A/N: Well, it's a new chapter. It took... some time. As I warned, University's slowing me down. That said, I'm probably past the worst of it for a while, so the next update should be a fair bit quicker.
The rat moved through the sewer quickly, paying no attention to the waste that surrounded it. Its mind was focused on the singular goal of covering as much ground as possible. It would search every nook and cranny and explore every inch of even the foulest places. Such were its orders.
Inside its consciousness, Shirou was dissatisfied. This particular rodent was one of three that he'd sent to explore the sewer network beneath Fuyuki and like the rest, it hadn't found a single trace of a Servant. Or any kind of magecraft at all for that matter. Increasingly, he beginning to suspect that the sewers were a dead end as far as finding a Servant went. It'd be too much to ask for them to be used as a hiding place for the second war in a row after all.
Still, that was the area he'd agreed to search while Rin covered the surface. He didn't mind that; it made sense. Rin's 'owls' weren't suited for investigating cramped, underground areas and could search far more efficiently with unrestricted flight. It was just that he'd spent the last five hours staring at sewage through the eyes of a rat. And that got a little tiresome after a while.
He drew his mind out of the rodents form and his senses returned to their proper places within his body. Blinking rapidly, Shirou stretched, muscles cramped a little from sitting still in one place for so long. Luckily, inserting his mind into a familiar's body required only a tiny amount of prana to maintain, so he was still fine on that account. He sent a final mental command to the rats, ordering their return. Just leaving them down there was a waste after all.
"Are you alright?" Assassin asked from beside him, her voice concerned. He sighed. After her discovery of his brush with death yesterday the Servant had been watching him like a hawk, as if she suspected that he was just waiting for a chance to acquire new, even more life threatening injuries.
"I'm fine." He replied reassuringly, glancing at his watch as he did so. Two 'o clock. Than meant he had three hours until the meeting time he'd agreed on with Rin the day before. He really didn't feel like spending it inside a rat's head, especially not if it was going to be futile anyway. "Just a little cramped from sitting down for so long."
Maybe I should check up on Yukika? He thought idly. The idea had a certain appeal. For one thing, it'd let him stretch his legs and get some fresh air. For another, he hadn't talked to her in some time. While she wasn't as close to him as Rin, she'd been a fairly constant presence in his life up until a year ago. She'd spent weeks trying to persuade him to come back to the track club after he left. He smiled slightly at the memory of the young girl following him around with uncharacteristic stubbornness, all but shouting into his ear. There were certainly worse ways to spend an hour than a conversation with her. He could check in on some of his other classmates, and Sakura, while he was there too. Maybe even show Assassin the city in a more relaxed setting.
Before he could consider that though, he had to make sure that his latest experiment was still alive. He stood up and moved towards the window, legs complaining slightly at the sudden movement. Sitting there, basking in the sunlight, was his newest creation.
He'd based it on Rubus Idaeus, more commonly known as the red raspberry. It didn't much resemble Rubus Idaeus anymore. The common raspberry plant, for instance, didn't kill any insect that came within reach with spiny tendrils, then proceed drain it of its life force, or draw in the natural mana within the surrounding area. Just another example of how magecraft could improve on nature.
He'd developed the idea for plant last night, after Rin had left. The basic idea was simple: Create a plant capable of taking in mana from the nearby environment (or od from insects and small animals) and then storing it in edible fruits. With a sufficient number of plants, spread over a wide enough area, he would likely never have to worry about prana consumption again. In theory anyway. It was actually an idea he'd tried before, to magnificent and utter failure. While creating a plant capable of draining od from living beings was relatively easy (as his wasting thistle exemplified), granting one the ability to process mana was remarkably challenging. Even his wasting thistles weren't capable of actually storing the od they stole. To put it simply, it meant giving the flora functioning magic circuits and that was something he hadn't even begun to know how to do.
It was only when he'd been activating his old familiars last night that the thought had struck him. To make a familiar, a magus added a part of their own body to the creation and imbued it with rudimentary magic circuits. And there was no law that said a familiar had to be an animal. It was just that most magi wouldn't bother even trying to turn a plant into a familiar. They wouldn't have any means to control it for one, and they couldn't manipulate it in any meaningful way either.
Those were two deficiencies that Kotomine Shirou didn't share.
Peering over the plant, he gave a satisfied nod. It was certainly healthy and seemed to already be trying to start leeching mana from the air. That was good. He'd accelerated its growth quite a bit, to the point that he'd been a little worried that he might have damaged it. He'd have to move it out soon though, or the workshop would be rendered virtually unusable for magecraft.
