Grumbling as sleep left her, Tohsaka Rin peeked from under her blankets.
"Morning...disgusting." She mumbled, wanting nothing more than to sleep another hour, or five.
It had been a particularly late night scouting out the town, every landmark, every likely spot a Master and Servant could dwell. If the Tohsaka heir knew something, it was to cover her bases thoroughly.
Pulling from the deepest excesses of her willpower, Rin pulled herself from the warm and comfortable bed into a standing position in her bedroom. Instantly she was regretting it, if she had not had her self-taught discipline, she would have fallen back down into her bed.
With great reluctance, Rin trudged out of her room, her feet landing on the wooden floor with thumps as her body seemed to refuse to lift itself from her drousy hunch. She cursed the fact that her house was so large, drowsily trying to find her way to the bathroom. Eventually she found it, and half-an-hour later, Rin emerged with her hair all done, face clear of any signs of sleep deprivation, and a clear confidence in her steps as she strode to her kitchen.
Arriving at the kitchen she blinked at the sight before her. On the ornate table made of mahagony wood was a five-course meal laid out with artistic presentation, everything from meat to rice, tea to coffee, it was truly a sight to behold.
"Archer!" Rin barked, instantly the air dissappated beside her, and there stood the tall imposing form of her Servant, a tall man with white hair, steel-gray eyes and tanned skin endorned in black armor and a red cloak.
"Yes, Master?" He asked, crossing his arms in nonchalance, which only irked the Tohsaka heir even more.
"Explain to me what this is?" She demanded, pointing to the table loaded with food. Archer raised an eyebrow.
"That would be a table, Master." He answered sardonically, Rin was resisting the urge to slap that permanent smirk from his face.
"And why...exacty...DID YOU PUT DOWN ENOUGH FOOD TO FEED AN ARMY? AS FAR AS I KNOW SERVANTS DON'T EAT!?" The angry magus demanded like a young child who lost their icecream to an older sibling. To Archer's credit he didn't even bat an eyelash.
"You are correct that servants don't need to eat food to sustain their mana levels, however, our masters do. So I would ask you to eat something so that we can be at full energy levels if and when we face an enemy servant." The grey-haired servant explained calmly and logically, ironic given the fact that's what Rin's school persona would do.
A few seconds passed as Rin looked between Archer and the food laid out, undecided, until a growl from her stomach ended the battle. Begrudgingly the Mage sat down at the table and aggressively picked at her breakfast with chopsticks.
A few minutes passed, and Rin had downed a course.
"Why did you make so much food?" She whined, seeing all laid out before her, beckoning to be eaten, but if she did that she wouldn't leave the table without losing her figure.
"I figured our late night reconnaissance would have left you doubly tired, and since we are staying past sunset at your school today, I thought I might make extra for your lunch." Archer replied with a shrug. Rin paused, chopsticks in mid-air about to clutch a bit of cooked egg.
"That's...thoughtful of you." She said, clutching the cooked egg like it was a conquest.
His smirk returned. "I merely look for the best odds of success and follow the correct path."
Shirou's walk to school lacked the vigor it had had on previous days, even lacking since yesterday. The sun was out again, warming the winter chill if only slightly, even the wind wasn't blowing today, a rarity for Fuyuki. No, Shirou couldn't stop his brooding, since the events of last night with the strange girl, and the weird feelings he had been getting all day, he simply knew they were connected and after looking through his father's journal he had found a possible cause.
The Holy Grail War. A series of wars fought by seven mages for the holy cup of legend, said to be able to grant any wish, but only one. It was said each magus summoned a Heroic Spirit, a figure of history or legend to fight for them in contest for the grail. And these figures of myth and legend were more than the average human, faster, more powerful, and unable to be killed by regular weapons of human make. These heroes were summoned as servants to the Magi who acted as their respective masters, dictating tactics and how to go about the war.
The entry itself had been extremely vague, dated to twenty years before, long before Kiritsugu had found Shirou, and long before the fire. From what he read, the last Grail War would have occurred in the mid-nineties, tens years ago. Kiritsugu had also said that every Grail War occurred sixty-years apart, where the grail by war's end would manifest itself to the winner. This meant that if the notes were right, the next grail war would occur in fifty years, so even if this war was real, it was a long ways off.
So why did Shirou's guts tell him that thought process was wrong? He had reread his father's first entry pertaining to the Grail War several times, and still there was no definite answer to what happened in the last war, nor what could happen in these wars. All of it seemed to have been study of the generalities of the war, and not necessarily the details of what happened. Shirou had spent most of his night trying to sleep unsuccessfully, the thought that something like this could occur again was ludicrous, and yet his thoughts didn't calm. He had gone to his dojo, and reinforced all of the weapons he had advanced hidden under the floor in the corner, then he reinforced the estate's physical structure to endure immense damage. Finally, he had strengthened the bounded field as much as he could without making it obviously apparent to any Mage within a hundred miles.
Shirou had passed out from sheer exhaustion, and woke up no less worried than the night before.
Sakura had been concerned but said nothing, quietly shooting him concerned glances from across the table. Even Fuji-nee, as observant and subtle as a rock had noticed and said something about "other fish in the sea" regarding women. Really, there was a reason he didn't actively seek her out for helpful advice.
So, now walking to school, Shirou couldn't place the feeling in his gut that something was terribly wrong...and that if something were to happen, people were going to end up getting caught in the crossfire.
"Senpai?" Sakura asked, looking up at him with concerned violet eyes.
"Yeah?"
"Are you alright? You look tense." She said, and she wasn't wrong, every nerve and muscle in his body was as taught as a tensed spring.
"Yeah, just a little tired is all." Shirou said with a forced smile, trying to at least seem alright for Sakura's sake.
Sakura said nothing, but Shirou knew he hadn't convinced her. For now though, he had to contend with school, and worry later.
The morning passed without much activity, actually, Shirou blocked out most of it, too focused on internalized thoughts, as well as his father's journal. While he knew he had to go to school, Shirou decided he'd have to bring his father's journal, hopefully to alleviate some of the tension in his body, maybe he'd find something that stated his bad feelings were nothing to be concerned with.
