Well here is something that I wrote on a spur of the moment decision. This is basically the continuation of the idea that RadiantBeam and I came up with and worked together on last year. As she dropped that ages ago, I have now taken up the reins on this. Of course, things have changed majorly from what we had discussed back then, both due to time passing and my own tastes taking over, though many things have remained the same.
I am largely basing this on the anime, though there will be plot elements and characters from the manga showing up. Of course, it would be easier if the manga's translation wasn't slower than that of of Atraxia's. Being thirteen volumes behind, and the gap is only growing, is no laughing matter. But we have to make do with what we have, right?
Cremation
Part 1: Pallor Mortis
Prologue
It burns.
I hate it.
It burns.
I hate it. It burns. I hate it, it burns I hate ititburnsIhateitburnsIhateit burnsIhateit!
The fire, continuing to eat away at my body, has no end. Even a small child like me could understand that there was no hope, no escape.
Death was everywhere.
The screams of the dying, crying for help…why won't they go away? My family (what was family?), my neighbors (were they my neighbors?), my friends (goawaygoawaygoaway!), total strangers (who were they to judge me?), all of them shouting at me in their hollow tones. Their eyes, melting in their sockets, are all staring in my direction, blaming me for still surviving in this hell. But I want to live, why can't they understand that? I refuse to die like this, die like them! I want to live!
I just…want to live…
Pallor Mortis
Pallor Mortis.
Algor Mortis.
Rigor Mortis.
Livor Mortis.
Putrefaction.
And finally decomposition.
'Death' is a natural part of life. …The keyword there being 'natural'.
'Death' is the unknown, humans fear the unknown. 'Death' is darkness, humans fear what lies within the darkness. We are able to live every day because we are able to unconsciously forget about 'Death'. However, we remember soon enough. The unavoidable truth is that we humans fear death, so it is inevitable that many try to find ways to keep it at bay.
Blood of mythical beasts that extend one's natural lifespan, elixirs that can cure any disease, spells that halt aging, stones that bestow eternal life, and water that grants immortality, all of these are wondrous things that exist in the myths of mankind. Throughout the ages, man has been fascinated with defying 'Death'.
However, this fascination often turns into obsession.
Necromancers, Dead Apostles, revenants, Jiang Shi, Corpses, and ghosts, all of these are results of an unhealthy obsession with life and 'Death'. Whether they are creators, the created, or just somehow came to be, these are all inundated with 'Death'. They defy 'Death' by rejecting life, reveling in their own corruption.
Alas, in the end, it is impossible to fully escape its grasp. Whether you defy it, embrace it, or ignore it, 'Death' will always be there. The cycle of Samsara…Our relationship with it can ne'er be severed, and it is futile to try.
This is a story about true 'Death', and the one that walks its path.
Pallor Mortis
"Hey, are you sure we should be doing this?"
"Don't worry, don't worry. Mister Whisper's an urban legend, just a little something that supposedly brings you good luck."
"A-ah, I see."
"We have an exam coming up, right? I need all the good luck I can get."
"Still, i-isn't basically giving your phone number out to a stranger an invitation for spam?"
"You worry too much, if that was a problem, someone would have mentioned it online. Well then, let's get started."
"R-right!"
Pallor Mortis
Man was it late. While I didn't mind working overtime and helping Neko close up shop, it didn't make it any easier to deal with my exhaustion on a school night. It only made sense that a bar like Copenhagen had late hours, but it didn't make it any easier on me. I guess that meant that Sakura would be getting me up tomorrow, as I would be too tired to rise by myself.
The night was a dark one, and a storm was quickly coming in. With the moon covered by the clouds, and the streetlamps being the only source of light, the city gave off an empty feeling. Being the only pedestrian in sight certainly didn't help in that matter.
While the lack of people might be due to the impending storm, it was more likely that the rumored murderer that kept them off the streets. Bodies mauled as if by beasts have been showing up at random for the past few weeks, with no rhyme or reason as for why they were targeted. The news was having a field day while spouting theories about some kind of animal having escaped from a zoo somewhere, or possibly a pack of trained dogs at the beck and call of some maniac. The police refused to comment.
And then there were the disappearances that started up earlier this week.
These incidents were largely centered around teenage girls, with the occasional boy thrown in for good measure, vanishing without a trace, only for some of them to appear later having apparently committed suicide. At first they were believed to be just bullied kids who had taken the easy way out, but after the third of these 'suicides' it was officially declared to be the work of a serial killer.
With all this chaos came a noticeable increase in petty crime. Robberies, muggings, and vandalism, all of these had become more common lately. The police's forces were stretched thin as it was, so this only added to their workload.
Fuyuki city had become a hotbed for corruption.
