FATE/DOWN THE CRIMSON PATH
DISCLAIMER : I DO NOT OWN FATE. FATE BELONGS TO TYPE-MOON AND NASU KINOKO. I OWN ONLY MY OC. ANY RESEMBLENCE TO REAL PERSON OR PEOPLE ARE MERE COINCIDENCE. NO FINANCIAL PROFIT IS MADE FROM THIS. THIS IS FOR ENTERTAINMENT PURPOSES ONLY.
A/N (SPR):
Hey there, dear readers! Thanks once again for diligently coming back to read this fic and fol & fav it~ Really love all your reviews and input. So, here's another chappie by Rin-chan. Enjoy!
Chapter 9
Caren Hortensia sank onto her bed once she got back to her chambers, not even bothering to get a quick bath or at least change her clothes. The young priestess was having a grave headache from the aftermath of the battle last night at the Shinto area. A samurai compound was completely destroyed, no doubt it was the home of one of the participants, and from what she read from her father's notes, it was likely to be the Emiya's place. Roads outside the compound were damaged as well, though not as much as in other areas in the city.
The bridge had collapsed, and she had no idea who the hell tore the thing down. It was hard enough to hide the fact of the ruined compound, now the bridge? How was she supposed to get the bridge up and working in the shortest time possible without raising any suspicion that thaumaturgy actually existed, and that there was a secret war being fought over a supposed Holy Grail?
Not to mention the foreign graveyard, which was completely turned upside down. It was a miracle that the place was still a little intact, though she pitied the dead who were disturb by none other than the dead too. She wondered what they were thinking when they watched their beds being cut down by the legendary heroes. It must've been a great fight, but no one enjoyed seeing their peace being disturbed.
She sighed in exasperation, trying to come up with an excuse for the damage. It was surprising how her father and grandfather had done to hide the war, and how well they had managed to do so. She wished she had half of their abilities so that she won't be facing such a major headache now. It was enough of work keeping them away from different factions, but now, massive collateral damage? That was something she wasn't trained for and would need to act on her own judgment.
She pulled herself off the bed, moving towards her desk to prepare the necessary paperwork to deal with the Church, Association as well as the mundane human world. Though she had no ties to the Magus world, with the addition of the new Tohsaka head refusing any help from her, she had nothing to do with their world in the first place. But still, they had thought that she would be the best candidate to fill the spot.
Or perhaps, they could find no one else, so they decided to force me into this without giving me an option. Well, no use musing over the past, now I need a solid excuse for the damage they've just inflicted on the city...
A knock on her door broke her out from her train of thoughts, and a member entered the room with a bow. "Sister, how do you wish for us to access the situation?"
She sighed, turning to face him after writing down a few words. "How fast can our men repair all the damage?"
"I'm not sure. However, judging from the degree of damage, we might not be able to finish things before dawn cracks. We would probably need to seal the place up, and wait for the local authorities to finish the patching up."
She nodded in agreement. "Indeed. If the area is already bared to the public, and the repairs are done at a fast rate, surely people would begin to suspect things. Very well, execute according to your plans. I'm counting on you."
The priest bowed before leaving the room. Caren turned back to her paperwork. "Now, where was I? Maybe a terrorist bombing will be a good enough excuse..."
"So, are you going to tell me what are you trying to prove, or am I free to make my own guesses?" Asked the younger among the two women in the workshop.
The elderly man, however, ignored her question and focused on the test tube before him, dripping a drop of reagent into the tube and waiting for a result. He didn't have to wait long, though. The moment the reagent dispersed, the solution turned black with pulsing red vein. She had watched this same experiment over and over again over the years, but it had never shown its result so quickly.
She continued to watch as the man sat down, writing something in his notebook before putting the said item away, turning to face her and Arcueid, who sat on the couch, drinking wine while waiting for him to finish his so-called researches. The elder female said nothing, but her quiet stare was clearly demanding an explanation. She too had seen the same thing being performed over the years, and like him, she too was not optimistic with the way things had gotten lately.
His gaze was caught by the younger woman's appearance. "What happened?"