However, a part of him feared that he'd find something that justified his concerns, and then what? That was a question he didn't know.
As he brooded, Shirou dimly realized it was lunch, and automatically was moving. He almost ran straight into Issei who was trying to address him.
"Shirou...Shirou!" He said, grabbing his friend by the shoulders and shaking him.
"What!?" Shirou asked harshly, Issei flinched back in surprise. Reprimanding himself, the red-head took a deep breath. "Sorry Issei, did you need something?"
"Well, Sakura had said you were acting odd this morning, and you do look a bit out of sorts today." The spectacled teen said. "Are you alright? Do you need to go to the nurse?" He asked worriedly.
"No, I'm alright," Shirou said, trying to sound sincere, Issei's frown proved he wasn't convinced. "I just had a rough night, and I just need some fresh air."
Issei sighed, adjusting his glasses. "Well, you do push yourself pretty hard Emiya, so it doesn't surprise me that you're burnt out. Just take it easy alright?"
"No promises." Shirou said with a smirk. Issei sighed mock-dramatically.
Shirou made his way to the roof, no one would be up there given the temperatures outside, and it would give him some time to collect his thoughts in private. Besides, with the tenseness in his body, he couldn't imagine being cooped up in a building all day. He needed to breathe.
As he rounded the stairs to the rooftop, Shirou slowly felt himself feel at ease without being surrounded people. While he was usually trusting, right now he was paranoid that someone or something was going to jump out and attack him for one reason or another. Without people around him, he felt a bit less suffocated, that he could think without worrying about someone out to get him.
Opening the door to the roof, Shirou was welcomed by a blast of frigid air, instantly chilling him, but also calming him even further than his heart had been at previously. Finding a secluded part of the roof that mostly protected him from the wind, he sat down and opened to the page he left off on. He read on, delving deeper in on this Holy Grail War.
He read a long section focused on catalysts, usually personal objects of the preferred hero, but also ancient materials that belonged before or during the time of the hero. In any case, either were usually powerful enough to summon the preferred servant to one's side. Whether or not the summoner could actually control the servant however was another question entirely.
It appeared that servants, even though under a pact with their master, some, such as in the Archer class, were as likely to kill you as they were to fight for you. Some were summoned by a master with similar idealogies as their own, therefore they were driven by a singular goal as opposed to two in opposition. Servants in the Berserker class were some of the fiercest and unstoppable fighters in the class system, however those abilities came at the cost of their sanity, usually rendered mad and set mostly to ravage other servants and masters.
Another interesting facet of information was the longevity of a servant. If their master died, a Servant could exist for a while, or until they found a master who lost their servant and form a pact with them. It was interesting, and a little unsettling, if these Heroic Spirits were without someone to order them around for even an hour, imagine how many people could be caught in their sights.
Shirou read on, glancing over a bit on summoning incantations pertaining to classes and variations offering special enhancements, instead flipping to the start of the First Holy Grail War.
As far as the notes went, three distinct Magi Families came together where Fuyuki would one day be, and constructed the Grail System. Kiritsugu's notes were vague, but they followed a diagram on the Grail itself, composing of a 'lesser' and 'greater grail' both made of separate components and some sort of ritual involved. He could have been wrong, but Shirou swore he saw dried tear-marks on the page around that part.
The next page had the names of the three Magi families responsible for the construction of Grail. The Einzbern, the Makiri, and...the Tohsaka.
Shirou stopped cold.
Tohsaka? Like Tohsaka Rin? The school idol!? Could...could she be a Mage? The journal indicated as such, the Tohsaka family was an influential one after all, and they had more than enough means and mysteries to be Magi. But, could Rin Tohsaka know about the Holy Grail? Pretty likely, if what little he understood of how Magi Families operated served him well. Could she guess him to be a Mage, even if only in pretense?
Shirou didn't know, all the calm he'd manage to collect fell apart, and he knew he had to leave. He had to get away. Standing up shakily, Shirou strode to the door to the roof, yanking it open harshly and practically charging down the steps.
He almost missed the feeling of a thousand gems press against his body.
Then he ran into someone.
The notebook fell from his hands and Shirou tumbled down the stairs, landing in a clutter at the bottom of the steps, bruises no doubt starting to form. Shaking his head, Shirou instantly turned to apologize.
"I'm sorry about that, I-" but he stopped. There, at the top of the stairs was Tohsaka, and in her hands, his father's notebook.
Shirou's heart froze.
If she even looked into that notebook, then any connection she had to the Magi would be confirmed, and then...Shirou didn't know what might happen next, and he didn't want to.
The school idol looked at the notebook, opened it and scanned a few pages. Then closed it, and descended the steps. Shirou was crouched, frozen, unable to even think about moving. She had just read his father's journal...no doubt she understood the situation, and was about to deal with it.
However, instead of a declaration of something sinister or attack Rin held the book back to Shirou.
What?
"You should be more careful next time Emiya, not only will you hurt yourself but you'll lose your notes." She said neutrally, before heading up the stairs again, as if nothing out of the ordinary had happened.
Shirou was dumbstruck, holding the notebook in his hands as if it were a holy text. Tohsaka had read the notebook, and hadn't seen anything? Could she really just be a normal person?
Upon opening on the page Tohsaka had been on, Shirou noticed a strange sensation. The words on the pages seemed to morph and distort, he caught the tail-end of a chemistry formula, that turned into a drawn diagram of the grail...What the?
It seemed Kiritsugu hadn't left this journal only for his eyes alone. He had left it for him. Whether coincidence or not, he was the only one who seemed to be able to read it. However, that still brought into question on whether or not Tohsaka Rin was a magus or not, and that question was yet to be answered.
Shirou sat there at the bottom of the stairs, catching his breath, the feeling of panic leaving him surely and slowly. He let himself breathe a sigh of relief, he was at school, and no one could pull anything here, so he could finish the day then read more into the Grail War during the weekend. That way he'd have a quiet enviroment and be able to delve into more of his father's research.
