Chapter 12 – The Tohsaka Residence
Shirou walked up to the front gate of the Tohsaka residence in the still night as the drifting clouds covered the moonlight and the sparkling stars. Shirou then inhaled deeply as he calmed his breathing while staring at the upcoming obstacle before him.
Right now, for the first time of his life, he will be talking to Tohsaka Rin's father, Tokiomi, who is none other than the Master of Archer in the Fourth Holy Grail War. Without hesitation, Shirou walked up right in front of the gated entrance as he opened the creaking metallic doors before stepping foot inside the Tohsaka property.
Shirou subtlety noted in his head that compared to the Tohsaka residence in the Fifth War which Rin lived alone, the place now looked much more organized and extravagant than the said former. It was clear that someone has gone to great lengths to maintain the beauty that is held in the pathway and up to the house door.
Without warning, a figure suddenly dropped down from above the building and landed a couple meters in front of Shirou stoically, the man's upright stance not carrying any threat or malice behind it. Shirou then turned his head away from the ornate mini-garden as he fixed his eyes at the figure who wore pitch black clothes with a contrasting golden cross around his neck.
"Kotomine Kirei," Shirou simply stated, the words holding a hidden meaning of hostility. Clearly hinting to Kirei that Shirou will be willing to fight him if he crossed the unspoken boundary.
Kirei said nothing as he continued to stare at Shirou, waiting for him to continue.
Accepting the prompt, Shirou veered his gaze from Kirei's eyes to the looming building behind him. Gazing at the second floor, Shirou stared through the massive window which revealed an office of some sort in the inside.
"I want to speak with Tokiomi," Shirou stated his reason of being here in the night. "Is he here?"
"What business do you have with my Master?" Kirei inquired as his legs shifted with minute movement into a battle-ready stance, completely prepared to attack the magus if necessary or given the order to.
Shirou didn't say anything in answer when a small girl poked her head from behind Shirou in a shy manner as she clutched her hands on the hem of Shirou's jacket in nervousness.
Kirei's threatening posture slackened as he stood harmlessly straight up in mild surprise, his expression gradually twisting into one of interest.
"Rin," Kirei spoke evenly as he addressed the girl's name.
Rin, hearing her name getting called, immediately hid her face behind Shirou's back once more, not daring to appear before the former Executor.
Shirou looked down at Rin with empathy as he placed his left hand on Rin's head as he patted her softly in a loving manner, making Rin instantly relax at the comforting contact when her back slumped from its previously rigid position.
Looking up from the oddly behaving Rin who has gone through unimaginable horror just a few days ago, Shirou gazed directly at Kirei, voicing out a question Kirei knew was already coming. "May I speak to Tokiomi now?" Shirou asked again, not leaving any room for doubts or confusion on what he's asking for.
Kirei nodded stoically as he eyed Shirou. "Very well, I will inform my Master of your request," with that statement, Kirei walked back into the house by using the front entrance instead of leaping back in the air to where he came down from.
Shirou waited for a few seconds after Kirei disappeared before turning his body around gently as to not disturb Rin who is leaning almost affectionally into him.
Kneeling down to the ground to meet the girl at eye level distance, Shirou peered at the downcast Rin who is controlling her emotions surprising well after the horrifying and hectic few days of the Holy Grail War.
"Hey," Shirou began as he tried to catch Rin's attention, "what's wrong?" Shirou asked with a concerned expression.
Rin didn't speak at first before whispering out a barely audible response, "Nothing."
Shirou held back a sigh at the answer. Even back in time, this part of Rin has never changed. Always wanting to show the good side about her but never allowing others to help the vulnerable and weak aspect of herself. In truth, every human to a certain extent is like this, but Rin … she was even more so. She considered her very perfection as her very pride. Something that which can never be tarnished.
"Your dad won't beat you for running off home," Shirou said, taking a wild guess at what is bothering Rin. "Your father will be ecstatic to see you safe and unhurt."
"I-It's not that," Rin said as she wiped her eyes though no tears were forming. But looking at her eyes, Shirou could see that they were beginning to moisten. "It's …" Rin continued softly, her words escaping her mouth and into the strong breeze, making Shirou miss the words by a fraction of a second.
"What?" Shirou asked, hoping for Rin to repeat herself as Shirou leaned in closer to hear her words.
"… Luca," Rin whispered as she held back a choke that was coming out of her throat.
Shirou hummed in realization. So that event was still bothering her even after a couple of days. It was honestly to be expected. Even Shirou himself hasn't been unable to feel completely at peace about those past events. It's one thing to move on, but it's an entirely different matter to not feel pain about what had happened. To not feel anything means you have grown numb to it, which is something no human should ever get too accustomed to.
"You didn't hurt Luca," Shirou soothed as he stared deep into Rin's eyes, not allowing her to break eye contact with him. "Zouken did," Shirou stated firmly, making sure his words left no room for arguments, "but he's now gone," Shirou ended without adding the "I think" that is echoing in his mind to the end of his statement.
"But—" Rin whimpered.
Shirou held back a sigh, even with what he said, Rin was somehow still stubborn enough to find a way to refute it. "You didn't hurt him," Shirou reassured once again as he pulled Rin closed into him and wrap his two lean yet muscular toned arms around her with care. "You took care of him when he's unconscious, if anything, you saved him!"
With guilt weighing heavily down on her, Rin was about to open her mouth to deny Shirou's adamant claim, however, Shirou quickly interrupted her before she could even begin.
"Luca will be sad if he sees you like this," Shirou began once more. "He wants to become a Hero of Justice. And no Hero of Justice will wish for a person to cry on their behalf when they pursue an impossible dream of where a world never cries."