The most important point, however, had yet to be realised. Simply draining mana wasn't enough. He needed the plant to be able to be able to store it in a method he could access. Storing it in a fruit would be preferable. That had actually been why he'd chosen a raspberry plant to act as the base. But if need be, he'd eat the damn stem. He wasn't going to picky about what was quite possibly the most important discovery he'd ever made.
Satisfied that he'd done all he could for now, he opened the door of the workshop and took a deep breath of the fresh air that entered. Peeling off his gloves and depositing them in the disposal bin, he walked out into the sunlight with Assassin walking beside him.
"Feel like a stroll?" He asked, turning his head over his shoulder to glance at the small Servant. She paused for a second to consider the question. He fought down a smile at that. The strange seriousness with which Assassin sometimes treated even the simplest of questions was rather cute. After a moment, she met his eyes.
"Is there anywhere in particular that we will be heading, Shirou?"
He nodded. "I'm thinking of visiting some friends at the hospital, but if we've got time after that then we can just walk around for a bit."
"…I see." Assassin said calmly. "That would be fine then." She cocked her head suddenly, as if a novel idea had suddenly occurred to her. "Could we get something to eat while we are out?"
He snorted in amusement at that. "I'm sure I'll be able to fit into the schedule somewhere."
Now that he thought about it, he still had to get Assassin some new clothes. While she was fond of his old T-shirt and jeans, he couldn't help but feel that she would quite like something else too. He sighed. Clothes shopping really wasn't his speciality, especially when it came to woman's clothing. That was Rin's area, and he couldn't help but suspect that Assassin wouldn't be appreciative of any fashion advice Rin gave.
Well, it wasn't like there was a time limit on when he had to do it. Maybe once Yukika got out of hospital, he could ask for her help. He frowned at the thought of the bedridden girl. He needed to get her a get-well present…
His mind idly passing from one thought to another, Shirou strode down the hill, Assassin at his side.
Perched on the branch of a dead tree, the owl gazed steadily at the temple several hundred feet away from the familiar.
That answers the question of where Caster's hiding then. Rin thought grimly, seated down in her house more than a mile away. The magecraft permeating the mountain temple was palpable, far surpassing any bounded field she'd ever seen before. There was no doubt that the magus of the Servants had made their home there. And tactically, she had to admit, it was an excellent choice.
Not only did the temple have a natural barrier that weakened spiritual presences but it was seated directly above an intersection of leylines, allowing long distance manipulation of prana. Something she'd already seen the results of. Combined with the formidable magics that wrapped the place like a shroud, it was a self-sufficient fortress. Assaulting it would be a chore she could do without, but it wasn't like she had a choice. As the current head of Tohsaka, dealing with indiscreet magi in Fuyuki was her responsibility.
Still, she'd have help for the attack itself and Caster had only recently began draining the life-force of the city. She shouldn't have accrued too much power at this point.
"Any luck, Master?" Rider asked from the side. Rin nodded.
"I think I've tracked Caster down." She said, giving a final mental command to the amethyst owl watching Caster's lair. "There's a Servant holed up in Ryuudouji temple, and they've set up incredibly powerful barriers around the site."
"That doesn't mean it's Caster." Rider replied, looking slightly concerned. "I may be bad at magecraft, but you shouldn't hold me as the rule. Heroes often excel in multiple fields, so don't get too focused on our classes."
"Maybe." Rin said, voice doubtful. "But these bounded fields are on a whole different level. I honestly can't see it being anyone but Caster." She continued, hand gesturing as she explained. "And even if I'm wrong, whoever's camped there is definitely the one behind the attack on the school. Their identity is secondary to that."
"I guess." Rider sighed, leaning back. After a few seconds, she shook her head and grinned. "Well, whatever! Worrying ain't like me. Whoever it is, we just need to defeat them when the time comes, right?"
"That's right." Rin agreed.
Truth be told, she was a little excited. While her anticipation of the Grail War had never matched Shirou's, the thought of competing in what was considered the ultimate test of a magus did intrigue her a little. And to see how her skills matched up against the other Masters, how her magecraft fared against theirs…
It was certainly interesting to think about.
"I suppose we'll be paying the place a visit tonight then?"
Rin turned to face her Servant, pulled from her thoughts by the query. "I'd imagine so. We don't want to give them any more time to settle in than we have to." She shrugged. "But I can't say for sure. Shirou might have found something that changes the situation."
"Oh?" Rider gave a smile, and Rin felt her stomach sink at the vicious expression crossing the Servant's face. "You're allowing Shirou to help choose the course of action? That's very cooperative of you, Master. I was expecting you to be leading him around on a leash."
"This is a partnership, Rider." Rin said, purposefully not looking the Servant in the eye as she spoke. For just a second, an image of Shirou wearing nothing but a leash had sprung to mind, along with a vivid blush across her face. No doubt just as Rider intended. "I can't just do whatever I want."
