The sun was shining overhead in a cloudless sky of cerulean blue. Around the manor were beautifully manicured gardens, but to the east, they had been razed almost to the ground. There was nothing on that side but barren earth, with scraggly weeds and a bit of charring in places. On that torn ground, Arjuna stood and watched Spartacus, Karna and Siegfried at play.

That was how he thought of it, at least. It was hardly a serious spar, from some of the ridiculous moves they were trying on each other. Spartacus kept catching Karna and tossing him in the air, for instance. And instead of retaliating with his spear, Karna usually caught a foot on Spartacus' shoulder before leaping away to clash with Siegfried. Also, there seemed to be very little rhyme or reason on who was fighting who. Often, Spartacus and Karna double teamed Siegfried, but that could change at any time, with Karna suddenly shifting sides. As Arjuna watched he realized that Karna was deliberately extending their play, preventing anyone from taking the 'win.'

It simply will not do. Arjuna decided. While it was amusing, serious practicing was needed and Arjuna itched to pit himself against Karna. Not because he still felt the need to end his life – Arjuna didn't – but to test the doll and see how far it differed from Karna.

So he stepped purposefully into the field and fired an arrow over their heads. The last thing Arjuna was expecting was for Karna to launch himself into the air and snatch the arrow from midair.

"?!" Arjuna lowered his bow and stared as Karna landed with ease, brandishing his prize with an impish smile. That was… impossible. "How did you…?" He asked as the blue arrow dissipated. Karna looked at his empty hand in mild disappointment as Siegfried smiled and Spartacus laughed.

"My little one is touched by the gods!" Yes, that was to be expected, Karna was Surya's son. But he'd never been able to do THAT before. "His powers are wondrous and strange! Oh, the thought of unleashing them against the oppressors! My whole body, every aspect of me, quivers in delight!" Karna dramatically leaned away from Spartacus, an expression of mock horror on his face. Arjuna snorted softly but would not be distracted from his question.

"How did you do that?" Arjuna asked Karna and Karna reached up to fiddle with his earring, glancing away. Arjuna felt like he was dealing with a recalcitrant child. Fortunately, Siegfried filled the gap.

"He can see a short distance into the future," the Wandering Swordsman said and Arjuna's gaze snapped to him. He was smiling, a soft, understanding smile. "It only activates in combat and makes him impossible to defeat in a one on one duel." …What?

"That is impossible. Karna never possessed that ability," Arjuna said frostily before frowning. No, Karna hadn't had that ability but… the doll did? "Who are you?" he sharply asked it and 'Karna' turned his head to look at him. His blue eyes were empty as blue glass.

"I cannot say," the doll said softly, with a lack of inflection that strongly reminded Arjuna of his brother. Siegfried gently put a hand on Karna's back before addressing Arjuna.

"That means he has been forbidden to speak." …Ah. "But he possesses the skill of Heroic Spirit Karna. Do you wish to spar? You will lose, but it could be interesting." Arjuna's lips tightened at Siegfried's words. He wanted to remind the other spirit that he'd already killed Karna once, but this strange ability the doll had would make his brother terrifying. Still.

"I would like to test myself against you," Arjuna said to Karna, who seemed hesitant. Karna glanced at Siegfried, who smiled and nodded with gentle reassurance.

"Go little one! You look so fragile, like a gust of wind could blow you over, but you are the most remarkable of heroes, your name written in the stars!" Spartacus urged and Arjuna blinked at that imagery. It was surprisingly coherent from a Berserker. Karna shook his head with a small smile but stepped away from his companions and Arjuna followed.

At first they were both holding back. Arjuna was sniping Karna and wishing, very much, that he had his chariot to protect him. Archer was a rather fragile class. But Karna was equally restrained by his Lancer class, unable to use his bow. And his mana burst did not have a great range. So at first they merely skirmished, testing each other.

That quickly changed as Karna suddenly got serious. His brother dashed with all his speed, circling and trying to get close. Arjuna was ready for him and moved with an equally blinding speed. As he did, he noticed something odd, little pinwheels of light detaching from Karna's red cloak. And all of an Archer's senses were very keen so he could hear something, although only on the very periphery of his awareness. Was Karna singing? If so it was no language he recognized.