"Hero of Justice?" Rin asked, her head raising up as she peered into Shirou hypnotizing gaze.
Shirou softly smiled. "Yep. It is an unattainable yet the most beautiful dream that I and Luca strive to be. To work for and achieve the goal of where a world is no longer in pain and no longer cries. It is an ever distant utopia. And if Luca is to become a Hero of Justice, he will need your help."
"My help?" Rin wondered aloud, her interest beginning to trump over her guilt as she desperately listened, hoping to find a way to redeem herself.
Shirou nodded. "Yes, Luca will need you by his side. Even a Hero of Justice can be powerless at times and feel lonely in times of troubles. You can always be there as his support, as a friend. Aren't you willing to do that?"
Rin nodded slowly before nodding confidently at the request after processing Shirou's statement. "I will," Rin replied with determination.
Shirou beamed at the twin pig-tailed girl. "Then there's no need to beat up yourself any more about that night. What happened has happened. There is no changing it. Focus on the present and be a friend to Luca."
Rin nodded once more, fully intending to follow Shirou's words.
"I'm happy to hear that," Shirou said as he leaned forward and embraced Rin once more while he patted her head affectionately. An outward expression that is not commonly seen in the land of Japan.
Rin shyly reached her hands out and wrapped around Shirou torso as she dug her head into Shirou's chest, for the first time in a while, finding the security and comfort she's been desperately needing since that night as a glancing smile made its way up her face. She is now truly at peace.
Shirou softly smiled at Rin's antics as he patted her back. "Just make sure you don't go running out at night anymore," Shirou chuckled in a light-hearted manner, hoping Rin and Luca would not be as reckless as they were on that night.
Rin repositioned herself to look at Shirou's face. "But … my friend," Rin softly murmured before gazing on the ground in downcast.
"Huh?" Shirou voiced out his confusion. Did something important happened that night for Rin to come running out at that time? Thinking back, the way Rin showed up with Luca in front of the Matou residence seems to complicated to be simply dismissed as a coincidence. Perhaps there's an underlying importance behind their unexpected visit to the Matou residence. "What do you me—"
Suddenly, Shirou's back went rigid as Rin looked up at Shirou's face in question at the unexpected movement. Shirou, softly unlatching himself off of Rin, stood back up while turning around before looking seriously at the newly emerged figure in front of him.
"He has allowed you entry into the house, I will guide you up to his office," Kirei said monotonously as he wordlessly gestured for the both of them to follow along.
Shirou kept a serious pensive expression on his face before he looked down at Rin with a warm smile as he held out his hand. "We can talk about your friend later. Let's go."
Rin nodded with determination as she grasped Shirou's hand and walked together into the Tohsaka household.
"Come in," came an even voice in the office as Shirou and Rin who are following behind Kirei made their way inside the room. Muttering an "Excuse me," upon entering the space, Shirou glanced around the office which he has never seen before since he visited Tohsaka's house once in the "past" with subtle interest.
"Please sit," Tokiomi gestured at the pair of sofas in front of his desk as Tokiomi himself made his way to the miniature dining room after his brief invitation. "I would have prepared tea," Tokiomi began as both Rin and Shirou sat side by side directly across the head of the Tohsakas, "but my wife is not present today, so please forgive my thoughtlessness."
Shirou didn't speak for a moment as he is taken back by surprise by the man's act of humility in front of him, something which he didn't expect or assume when he imagined what Rin's father was like. For a person who threw away his daughter, Sakura, in the hands of an evil selfish mage was surprisingly … "respectful" upon first impressions.
"I see you have returned my daughter safely," Tokiomi initiated the conversation upon Shirou's silence. "May I ask where you've found her?" Tokiomi asked as he glanced at the bandage wrapping around Rin's leg.
"I met her at the Matous," Shirou answered, this time without a pause.
"The Matous," Tokiomi began to frown in thought as he kept his stoic yet good-natured face. "And what is the Einzberns business with the Matous?"
"It's Matou Zouken," Shirou replied, not bothering to hide the fact away from Tokiomi and Kirei, both who are still Masters of the war.
Tokiomi gestured for Shirou to continue as he leaned back into the sofa.
"And Sakura," Shirou finished his sentence with a firm and unwavering gaze.
Tokiomi's brows wrinkled in pensive thought as he clasped his hands together in front of his chin while he leaned forward to look at Shirou in the eyes.
"I've heard from my pupil, Kirei, that a full-scale battle occurred at the Matou residence. May I ask the reasoning behind such an act?"
"We saved your daughter from Matou Zouken," Shirou stated in answer.
Tokiomi frowned at the reply. "I don't believe I've ever requested any saving, Einzbern Magus."
Rin, surprisingly, stayed silent at her father's comment as her hands balled into a fist beside her while she stared intensely on her lap in downcast. Shirou glanced at Rin to make sure she was doing fine before he continued talking to Tokiomi.
"Matou Zouken has been feeding on your daughter's supply of mana, defiling and destroying her mentally and physically with his crest worm familiars," Shirou started explaining.
"What do you mean?" Tokiomi said coolly.
"Zouken wishes for immortality," Shirou began, "but to do that without the Grail's supernatural power, Zouken decided to feed on his descendants' lifeforce using the crest worms first created by the Matou line of magi. Zouken did not wish purely for his family line to regain back its magical potential, he needed someone to continue to anchor him in this world of the living."
"And you are saying Sakura has been subjected to this treatment ever since she's been adopted into the Matou family?" Tokiomi questioned stoically though Shirou could see a lace of grief on the man's features.