"True enough. And I'm sure Shirou is an excellent partner in any activity you care to think of." Rider grinned at Rin's crimson visage but then frowned. "Not so sure about Assassin though."
Rin gave her Servant a curious look. Rider's talent for switching between mockery and businesslike at a whim was aggravating, but increasingly she was noticing that her Servant was surprisingly perceptive.
"What do you mean?"
Rider shrugged. "She wanted to kill you yesterday. Quite badly, too."
Rin blinked, unsure that she'd quite understood what Rider had said. She'd suspected that Assassin didn't like her, given the glare she'd received on their first meeting, but murderous intent seemed… excessive. "Really?"
"Oh yes." Rider confirmed. "She was doing a stellar job of hiding it, but when you first suggested a partnership she slipped a little. I just caught it by chance. Or luck if you prefer. I would have told you earlier, but you seemed to have enough on your plate moving those owls around."
"You should have told me anyway. This is… important." She chided her Servant absentmindedly, already deep in thought. If Rider was telling the truth (and she had no reason to believe she wasn't) then this was a problem on several levels. Working alongside Assassin would provide the small Servant with numerous opportunities to strike at her.
Which was likely why she'd agreed so easily. The thought chilled her. If Rider hadn't noticed, then what might have happened?
A stupid question. She knew damn well what would have happened and it wouldn't have ended well for her.
"I don't suppose you could take a guess as to why?"
Rider paused in thought for a moment, then shrugged. "Could be any number of reasons. Maybe she's looking for a chance to take out some of the competition for the Grail. Perhaps you remind her of someone she knew in her past life." Rider grinned, her teeth bared viciously. "Or maybe she's just a psychopath. Take your pick."
Rin sighed, rubbing her head wearily. She wasn't sure how to deal with this. She couldn't afford to be peering over her back every time Assassin was around, but her options were limited. The simplest course of action would be to tell Shirou, but how would he react? What could he even do, short of using a command seal to suppress Assassin's movements? Command seals weren't even that effective over the long term. And that was assuming he even believed her. Her only evidence was Rider's word, something Shirou had no reason to trust.
Striking first wasn't an appealing choice either. Shirou would just interpret it as a attack and react accordingly. That was to say, with all-out warfare. A pitched battle with him was something she'd been hoping to avoid, not provoke.
Which left the most basic thing she could do. Being cautious. She snorted in bitter amusement at the thought. Caution was hardly enough, given that she was facing a Heroic Spirit. And one specialised in assassination at that.
Her line of thought was ended when Rider gave her a hearty slap on the back, almost doubling her over.
"Don't worry about it so much, Master!" The crimson haired Servant laughed, even as Rin pulled herself back up. "Leave this kind of stuff to me. You make your plans and I'll see them through, ok?"
Despite herself, Rin smiled and shook her head. Rider was right. It wasn't like her to endlessly chew stuff like this over anyway. If Assassin became a problem, she'd just grind her into dust. That was the kind of person Tohsaka Rin was. "That's right. You're my Servant after all."
Rider laughed again, then gave Rin a shrewd look. "Well then, how about you reward this loyal Servant by taking her to this 'mall' I've heard about? We've got a few hours till the rendezvous with Shirou, right?"
Rin hesitated at the suggestion. Fresh air and a stretch sounded tempting; Taking Rider to a shopping mall less so. Eventually, she gave a mental shrug. It wasn't like Rider could force her to buy things. Though she couldn't help but wonder where Rider had heard of the shopping mall to begin with. Had it come up in her conversation with Shirou yesterday?
"Well, I suppose we could take a stroll over there…" She began slowly, slightly hesitant despite herself.
The grin that spread over Rider's face created immediate regret about that particular decision.
Shirou liked the idea of hospitals. He really did. They were places dedicated to saving lives and that was a worthy goal no matter how you spun it. They also contained any number of illnesses, all interesting in their own ways. The problem, however, was that while the idea was appealing, the actual reality was a tad different.
They frustrated him. So many injuries, ones that he could heal with little more than a thought, and yet he was forced to leave be. So many fascinating collections of viruses and bacteria, and he couldn't analyse them as he wished. So many people shouting and bawling over one meaningless complaint or another. It was almost like some form of customised torment, specifically designed to grate on his nerves.
And the endless, endless bureaucracy. The simple act of seeing a friend took queuing up, signing a sign-in sheet, signing a visitors form, signing a disclaimer… It was enough to drive a man to insanity. Or at least drive him to throttle the receptionist. The smug bastard.