Arjuna was caught up in the fierce battle but still noticed that Karna was evading all of his arrows with contemptuous ease. Like he knew where they would be… gritting his teeth, Arjuna unleased a powerful barrage before using it as cover, exerting every bit of his speed. Knowing the future would do Karna no good if he couldn't avoid it!

It worked perfectly. Karna was caught up in evading all the arrows and couldn't get away as Arjuna moved in for the kill. He had Karna on his back with an arrow between his –

"…!" Arjuna's breath whooshed out as a ribbon of gold wrapped cruelly around his chest. More of them entangled his arms and Arjuna saw that the ribbons were carried by birds. Golden birds that looked like they were made of the sun itself, singing sweetly as they bound him. Arjuna instantly tried to free himself but it was already too late. Karna's lance was resting against his neck and Arjuna looked into his brothers' face.

He wants to kill me. Karna's face was utterly blank but his eyes were filled with emotion. Arjuna saw it was a kind of battle madness, a desperate need to take his life. Karna minutely turned the lance and Arjuna felt heat, the sticky flow of blood –

Then a gauntleted hand clamped down on Karna's.

"Karna, stop," Siegfried spoke into Karna's ear and Arjuna saw his brother shudder, blinking and the terrible blankness began to fade from his face. "The spar is over, you won. Stand down." Karna allowed the Wandering Swordsman to pull him back. Arjuna could still feel the warm trickle of blood on his neck but it was nothing but a scratch, easily mended.

"Sorry. I… lost myself," Karna said, so softly Arjuna could hardly hear. Then he lifted a hand and the birds vanished, the ribbons dissipating into sparks of mana.

"What was that?" Arjuna asked, unable to keep the anger from his voice. They'd warned him about the future sense, but not the birds and bindings. Karna did not answer, just looking away and reaching up to play with his earring. Again, it was Siegfried who provided the answer.

"The birds of the sun. Another power of the doll and likely part of the reason the Master was able to bind Karna's spirit to it. Some kind of natural affinity," Siegfried said and Arjuna saw Karna close his eyes for a moment. Spartacus was hovering over them both and for once, the Berserker wasn't smiling. In fact, he seemed deeply concerned for Karna. "But Karna, what happened there? You've never gone berserk before." …Was that what that had been. Replaying the final moments in his mind, Arjuna found it unsettling to think that it might be true.

"…He makes me angry," Karna finally said and Arjuna frowned. That was not like his brother at all. "It wasn't really his fault but it wasn't fair." Arjuna felt a sudden shame. Unfair was indeed a perfect way to describe Karna's death. "And he reminds me of her." Eh? "She was worse. She treated him like a – a – a bracelet she'd lost by the side of the road. She thought she could come pick him back up and everything would be fine and it doesn't work that way." Ah, Karna was talking about Kunti, but what did he mean? Arjuna knew nothing of this. "She was a ****" Karna said a word Arjuna didn't know and he felt a sudden rage. Had he just called their mother a whore, or something even worse? "People are not things."

"Unlike dolls," Arjuna said coldly and saw Karna's eyes go wide as the barb hit home. If their mother had not been insulted he might have regretted it, when Karna made a soft choking sound and then clung to Siegfried. Siegfried held Karna tight, staring at him in shock, his green eyes wide.

"YOU - !" Arjuna wasn't surprised when Spartacus charged him. The Berserker was exactly as his class dictated, though, all strength and no finesse. Arjuna evaded him easily and fired several arrows. Not quite warning shots, they hit the berserker in non-lethal but painful spots.

"Spartacus!" Then Karna was there, blocking all his arrows with his golden lance as Siegfried grabbed their companion. Arjuna was mildly impressed as the Saber managed to hold Spartacus in place, his whole body straining against his friends' might. As soon as he stopped firing, Karna dropped his lance and joined Siegfried in restraining Spartacus. Karna was whispering in Spartacus ear and Arjuna could not make out the words. It was impossible over Spartacus' shouting.

"My little one is NOT A THING! If you speak to him so I will – " Then the Berserker started to get graphic about exactly what he would do to Arjuna and then how he would defile the corpse. Arjuna wasn't impressed. Spartacus was a powerful Servant, but nowhere near his caliber.

"You should go. He will not calm with you nearby," Siegfried said over his companion and Arjuna met his eyes, seeing a deathly coldness there. That… was regrettable, but Arjuna only nodded, refusing to accept any guilt as he turned and walked away.

Karna should not have insulted their mother.

