strangely, he lost all self-control.

'What kind of dream did he see?' This question prompted him to ask the young a question:

"What did you see?"

"...Sorry, Uncle Kariya, I'll tell you about it later, but just not now." She shook her head as it seemed like something had changed within her too once she gained a part of his power. It was almost like she matured a little after gaining his Magic Circuit...

"It's fine."

"So you'll forgive Shinji?"

"...This is my fault anyway. I take full responsibility over this incident. If anyone asks about it, I'm the one who killed him." He shook his head and was surprised by the lack of emotions of sadness he felt regarding his own biological brother's death.

Did Zouken's memories really affect his heart...?

Sakura comforted him by grabbing his hand, then giving him a look as if she trusted him completely.

He felt a little better after knowing that someone was on his side and looked at Shinji who he had laid on the sofa of his office after cleaning his hands up. He wondered how the child was able to fully 'steal' the Magic Circuits of his father cleanly...

Was he a genius of the Absorption Spell? Kariya's eyes became cold as he didn't know how to feel about knowing that his nephew was a 'genius' in this way. Yet somehow, he felt that there was nothing he could do but move on from the topic.

When the young boy finally woke he, the purple-haired Magus confronted the child before him:

"Why did you kill your own father?"

"...You don't sound like you actually care." There was surprise on Kariya's face after hearing this.

"If I can give you Magic Circuits, I can also-"

"Please...! Uncle, I can't go back to how I was before this... I'll listen to whatever you say like a dog, but please let me keep them...!" Shinji spoke while scrunching his face tightly in nervousness.

Kariya took a good look at the youth who was acting differently than the naive child he was just a day before and wondered what was going on with him and Sakura. It made him inquire about it:

"What did you see?"

"...I can't tell you it." He shook his head, giving the same answer but seemingly for a different reason.

"Shinji..."

"Yes?"

"I can't treat you like a Matou anymore. What you've done is a sin that can't be washed away."

"...He deserved it after what he did to Mother."

"I won't argue with you, but know that I'm unable to treat you the same way I do Sakura after this."

"..." The usual Shinji would say 'Even though she is an outsider?', yet he stayed eerily silent instead.

"You don't this it's unfair?"

"She deserves the good things she gets."

"...You've matured a little strangely."

"You don't like my change?"

"No, I just wonder how someone who seems so smart would do something so unusually reckless."

"Let the dead sleep... it's better to not bring someone who can't do anything about the living."

"Then let us to that. Anyway, I am going to think hard of a befitting punishment for your sin."

"I've already got a solution."

"...What?" Kariya widened his eyes as the blue-haired boy walked up to him and kneeled firmly.

"I'll take on the 'dirty work' of the Matou Family that Sakura shouldn't get involved in. Let me be her protector." The way he phrased it really appealed to the purple-haired Magus, but he wasn't going to believe the psychotic child's words instantly.

He could be scheming something...

"What do you aiming for?"

"I just want to protect my new 'sister'."

"Even if she's an 'outsider'?"

"I'm not that narrow-minded anymore. Plus, this deal would help you a lot. I'm sure of it."

"...Nonsense. You're just a child."

"And someone who you wouldn't feel bad about doing dangerous experiments on you can't do to yourself or others." Kariya squinted after hearing these ballsy words. Who gave him such courage?

Didn't he know what kind of family their Magus bloodline was? Did he think it would be a walk in the park to go through experiments that someone with Zouken's research would be able to do?

No, he was probably even unaware of Sakura's suffering and the torment everyone went through.

"You wouldn't be able to handle it."

"I know about the Worm Pit and the Holy Grail War that's most likely going to happen earlier than usual." The purple-haired Magus was flabbergasted as he heard his outrageous claims.

"Only the Einzburn Family would know that."

"Father told me that the lack of a wish granted in the last war will make the next one come quicker."

"How long?"

"In about six to seven years approximately."

"So you want to be my hidden card?"

"Exactly!" Shinji smiled triumphantly after seeing that his uncle was hooked on his proposal.

"That DOES sound appealing... I never knew brother was so well-versed in magical theories."

"Father was shy about it." He gave a sly smile.

"If I agree with the request you're giving, I will have no choice but to ignore your human rights."

"I'm fine with anything you throw at me."

"Even if it's painful?" Kariya thought about the kind of anguish he went through in the last Grail War.

"Yes."

"Even if it's degrading? Even if it would cause a normal person to turn into tool, not a human being?" He thought of the many things Zouken had planned for Sakura as a second Lesser Grail.

"I can endure it all." There was a great resolution in his eyes that seemed strange on a ten year old.

"...You can leave for now. I'll be taking you with me to meet the Tohsaka Family, so get ready and don't say anything out of line." The young boy seemed shocked as he heard what his uncle had to say.

"The Tohsaka...?!"

"Yes, what's wrong with you?"

"Nothing! Ahem, it's nothing really important. My father told me that they use Jewel Magecraft?"

"And what about it...?"

"You know, it isn't weird for two family of Magus bloodlines to combine their inherited research~"

"So you want to marry Rin Tohsaka?" Kariya's eyes glinted dangerously as he heard this conniving voice. He hid sharpness in his eyes as the young boy fumbled as if he had been misunderstood.

"Never! I'm never touching that wi- I mean, that other 'sister' of mine. I'm sure she will one day find a wannabe goody-two-shoes in the future. I was just wondering if you had any intentions of allying with the Tohsaka and Emiya Family recently."

Although Kariya understood why he'd bring up the Tohsaka Family, he didn't understand why the little bugger who murdered his own father just recently was bringing up a bloodline that already ended.

"Had your father told you about Kiritsugu Emiya?"

"I was studying abroad, but Father still told me about the 'Master' who had broke his hand."

'What kind of idiot pulls this nonsense...?!' Now he wasn't sure if this was the same man who figured out that the Holy Grail War would be coming earlier compared to usual. Though it somehow fit the person that Zouken saw his older brother as....

"I've checked online and figured out a few things."

"Like you can find anything out online." Kariya couldn't help but take the position Zouken would abs scoffed at his nephew. The Magus Association covered up any magic-related incidents of the war.

"I speculate that Kiritsugu Emiya must have been cursed by the Holy Grail after the war. He had holed up in his residence with the adopted son he took in and most likely isn't willing to visit the Einzburn Mansion." He wasn't going to ask how the little bugger knew so much as he already thought of Shinji as a one-in-a-lifetime genius of the ages.

"And why would they ally with us?"

"If Kiritsugu can be healed, there is a higher chance of him at least not going against us in the next war. This will also let us have more favourable relations with the Einzburn, who are likely keeping their own hidden card a secret until the Grail War."

"And you deduced this using the Internet?"

"I had 'other sources' helping me as well."

"What else? I know you're holding back."

"...Actually, I've also heard that Kirei Kotomine has took in a lot of orphans from that great tragedy."

"..." Kariya's eyes squinted tightly.

"But no one has seen them ever since. It's almost like they've vanished. Perhaps, could it be that-"

"Enough! You can take your leave." The purple-haired Magus felt an adrenaline rush through him.

There was no way someone as evil as Kirei Kotomine would take in orphaned children from the goodness of his heart. What was much more scary was that when he started to check whether Shinji's speculations were viable, they turned out to be the closest thing to the truth... He really wondered what these two children saw with his 'given' power.

Tonight, he'd go save the orphans Kirei had taken under his wing after sorting things out with Aoi.

Hopefully he could save them perfectly...