Disclaimer: I own nothing
Right. My hard drive once again, got infected by a virus. I seriously have no idea why, I don't go to sites, and my Anti-virus detects viruses just fine.
Anyway, long story short, this chapter, which had 7k+ words ready, and was almost done with, was deleted. I didn't save it on my flash drive, and now I have to rewrite whatever I can.
Really. The universe hates me, first was Rise before Dusk, and now this. It's annoying.
But I won't let it get to me. And to prove it, here's the next chapter. I hope you guys enjoy it.
XxX
"How was your trip Kiritsugu?" Illyasviel von Einzbern asked her father as she ran up to him. Kiritsugu stared at her, before he let out a ghost of a smile and leaned down to her head level.
He placed a hand on her head, before he brushed her long white hair. "It was fine Illya. Were you a good girl while I was away?" He asked her, and Illya smiled and nodded her head.
"Yes!" She responded with fervor, nodding furiously as she did so. "And you said that if I was good, you'd bring me back a present, right?" She asked as she held out her hand expectantly, eyes closed as she smiled at her father.
Kiritsugu couldn't help but smile at his daughter. But before he could respond to her, a new voice sounded from right around the corner. Her soft and angelic voice reverberated around the cold castle walls.
"Illya? Where are you?" The voice asked as the owner of said voice turned the corner. Kiritsugu was met with a beautiful woman with silver hair bordering on snow white. Her striking red eyes contrasted her hair and white dress; her heart shaped face and well developed body made her even an image of beauty that few could possibly match.
"Iri." Kiritsugu said as he straightened himself and greeted the woman. Who smiled as she caught sight of him.
"Kiritsugu, you're back already?" Her voice was soft, but her way of saying it made it sound like she was surprised that he had come back so quickly.
Kiritsugu narrowed his eyes slightly, before he nodded his head. "Yes," He began with a soft tone. "It wasn't much trouble actually." He finished.
Irisviel von Einzbern stared at her husband. Her eyes soft, but her mind going a mile a minute. She wasn't expecting him here so soon, no, she didn't want him here this soon. Her father might…
She was snapped out of her thoughts however as a hand took hold of hers. She looked down, and was met with the smiling face of her daughter.
The apple of her eyes smiled at her before she spoke, "Kiritsugu promised me that he would bring me something if I was a good girl!" She stated as she began to get antsy. "You'll tell him that I was a good girl right mom?" She asked with a slight sparkle in her eyes, making Iri smile down at her. But after the smile soon turned into a teasing one.
"Oh?" Iri began as she accentuated a hum. "I seem to recall someone running away from the maids when it was time for a bath." Iri said as she looked up and placed her left pointing finger on her chin. "And that someone also tried to use the computer and printer, only for her to break the printer and make it run out of ink as well." Iri said teasingly as she returned her gaze to a pouting Illya.
"It wasn't my fault!" She shouted indignantly. "Sella was telling me that I should take another bath when I already took a bath that morning!" Illya whined as she released her hold on her mother and stomped on the carpeted floor of the hall the three were in. "And I just wanted to see why Kiritsugu always spent time on his computer! I didn't know that it would break and throw ink everywhere!" Illya whined as she stared up at her smiling mother.
Kiritsugu couldn't help but let out a small smirk at the sight. It was amusing to see his wife tease their daughter, and it was even more amusing to see his daughter flustered. But Iri seemed to embrace the distraction, taking advantage of it and changing the subject rather quickly.
Just what was his wife hiding from him?
But before he could ask Iri, he was interrupted by his daughter, who took hold of his hand and stared up at him, her eyes slightly pleading. "You believe me don't you?" She asked, her voice pleading. Kiritsugu couldn't help but let out a bastardized smile.
"Sorry Illya." He began, making the girls scrunch up her lips and furrow her eyebrows. "But if you really did break my printer, then that isn't what a girl who had been good would do." He stated as he placed a hand on her head and ruffled her hair.
Illya sulked, before she suddenly took off down the hall. Surprising the two adults. Kiritsugu turned to stare as his daughter ran down the hall, before she stopped in the middle of it and turned around. Her tongue out as she shouted. "You big meanies!" She then promptly turned around once more and ran down the hall, faster than previously.
Kiritsugu let a small smile appear on his lips, before he shook his head. "Honestly," His wife sounded from behind him, he turned and faced her, she had been shaking her head with her eyes closed. "That girl is a handful sometimes." She finished as she turned towards Kiritsugu and smiled at him. "But she is rather cute." She added.
Kiritsugu couldn't help but nod his agreement. "Yes, she is cute." He agreed with his wife's observation. "And she can be handful." He added. "But that's why she's cute." He finished.
Iri could only nod her head in agreement. "I suppose that's why she's cute." She said with a smile.
Kiritsugu then smirked. "But she's cuter because she looks just like her mother." He said, surprising Iri slightly.
He didn't normally compliment, complimenting someone would do no good to anyone. But complimenting and telling someone something what they wanted to hear really made getting information from them easier.