Eventually though, the last of the red tape was ticked off and he made his way through the sterile halls. Assassin moved behind him in spectral form, silent and invisible. More and more he was beginning to appreciate just how useful the spiritual nature of a Servant's existence was. It allowed them to go virtually anywhere, completely undetectable to almost anyone. No security measure was tight enough, no defence impenetrable…
And most importantly, it means I don't have to sign her in. He gloated in the depths of his own mind. He was aware that it was a petty victory but after the last half hour of boredom, he'd take what he could get. Take that, Mr 'Please-sign-here-and-here-and-here-and-here'!
It wasn't that far to Saegusa's room and so less than five minutes later he was standing in front of a plain door. He raised a hand to knock, then frowned. Now that he thought about it, the very fact that Saegusa had a room to herself was a little strange. Fuyuki had more than one hospital, but almost all of the students afflicted by the attack on the school had been taken to the nearest. This one, to be precise. Apparently they'd pretty much swamped the place when they arrived. Giving a room to one student in particular, while others were sharing seemed a bizarre move to make. Perhaps they'd transferred some of the students to other hospitals once it became clear that their condition was non-critical. Eventually he shrugged and brought his hand down sharply onto the wood. It wasn't anything worth getting excited about. A cheerful, melodic voice answered the rapping.
"Come in!"
He entered the room, holding the door open a moment longer than normal to allow Assassin uninhibited access. Sitting up on her bed, Yukika's surprised expression rapidly became a wide smile.
"Shirou-kun! It's been ages." She patted the side of the bed. "C'mon. Sit! Sit!"
He obliged, sliding down onto the suggested spot. "It's nice to see you, Saegusa-san. How are you?"
The girl gave him a dissatisfied look. "Saegusa-san, Shirou-kun? That's a little formal."
"Yukika-chan." The smile returned to her face.
"That's right. And I'm fine. Just a little tired really." She said. "How about you though? I heard that you weren't at school yesterday."
He nodded. "That's right. I was helping my father out in the church, cleaning up the basement. It's become a real mess lately."
A flat out lie of course, but one that was practically ironclad.
"Lucky you." Yukika responded, scrunching her face up to show her jealousy. "You get to spend a few days doing whatever you want, while the rest of us are stuck in here."
"Oh, shush." He said, dismissing her complaints. "You got a room to yourself, didn't you?" His eyes wandered over to her bedside table and he grinned. The entire thing was virtually covered in cards and gifts, ranging from flowers to chocolates to novels. "And what's this huge pile of get-well presents? Mine's going to look a little sad next to this."
He pulled out the box of chocolates he'd bought anyway, placing it on top of the small mountain that had built up. Yukika looked a little embarrassed.
"You didn't need to…"
He dismissed the complaint with wave of his hand. "It's fine. I would have felt awkward bringing nothing at all."
The girl blushed for a moment, then gave him a sly look. Or what Yukika imagined was a sly look anyway. She didn't quite have it down. It looked more like she was squinting at him than anything else. "You know, Shirou-kun, if you really wanted me to get better then-"
"I'm not coming back to the club." His reply was quick and absolute. The rapid fall of Yukika's expression told him that he'd guessed her intentions quite accurately.
"Oh come on, Shirou-kun? Please? Somebody's got to succeed me after I leave, y'know?"
"Yukika-san, we're in the same year." He sighed, with the air of one who's heard this argument many, many times before. "When you leave, I'll be heading out too."
Yukika gave him a petulant look, but turned away. "Well, maybe I'll be leaving fairly soon. Did you think about that?" She murmured into space.
He blinked. "What was that?"
Her head shot round, expression panicked as she waved her arms in the air frantically. "Ah! Ah, it was nothing. Just me venting a little frustration. Been cooped up for a little too long."
"You've been here for little more than a day." Shirou said, raising an eyebrow. "That's too long?"
Yukika laughed sheepishly, blushing slightly.
The conversation settled down after that as they chatted amiably about inconsequential things. He had to admit, it was nice to simply talk to someone. Not about plans, or the oncoming war, but just about pointless, fun things. Sitting here in this quiet room, the sun piercing through the window, created such a strange contrast with the battles and frantic research that had consumed his time over the last few days.
After a while, Shirou checked his watch. Three thirty five. If he wanted to grab a bite to eat with Assassin before heading back, he'd have to leave soon. Finding a break in the conversation, he spoke up. "Well, it was nice seeing you again, Yukika-chan, but I've got to head off now. I've got a meeting to get to."
"A date?" She asked, eyes twinkling as she looked up with interest.
He laughed. "Not exactly. More a headache waiting to be."
"Well, if you're leaving, could you open a window? It's getting a little stuffy in here."
He obliged, moving off the bed and pushing the glass frame open. The sudden influx of air swept through the room, pushing a card from its precarious perch on top of the small hill of gifts. Picking it up, he couldn't stop his eyes from wandering down to what was written inside.
Dear Yu-chan.
