Fuyuki City
Clothes shopping with an ancient Irish warrior turned out to be pretty hilarious in Harry's opinion, and that wasn't just the sleep deprivation talking.
Diarmuid had been initially quite eager to stroll through a department store on foot, so Harry had decided to wander the building from the bottom up until they found men's wear. Each huge floor filled to bursting with products to buy had delighted the spirit, and Harry enjoyed walking in his excited wake as he hurried from one display to the next.
Unfortunately, after four floors, they finally had to deal with the one sour point of the outing.
Diarmuid was actually a very handsome man, so of course women really liked to crowd around the spirit when they saw him. Diarmuid hated it. At least, Harry assumed he did. The spirit smiled the whole time they walked in a big loop from the lift and back on every floor as more and more women joined the crowd. But to Harry's eyes, it looked like the type of smile that was pasted on and held steady with an iron will.
When Harry realised Diarmuid was truly upset, he didn't bother wandering through the displays of goods, instead turning straight back to the lift to find men's wear, and up they went...with part of the crowd still packed into the elevator with them.
They only really escaped when they got to the men's changing room. Harry left Diarmuid to hide while he went through the floor, searching for appropriate outfits for the spirit to try on. By the time he came back, some employees had convinced the women to return to their own shopping, and many had wandered off as if they'd forgotten what they came for.
The shopping trip went much better after that. In an effort to cheer the spirit up, Harry brought back anything that caught his eye. Some of the clothes were genuinely chosen because he thought Diarmuid might like them, but some were downright ridiculous and more likely to make the spirit question his master's, and the era's, taste.
Harry was positive that Diarmuid did figure out at least half the clothes he was brought were only for laughs, but he still put everything on with good humor. The spirit even surprised Harry, coming out in some of the more peculiar fashion pieces to pose and saunter comically until Harry fell off his chair from laughing, and a floor manager came over to ask them to calm down.
Eventually though, they had two outfits for Diarmuid, one of which he put on to wear out, and the other which joined Harry's own clothes in his bag. Only two outfits, because the spirit refused to waste any more of Harry's money, and nothing Harry said could convince him otherwise. At least he seemed satisfied with his new clothing, as well as being able to walk around freely.
He was less enthusiastic walking into another pachinko parlor, but so was Harry really. At least having physical company in the midst of all the noise and smoke was a comfort, so Harry was able to power though for longer than that morning. When he and Diarmuid went to collect their winnings, Harry decided it was enough for at least a couple of weeks. He figured it was safe to keep the same money and duplicate from it for a few months before he needed to worry about getting new bills.
That plan was a good thing to bring up when it came time to buy train tickets to Fuyuki, because neither Harry nor Diarmuid had expected them to be quite as expensive as they turned out to be.
Harry's obvious shock over the price made the knightly spirit try to insist he would continue to travel in spirit form, and only Harry's pressing the "ACCEPT" button and printing out the two tickets had stopped him from trying to vanish right there. This resulted in Diarmuid subtly sulking for most of the six hour trip, while Harry tried to reason with him until he fell asleep, leaning against the quiet Heroic Spirit.
Harry tried not to be embarrassed when he found out he'd been drooling on Diarmuid's arm for most of the ride, and told himself that sleeping was apparently a good way to win an argument with Diarmuid, as all discussion of wasted money was dropped when he woke up. This left Harry free to get them a room for two in a reasonable hotel he found in a pamphlet at the Fuyuki station, no matter that it was more expensive than a room for one.
Of course, that backfired nicely as soon as they walked into the room they'd be sharing for however long the Grail War would last.
"You know, I really should have seen this coming," Harry muttered as he stared down at the bed.
"I can stay in spirit form while you sleep," Diarmuid said with a rueful smirk. "Or I can keep watch. As a spiritual being, I don't actually need to sleep."
"Whatever's comfortable for you," Harry said with a shrug. "Sleep or don't or whatever!" He swung his bag off and tossed it on the double bed, the only bed, in the small room. "I really do wonder though, what the hell is in a single person room?"