Shirou solemnly nodded at the question.
"Is it true, Rin?" Tokiomi this time asked his daughter in confirmation.
Rin timidly nodded as her eyes stared at the wooden floor, as if unwilling to meet her father's eyes.
"Where is Sakura now, then?" Tokiomi asked, whatever trace of grief he had earlier, now completely gone.
"She's with us in the Einzbern Castle," Shirou replied.
Tokiomi nodded in understanding. "What would you like for me to have her back?" Tokiomi asked, assuming that the magus before him is using Sakura as a bargaining chip.
"Nothing," Shirou answered. "But I want to know what you will do to Sakura once you have her back."
Tokiomi straightened his back at the question as he continued to fix his eyes at the enigmatic magus before him. "I will do the same," Tokiomi stated simply. "Sakura will be given away into another talented family that is unlike the Matous. I will be sure of that."
Shirou couldn't believe the answer. After hearing what excruciating torture his own daughter has gone through, Tokiomi has not changed his mind in giving away his daughter to some other family just for the sole sake of magecraft?
"Why?" Shirou asked in disbelief.
"Both Rin and Sakura have latent potential as magi, both of them possessing exceedingly rare sorcery traits. Rin possesses all five elements in her while Sakura, though lacking all five, possesses Imaginary Numbers, or 'Hollow' as her affinity, Sorcery Trait, and Origin. If either one of them is to be forcefully stopped from developing their magical skills, I will not only be a failure as a father, but it will also be a huge loss to the magical community," Tokiomi explained clearly.
The knowledge of both Sakura and Rin being extraordinarily talented in magecraft is nothing new to Shirou. However, five elements and Imaginary Numbers? Although Shirou had virtually no idea on what those words meant, Shirou knew that by the way Tokiomi described it, these combinations of elements in a person is exceedingly rare and uncommon.
Shirou understood where Rin's father is coming from according to his line of logic. However, Shirou always prioritized human life over magical potential. Just because Rin's father thought what he is doing is for the best, Shirou knew it didn't make it right.
"Then I won't hand Sakura to you," Shirou stated with conviction, unable to make the sentence sound any less offensive to both the father and the child's ears beside him. There was no lighter way to put such a heavy declaration.
"If that is your choice, then very well, Magus," Tokiomi answered stoically, fully aware why Shirou made such a seemingly absurd decision.
Shirou stood up from his chair before kneeling down right in front of Rin as he tried to make eye contact with her.
"I'm sorry, Rin," Shirou said while grabbing her still clenched hands in comfort. "But I promise you we will all see each other again, I'll bring Sakura with us as well," Shirou assured with a solemn vow in his heart.
Rin nodded with downcast eyes before abruptly standing up, causing Shirou to quickly back up lest he bumps into the injured girl. Although Avalon's influence had made Rin's life-threatening wound predominately healed, the injury still nevertheless has minor remnant wounds from her previously crushed leg.
Walking over with tiny strides to her father, Tokiomi looked at Rin's odd behavior inquisitively until Rin suddenly grabbed from the inside of her clothes a rolled up parchment as she handed the scroll over to her father without another word.
Tokiomi looked at Rin once more before receiving the parchment and opening it. Shirou could see Tokiomi's eyes making its way down the clearly written letter until Tokiomi's eyes widened unexpectedly as his hands gripped the parchment tightly.
"So this was your plan all along, Magus?" Tokiomi asked with a hidden malicious glare as he placed down the parchment on his lap.
"What?" Shirou voiced out his confusion. What was written in that letter which he never knew Rin had hidden in her clothes all along?
"The Einzberns Master's accomplice, Emiya Kiritsugu, has written a Self-Geis Scroll here," Tokiomi stated with anger and agony flared in his eyes as his face twisted into an unreadable expression.
"Self … Geis Scroll?" Shirou asked in confusion.
Tokiomi didn't answer Shirou's question as he clasped his hands together once again in pensive thought.
"Father?" Rin spoke for the first time with a lace of worry upon seeing her father's troubled expression ever since being back in her home.
"It's … nothing," Tokiomi answered with a pause as he resumed to his position.
"I will like a look at the scroll," Shirou stated his request, figuring that everything will come to light once he reads the content. Considering it was his old man writing the scroll, Shirou is sure nothing good will come out of it.
Tokiomi didn't make an attempt to stop Shirou as Shirou reached for the parchment on the lowly elevated coffee table. Rotating the parchment around, Shirou began darting his eyes through the paper as he quickly scanned over the written contents.
"This is a Self-Geis Scroll. A mage contract enchanted to be completely unbreakable, regardless of the circumstances. Restraining Spell," Shirou continued to read down the ornately designed parchment as everything began to become clear to him.
"Affected party: Emiya Kiritsugu.
Dictated by the crest of the house of Emiya. Provided that the following conditions are met, the terms shall become a commandment and bind the affected party without exception.
"Terms:
The fifth heir to the house of Emiya, Kiritsugu, son of Norikata, will be forever forbidden from inflicting death or injury upon, or acting with the intent to inflict death or injury upon, Tohsaka Tokiomi and the rest of his household for all eternity.
"Conditions:
Use all of your remaining Command Spells to compel your Servant to suicide."
Shirou continued to read down as his eyes darted rapidly, going through the content at lightning speed when he finally saw written in ink that glowed red as it faded in and out magically was the signature of his old man, Emiya Kiritsugu. The only part left blank was the empty space beneath his old man's name, purely designated for Tokiomi to write down his own signature to put the Self-Geis Scroll in effect.
As if on cue, a red glow permeated in the room as Shirou immediately looked up from the parchment to see something right behind Rin emitting the glow.
