I will like to give a huge thanks to the following:
Gabriel Blessing for the King of Swords
Marcus Galen Sands for the King of Steel
James D. Fawkes for King Apeiron
Third Fang for the Ash of Miracles
TypeMoonFreak for Sir Emiya
SatireSwift for Troper
Once again, and I'll be saying this every chapter I post so get used to it, you guys are awesome.
A note from the author!
So, I planned on having this done by Friday 10/18. Least I think that's Friday's date... Anyways, it's now Tuesday 10/22 at 1:30 in the morning as I'm typing this note. I'd like to blame school, work, and some other third thing, but in truth I have nothing to blame other than myself. I found MANY opportunities to sit down and finish this chapter but instead chose to play a little game called Dragon's Dogma. I've had the game for a year now and have accomplished nearly everything. I have yet to kill Death- not because he's hard, but because he just takes so freaking LONG to wound. I've spent half my week bullshitting on that.
Way to go, Arry. You're already off to a bad start...
Moving on, I wanted to introduce the first Servant(s) in this chapter the 'Shirou Rangers' will be dealing with. However, as I had hit the 7k word mark and barely halfway done with the chapter, I found that it would be best if I cut it and left that for the next one. Sorry folks, but the Servant(s) will come for sure in Chapter Three. Which reminds me of my next point...
Points! So here's what I do on RP sites where I post my original stories. At each chapter I will ask a question. Whosoever PMs the correct answer to me receives a certain amount of points. Multiple winners are available. And once 100 points are obtained you can cash them in for an "Undeniable Request" to be used in the story. No OCs allowed, however. We can have the characters perform a specific scene/task. Even Shirou-A kissing Shirou-B. The point system is silly, but the ideas people have come up with keep me on my toes and sharpen my writing skills- which is why I put it in there in the first place. So what does this have to do with my above paragraph?
First challenge! What are the identities of the Servants?
For this, I offer ten points for each correct answer. Some are obvious while others require a little thought- some are outright hard as hell to get right. Archer does not count- therefore you can get a total of 60 points if all are correct. I've left hints in the previous chapter when each Team was choosing their Servants.
Answers posted in Reviews will be ignored.
Now, onto another note. My selection on these six Shirous to be used wasn't necessarily based on popularity. I'll admit I did choose my favorite (it'll be obvious who that is if you pay attention to my narration). There were MANY I wanted to use but had to narrow it down to a very limited bunch. A group that would not only kick ass but would come with a lot of problems in their group-work. A story with "SHIROU SMASH" at every chapter is only entertaining so far. Drama and luggage need to be thrown at each other. And with Servants already summoned would mean that no more Shirous should be called, right?
Not entirely. Thanks to a 'hole' my Financial Advisor (the misspelling intentional- he's weird) discovered I found a way to add in more anytime I want. So, once I figure out how to juggle so many Shirous at a time (and I am getting better noticeably) I'll be able to throw in some more fan-favorites.
Oh, and regarding the statistic sheet from the first chapter- ignore it. Like the dumbass that I am at times, I've believed for the longest time the grading system for Servants was the same as the one I get in academics. It wasn't until a few pointed it out to me and some further research I discovered the point of the + in the letters (I assume the - means "half the rank" but I don't know for sure). So please ignore it until I decide to either scrap it altogether or redo it entirely.
Last, some things performed by the Shirous of this story are not in-canon to the stories they belong. For example, the Mystic Code I will be introducing by the Ash of Miracles. It was something I wove on my own for the sake of the story. Nothing they do here has anything to do with their creator's stories. Nothing.
Thank you very kindly for taking the time to read this. Most of the time I just skip it. Anyways, enjoy!
Chapter 2:
Introductions Part II
It took several hours for things to settle down. Several. The Campione King of Steel was insistent on awaking Rin to fortify the Boundary Fields around the house. However, (due to the fear of facing her wrath) King Apeiron and the Ash of Miracles agreed they were capable of doing such with the guidance of the Campione. Apeiron claimed he had dealings with Divine Spirits and knew of their influence against prana and the Ash of Miracles said he knew how to craft Boundary Fields better than this world's Rin.
But it was Archer who said it was pointless. If a god could force them against using Rule Breaker, what would the point of building a manmade wall to try and stop them?
"Even gods have difficulty with the most complex of Boundary Fields," stated the God Slayer. "One Divine Ancestor attempted to sneak into my home with a Presence Concealment spell that would have made an Assassin proud. However, I was able to track every step she took with some of the Bounded Fields she couldn't detect. We might not be able to stop them, but at the least we can be warned."
Archer said nothing after that. He went into astral form and they felt him leave the house. They didn't ask where he was going but said nothing as they made sure he remained within the land of the Tohsaka manor.
Further development was spent on explaining everything to the Knight of the Round while those three went to work. Every microscopic detail. Even the King of Swords, with some reluctance, told how he had a threesome with Rin and Saber under the worst circumstances possible. More time was wasted trying to explain, in excruciating detail, why a Prana Exchange Ritual with King Arthur was needed. The Knight just couldn't get over the hurdle of understanding why his King was doing such… things with this version of him.
Meanwhile, the Campione had returned from the kitchen holding a jar of… something black and squirming inside. His posture was slightly slumped and his face was still a little wet having rinsed it from the faucet. He handed it to the vampire, "I don't suppose you'd be able to incorporate this into the protections, could you?"
The Ancestor took the jar with some hesitance. He didn't need his Perfect Eyes to recognize the qualities of the thing inside. It was a black centipede grown much too large to properly fit inside and so had to coil around itself like a snake. Its jaw was a large four-bladed pincer not unlike the hunters of the Predator movie/comic series. Despite its appearance, it was not a living creature. It was a manifestation of pure 'wishes' polluted by hate and malice.
A minor incarnation of Angra Mainyu.
If he wanted a curse placed onto the Bounded Field, he would have traced his Mystic Codes Maiya, Natalia, or Kiritsugu and then Alter them. But then he'd reveal their properties to everyone— Lord knows how they would react to that. This… was a good second option.
"I believe I can manage something," the vampire finally said. "I think if I placed this as a focal point on the roof or somewhere hidden within the house and plant several other beacons around the land to conduct it, then yes, this will be a good fortification. If not, then this will hinder anyone even with A-Rank Magic Resistance."