I don't know what to say really. I'll be round to see you later, but take this to tide you over. My smiling words will reach your heart through this letter!
Just don't worry about it, alright? There's gotta be something the doctors can do!
Hang in there!
Fujimura 'Tiger' Taiga
He blinked. Next to the name was a small depiction of a tiger clinging to a tree, a speech bubble leading up to the words 'Hang in there!' He wasn't sure what was more shocking: that Fujimura Taiga had actively used her name as a pun (something she forgave from no-one) or that she'd felt the need to give Yukika a get well card to begin with. Yukika was in the same boat as everyone else, surely? Why give a get well card to someone who was suffering the same problems as yourself? And the way she'd wrote it…
A feeling of suspicion began to gnaw at him, a persistent whisper in his mind that something was wrong. That he was ignoring something obvious.
"Shirou? What's wrong?" Yukika said curiously, peering up at him from her spot on the bed. The spot she hadn't moved from during the entire time he'd been here. Her gaze fell down to the card in his hand and her expression froze. The suspicion grew.
"Analysis start." The words left his mouth as a whisper, barely even perceptible to his own ears, but their effect was no less potent for their volume. His senses expanded, taking in the pulse of life that surrounded him. He could feel the blood within his own body, feel the pulse of his heart and the very feeling of life itself suffusing his body.
And he could see Yukika. Beneath the covers, beneath the clothes, beneath the skin, beneath the layers of fat and muscle, he could see it. A single crack. Had it been in her arm it would have been nothing. A few weeks of healing. In her legs, it would have been aggravating, keeping her from her beloved track club for at least a month.
It was in her spine.
Caster moved aside quickly as a desk came flying in her direction. She wasn't sure if her Master was aiming at her specifically, or just venting his frustration on anything that he could. The room was a wreck, the ancient walls of the temple battered from both magic and thrown furniture. Constanin's rage was a thing to behold as he stormed throughout the temple, lashing out at random. A few of the monks had already been subject to his attacks and she was fairly sure that they wouldn't be getting up again.
He hadn't taken the loss against the Einzbern girl very well.
Truth be told, she was more than a little shaken herself. The battle against Saber hadn't been a fight so much as an execution. She'd been aware that as the Caster of the war, she was traditionally considered amongst the weakest of the Servant classes. She'd accepted that and understood that if she was to win, it would be through the careful gathering of power and playing her opponents against each other rather than brute force. Nevertheless, the sheer difference in power between herself and the silver-armoured knight was horrifying. Try as she might, she couldn't think of any circumstances that could allow her to defeat the swordswoman. It just seemed… impossible. An unreachable goal.
She shook her head and focused on more positive thoughts, such as the advantages last night had brought about. She smirked. For one thing, her Master had used a second command seals, the second of his shields against her wrath. If he were just forced into one more situation like that, one more choice between life or death…
Well, she had more than a few grudges to bring to bear.
She became aware that the constant cacophony of sound had ended, casting the temple into a dead silence. It appeared that her Master's rage had burnt itself out, something that was confirmed by the approaching footsteps.
He was certainly composed, his face calm and steady once more. She noticed that fresh blood was coming from his scar. No doubt because he'd been stretching the wound with his wretched screaming all day.
"Caster…" He began slowly, voice hoarse as he broke into a fit of coughing. She waited patiently. He still had one seal left after all, more than enough to force her to end her own life if need be. Eventually, the rough sounds ceased, and the magus wiped his mouth of a bloody phlegm. She fought down a vicious smile at the sight of the bastard's suffering.
"Caster." He repeated, firmer this time. "Begin your feeding once more. But do it faster this time." His eyes narrowed. "Take as much as you can, as quickly as you can."
Caster nearly spat in his face. Did the fool have any idea what he asked? The rampant stupidity of his order? The ley lines were ancient, powerful flows of energy, not some convenient source of food. Restraint had to exercised so as not to damage the channels themselves. And to take as much as possible? Idiocy. The wisest course of action was to take only a certain amount from every individual. Draining enough to kill them was wasteful; you merely robbed yourself of a future source of power.
"Master…" She started, determined to stop this foolishness before it began.
He punched her.
She fell to the ground, clutching at her jaw. The blow was not that painful. Physically weak as she was, she was still a Servant. No un-enhanced blow by a normal human could truly damage her. But the shame of having to endure this beating burned like a hot coal against her mind. There was also some satisfaction at her Master's obvious panic though. She remembered, no more than two days ago, his cool, foreboding nature. To see him reduced to this from no more than a single battle was amusing.
"Shut up!" He screeched at her, the composure of only a moment ago already gone. "Shut up! Just do it! You saw how easily Saber defeated you yesterday! Do you want that to happen again! Do you?"