Their hotel room was barely big enough for the bed, shoved against a wall and leaving only a small aisle between it and the desk with a T.V. and mini fridge, where he and Diarmuid were currently standing. A short cushioned bench was shoved against the wall between the dest and the window. The small aisle widened into a small hall that led to the door and a cramped bathroom. He wasn't really sure what he expected, but he was too tired to complain.
"You should sleep, my Master," Diarmuid said gently. "It is late, you have a bed, and you have done all you can for now."
"I should probably get more food," Harry said with a glance at his bag, much lighter after he finished off the rice balls and one of the large tea bottles. "And my name is Harry."
"We can find more food in the morning," Diarmuid reasoned. "Rest, Master Harry. I shall watch over you and scout the area. Tomorrow we can gather more resources and plan our next move."
Harry sighed, rubbing his eyes. Bloody spirit. "You sure you don't need to sleep yourself?"
The spirit shook his head with a wide grin. "That should only be necessary if I run low on mana, and you have me well supplied, my Master!"
Harry frowned, thinking he must mean from summoning him and finally nodded. "Alright then. Don't get in too much trouble."
Then he shoved his bag to the floor, toed off his shoes and climbed under the stiff blanket. Napping on trains had not been enough, and even as crisp and cold as the sheets were, the bed felt like a little piece of Heaven for the few minutes it took before Harry was out.
Men were running through a wide field, bathed in sunlight. There was shouting but wind beat against Harry's ears so he couldn't make it out. There was a familiar figure ahead, facing several men with swords and spears. The man's back was to him, and he held the hand of a beautiful woman standing beside him...
There was a fire roaring in another dark, round room, filled with cheering, singing people. The man was there again, laughing and drinking with friends, and raising his cup with the rest toward one end of the room. A man and woman sat at the head of a table, set on a pedestal, eating from a feast laid out just for them. Around the room, similar foods were spread across long tables, and men and women wandered around eating whatever they picked up…
The room was quiet, the fire from before was banked, and moonlight streamed in from high above, where there was a hole in the center of the thatched roof. A woman was murmuring in the quiet. She woke the man, and wept onto his shoulder…
Harry blinked awake, feeling cool air on his arms and his head pounding with a headache. He sat up slowly and found himself alone.
He was dreaming about Diarmuid, he was sure of it! But why?
He got up to go to the bathroom to wash up, and was just finishing when Diarmuid returned. Harry stared at him, maybe a little too blankly, because the spirit stopped smiling in the middle of telling him of what he'd learned about Fuyuki so far.
"Master?" Diarmuid's voice snapped Harry out of his thoughts, and he shook his head.
"Nothing, sorry. What were you saying?"
The spirit frowned, watching him worriedly, but didn't comment. "I was saying I have found several places like the 'convini' you bought food at before, as well as some restaurants you may like if you want something more substantial."
Harry nodded and walked over to the bed to put his socks on. "Thanks. What do you feel like eating?"
"Whatever you would like best, my Master."
Harry gave him an exhausted stare, and finally Diarmuid smiled again.
"As a spirit, I also do not need to eat. Though I will try anything you recommend."
Harry rolled his eyes. "Anything else, oh spirit?"
Diarmuid frowned. "I can sense that another Heroic Spirit is somewhere in the city, but I cannot locate them. Also," he looked out the window in confusion, "I think we are the only two Spirits that have been summoned so far."
"How many need to be summoned again?"
"Seven Heroic Spirits," Diarmuid answered. "The other Masters should have made their summonings on or close to the same night. It can be dangerous if they do not, as a Master without a Servant to protect them makes for a tempting target to the less honorable sort."
Harry hummed and picked up his bag with a thoughtful look. "Sounds like maybe Archibald was trying to get an advantage then. I wonder who else summoned early?" He headed for the door with a shrug. "Oh well, any idea when everyone else is going to summon and start this weird War?"
"Technically any night should be suitable, but given that two Servants have been summoned already, the other Masters may be planning their rituals for the full moon, to gain the most Heavenly blessing they can."
"That's this weekend, isn't it?" Harry pursed his lips. "Drat, I'm going to have to add some more days to our room. I thought this would be starting immediately, but we've got a while to mess about." He grinned at Diarmuid before racing down the hall to the lift. He called over his shoulder, "I guess that means we can have a relaxing vacation before worrying about any battles!"
