DD 62: Hi there! I realize this isn't an update for From the Ashes, but I've hit a bit of a road block. I was looking over the next few chapters and realized I hated everything about it! So, I am in the midst of rewriting the rest of the story. Not to mention that my spring semester is starting to pick up some steam. Again, I have two research papers to write and all the work involved with getting into my first semester of student teaching.
Being an adult sucks.
In any case, this is a oneshot I wrote and posted on my Tumblr page. I'm having a little writer's block so I wrote this from a prompt on a page I follow to help ease the writer's block. Just some fluff with Hakuno and Archer in week seven from Fate/EXTRA. Enjoy!
Disclaimer: I do not own Fate/EXTRA or anything else in the franchise. I do own a copy of the game and am a loyal fan with a tad bit of creativity on my side.
~xXxXx~
The hallways always seemed especially eerie the night before an Elimination Round more so now that it was the Seventh Round. Only the NPCs and the last two Masters with their Servants remained. There was also the Servant-less Tohsaka Rin that also found herself stranded as well. Her fate and that of Hakuno's own existence rested in the amnesiac's hands.
The final Elimination Round tomorrow would decide the fate of not only the two girls, but of the very world itself.
Hakuno sighed to herself. Lingering on these thoughts wasn't going to help any. It was better for her to focus on beating her opponent when the time came.
Leo Harway.
He had appeared out of nowhere one day during the preliminaries. Unlike most of those wishing to participate in the Holy Grail War, the Harway prince had easily seen through the deception that the Moon Cell had crafted. He had wished Hakuno luck as he stepped through the wall to take his own test and to summon his Servant.
That seemed like an eternity ago.
"Are you going to stand there all night staring out the window or are you going to try and get some sleep?" A deep, husky voice inquired.
The girl sighed before turning her gaze to the man in red. His expression and posture screamed calmness, but Hakuno had spent enough time with her Servant to notice the little signs of nervousness and anticipation. His hands were gripping his crossed arms more tightly than usual and there were a few more creases in his brow than normal. Archer's steely grey eyes seemed more clouded than usual as well. When she first summoned the bowman, his eyes were full of contempt at her inadequacy. As the weeks wore on, she saw a change in them. Archer's eyes were warmer now, even playful at times. Tonight, however, his eyes looked as troubled as her own.
"Stop looking at me like that already!"
Hakuno jumped at the man's tone. Her shoulders slumped in defeat. "Sorry. I didn't realize I was staring."
She heard her Servant sigh in frustration. Hakuno felt herself slump even further at Archer's nonverbal reply. Truly, she hadn't noticed that she had been staring intently at the man until he said something. The magus had a bad habit of staring off into space at inopportune times. Most people had written her off as just spacey, but in actuality she was always deep in thought. Her mind would overwork itself to come up with answers or solutions to the problems she was presented with at every turn. Unlike the other participants, Hakuno didn't have the luxury of past experience to fall back on. Everything she accomplished in this war had been thanks to her own will. And the occasional helping hand of the other magi.
The sound of a chair being pushed back barely registered before Hakuno found herself up in her Servant's arms. For a moment, she marveled at how strong they were, no doubt from his years of combat. Then she realized he was holding her in his arms like a child. She thrashed about for a few moments trying to get Archer to set her back down.
"Quit it already!" He snapped. Hakuno flinched slightly at his tone. Noticing her reaction, he sighed again. "I didn't mean to snap at you, but all your staring and self-pity was starting to piss me off. We have a big day tomorrow and we'll need all the rest we can get."
With that said, the red clad man made his way to his usual spot. Sitting himself down, he situated the girl so that she was comfortably cradled against his chest. Hakuno felt her face flush in embarrassment at how close she was to her Servant. True he had carried her a few times in the past week but rarely did he hold her like this. She never realized how well built and hard his chest was. Hakuno ducked her head down in hopes of hiding her flushed cheeks from Archer.
"Comfortable Master?"
"Y-yes Archer."
"Good," he tucked her head u under his chin before continuing, "then go to sleep."
Hakuno humored him and closed her eyes. After several minutes of silence, she huffed in frustration. She wanted to squirm in Archer's lap, but thought better of it. Instead, she tried to relax her body and will herself into sleep. When that didn't work, she tried the age-old trick of counting sheep. At fifty sheep, she felt Archer shift under her. Hakuno's eyes shot open and she lifted her head to meet her Servant's gaze. His normal smirk was replaced with a scowl.
"What part of go to sleep don't you get?"
"I'm sorry. It's just..."
Archer picked up at where she trailed off. "You're incredibly nervous about tomorrow."
She mutely nodded at his observation. The two fell back to silence. Hakuno picked idly at her fingers trying to calm her whirling mind. She soon found Archer gripping her hand tugging her attention away from them and back to his face. An understanding expression had taken the place of his scowl from a few moments ago.
"You're right to be worried. Leo and Gawain are formidable foes. You're wrong in assuming we have no chance of winning though."
"I-I never said-!"
"Your actions implied otherwise." When she didn't immediately reply, Archer continued, "Why are you so certain we will lose tomorrow?"
Hakuno cast her eyes to the side. "No one can be certain of victory Archer. You should know that better than anyone."
"You've definitely proven me wrong at every assumption I made of you."
"Gee, thanks."
The bowman gave a soft chuckle at her snarky response. Hakuno liked the way he looked when he laughed. She wished she had gotten the chance to see him laugh more over the past seven weeks.
"Don't worry Master, I won't go down without giving the little prince a good show."
"I know you'll do your best, but..."
"You're still worried."
She nodded again. "These two are completely different from the others we've faced. I can't help but worry."
"You'd be a fool not to be worried. You're even more of a fool for not trusting me to win."
"I never-!"
"Be quiet for a second and let me finish." Once he was sure she wouldn't speak again, he picked up where he left off. "I've not failed you yet. Who's to say it'll happen now? There is no certainty in tomorrow of what will happen, that's true. I'll be damned if I see the pompous little prince win something he has no hopes of understanding. I promise you Master, I will win tomorrow."
Hakuno stared into his face. The honesty and sureness in Archer's eyes was enough to settle her worries. She smiled softly at her Servant. Even when he had been critically injured by Assassin, he was always willing to do whatever needed to be done to ensure her victory. How much their relationship had developed over the weeks.
She placed her head back onto Archer's chest. Closing her eyes, she mumbled, "I'll hold you to that promise."
Archer idly ran his fingers through his Master's long, chocolate hair. Soon, her breathing evened out indicating she had slipped into slumber. He chuckled softly once more. What an interesting person his Master had turned out to be. He too closed his eyes before drifting off to sleep.
They were going to win the Holy Grail War tomorrow.
Now, they were both certain of it.
~xXxXx~
DD 62: Again, I needed to try and get over my writer's block with this as a result. I hope you all enjoyed it! I will do my very best to finish the next chapter ASAP/ We'll see how my semester goes.
If you're interested in checking out my blog, my name on Tumblr is dreamcatcher62 (Day Dreamer 62 was already taken). My ask box is open and I'm willing to take prompts to improve my writing skills. I've also got a few Dragon Age oneshots I've written on there as well so if you're into that fandom, check 'em out!
Until next time!