"Huh?" She asked dumbly.
"Your hair and eyes." He said in a monotone. Arcueid was watching in silence, but even she was unsettled by the new look she had.
"Nothing." She answered, offering no other explanations.
His eyes narrowed in suspicion, but he decided to drop the topic for now, and focus on it when the White Princess was not around. At the moment, they had other matters to attend to.
"Let's talk about the war first, shall we?" He began, deciding to avert the topic for the time being. They had been watching the clash between the two factions before he conducted the experiment, and saw the fall of Red Assassin. "So, basically we know quite a lot of the assembled Masters identity by now."
Daphne took a sip of her wine and smiled. "Indeed. None of them are aware of the true threat in the game, and I'm not going to spoil it for them just yet. Shell we begin with the Red Faction? Emiya Shirou, Master of Saber. A Faker, but a strong one nonetheless. I'm fairly convinced that he can do more than projecting those blades."
"From what we had managed to gather over the years, he's a proficient dual-wielder as well. Though he refused to join the Association, he has made a name for himself over the years as a Freelancer. Also, don't forget the fact that he has been honing Rune magic over the years. He may be hopeless when it comes to elemental based thaumaturgy, but if it's not, then he's quite a good one." Said the White Princess, reading off Daphne's notes.
"Hmm, and the Servant, a sword wielder, and none other than the famous King of Knights. I can't believe that the king famous for his victories on the battlefield would be a little girl who loves to play dress up, having a son who was supposed to be a girl and calls her father. And please, don't even let me get start on her marriage part. Or I'll end up thinking that Guinevere was a man and Lancelot was another woman who posed as a guy." Grumbled the Magus, who was staring into the air, trying to absorb all the fact she had taken in so far. "And, as far as I could see, she has two possible Noble Phantasm. One, the wind that surrounds her sword. And two, the sword itself, which is obvious. Excalibur. Stat wise, pretty high, nothing less comes from the strongest among the classes. High Magic Resistance and Riding, due to class skills. And personal skills such as Instinct and Prana Burst, all A ranked. Damn, a hard opponent to take down."
"Bazett Fraga McRemitz. An Enforcer and a Fraga to boost things. If she takes out Fragarach, then maybe it's time to say goodbye to the war. It's a Noble Phantasm in its own way. Though the true mechanics of how it works is still a mystery to me." Continued Zelretch, who was pouring a glass of wine for himself. "And her Servant. His clothes, definitely Celtic. But, there are many spearmen in Celtic mythology, making the job of identifying this man a lot harder. But they also say that only the swiftest are chosen to be spearmen. With his ability, there aren't even three of his level of skill in history. Add in a demonic red spear, that leaves only one man. The Hound of Chulainn."
Daphne nodded. "Stat-wise, he's not far behind Saber, but his personal skill is the ace for him. Protection from Arrows? Literally speaking, no projectiles can reach him, with a rank B, and Runes to boost things? Though we have yet to encounter him using Runes. Quite a master in the art, if we judge things by his stat. Another headache on the plate, if you ask me."
Arcuied's eyes flashed at the comment, a little amused. "Well, the Edelfelt has secured the Archer class this time, unlike the previous two which was monopolized by the Tohsaka clan. The Master herself is a mercenary, experienced in combat and jewel magic. Luviagelita Edelfelt is the family head now, and she's not to be underestimated. As for her Servant, he gives off quite a weird impression to me. It seems that he's part of the world, but at the same time no. How should I put this? ... Nevermind, move on to his stats."
"Hmm, let's see. Generally, as the Archer, his stats are quite low. Too low for a Heroic Spirit to make it to the Throne of Heroes, and is summoned into this vessel. Basically, most of his stats are B-ranked, but if we look back at the style he used to fight, there might be a possibility we need to consider." She paused, arranging her words. "Similar to the Emiya, he might be a Faker."
Zelretch raised an eyebrow in question. Her sister seemed equally confused as well. A Faker was uncommon enough, but two? In the same war? Now that was something you don't see every day.