He took in a deep breath of air and began to access his Od. His circuits 'groaned' against him as he was low from his battle against the Apostle prior to his summoning— something King Apeiron noticed. "Trace… On…"
They, as well as those seated not too far away at the coffee table, observed as he Projected a weapon most had already recorded. However, to both their curiosity and awe, the sword in question was not what they had expected it to be. The blade brought forth was the sword Odin had left in the tree for the hero Sigmund to pull, Gram. Though it was 'Gram', it was in a completely different appearance than what rested inside their Reality Marble.
This Gram had taken the form of a pike, losing its flat surface and edge altogether. And at the center was a gap just big enough for the jar of curses to fit snuggly, which the Ash of Miracles did. They admired his work for he had used Alteration before the Noble Phantasm was brought out of Unlimited Blade Works.
He gave a heavy sigh as he felt the fatigue grow a small margin. "At best, we'd have a week and a half before Gaia fully rejects this. Now… I'm going to go find a place to put this and then start working on those conductors…"
He headed up the stairs, muttering and debating to himself where the best place was to put Gram. As this happened, King Apeiron watched the vampire with a grimace. He excused himself a moment later and went into a kitchen— after asking where the Campione found the jar.
The King of Steel went to join the King of Swords in explaining everything regarding the Grail War. Though the King of Swords had a good deal of information, the Eighth Campione had just that much information and more. But even he was more unenthusiastic about the finer details in certain situations (he avoided eye contact with the blue Shirou when covering the memories of having intercourse with Saber and Rin together and separately). He revealed to them in the War he had lost his arm against the Shadow and had Archer implant one of his before fading from existence. When becoming a Campione, the arm became a true part of him and his body had been healed of any damage it had brought him, both physically and mentally. As such, all of the memories of Archer were his— and Archer had memories of two other alternative Grail Wars.
He also told them because of Archer's influence, he was incapable of casting Unlimited Blade Works into the real world.
In any case, he sat there with them and told the entire story of all his memories— both his and Archer's. Though each 'route' was different and situations were sent in a diverse direction, the Grail War was always the same. The orphans under the church. Gilgamesh. The Masters. Angra Mainyu. Everything. It took several hours and the patience of all of them to go over the details as well as answering questions when possible.
*scene*
The Ash of Miracles was starting to feel the hunger as he stabbed his twelfth 'stake' into the soft earth. Projecting more than one Gram was unneeded. What he had Traced instead was a Mystic Code Sirius-jiji had experimented with for years. It had always been a side project since his early fame, and even to this day he had never completed it. Even Shirou had difficulty helping him. The Mystic Code was nameless; a blade crafted out of silver, nickel, some titanium, and lots of mercury inside its shell. The idea was to craft the ultimate anti-magic shield— capable of negating any spell thrown at it. Against physical blows it would shatter without Reinforcement. And substituting the metals or altering the smithing method forced Sirius to start from scratch. Silver and mercury were the best materials in terms of magic defense, but, again, did nothing against D-Rank and above physical blows.
Shirou found a different use for it. Even as a sword, its use in combat was hardly notable. He had Altered them as arrows to pierce Bounded Fields and kill his target many times. This was great against Sealing Designates and Apostles who were arrogant to believe nothing could get through their magic defenses. Yet, there were nearly ten times those who were smart enough to not completely rely on magic. A brick wall could be blown apart with the arrow, but anything stronger than that made it nearly useless even with Reinforcement.
The main use he found for it was as a catalyst of sorts. Sirius had made a blade version of his Mystic Code just for Shirou, as always. As he had spent a great deal of time trying to find the right Alteration to have one of his swords become a cornerstone of his crafty barriers, he had not succeeded until Sirius showed him this. The old man had hid it under the floor of his workshop and had forgotten about it since he hadn't a breakthrough with it in ages. Shirou still couldn't add a property of 'fire' to his Bounded Fields to his dismay, but he was happy with this.
Fifty feet later, the vampire placed his next stake into the ground. Already he felt the tug of this one anchor to its previous one. Seconds later, he felt it link to the others surrounding the house as well as the ones hidden in every corner of the manor. But, as though it was a living thing with its own mind, it refused to activate stubbornly and link itself to Gram.
Like any good mechanic and second-rate Magus, Shirou had the best solution. He Reinforced his boot and kicked it, sending a surge of prana up its spine with a spell very similar to Prana Burst.
It hissed and the silver blade turned black, absorbing the curse of Angra Mainyu from the Gram hidden in the attic. It wasn't an intelligent sword like the King of Swords' Derflinger, but even Sirius had to admit this stubborn little shit had an attitude.
"Working hard?" came the voice of one of the Shirous behind him.
He was almost startled, but he had heard the soft treading on the grass. Without a doubt it was intentional as the Ancestor's Perfect Eyes told him how much control of their bodies each Shirou possessed. The only ones skilled in stealth as much as he was King Apeiron and the King of Swords.
"Rin's not paying me enough to do this," he joked as he started to head to his next point.
King Apeiron followed by his side. He pulled out one of the same jars and handed it to the Ash of Miracles. He almost groaned. He thought this one was going to ask him for adding another property to the Bounded Field he had yet to build. If so, then it would mean he would have to start from scratch and Re-Project the Mystic Codes. Instead, he almost began to sweat when he saw what was inside.
Blood.
"What is this?" he asked between an edge and worry.
"An apology," replied the crimson Shirou sincerely. "I'm sorry I had my doubts about your loyalties. I should have trusted you and respected your privacy. I can tell you're not a bad person— that you're just another one of… us." He laughed, "Sorry. I'm still having difficulty with this. I've never expected in my adventures I would meet so many of, well, me."
The Ash of Miracles on the other hand wasn't sure if he should be drinking the blood. King Apeiron had mentioned he knew the vampire was low on prana and had to drink soon. It was true— he had been gone for a few weeks tracking down that Apostle away from civilization. Exhausting himself twice on the hunt including now, his Apostle self was starting to crave the red liquid.
"Drink," said the crimson King. "I know your Ancestor title is 'Ash of Miracles', but that doesn't mean you have to look the part."
They looked at his skin. His normal tone was just as tan as Archer's. When summoned it had been slightly gray from the hunt. Now it was starting to look ashen gray.
"I'll remind you I hate doing this," the Ash of Miracles sighed in defeat and opened the jar. He examined the contents and swished it around akin to wine, delaying as much time as possible. "I also think this is just recycling blood."
"In theory it should settle your craving until we find more suitable sustenance," shrugged the other Shirou.
His response was to take a sip as he always did to get used to the taste. No matter how many times he drank, it always made him want to chuck it back up. Saber's dragon blood and Rider's divine blood made no difference in taste. His Apostle sense loved it, but his dominant human half rejected it.