Without asking her, Tokiomi instantly stood up and whirled Rin around as gently as possible to see a strong red glow shining through Rin's clothing that formed an intricate magic circle on her back.
The message was clear to even a third-rate magus like Shirou, this is clearly meant as a threat.
"Destruction spell," Tokiomi calmly informed as he slowly backed away from Rin. "This magic circle is a type of a transmutation circle that allows manipulation of matter from afar. In this case, fire," Tokiomi continued as he sat back on his sofa, a good meter away from his still standing daughter who has her eyes widened in horror.
"Hand me the Self-Geis Scroll, Magus," Tokiomi demanded evenly.
Shirou quickly handed Tokiomi the parchment as Tokiomi stared almost emotionlessly at the contents once more, his hand gripping onto the scroll more and more tightly as time passed.
The red glow behind Rin's back began to shine stronger as it started to blink faster, indicating that Kiritsugu's patience is running out.
Shirou knew how tough the decision was for Tokiomi, who was in every way a traditional mage. What Kiritsugu is asking of Tokiomi is equivalent to asking him to quit in the war for the Holy Grail. However, wasn't his daughter's life far more important? Why is Tokiomi hesitating so much?
Finally, Tokiomi lifted up his head as the glow continued to blink, gradually getting faster and faster.
"Gilgamesh," Tokiomi stated, "show yourself."
Out of thin air, golden particles of light floated together to form the figure of the oldest Hero in the world's history, Gilgamesh, the King of Uruk.
Shirou instinctively prepared his mind at immediately projecting anything in a split second upon seeing the ancient hero. So, this was why Tokiomi was hesitating. Shirou had been a fool to expect Tokiomi to meet him without Gilgamesh's interference. Even though it is given that Tokiomi will not reveal his hand so quickly, Tokiomi still needed insurance in case Shirou himself decided to use his daughter as a threat. What was unexpected though is the turn in events where Kiritsugu had somehow inscribed a destruction transmutation circle on Rin.
And by the look of the child's face, she didn't know any better that such a dangerous element was inscribed on her all along.
Simply put, Tokiomi was at a difficult dilemma. Save himself, but kill his daughter; or, save his daughter, but only to have himself and everyone else in the room, including his daughter, killed by Gilgamesh's wrath before he can even utter a command against his Servant. Gilgamesh is after all much more perceptive than the average Servant, let alone a human.
Tokiomi glanced at Rin before staring down at the Self-Geis Scroll once more. No matter how much Tokiomi thought, there was no roundabout solution to resolve the matter without getting his child killed. He could dismantle the magic circle without a problem, however, Kiritsugu would activate the circle before he could even begin the dismantling process.
"You called me, Tokiomi," Gilgamesh stated as he sat down on the head of the couch, his eyes glinting dangerously.
Tokiomi handed to Gilgamesh the parchment as Gilgamesh took it nonchalantly without a word. "What do you make of it, my King?" Tokiomi asked with a respectful bow of his head.
Gilgamesh glanced at the content before tossing the paper aside to the ground. "What will you do, Tokiomi?" Gilgamesh gave what can be resembled as an amused smile.
"I … do not know," Tokiomi replied with hesitation.
Gilgamesh gave a menacing grin as his red pupils narrowed dangerously with amusement. "How about I make it easier for you?" Gilgamesh asked as he stood up from the sofa he was seated.
"Wha—?!" Shirou widened his eyes when the Gate of Babylon suddenly opened and the magic circle on Rin's back began to flicker more and more frantically.
"I'LL KILL THE COWARD BEHIND THIS MYSELF!" Gilgamesh declared as a two Noble Phantasms shot out of the Gate of Babylon with lightning speed, shattering and blasting Tokiomi's windows into oblivion as it whizzed outside.
Shirou immediately acted without even thinking as he leaped out of his seat and raced to Rin who had her eyes widened in fear as her entire body froze up rigid in terror.
"Trace—" Shirou's Magic Circuits lit up with full power as he pulled his arm back.
"—On!" Shirou shouted as a jagged dagger came into existence in his hand before he thrust forth the weapon into Rin's legs, hitting it with such pinpoint accuracy that it only pricked her leg and gave her a small cut as Shirou announced the name of the Noble Phantasm upon contact.
"RULE BREAKER!" Shirou roared as electric waves of energy ran across Rin's entire body as she screamed in pain.
Tokiomi immediately stood up at his daughter's screams of agony while Kirei stood there ready to use his Black Keys. However, none of them had the luxury to figure out what had happened when a booming explosion and the shaking of the house knocked all of their feet off the ground aside for Gilgamesh.
More explosions soon followed as the wooden walls of the house caved in and splintered, blasting pieces of wood straight across the room, spraying everyone with its debris as heat began to rapidly build up in the room.
Shirou was quick to action when he shielded Rin from the blast as Tokiomi and Kirei performed magic to shield themselves from the flying projectiles of the house.
More explosions happened shortly after from all sides of the room as both Kirei and Tokiomi instinctively held up their barrier from all sides to avoid the deadly debris while Gilgamesh stood there as if the blast never affected him.
"Mongrel," Gilgamesh spat out. "I who belong to the heavens, and yet you dare made me walk in this rumble?!" Gilgamesh shouted. "DIE!" two more Noble Phantasms shot out of the Gate of Babylon as it impacted with deadly force afar off.