A few days later, Arjuna was beginning to regret his words.

It was partly due to his sudden exclusion from his brother's social circle. Arjuna would not even try to approach them before he made up with Karna, that would be insane. But it was mostly due to the growing doubt in his mind. He'd assumed the word Karna had used for Kunti had been an insult, but he didn't actually know that. Perhaps because the exchange had been so filled with emotion, Arjuna remembered the word Karna used. And he had a good ear for languages. He thought it sounded like it might be Greek.

Finally deciding he needed to know, Arjuna cornered Odysseus and asked him about the word.

"Hm? Mmm… can you repeat that?" The ancient Greek hero said and Arjuna did his best to enunciate clearly. "Ah, I know that one, it's not Greek but it is from our time. It's an Ethiopian word." Ethiopian? Where in hell would Karna have picked that up? "Why do you want to know?"

"I will edify your curiosity if you edify mine," Arjuna said, already a bit tired of talking to him. Odysseus could be quite a trial. Odysseus lifted an eyebrow before giving a one-shoulder shrug.

"Fine, fine. It's a Moorish word that means, mm, a thoughtless, stupid person who thinks everything should be alright just because you ask for forgiveness." …Oh. "It's not a compliment but if it really stings, you might want to think about why, eh?" Arjuna had too much self-control to react but now he felt very badly. That was almost a perfect word to describe his mother's conduct towards Karna. "Now why did you want to know?"

"Karna called our mother that. I assumed it was something worse," Arjuna said, reflecting on it. That word would have stung Kunti, but Odysseus right, the truth in it was what would truly have hurt. "Thank you for the information."

"It's nothing. But you really might want to make up with him, eh? Karna usually does cover for our Archers," Odysseus said and the concern was real. Arjuna shook his head, although he did intend to apologize now. Not because of any need for Karna's cover – he would face death first before apologizing for such a reason – but because he had wounded his brother for no good reason.

The first step to apologizing to Karna was finding him. That turned out to be surprisingly difficult. The little social circle wasn't present at all, the usual members off on missions or tending to their Masters. Spartacus wasn't present, although Arjuna wouldn't have approached him anyway. The one person present who might know Karna's whereabouts was Siegfried, who was in the middle of getting drunk. Or at least, Arjuna assumed so, from the empty mugs and glasses around him. Arjuna was hesitant to approach him, because of that. Siegfried was a level-headed sort and when he was sober, Arjuna was sure the Saber would at least hear him out. Drunk, though…

Finally, Arjuna decided he had to. Walking up to the scarred table, he paused to see if Siegfried would notice him. He did, but it took a few moments.

"Uh? Oh, you," Siegfried muttered, his green eyes filled with that cold light. Arjuna tensed but held himself steady as the Saber's hand rested on the table. "What do you want?"

"I want to apologize to Karna. I spoke out of turn," Arjuna replied and saw the coldness fade into surprise. Siegfried grunted before looking into his beer. Or was it something harder? The fumes were potent. "Do you know where he is?"

"Not here." That was extremely unhelpful. "He's entertaining his 'master'," Siegfried spat and Arjuna froze for just a moment. "Like a proper little doll, eh?" Cold eyes stabbed at him and Arjuna took a breath.

"I thought he called our mother a whore, or something worse. I only realized otherwise when I managed to find the meaning of the word he used," Arjuna said softly, meeting Siegfried's eyes, tension crackling between them. Then the swordsman looked away.

"It kills me that I can't do anything," Siegfried muttered, so low Arjuna almost couldn't hear. "It kills me… I would give him anything to make this better, anything… but I can't. What good am I?" Siegfried drained his beer and then suddenly dropped his face into his hands. He shuddered for a moment and Arjuna stared, wondering if he was crying. "I'm useless!" Then Siegfried gripped his own hair and yanked on it sharply before screaming. Not loudly, but full of anguish.

"Siegfried, stop," Arjuna said with authority. Siegfried stopped his little fit, but only to go on to something else.

"It will break him someday." Mmm, no it wouldn't. Karna's will was unparalleled. "I know what you're thinking, you think he can withstand anything but he can't. Water can bring down a mountain, all it needs is time." … "I… I'm the wish giving knight, I exist to grant wishes but I can't grant his wish. I can't… I… need more beer…" Siegfried lurched out of his seat but only to collapse with a noisy clatter of armor on stone floor. Arjuna quickly went around the table to his side.