"Mind if I ask about your procedure?" the crimson one gave a lax wave towards the distant pikes littering Rin's lawn. "I know making generators and a resonator for Bounded Fields enhance its abilities and fortifications, but is it needed to have so many?"
The vampire plugged his nose and chugged the rest of the blood. It wasn't much to begin with— more than enough to satisfy his craving as well as leaving his counterpart operating comfortably. A good hue of his complexion had returned.
But it didn't stop him from shivering as he felt the slime crawl down his throat.
He answered as soon as they came to the next point and he began to Trace another. His hands were out and eyes closed as he focused. "The weapons I am making are based on a Mystic Code the crafter Sirius McGenty I mentioned earlier made. They were originally supposed to be used for total magic defense, but by using Alteration I can turn itself into an antenna. By removing its 'negate' property it can channel spells without diluting it and by adding the 'resonance' property it can connect the spell to either me or its fellow traced Code."
"Adding and removing the properties of something through Alteration?" the other Shirou looked up at the stars as he thought it through. "I've… never thought of that."
At this time another stake was Projected and stabbed into the ground. It activated and linked with the others and Gram without a fuss for once. The two moved on.
He continued his explanation, "By doing this I have multiple fail-safe structures on a Bounded Field without having to worry about it collapsing on itself as well as a way to reinforce everything about it from its defense, its stability, and the value of effects. Rather than making multiple Fields to do one thing, I'm making one Field to do one thing— only several leagues more efficient and potent than anything the Clocktower can produce. And should one of these Mystic Codes be destroyed, they're made to link to the nearest one to close the gap."
"And unless anyone at the Clocktower can make Codes like we do," added Apeiron, "you can make the strongest defenses around. But should the Noble Phantasm powering the Bounded Field be lost or corroded from Gaia…"
"It's not powering the barrier," replied the vampire. "I have yet to even build that. Basically all I'm doing is going to make a hollowed out Bounded Field and then stuffing it with whatever I want into it. For example, I could have Avalon at the center and if I follow what I'm doing now— with different Alterations anyways— I can have anyone inside have slightly increased regenerative properties… which would be a good idea after I'm done with this. For now, I'm placing each catalyst in strategic places over the Tohsaka land to resonate and absorb the curses that… what was it? Campione? Yes, the curses the Campione Shirou gave me. I'm only using Gram as a conductor to enhance its properties, making it an A-Ranked curse for sure."
"Thus anyone you want under the guise of the Bounded Field can be inflicted once they cross over," King Apeiron concluded with a smile. He was astonished with the idea. "Even a Servant will be inflicted."
The Ancestor nodded as he placed another stake. This one blinked between black and silver before he flicked it with another surge of prana. "Right. Even a Caster will have difficulty dismantling it. Believe it or not, but I found the inspiration to do this from the honeycombs of a beehive. I had been starving on one hunt and ate from the land from questionable berries to, well, honey. Rather than interweaving or overlapping walls and spells in a knitted pattern that make up a Bounded Field, I figured a honeycomb would be much more efficient. So far I haven't been wrong."
"So far," agreed his alternative self. "But we may be dealing with Servants in the Grail War, including a Caster. If this is the Fifth Grail War then we will be dealing with Medea the Witch and her Rule Breaker. Against every other type of Thaumaturgy we could use this to make the ultimate defense. But one stab from Rule Breaker will crush it like a rock to a glass window."
The Ash of Miracles said nothing but let his displeasure show. He was a bit more forceful when placing the next Code. And when it refused to activate he plucked it out and swung it against the nearby pavement. And then put it back in the exact spot.
He sighed, "Only fifteen more to go…"
*scene*
"So, after much discussion, we have finally come to a conclusion," said Troper as he plucked out the paper from the Stone Age typewriter. As he and the group inside had finished discussing the details of the true nature of the Grail War, the Tenth Apostle Ancestor and King Apeiron entered the living room. Troper waved to them to come to the table without looking in their direction.
He began to read from the list as soon as they were all gathered. "Our number one priority is the destruction of the Grail and getting rid of Angra Mainyu. And the following are priorities but not subject to order: the saving of Illya and Sakura; the deaths of Kotomine Kirei, King of Heroes Gilgamesh, Matou Zouken; the castration and/or death of Matou Shinji; stopping Counter Guardian EMIYA from killing this world's Emiya Shirou; and removing the stick betwixt Arturia's cheeks."
The Ash of Miracles snickered. However, everyone else other than the Campione glared daggers at Troper.
"We were all thinking it— I just said it," he said without looking up from the sheet. "Moving on. Most of us were going to stick around anyways for the War after using Rule Breaker so let's discuss how this will proceed. First manner of discussion: what are we going to about Rin?"
The King of Swords leaned forward from his chair and gave his opinion, "There's not much we can do at this point. Already we are compelled to follow whatever she says from her Command Seal. We simply can't ignore her. However," he added with a bit of a smile, "if we word things right we can convince her to let us do as we want."
"Therefore we could use the compulsion in our favor," concluded the Campione. "We would technically not ignoring her and instead doing exactly as she wishes."
King Apeiron interrupted, "It won't be a boost to anything since it's not that kind of Command. At best it'll allow us free reign without her holding us back."
The blue Shirou countered, "But if all of us have similar experiences with Rin, then we can all agree it is comparable to a boost. When have any of us ever been 'free' when she's around?"
The room as silent as nearly everyone stared off into space with grave looks in their eyes. Several traumatic memories were revisited.
"Uh…" the Arthurian Shirou looked around with a puzzled expression. As he had little to no experience with Rin, he had no idea what any of them could be thinking.
"Point taken," King Apeiron cleared his throat. "We'll have to watch what we say. If she asks, I think we should tell her what she needs to know and nothing more. Keep everything down to a minimum. We can tell her about us, but make sure to leave anything vital about the War out. I'm terrified about what would happen if she knew what we did."
"During my War I found it best to tell only half the truth, just enough to curb her curiosity while keeping my thoughts straight," said the Ash of Miracles. "But I never had to tell about the tainted Grail until things started to go south."
Thus the King of Swords finished, "In order to avoid any hurdles we will come across from her, let's go along with it for now and be her Servants. From what I've heard from the King of Steel, Rin in any alternative universe has always helped us destroy the Grail. But let's keep her out of the loop until the time is right."
The Knight of the Round Table clenched his fists, "But shouldn't we be going immediately to deal with all of these? Why are we going to let those orphans suffer longer as that… thing… drains them of their prana? And if the Grail is tainted as you say, shouldn't we go and destroy it since we all know where it's located?"
