Fate/ Stay Night: Infernus
I don't own FSN or any of its concepts, be they magical or not. I do claim credit for introducing this particular brand of magic to the universe but not for creating it. If you've read my other stories, you know this is gonna be warped and f***** up the wazoo. Enjoy!
Chapter 6
Sakura watched Saber bolt towards the school. What…what the hell is she doing? Sempai doesn't want to see her! As the blonde drew close, Sakura was seized by a vicious impulse and stuck her foot out just as the woman passed and sent her sprawling.
Saber had noticed the move and had moved to avoid it but…something had grabbed her foot. It had been foul and loathsome. Sakura's magic. Slowly rising up on skinned arms which were rapidly healing, she glared at Sakura. "What do you think you're doing? Shirou could be in trouble!"
Sakura shook her head. "You hurt Sempai. What did you do?" Sakura asked but the weight behind the words made it more of a demand.
About to start running again, Saber took a deep breath and shook her head. "I can't tell you that" she coolly said before taking off again.
Sakura grimaced and shook her head before continuing to walk towards Shirou's place. "I'll just ask Fujimura what Saber did. She'll tell me."
ASASASASASASASAS
Shirou waited until the door was about to open before shifting his aim and threw the roiling ball of magic at the door and covered his face. As it struck the door, it seemed to battle through some kind of shield before it struck the door.
The door exploded outwards in a barrage of fire and wood and Shirou trembled at the sight of the fire before tentatively making his way out. Tosaka was laid out on the floor, arm bleeding heavily from a few large splinters buried in her skin.
Tosaka grimaced and plucked the splinters out. Turning to Emiya, she raised her left hand and began to fire bolts of Gand once more, though her aim was slightly off.
Shirou ducked each and every bolt, the pain making Tosaka's aim go high. Reinforcing one of the metallic legs he held, he waited before slamming it into an over-charged Gand and sent it rocketing out the window to where it detonated against a tree, virtually disintegrating it.
Dropping the rapidly eroding chair leg and walking closer, he glared down at Tosaka and hovered his foot over her throat. "Do you yield?" he asked harshly. Truly, he was in a towering rage now! A second later and he snapped his head around as a scream tore through the school.
Leaving Tosaka there and seeking its source, he was surprised to find the Tosaka girl behind him all the way, wounds healing at a fair clip and a wince on her face.
"Damnit Emiya. That hurt" she grumbled and then gestured to the sleeve of her uniform. "You owe me a new shirt by the way."
Ignoring her babbling, Shirou descended some steps and burst into the room with Tosaka arriving right after him. And he had no clue what to do. He had prepared himself to fight, sure. But now…he was useless. He couldn't transfer magic to the obviously dying schoolgirl by his feet.
"Tosaka…" he asked cautiously. He didn't have to. She had already dropped to her knees and withdrawn a red gem. Watching as she chanted, he was struck by just how serious she looked. He approached magic with a carefree attitude whilst Rin clearly took it seriously, as her single focus in life.
He felt…useless. Not something he was used to. Now all his anger, all his magic…was useless. It was humbling. "For some reason…I've felt like this has happened before…"
Something was interfering with Tosaka's magic. It was enough to send it into disarray. "I can't concentrate" she complained. "Emiya, shut that door!" she ordered and went back to chanting.
Nodding, Emiya went to close the door but felt…something heading his way. Or rather, Tosaka's way. As tempting as it was to let it hit her, it would damn the student she was trying to save. Flinging his arm out, he screamed as the nail slammed into his elbow and destroyed the joint.
Moments later and the nail vanished but Shirou could still feel it grinding against the bone. Grabbing the invisible weapon was difficult, it was like grabbing water. Surrounding it with his magic, he ripped it out and it shot back through the window to it's owner.
"Oh, that bitch is dead" he grunted out. Ignoring Rin's protests and shutting the door, he barred it from the outside with the one remaining chair leg. Just because it was life and death didn't mean he couldn't piss off Tosaka after all.
Staggering down the steps and out into the massive yard, he caught sight of black and pink at the edge of the forest. Another servant. Tosaka must be right, I do have a target painted on my back. In all the hubbub, he had forgotten to call Saber or even how to.