Something was wrong, Shirou thought as he continued to use his reinforced body to protect the unconscious Rin from the flying debris while Tokiomi and Kirei took the majority brunt of the blast. Shirou's father, famed as the Magus Killer, must have known that both Tokiomi and Kirei had the ability to shield themselves from the blast. Glancing at both of the magi's physical states, Shirou could confirm that they were virtually unscathed. Which means …
"We need to run," Shirou shouted with urgency. "NOW!"
Shirou didn't even bother waiting for Kirei and Tokiomi when he charged out from between them and for the doorway exit of the office while he carried the unconscious Rin in his arm.
Crashing into the already burning and falling apart door, Shirou ran and jumped down the stairs before the house shook with detrimental force once more while the building groaned loudly. Three more blasts followed before Shirou tripped on a piece of wood sticking out of the uneven floor as he quickly turned around his body mid-air, landing roughly onto the burning hot ground with his back in order to protect the immobile Rin who was cradled in his chest.
Standing back up and disregarding the pain of his twisted ankles and burning flesh, Shirou charged out of the living room until he quickly skidded to a stop when he saw the front door crumbling and burning with intense heat, the flames rising with vigor as it reached all the way to the next floor, ready to collapse on them at any time.
Shirou knew it was already too late to get out of the door, more likely than not, some nasty surprise awaited for them outside. However, if he didn't get out now, both he and Rin will die. Dealing with the dilemma of certain deaths, Shirou was about to charge in shoulder first before the raging fire suddenly swirled together into a miniature tornado in midair, the heat all gathering in one spot as the wooden beams and walls that were once in flames withered away and began to smoke.
Hearing a person chanting an ominous spell, Shirou whirled his head around to see Tokiomi extending his jewel staff out in front of him as the fire that is gathered together shot straight forth through the door. The door immediately blasted away at the strain and crumbled into fine ash upon the powerful magic.
The sound of bullets spraying towards them instantly followed after as the fire Tokiomi produced earlier reduced them all to nothing but dust.
Another explosion rocked the entire mansion once again as Shirou stumbled for balance. Shirou was about to make his way to the newly made exit when suddenly the ground below them split opened widely, producing a dark gaping hole underneath the unexpectedly made chasm.
Shirou quickly sprang out of the way as the widening crack in the ground continued to expand.
Tokiomi looked back and forth almost frantically as he controlled the flames with expertise, burning away anything that was befalling their way.
"GO!" Tokiomi shouted, knowing that there is no way for him to maintain his defense while escaping in time before the entire building's foundation collapses from both above and underneath them.
Shirou gritted his teeth at the message as his grip tightened around Rin. This was exactly what he wanted to avoid this time around in this timeline. He wanted to finally allow Rin the experience to feel what's it like to have a living father that did not die in the Grail Wars in order to pursue a distant dream over his family.
However, even Fate was cruel enough to deny him this little hope. But being the man he is, no matter how impossible, regardless of how ridiculously absurd the notion is, Shirou lived to save all, not just merely the majority.
With a war's cry, Shirou charged the opposite direction of the door and towards Tokiomi as Shirou stood in front of Rin's father when another blast resounded, this time, a missile charging straight at them once it punctured through the heavily magically reinforced building.
"I am the bone of my sword," Shirou uttered with closed eyes as mana began to concentrate around him ominously.
Raising his right hand before him while his left continued to carry Rin in his arms, Shirou opened his eyes wide in strain as he announced the name of his ultimate shield. "RHO AIAS!" Shirou shouted as a pink four layered shield with four respective petals on the shield's end erected with booming power that is meant to shield against from all danger.
The missile crashed into the first layer of the shield with a resounding boom as the house shook once more while Shirou gritted his teeth at the impact.
"Carry Rin and get out of here!" Shirou shouted as he made a motion to carry the child cuddled in his arms.
Tokiomi stood there in stunned silence for the split second, but his senses quickly caught up as he complied when Shirou handed his daughter over to him before Tokiomi ran away with his daughter in hand without hesitation. Five more missiles detonated with brilliant force as Shirou's first shield shattered at the mighty impact.
Missiles should not be this powerful, Shirou noted in his mind as he braced himself from the multidirectional attack while he raced across the room, fending off every projectile with pinpoint accuracy.
With a final shout, Shirou ran across the length of the vertical wall as fast as his reinforced legs could carry him before gravity started to trump over his initial speed as he began to fall from the second floor.
However, Shirou was not done yet when the anticipated missile arced through the massive hole bored through the room as it headed for the shield, Rho Aias, erected in front of Shirou. The missile impacted the second layer of the shield with a cacophony of sounds as Shirou was forcefully blasted to the ground by the tremendous inertia. Rotating 180 degrees midair, Shirou flew towards the stone ground in front of him before his entire body and the defensive Noble Phantasm crashed into the gaping chasm beneath.
Slamming right into the rock hard basement, Shirou bones creaked and blood vessels burst along the entire length of his arm when the basement foundation under him cratered under the immense force, shaking the entire residence at its very core.
To cease his old man's relentless attacks and seal Tokiomi and his daughter Rin's escape, Shirou, with a final grunt of effort, drove Rho Aias further into the foundation of the building before the entire building collapsed above him as darkness inevitably reigned over him.
Rin opened her eyes groggily before the rhythmic rough rocking of her body snapped her wide awake as she immediately noticed the burning house she lived in ever since birth going up in flames in front of her. Whirling around in a hurry, Rin is met with the familiar face of her father whose goatee is burnt partially on one side.
Frantically looking around as she shuffled her tiny body around her father's arms, Rin's pupil slowly shrank as her mouth opened slightly in horror as she asked the inevitable question.
"Daddy," Rin addressed as her father perked his ears at his daughter's voice while continuing his even pace, "where is Shirou?" Rin asked.