"Because we don't know if Gilgamesh will be there," replied King Apeiron. "In my War that was one of the things Saber and I did. We couldn't save them, so we destroyed the church. But both Kotomine and Gilgamesh survived. At worst it will have Gilgamesh against all of us once the deed is done. And destroying the Greater Grail and killing Angra Mainyu is out of the question right now. The Greater Grail is what allows this ritual to take place. I don't know if it's what's keeping us here, but on the chance that it is I don't want it removed from the board before checking everything else off that list Troper has."
Troper meanwhile said nothing on account he was wrestling with the typewriter. Literally.
No one paid him any mind.
"I also believe after seeing so many 'Fakers' he will be inclined to take us seriously and rid us with his ultimate Noble Phantasm," said the King of Steel.
"But a direct confrontation is not impossible," returned King Apeiron. "My Escalvatine is nearly on par with his Enuma Elish. He might take us seriously enough to use it, but he is still arrogant to believe its minimum power is strong enough to wipe us clear. If it comes to it, I can deflect it with my sword and someone else takes him while he's in shock.
"However, I still say it's unwise to get his attention just yet. We should wait and gather information before making a move. So, I vote on holding off destroying the church until then."
Many grimaced and the knight gritted his teeth, but they all accepted his logic.
"The next matter will be what to do with Archer," said the King of Swords. "He'd be useful as an ally, but I'd be too worried about him stabbing one of us in the back or killing this world's Shirou."
"Kill him," said the vampire without hesitation. "Rin's real Servant or not, he's too much of a liability to keep around. I concur with being too worried with him around. And… terrible things happened in my War because of him. I'm not going to take any chances with him around."
"Or," Troper was the one to voice out as he finished packing the contents of his first-aid kit. Many bandages and wrappings coated his arms and face. "We could go back to the topic of Rin's Command. We can't ignore her, thus if we can get her to say the words 'Archer, don't kill Shirou'—" he quoted in her exact voice, "—he can't disobey her. The Command is just specific enough for it to work. Plus, thanks to that other Command, none of us can use Rule Breaker on ourselves or the other. Having him betray us is slimmed down to barely 'not possible'."
"But what would be the point in keeping him alive?" questioned the Ash of Miracles. "There are six of us either just as strong or more refined than he is. Why do we need him?"
"Because he is a Counter Guardian," concluded Troper with a semi-serious face (he still had his goofball smile). "Besides, thanks to my special Reality Marble, the Unlimited Trope Works, I can stamp so many Command Seals on him he won't be able to breathe without my permission."
He cackled, "When I visited the Emiya Clan one day I found they had summoned Gilgamesh of all people and had done exactly what I said. He became that Shirou's kid's personal bitch— I mean, nanny."
"E-Emiya Clan?" questioned some.
"Kids?!" while the others flipped.
Troper just waved it off as though it wasn't important. "Getting back on topic, we have our other primary concern. What are we going to do about the Divine Spirit giving us Commands?"
"Nothing right now," answered the God Slayer. Everyone in the room blinked and turned their way towards him. Surely one who had slain a few gods could have had a solution. "Unless we can find the location of where the god is residing, if we manage to run into it, or if he or she comes to us there is nothing we can do."
He turned towards the Dead Apostle, "Speaking of which, how's that barrier coming along?"
To which he replied, "I'm having the beacons resonating with the curse inside Gram. It'll take almost a day to be fully in-tuned with it. Until then, I can't actually build the Bounded Field. I will, however, require your assistance to make sure it can withstand something on par to a Divine Spirit."
"Understood," nodded the Campione.
The remaining hours were spent on going over the details of the War listed on Troper's page. Many solutions were found on how to deal with Zouken and Shinji— all very colorful and in great, gory detail— as well as saving Sakura and purging the worms from her body. There was much difficulty about what to do in regards to Illya, however. Those who had succeeded weren't in possession of the resources used and those who couldn't have succeeded were silent. An idea of bombarding the Einzbern fortress in Germany and stealing the head's Crest came up and was put on the side for future development.
There were many mixed feelings in regards on what to do with Saber. It was a highly sensitive topic to most and was left open to talk about at a different time.
They finished just half an hour before dawn.
The King of Steel yawned and stretched his arms, "Well, it's the morning. I guess it's time to start making breakfast."
"Right," came four other voices as all but Troper stood simultaneously.
Those standing stared at each other. Their smiles were friendly, surely, but their eyes glistened with killing intent.
"It's been a long night and I'm sure everyone's tired," started the Campione. "Why don't I just cook us a meal to get us all relaxed and—"
"No, no," the King of Swords patted his counterpart's shoulder. "I couldn't have explained things properly without your knowledge. Please, let me take care of the cooking."
"Oh but I insist instead," said the Ash of Miracles. "You both look exhausted. Let me do all the hard back-breaking work."
"But you must be just as tired," said King Apeiron. "I know I didn't give you enough blood to vitalize yourself fully. And with the sun coming up with the kitchen window facing that way I think it would be best if I go in there."
"Oi," a tick mark surfaced from the Knight of the Round. "I haven't been in a kitchen in the entirety I was in the past. And those times I could cook was at a campfire with game and no spices. I think it should be fair if I cook."
"Get in line," said the King of Swords. "All I had to work with was an oil-lit stove that I had to refuel after each meal. That's some renaissance technology. I haven't used a gas-burner in five years."
"Oh we're going on about years now, are we?" the vampire's smile turned dark. "Rin and Sakura took most of the cooking duties at my house. And if that's not bad, even Saber and Rider took up the hobby. I haven't been in a kitchen in decades! DECADES! I need this!"
"Then you're all too rusty to cook a suitable meal for our Master," said King Apeiron. "Rin is irritated since going to bed and I have no doubt she'll still be when she comes down here to find that we still haven't done what she ordered. Even with all of us, there is no way we can clear this up in only half an hour. So, to calm her down to a manageable level, I am going to cook her a breakfast suitable for the situation. While all of you have been out of the kitchen, I have been happily in mine for decades. Now, if you'll excuse me…"
He turned and started to head towards the kitchen.
"No!" they all cried and tackled him to the ground. From there a tussle was made, more furniture was ruined, things were flown, Projected weapons were made, and more blood was shed.
Troper, meanwhile, sat back with his legs crossed, fiddling with his thumbs as he watched events play out. He had no interest in getting involved. Why? Because he planned on taking out the victor when they were weak and wounded. Thus, the kitchen shall be his.