"There is still one Servant already summoned in the city," Diarmuid cautioned as he followed more sedately.
"Yeah, but you said no one's supposed to start fighting until the War starts, and that doesn't start until all seven servants are summoned! So!" Harry whirled to face Diarmuid when he reached the lift doors. "We are on holiday!"
Diarmuid caught up with a rueful sigh and smiled. "As you wish, though I think we should take the opportunity to scout the territory at least."
"Sightseeing!" Harry said excitedly. "We'll have to get one of those instant cameras, a Kodak or whatever!"
"As my Master wishes," Diarmuid said with a bow.
"Harry, you better use it in public-Harry!"
Diarmuid nodded seriously, and Harry imagined there was a teasing glint to the spirit's eyes.
Harry rolled his eyes with a huff and pressed the button for the lift. Diarmuid waited beside him, pleasantly quiet and not even the slightest bit smug. He was starting to think the spirit had a will of steel, even if only for the weirdest thing.
Fuyuki was a small city, but it was still a city, and therefore very busy. Harry let Diarmuid lead the way to another Seven-11 and happily bought up a mountain of riceballs in a variety of flavors. He may have gotten some odd looks for the huge pile he brought to the counter, along with four more large bottles of tea, but Harry liked keeping a stash with him too much to care what anyone thought. Although Diarmuid brought up one concern with buying so much at once after they left.
"Won't so much food spoil before you can eat it?" the spirit asked, trying not to sound worried.
"This is for you to eat too, you know." Harry glanced at him with a smirk before leading the way into an empty alley. "And I'm going to take care of that spoiling problem right now."
Diarmuid watched curiously as Harry set the plastic bags on the ground and sat down. He swung his bag to the ground beside him and started picking riceballs out of the bags, one by one. "Asservo!" was muttered carefully for each one before Harry placed it into his opened backpack. He kept this up until only two riceballs were left, and loaded all the tea bottles into his bag, then stood up with a stretch. The plastic bags were bunched up and shoved in his pack before he zipped it up.
"There!" he said with a grin. "Now they won't spoil." He turned to Diarmuid looking at his bag on the ground with a puzzled frown, and held out one of the riceballs he'd kept. "Want breakfast?"
The spirit looked surprised as he took the food, then watched as Harry picked up his bag and swung it onto his back and started walking. Harry unwrapped his riceball and ate as he walked out onto the street again.
Diarmuid followed, looking between the plastic wrapped triangle of rice in his hand and Harry before him. "Isn't that heavy?" Harry glanced over his shoulder. Diarmuid gestured to the bag on his back. "I could carry it for you."
Harry shook his head. "Don't worry. I have a Feather-Light charm on it. It won't get heavy no matter how much I put in it."
They walked to a street-crossing and waited for the light to change. Harry finished his food, and shrugged the bag off slightly to reach in and pull out one of the bottles.
"How much can you put into it?" Diarmuid asked as Harry took a long gulp.
"Oh?" Harry looked up at the spirit. "You noticed, huh?" Diarmuid's eyes slid to Harry's bag as it was zipped up and resettled on his back. "It also has an expansion charm on it," Harry explained. "It's not bottomless or anything, but the capacity is closer to walking around with a storage closet."
Diarmuid's eyes widened. "I see. That is very useful!" Harry grinned at him and he glanced away, back at the riceball he had yet to unwrap. "Thank you for explaining to me."
"No problem!" Harry said as they started walking again. "If you need anything carried, just tell me, alright? We are teammates after all."
Diarmuid didn't answer, but after a few minutes of quiet walking and looking around at the businesses and people of Fuyuki's downtown district, Harry heard the crinkle of plastic being unwrapped. He smiled up at the pale blue sky while the spirit ate his snack.
"Fuyuki is on the sea, isn't it?" Harry said thoughtfully. He glanced over at Diarmuid, holding his riceball carefully as he ate. "We should go to the beach!"
"It is late fall." Diarmuid looked at him with a worried frown. "The cold air-"
"Will be so refreshing!" Harry said excitedly. "The ocean breeze is so nice-and cool weather just means we'll have it all to ourselves!"