For her part, Saber was lost. She could trace the magic link but that went as the crow flies, not through streets and the like. Even though it was still evening, she took to the rooves. She had suffered a blinding pain in her arm but when she looked, nothing had been there. So she knew that her Master was in trouble.
And she was failing in her newest pledge.
ASASASASASASASAS
Shirou entered the blackened forest and looked around as his magic reached out to sense any servant's in the proximity. Stumbling back to avoid a nail which ripped a tree in half, he traced it back to its owner and grumbled. Great, Saber just fucked my day up.
It may have been unfair to blame Saber but his entire day had just started out on the wrong note. Dodging more nails that came hurtling at him, he cursed at finding himself trapped in a corner of trees, no escape possible.
"You did good evading me so far, human. But now this ends" Rider whispered and prepared her nail. She had been ordered by her Master to hunt down any and all Masters on the campus and to kill them. And she was obeying.
Shirou glared at Rider. "Bitch" he grunted out before Rider threw the nail at his midsection. Eyes wide to greet his death, he dropped to the ground and responded with a pulsating ball of magic thrown right at the tramp's midsection. Rolling to his feet and running towards the edge of the forest, he dodged each nail strike.
If he could just escape the forest, they'd be on even footing, relatively. She wouldn't have the advantage but neither would he. But as he approached the border, he let out a gasp as another tail punctured his calf and stuck out the front. Whipped upside down, he groaned before gazing at Rider.
"You thought you could escape me, my fly? Foolish boy…in here, I am the predator and you, the prey" she whispered as she circled him. The nail she carried whipped out to gouge him. Blood trickled down the boy and she grinned at the sight. This boy was fun!
"Hah! You're pathetic. You're the weakest of all the servants I've fought. Even Lancer was stronger than you" he spat out, a globule of bloody saliva smacking her in the cheek. Moments later and he let out a scream as Rider reversed the nail and ploughed the blunt end into his destroyed elbow.
"Care to revise that opinion, Master of Saber?" she asked. "Why hasn't your servant come?" she asked, amusement in her voice. "Summon her…I want to see the look on her face as I kill you and deny her dreams!"
"Fuck you! I don't need her" Shirou ground out. Hearing the sound of Gand being fired, he grinned as they smacked into the chain holding him and destroyed it, shattered links raining around him. Crashing to the ground and whimpering as his tortured elbow was jolted, he nodded thankfully at an irritated Tosaka. "Thanks."
Glaring at the fellow teen and pulling a hankerchief from her pocket, she quickly bound the wound so the blood wouldn't seep everywhere. "I would have been here sooner but some jackass sealed the door" she muttered, giving Shirou the gimlet eye. "A servant?" she inquired.
"Yeah. A Rider I think. How'd you know?"
"Already sensed another master at school. You didn't? Wow…the amazing Shirou doesn't know something" she retorted and grinned at his scowl. "Surely the barrier must have tipped you off" she continued.
Frowning, Shirou shook his head. "A school is just a place. Doesn't mean it had to have been someone attending the school" he stated, trying to regain the high-ground as it were. Looking warily at Tosaka, he frowned faintly. "Did you put up the barrier? I know you'd do anything to win."
Shaking her head, she glared. "Whilst true, I draw the line at consuming souls or having my servant do it."
Shirou sighed before nodding. "Thanks for the help, Tosaka. She would have killed me."
Tosaka blushed. "When you die, I want to be the one responsible for it!"
ASASASASASASASAS
Shirou looked around curiously. The mansion was enormous but it had an empty feeling. He had noticed Archer following them when they entered and the restrained urge to kill was making him nervous. I have no problem mouthing off when I'm gonna die but now…
Sitting down where Tosaka pointed, he continued to glance around. No overt signs she was a mage but there was a disturbing amount of those red gems sitting around innocuously. It's as if she's prepared for a siege he thought.
Tosaka unwrapped the bandage around Shirou's arm and blinked in astonishment. Sure, he had recovered rapidly from Berserker's attack but it was still amazing to see the deep gouge was mostly healed. "This is amazing" she murmured, finger tracing the sensitive flesh to see if it was just an illusion.
Shirou giggled before blushing, mortified. That section of his arm had always been tickling and Tosaka's light touch wasn't helping at all!