The King of Steel, with several splinters of wood sticking out of limbs and a Dirk sticking out of his shoulder, crawled out of the battle as he leaned against the wall. He gritted his teeth as he accepted his defeat. Even with Reinforcement and Dragon Slaying Hero activated he didn't stand a chance against a free-for-all with his other selves. Nothing save for Armor of the Champion could protect him completely, and he wasn't willing to use it so soon. The King of Swords was much faster than he was when he drew Derflinger for some reason. Sir Emiya the knight was just as fast and somehow stronger than him. The Ash of Miracles had some crazy near-instant regenerative abilities. And King Apeiron could probably take them all on at once.
But the God Slayer refused to go down just yet. With his last breath, he called upon the Authority Rule of the Underworld. "If I can't cook in a kitchen THEN NO ONE CAN!"
*scene*
Tohsaka Rin had dreamed of a fire that night. A fire beyond any description she knew possible. Bodies burned, flesh was mutilated, people screamed— it was hell on earth. She recognized it as the Fuyuki City Fire from ten years ago. She knew hundreds of people died from it, but she could never comprehend how terrible the event truly was until this dream. This dream, to which she understood wasn't hers to begin with, was a horrific recalling of someone who had experienced it.
A boy. A boy no older than six or seven. A boy walking through the flames and smoke consuming all of those around him. A boy who was slowly dying from the heat, from the suffocation, from his insides screaming at him to help someone. Rin watched as this child marched on through the street, climbing over wreckage, combing over corpses, treading over embers of wood and flesh alike.
She watched as he forced himself to keep moving at any cost. At any cost. Fragments of his soul were being chipped away with each step. When he was about to collapse, he surrendered another piece of himself, as though it were physical weight, and continued to march on. Bit by bit, step by step, he marched on, slowly losing himself until madness remained. When it wasn't enough, the boy gave up his cognitive thought, his emotions, his love, his joy, his rage, his despair. Until he gave up the madness that was pushing him to go forward.
He was a hollow husk. No better than those corpses blazing.
Without anything to fuel him to go further, he collapsed. With nothing, not even the primal instinct to survive and hope, the boy looked up at the sky. He reached for it, as though through this emptiness understood all the mysteries that had lain beyond the mortal understanding. Pure, undiluted innocence. Neither good nor bad existed in his mind.
Only acceptance. This was to be his end.
But as his hand was falling to death's embrace, someone else had captured it instead. A man. A man had found the boy. Tears streaked down his face and a smile blazed brighter than the flames. He repeated over and over about how he found someone. How he had saved someone.
Just one.
But the boy, void of anything of his former self, studied the man— absorbing everything about him. He recognized the joy of the man but found he could not emulate it. Certain conditions had to be met first. And so the boy wondered… how could he ever feel such joy as the man?
To find the answer, the boy willed himself to live just a little longer.
That was when Rin woke up. The dream— and she called it that loosely— shook her. She could feel the flames eat at her skin, at how the air was choking her and burning her lungs with each breath, and she could feel the woe and misery of every innocent burning to their deaths. She didn't know what had been worse— those people or the boy who sold his soul to survive.
The news and memorial services never specified how graphic it truly was.
Normally Rin was not a morning person. And after having exhausted herself in the Servant Summoning ritual hardly five hours ago, she should be twice the zombie getting out of bed than usual. Yet, because of that dream, she was wide awake and unwilling the chance of slumber so soon. She threw over the sheets and went to prepare herself for the day.
A knock came at her door.
She groaned, "Just a minute."
That's right. She had summoned her Servants— with great emphasis on the plural. Supposedly, six of the Fake Janitors were still alive and could not take on their astral forms as a normal Servant should be able to. Or, just maybe, the only Heroic Spirit, the Archer, had come upstairs to greet her after sensing her wake up and had knocked just to be polite.
She donned a robe and announced, "You can come in now."
Expecting one of the Shirous to enter, Rin was thrown off-guard when a middle-aged Japanese woman in a formal maid outfit came in with a tray of morning refreshments.
Rin charged a Gandr at her index finger and pointed it at the unknown lady. "W-Who are you?"
The maid placed the tray calmly at one of Rin's dresser, turned, and gave a light bow of respect. "Good morning, Tohsaka-sama." Her tone was ever so polite and professional it almost made Rin drop her guard. Almost. "I am Suzuki Asuka— I am a vassal of King Emiya and have been requested to take up the responsibility of being the housemaid of this establishment. I have come personally this morning to properly ask for your permission rather than impose myself and Shirou-sama."
Rin, however, wasn't reacting as she should have. She should be asking at least one important question— particularly how this woman got past her Bounded Field without her knowing— but was lost instead on something this Asuka character mentioned.
"King Emiya?" her left brow twitched.
"I am but a mere servant of Shirou-sama's," replied the maid. "I have been instructed to tell you any and all questions pertaining to his kingship should be directed towards him. However, I may indulge you in the knowledge of my responsibilities; such as the cleaning of the household, the cooking, laundry, the management of proper behavior, and any such services you might require on hand."
"Management of proper behavior?" Rin asked. The way Asuka said that… it sounded like she had already enforced this onto her house. But… how…?
Asuka did not answer and began to pour the tea she brought up. "I hope this morning brew is to your liking, Tohsaka-sama. Please enjoy it while I return to the kitchen. Breakfast shall be ready in twenty minutes. If there is anything you need of me simply knock on the door three times— Shirou-sama and… Shirou…-san have used their magic to trigger a notification."
Used. Their. Magic.
As soon as Rin saw the real Emiya Shirou at school she was going to blast him a few times with a Gandr. She was so upset she couldn't even tell the maid she didn't eat breakfast.
With nothing else to say, the maid Asuka excused herself with another light bow. With the grace of a Tohsaka heiress, Rin shut the door in a calm and quiet manner. She did not break from this grace as she picked up the warm porcelain cup (after using a spell to make sure it wasn't poisoned) and embraced its soothing scent. A sip was taken without a slurp and placed back down without a sound.
For the remainder of the time, she attended her morning necessities without making a noise. No step could be heard, no clatter of appliances or toiletries when used, nor a swish or sway when changing clothes. It was as though her bedroom was recognized by Gaia as being 'soundless'.
Let it be known Tsunami Tohsaka was brewing.
Speaking of brewing— before Rin exited her room, she decided to pour herself another cup and bring it with her. No point in spoiling good tea now was there?