Tokiomi glanced at his daughter before looking away in silence. There was no need to ask, the Shirou Rin is referring to has to be none other than the magus who willingly risked and sacrificed his life in the ablaze inferno without a second thought. A magus, now, that will eternally remain enigmatic and incomprehensible to Tokiomi, the head of the Tohsaka line of magi.
"Where's Shirou?" Rin asked once more, her voice getting higher as she feared for the worst.
Tokiomi remained silent, not willing to meet his daughter's eyes as he continued to run for safety with Kirei following closely behind. Gilgamesh was no longer beside him, but for Tokiomi, the golden king was the last person he had in mind right now.
Rin widened her eyes in horror at the implications behind her father's silence as she extended her tiny body towards the burning house and thrashed about in her father's arms violently.
"No, we have to go back!" Rin shouted as she continued to resist her father's vice hold.
Tokiomi didn't offer a single word in response.
"No," Rin sobbed as she reached her hands towards the distancing house with an unspoken plea of wanting to save the man that risked so much for her. "Please daddy, go save Shirou," Rin said brokenly as tears unceasingly trailed down her face.
Tokiomi's face twisted into an expression of pain as he ignored his own daughter's pleas. No matter what his personal interests were, Tokiomi always placed higher priority to make sure his daughter will live the fulfilling life that is granted to her. And Tokiomi believed that the magus, Shirou, did what he did for just that reason as well.
Suddenly, a resonating crash resounded the entire Fuyuki City as Rin widened her eyes in horror to see the upper floor of the Tohsaka mansion collapsing down in a split second as all the dust from the uncountable debris drifted high in the air.
"NOOOOO!" Rin yelled out in agony while she attempted to get out of her father's grip, even to the point of reinforcing her legs to kick away her father's strong hold on her. "SHIROU! Please … don't—" Rin finally succeeded leaping out of her father's arms as she tried to run back in her home's direction before her still injured leg shot up in pain in its entire length.
However, pain was the last thing on Rin's mind as she ran and limped back to the collapsed house before she stumbled and twisted her ankle violently. Falling down to the ground, Rin continued to sob as her legs continued to refuse to work as she forced her feet to move properly by using her hands.
"No … S-Shirou," Rin whispered in between chokes before her body was racked up in unending tears of sorrow. "D-don't … die … don't leave … me," Rin whimpered in place, having given up on chasing after the man who sacrificed his life to save her once again. "You p-promised—" Rin trailed off as another set of tears came dribbling down her face without ceasing when she remembered Shirou's words at her father's office before everything went downhill.
Disregarding the figure that knelt down beside her crumbled state, Rin continued to grab her legs up to her chest as she curled up into a ball in a heap of tears. Strong and firm arms then suddenly picked her up as Rin dimly recognized her father's signature red clothes.
Rin continued to cry while her father patted her back gently in a manner like her mother, Aoi, would.
"I … killed him," Rin choked out in between sobs. "He saved me … and I k-killed him."
Tokiomi continued to pat his daughter's back gently in a soothing manner without speaking a word. What could he say at this kind of situation? Sometimes, the best choice of action is to say nothing.
Rin continued to weep in her father's arms as Tokiomi's luxurious coat began to get wet at his daughter's tears of lament.
"Shirou," Rin whispered in pain as she clenched her father's coat as if it were her lifeline, "why did you leave me?"
The rest of way back "home" was covered with the innocent sorrow of a little girl over her lost one.
Kiritsugu lit his cigarette as he surveyed the wreckage from above the tallest building in the Western district of Fuyuki City. Everything had followed accordingly to plan until a certain reckless magus decided to risk his life for the enemy who had but a short-sighted goal of reaching Akasha instead of the more important wish of saving humanity from damnation.
Kiritsugu exhaled out some smoke before flicking his cigarette and throwing it away to the side. The magus, Shirou, infuriated and confused Kiritsugu to no end. A Hero of Justice? Don't make him laugh, the way that magus acts is that of a reckless and suicidal life. And he wants to save all of humanity with that attitude in mind? He is the fool above all fools!
Everything would have gone according to plan if not for that magus, Shirou. Kiritsugu had begun starting his carefully and strategically thought through plan the day right after they have saved Tokiomi's daughter, Tohsaka Rin. Asking Maiya to prepare a load of rockets for the rocket launchers and bazookas, Kiritsugu meanwhile decided to first ahead of time scout out the Tohsaka residence. And as expected of the famed magus, Tohsaka Tokiomi, the Bounded Field around his home and base of operations is nothing less than that of a first-class Bounded Field. Something so formidable that even a year of continuous magical attacks will not be able to penetrate it.
However, Kiritsugu, as the Magus Killer, knew the workings of a mage's mind and the universal weakness they all possess – that is, modern world technology. It is a known fact that most mages are out of touch with the modern world's advancement and instead choose to stay in their solitary bubble of magecraft, the very essence that defines their existence but also a weakness for Kiritsugu to exploit.
Kiritsugu is a man who does not seek results through the use of magecraft, it is because of this he is able to easily overcome and perceive traps wrought through magecraft after countless experiences.
As Bounded Fields like the one around the Tohsaka residence are always built in mind to specifically guard against outside enemy magi, Kiritsugu decided to supplement his previously prepared familiars with miniature CCD cameras tied onto their abdomen for the purpose of recording the true nature of the area around the mansion.