"You did the same thing when Berserker decided to chop you up like raw fish. The only thing that makes sense to my understanding of magic is that somehow…Saber is healing you."
Blinking, Shirou turned pensive. "Thanks, Tosaka. But I have to get home."
"Berserker is Hercules!" Tosaka shouted out and watched as Shirou paused. "Yeah, the greatest of the Greek heroes and Son of Zeus. He's way out of our league."
Shirou nodded. "For now, he is" he murmured before walking out the door.
ASASASASASASASAS
Saber was sitting on her futon in her room, outwardly calm but inside…she was worried. When she had gotten to the school and found Shirou's blood in first the classroom and then in the forest with the stench of another servant in the air, she had immediately sought the servant but found nothing.
But judging from the lack of blood actually lost, he had somehow escaped. Now the only thing she could do was wait for him to return. She needed to talk to him. Their lives and success in the war depended on it.
Looking up as Taiga entered, she nodded to the kendo master.
"Do you know what we're having for dinner, Saber" Taiga enquired enthusiastically as she was wont to do.
Saber had been too embroiled in her own thoughts but as she sniffed the air, her mouth started to water. "Don't know. But it smells good" she stated and plastered a smile on her face to convince the Fujimura heir.
"It's one of Sakura's special dishes!" Fujimura exclaimed and with a rumbling gut, raced back to the kitchen to try and steal tastes from the cooking.
As Fujimura departed, Saber noticed Shirou limp through the gate. If she didn't catch him now, then dinner would be strained and he likely wouldn't be able to eat. Opening the door and walking out, she confronted Shirou just before he entered.
"What do you want, Saber?" Emiya asked as his eyes flashed.
"We need to talk, Shirou. Now."
Sighing, he decided to get this out of the way. Walking over to a stone bench overlooking a pond, he turned to Saber. "Speak."
Nodding, Saber clasped her hands before her. "Shirou. Last night, I did as you requested and snuck out of Fujimura's room and into yours. When I got into your room, I find it freezing. When I got into my own bed, I found it too cold and thus I would be unable to sleep. Desiring to gain sleep to protect you, I pulled it closer."
Shirou frowned and continued to glare at Saber.
"I honestly did not mean for any of this to happen" she continued. She had fully intended to wake up before he had or Fujimura had discovered she was missing but…
Sighing, Shirou dropped his head. "Fujimura told you about how I don't like people close, didn't she?" he asked softly and took Saber's silence as an affirmative. "She was right. Yes, I had a good sleep last night. But don't do it again" he stated before shaking his head. "Let's go eat."
As they went back inside, Shirou sighed as a stray thought flitted through his mind. I wouldn't mind getting another nights decent sleep he thought.
ASASASASASASASAS
Dinner was still strained. Sakura was covertly glaring at Saber, Fujimura was guzzling the food and the tenseness between Saber and Shirou from that morning had vanished.
Sakura was quite angry but hid it well behind a rapidly made mask of happiness. Somehow…somehow, Saber and Shirou had made up from whatever happened. She could see her chance with sempai rapidly shrinking. Accidentally snapping a pair of chopsticks and blushing, she got a new pair.
Each time she stabbed it into the food, she imagined it was Saber she was stabbing. Damnit, she's stealing Shirou from me! She thought.
Saber watched Sakura discreetly each time she took a bite to eat. The bangs which framed her face allowed her to do so. It had been invaluable when in her castle and it was even more useful now. She could sense that Sakura was getting angrier and angrier and with how the plate was cracking under her chop-sticks stabbing the plate, it was not good.
She felt…more at ease around Shirou. The sense of hostility was fading around him. It wasn't being replaced by anything but the anger was fading. As dinner finished, she almost sighed with relief as Taiga and Sakura left, the latter shooting her a filthy glare as she was bustled out.
Shirou sat down at the table and passed a cup of tea. For some reason, he found his hatred falling away. It was easier to hate someone you didn't meet, someone who hadn't saved your life.
"You'll be staying in the room next to mine. Honestly…I don't trust you to sleep in my room. Yet."
Saber, about to say she had to sleep in the same room as him for safety reason, stopped. And considered. He had said yet which implied there was a time in the future he would allow her to stay in his room. And considering how he had acted that morning, he had come a long way. "That will be fine." Standing to go to her room, she looked back over her shoulder. "Thankyou, Shirou."