But it did leave a bad taste in his mouth, even thought it was true, Illya looked like her mother, the mere fact that was doing this kind of thing to get information from his wife was just… bad.
Iri smiled as she stared at Kiritsugu. "I don't recall you ever one to compliment someone Kiritsugu," She said as she shook her head, staring at Kiritsugu as she stopped. "There's no need to compliment your wife for information, I'll gladly tell you what you want." She finished with another smile.
Kiritsugu could only frown before he nodded his head. "Sorry Iri." He apologized, he really should have known better than to do that.
Iri once more shook her head. "It's not a problem. Now come, we must make chase to our daughter before she injures herself." Iri said as she moved forward and took Kiritsugu's hand in hers and began to walk forward, slightly dragging a bewildered Kiritsugu behind her.
"Iri…" Kiritsugu began, his voice sounding slightly exasperated. Iri only giggled as she slowed before she matched with Kiritsugu's gait.
For awhile, the two were walking down the hall in companionable silence, neither one speaking, and both enjoying the others presence.
But the silence didn't last long, as Iri sighed before she finally spoke up. "Atlas requested help from us." She spoke in a silent tone, but Kiritsugu caught it easily given that he was right next to her.
Kiritsugu's eyebrows rose slightly in surprise. "Oh?" He began. "What did they want?" He asked, his voice silent as he continued to walk with Iri's hand in his.
Iri sighed before she let go of Kiritsugu's hand and took his entire arm and interlocked it with her own. "They were asking for help against an Apostle Ancestor." She said as they both continued to walk down the carpeted hall, both of their eyes searching for their daughter.
Kiritsugu narrowed his eyes slightly as he heard Iri. "Which one?" He asked, his tone reverting back to his business mode.
Iri sighed before she smacked Kiritsugu lightly on the arm, and although it did not hurt him in the slightest, it still surprised Kiritsugu that his wife would do it at all.
Kiritsugu regarded Iri with a questioning glance, and she responded with a roll of her own eyes. "Don't take that tone with me Kiritsugu. This isn't an interrogation. I'm telling you everything that I know." She said as she turned a corner, dragging Kiritsugu with her as their arms were still interlocked.
Kiritsugu sighed before he nodded his head. "I'm sorry Iri. It's just," He began as he sighed once more. "I don't get how this correlates to you asking me to cash in that Dead Apostle's body." He said truthfully.
And though he had an inkling of why she did so, that didn't mean that he was right. If there was one thing his line of work taught him, his gut feeling isn't always right. He needed more information so that he could plan. He didn't like going into something without a plan, and if he was ever caught without a plan, it was good to have at least information. But in the rare case that he didn't have a plan, he had no resources, and he didn't have information. He would trust his head more than his gut. Using your head meant you were thinking, using your gut meant your body was doing the thinking. And although it was good to have your body think for itself when fighting, using your head would make using your body even easier.
It was headache inducing to think about, but to him, it made absolute sense. His body didn't react to killing, it only reacted to protecting himself. His brain was the one that reacted.
Iri snapped him out of his thoughts however as she sighed. "I was getting to that Kiritsugu." She said as she returned her gaze towards the hall.
"To answer your first question though. I believe it was someone called Aemulo? Did I pronounce that right?" She thought out loud as she hummed right after. Kiritsugu's eyes narrowed slightly.
"The Envious?" He asked her. And Iri hummed for a second before she nodded.
"I can't believe I didn't see that," Iri sighed as she gripped Kiritsugu's arm tighter, a pout forming on her lips. "Aemulo means jealousy right? In Latin?"
Kiritsugu shook his head. "Not quite." He corrected, making Iri's pout deepen. "Aemulo is an obscure word in the Latin language. It can mean 'Envy of Men", or 'Envious of Man'." Kiritsugu explained.
Iri's eyes brightened slightly. "Or it could also mean 'Deeply jealous', or 'to rival with' right?" She added. Kiritsugu nodded his head, making Iri smile in joy.
"That's right," He said as he placed his right hand up to his chin. "But it's also the name of an Apostle Ancestor candidate." He finished as he closed his eyes.
Iri raised an eyebrow at him. "He's only a candidate?" She asked Kiritsugu, who removed his hand on his chin and nodded at her.
"Yes." He said. "He had been offered a seat multiple times already, but each time he has declined." He explained as he hummed. "I believe that he has expressly said that joining the Ancestors would be counter productive to his research."
Iri raised an eyebrow at that piece of information. "What exactly is his research?" She asked. Kiritsugu just closed his eyes and hummed, clearly thinking of an answer to her question. Whether this was because he didn't know what he was researching on, or didn't know how to phrase it was lost to Iri.
"I believe," He trailed as he opened his eyes and looked down towards Iri. "His research has something to do with the first magic." He stated, before he hummed once more. "At least, that was what was reported about him."
Kiritsugu thought for another moment, before he looked over towards his wife, who tilted her head in confusion. "They asked for me didn't they?" He asked her, and Iri could only sigh before she nodded her head.