"Consider this." She said, channeling mana through her circuits, bringing up the image of Archer and Shirou's stance and swords. At a close inspection, one would see the striking similarity between the two. "I think you both get what I'm trying to say here. The Throne of Heroes exists outside the time axis, and heroes from the future can be summoned as well. At the same time, it is an undeniable fact that Humanity nowadays has lost the ability to create miracles, let alone ascend to the Throne. However, there is always an exception to things. In this case, we can contemplate the possibility that Archer is the alternate future version of Emiya Shirou."
"Now that's something you don't see every day." Remarked the only male in the room. "Leaving him aside, we'll move on to the Tohsaka clan. With the demises of the previous head, Tohsaka Rin, her younger sister, who was supposed to be the heiress of Matou, take the position of the family head under the support of her sister and the Association. A jewel magic practitioner as well, though she's not as good as the Edelfelt considering the fact that she's still new to this branch of magic. Nevertheless, she has made herself well known in the Association with her Elemental Affinity, Imaginary Numbers. Though I doubt she will be any trouble at this point."
"Servant wise..." Daphne continued, recalling what she had seen. "Rare to see someone of this class to possess Independent Action, but who am I to complain? She also has Monstrous Strength and Divinity, so her true identity should be quite well known too. A high Magic Resistance too, paired with an A+ Riding skill. No doubt she can even ride Divine Beasts. Stat wise, her agility is on par with Lancer, the swiftest among all the classes, though as a Rider, I think it meant her chariot or mount."
Arcueid looked like she was about to faint. It was a hell lot of information to digest, and she wasn't the type to sit around, analyzing things, and planning their next move. All this was boring her to death, but she was trying her very best not to scream or simply storm out from the room. It was impolite and unladylike after all. She didn't want to leave a bad impression, at least no to these two anyway. The rest of the world, they could go and rot all they want, and she wouldn't even give a damn about things. It was none of her concern, right?
"What about the Caster class? They were Magus too before they died, so would they pose a threat to the rest of those in the war?" She asked, mustering as much interest as she could into her voice. Though whether it was convincing or not, she didn't know.
"Caster huh? She might be a threat to all parties in the war, but I doubt that she's the only Magus among the Servants. That Archer you mentioned earlier, Daphne, it was a form of Gradation Air that he uses, correct?" The female nodded. "Then, it is better to consider all kinds of odds, instead of focusing on just one of them at this moment. If we wish to go according to our initial plan, then we must think wide."
"Agreed." Remarked the youngest in the room. "In a war, all elements make a significant change in the pace if we know how to manipulate them to our will. Now, we need to fully understand what type of participants in this ritual we're facing so that we can have a better idea on how to push them in the way we want them to go."
Arcueid held the urge to roll her eyes at what they had said. "Back to Caster?"
"Right." Said the younger woman, rummaging through her notes. "For this Servant, we have yet to discern her true identity as well. However, it is clear that she is not one we should be underestimating, especially if we're in her own territory. This class of Servant has this type of formidable ability, though if one is allied to them, then a huge advantage is theirs. So, likely to say that both faction now has the backup of their Casters, and it is unwise to take them out at this point."
Zelretch nodded in affirmative. "You're right. Though we have a vague outline on what the Servants are like, and roughly their abilities, but their trump card has yet to be revealed. We must wait. Wait for the right moment to strike and take down as many as we could."
Daphne eyed him curiously. "Grandpa, last time I checked, you're not like this. I thought you love to do things your way instead of following the guide book." The vampire shot her a glare but said nothing to her comment. So she continued, ignoring the glare. "Caster, one of the weaker classes, but her mana and personal skills are not something we should take lightly. We'll see more about it in due time."
"The Master?" Asked her sister.
She shrugged. "To be frank, I have no idea about that. Though I can make an assumption that she and her Master has been staying at Ryuudou Temple all this time. From the feedback of my familiars, it is clear that there has been Magus activity there since the beginning of the war."
"Then we can put her aside for now," Zelretch said. "Moving on. The Assassin class of the Red is no longer a concern. And that's something. Though his Master might be a different matter."
