I do not own Fate/Stay Night or any of the series' mentioned here.
Illyasviel watched as a small brown bird perched itself on a tree branch, hopping from one end to the other and pecking at the wood, as if it were searching for something. It's small eyes spotted Illyasviel, and the bird cocked its head in wonder for only a second before flying off to some other area of the forest that surrounded the Einzbern estate.
Before, Illyasviel would have never even bothered exploring the woods. Doing so brought up bad memories of the time when Kiritsugu was with her, when they played and laughed with her mother sometimes joining in on the fun in the wonderful white landscape of Germany. After he left, she never wanted to set foot into the forest surrounding the castle ever again, instead being content to just stay in her room for days on end and cry herself to sleep.
That is, until her grandfather forced her in order to train for the Holy Grail War.
It was so cold, so harsh. She had been sent out with nothing in order to 'improve' her skills. The wonderful times of her childhood were a distant memory then. The only thing that mattered was growing strong in order to make Emiya Shirou pay for taking Kiritsugu away from her.
But in the recent days, things had changed for her. She began seeing the world in a way she never could before. Before, the world outside the Einzbern castle and forest was a place full of interesting things she only saw in books and movies. Now she saw life as something more than her coming death. Berserker's life and her discussions with him showed her how life is precious and beautiful, and how even her own life, however short it may be, has meaning.
It was a different perspective she had never bothered to entertain until now.
"Yes, before I just wanted the Grail to live longer." Illyasviel thought to herself as she looked to the tree branches and leaves covering the sky from view, rays of light peeking through whatever small openings were available. "I was scared. Scared of dying. Scared of going where mama and Kiritsugu went. I don't want to die, yet… If I don't, will I become something less than human? Is it wrong to try and avoid my time?"
Those questions plagued Illyasviel's mind for hours on end, and she still had no true answer as to what she should do.
"Illyasviel?" Berserker asked, making Illyasviel turn to the maskless Servant's face. "Its beginning to get dark out. Do you want to go back home?"
Illyasviel took one last look at the woods in front of her, noting that the light was dimmer than before. Had she stayed here for this long? "…Yeah, lets go home Berserker."
With that, Illyasviel began walking in the general direction of the Einbern estate, Berserker following behind her quietly, like always. Despite how quiet Berserker usually was, he was very insightful on topics Illyasviel thought were brief and final only a few days ago. "But I understand, I guess…" Illyasviel thought to herself in resignation as the leaves and twigs were crushed under her boots. "Living a life like he did would definitely make Berserker know about life and death more than me…"
Living her life to the fullest was something she had never thought about before. Her life goal was to simply find Emiya Shirou and make him pay. But was that what she really wanted? Ever since her last confrontation with the boy, everything she thought she knew was being questioned. Did her father really try to save her? Was he really that sad about never being able to see her? Was Shirou… not meant to be her replacement?
"Kiritsugu… what really happened?" Illyasviel asked herself quietly, hoping that Berserker wouldn't be able to hear this particular problem.
Unfortunately, the Servant's ears were just too keen.
"Who is Kiritsugu, Illyasviel?" Berserker asked, making Illyasviel grimace a bit. Damn herself for speaking out loud…
"My father." Illyasviel replied curtly, her hands tightening into fists. "He went off with my mother for the last Holy Grail War, and even though he won he ended up destroying the Grail. He never came back for me after that. My grandfather said that his old assistant seduced him and convinced him to abandon the Grail and my mother. That he chose Onii-chan over me because I wasn't good enough for him. I-I believed that for a long time. I hated both him and Onii-chan for a long time…" Illyasviel stopped walking and instead stared at the ground, her face now becoming a mixture of different emotions ranging from rage, despair, and confusion. "But… what Onii-chan and that woman said… they said that he never wanted to leave me. That he tried to come and get me, but Grandfather and the others stopped him…" A harsh sigh escaped her lips, a resigned one much like the numerous robots who had wallowed themselves in despair and self-doubt that Berserker had met throughout his journeys. "I don't know what to think anymore…"
Berserker thought hard on how he should respond to this confession. He was not really one to give the best advice on parental issues. However, he could not let Illyasviel torment herself like this. "I… never really had a father." Berserker confessed, his eyes beginning to cloud with sadness. "Braiking Boss was just my master, before the Ruin began and I lost my memory. The closest thing I had to a parent was my creator… Ohgi." Illyasviel's mind flashed to the old caretaker of the little girl Ringo, the man's eyes always filled with regret every time he was near Berserker. "But, I never knew about my origins until I met Braiking Boss for the first time, and he revealed Ohgi's true identity." Berserker then raised his right hand, staring at the white palm before his eyes. "I had no idea what to think. The man who could have revealed everything about myself numerous times before only revealed himself after Braiking Boss gave him no other option. I was both sad, confused, and angry when that news was revealed. Ohgi was the man who made me into a killing machine, to the one who helped ruin the world as Braiking Boss' personal assassin. But… at the same time, I could not blame him. Who was I to judge another man's sins? I had no idea what he was like back then, what he felt, so why should I let it weigh heavily on my mind?"