"Atlas expressly asked for your help on this one. My father would have agreed, had it not been for the fact that-"
"That I was in London in the Clock Tower." Kiritsugu finished for his wife, watching as Iri start to smile wryly at him. He could only sigh.
"That's right." Iri chirped as she clung onto Kiritsugu even harder. "I know you, and I know that you wouldn't pass the chance of actually participating in an Apostle hunt, much less a hunt for a Ancestor. So I needed you out of here, at least, just until father told them the news that you weren't available." Iri stated, making Kiritsugu sigh.
"I take it they still persisted?" It was a rhetorical question. They both knew the answer to that question was a definite yes.
"My I knew my father wouldn't be so quick to refuse Atlas if there was another way," Iri's voice took a turn towards softer and darker. And Kiritsugu couldn't help but narrow his eyes slightly. Now that he thought about it, where was Maiya?
His eyes widened as he pieced together what Iri was going to tell him. He turned his head towards Iri, who had begun to cling to his arm even tighter. Her lips were pursed as she stopped walking, her grip on Kiritsugu's arm trembling slightly.
"He sent Maiya to help Atlas." She said what he already knew. And he couldn't help but grit his teeth. This was… This was… This was-!
Before he could let his anger escape him however, a strong grip on his arm stopped his train of thought. "I know it's bad." His wife said as she looked down, her hair casting shadows on her eyes, hiding them from anyone watching. "I know it isn't part of your plans, I know it's unprecedented, and I know it's a horrible turn of events." Each word spoken from Iri's mouth was forced, almost pleading. Kiritsugu couldn't help but look down as he clenched his fists. It was more than that! Maiya was integral to the War! I can't afford to lose her! Not now!
"I tried to tell my father to just decline." Iri stated as she gripped even tighter onto Kiritsugu's arm, making it blanch slightly from forearm downwards. "But he said that he couldn't, not when it was Atlas asking for assistance."
He clicked his teeth. He knew just how much pull Atlas had on the Einzbern family. The richest sect of the Mage's Association that primarily consisted of Alchemists provided the Einzbern with the materials they needed for their experiments with Homunculi, and, whether they wanted to or not, Atlas could and would pull them into whatever they needed them for. Even though the Einzbern were allied with and were part of the Clock Tower, with a very small part aligned to the Sea of Estray; Atlas, with their immense wealth and constant supply of materials for the Einzbern's had the family in their grip.
Why was this happening now? He hadn't heard of Atlas actually mobilizing and trying to actively join an Apostle hunt! Why was Atlas active now? They already had knowledge about Aemulo, they knew he was researching the First Magic, they knew he was integral to their continued business. But why did they need to be active right now? Not later, after he was actually Designated and to be sealed?
This wasn't adding up, he was missing something, a missing link that connected Atlas' active approach to Aemulo, and Atlas asking for the Einzbern's help and requesting Kiritsugu Emiya, the 'Magus Killer's' help.
The grip on his arm loosened slightly, and he turned an eye towards his wife. Who seemed to have visibly calmed down as she stopped trembling and was actually looking up at him, staring at him with eyes filled with what he could only describe as resolve.
"But Father didn't send Maiya out there alone," She began as she took a deep breath. "He had Riza come with her." She finished, making Kiritsugu's eyes narrow slightly.
"Isn't she just a prototype?" He asked bluntly, and Iri couldn't help but smile at him sadly.
"In essence yes. She is the newest model, Father had been designing a battle model and this is the first working one he managed to create." Iri stated as she looked down and away from Kiritsugu, her grip on his arm loosening as she let her arms drop to her sides.
Kiritsugu took note of the behavior, and couldn't help but flinch as they words he had just said finally registered into his mind. "Iri…" His voice was soft as he tried to apologize.
His words died on his lips however as Iri only turned around and shook her head at him. "Don't worry about it Kiritsugu." She began; a sad smile appearing on her lips. "I know what I am, and I don't mind at all." She said. And although she said it with a smile, Kiritsugu knew she was lying.
"Iri…" He tried once more, but again, he was cut off.
"I've to look for our daughter now." She began as she walked past him, leaving him staring at her back. "If you wish to know more, you can ask Father. I believe he is in his workshop right now." Her voice was hurried, and her gait was fast.
Kiritsugu could only stare at his wife's back as she turned a corner. He had a frown on his face, before he balled his hands into fists.
Taking a deep breath, he turned around and began his journey towards his step-father's workshop. He can apologize to his wife later, right now. He needed answers, answers that hopefully his step-father had.
Fate: Zero/Night
XxX
"I'm coming, I'm coming. Hold your horses will you? I'm not going anywhere." Touko muttered as she took a whiff of her cigarette as she walked towards the door that granted access to her workshop. Which, coincidentally, was being knocked at by someone that either couldn't wake, or had no courtesy to just trust in her that she had heard the knocking the first fifteen times.