As Bounded Fields are often illusions and camouflaged bounded fields based on using suggestions on the observer, most magi would never be able to develop countermeasures for electronic-based threats. Therefore, despite the hooked-up cameras slowing down the familiars' speed, the recordings proved useful when Kiritsugu was able to re-watch the recorded events over and over again without being fooled by the nature of the bounded field, thus making him capable of turning the tables on the first-rate security system encompassing the Tohsaka residence. And in less than three hours, Kiritsugu was able to penetrate through the miniature magical fort.
After penetrating a small hole through the Bounded Field that will at least go unnoticed for a day, Kiritsugu went back to the Einzbern Castle in the middle of the night as he quickly inscribed a simple destruction spell on the sleeping Rin's back that can be activated upon his very whim. Fast, efficient, and not mana consuming, Kiritsugu knew with certainty that this is the perfect bait and threat to lure and force Tokiomi into killing the ultimate threat for Kiritsugu in the Grail War, the King of Heroes, Gilgamesh.
Handing the Self-Geis Scroll to the child of Tokiomi before she and Shirou left for the night, Kiritsugu quickly and specifically instructed that it was a personal letter to her father from himself. Making sure the little and naïve girl promised to not say a word, Kiritsugu left to put the finishing touches in his clever ambush.
Using suggestion magic to get the police officials to go around the district from house to house to issue an evacuation beforehand in order to not needlessly alarm Tokiomi of what's happening, Kiritsugu is left with an empty part of town with only Tokiomi, Kirei, Rin, and Shirou in it. Alternatively allowing him to fire the weapons of destruction without care of what it hits.
Reinforcing the rockets Maiyu brilliantly provided through her connections with the black market and a number of smugglers, Kiritsugu quickly tapped into his live CCD recording he had hooked up on a familiar sitting not far away from the Tohsaka residence. Adjusting the familiar's position to look straight through the transparent window and at the interior of the simple Western styled office, Kiritsugu began to wait for his cue.
Without hearing the conversation inside the room, Kiritsugu noticed Tokiomi's daughter, Rin, handing to her father the Self-Geis Scroll as her father read through the contents. Kiritsugu waited a little longer to deduce Tokiomi's reaction when Shirou himself began to read the eternal contract. Seeing that Tokiomi is hesitating on the decision, Kiritsugu flicked on his Magic Circuits as he activated the magic circle he inscribed on Rin's back not even a day ago to give Tokiomi an incentive to make a decision.
A dull red glow can be seen emitting through the glass windows from the far away camera as Kiritsugu confirmed that he had successfully done the magic circle without fail. Nothing was done for a moment as Kiritsugu released more mana while the magic circle responded accordingly by flickering faster. If Kiritsugu needed to, he would kill Tokiomi's daughter if it proves to be a demoralizing factor for the prominent magus.
Everything was still from Kiritsugu's point of view before Gilgamesh materialized into physical form behind Tokiomi with an amused expression. As expected, Kiritsugu had counted on Gilgamesh to be beside Tokiomi during his conversation with Shirou. This fact, although proving troublesome, allowed Kiritsugu the opportunity to kill Tokiomi if things went downhill without Gilgamesh interfering out of nowhere as Kiritsugu would be able to knowingly preoccupy the ancient King even if just for a couple seconds.
Suddenly, a massive explosive force resounded the entire neighborhood as the glass near the radius of the blast zone shattered into oblivion while one of the nearest CCD cameras hooked onto the familiars broke at the stunning power. It didn't even take a split second when the high-speed projectiles blasted through a distant building as Kiritsugu widened his eyes.
Kiritsugu immediately flooded his Magic Circuits with mana as he activated the destruction spell on the child of Tokiomi without hesitation. What soon followed, however, was unexpected when Kiritsugu saw through the camera Shirou rushing over to stab Rin with a jagged monochromatic dagger on her legs before lightning in the form of mana arced through her body.
Another Noble Phantasm, Kiritsugu was quick to note at the phenomenon, one that is capable of nullifying his magecraft which Kiritsugu realized when he felt the loss of control over the magical spell that was once inscribed effectively on the girl.
Disregarding what happened, Kiritsugu hefted up an already loaded rocket launcher over his shoulder as he aimed at the distant target. Typing a few commands on the computer to his side, Kiritsugu activated all the cameras set up around the vulnerable Tohsaka mansion and put them in view on the shining computer screen.
Calculating the proper coordinates in a second, Kiritsugu eyeballed the Tohsaka residence from afar as he pressed down on the trigger while the rocket launcher fired with a resonating sonic boom, going straight for the open window Gilgamesh himself had just created not even a minute ago.
Firing four more reinforced rockets at the foundation of the building as the mansion shook at the detrimental force, two more Noble Phantasms shot out from the window with supersonic speeds in the direction to Kiritsugu's left. Kiritsugu quickly placed down the heavy rocket launcher as he picked the walkie-talkie on the rooftop ground beside him
"Maiya," Kiritsugu said with urgency as he used the spare walkie-talkie he brought to communicate with his accomplice, Maiya, who he brought with on this mission as bait for the King of Heroes if the need arises.
Nothing was heard for a few seconds before the static of the walkie-talkie sounded as Maiya's voice broke through. "I'm safe, currently honing in on target at west point," Maiya said stoically in reply.
Kiritsugu placed down his walkie-talkie in understanding as he hefted up another already loaded rocket launcher over his clothed shoulder, firing with pinpoint accuracy at the more vulnerable structures of the house in order to collapse it on top of Tokiomi while Tokiomi is busy trying to fend himself from Maiya's multidirectional barrage of attacks.