*scene*
Archer had decided to return to the manor at just the right time. Every fiber of his being had been screaming at him to stay as far away from his other selves as much as possible, but he could not ignore his Master in the process. He had sensed her wake up and decided it would have been best to greet her. Though he did not know why just yet, those other 'Emiya Shirou' radiated strong killing intent towards him, even if they hid it well with their diverse (yet annoyingly similar) personalities. Likewise, Archer loathed being around them for more reasons he could not recall. It didn't take a genius to figure out he was another 'Emiya Shirou' but he could not recall why he hated his other selves so much. Nonetheless, they knew something about him— something strong enough to warrant his death.
Staying away was a wise decision.
But when he came into the manor he found a sight even he had to laugh at. All of his other selves were sitting seiza style with their heads bowed in a straight line. All of them were covered in bruises and untreated wounds except the idiot wearing sunglasses indoors who was the only one with bandages.
Across of them, staring down like a wrathful goddess ready to smite them all was their Master. She was as poised and proper as a true Magus should be, but her eyes were burning with such a rage beyond measure. When she took a sip of her tea, she looked to be in a good mood as though the morning could not bother her in any way. She smiled— a Cheshire grin so wide and twisted Archer thought he should go back outside instead. Who wouldn't? Surrounding all of them was a room damaged beyond repair.
There was no longer just one hole, but three. The couch was split in two, the coffee table had been shattered into dozens of pieces, and there was blood everywhere.
The show was too good to pass up.
"Which one of you is King Emiya?" she asked in a sing-song tune.
Fingers immediately shot towards the King of Steel. There was no form of companionship when pressured by the Tohsaka Rin.
The Campione was silent as he broke out in heavy cold sweat awaiting his judgment.
"Would you kindly explain to me who this Suzuki Asuka is, Emiya-kun?" Rin's voice was soft and beautiful, but filled with such cold steel her words hurt to hear.
Archer scowled in disappointment. He was expecting her to kill one of them for doing the exact opposite of what she ordered last night. Well, it wasn't an order as it was more of a suggestion. Still, they screwed everything up but, again, Rin chose to ask about the stranger in the kitchen first.
'Is she delusional or is she just building up tension for what's to come?'
The God Slayer gave a nervous laugh as his sweating increased. "A-Asuka-san is a servant of mine I hired not too long ago. See, all of us were debating who would take up the kitchen duties, so, to be fair, I brought Asuka-san here—" he stopped himself from saying anything else.
"Go on," Rin urged him to continue. Her brow was twitching once more. "How did you get her through my Bounded Field?"
Compelled against his will, the King of Steel was being forced to explain. Archer could almost hear the grinding of the gears in his head as well as seeing the signs of searching in desperation for a window of opportunity. "Well… you see…"
But that King of Swords spoke in his stead, "Asuka-san was—"
Without even bothering to look in his direction, Rin fired a black orb from her fingertip and struck the blue-clad 'King' between the eyes. He was thrown onto his back.
"Brimir's balls!" cried his sword. "Oi, Partner! You alright?!"
"Argh," groaned the fallen Shirou. "Forgot how bad it—" but was forcibly cut off when Rin hammered a few more of her spells his way. He upchucked and laid there in his own vomit.
Rin's smile did not falter. Rather, it seemed to have widened as she watched her victim squirm. "I wasn't talking to you. Now, Emiya-kun, please answer my question."
'Or else' was heard by everyone.
The self-proclaimed God Slayer began to lose his complexion as the blood drained from his face. He no longer looked away to find some diversion or misleading answer. Here was a boy on a rowboat in the middle of the ocean facing the full wrath of a storm.
"I-I brought her here with something called an Authority. It's kinda like magic but not exactly. The Authority is called Rule of the Underworld and it allows me to resurrect the dead."
Archer cocked a brow. This one had the ability to raise the dead? Not just reanimating them but a full-on Incarnation with a body and soul? Something like that was on par to the Third Magic— the very thing that called Heroic Spirits as Servants. Archer had listened when the Campione said he inherited the abilities of gods he killed, but to have an actual ability to grant such a miracle?
If he could bring back the dead as an Incarnate being, did that include those placed on the Throne as well? He'd have to keep his eyes on this one.
Rin, having missed their stories last night, did not believe such words and fired a single shot at the God Slayer. She blinked once as the orb made contact with his skin and just sizzled out— even the force of the blow died before damage could be done. Her smile thinned just noticeably as she fired a few more. The same results happened.
The Tohsaka heiress did not lose her smile nor her grace, even when she put her tea down to roll up her sleeve. The florescent seals of the Tohsaka Crest came to life at her call. The King of Steel lifted his hands, scooted back, and tried to plead with her to calm down, which, sadly, fell on deaf ears. With its amplified power to her circuits, she fired a burst of black orbs twice as fast and twice as dark as before. Dust and debris flew everywhere as some of the shots completely missed its target. The other Shirous dove out of the way.
Unfortunately, they could not touch the God Slayer.
Rin was not happy. Not one bit. Her smile was gone, replaced by a thin line and a furrowed brow twitching. Even by doing nothing, these alternatives of Archer were making the storm that much worse. On one hand, Archer was impressed the King of Steel had a high level of Magic Resistance. On the other… it did nothing to quell Rin's rage.
The sound of the maid clearing her throat brought everyone to attention. "Tohsaka-sama, forgive me for intruding in your duties as the mistress of this house, but breakfast is served and it will get cold if you don't come and eat."
Rin stared at Asuka for a moment, debating if she should do as suggested or continue to take her frustration out of the Kaleido-Shirous.
The low grumble of her stomach (that everyone pretended to not hear else start everything all over again) convinced her. Besides, it wouldn't do well if she continued and damaged her house even further with her magic.
She gave one glare at everyone, including Archer, and gave one order. "Fix. This. Now."
The previous order of 'stop ignoring her' pulsed in the back of his mind and no doubt the others. Even when he clearly had nothing to do with this mess he was still forced to listen to her. As she followed the maid to the dining room the pressure collapsed. A few of the idiots took a deep gasp of air, some laughed nervously, and the King of Swords groaned in his unconsciousness. The King of Steel went on his knees and started heaving— not from Rin's curse, but from nerves.
The compulsion tugged once more, most likely coming from Rin when she wasn't hearing anything happening. Archer cursed his shit-tastic level of Luck and began gathering the mess into a heap to be thrown out.
He was debating whether it was worth challenging all of them together or continue to avoid them. Maybe he'd be lucky and take a few out with him.