Stopping in front of her door, she took another drag out of the cigarette in her mouth, before she pulled open the door, exhaling as she did so. "Alright, what do you want?" Her voice was irate as the cloud of smoke washed over a familiar face with a mop of red hair on top his skull.
Coughing as he waved away the smoke that was blown into his face, Shirou spoke up. "Touko?" He said in between coughs. Touko only raised an eyebrow at the strange guest, before she leaned on the doorway with her shoulder, lazily letting it support her weight as she stared at the; as she liked to call him, 'Tracer'.
"Oh?" She began. "What brings you here Shirou?" She asked. And though her voice sounded lazy, it held a certain curiosity mixed with sharpness in them. She took another whiff of her cigarette as she watched him cough and wave at the cloud of smoke that invaded his space.
Finally, after clearing away the smoke, Shirou opened his mouth to answer her question, but was cut off as Touko exhaled another cloud of smoke into his face. Coughing as he waved his hand frantically in front of his face, he cast a glare at Touko, cracking one eye open so that he could see her. "Do you," He coughed again. "Did you have to do that?" He managed to say weakly as he waved his hand in front of his face.
Touko shrugged before she answered in a lazy tone. "Have to? No. Want to? Yes I do." She said in a lazy tone.
Shirou couldn't help but glare at her as he finally managed to clear the smoke cloud. Her voice may have sounded lazy, but to Shirou. Her voice sounded more cheeky than lazy.
"Listen Shirou, if all you're gonna do is stand there and glare at me, I'm gonna slam the door shut right on your face." She said as she pushed herself off the doorframe before she stepped quietly to the side, taking another whiff of her cigarette. "Now, if you have something to talk about, you can step inside and we can discuss it in here. What's it gonna be?"
Shirou blinked once, and then twice, and then three times. Before he looked towards Touko and looked at her almost indignantly.
Touko sensed his question, and she couldn't help but smirk slightly. "At least my sister is teaching you something." She said with a smirk. "Don't worry. I won't kill you for seeing something in my workshop. Everything I'm researching on, as well as everything I've been doing can be researched by taking the right books in a magical library." She explained, before she allowed herself her smirk to widen. "Of course, there's also the fact that no one can actually use my branch of magic as well as I do. I'm just that good."
That wasn't arrogance in her part. Shirou knew that without questioning it, the way she carried herself, and the way she said that without pause told Shirou that all Touko was doing was stating a fact.
He took one glance behind him, looking over the sea of faces that were students and teachers of the Clock Tower, and met with red eyes as his eyes swept over a bench by a corner.
Shirou had to resist the urge to flinch as Aoko's red eyes pierced him, her eyelids narrowed as she observed him and her sister as if judging if she should sweep in and just abandon the plan.
Shirou shook his head slightly, an action that seemed to make Aoko scowl, before she shut her eyes and looked away. The gesture may as well have said "Do whatever you want, I don't care."
Shirou could only let out a ghost of a smile before he turned his head and walked into Touko's workshop.
He didn't see that Aoko had reopened her eyes and saw him enter as a deep scowl appeared on her face.
"So," Touko's voice sounded from behind him as he heard the door was closed. He turned around and looked at Touko, raising an eyebrow in question. "What do you think?" She gestured her hand grandly, sweeping it across as if to show him what to look at.
Shirou allowed his gaze to wander as he took in the rather large workshop of Touko Aozaki.
If he had to sum it up in a word, he would have said it looked 'creepy'. Wooden mannequins hung from the walls and the ceilings, they leaned on the walls while standing, sitting, or even lying face down. Some had hair, some didn't, some were missing limbs, and some looked like bastardized people that were made of wood and had wooden mouths that gaped wide as they stared at you with black abysses that were eyes.
The walls that some of mannequins were leaning on or were hung against had shelves filled with books, books that looked like they were handwritten, most likely by Touko herself. He could see that the books didn't fit on the shelves as some books were scattered on the floor, either open, closed, or simply piled together rather messily.
His gaze shifted from the books, over towards a single surgeons table standing smack-dab in the middle of the room. A single light illuminating its reflective silver surface while a pile of books were stacked right by its edge and an ashtray filled with cigarette butts placed right beside it.
He had to resist the urge to clean up as he saw the ashtray filled with cigarette butts. It was prodding at him, telling him to clean it as each cigarette butt was standing simply because it was filled to the brim by ash and the butts themselves.
He returned his gaze towards Touko, who was smirking at him as she waited for his remark about her workshop.
He opened his mouth, and then bit his tongue. He was about to say it looked 'nice.' But that would have been a lie, and if anything, he was told that he was bad at lying. And it wouldn't be right, here was Touko quietly waiting for his input about her workshop, and all he was going to do was lie about it.
No, he would tell the truth.
"It's…" He trailed as he looked at Touko and stared into her red eyes behind her glasses. Touko raised her cigarette to her mouth again, before she took one final whiff and then threw the cigarette butt on the ground, stomping it out as it rolled forward. She breathed out, and the resulting smoke cloud really cemented the fact that whatever Shirou was going to say would either get him branded as someone that lied, and someone that simply told the truth.