"No, Mas-" His foot lashed out, striking her on the chin. Constanin glared down at her prone form with frustration in his eyes.
"Shut up! Just do it!" He turned on his heel at and stalked into the recesses of the Temple, blue robes trailing behind him.
Drawing herself to her feet, she glared at the departing figures back. She was tempted to try and kill him now, while he was so obviously distracted, but overruled the murderous impulse. All it would take was him sensing the build up of magic and she'd be dead. Her Divine Words allowed her to vastly outpace any modern magi in terms of spell casting, but the command seals were faster still.
She turned her attention to view of the city below. Her Master was a cowardly fool, but there was some truth in his words. If she was to even escape a confrontation with Saber with her life intact, more power would be required.
I am so very fortunate that the people of this city are generous. The thought made her smirk, even as she began to reach along the ley lines once more.
Rider had to admit it: the world had become far more convenient. In her own time, going from a jeweler to a baker, and then to a clothier would have taken an hour at least. But here, in this shopping mall, it was a five minute walk to reach practically any kind of store you wanted. It made spending her money so much more convenient.
That was, if she'd had any money.
She sighed mournfully, glancing at her Master. Tohsaka Rin had many admirable qualities, but it appeared a generous heart was not among them. The magus had made it quite clear how much money she was intending to spend here. It wasn't a lot.
Still, Rider had gone through tough times before. There was more than one way to get what you wanted. Most people would fold when you pointed a gun at their face, for instance. If that wasn't an option (and sometimes if it was) then seduction tended to be consistently viable. And finally, the simplest option of all: Steal it when they weren't looking.
Of course, her Master had made her opinion on common theft fairly obvious, which meant that she also had to dodge Rin's gaze. That was fine. She liked a challenge, and the pockets concealed inside her coat were quite deep. Let her overly honourable Master look all she liked.
In less than a half hour, she found herself quite pleased with her growing collection of knick-knacks. A few books, a full set of lingerie, a rather fetching shawl and a box of expensive chocolate were but the tip of her larcenous iceberg. Jewelry had proven rather hard to get hold off though, as most stores seemed to use glass panels to prevent people from doing, well, exactly what she wanted to do.
Eventually though, she'd found a shop of wonderfully trusting and kind individuals, who had more than one set of jewellery exposed to open air and only a single camera with a rather poor coverage of the shop. Just the sort of people she liked to meet. She'd robbed them blind of course, but she'd happily recommend their store to anyone who asked.
"I'm going to get a drink." Rin declared from next to her, drawing her from her contemplation of her newfound… acquisitions. " I don't suppose you want anything?"
"Alcoholic?" Rider asked hopefully. Rin shook her head, and she gave a despairing sigh. No sex, no alcohol and an ever decreasing amount of weed for her pipe. She hadn't even gotten into any fights yet. The Holy Grail War was proving itself to be a bit of a let down. Why, if Rin wasn't so incredibly fun to tease she'd have been bored out of her mind! And if it hadn't been for the small flask of whisky (stolen) on her upper left inside pocket, even that might not have been enough to see her through!
As Rin departed to get her drink, Rider allowed her eyes to wander over the people in the food court below. People watching was a hobby she'd taken up to kill time when Lizzie had made those tiresome speeches. The trick was to watch the corners of the crowd, where people weren't hemmed in and being watched by those around them. People always acted so straight-laced when they felt the eyes of their peers upon them. It was only when they felt that they were not truly being observed that they began to let their true natures show.
She blinked as a familiar face came into sight. Or rather two familiar faces. Kotomine Shirou and Assassin sat at a table together, eating what appeared to be some kind of sandwiches. Or that was the cover, at least. They seemed slightly tense, as if ready to leap into action at any moment. She wondered why.
Ah. Of course. How silly of her. Assassin may have been able to escape her senses, but that wasn't a mutual thing. No doubt the pale haired Servant was already close to working out her exact position. As if on cue, a small head turned up to look straight at her. The enmity in the pale blue eyes was palpable even at this distance.
She waved.
Shirou stared into space dully, his mind in turmoil. One thought in particular sprang to the forefront of his mind again and again, no matter how he tried to push it aside.
Saegusa Yukika would likely never walk unaided again.
He felt like slapping himself. There he'd been, cheerily talking about useless little things, blowing off Yukika's attempt to get him to rejoin the track club, and completely ignoring the hints that something had been wrong. Every word he'd spoke must have been like a stabbing a dagger into her heart. And she'd been smiling all the while.
He'd left soon after, checking up on a few students he knew. They'd all been partitioned to a joint ward though, their injuries being less serious. Sakura apparently hadn't been in school that day, which he supposed was a good thing and all the others had been suffering from little more than exhaustion. Apart from Yukika, almost everybody seemed to have come out of the attack in fairly good shape.