"I won't think too much if I were you, though, gramps. After all, the boy lost his Command Seals when the lord took off his arm. Well, it's better to count in the possibility that he might be able to receive another set, but..." She let herself trail off.
He nodded in agreement. "Then, moving on with the Einzberns, I never thought they would be able to come up with such delicate work. That combat homunculus was simply astounding. In ten years, they managed to fabricate one which excels in close and ranged combat. Maybe this time they actually stand a chance to win things. Though I must say, I think that something's off."
"Err, mind to enlighten me?" Asked the White Princess, who was trying her very best to stay awake and pay attention to their conversation.
Daphne put down her glass, tucking a loose strand behind her ear. "Ever since the beginning of this foolish ritual, the Einzberns had always been the one to provide a vessel for the Holy Grail. However, what grandfather wanted to say is, the man didn't feel like a Lesser Grail to him. He did help with the development of the Grail, hence he more or less knows how does the mechanics work."
"I'll research deeper into things. For now, leave the homunculus aside. His Servant is a bigger threat to all. Hercules, one of the strongest Servant to be summoned into the war. With his already high stats, he now has the reinforcement of Mad Enhancement, boosting all of his ranks a whole rank higher. Paired with his Noble Phantasm, he's undefeatable."
"Oh come on, gramps, don't lose hope so early. It's time for mayhem to crash the party. The damn man may have a powerful Noble Phantasm as his ace, we have more up our sleeves to kick all their asses, and loads more to spare. Now, what about the Blue Faction?"
Arcueid decided it was enough. She needed a break from all this. Standing up and leaving for the door, she left the two to their conversation.
Shirou sat down on the tatami mats, eyeing the rest of his Faction with a tired gaze. He was exhausted from the fighting and running, but it wasn't time to relax yet. They needed to clear some things up, and they all agreed to do so before resting. Personally, he was grateful a certain female didn't come to join in the fun, or everyone would end up much worst that they had expected.
Luvia and Sakura were wrapping bandages on Karma's stump, the latter had yet to recover from his shock. Shirou couldn't blame him. He never would know that he could lose so easily after all. He was a novice when it comes to the war. The two females applied another healing spell and sank onto the floor as well, heaving sighs of relief.
The Einzbern guy was seated across the table, eyes closed and arms crossed over his chest. Two homunculi stood behind him, their weapons resting by their side, and eyeing them with their crimson eyes. They seemed to pierce everyone in the room, and the Magus turned away with a cough, his sight landing on the Enforcer in the corner.
Bazett ignored the rest of them, and her lips and brow twitched sometimes. The younger male was positive that the woman was berating her Servant for his rash act earlier. He kind of felt sorry for the man, but remembering that the hound had twice tried to kill him in the past, it was better to see the man being reprimanded.
Caster emerged from the door, carrying a tray of steaming tea. He had offered to help, but the Servant ordered him to sit down, and with her staff pointing at his head, had no choice but to oblige. Though he was very shocked by how the Magus was treating them this time, and even more when she had asked for their names.
He thought she would remember things, just like how the rest of them had like, but she seemed to be different. Shirou chose to ignore the fact for now and took a sip of the tea. It was soothing, to say the least. Bazett too took a sip, taking a seat beside the male, causing him to flinch ever so slightly.
"Thank you for the sanctuary, Caster." The Enforcer began, directing her gaze to the hooded woman.
Medea pulled back her hood, revealing a beautiful face with purple long hair and elf-like ears. She was a striking beauty to their sight. "It's no trouble at all. I will have to hypnotize the monks here later, asking them to leave the place for now."
Bazett scanned the room, searching for Medea's Master. But except for those she already knew, she saw no one else around the place. Stretching out her senses, she detected a small amount of mana emanating from a nearby room. "Where's your Master?"
Medea smiled bitterly. "Ah, he's a kid. I don't want to drag him into all this if he doesn't want to. To me, it's clear that all he wanted to do is to play video games. All this time, I have been protecting him by keeping him in the temple grounds, but I doubt I can hold him in any longer."
Arthuria nodded. "I see your point, Medea. Shall we proceed to what we have to do next?"