"It's?" Touko gestured for Shirou to continue his sentence, almost daring him to complete it as she closed her eyes and allowed her smirk to widen.
Should he real- Ah screw it.
"It looks like one giant pig-sty. You should really tidy up here, that, or I'm gonna take your workshop away from you and clean it up myself." Shirou frowned as he stared straight into Touko's red eyes.
Touko could only blink, before she allowed herself to smirk. "I have to hand it to you. I thought you'd be one of the sheeple." She stated as she walked past him with a small smile on her face. Shirou could only frown before he turned around and began to follow her. "Always complimenting as you tried to butter up people to get what you want. You're a breath of fresh air." She stated with honesty.
Touko reached the table in the middle of the room and sat on top of it, turning around and grabbing a book from the stack that was placed just to the side of it. She opened the book and removed a bookmark before she proceeded to cross her legs, giving Shirou a brief glimpse of pur-
He willingly cut himself from those thoughts as he looked away faster than one could blink, all the while blushing furiously.
Touko seemed to notice his conundrum before she let herself smile slightly; she then buried her face back on her handwritten book that had notes about her latest puppet. It was supposed to be a long-range combat type. She had no idea how to get the theory into the puppet, but she wanted an archer puppet. She had been inspired after she had glimpsed on a group of archers practicing whilst she was out in the European country side. Needless to say, she was impressed after seeing a particular archer hit a target spot on from one hundred and thirty meters. And that was without magic. If she could reproduce that kind of level of skill, and then reinforce that skill with magic. She would have herself another source of income by having a sniper that assassinated targets that she was paid to take out.
"So," Touko began from behind her book, still quite amused with Shirou's embarrassment. "What brings the mighty Steel Magus in my humble workshop?" She asked as she moved her book downward, showing off her amused smile.
Shirou meanwhile couldn't help but tilt his head in confusion. "Steel Magus? What are you talking about?" He asked her.
Touko smiled as she fully placed her book down and leaned backwards, her arms supporting her weight as she did so. "Steel Magus, it's the nickname you've been given by the people that watched your little duel with Lorelei." Touko explained. "It's fitting in my opinion." She added with a slight smile.
Shirou raised an eyebrow, before he shook his head clear. This isn't what he came here for.
"I need a favor." He said as he stared at Touko, who raised an eyebrow in question.
"Oh?" She began as she leaned forward, her hands now resting on the edges of the silver table as she stopped herself from falling off the table. "And what kind of favor would the Steel Magus possibly want?" She said with a smirk, obviously teasing Shirou with his newly learned nickname.
Shirou sighed before he stared blankly at Touko. "Can you stop using that? I didn't even know that I had a nickname in the first place." He stated with another sigh.
Touko could only smile as she straightened himself. "Oh really now?" She began with mock confusion. Shirou couldn't help but look at her with raised eyebrows. "I'd have thought that my sister would have told you already. I was the one that told her about your nickname anyway." Touko said with a smirk.
Shirou narrowed his eyes in annoyance. "Yeah well, I don't care about that." He stated with a huff. "I just don't want getting called by anything other than my name that's all." He finished as he crossed his arms over his chest and frowned at Touko.
Touko however, was simply staring at him with a smirk. "Okay then." She said as she crossed her arms over her chest. Mimicking Shirou's standing form. "I won't call you the Steel Magus anymore…" She trailed and Shirou couldn't help but narrow his eyes as she saw her smirk rather haughtily. "…Tracer."
Shirou threw his hands in the air in defeat.
XxX
"Atlas huh." Touko hummed in thought as she placed a hand on her chin. She had longed abandoned her seat on the table and had henceforth projected a chair that she could sit on.
Of course, Shirou was left to fend for himself as she didn't feel like projecting another chair just for him, and also because he was a Master of projecting. But to Touko's surprise however, Shirou didn't Trace nor Project a chair. He merely sat on the floor, cross-legged as he stared up at her form, waiting patiently for her answer.
She couldn't help but think about how different a Magus Shirou really was. To willingly allow himself to sit on the floor while she sat on a chair; it was like he didn't care about pride at all. Normally a Magi would insist that they would be your equal unless proven otherwise, but here was a Magus that willingly lowered himself towards someone that he thought was higher in terms of power and rank than him.
It was a strange experience for Touko, strange, but not unpleasant.
"Aoko said that you would know more about Atlas than her and Lorelei." Shirou explained from his position. "She said something about 'mutualism'?" Shirou stated as he crossed his arms over his chest as he stared up at Touko.
Touko regarded him with a calculating look, obviously slightly perturbed that Aoko's name came up.
Finally, after a few seconds of staring at Shirou, Touko frowned. "So she wants you to seek help from me," She explained, but before Shirou could nod his head in affirmation, Touko continued. "And by helping you, I would be helping her." At this, Touko let out a sigh of exasperation. "That woman can't seek help from me even if her life depended on it. But now that she has you as a buffer between us, she wants to use you." She stated as she narrowed her eyes at Shirou, almost daring him to refute her.