Apart from Yukika.
'You've been here for little more than a day. That's too long?'
The memory of that stupid, cruel sentence kept coming back. What a pointless thing to say. Maybe I should have finished up with 'Wait till you see what the rest of your life has in store!', just to twist the knife.
And the reason for the injury had been so incredibly stupid. She had a habit of jumping small flights of stairs, and had been heading full pelt down one at the time of the attack. When she'd blacked out, she'd fallen badly. The drop had barely been a few metres. Apparently, the doctor had said that the chances of it occurring had been incredibly miniscule. This was a freak accident, he'd insisted, as if that would somehow make her feel better.
But that wasn't the worst part. That wasn't the worst part at all.
The worst part was that he'd left her there.
His analysis had told him pretty much everything about the injury. It had occurred in the Thoracic region of the spine, cracking one of the vertebrae. The bone itself hadn't been that badly damaged, but the nerves inside were wrecked. Not complete paraplegia, but severe enough to be crippling. Even with the very best medical care, the chances of them healing was pretty much nonexistent. Which meant that Yukika, to whom the track club was her pride and joy, would never walk again without the help of crutches
But he could heal that. He could save her.
And he hadn't.
Because the doctor would have asked questions. Because people didn't just let things like spontaneous healing of spinal nerves, little more than twenty four hours after they'd been damaged, go unnoticed. Because that single act of goodwill could have destroyed his world. Magi had hid themselves from the public. They wouldn't appreciate him healing some nobody in a hospital, lighting a beacon for people to find them.
And even if he'd managed to keep his involvement secret, where did that leave Yukika? The miracle girl, who'd healed overnight from a crippling injury. If they asked, she'd turn herself into a bloody lab rat, so that they could poke her and prod her for answers they wouldn't find. She was too good-natured to say no. They'd probably show her pictures of some poor little child and off she'd go to waste her life.
Once she'd left the hospital, and the continual oversight, he could do something; subtly create an improvement in her condition. It would be slow and steady, enough so that the doctors would chalk it up to their own efforts. But right now he couldn't do anything. Not even tell her that he could fix her. Not without putting himself and those he cared about at risk. Not without alerting her to the existence of a world she knew nothing about and should know nothing of. The Mage's Association were not discriminating when it came to hiding evidence about themselves. Rin, his father, Yukika… They might well have been charged as guilty by association.
He snorted. Here he was, a contestant in a war that was about as showy as you could get without a neon sign declaring your status as a magi to the world at large, yet unable to heal a single girl without potentially bringing the Association down on him and everyone he cared about like the proverbial ton of bricks. Or ruining her life in a new, exciting manner. It was beyond stupid.
Yukika had wished him farewell, not knowing that simply by leaving that room, he was committing a betrayal. He'd given her a nod and said he'd come again. And he would. But he wouldn't heal her then either.
She'd spend weeks in a hospital, convinced that she'd never be able to move by own strength again. The fact that he'd damn well make sure she would didn't soothe him much. He was still putting a friend though torment that she didn't have to suffer. It was infuriating. He wanted to punch something, to rip it apart, just to calm himself down.
Whoever had attacked the school would be a good start. He felt his mouth curl into a snarl at the thought. When he found them, he'd break them. The Servant would have to die, anything else was too risky, but the Master...
That wouldn't be quick.
"Shirou." A small hand bopped lightly against his head, yanking him from his thoughts. "…Your sandwich is getting cold. Eat."
He turned to look at Assassin, who was staring up at him with a firm expression. Despite the events of the afternoon, she'd dragged him off to get something to eat, though it was clear that her intentions had changed from simply devouring everything she could. She'd spent less time eating than she had trying to force him to do the same, obvious attempting to distract him from mulling over Yukika. He appreciated the gesture, but he really didn't feel like eating anything.
Assassin didn't seem willing to take that for answer and alternated between prodding and meaningful glances towards his sandwich until he gave in. They ate in silence for a time, when Assassin suddenly froze. The gesture was familiar by now, like watching a hunting dog sniff the air. He knew what had happened even before she spoke. "Shirou, there is a Servant in the area."
His mind began race. This was a crowded area. While both Rin and himself suspected that it was manipulation of the ley lines that was responsible for the attacks, a Noble Phantasm was still a possibility. An area filled to the brim with people like this was a tempting target.
On the other hand, it could be a more peaceable visitor. It wasn't impossible that the new Servant was Rider or Saber, in which case Rin or Ilya would likely be nearby. He found himself hoping that it was Rider. Rin might have found something out by now. "Where are they?"
"…About two hundred and fifty meters away." She said. He eyes closed as she concentrated "I cannot tell the direction yet."