Shirou went about the day, slightly better than he did in the morning, keeping more focus and feeling more like his usual self. The rest of the school day went by quickly, and before he knew it, Shirou was packing up his stuff to leave quickly.
As he was exchanging shoes and setting everything in his bag, someone rudely bumped him in the back.
"Can I ask a favor of ya' Emiya?" Came the slippery and repulsive tone of Matou Shinji, Sakura's elder brother and a former friend of Shirou's. Running a pale hand through his blue wavy hair, Shinji smirked cockily, behind him were three girls at a short distance away. Ever the womanizer Shinji was as well.
"What do you want, Shinji?" Shirou asked, trying to sound patient and interested, while really he just wanted to leave.
"Whoa whoa Emiya, relax," His former friend said complacently. "All I wanted to ask was if you would mind cleaning out the Archery Dojo, after all, you like being the helpful type don't you?"
"But Senpai, Fujimura-sensei told you to do it." One of the girls behind him whispered.
"But if I did that then we wouldn't make it to the restaurant before it closes, besides Emiya wouldn't mind would you?" Shinji asked, assuming he knew the answer.
"Actually, I can't. I have plans." Shirou stated simply, the cool relaxed attitude of Shinji erupted into a child throwing a temper tantrum.
"What?!" He practically screamed, evidently not used to not having his way.
"I have plans tonight Shinji, sorry to disappoint you. Besides, you're co-captain of the Archery Club, so you have to do your fair share, and not make Mitsuzuri do it all." Shirou said, calmly passing by Shinji and heading for the door. A hand grabbed his shoulder to turn him around, Shirou was tensing his muscles in case a fight were to break out.
"C'mon Emiya, do this for an old friend's sake?" He asked, pleading with his eyes. Shirou shook Shinji's hands from his shoulders.
"You seem to forget that we aren't friends anymore Shinji, not after I found out you beat your little sister." Shinji flinched, not only from the accusation but from the venom held in the usually calm eyes of Shirou Emiya.
"If you think you can think for even a second you can call me friend after that, then you really don't know what you did wrong."
"Look-" the blue-haired teen started, but was interrupted by Shirou turning around.
"Goodbye Shinji." He cut the other off, leaving and beginning the walk back to his house.
Had it been anyone else asking, Shirou might have been willing to help, but in the case of Shinji, that door had been closed for a long time, and would probably remain so until Shinji changed, which wasn't a very likely scenario. Even when they first met, Shinji had been distasteful at best, and while there had been at least some friendship, it ended a year ago when Shirou met Sakura and found the bruises. No friend of Shirou's would harm anyone, let alone their own sister.
Perhaps it was high of standards, but they were pretty simple really, don't hurt anyone.
The sun was already setting by the time Shirou got home, dropping his bag on the counter and getting a drink of water. His plans for the night were to settle in and go through his father's notes again, hopefully to wrap his head around this whole Grail War thing, then maybe continue working on his Magecraft. It was also great considering the fact that it was the weekend, so Taiga and Sakura would be at their own houses. To be fair Taiga would drop in on occasion as the guardian of Shirou, but other than that he had the estate to himself.
Deciding to continue reading the Journal, Shirou went to his bag to retrieve it. Except it wasn't there.
It wasn't in the bag at all, and seeing how he hadn't taken it out before hand, Shirou realized he left it at school.
Yeah, he had been about to put it in his bag, but instead Shinji had come, and Shirou left in anger, whole fully forgetting his journal there. Well, that was a problem.
Making up his mind as the sun dipped below the horizon, Shirou set off for the school again, wanting to get it before it got late, and didn't want to wait until after the weekend.
Not even ridding himself of his school jacket, Shirou jogged out the door making his way for the school. Thankfully, the training he'd done with his Magecraft had increased his endurance considerably, especially with the Time Alter spell.
In about forty minutes, Shirou made it to the school, lightly panting and slightly sweaty, but he had made it. The gateway to the school was locked, but Shirou decided to make a way around that. Focusing on reinforcing his muscles and bones in his legs, he tensed, and leapt up, clearing the gate and landing on the ground.
Reinforcement on the body was different and more dangerous than reinforcing say a crowbar. Shirou had to be careful to only strengthen his body and not morph it into a material well above human skin and muscle, otherwise he wouldn't be going anywhere. Plus he had to make sure he undid it afterwards, not making any permanent reinforcement. Luckily, he'd taken the precautions and he was no worse for where.
As he made his way to the doorway to the school, Shirou realized that the courtyard and property were eerily quiet and steady, as if holding it's breath for something to happen. It was creepy, but he shook it off, all he was here for was the notebook, and then he would be off, nothing would happen.
Only moments later, Shirou would be eating his words.
Picking the lock to the student entryway, Shirou entered and found his father's journal behind the bench, untouched. Picking it up, Shirou made for the door...then he felt it.
He felt two overpowering presences press in on him, he couldn't describe the feeling as both were distinctly different, but it was an awesome and indescribable power. He felt the ground shake, not from an earthquake, these felt more localized, and sharper than an earthquake. When he ran outside he couldn't comprehend what he saw.
In the courtyard stood two figures, one with silver hair in red and black armor and robes, wielding two short broadswords, one white and one black. The other figure almost blended in with the dark blue of the night, hair and garb, in his hands was a red spear, oddly familiar to Shirou, and it looked poised to strike.
The two began to duel, fighting in quick bursts of speed that made their shapes blurred flashes of color. Shirou could scarcely make out the agility of the blue figure, striking with his spear faster than his eyes could track. Likewise, the figure in red was just as quick, his blades flashes of white and black as they met the red spear. Back and forth they fought for several minutes, bantering back and forth, while Shirou couldn't hear them, he could pick up the faint echoes of voices from the two.
Suddenly Shirou realized he was too close, if he could see them, then they could most definitely see him if they looked. He made to move, but stumbled, his legs nearly frozen to immobility. That unfortunately made him cry out lightly as he corrected his stance.
"Who's there?" Came the voice of the figure in blue. Shirou didn't respond, he ran.