*scene*
Rin was in a significantly better mood after breakfast. Her ire had yet to completely disappear, but she was much more tolerant about her questionable Servants. The servant to King Emiya (it still maddened her how this simpleton could possibly be a Root be Damned KING) was an exceptional chef. Even Rin had to acknowledge her skill in the kitchen was better than hers. The meal was just a simple combination of fish, rice, and miso soup. Yet, strangely, Rin almost gave into the temptation of having second helpings. Almost.
When entering the living room, she was glad to find out they had actually listened to her finally and were in the process of cleaning their mess. Archer and King Emiya were piling things in a heap while the crimson-clad Shirou was hefting it into a trashcan and carrying it outside to be dumped and repeated the process. The one clad in knight armor and the not-so-gray-anymore Shirou were busy scrubbing the blood off the walls. The dumbass still wearing the sunglasses was shampooing the carpet and picking up what small bits and pieces the others missed.
The one with the talking sword was still twitching in the corner. At least they cleaned up his bile.
"Archer."
The only assured Servant turned towards her. "Yes?"
"Can you go into your astral form?"
"If you're asking if it's possible then yes, I can."
"Good." Finally. Some good news from this catastrophe. "You'll be coming with me to school while they stay here and finish." Her attention went to the others, "Clean this up, fix everything as it was before, and stay put. When I get back we're going to have a very long talk."
"Ah, Rin," the gray(ish) Shirou stopped scrubbing to inquire something from her. "We were wondering if we finish early could we go out to scout—"
"No," she denied it immediately. It was only half because she was still semi-pissed at them. The other half however… "The Emiya Shirou here is recognizable by everyone at school. I wouldn't doubt from his personality of helping everyone at impulse he is known just as much around the city. Having more than one Shirou walking around is a bad idea."
"However," he pressed on, "I as well as a few others should look completely different from the Shirou of this world." She caught the 'this world' comment. "If we can blend in or hide ourselves well enough, will you allow us to scout the city? There's a possibility we can also find the locations of other Masters."
She thought about it. She knew nothing about her supposed Servants other than they were somehow connected to Emiya Shirou. They claimed they weren't Heroic Spirits yet some of them were leaking more mana than some of Rin's jewels. One had a talking sword and another had Magic Resistance capable of neutralizing her Fin shots. The one talking to her had Perfect Eyes he could turn on and off at will. They were all capable of ruining her living room at cataclysmic levels with the subtlety to not wake her. She didn't know how they could do these things and she didn't want them running around Fuyuki. What if they run into other Servants?
"Fine," she waved it off against her better judgment. "If you can clean everything and fix the mess you made then you can go explore. But if you do I expect you to be back before sundown. Am I clear?"
He gave her a warm smile, "Thank you Rin. I appreciate it."
She turned and headed towards the door before she could react. That smile… somehow it pissed her off to a new level. She wanted to shoot him. But it didn't upset her the same way she found their habits and gestures annoying. That smile… it made her blush and she didn't know why.
She slammed the door and continued to march away, ignoring the sounds behind her that resembled power tools. Stopping to contemplate how they pulled those out of seemingly nowhere when Rin would never have them to begin with would have driven her further into insanity. Not even a full day and she was ready to strangle them all.
She did stop when she spotted the black metal rod sticking out of the grass beside her pathway. Prana was coursing through it and echoing a light hum barely audible. Looking around, she spotted more of these littering in every direction.
"Archer," her voice was monotone.
The Servant following her in his spiritual form said nothing nor gave any suggestion he was paying attention to her. However, the Master/Servant bond— the only bond she could feel— told her his eyes were on her.
"What is this?"
"I've no idea," the Archer shrugged. "While you were asleep, the Dead Apostle, the God Slayer, and the idiot who sold his soul to the Fae were talking about building a Boundary Field to fend off some god. I'm guessing these have something to do with it."
She didn't know at what point to ask. Dead Apostle? God Slayer? Contractor to the Fae? That they were messing with her Bounded Fields? Or the mentioning of a god?
"Tell me everything," she ordered.
*Scene*
Shirou, the Eighth Campione, was getting help from the knight remove anything unsalvageable from the room since Archer left. The two of them were quiet. He wanted to run to Asuka and ask her how Illya and everyone else under his care were doing. It had been only a few hours but Illya was probably running around like a chicken without her head. She was nowhere near incompetent, but she had a tendency to overreact when something happens to him— just as he had to admit would if it was her. The compulsion of the Command was keeping him from doing such, however. He didn't mind it that much. Having something to do and keep his hands busy was nice for once. He hardly was allowed to clean in his own house.
The knight of the Round Table didn't find it as relaxing. Shirou watched as his other self pause every now and then. And the sighing. Oh the sighing. Something was on his mind and hindering him from cleaning up. Shirou didn't understand. If he was another Shirou then cooking, cleaning, and maintenance work was euphoric to the mind. But, he was another alternative just like the others. Maybe he didn't have the same joys as he did?
"Why don't you take a break?" he asked the knight. "I can take care of the rest. There's not much left."
Granted it will take twice as long now and he wanted to talk to Asuka as soon as possible, but it looked like the knight needed his privacy more.
"Is it really that obvious?" questioned the Arthurian. He grimaced and shook his head, "I can still keep working. What happened here was a part of my fault; I need to take the responsibility of helping with the repairs."
"Don't worry about it," Shirou went over and took a hold of the metal trashcan he was using. "It's almost done anyways. You have a lot on your mind and could use the time to think things over. I'd do it now before later when Rin really puts us to work as her Servants."
"That's what I'm…" the knight began but let his voice die down. His head was bowed as something else distracted him— something Shirou could not follow. Ever since he, the King of Swords, and Troper finished going over their experiences in the War with this one, the knight had a loss in morality. As a sworn knight to Arturia Pendragon and a knight of Camelot, this Shirou had nearly drowned in the information about what became of his comrades and king. Saber's wish and Lancelot becoming a Berserker in the Fourth War especially struck deep.
"Y…Yeah… If you don't mind…"
"Go ahead," Shirou smiled and patted his counterpart's shoulder. "I've got this covered."
With another word of thanks, the knight of the Round Table walked out of the manor.
Now Shirou had a few things on his mind as well, though nowhere near crippling enough to make him stop working. Most of his thoughts were focused on the questions he wanted to ask Asuka. He also pondered on the depths of his Authorities. Gaia was rejecting the presence of Asuka, he could tell, and it was more strenuous to keep her as she is now. Not that it was too heavy, but the tug on his Od was noticeable much like strapping a few minor weights to his limbs. Normally, he could bring back ten zombie warriors with the amount of power required to bring a fully-fleshed servant. Now it was slightly more than double that amount.