However, everything that was done to plan crumbled before Kiritsugu's eyes when the magus, Shirou, activated a Noble Phantasm, Rho Aias, to help the other three individuals find a safe escape route momentarily. Kiritsugu cursed silently under his breath when the dust billowing in the air impeded his vision from targeting anybody or maneuvering his familiars freely to follow after the escaping targets. Suddenly, all Kiritsugu's set up cameras disconnected at once when a resonating crashing sound could be heard from a distance, signifying the collapse of the building that Shirou destroyed in the end.
There was nothing more he can now do. His brilliant plan has been foiled by the only unpredictable factor of the attack, the person who is none other than the mysterious magus, Shirou.
Finished thinking back at the past occurrences as time continued to tick by, Kiritsugu swiftly smothered the smoking cigarette that was thrown onto the ground with his black shoes. Looking over at the distant cityscape horizon, Kiritsugu was about to pick up the walkie-talkie to ask Maiya to abort the search, and ultimately the mission, before the sound of footsteps approached from behind him.
Turning around calmly with an automatic machine gun in hand, Kiritsugu is met face to face with a certain red-haired magus that had a deep gash running through the entire length of his arm while blood steadily dripped down over the left side of his face.
"Shirou," Kiritsugu calmly stated. No matter how reckless and insensible the magus before him appears to be, Kiritsugu has learned of one fact, this magus never gives up and yields to death.
"Kiritsugu," Shirou stated as his voice raised higher in indignation while he approached Kiritsugu, his old man, faster and faster while Shirou's tattered clothes fluttered at the will of the wind.
Standing centimeter in front of his old man, Shirou with boiling anger gripped his father's collar as he ripped it upwards, staring at his old man, the Magus Killer, straight into his empty eyes.
"What were you thinking?!" Shirou shouted, his eyes unwavering and demanding for a definite answer.
"Saving humanity," Kiritsugu complied with a simple answer.
"Don't give me that!" Shirou spat out. "Why?! Why above all people … why a child?!" Shirou roared out.
Kiritsugu pushed Shirou back as Shirou didn't offer any resistance to the action. "You know why I did it," Kiritsugu stated evenly.
"Are you that desperate?" Shirou asked, his voice hoarse with grief to see his own father whom he grew to admire over the years to be reduced to such a hopeless man. "To be willing to kill a child for the sake of winning the Grail War upon a chalice that will not grant your desire? What are you thinking?"
Kiritsugu lightly shrugged off the statement as he glanced over at the distant red bridge that connected Miyama Town and Shinto, both of which comprised Fuyuki City together.
"Even if I have to shoulder all the world's evil, I will not hesitate to carry that burden if it ensures humanity's everlasting salvation," Kiritsugu solemnly stated with an impassive yet determined face, one that is willing to do anything to achieve that distant utopia.
"Are you mad?! To be willing to do evil to correct evil is the height of hypocrisy!" Shirou shouted, trying to put some sense in his broken father.
"And I will not be lectured by a fool that surpasses beyond hypocrisy," Kiritsugu stated evenly with a lace of hate in his voice as he suddenly lifted up his automatic machine gun and held down the trigger towards Shirou in a split second.
Immediately projecting the dual married blades before Kiritsugu lifted up his gun, Shirou instantly brought Archer's swords and batted away the supersonic bullets with pinpoint accuracy as the relentless barrage continued. However, no matter how skilled or how much Shirou reinforced his body, even he was approaching his wit's end at the relentless shower of high-speed projectiles, especially after having dealt himself so much damage at the attack on the Tohsaka's residence.
Taking a bullet through his shoulder, Shirou threw Bakuya with lightning speed as it arced upwards and sliced right through the nozzle of Kiritsugu's gun, rendering it useless as the metal bent upwards at the tremendous amount of heat produced from the split second of friction between the contact of the projected Noble Phantasm and gun.
Grabbing another automatic gun from his side, Kiritsugu was about to shower Shirou with bullets once again before Shirou charged straight at his father with reinforced speeds, both hands carrying the blades of a man that carried insurmountable regrets.
However, before either of them can land a glancing strike at each other, a resounding crash echoed through the air as water is seen jetting sky high from both of their peripheral vision.
The walkie-talkie just a few meters away rang with static before a voice broke through. "Kiritsugu, Caster is sighted at Mion River by the red bridge with a summoned familiar. The Church has requested all Servants on sight to defeat Caster at once before it causes civilian lives and thus forcing the Church to contact the Mage's Association to enlist their aid."
Both Kiritsugu and Shirou heard the message as the walkie-talkie clicked off with Kiritsugu lowering his gun and Shirou dissipating his weapons.
"We will talk later," Shirou said as he began to make his way back down the tall building. "But if I find you putting another innocent civilian life in danger …" Shirou trailed off, leaving the unspoken message to Kiritsugu's comprehension.
No matter how strong Shirou is, regardless of how much he wanted to have a peaceful and wonderful relationship with his old man, Shirou knew if his father continued to indiscriminately put people in harm for the sake of the greater good, he will be forced to end his old man's life no matter how much he didn't want to. As his father had told him once in the distant "past", to be a magus is to walk with death.
Thinking no more, Shirou rushed down the stairs and towards where chaos is brewing as fog spread throughout the river with its stench of vile wickedness.
Thank you for reading!
Sorry for the slight delay in the update, midterms in college have been unrealistically busy. Thankfully, however, I was able to finish this chapter in the "beginning" of November.
BIG NEWS: Weekly updates will be back up from mid-December to mid-January! A month to be exact.
Lastly, there is an ongoing POLL at the top of my profile page. This poll allows readers to choose which story chapter they would like to see updated next – specifically Apocryphal Hero or Blades of Fate. The story which receives the majority votes will get updated first whereas the other story will get updated a week afterward.
Thank you for your patience! – SteelBlades333