Sprinting back to where he came, Shirou made his way through the school, reinforcing his eyes to see through the dark hallways. He was scared, oh most definitely scared, but he kept his head and ran to an open classroom. He closed the door behind him, and placed his hand against it.
"Trace on." He said, his magic circuits illuminated from behind his eyes. Focusing inward he reinforced the door and the wall around it, giving it a solidarity it had previously lacked.
Turning away from the door, Shirou looked out the window, he was on the second story, so if he could reinforce his body to break the window and take the impact of the ground below, he might be able to get out of here alive. As he was making his final calculations, a dark shape crossed his vision, with the sound of glass breaking, and a painful pressure on his chest, Shirou felt himself flying backward, breaking through the door he had reinforced. He knew something in his body must have broke, but when he looked up he instantly stopped worrying. There, in the doorway, was the figure in blue, his red spear hoisted on his shoulder. From what Shirou could tell, this guy wasn't from Japan, no he had a complexion that belonged to a student visiting from Europe, how in the?
"So, a Mage huh?" He asked, red eyes glinting hungrily, his wicked grin almost resembled a dog's sneer. "Well, sorry to meet like this, but I can't have you living after seeing me. It ain't personal." He said almost apologetically, but Shirou could already tell he was up to no good. His shoulder tensed, he was going to kill Shirou.
"Time Alter." Shirou chanted internally, as the figure's arm tensed. "Double excell!"
Shirou moved, the Reality Marble augmenting the flow of time around him. The spear missed him as he twisted from the floor to his feet, sprinting down the hallway. Despite his speed, he had only narrowly avoided the red spear, this guy was fast.
Before Shirou could turn the corner, he heard speech warped by the reality marble he formed around himself, but he paid it no mind, focusing on getting the hell out of there.
Shirou almost rounded the corner, elation was coursing through his heart and chest, he could make it! And then a piercing pain passed through his chest, his heart, and wrenched him up.
Excruciating pain formed around Shirou's body, his heart feeling like it was cut in half, and his body feeling like a thousand pounds of weight were pulling on his limbs. Looking down; Shirou could see the bloody head of an equally read blade stuck through his chest, holding him off the ground. It looked familiar...had he been caught by the spear?
His body was wrenched to the ground, and everything seemed to whirl around him, unsure as to what was happening. Despite seeing his heart being pierced, and knowing he should be dead, Shirou still lived, but only in a strange twilight devoid of all feeling.
"Sorry about this kid," came the voice of the man with the spear, he sounded as if he was standing above his body. "Can't say I enjoy this, but you know how it goes 'Dead men tell no tales' and all that."
"Gotta hand it to you though, you almost gave me the slip there, even made me use my Gae Bolg to skewer you. If my master wasn't a coward and this were a private event I would've liked to have seen what you were made of," He continued on, Shirou couldn't turn his head, but it sounded like he was giving a eulogy of sorts. It reminded him dimly of ancient warriors honoring their fallen opponents. He sighed. "Sorry to leave you this way kid, but some people in this world have no sympathy for someone caught in the wrong place and the wrong time. If your spirit wants to curse me, just ask for the Hound of Culann." And then, he was gone, as was the feeling of a stalking predator.
Feeling then left Shirou's body, leaving him cold and numb. Despite the fleeting feeling that he should be dead, something held him from the gates of death, a life line, something that wouldn't let him go.
Dimly, after a indeterminable amount of time, another presence came within Shirou's proximity. It was familiar, but also different, the feeling of hard jewels pressing around his form was there, but it was softer, less jarring. Maybe it was the numbness he felt, or maybe it was just a softer feeling, he didn't know.
"...At the very least I can stay with you while you die." A voice said, it was also familiar to him, but it was distorted, he couldn't make out who it was from.
His body was turned over and a sharp gasp came from the person, Shirou tried opening his eyes, but his bleary vision only could focus on the blurs of red and tan.
"No," the girl said in a horrified tone. "Why you? Why now of all days do you have to be here? How am I going to look her in the eye anymore?" She picked up something, Shirou only caught the brief glance of his father's notebook.
His vision clouded again, when it cleared, he saw a red gem held on a chain suspended above him. It was the necklace that Tohsaka always wore.
"Tohsaka?"
A red light filled Shirou's vision, and the feeling of cut gems became more potent, seeping into his skin. At first the energy was forceful and almost painful, then as it passed the skin, it became warm and tingling.
Shirou couldn't help but recall the day of the fire, when the warmth of his Father took hold of him and saved him from death, and let him sleep peacefully. And like then, Shirou's body relaxed and succumbed to sleep.
"Are you finished yet, Master?" Archer asked across their bond, Rin stood up and turned down the hall, dropping the necklace her father had given her. It was of no use now.
"Yes, were you able to track Lancer?" She asked.
"No, he has an uncanny ability to cover his tracks. Something tells me he's better at hunting than being hunted."
Rin inwardly cursed, they had been distracted for a minute, someone was killed, and now this Lancer wasn't able to be found. The Tohsaka heir didn't know what she expected of this war, but playing cat and mouse wasn't on her agenda, not when people were going to pay the price for it...Besides, no one attacked Rin Tohsaka and lived to tell about it!
Shaking her head, Rin let her feet carry her out of the school ground. "Alright, keep your eyes peeled for any other servants, I'm sure we had more than a few spectators."
"Very well, where shall we rendezvous?" He asked.
"At the house, something tells me Lancer isn't up for more fighting tonight."
Consciousness began to return to Shirou, and feeling to his limbs. The fog of warmth that previously covered and seeped into his body was gone, and now all that was left was a dull ache in his chest.
Opening his eyes, Shirou saw the broken door of the classroom, shredded as splinters on the floor. So, the strange event that had occured wasn't just a weird dream. Shirou had been attacked, and his heart...
Looking down at his shirt, he saw the cut in the cloth and the blood that was congealing on it. His blood. He reached into his torn school jacket and felt the skin over his heart, it felt raw but it was definitely there. Freshly mended skin new to the world.