As one who aspired to become a superhero, it really got to me that I was helpless to do anything to save the victims. What little magecraft I had at my disposal was useless for trying to locate those that had gone missing, and certainly useless for tracking down a murderous beast. I always knew reinforcement would only get me so far, but this really drove it home.
How weak was I really?
Why was I so helpless?
Was all the effort I put in until now for nothing?
I wouldn't let it keep me down though. I had made a promise to my father, to be a hero, and I would keep it. All I could do was hope my efforts would pay off, if not today, then someday.
Really, it wasn't like me to get this down. Shinji once said that my only good point was being stupidly positive…or was it my willingness to help him with his archery club duties? Regardless, I had better get home for some rest. I had reached the street my house was, so it wouldn't do for me to lag around here and risk getting attacked so close to home-
-Pain.
As my face met the concrete I felt only pain. Something had hit me from my right side, apparently coming out of an alley, and forced me to the ground. In an attempt to break my fall I crossed my arms in front of me, only to cut the palm of my right hand open on a jagged stone.
W-what had hit me? Was…was I really being attacked right outside of my house?
Raising my head toward the direction where I was attacked I saw something unbelievable; a giant dog. Or rather, it was something with the appearance of a dog. In fact, how could I ever mistake it for a dog at all? Whatever this thing was, it certainly wasn't a canine of any sort. The smell alone was enough to discount the possibility of it being any living creature; the sweet scent of rot pervaded the area. The creature was roughly the size of a pickup, with teeth the size of butcher knives. Its black fur blended in with the dark night, while chalk-white bones bulged out of its flesh at random intervals.
It growled at me.
And at that moment I knew that instead of staring at that thing, I should start running. But before I could process that thought fully, I spotted something out of the corner of my eye. A lone girl, dressed in a tattered shrine maiden's outfit of all things, standing not too far away. She wasn't paying any attention to what was going on around her, and was merely staring at the moths that a streetlamp had attracted. It was certainly out of place for moths to be around during January, so in any other situation I probably would have stared too.
If it was just me, I could run away without any second thoughts. But someone else was here and most certainly in danger. I just couldn't let an innocent bystander, disregarding the fact that I was one too, come to harm. Forcing my beleaguered body up, glancing at the beast standing in between me and home, I dashed towards the girl. Grabbing her arm with my good hand, I started pulling her away from the monster. She let out a little noise in either protest or surprise, but didn't resist.
I ran as fast as my legs could carry me while being sure that my unusual companion didn't trip.
Where was safe from that thing? Looking behind me I saw that, instead of chasing us directly, the canine was leisurely stalking forward, as if giving us a head start. If it was that confident…well, it was better not think about that. I just had to focus on getting away.
But on that note, I still had no idea where we could take shelter. We couldn't run forever, especially since that thing probably had far more stamina than I did. Calling for help was out of the question, since I lacked a cellphone to call the authorities and I didn't want to get anyone else involved anyway. Besides, would the police even believe that I was being chased by a big, and possibly dead, dog?
Glancing back at the strangely clad girl, I got an idea. Ryuudouji Temple, we could take shelter there. It was relatively isolated, I knew the area well, and temples protected against this kind of evil stuff, right? And if that didn't work, I could just lose the thing in the large forest surrounding the place. The dog was surely too big to maneuver well in tight spaces like that. It wasn't like I had anywhere better to go, at least that I knew of, so to the temple it was.
"A-all right, I am going to take us somewhere safe. You have to trust me, okay?"
"I see a blade forged in fires of corruption and quenched in the filth of the world...so shiny…"
Not exactly a confirmation, but it certainly wasn't a no. It seemed like the girl was in shock, as was unable to speak properly. Not exactly surprising, but… Hopefully it would wear off soon, because having her wits about her could possibly be the difference between life and death in a situation like this.
Hearing a howl in the distance shook me out of my contemplation. It seemed that the creature had decided that we had enough of a head start. Thankfully we had already reached the street where the temple's public entrance was. Just a little more and we would reach our goal…well, I guess it was my goal. But I hoped that this girl wouldn't mind the detour; if we were lucky, it would save her life.
"We're almost there." As we made it to the bottom of the stairs, I shifted my grip from her arm to her hand. It was cold, probably due to her wearing thin clothing in this weather. Receiving no response from the girl, I started up the long stairway. "I think we can find a safe place up here."
Hopefully, hopefully, hopefully, hope, hope, was this all I could do? Run away and hope for the best? Was this all that Shirou Emiya could do? Willfully dragging an innocent girl along, was I only delaying the inevitable? Forget about my efforts paying off 'someday', the results were needed now! This girl, I would make sure that I saved her. At that moment, there was literally no other option for me.