"I wouldn't call the weather cool," the spirit said with a sigh. But he made no further argument and went back to taking careful bites of his food.
Harry grinned and started looking for street signs. He had a map he'd bought at the train station yesterday, and several pamphlets about interesting spots in the city. He didn't know how the Grail War was going to go, if it was a good idea to go along with it when neither he nor Diarmuid had any real interest in it, but he was determined to have a little fun while he had the chance.
He hadn't been with Clock Tower long, but he had seen enough to know that not just Archibald would be hunting for him once the dust from this magic war settled. As soon as the Grail War started, Harry's quiet life in the background of the world would be officially over.
They didn't find their way to the beach. Instead, Harry became distracted with the big red bridge they saw while walking along busy streets toward the river. Diarmuid only offered that it would make for a good lookout, as one should be able to see the whole city from the top of it. Harry wouldn't let them climb up it, but he was pleased to find it had very nice paths for pedestrians to walk across it. The pedestrian paths were actually separate from the road, running on a lower level than the cars used, closer to the water.
Which Diarmuid immediately mentioned made them useless for scanning the city.
"I get that you want to scout the land and all," Harry said as they watched the water flow below them. He rather liked how warm the sun was standing by the railing, and the breeze over the water was pleasant too. Even the cars moving above them faded into a nice background hum. "But, you know, there isn't any need to get so serious now. There's only one other Servant you said. Relax!"
Diarmuid looked out at the river. Harry sighed and straightened up from leaning against the rail. He really didn't like when the spirit shut down like that. As if he wasn't able to say whatever he thought!
"Alright then, what should we do next?" Harry said placidly. Diarmuid looked up at him, face still empty of anything but a bland pleasantness. Harry frowned and started walking.
"Master Harry?"
"You wanted to prepare for the War, right?" Harry said, looking over his shoulder. "So what should we do?"
"I cannot order my Master-" Diarmuid tried to say before Harry cut him off.
"I'm not asking you to-!" Harry took a deep breath, then turned to the spirit and started again. "You're a warrior, right?"
Diarmuid looked at him, face finally showing something again, even if it was uncertainty. "Yes…"
"And you understand best how you fight?"
"...Yes."
"Then, what should we do to help you best?" Harry asked reasonably. Diarmuid was looking at him completely gobsmacked, as if he never would have expected Harry to say such a thing. Harry sighed again. "I'm sorry."
"What-my Master!" Diarmuid looked panicked and fell to his knee, head bowed so low his hair nearly touched the concrete. Harry flinched back and looked around. Merlin, they were lucky no one else was on the bridge just now! "Please forgive me!"
"I-what the hell," Harry muttered, looking down at the spirit, totally lost.
"I have failed in my task as your knight, forcing my own desires over your own, and yet you are still gracious enough to take the blame onto yourself!" Diarmuid was shaking and refused to look up. If he did, he'd probably only be more upset at seeing Harry's face. "I do not deserve to call you my Master!"
Diarmuid seemed to choke up, as if he couldn't bare to continue laying out his sins for Harry to judge. Harry stared at him, still in shock, while the spirit awaited Harry's response as if he was expecting a death sentence.
Gulls calling finally brought Harry back to himself and he let out a tired breath.
"Merlin...I never thought I'd meet anyone more messed up than me," he said under his breath. He gave the huddled spirit a sad look then sat down before him with a loud huff.
"My Lord!" Diarmuid looked up, horrified to find Harry on the ground.
"Do not call me that!" Harry cut him off before he could say something ridiculous, like Harry shouldn't be touching the same dirt as him. The spirit flinched at his voice though, and his face just crumpled before he went back to bowing. "Oh damn," Harry muttered, rubbing his neck. He was so bad at this sort of thing.
"Look," he leaned forward and tried to peer at Diarmuid's face, but the spirit had his eyes clenched shut. "You haven't done anything wrong, alright?" The spirit didn't answer or look up. Harry bit his lip and put a hand on Diarmuid's shoulder. It shuddered under his touch. "You haven't!" he repeated forcefully. "I'd tell you if you had, alright?"