By all accounts this shouldn't have been possible, but Shirou knew better than most that many things were possible.
Struggling to his feet, Shirou picked up his father's notebook, it hadn't been damaged in the chaos. With heavy limbs and an exhaustion he had never felt, Shirou began the long walk home, letting his mind enter a detached state as his legs carried him along the familiar path.
Rin sat at the Kitchen table, twiddling her thumbs as she awaited Archer.
"You should really hold onto your things with more care." Came his deep and cutting voice. In his hand was her necklace, no worse for wear.
"You went back and got it for me?" She asked, sounding neutral and impassive.
"Stones like that shouldn't be left behind, nor should they be used unless in the case of absolute emergencies." Archer said, in a tone that was heavy with dissaproval. Rin scowled.
"Oh? Are you telling me how to use my gems now?" She asked, taking the necklace from his grasp and throwing it in the table drawer. "It doesn't matter, I have plenty of jewels to use, what's the worry of using one?"
"Using it on a stranger without any benefit or tactical advantage," His cold reply came. "For all we know, this could come back and undo us."
"Well, too late now," Rin growled, glaring daggers at Archer, who had crossed his arms casually. "Besides, I saved someone and that someone had, as you said, 'Probably saved my life' while fighting Lancer, so I think you would be on even terms with him now." She said, smiling smugly when Archer flinched at her point.
"You don't understand," Archer said, uncrossing his arms and staring at his master with eyes the color of refined steel. "Lancer went to kill him because he was a witness, he was killed, all was said and done."
"If you're going to come to a point you should probably come to it soon." Rin snapped, where did he get off telling her what she should or shouldn't do?
"What I'm saying is that now that you've saved the boy's life, Lancer will be made aware shortly, and finish what he started." And like that, Rin's heart locked in place. Lancer would go to finish off Shirou, and this time he would do more than eviscerate him.
"...Shit!"
After walking for what felt like hours, Shirou finally managed to make it home, his body protesting every step of the way. It was natural he supposed, he had been stabbed through the heart.
Stepping through the doorway, leaving his shoes on, he made it to the kitchen before collapsing. As his body heaved a sigh of relief from the rest, Shirou's mind began to play catch-up.
At his school he had found two more-than-human beings. One of which had tried, and succeeded, in killing him, at least he had almost suceeded in killing him. Someone had been there to save him, someone had saved his life when he had been on the cusp of death.
Again, like Kiritsugu a decade before, and since then Shirou had been saved, but hadn't saved anyone else.
Shirou pulled every detail he could of the man who came after him, a red spear, and he somehow stabbed him with it with a good few meters to spare. Wait...he had said something hadn't he?
Gae Bolg...the name rung a bell, and on instinct, Shirou opened his father's journal, right onto the page about Noble Phantasms.
"A Noble Phantasm is/are the weapon(s) of a servant, a trump card in any given situation, usually they are armed with a special ability that gives them an advantage. An advantage they use to slay their opponent."
Shirou scanned the rest of the passage, until finding the section he was seeking.
"...despite it's advantages, the activation of Noble Phantasm usually results in the identity of the weapon and it's wielder to be compromised. The reason for this is the activation is caused by calling the name of the weapon/ability, and that will instantly give away any opponent..."
Shirou closed the book, his breath shallow now. He hadn't thought about it at the time, but now he knew...that the Holy Grail War was real, and had started again. The man wasn't a guy with advanced combative abilities, he was Hero of myth and legend who had been given physical form to fight in the Grail War.
And his weapon, the Gae Bolg...Shirou had read the name before. Something in Irish Mythology...
"...Just ask for the Hound of Culann."
Then it hit him. Cù Chulainne, Ireland's Hero of Light in the Ulster Cycle, he was one of Ireland's most famous legendary figures.
And his spear...was called the Gae Bolg. In the myth it had the ability to hit the target's heart, non stop. Did that apply to real life? Or was it an exaggeration?
Regardless, he had been nearly killed by one of Ireland's most famous heroic legends, in any other event Shirou would have laughed at the absurdity of it all, but the dull ache in his chest reminded him just how very real his mortality had been. This was something Shirou couldn't laugh off, he had been stabbed by the spear of long-dead hero, and odds were he wasn't the first nor the last one.
All the incidents with the murders flooded into his mind next.
"...the killer used a long bladed weapon..." The cursed spear.
There was no denying it, by no stretch of the imagination could Shirou pass off the very eerie fact that the Grail War was real. And now, he was caught in the middle of it.
Shirou sat indecisive, unsure of what to do. The revelation of the Grail War had shaken him, but to be completely honest with himself, he didn't know what he could or should do. He wasn't a participant or Master, so really he should have been ignored right? Evidently not, seeing how he had been skewered not two hours before.
Really, what could Shirou do? He was a Magus yes, but not up to anyone's standard being unconventional in approach and manner. While he was good with projection, reinforcement and Time Alteration, those he could only imagine using in a combat scenario, and while he could set up bounded fields, and basic things a magus could do, Shirou was by no means an expert in anything. If someone wanted him dead, even a lesser magus could easily take him out. By all accounts, Shirou didn't have many options, maybe he could try and get one of Kiritsugu's old contacts and leave the country, but what about Sakura? Taiga? Issei? Or even Tohsaka? What if they were hurt or worse, killed?
Kiritsugu had mentioned the Fourth Grail War in his journal, and by the date it was likely to occur, it had at least been around the time of the Fuyuki Fire ten years ago. Probably taking place sometime before then.
As it was, Shirou didn't have a whole lot of options, and they seemed to be more stacked against him than ever.
That's when it came. A presence at the bounded field.
Shirou had been able to read whoever approached the bounded field, so people like Sakura and Taiga were able to get in without a problem. Burglars in the night would either be dissuaded sub-consciously to leave, or unable to move forward, making them think the building was haunted.
This presence at the field was more potent than any person, and Shirou recognized it, the feeling of a stalking and powerful predator entered his mind.
...The Hound of Culann had followed him home.