To her surprise however, Shirou only shrugged his shoulders as he closed his eyes and shook his head. "Yeah, I know." He stated as he opened his eyes to stare at Touko. "Doesn't mean I won't help her though." He said as he stared into Touko's red eyes defiantly.
Touko's frown deepened as she stared back. "That's some special kind of loyalty you have there Shirou," Touko stated with narrowed eyes. "I hope you know who you can place your trust into, lest it bite you in the ass." Touko said as she glared at him.
In response to her glare however, Shirou could only smile. "Yeah," He began with a beam. "I really do." He said as if stating a fact.
Touko was taken aback by his declaration, she couldn't really respond to that. The pure trust he was showing to her was otherworldly. Had her sister and Shirou advanced their relationship so much to warrant such trust? As far as she knew, two years ago Aoko was taken in as an apprentice for the Kaleidoscope, and there was never a report of Aoko actually taking in a student of her own. Yet, when Aoko returned to the Clock Tower, not only was Shirou in tow, but Aoko had also wanted to set up her workshop in the Clock Tower. Even after she had refuted and refused all previous attempts of getting her in the Clock Tower in the first place.
Whoever Shirou really was, it was obvious he either had something big going down that warranted Aoko's about-face. Or that Shirou was changing Aoko, whether consciously or otherwise was up to debate.
Shirou regarded Touko with a confused look as she seemed to be in deep thought. He coughed to try and get her attention, which it did. "Anyway," He began as he stared at Touko. "You think you can help with Atlas?" He asked rather tentatively.
Touko's response came with a smile. "Oh no, I don't think I can." She began as she reached for her front pocket again, bringing out her box of cigarettes and lighter. She took the last stick in it and lit it before she took a deep whiff. "I know I can." She finished as she exhaled, the cloud of smoke rising into the air as Shirou could only stare at her with slight confusion.
"Now," Touko began as she stood from her seat and walked over towards Shirou. "I've got a few questions for you." She said as she leaned forward into Shirou's face, her eyes narrowed as she stared into his golden brown eyes.
Shirou swallowed a lump forming in his throat. He had a feeling this wasn't a simple question, and hopefully, just hopefully, his instincts might be wrong right now.
He bit his lower lip, before he nodded his head and steeled himself. "Go on." He was amazed that he didn't stutter in the least.
Touko narrowed her eyes even more. "First:" She began as she leaned back and held up one hand with her finger pointer extended. "You've got Avalon in you, I want to know why you have it."
Blink. Blink twice. Then blink another three times just to be sure.
He could only stare at Touko, unable to formulate any coherent thought as he just heard something that he absolutely knew nothing about.
"So you don't know huh." Touko said before Shirou could actually answer her. He managed to scrunch up his face somewhat to look slightly confused as well as shocked. But as he tried to ask her the question in the forefront of his mind, he found that even his voice failed him as he opened his mouth and tried to speak. Only managing to let out air as he stared at Touko.
"I thought this would happen, but the probability of you not knowing actually was very slim." Touko explained as she sighed. She then shook her head before she raised her middle finger and looked at Shirou once again. The same serious expression she had before returning full force.
"Second question: Your Tracing. Can you possibly teach me how you do it?" She asked. And Shirou finally managed to snap out of his thoughts and managed to tilt his head in confusion.
"Really?" He asked, disbelief in his voice. To his surprise however, Touko sighed before she shook her head.
"I guess that's a no then. It was a long shot, but I thought you'd te-"
"I never said no!" Shirou interrupted before Touko could finish, slightly surprising her. She looked at Shirou with a confused look, prompting Shirou to just sigh before shaking his head.
"I didn't say anything about not teaching you, it's just a surprise." He began as he looked up at Touko. "My branch of magic, Tracing, isn't really anything special. I didn't expect anyone to actually want to learn it." He explained as he crossed his arms over his chest.
Touko could only raise an eyebrow in question. "No one? Not even your student?" She asked as she looked at Shirou, who only shook his head.
"It's not that Lorelei doesn't want to, in fact." He stopped as she hummed in thought, recalling the morning he had with his student after Atlas had approached them. "I tried teaching her this morning." He finished as she sighed.
Touko sensed his apprehension and couldn't resist leaning forward, raising an eyebrow in question. "And what happened?" She asked, curiosity getting the better of her.
Shirou smiled awkwardly as he raised his right hand and scratched the back of his head. "It went well for the simple stuff, like a wooden table, or a chair." He began as he crossed his arms over his chest and hummed in thought.
"But-?" Touko sensed that there was something he was about to tell her, and it would either be humorous, or completely serious.
"But when I tried to give her something complex to Trace, she just couldn't." He said. Touko frowned before she shook her head.
"I won't ask, but I do still want to know about Tracing." Touko said as she stared at Shirou. Who only nodded his head.
"Sure, just come over whenever you want. I'll explain it to you." He said with a smile.