Diarmuid shook his head and still didn't look up. Harry leaned forward and squeezed his shoulder.
"I promise! I-" Harry blinked as a thought occurred to him. Hadn't Diarmuid introduced himself as a knight? "I swear to you!" he said loudly, and at that the spirit jerked. "I swear, I will always tell you if you do something wrong. I won't apologize, or ignore it, or do anything else ridiculous and just expect you to guess."
Diarmuid finally looked up at Harry, his eyes too lost to be hopeful, but at least they weren't closed anymore.
"I swear, I will tell you if you do something wrong, or that upsets me, or anything," Harry said again, as seriously as he could to match the weight of those eyes on him. "So don't go acting like you've done something wrong if I haven't told you, alright?"
Diarmuid stared at him, a frown twitching between his brows, as if trying to judge Harry's sincerity. Harry tried to give him a reassuring smile.
"Trust me," he said quietly. Diarmuid's eyes widened as he stared at Harry, then bowed his head again.
"Yes, my Master!" he whispered fiercely.
Harry wasn't sure if this was progress or not, but he let go of the spirit and sat back.
"And I am sorry," he said. Diarmuid looked up quickly at that, ready to argue with another self-deprecating apology of his own. Because that made so much sense the first time.
Harry frowned at him and raised a hand. The spirit settled, but he looked incredibly uncomfortable. "Look, I wasn't really treating this whole War seriously, and," Harry glanced away in shame, "I wasn't treating you seriously either. So, I'm sorry."
"I...do not understand," Diarmuid said quietly.
Harry found he was the one having a hard time meeting his companion's eyes now. "I- I don't really care about much," he said slowly. "I have no goals for the Grail. The only thing I really care about right now is getting enough to eat, relaxing in the sun, and having fun once in awhile- whether I take part in the War or not."
Harry glanced briefly at Diarmuid. The spirit was watching him steadily, his earlier uncertainty missing. Harry frowned and looked away.
"I don't regret getting involved in this War, but I don't have any intention of going along with it fully either." Harry shrugged vaguely, looking out at the sky changing color over the river. "So, I was kind of just...not taking it seriously. But, the other people involved will probably treat it as life and death, huh?"
Harry glanced at Diarmuid and the spirit nodded seriously, but without any outward sign of judgment. Harry sighed and nodded himself.
"Yeah, I figured. I just, I can't bring myself to care, but," he looked up at the spirit. "But it's not fair to anyone if I treat this like a game, is it?"
Diarmuid's expression as he looked back was unreadable, but it struck Harry as more intense than the empty face he'd had before this whole blow-up.
"And you too," Harry gestured at Diarmuid. "I didn't really take you seriously when you said you pledged yourself to me, and that you wanted to fight noble battles and such."
"I am true to my word, Master! I will serve you-" Diarmuid finally reacted beyond silently listening, leaning toward Harry with a desperate glint entering his eyes again.
"I know!" Harry said quickly, waving at the knightly spirit to quiet him. "I...know that now, anyway."
Diarmuid settled, though Harry was disappointed to realize he'd probably ruined whatever progress they'd made by admitting so much.
"It's not your fault when I'm an idiot, okay?" Harry said as he rubbed his neck stressfully. "You were being completely honest, and I didn't know how to deal with you, or with this Grail War, so I did what I always do!"
Harry looked at Diarmuid watching him so carefully and sighed. "I just went along halfheartedly and stopped paying attention as soon as I could."
Diarmuid looked confused, but he seemed to be trying to understand what Harry was saying. "If you have no desire to participate in the Grail War, you needn't do so for my sake. I am content to serve you in whatever endeavor you choose."
"I'm explaining this really poorly. What I'm trying to say is that it doesn't matter to me what I do!" Harry waved an arm uselessly toward the city. "If I participate in the War, or run away to Australia, or just sleep for the next three weeks- that's all the same to me!"
Diarmuid's face was unreadable again. Harry hissed through his teeth and glared at him.
"I don't care about anything, alright! That's why I asked you what you wanted to do! Because whatever you wanted would at least be a direction to move in." Harry held his forehead in a hand with his elbow braced against his knee. "But, I feel bad for not taking you and this whole War thing seriously, because...it, you- it feels like this matters a lot more to you than just something to do to eat up time."