"I've been watching you all since the very beginning. The woman who attacked you at the harbor. Who is she?" She asked. "Not to pry into anything, but I have a feeling that she's not just another Magus who wanted to crash the party."
Sakura fidgeted in her seat, and her cousin pulled her into a comforting hug. The younger girl bit her lips, forcing her tears down before meeting the Servant in the eye. "We have our own guess, though I'm not sure whether it's correct or not. The woman...she might be my sister..."
Nobody missed the surprised look on the Servant's face. "Your sister? As in elder sister? But, aren't family arts normally passed down to the eldest child?"
"You don't remember?" The only male in the room asked.
Medea turned to him with a confused expression. "Remember what? Servants, even when summoned repeatedly, will not have their previous memories..."
"Not Lancer's case, though. And neither the rest of us. All of the summoned Servants remembered. Maybe you're a special case." Replied Bazett.
"I suppose. Then, shall we?"
Shirou cleared his throat. He decided to be the one to tell them the truth, as he knew Sakura would burst into tears if he let her onto the topic. "Long story short. Her sister was thought to die in the Holy Grail War ten years ago. And she had evidence that she had truly died, but now here she is, more powerful than ever, blasting people off their feet like some rag doll."
Medea mused, sipping her tea. "So, what does the rest of you think? Is she the Magus you all fought against?"
They shook their head. The Princess of the Colchis Dragon frowned. "Then, what's the hesitation? Kill her the next time you guys meet her. It's not like she cared about you guys anymore, family or not."
At that point, the youngest in the room burst into tears, and her Servant appeared in a shower of pink, worried about her Master. Medusa knelt down beside the Magus, hugging her but saying nothing. She was never good with words. But at the moment, even the European Magus was wordless, and was visibly anxious and not knowing what to do. Shirou too stroked the girl's hair, while Ferdinand and Bazett merely shot worried glances at the Magus.
"Nee-san..." The brunette sobbed, turning and pressing her head to Medusa. The lavender haired spirit held her tightly, conversing with her via telepathy, so none could hear what they were saying. The younger woman needed privacy after all.
What's wrong, Sakura? Please tell me.
It hurts... Sobbed the Magus, sniffing. I don't even know what to do anymore. I don't know who she is. I don't know whether nee-san is still alive or not, and I really want to know...
Sakura, listen, life is hard, I know that at least. Even if I'm remembered as a monster, at least I know how does it feel to lose one who is close to you...
She shook her head, confusing her Servant. No, it's not that we were ever close... I... I was sent away when I was young, and the only time she truly ever reached out to me was...was the time the letter arrived.
Then cherish whatever memories you had with her... No matter how trivial, cherish them. Because, if she is not Rin, then she's an enemy you'd need to eliminate at a point.
Rider...
Hmm?
Do you think, it reached her?
She blinked. Then, she remembered the letter. I think it did. Because sisterly love and bond can never be broken. She reached you from death, didn't she? Then, of course, yours will reach her. Though she was doubtful about it, she didn't let it show.
Sakura sniffed against her,but said nothing else.
Waver seated himself on the couch and eyed Lorelei warily with one eye. The Queen was silent, and that wasn't anything good, especially when he had past experiences to boot. He dared not even sigh, least he angered the woman. So he just sat and mused about things. It was a good thing that Rider was not around, or he would definitely put the lord into deep mud.
"Waver..."She called.
The man immediately tensed and sat up straight, his eyes focused on the Queen. She opened her eyes, and he felt like being pierced by one of the Noble Phantasms from the Gate of Babylon. It was not even this terrifying when he faced the King of Heroes.
"Though I hate to admit this, I feel that I've underestimated the ritual in this backwater country." She said sullenly.
"My lady?" He asked, and immediately cursed himself for the folly.
She glared at him but said nothing to his outburst. "This ritual of theirs is a good piece of work. However, I fail to see how the system has been corrupted. Judging from what we've gone through so far, I have no reasons to believe that Zelretch."