Touko looked at him with a raised eyebrow, before she sighed and brought her hands down. "That's all I got." She said as she took another whiff from her cigarette.
Shirou raised an eyebrow, before he nodded his head. "Then you'll help with Atlas?" He asked her, and Touko could only smirk and nod.
"That was the deal." She said as she walked past him. "Now shoo! I've got work to do, I'll meet you tonight before you meet with Isis."
Shirou could look at her dumbly for a few seconds, before he shrugged and followed through with her order.
As Shirou reached the door however, Touko's voice stopped him.
"Remember to dress formally tonight," She said from behind Shirou's back. He was about to ask why, but Touko next words were already in the air. "It's best to leave a good impression on them. You don't want to get stuck in a homunculus' body now would you?"
And with that, Shirou left the room, leaving Touko to her thoughts as she heard the door slam shut from behind her.
'Atlas, just what do you want with Shirou?' She thought as she took one last whiff of her cigarette and threw it on the ground, putting it out with the heel of her shoes.
XxX
Training with Shirou
Lesson 1: Tracing Swords
"I can't." Lorelei huffed as she stared at the offending piece of item as if it was something made by the Devil himself.
"What do you mean you can't?" Shirou asked as he watched Lorelei stare at the item in his hands.
"It means just what it means," Lorelei said as she narrowed her eyes and crossed her arms over her chest. "I can't Trace that." She stated with a slight huff.
Shirou tilted his head in confusion before he looked down onto the sword that he had asked Lorelei to Trace. And almost immediately after catching a glimpse of it, he remembered that it was made of obsidian, forged from the fires of Mt. Vesuvius, and was rarely used in battle as the owner never really took it out from its case.
"Look," Shirou began as he held out the decorative sword. Lorelei sighed before she followed her teacher's instruction. "Just repeat the steps I taught you. There's really no other way of doing this."
Lorelei sighed before she took another look at the sword. She held up her right hand and hovered it over the sword as she closed her eyes. She focused as she steadily breathed in and out.
"Trace On." She muttered. She could see the sword in her mind, the atoms that made it, the mass, the weight, the length; she could feel it start to form in her mind.
"Judging the concept of creation," She continued as the memories of the sword being forged, or more accurately, why it was being forged. It was made as a decorative piece, to cement the idea that they were ahead, that they could make something from something as hard and brittle as obsidian.
"Hypothesizing the basic structure," She could feel the sword to start forming solidly. The weight, the shape, the length, and its hardness.
"Duplicating the composition material," Obsidian. The blade was made of pure obsidian, and the hilt was made from leather and skin. Yes, it was beginning to solidify now. She could feel her od coalesce in her hand, the heat emanating from it making her sweat slightly.
"Imitating the skill of its making," Hammer it as it cooled, dab it into the lava, repeat multiple times and then soak it in oil before water to harden. She could see the hammers striking the sword as it was refined even more, she could feel the lava all around it as it was drowned into the liquid fire before it was dabbed into oil and then water.
"Sympathizing with the experience of its growth," The sword was formed, and now it was being used. She could feel it flow through the air as practice swings were made with it.
She was about to continue the steps, but a sudden headache stopped her from doing so. She could feel the sword slip out of her minds grasp as the sword evaporated into nothing but memories.
She cursed silently as she kneeled on one knee, breathing heavily as she flipped her inner switch.
'Damn it!' She cursed as she punched the ground with her fist. It was always at that part! Why was it so hard to sympathize with a damned sword?!
Shirou sighed, finally understanding just where she went wrong. "I think I get why you're having a hard time." He said, prompting Lorelei to look up and stare at him with something akin to loathing.
"It's not for the lack of trying mind you," He almost squeaked as he saw Lorelei glare at him. He coughed to regain his bearing, before he looked back up towards Lorelei. "It's that you can't sympathize with a sword."
At this, Lorelei eyes softened as she looked at Shirou in confusion. "I can't sympathize with a sword?" She repeated, and Shirou nodded his head in confirmation.
"Listen, when I say sword, what do you think? What comes into your mind?" He asked her as he sat down and signaled for Lorelei to do the same.
She frowned slightly at the question before she followed him to sitting. "A sword is a tool. It is a means to an end; it is used to strike, to kill, and to advance forward." She stated without stopping.
Shirou nodded his head. "That sounds about right." He said.
This prompted an angry glare from Lorelei. "Then why can't I Trace this sword?" She asked, her patience wearing thin as she could only glare at the sword Shirou had to his right. The obsidian blade was just sitting there, almost mocking her as she stared at it.
Shirou sighed before he picked up the sword and examined it by looking it over. "It's not the fact that you can't Trace it. Anyone can Trace a sword. You can even Trace chairs and tables if you wanted to." He said, which prompted Lorelei to nod her head in affirmation. After all, they had been Tracing the wooden chair and table of Aoko for awhile.
"It's the fact that you're not cutting corners." He stated as he allowed the sword to vanish into the air.