He waited in silence. If he was honest, he'd wanted something like this. Something to distract him from the dark thoughts that threatened to wash over him. Adrenaline was already pumping through his body, the words of his Aria poised on his lips.
"One hundred meters." The quiet voice from beside him said. "To the west."
He glanced in that direction out of the corner of his eye, but saw nothing extraordinary. Not surprising thought It wasn't like a Servant would announce themselves with fanfare. He paused. Well, his brother would but he was an exception among exceptions, even among Servants.
"Fifty meters." Assassin murmured. "On a higher elevation…!"
The white haired Servant's gaze shot up, and he followed her eyes. There, waving cheerily, was a familiar red-haired form. He sighed, the tension leaving his body and lifted a hand in acknowledgement.
The Servant sauntered down the steps casually. He couldn't help but notice the attention she was drawing. It wasn't surprising of course. Rider was beautiful by any standards and her flowing red-hair, so unusual in Japan, lent her an exotic air. Combined with her incredibly flamboyant choice of clothing, she was as eye-catching as it was possible to be. Frankly, he was halfway surprised that there wasn't a gaggle of young men trying to hit on her.
"Well hello there, Shirou-kun! And you too, Assassin." Rider greeted them airily. "Fancy meeting you two here."
"It was certainly a surprise." Shirou agreed, gesturing for her to sit down. "Where's Rin?"
"Oh, she's just upstairs. Grabbing something to drink." The Heroic Spirit crossed her legs as she sat. "In fact, I think that's her now."
She raised her hand once again and waved frantically. Turning in his seat, Shirou looked over in the direction of Rider's signal. Coming down the same flight of stairs that Rider had taken, Rin was approaching their table at a rapid pace.
"Shirou!" She exclaimed, stopping as she reached them. "What are you doing here?"
He shrugged. "Just taking a walk to clear my head. You?"
"Something similar." She replied, taking a seat. "I was just about to start heading to the church though."
Shirou blinked in surprise. "Is it that late already?" He gave his watch a glance. Four twenty. The church was at least a half hour away, even if you jogged. He'd lost track of time completely.
Rin opened her mouth, no doubt to remonstrate on him on his apparent tardiness, then paused. "Shirou… Are you alright? You look a little tired."
Wonderful. Apparently even Rin had noticed that he was wallowing in angst. He shook his head. Enough. If he had to feel miserable, he could at least channel it into something constructive. Like hunting down the miserable bastard behind it and wringing his neck.
There. He felt better already.
"I'm fine." He replied, sitting up a little straighter. "Just thinking. More importantly, I don't suppose that you've found anything?"
Rin gave him an uncertain look, obviously doubting how easily he was dismissing her concerns. Eventually though, she spoke up. While this place was hardly as safe as the church, the thrum of the conversation around them easily hid anything they said from outside ears. "It's as we thought. They're hiding out in Ryuudouji Temple. There's some impressive bounded fields covering it and combined with the natural spiritual barrier, it's a fortress. I'd say that it's Casters work."
Shirou nodded, mulling over the information. Ryuudouji was the largest meeting point of ley lines in the entire area, so they had suspected that at least one Servant would make their home there. And Caster made sense. The only other options were Berserker or Archer, who typically weren't powerful magic users. "Alright then, that's one. But the sewers are pretty much empty. I couldn't find so much as a trace of magecraft, let alone a Servant."
Rin looked thoughtful for a few moments, then shrugged. "Well, that's fine. It's probably best to focus on one thing at a time. At least we know that there's no surprises waiting for us down there."
"And the thing to focus on right now," Rider said, breaking into the conversation. "Is how and when we're going to attack the place."
"…Tonight." Shirou turned at the sound of Assassin's voice, giving the Servant a surprised look. It was fairly unusual for her to come into a conversation without prompting. "… There's no reason not to strike."
"Ooh." Rider smirked at Assassin. "You read my mind. I'm all for doing this as soon as possible too. I've been getting a little bored lately."
"That goes for me as well. I am a magus of Tohsaka. I won't leave them be to do as they wish on my land." Rin confirmed. She turned to face him, face curious. "Shirou?"
He didn't answer for a second, closing his eyes in thought. He could think of a few reasons to leave them alone for a while. They could spend the time investigating their capabilities, or perhaps try and goad another Master into assaulting them first. While a flat out assault here and now, before they had a chance to gather too much energy, was tactically viable, using them as method of cutting down on the competition would be a better strategic move.
But honestly, he couldn't give a damn about strategy right now. The growing anger within demanded release. He wanted to rip those responsible for the attack apart, show them exactly what happened to those who hurt his friends. Make them beg for forgiveness, beg to die, beg for mercy he wouldn't grant. Just the thought soothed him.
"Yeah." His eyes opened as he spoke. "Tonight sounds good."
-End-