Waver blinked. Oh, so this is what she's talking about. "To be honest, I myself found no irregularity in the previous war, as well as the one we're going through now. Perhaps the Wizard Marshal was pulling a prank. Knowing him, he's quite the odd one out, and he loves confusion and havoc. I wouldn't be surprised if all this turned out to be a fool's errand." He said with a shrug.
Lorelei pondered his words and sighed irritably. It was humiliating to be hearing the words of a third generation Magus, and a young lord at that. Waver might have been a survivor himself, but his personality had changed so much over the years she had trouble believing that he was the same wimp two decades ago. The man seemed to grow a lot from the two weeks experience than he ever did in his entire life, but he too had refused to return to the city at first. She had no choice but to resort to unorthodox methods to get the lord back here.
"Then are you proposing that we move in the course of action we've decided beforehand, without the slightest care of what else might stand in our way?" She asked, her voice in a monotone.
"Indeed. It will be unwise for us to act in any other way now, would it? Not to mention that you yourself decide to show up and settle everything once and for all."
His Mystic Code served tea, Earl Grey no doubt, then bowed and took its place at the corner of the room. Lorelei glanced at the said mercury with a raised eyebrow but took a sip of the tea nonetheless.
"I find it unbefitting that a lord like you can't purchase a homunculus to carry out some trivial tasks." She remarked coldly.
Waver snorted. "I kept the damn blob as my Mystic Code due to the continuous pestering from the Archibalds, as well as those from my wife. Reines seems to love the mercury more than anything, and that includes me. Though I do rely on it for a number of tasks, it no longer serves as my major Mystic Code. It'll be unbecoming of me of I fail to produce any of my own, would it?"
She pretended not to hear him. "The rest of those low-born have returned to their rooms no doubt, and I want to come up with a plan before those people decide to ruin everything..."
"Rider has yet to report, which I assume he's not facing many difficulties dealing with whatever you asked him too. However, I'm not happy with the fact that you're monopolizing my Servant without my consent." Waver replied with some irritation in his voice.
Again, the elder Magus chose to ignore the male. "I would've assumed that the three of them would be able to make things going before the week is over. I'm an impatient Magus, Waver, and I hate to wait long."
Waver gulped. Facing the Grail War, he could handle with no problem. Handling the King of Heroes, no problem as well. But facing the Vice Director, that was a completely different story. He tapped into his connection with Rider and heard the man's laughter over the link. He swore he would get deaf one of these days with the giant roaming around.
Rider, how are things coming up?
Another series of laughter before the King of Conquerors answered his question. Fine, boy. I gotta say, this is a great Assassin you've got. Unlike the one we encountered, eh?
The hell... He muttered under his breath. Rider, give me a report on those two once you get back. Can you guys get things done by dawn?
Ah, that is not a problem,boy. The lass here is an expert on things. Reckon everything will be done in another hour. See you by then, lad.
Waver closed their link and turned to face her. She was looking at him with a neutral gaze, but it sent shivers down his back nonetheless. "They're making great progress with whatever you sent them to finish. Now, can you please tell me what are you coming up with? I'd rather anger you than to regret not asking beforehand."
Arcueid Brunestud was not the type of person to get all sentimental on some piece of paper. But right now, her mind was on the letter hidden in her pocket. Not even Zelretch had known about its existence. And certainly not the girl who was supposed to be the recipient. Not to mention said girl seemed to undergo some major alchemy transmutation or something along the line.
Sometimes, she questioned herself about her actions in interfering the interaction between the sisters, but she never did understand why she took the letter away in the first place. Because Daphne wasn't told that she actually had a grave despite being alive and that her family had thought that she was dead.
No, they preferred to let the Magus make her own assumptions, and left her with her own thoughts concerning the matter. They had never raised the topic of her past life or her birth family, and neither did she inquired about them. Perhaps to the Magus, no matter who she used to be or who her family was, all those no longer matter to her.
Over the years, even with her somewhat disturbing health condition, she had built a name for herself in the Association, excelling well in her researches as a gem practitioner, and probably able to achieve the Second Magic in another decade or two. Under Zelretch's guidance, she had grown a lot when compared to what her birth family would have given her.
"I'm confused..."She said, musing aloud.