Then the field was struck, and broke like glass. Shirou winced and instantly was on his feet, despite his aching limbs, running for the dojo, where his reinforced weapons were hidden in the corner. If he could get to them he might have a chance to at least escape.
As he entered the Dojo and made for the other side, the ceiling creaked. The creak and the sudden flaring of a canine presence were the only warnings Shirou got before the roof was ripped open and a blood-red spear pierced through, aiming for him.
Shirou lunged back, adrenaline kicking into his system, just enough to allow him a quick dodge.
There, in the middle of the Dojo, under the tarnished roof, was him, Cù Chulainne, the Hound of Ulster. His spear, the Gae Bolg was rested on his shoulder. And he could only be a Lancer-class Servant.
Now that Shirou had a proper look at him, he noted that this guy was nothing less than fit and fearsome. Wearing light armor on his torso over a shirt of wool, Lancer held a lazy smirk on his face, his red eyes focused solely on Shirou. His predatory eyes were only enhanced by his wild midnight blue hair held in a pony tail, falling past his shoulders.
"You sure are a handful kid," Lancer said, slouching in place. "First you turn out to be a Mage, then you survive my attack. I was trying to be nice earlier and give you a quick death." He said as if Shirou was an ill-mannered host to his guest.
"And while I guess I should be angry, I was a little dissapointed that I didn't get to see what you were made of before," he dropped his spear into a ready position. "So whaddya say kid? Die where you stand? Or fight for your life? I'll even give you a few seconds to prepare yourself."
Shirou had three options: run and hope to escape, try and get by Lancer to get to his reinforced weapons, or take his offer and face him. None were ideal, but the latter of the three was the only option Shirou saw any chance of surviving.
Looking around him, Shirou found the rack of shinai practice swords and quickly picked up one.
"Trace on."
Instantly, Shirou's circuits flooded with life, flowing into the practice sword in his hands. Quickly, but efficiently, he reinforced the materials, flooding them with prana and advancing their construction to suit his needs.
In mere seconds, a metal Shinai was in his hands, resembling a thick and more rounded Katana, it was better than nothing. Shirou made sure to curve the impromptu blade, and hone an edge to it. It wasn't the ideal weapon, but it's all he could do right now.
"Ready kid?" Lancer asked, his spear poised to strike, it shivered as if thirsty to taste Shirou's blood again.
Before his magic circuits could turn off on him, Shirou called on them again.
"Time alter." Heat surrounded Shirou and pressure on his heart increased. "Double excell."
Shirou moved forward, raising his blade up, and swung down. Lancer's eyes widened for a second, but his spear was already there to block his strike, and the warrior's foot drove into Shirou's gut, sending him flying back through the screen doors of the dojo into the hall. His circuits flipped off, taking with it the heat and pressure on his heart.
"He has teeth! Good!" Lancer called, Shirou didn't wait to see his next move, he got up and bolted.
He didn't make it two meters before he felt the presence of the Hound upon him again. He turned, blocking a strike from the red spear, then an instant later he blocked another strike. And another, and the strikes were only getting faster.
Lancer was toying with him, he had to get out of there now.
Shirou lunged back and down another hall, breaking through the hallway glass and jumping into the courtyard.
"If you're going to run at least have some dignity about it!" Lancer called, Shirou ignored him, focusing his sights on the shed.
The shed.
That's where he might have a way to drive Lancer off.
He made for it, ignoring his pounding heart and screaming limbs, it was either keep moving or die.
Shirou was halfway across the yard before Lancer's presence came up behind him.
"Time Alter." Lancer reared his leg back to get a kick at him.
"Double excell." Shire dodged the strike, and swiped at Lancer with his sword.
Lancer evaded the blow, barely missing the edge coming near his face. A stunned and surprised look on his face. Shirou kept running, the Reality Marble weighing heavily on his heart as he reached his shed and closed the door. Placing his hand on the door, Shirou went about reinforcing the worn wood of the shed as quickly as he could, his circuits were starting to flair in pain, soon they'd be shot and he'd be helpless.
He didn't have time, he had to get to his father's belongings. Before Shirou could even make a step forward, the door to the shed broke open. He turned, swinging his reinforced Shinai, only for Lancer to shatter it with a blow from his spear.
Shirou fell to the floor in pure exertion and exhaustion, staring up at Lancer in fear.
Niether noticed the evangelic white circle that glowed on the floor on the other side of the shed.
"Check mate kid," Lancer said with finality, his spear less than a foot from his face. "You are full of surprises. Heh, maybe you were meant to be the seventh." The spearman tilted his head to the side in thought before chuckling.
"If you had summoned me instead, we could have been good friends, maybe I could have taught you a few things. You would have been a better master than my current coward of one, but that's academic." He raised his spear, Shirou's left hand suddenly burned intensly, but he ignored it, probably cut in the confusion of the battle. Now, he had to think of a way to get out of this, even at double excell Shirou couldn't keep up with Lancer, he had to find a way.
"Any last words kid? I didn't offer you the chance last time." Lancer offered. Shirou swallowed back an insult.
"No, I'm not going to die here. Not today." Shirou thought, willing the think of anything, anything at all he could do. But he couldn't get to his father's belongings without getting skewered, and this time, he wasn't coming back. But he wasn't about to die now, especially not at the hands of this guy.
"None? Alright, I'll make this quick kid." Lancer said in a soft and compassionate tone.
Shirou tensed, ready to push to triple excell. It was his only option, though odds were he'd most likely die of heart failure, then he'd be stabbed through the heart again.
And for the second time, Shirou reflected on the thought of dying without having saved anyone, something he swore he'd do on the day of his rebirth.
Lancer raised his spear, and Shirou prepared to risk all.
The spear, thrusted forward, Shirou began to let his circuits flood with Prana.
However, an overwhelming force erupted in the shed, overshadowing Lancer's presence tenfold.
"What the-?" Lancer started, before a misted length flung toward him. He blocked it with the shaft of his spear and was thrown out of the shed into the courtyard.