After passing through the torii gate, I immediately turned to the right and made a beeline for the forest. If the thing could indeed come onto holy ground, I didn't want it to target the temple. As it was winter, the deciduous trees, which made up a good portion of the forest, were devoid of leaves and as such visibility was better than I had expected. While dashing through the sparse undergrowth I heard a frustrated roar and the sound of snapping wood behind us. It seemed that while the creature was unaffected by the protection of a temple, it was struggling to get through the thick wood. That was a good sign, and hopefully we could shake it here.
As we continued to dash through the forest, I started to run out of energy. Despite all the training I had put my body through; this was more flat out running than I had ever done before. Surprisingly the girl had kept up with me without complaint, to the point where I didn't even hear any heavy breathing.
But before I could collapse due to exhaustion, a place to take shelter had appeared. There was an old wooden outbuilding, half rotted into the ground, just up ahead. I had never been to this part of the forest before, so I was just running blind until now. It seemed that luck was on our side for the first time tonight.
Letting go of the girl for the first time in what seemed like ages, but was more likely just a few minutes, I forcefully slid open what remained of the shed's door. Grabbing the girl once again, I dragged her into our improvised safe house. The inside was dark, with bits of wood and other debris scattered everywhere. It appeared that this used to be a storage shed for the main temple some years back, but was forgotten and left to rot. Sitting against the moist wall, pulling my companion down with me, I got a good look at the girl I had abducted for the first time.
Ethereal. That was my impression of her.
The first thing I noticed was her scraggly white hair, kept in a ponytail that ended up in a noose. Her face was shockingly pale, with a jagged scar running down the left side of her face from the bottom of her eye being the only blemish on it. Speaking of her eyes, they were quite striking. Her left was a pale red surrounding a black pupil, while the right inverted this. Her tattered shrine maiden's outfit left little to the imagination. With her impressive bust, something that easily surpassed Sakura's in size, pressing up against the translucent shirt, and the gaps in the hakama that showed large amounts of creamy thigh, it was almost scandalous.
Oh, and she clearly wasn't wearing any panties.
With the top of her head only coming up to my chin, and her youthful face together with her adult-like body, it made it hard to properly discern her age. All of this combined with the absent look she had been giving me throughout this ordeal made me worry about what kind of girl I had picked up. Speaking of which, I didn't even know her name of this person that I had dragged halfway across town…
"Ah, I never introduced myself. I am Shirou Emiya, may I ask your name" And…she ignored me. Standing up, the strange girl turned her attention to a set of shelves that had collapsed against the far wall. Stretching upwards, she reached towards a drawer that remained perched above her head. She pulled it out with a sudden yank, causing its contents, a bunch of moth-eaten scrolls, to spill out all over her. Seeing her predicament I stood up and reached towards her with my right hand. "Are you alright?"
And then, without warning, she snatched my hand out of the air, nearly snapping my wrist in the process.
"Ahn…shiny…" Grasping my hand in hers, the girl stared at the wound on my palm with a disturbingly large grin on her face. Still draped in rolls of ancient parchment, she began to dance around without care that she was yanking me every which way with her erratic movements. Before I could object to this treatment of my limbs, the girl inserted her fingers into my open flesh and began painfully twisting them around. "Red water is flowing out of your hand, why is that?"
I was beginning to think that this strange person was more of a danger to me that the dog that chased us here.
The girl began to laugh as her movements started spattering my blood everywhere. I was saved from this by a strange happening; the old scrolls hanging from the girl began to glow as soon as my blood touched them. The loose ribbons of paper began to move, coiling around the girl like snakes. The strange girl paid no heed to them until they constricted, pinning her arms against her sides.
"Ehehehe, ahahahaha!"
Continuing to laugh without concern, the girl struggled against the scroll's grasp. And then, with a hissing noise and the smell of burnt flesh, the words on the scrolls began to burn into the girl's exposed skin. After what seemed like an eternity, with the girl's deranged laughter reverberating throughout the old building, the strange phenomenon seemed to have stopped.
At least until the wound on my hand started to burn.
The pain was sharp and intense, but thankfully short-lived. Almost as soon as it started, the burning sensation vanished. When I looked at my hand I discovered that the wound on it had scarred over, leaving an oddly shaped symbol in its stead. Glancing down at the girl once again, I saw that the paper ribbons had stopped strangling her and the symbols burnt into her flesh had disappeared. Standing up, brushing off the ratty bits of what remained of the scrolls in the process, she gave me a look vastly different that any she had before.
But before I could comprehend what that might mean, the whole building shook violently.
Something large impacted the wall, causing the rotten wood to start collapsing. Needless to say, by 'something large' I meant 'giant dog monster'. It looked like that thing managed to track us down. I had hoped that we could lose it, but I guess it was part bloodhound. This was it. There was no way we were going to be able to get away from that thing. The only thing I could do was distract the beast so the girl could get away. Hopefully I would be enough for it, and it would leave her alone.
"I guess this is it for me." Standing up, I strode towards the door. Motioning to my companion, I prepared to confront the monster. "I'll distract it for you, so on my signal…please run"
Sacrificing myself for a strange girl whose name I didn't even know, I would not hesitate to do so.