"Eat up time?" Diarmuid murmured with an air of shock. "Master Harry! Please, I would not waste your time with trivialities!"
"I know!" Harry moaned, rubbing his eyes. "That's why I'm apologizing!" He sat up to look at the spirit, stone-faced and thinking Merlin only knows what. "Don't you get it? I did something wrong to you so, I'm sorry."
Harry knew he'd made a few uncomfortable faces through that whole speech, but Diarmuid didn't react to any of them. He didn't react when Harry finished and sat quietly waiting for a response either. Harry was starting to get nervous. Then Diarmuid closed his eyes and took a slow breath.
"You have no need to apologize to me. Any wrong you may have committed is surely only due to my own inadequacies. I swear I shall prove my loyalty and worth to you as a knight no matter the direction you choose." Diarmuid gave Harry a self-assured smile. "Though I am grateful for your courtesy toward me. Truly I am honored to have you for my Master."
Harry thought they could probably argue themselves in a circle now. In the knight's eyes, Harry could do no wrong- even when Harry was quite adamant that he could and definitely had. But even his apologies were somehow turned back on themselves so Diarmuid could take blame instead.
"I just don't want you to be miserable the whole time you're summoned, it's not like you had any choice in this," he said weakly.
Diarmuid smiled wider. "I think, while serving you I will be the furthest thing from miserable."
Harry sincerely doubted that.
"Even if I'm more interested in sightseeing than fighting over the Grail?"
"I can think of nothing better than to guard my Master as you enjoy yourself," Diarmuid said gently, and Harry had the sudden impression that the spirit was trying to comfort him now.
"So you wouldn't mind if a bunch of other revived Heroic Spirits were running around having duels while you were stuck napping on the beach?" Harry was only a little snide. But seriously, wasn't Diarmuid the one who'd been panicking only a few minutes ago?
"I would be a poor knight were I to demand my Master take part in a battle he had no cause to join," Diarmuid said seriously.
"So you'll just watch?"
"I will do as my Master bids," the spirit said with a gentle smile.
Harry frowned. "But you want to fight."
"I want to serve my Master to the best of my ability."
"So...are we going to get involved with the Grail War at all then?" Harry asked. "I mean, I still think it's fine if you want to meet some of the other heroes for, I donno, mock duels?"
Harry frowned. That didn't seem like something that would appeal to an ancient knight.
"A chance to battle for my Master's honor, above even the prize of the Grail?" Diarmuid grinned like a shark. "That would be truly wondrous, to defend my Master before other warriors of legendary skill!"
Yep, there it was. Diarmuid really, really wanted to take part. He just couldn't say that he wanted to.
Harry smiled weakly back at the spirit and looked out at the city. The sky was burning and slowly turning dark, they should probably get back to the hotel. He turned back to Diarmuid.
"Okay, then you should just tell me what we should do to get ready," Harry said with a determined look. "I don't know what you're capable of, so if you want to do your best, you should know what would help you."
Diarmuid regarded him seriously, but eventually nodded. "As you wish, my Master."
"Great!" Harry said and stood up. His rear was sore from sitting on concrete for so long, and he wished he'd put up a warming charm because only now that he was standing did he realize he was shivering. Diarmuid on the other hand, looked perfectly fine. Harry did his best not to frown though, as the knight was sure to take it the wrong way. "How about we talk about it over dinner? I'm starving. You can pick."
"Pick?" Diarmuid said curiously as he stood, no sign of a sore knee or cramped muscles.
"When you looked around last night did you see any restaurants that looked good?" Harry said as he swung his bag on his back. The spirit seemed to consider this for a moment, then nodded hesitantly. Harry grinned widely. "Then lead the way," he gestured down the bridge.
Harry didn't know how coming to Fuyuki would turn out, but he thought getting Diarmuid to be more decisive was going to be fun at least.
AN: Sorry, this was supposed to go up ages ago, I didn't realize I hadn't posted it! But that means you guys get extra posts in a row! yay...? ^^;;;