"Siegfried?" he questioned as he gripped the man's shoulder, then wrinkled his nose. This close, the beer fumes were overpowering. Then someone familiar stepped out of a shadow.

"I will take him back to his rooms," the nameless assassin said calmly and Arjuna met his eyes, seeing no animosity there. "Unless you care to help."

"I…" Did he want to? "Yes, I will help you," Arjuna said decisively. Carrying a drunken Siegfried was not beneath him. Even if he was a bit damp. The nameless assassin nodded and went to Siegfried's other side. Between the two of them, they got the Wandering Swordsman onto his feet, although he kept mumbling about Karna and beer.

"He's in danger of becoming an alcoholic. It's difficult to control, though, given the circumstances," the assassin said and Arjuna nodded, taking Siegfried's weight easily. He was heavy, but they were all Heroic Spirits. "I'm sure if the source of his stress were removed, beer would only be entertainment to him."

"Mmm." That sounded all too true. And Arjuna had read up on Siegfried's legend. It didn't say anything about a weakness for drink so this had to be a recent development. "You are not…" Arjuna started, unsure of how to put it. Honey-brown eyes flickered towards him.

"You could only be talking to Siegfried because you were trying to find Karna." Ah, very true. "To apologize… your words were most unkind but brothers will fight and say things they don't mean." He definitely had a point. Arjuna could remember some truly riotous squalls with his brothers. "I once had a friend who would say the worst things but then apologize… I always forgave him. Eventually, though, he grew into a person I no longer wanted as a friend," the assassin seemed to be talking to himself now. Then he shook his head, glancing at Arjuna as they dragged Siegfried through the mansion. He was hardly on his feet, now. "Karna will forgive you."

"Karna… so forgiving…" Siegfried slurred and Arjuna shook his head at him.

"The brother I knew was not forgiving," Arjuna said, remembering. Harsh but fair would be a better way to describe his brother. Although, given that he was the Hero of Charity, would Karna give his forgiveness if asked? Likely he would. The thought made his heart hurt, for some reason.

"Things change… ah, here we are," the assassin said as they pulled to a halt in front of one particular door. He knocked sharply and there was a shuffling inside before a… was that a man or a woman? Arjuna stared, unable to tell as the pink haired… person… yawned. And was his hair pink or more peach? The costume he was wearing, black and red with a white cape, did nothing to clarify.

"Aw, Siegfried? This again? You're a mess!" The stranger scolded the Saber, but gently. Then he or she (Arjuna was going to have to clarify that) was taking Siegfried away from them. "We'll handle it from here, thank you for bringing him home," he said graciously and Arjuna nodded as the assassin murmured a soft 'it was nothing'. "C'mon Siegfried, you need to go to bed…" They vaguely heard Siegfried saying something about Karna as the door was shut. Taking a breath, Arjuna looked at the assassin.

"When will Karna return? And where is he?" Arjuna asked, determined to learn something. Something flickered through the assassin's eyes, a cold rage, before it was deliberately banked.

"We don't know precisely where he is. Not the magus rooms, they will be empty," the assassin said and Arjuna's fists clenched. They had looked for Karna before. "He's not on the duty roster for several days so we might not see him until Friday." …What. "It's more likely, though, that we'll see him tomorrow morning at breakfast. Hopefully he will be undamaged."

"This is sickening," Arjuna muttered, regretting his words more than ever. "You've never been able to figure out where the Master takes him?" he asked and the assassin frowned.

"We do know somewhat… he takes Karna into the Command chamber, where the computer that helped to summon us is housed," the assassin said slowly. "But you cannot go in there without permission from the Grand Master. Right now, Karna is the only Heroic Spirit allowed in that area."

"I see," Arjuna said thoughtfully, wondering what could be down there. They had no idea of the extent of that area, although they knew it was large. Hmmm. This would seem to indicate that Karna's Master had a very close relationship with the Grand Master, which would make it even more difficult to free him, if it wasn't difficult enough. "Thank you for the information. I'll look for Karna tomorrow." There was nothing else he could do tonight. The nameless assassin nodded.

"Rest well," he wished and Arjuna returned the sentiment before they parted ways. As he walked, he thought about it. He was sure, from the interactions he'd seen, that the Grand Master had no use for Karna's Master on a personal level. Why did they seem so closely allied?

He needed to figure it out.