But before I could get any farther, the girl dashed forward, smashing through the door with a smack of her hand. Casually strolling outside, she turned her head to face me. "We are bound by fate…am I now yours?"
W-what did she say? Gah, I would disregard that for now. Just where did she think she was going? While I was distracted by what she said, she had disappeared outside. I was supposed to be the distraction; I couldn't well do that if she became that thing's focus! Chasing after her, I was greeted by an unbelievable scene.
The dog monster was lying on the ground, with one of its legs torn off. Standing not too far away was the girl, with the missing leg grasped in her left hand.
"Is this…an enemy?" Upon seeing me come out of the shed, she dropped the limb and turned her focus towards me. This proved to be a fatal mistake. For as soon as the leg hit the ground a bone spike shot out of its stump, cutting off the girl's own legs just below the knee. Falling to the ground, the girl let out a surprised sounding noise. Not letting her get up, the beast shot another bone spike, out of its body this time, impaling the girl through the abdomen and pinning her to the ground.
The girl, showing no reaction to how she was fatally injured, yanked the spike out of her stomach. However, in spite of this, there was very little blood coming out of her wound. In fact, now that I thought about it, the stumps that used to be her legs were barely dripping blood at all. It was as if the blood was merely lying stagnant in her veins, rather than pumping through them like it should.
"…It's an enemy!" Planting the spike in the ground and using it as leverage, the girl flung herself at the monster. Grasping at its neck, she landed on the beast's back. Reaching downwards, she took hold of the bony ridge just above the dog's eyes and started to pull. With the sounds of breaking bone and tearing sinew echoing throughout the otherwise silent forest, the girl pulled the monster's head clean off. "Ehahahaha! It's Shirou's enemy! It's my enemy!"
Using the momentum from the violent decapitation, she flew off the creature's back and smashed the disembodied head against the ground. Yet, even when removed from the body and crushed to a near pulp, the head continued to howl and struggle. This, however, ended when the girl brought down her fist on what remained of the beast's cranium, reducing the rest of it to a mush. With a single low-pitched whine, the remains of the beast slowly turned to ash and crumbled away.
The monster-killing girl, spattered with blood and perched on the stumps of her legs, turned to me and smiled.
I remained frozen throughout this scene, my feet glued to the ground. To be honest, I feared that girl. Something deep within me told me that she was a danger. Yet, despite of this, she had saved me. She had injured herself in order to fell that monster. Although she was indeed a ridiculous existence, I owed her. The least I could do was get her to a hospital, and then hopefully never see her again. As I made my way over to her, I noticed something.
I was wrong. The monster had not vanished like I assumed, it had simply transformed back into what it was originally. A headless human body, lacking its right arm, was lying where the beast used to be. I was sure that if I turned to where the beast's head was, I would find a smashed and fragmented human skull. That thing…used to be a human?
After staring at the body in silence for what felt like an eternity, a strange hissing noise brought my attention back to the girl. What I saw was even more surprising than finding a human corpse where the beast was; the girl had retrieved and reattached her right leg, and was in the process of doing the same with the other.
Inhuman. She was something completely inhuman.
Was she some kind of Dead Apostle? My father had spoken about them to me once; they were undead vampires that supposedly had great regenerative powers in addition to monstrous strength. This girl sure fit the bill, yet…she had saved me. For what reason would a demon like that have to save me? There was more going on here than what I could see; that I understood. But, in the end, there was just one thing I could ask; "Who…are you?"
Walking towards me, extending a cold hand to caress my cheek, the girl answered.
"…Hokuto."
[Break]
And there is the prologue. I hope that I kept everything believable. I ended up taking a few elements directly from Beamu's story, but repurposed them towards my needs. Speaking of Beamspam, this couldn't have been done without her help. You could say that our positions are now reversed from when she wrote her Fate/Hime.
Now on to the ramblings about the story. I decided that the Ryuudoji temple used to have connections to the Light Assertion Sect, but they were cut off when the Holy Grail War came into being. The magi being selfish magi said 'out', and forcefully evicted those monks from the place and destroyed anything they believed that could interfere with their ritual. Of course, as it turns out, they missed something. I'll mention this directly in the story at one point in time, but for now it is just a bit of an extra tidbit.
As for Itsuki...well, I dropped that. There was a problem with the timeline if we were going to use her anyway, something that we never did figure out completely, so it was easier to go with a different choice. Itsuki will appear, but she will basically be in her canon role. Choosing Hokuto to become Shirou's Shikabane Hime was based on the last two episodes of the anime, so there is precedent for that happening. Plus she is creepy, and Al loves creepy.
Also, the two girls speaking in the third part are canon characters on the Fate side. Won't say who yet, but there are plans.