The letter she had with her was the one from Tohsaka Sakura. That day, she chanced to see the Magus and Servant. With the curiosity and boredom killing her, she had gone to inspect the grave they had just visited after they left. It was the same like any of the other graves in the cemetery.
The only thing which caught her attention was the family name. All three had the same family name. Then, she realized that it was the graves of her sister's parents and her own. She didn't know what to feel at the sight of her sister's tombstone.
There she was, back home, a healthy and very much alive Magus living under a completely different name. But here, she was just another dead soul to whoever that young woman was. She resisted the urge to roll her eyes at the sight. Then, she spotted the letter hidden within the bouquet of roses and picked it up.
Tohsaka Rin. That was the name of the recipient.
She knew what the name meant, and she knew who the young woman earlier was. Her grandfather had told her about Tohsaka Sakura, the only living family member of Tohsaka Rin. Arcueid was in dilemma. For the first time in centuries, she felt completely helpless.
She knew where Daphne's family was. She knew she was still looking and hoping that she would find Rin. But she knew that Daphne had said countless times that she wouldn't leave them no matter what. They were her family, her everything now.
But... Just how much of it was the truth? Daphne must've been hiding her feelings well over the years. No matter what, she would miss her birth family, even when she no longer remember any of them. The memory was so clear in Arcueid's mind.
The time when she was still unconscious and she was changing the girl's bandage. Daphne had grabbed her arm out of nowhere and began to apologize. Her hazy blue orbs staring at her in the face, tears streaming down her cheeks.
It hurt her seeing the child like that. Zelretch stood behind her at that time, silently watching the suffering girl in front of him. Her eyes, she noticed, they were full of despair and regret. There was so much regret in them she wondered what had broken the child before she was taken by the Grail.
"Forgive me, Sakura. Please forgive nee-san for not saving you..."
That was what the child had muttered for a few minutes before sinking back into the darkness, and Zelretch placed a hand on her shoulders, shaking his head.
"You know, don't you?" She had demanded, angry at him for keeping something like this from her.
He nodded slowly. "She sent a letter to me, requesting for assistance. I came for Nagato's sake, but I never knew the child would be this broken."
"Then I will care for her. I will nurse her back to health, make her smile." She stated as a matter of fact.
Arcueid broke out from her sudden flashback and took out the envelope. She sighed, still not knowing what to do. She passed Daphne's door and made up her mind. She crouched down, and slid the envelope through the slit under the door, then quickly stood up and left the place.
The White Princess left the suite. She needed to get some fresh air and brace her sister's wrath when she returned.
Behind the scenes...
Lancer : You're having an affair?
Caster : No...
Lancer : Really? Then how come I heard rumors about you and Archer?
Caster : They're just rumors... It's just a misunderstanding... Which of course is probably...
Lancer : Probably what? True?
Caster : What's wrong with you?!
Lancer : What's wrong with me? Shouldn't I be the one to ask that question to you?
Caster : I told you already. They're just rumors...
Lancer : From now on, don't you ever talk to me!
Caster : Fine by me.
By : Caster Medea Nightraven
A/N
There you guys go, the tenth chapter of my fic. Funny how time flies, and how I love the freedom that I have now, free from homework and exams.
So basically, another filler chapter after the fight, and a brief analysis of the Servants and Masters of the Red Faction. The Blue, not yet, as I have plans for them. I know, this chapter was quick boring, I admit I was bored when I came up with this, but I feel it's appropriate that they could consider the situation from every possible angle.
Anyways, thank you, my dear publisher and Beta, Sleeping Panda Rose, you're the best friend one could ask for, and this thing here wouldn't be able to progress without your help. To Caster, another wonderful BTS from you, thank you so much for the support, I really appreciate it.
To all of my supporters, whether you leave a review for me, or you silently supported this fic, I'm grateful for it. I wouldn't be able to make it this far without you guys. Let us uphold the Fate fandom, and take it to the next level.
All in all, thanks for reading, and leave me reviews if you can. They fuel my day, make me write faster, and your ideas are very much appreciated.
Till next time then. Have a nice week.