Shirou sighed as Saber left for her own room before walking outside and sitting back down on the same bench he had before. "What the hell am I doing? I'm supposed to hate her!" he raged. Unable to sit still, he conjured a ball of magic and sent it careening into a tree. Watching the tree explode, he flopped backwards and sighed before closing his eyes.
Saber lay awake in her room. The destruction of the tree had made her sit upright in shock before lying down as she sensed nothing wrong with her Master, merely troubled. Waiting as he fell into sleep and relaxed his mental barriers, she tentatively felt along their connection and immersed herself in a memory.
She wanted to know her master. At any cost.
Flashback
Shirou was wheeled into a special ward in the hospital. The sounds of harsh panting and screaming could be heard throughout the entire unit and it put his mind on edge. Coming up to two pairs of rails at rough waist height, he gulped as he realised what was going to happen.
During his incarceration in the bed, his leg muscles had atrophied. Magic had been unable to counter such a slow, steady decay.
"Come on, Mr Emiya. Grab the rails" one of the cute orderlies requested and she wasn't fazed in the slightest by the glare she was sent. She had dealt with rougher patients than this.
Shirou reached out and tentatively gripped the rails. They were slick under his sweaty grasp. He was afraid of just how much this would hurt. The simple physio he had gone through had been agony and they was just moving his legs back and forth. Gripping the rails tight, he slowly pulled himself to his feet.
Oh god, the pain! His mind screamed. Leaning heavily on the rails and panting harshly, he refused to give up. This was just one more trial…one more obstacle in the way of vengeance. Shuffling along like a decrepit old man, he slipped and slammed to the floor, a weak moan of pain coming from him.
The nurse winced and started to move forward to help the boy when he thrust a hand out.
"Don't! I have to do this!" he rasped out.
"Prideful idiot" she muttered. You had to break the pride of people sometimes to get them to accept help.
Shirou groaned and reached up to the rails. Wrapping hands around the rails, he surged the odd energy within him. It was a bizarre energy. It allowed him to do things which ordinarily he wouldn't be able to. Wrapping hands around the rails, he slowly heaved himself up, joints screaming at him to just lie down.
Slowly, so slowly he hauled himself to his feet and rested on one of the rails with breath coming fast. Where he had been, the ground was exceptionally hot, almost scalding hot. Staggering to the end of the rails, he slowly turned before making his way back. Stumbling and catching himself, he collapsed into the chair under the amazed stare of the nurse.
"Incredible" she whispered. Returning him to the room in which he dwelled and ordering him a drink of lemonade as a reward, she didn't notice the man lurking in the shadows.
Shirou weakly looked up as a man entered. It was the man who saved him! "H-hello mister" he choked out. Meeting the man who had saved his life brought up emotions he'd rather not bother him. He was too tired…
"Shhhh. I've come to you with an offer. How would you like for me to adopt you?" Kiritsugu Emiya asked he sat on the chair and looked at Shirou.
Shirou looked up with bright eyes. This kind man…wanted him as a son? He was no fool, he knew his parents had died. But for some reason…he could bring no memory of them to mind. Whenever he remembered his earlier life, he was alone. "I…I'd love to. But why me? I'm…I'm damaged." Sniffling, he waited for the rejection.
"Yes, you're damaged. But that just makes you better. If you survive this…you'll be stronger than anyone else."
"Alright…I'd love to be adopted by you." Those words had sealed the deal. A man who could talk so caringly was truly someone you cling to.
"Good boy. Now close your eyes and keep them closed."
Shirou did so and he heard the man step close. And he started chanting. Deciding to let him do as he wished, he caught the words, "Five Point Star: Release" before he felt drowsiness claim him.
End Flashback
"What on earth was that…" Saber asked herself. That bit at the end disturbed her. What had Kiritsugu done? Clearly not healed him since the scars were still there. But based on the other memories Shirou had, the man had never used sorcery again. What did you do, Kiritsugu?
A/N: Alright! Some mystery! Sorry if you think the Rider fight was a little dull but I figured if Saber was there, she could trace Shinji. Thanks for ya reviews! Hope you enjoyed that flashback by the way. I've seen people go through that so I tried to emulate it a bit. Cheers!