Lorelei stiffened, before she glared at Shirou, daring him to repeat the words he had just said. That was an insult to her. As a Barthomeloi, she did not cut corners. She did everything towards perfection, and if she couldn't do it in perfection. She would keep trying until she gets it towards perfection.
Shirou, sensing the hostility coming from Lorelei, raised his hand to placate the miffed Lorelei. "Listen," He began as he looked up and stared at Lorelei. Lorelei's eyes softened slightly as she looked at him, the frown on Shirou's face telling Lorelei all she needed. "When you Trace, you don't create something from nothing. You take the memories of something and give it solid form. Whether this be a chair, a table, or a sword. Everything you Trace is something that has existed before." He explained as he held out his hand.
"You don't think like that." He said as light suddenly began to coalesce in Shirou's hand. "You managed to Trace the table and the chair simply because they had no memories to give you except for the number of people that sat on it. What their posteriors felt like, what was placed on top of it before. These memories are easy to remember and to catalogue." He explained as the light began to take the shape of a chair.
Shirou placed the chair down on the ground, before he turned towards Lorelei. "But Tracing something that is complex, like a sword, spear, mace, axe, etc." He said as he held out his hand again, the same light forming in his hands one more time. "You don't just take in who held them, what they were used for, or even how many times they were used to kill people." He explained as another sword, this one different than the obsidian one Lorelei had been trying to Trace, appeared in his hands.
The sword was a typical knight's sword. Made of steel, with comfortable leather handles and a cross guard. Lorelei could only look at it and narrow her eyes. If what he was telling her to Trace was so complex, why make her do it in the first place?
"You Trace a sword, and you Trace it's previous owners." He finally said as he gave the sword a few practice swings.
"What do you mean by that?" Lorelei asked with raised eyebrows. Shirou hummed in thought as he thought about what to say, before he managed to nod his head.
"Just think of it like being wielded." He said, prompting Lorelei to raise an eyebrow. "When you Trace a sword, you become the sword. You don't become the owners of the sword, you become the sword itself and allow yourself to be wielded." He finished with a small smile.
Shirou had to pat himself on the back, that sounded like a Tohsaka explanation. And Rin would have probably complimented him for being thorough in his explanation, or berate him for explaining things so simply. And knowing Rin, probably both.
Shirou was taken away from his thoughts as he heard Lorelei sigh. He looked up and saw that Lorelei was shaking her head in disbelief. He raised an eyebrow in question and tried to ask what was wrong. But Lorelei was already speaking, her tone a mixture of exasperation and slight disappointment.
"This is an amazing branch of magic, but the way you do it would leave a bad taste in most Magi's mouths." Lorelei said as she looked up into Shirou's eyes.
Shirou could only nod his head. "Yeah, Magi are proud. They won't just let themselves be wielded." He added with Lorelei's sentence. Before he raised an inquiring eyebrow at her.
"But are you like most Magi?" He asked her, and she scoffed before she raised her hand and took one last glimpse at the sword that Shirou had Traced. Lorelei then promptly closed her eyes and started to focus as white light emitted from her hands once more.
"No I am not." She declared. Which prompted a smirk from Shirou.
But before Shirou could leave Lorelei alone, she had one last question she wanted to ask him. "Hey Shirou," She began, her eyes still closed as she focused on the blade. Shirou turned towards her, an eyebrow raised in question.
"Yeah?" He signaled for Lorelei to continue.
"You're distorted." She declared before she cracked one eye open to stare at him. "You allow others to wield you, yet a swords destiny is to kill and rust away. Possibly break along the way." She explained as the light began to take a solid shape.
Shirou could only nod slowly before he turned around. Intent on leaving Lorelei alone to concentrate.
And as he left the room to find Touko as per Aoko's request. He didn't notice Lorelei fully Tracing the simple sword he had left with her.
XxX
FINALLY! My PC is fixed now. So expect regular updates soon!
I believe I left a rather obvious clue as to who Shirou's Servant will be. But hopefully, it's obscure enough that you guys won't pick up on it sometime soon.
Also, people. I know my Nasuverse okay. I know Zelretch isn't the director. I know Aoko has blue eyes. But I'm doing everything for a reason. Well, except for Aoko's red eyes. I just like her with red eyes. Problem?
As for Zelretch, it was Geneva who stated that Zelretch was the director. But believe me, she has reasons for doing that.
And also, some people are asking why is Zelretch looking for Shirou for help when he can save the world himself. Well, aside from being far from Altruistic, Zelretch won't do. The antagonist I have planned will kill Zeltretch with just a flip of a hat. And before all you guys say that no one can do that. Think about this. Zelretch stopped the moon from falling. Why? Because he'll die. Zelretch is powerful yes, but he works on Parallel worlds. Meaning there is not just one Zelretch. If he dies in one world, he's dead there permanently.
Anyway, I'll keep this note short. I'll just say thanks guys. 222 reviews, 400 favs, and 463 follows is amazing for me.
C.O.Y.L out, peace!
P.S: Again haven't proofread this.