"Rin….Rin, wake up! Rin!" She could feel herself being shaken out of the darkness with which she swirled in. She opened her eyes to find a woman. It took her a moment to realize who had found her. She looked around her and remembered where she was and what had happened. She shot up and looked for him. Looked for the man who had caused her to faint.
"Where….Where did he go?!" She asked as she looked around her. But it was no use, the man had disappeared.
"Where…where did who go?" Sera, the woman who had found Rin, asked.
Rin swore under her breath, remembering Sera was with her, and chastising herself for her blunder. "I'm sorry," she told Sera. "I didn't mean to frighten you. I just had a dream…I suppose I forgot it was just so." Rin gave Sera the best reassuring smile she could manage, and bowed her head slightly. "Thank you for caring for me, but I'm fine, promise!" She turned back towards the door, brushed herself off, smoothed down her hair, picked up her things and started for the entrance.
"What….Wait!" Rin could hear Sera call out to her, but Rin didn't stop or turn back around. She just had to get inside. Besides, she didn't know what to tell Sera if she asked why she fainted. A blood condition? Asthma? Tripped and fell? Whatever, Rin thought, I don't have to tell her or anyone else anything. It's none of their business. She ran possibilities through her head as to why she was seeing Lancer. Why is Lancer coming to me? Am I going crazy? Brain tumor? Her anger began to rise. At what, she didn't know. Her malfunctioning brain? Lancer?
She tried to push such thoughts away as she sat down at her desk and prayed Lancer-or her brain- didn't put on another performance while she was at work.
Rin walked out of the door of her work and started for her car. All day people had been gossiping about her. Of course, she thought. The biggest talker at my work just had to be the one who found me. She got in to her car and leaned her head down on the steering wheel. A million things ran through her head. Was the grail trying to tell her something? She didn't know, and she didn't care. She had already played her part in the wars, and she swore she never would again. She took a deep breath and sat up. She looked around the car to make sure he wasn't there, and, deciding it was safe, put her keys in the ignition. While she was driving home, she realized she hadn't eaten all day. She thought about what she wanted for dinner, which took her mind off of things for the first time all day. She decided she wanted Pad Sew Yew, meaning she needed to go the market. She also decided she would add in a few drinks, considering the day she's had. When she got to the market, she quickly bought all the ingredients she would need and picked up what she needed for her drinks. She drove home, and immediately started on her dinner. While the noodles were boiling and the boy choy was cooking, she decided to make her drinks- a Lychee Rose. It was her favorite drink, and you never felt the alcohol until it was already in effect. She drank one, and then finished making her dinner. By this point, her stomach was growling and she felt as if she hadn't eaten in days. She added the peanuts and lime wedges as a finishing touch, and sat down to eat. It's sooooo goood! She thought as she shoved food in her mouth. By the time she was done, her belly was full. She cleaned up the kitchen and put the left overs in the fridge. She made more of her Lychee Rose and sat down in her living room. As she drank, she decided it was a good time to start thinking about what had happened today. She knew now that it was the Grail calling out to her. She also knew that it would continue to haunt her until she agreed to participate…but she refused. She didn't want that kind of trouble in her life ever again. I guess I just have to deal with the hallucinations until the end of the war….she thought. By now she could feel the drink taking its affect on her, but she didn't care. She welcomed it, and poured herself another glass. She layed back her head and flashbacks of the last war ran through her head. How all of the players were killed, all except her and Shiro. When she decided to drop from the competition instead of facing Shiro. When the time came for her and Shiro to face off, she couldn't bring herself to do it. She used all of her commands for Saber, making her no longer a master, and therefore, no longer a competitor in the war. Shiro didn't kill her, which pissed Rin off at the time. She knew why, although she didn't feel the same towards him. He went on to the Holy Grail winnings. Rin knew what he wished for-or rather the basis of what he wished for. Something about becoming a hero…even after the whole thing with Archer.
Rin sat up, pushing those thoughts from her head. That's enough of that for tonight…she thought. Ever since that night, she had felt ashamed for not completing the war for her father. For being a coward. She knew that if she ever got the chance to participate in the war again, and she accepted, she would end up being a coward once more. Above everything else, that's the thing she feared most. Her number one reason for hating the war, for refusing to ever participate again. She poured herself another drink-the last one tonight, she old herself- and began sipping from it when she heard a noise from the kitchen. She turned to see what it was, but there was nothing there. Probably just Mimi she thought. Mimi was her cat- a white fluffy furball of love. She found the cat one day outside of a restaurant, cold and wet from the rain. It was looking for food and was all skin and bones. Rin tried to approach it, but it was too scared. She walked back in to the restaurant and bought a few pieces of fish, then went back to the cat and offered it to her. The cat was hesitant at first, but after she figured out what Rin was holding, she happily trotted over to her. Rin brought her home that night, and since then, Mimi had made a remarkable recovery. Rin loved that cat. She realized then that she hadn't seen the cat all day. She got up to go find her, and realized how much she had drank. She set her glass down and started for the hall.
"Mimiiiii," Rin called out. "Where are you, Mimi?" She saw the fuzz ball at the end of the hallway and walked towards her, but before she could reach her, she turned left and ran to the living room and up the stairs. Rin walked faster, wondering what was wrong with her cat. She saw her running up the stairs and skipped up the stairs after her. She watched at the top of her stairs as Mimi ran in to her study.
"Mimi…?" she called out. How did that door get opened? Rin thought. She hadn't gone in to her study since….since the last war. It's where she kept all of her supplies-her gems, her weapons, her plans. A sudden pang of fear shot up through her as she realized the only possibility was an intruder. Fearing for her cat's safety, Rin ran in to the study. She looked around the room looking for the cat, finally spotting her on top of the far table.
"Mimi!" she cried as she ran to her beloved cat. She picked her up and snuggled her close. "Mimi, you scared me. Don't ever do something like that again!" The cat meowed softly, and Rin was no longer mad. "How did you manage to get in here, Mimi? I could've sworn I locked the door…" She turned back to the door and stared silently at it. She looked down at her cat, trying to come up with a scenario that would include her leaving the study room door open.
Suddenly, Mimi let out a scared hiss, and the door slowly closed behind her. Mimi clawed at Rin's chest, making her let go as she jumped back to the table.
"Ow, Mimi! What was that for?" Rin yelled at the cat, feeling at her chest where it had been clawed. She felt the large claw marks on her chest, and knew, even in the darkness, that she was bleeding. "Geez, Mimi. Why'd you-"
"That should be the last of your worries." A voice sounded from behind her, closer to the door.
Rin swirled around, searching for the intruder. "Who's there?" she shouted. She ran to the wall behind her, feeling for her favorite staff. She aimed to incapacitate, not kill. Finding it, she readied her weapon and self, and called out to the intruder again. "Answer me!"
"Oh, Rin. You think that can help you? You couldn't even finish off anyone in the war! And you hope to win over me? Ha! That's laughable." The man continued to laugh. How does he know about the war? Rin thought. Something about him sounded familiar, but she couldn't quite put a face to the voice.
"Laugh all you want, intruder. But you will not be leaving here unharmed." She tried, again to find the man, but the best she could see was a figure standing next to the door. But for Rin, that's all she needed. She gripped her staff tightly, and, without hesitation, charged towards the man.