Shirou followed the length that seems to be shrouded with swirling air, and to his shock, there before him was a young woman. She was Caucasian, with green eyes and golden hair, framing a pale and regal face. She was petite and adorned in armor, in her hands was the length that seemed to be made of swirling air. Her gaze flickered to him, and Shirou's heart stopped in his chest, this woman was beautiful.
"I am your Servant, Saber," she said, her voice was dignified and regal, holding an air of command and almost a divine quality. "In response to your summons I have come." Her gaze narrowed in on Shirou's, it wasn't agressive, more of an inquisitive nature.
"I ask of you: are you my master?"
His hand still burning, Shirou broke his gaze to look at it. Instead of finding a cut up hand, he found three symbols on the back of his hand, colored a blood-red, and they seemed...almost alive, burning as he gazed upon them. What were they?
A section of Kiritsugu's journal entered Shirou's mind.
"A Master is marked by three command seals usually found on the back of their hand, these seals (or spells) mark three unbreakable orders a Master has over their Servant. They are the physical manifestation of the contract between a Master and Servant..."
The puzzle pieces fell into place as he looked up at the woman before him.
"I ask again: are you my master?"
"Yes." Shirou answered, standing to his feet.
"I am."
Saber looked down to his hand as well, then back up to his eyes. She turned suddenly, eyes focused on the courtyard, no doubt where Lancer had recovered.
"Very well, as your servant I shall be your blade, and I shall vanquish your enemies and those who threaten you. The contract between us has now been struck." She said, already in motion, stopped by Shirou's hand on her arm.
"Wait." he said, her eyes looking back at him in question, frankly Shirou had only a half-baked idea of warning her of the Gae Bolg, something in his father's journal said the name of the weapon was the key to a servant's identity and vice versa.
"What is it, Master?" She asked, keeping her gaze focused on the doorway.
"This guy, he's Lancer class," Shirou tried to rapidly explain before said Lancer decided to attack again. "He uses a spear called the Gae Bolg." He supplied, her eyes widened in understanding.
"Stay out of his spear's reach." Shirou said firmly, ignoring the burning coming from his left hand. It subsided and the woman nodded.
"I see, thank you Master." She said, gently pulling her arm from his grasp and charging out the door.
Shirou looked down at his hand, realizing he had just been touching the arm of heroic spirit of the past. Frankly, this night was only escalating into insanity, and he didn't know which was more concerning, the fact all this was happening, or that Shirou was able to cope with it in stride.
The sound of clashing blades made Shirou rush to the doorway, there Lancer and the woman were engaged in combat. The former trying to pierce the latter's defense, but despite his superior reach and agility, the woman wasn't giving ground. Every strike was deflected, no matter how fast and ferocious. The woman was obviously the superior combatant in this engagement, taking more ground than giving. They moved so fast that Shirou could barely follow their movements, it was like watching a boxing match on fast-foward, warping and accelarating movements beyond the ability of normal human eyes to track.
The two broke off briefly, looking at each other with studious gazes.
"Heh, not bad kid," Lancer called to Shirou, "you've summomed a top-notch servant. And Saber class no less, though she hides behind her sword like coward."
"Frightened Lancer?" The woman called, taunting. "You'll shame your class if you turn tail and run. If you won't come to fight me, then I shall come to you."
"Look, answer me one question: you're Noble Phantasm, it's a sword right?" He asked, hefting his spear to his shoulder in a non-threatening posture.
"Perhaps," She replied, her tone guarded. "For all you know I may have something completely different, such as a bladed axe, a polearm, or even a bow."
"Heh, get real Saber, though I faced an Archer who favored swords, I doubt you've got something as obscure," He retorted. "Look, whaddya say we call it a night? I've had enough fun."
The woman looked back at Shirou, focusing on the blood on the front of Shirou's uniform coat, evidence of Lancer's past attempt on his life. She tightened the grip on her sword.
"After you've tried to take my master's life? I'm sorry Cù Chulainne, but I expected more honorable intentions of a Hero of your reputation," she declared, the Hound of Culann gaped in disbelief, before shooting a glance at Shirou. "Therefore, I must decline your offer and finish this battle now."
Lancer grimaced, agitated, but he shrugged and gripped his spear in a ready stance.
"Sorry Saber, but if you know my identity and want to see this to its end, I have no choice but to oblige you." His spear began to glow, energy being gathered into his Noble Phantasm.
Time seemed to slow, and Shirou knew it wasn't from his time alteration skill, Lancer was going to use his Noble Phantasm, and the woman wouldn't be able to dodge it. She had saved his life, and unless he did something she'd be killed.
Dimly, Shirou realized he had already activated his magic circuits and the chant had already sounded in his head.
"Time alter," His body tensed, knowing he was going to be pushing himself far beyond what he could take even well rested, now he didn't have a choice. "Triple excell." The heat and pressure on his heart were forgotten as Shirou opened the brief case he had grabbed offhandedly, pulling out the object and loading a round into it's chamber.
"GAE!" Lancer shouted, lunging upwards.
The round found it's place and Shirou flipped the barrel and chamber up, snapping it into place. He lowered the gun and took aim.
"BOL-!" Lancer continued aiming his spear down, Shirou fired.
The round ripped right through Lancer's right shoulder, making him falter in surprise and pain. Instantly, he lunged back, glaring at Shirou in surprise, the woman too stared at him in shock. Shirou flipped off his circuits and fell against the doorframe, his heart wasn't going to last if he kept this up.
Lancer's wound closed, looked like Shirou's shot hadn't been decisive. He looked up with enraged red eyes, flickering back and forth between the two.
"Alright, I get the message," Lancer called, slacking his posture and hefting his spear up onto his shoulder. "I wasn't supposed to do much outside of the tonight other than study, but I guess curiosity got the better of me."
"What? You're leaving?" The woman demanded, eyes aflame.
"I'm not going to mess with a Saber-class servant and her Master who seems to be pulling tricks out of his sleeves every other second, kudos though kid," Lancer said, turning to Shirou. "You keep this up, and I might be able to form a new contract with you before the end of this." He turned and started to walk away, but stopped and leveled a glare towards the woman.