He also sighed, realizing his Projections were back at their original costs thanks to Gaia's presence.
What he really wanted to wonder was how his other Authorities would work in this world. Other than a possible increase in prana cost would there be some other restrictions? The curse of Decay he gave the Ash of Miracles did cost more prana but had the same price when it came to the backlash of using such an Authority. The level of pain depending on the degree of the curse was the same. He wondered if it would last just as long as the sword— a week or so. Metals and jewels brought up by Rule of the Underworld would not be rejected because they come directly from the earth itself. But would Gaia reject that part of the Authority and forbid them from surfacing?
Gaia could be a bitch sometimes, so maybe.
From his minor skirmish with the other Shirous, he was able to determine Dragon Slaying Hero was fully accessible without restrictions. He wondered if it was so because of it was strongly affiliated with Steel, which went hand-in-hand with his Sword Element, which, therefore, was what made up his Reality Marble. Could Gaia not touch it because of that? Silly. Of course the World could. Gaia immediately saw Reality Marbles as something that did not belong and rejected its existence. Maybe he'd study in Rin's library about everything relating to Perseus to get a better grasp at the Authority.
He will have to wait to see if Snow would be affected by Gaia's laws. Since his battle with Mordred, the Pegasus had yet to rejuvenate and so Shirou could not call upon him just yet. He also wanted to wait on that as long as possible. Summoning Snow just to experiment on the influence of Gaia made him feel sick. It would be best to keep him in its legend unless Snow was absolutely needed.
Armors of the Knight and Bloodstained Fields will need to be tested. He knew what they could do but he wasn't aware of their full extent just since he hadn't used them so far. Since neither Authorities were the embodiment of living, intelligent, friendly creatures he didn't mind experimenting with them. He made a note to do so as soon as he could.
Before Shirou knew it, the large pile had been cleared. He had even gotten on his knees at some point to pick up the splinters and shards. Everything had been moved far away from the house to be burnt at a later time. Shirou didn't feel like he was lost in his mind for that long, but it was apparently long enough to lose track of time.
"Shirou-sama," Asuka approached him with a tray of several glasses of iced tea.
"Ah, Asuka-san, thank you," he smiled and took a glass. He didn't take a sip even as he watched her offer the refreshments to the others. The Ash of Miracles had been using a Projected Mystic Code which allowed him to carve into the wall. It spun shards of prana at a high velocity, giving it the look and sound of a power saw. His goal was to remove anything hazardous from the wall and place a Bounded Field to fill up the hole with solid prana and an illusion to have it match the appearance of the exterior and interior sides. He had given the explanation about how he successfully lowered the cost of using the Mystic Code as well as the theory of his Bounded Field to King Apeiron while said King was moving anything cut off into another pile.
Looks like Shirou had more stuff to haul.
Troper went off in search for a vacuum. Shirou wasn't sure if Rin even had one to begin with. Though she wasn't tech-savvy, Rin at least had some modern era technology. Like a television, for one. It was debatable if she had a vacuum because he was sure she had some spell on her that could clean her floors just as well. Then again, she probably wouldn't because if Shirou ever had such a spell she'd berate him on stepping all over the wonders of magic on something so mundane.
Meanwhile, the King of Swords was still in the fetal position.
"Asuka-san," Shirou called his servant when she was done.
"Shirou-sama," the maid approached him again.
"What's been going on since I've been away? How is Illya?"
"That is a question I cannot answer well," she shook her head. Her reply made his brow furrow. "At some point when I removed you from the kitchen after the Feast of Kings and you were heading to your study, you disappeared. Illya-sama discerned your absence immediately. There was an… anomaly in the hallway. Yusuke-san, Kuhoutsuka-san, Kaida-san, and I couldn't tell what it is, but Illya-sama is able to see something. She was unable to describe what it was exactly, however."
He frowned. There was lingering residue from the summoning? It was both a good and bad thing. Good, because with enough time and patience Illya can use it to link the worlds together and either bring him back or come here herself. Bad, because there was a high chance she could rip something and bring that world, this world, and possibly every other world to an end.
Though they were working, the Shirous were also listening to the conversation.
"I'm sorry that I brought you here like this. I'd honestly wish if you were still there. You have a knack of keeping things in order."
"Indeed," she nodded sagely. The memory of her scolding them flashed through everyone's minds. Her Charisma must be beyond A-Rank. "However there is nothing that can be done until Illya-sama finds what is wrong. Perhaps with the History Compilation Committee she will find a way. I am grateful, My King, to be back in your services. The afterlife was… should I say? Boring. Retaking my profession is a wonderful change of pace."
Boring? Shirou blinked. He hadn't been gone no longer than, what, six-seven hours by now? Yusuke and Asuka should have had enough mana in them to remain in the living world for five hours tops without him. The way she spoke sounded like she had been away from the living too long— like an extended vacation from an occupation one loved.
"What do you mean?" he questioned with worry in his voice. "Suzuki-san, how long have I been gone?"
"That is what I mean when I said your question was something I could not answer well," she said. "Shirou-sama, the perspective of time in Heaven is different from the one on Earth. I cannot tell you how long I had been vacated in the realm of the dead. However, Yusuke-san was the first to leave the living five hours after you disappeared. Illya-sama fed me questionable and foul herbs from her workshop to keep me remaining for an additional day. I returned to the dead before she could finish brewing a potion 'to keep me bound for a week', Illya-sama said. In total, I had remained in the living realm for twenty-six hours since you vanished."
He gaped like a fish. Twenty-six hours?! That… that was ridiculous! Not to mention there was an even bigger gap of unknown time since Asuka had been in the land of the dead.
This put complications over their already complicated situation.
Shirou combed his fingers through his hair. "I… I see…"
"Shirou-sama," Asuka's eyes shifted slightly. No one would have noticed if they weren't looking directly at her like he was. Her head turned just enough to look at the others for a moment and then turn back to her King. "If it will not trouble you, I wish to ask you of your… situation."
He cupped his chin and thought of where to start. It was a fair request. He had vanished from thin air in his own home, caused his residents to panic, and then pulled her here to work for him without giving any explanations. She provided each and every task within the past few hours without question and with as much enthusiasm as she normally would. The entire time he had caught a few looks of worry and curiosity come his way even as she dutifully worked.
And so he told her everything he knew so far.