"You're welcome to follow me home, but know that if you do I won't be playing nice," he glared at both Shirou and her. "And I'll kill you both."
With that final threat, Lancer vanished into a blue energy, no longer here with them. Shirou let go of a breath he didn't know he had been holding and set the gun on the ground. His father's Contender, still in good condition, and still with a good amount of ammo left. The last of his father's gifts to him.
Looking up, Shirou walked heavily into the devastated courtyard, keeping his focus on the woman.
"Are you alright?" He asked, concerned. In turn, the woman leveled him a fierce glare.
"What was it you were thinking?" She asked, while she was in control her tone was pure cutting ice.
"I-what?"
"You put yourself at risk by attacking an enemy servant, why?" She asked stonily, her emerald gaze not leaving his.
"I didn't want to see you get hurt, that's all." Shirou said, it evidently wasn't the right thing to say as she leveled him with an even fiercer glare. This time, Shirou didn't back down, he held his ground and met her gaze. After a tense few moments, she closed her eyes and breathed in deeply, then exhaled.
"Why would you compromise your own safety for the sake of a servant? I am here specifically to keep you from getting killed." She said in a cross, yet obviously restrained tone.
All of the frustration and agitation Shirou had felt for the past two days wanted to erupt from within, however he couldn't let it all out, he had to keep a cool head.
"Look, I didn't ask to be part of this Grail War, and I didn't ask to be a Master either, so excuse me if I'm trying to save your life!" He exclaimed, she looked like she was going to get angry, however her eyes flickered to the shed where the broken remnants of Shirou's reinforced Shinai lay, and the Contender in it's case.
"I see...so I take you are not a typical mage?" She asked.
"I-uh..." Shirou stuttered, having been ready for a verbal spar. "Uh no, at least not in the sense that most Magi operate in."
She said nothing, looking to be in her own thoughts, her eyes scanning the courtyard and estate tactically.
"Sorry, I'm being rude," Shirou said, exhaling then looking her in the eye. "My name is Emiya Shirou-"
"Emiya?" She asked, eyes narrowing in question, while it was slightly off-putting, Shirou ignored it.
"Yeah, what do I call you?" She considered a moment, studying him intensly, as if assessing if he was friend or foe.
"You summoned me did you not?" She asked, Shirou knitted his eyebrows in confusion.
"Not intentionally no, one second I'm going to be killed by Lancer, the next you're there saving me." He shrugged helplessly, the woman considered this a moment before accepting it.
"I see," she said, turning to face him in the eye, "then as I am your Saber-class servant, you should refer to me as such, Master."
Shirou winced at the title placed upon him.
"Only if you call me Shirou and not 'Master'." He said. She considered this as well.
"Very well, Shirou," she paused as if registering the name. "Yes, I quite like the sound of that, Shirou. We are in agreement." She said, and for whatever reason he felt a slight tingling up his spine when she said his name.
"And I'll just call you Saber," he said. She nodded, and he in return, "Alright, what do you say we- Saber?" She had tensed suddenly and faced southwards.
"A Master and Servant have just entered the premises," She informed, Shirou felt his heart drop, was he going to get any peace tonight? "I should be more than able to face them myself, wait here Shirou." She said, and then without further explanation she leapt on to the roof of the estate and lunged further.
"Damn it." Shirou cursed as he ran to intercept her.
Out of the estate and on the street, Saber was facing a vaguely familiar figure in red and black...the Servant that had been fighting Lancer! And from the looks of it, Saber was going to destroy him. All he was doing was blocking her strikes, no aggressive action at all!
She was going to kill an opponent who wasn't fighting back.
"Saber, wait!" He called, she didn't listen to him, she wasn't going to unless...Shirou looked down at his Command Seals, the mark of a Master, if he used one...no! He couldn't, those things were the only insurance he could control his servant.
Looking up, the other Servant was clearly loosing ground, he'd be dead soon.
"Saber!" He yelled over the clashing of blades. "Stop and withdraw or else I'll use a Command Seal!" Instantly, Saber paused her attack, then leapt back to stand beside Shirou.
"What are you doing Master?" She hissed, ignoring the formal title, Shirou looked back.
"He wasn't fighting back, he didn't come here to fight." He said, Saber looked ready to argue, but a voice interrupted her.
"How observant of you, Emiya-kun!" Shirou was frozen still by the voice, in disbelief as he turned.
And lo and behold stood the one person that Shirou desperately didn't want to go up against in any regard.
"Tohsaka..." Shirou whispered in awe.
"Good evening to you as well, Emiya." Rin said, a smirk on her face.
Shit.
Author's Note- So for this chapter I wanted to get the ball rolling, and even so this is about 15K words, whoops. I don't really keep track of the amount of words per chapter, when it's done, it's done.
I've made some creative changes to Lancer for my purposes, like in Canon he really doesn't like Kotomine or following his orders, but I decided to give him a slightly more sensitive and remorseful feeling concerning killing civilians, and he'll have an interesting camraderie with Shirou in this particular fan fic, as well as potential flirting with Rin, we'll see. I'm not sure if I mentioned it in great detail, but Lancer has a slightly different design for this story, while his canon design is classic at this point, I'm a wee bit of a history buff so for some heroes I may be detailing their attire in different forms, I know it's fantasy as well, but c'mon, Rider in the tube top and thigh-highs? Uhg.
So anyways, Lancer is more like Proto-Lancer in Fate Prototype, in terms of asthetics at least, with armor and more wild hair, and I'll be throwing a few nudges to the Fate Prototype OVA here and there. So keep an eye out for that.
And yes, Shirou used the Contender, I'm not going to say he uses it much in this series, and I am not gonna get into the complications of it now. It did use origin rounds, but as Kerry isn't around anymore, and Shirou isn't Kerry, it probably won't have that affect, especially not against a Servant. But I did establish that he has the Emiya magic crest, so it might work on other mages, I can't be sure, but hopefully I won't have to dig into it.
As for updates, I have up until Chapter 7 written, and will post the chapters one every week, unless they're short, and once the going goes, we'll see how I do in updating.
Till next time,
~ArgoGladius