Illyasviel was at a loss for words. While she saw Berserker's memories, she didn't know how he felt or thought during them. Him confessing his own temporary anger to his creator was surprising to say the least. "I didn't know he could be anything but sad most of the time."
"I'm not saying that you should forgive him." Berserker continued, moving his hand to his side once more. "However, you need to try and understand your father. To try and learn everything you can about what he did, and why he did it. That way, you can finally be at peace about the entire thing."
Illyasviel slowly nodded her head before whispering, "Thank you Berserker." and continuing onward, Berserker following right behind her.
Illyasviel knew that she could not get rid of the resentment deep within her towards Kiritsugu and Shirou. She didn't think she ever could, even if she killed the boy. But maybe, just maybe, she could find some amount of peace if she got some real answers towards what happened to her father ten years ago.
The rest of the walk back continued on in silence.
Elsewhere (Emiya Residence):
"Trace On…"
With those two words, Bakuya and Kanshou appeared in Shirou's hands within the empty dojo room. Like always, they were covered in those same thin red hexagonal markings. Frowning, Shirou dismissed the two swords in a flash of light before closing his eyes once more.
"Trace On!"
Next, the sword he copied from Caster appeared in his hands. It took both in order to actually use the sword properly, and the blade was pretty heavy in its own right. A bit heavier than both Bakuya and Kanshou, but nothing that could make him strain himself. Shirou turned the blade and looked at his reflection on the flat of the sword.
There were almost unnoticeable bags under his eyes, showing how tired he really was. But he could not just sleep. What happened to Maiya and Sakura still struck deep within him, despite the pep talk Taiga gave him. He couldn't really get himself to go to sleep, or even to relax.
"There's too much at stake here for things like that." Shirou thought to himself in frustration as he gave the sword a few practice swings, hearing the sword slice through the air each time. "Sakura and Maiya-san got hurt because I was too weak to do anything. I need to keep that from ever happening again!"
Shirou stopped swinging the sword before studying it one more time. Like the two Chinese swords, it had gained the red hexagonal markings all over its form. Shirou had no idea why this happened at all. "Why does the blueprint keep showing no matter what?"
In order to Trace a sword, he had to visualize its blueprint. It was a necessary step in bringing the construct into the world. However, theoretically, the blueprint should disappear when the process was finished.
So why wasn't it?
"I need to figure this out. I need to get stronger…" Shirou thought to himself as he lowered the sword. "But… my skills are nowhere near good enough. Kuzuki-sensei was able to kick my ass with hardly any effort on his part. How can I hope to face a Servant long enough to get everyone to safety?"
"Shirou." Saber's voice called out before the sliding door opened, revealing the Servant in her normal civilian clothes. "So this is where you have been all day."
"Yeah, sorry…" Shirou muttered as the sword disappeared from his hands. "Did I worry everyone?"
"Sakura and Luvia seemed to be distressed after you left straight for home after school." Saber replied while stepping into the dojo. "I followed you here."
"Ah, figures…" Shirou replied, smirking a bit as he did. Despite everything, Saber still took her status as his Servant seriously. "Sorry, but I have to keep training."
"For our next battle, you mean?" Saber inquired, making Shirou nod his head in confirmation.
"Yeah, I can't just let myself be beaten easily anymore." Shirou replied, his eyes narrowing with conviction. "I'm tired of just being beaten to the side whenever I don't have any guns on me. If Maiya-san hadn't helped me distract Avenger's Master, I probably would have died. And Kuzuki-sensei almost made that happen even with these…" With that, the two Chinese swords appeared in his hands once more. "So I need to get better. I have to make sure what happened to Maiya-san never happens again, not when I can do something to stop it."
Saber watched as her Master gave the swords a few more practice swings. The boy had no true form, and the one he had was full of holes. Ones that had multiple openings that could easily get him killed.
While Shirou's conviction was amazing, his swordplay didn't match.
"You should not continue to blame yourself on what happened Shirou." Saber began, making the boy stop in order to listen. "What happened to both Sakura and Maiya were caused by unfortunate circumstances. Nothing we can do now can prevent them from occuring."
"Like you're one to talk." A traitorous part of her mind hissed out. "Your entire reason for even seeking the Grail was to prevent your own mistakes."
Saber could not argue with that. She knew that what she just said was quite hypocritical, but at the same time she could not allow Shirou to wallow in self-pity. Doing so might lead to consequences in their next battle.
"Say, Saber…" Shirou began, making Saber look at her Master as he turned to her. "…Would you mind training me?"
"…Shirou?" Saber asked questioningly, making her Master blush slightly as he made the swords in his hands disappear.
"Well, I mean you are a master swordswoman, so you're the best person I could ask to do this for me." Shirou continued, now fully facing Saber with a determined look on his face. "So I need you to train me! The next battle might be tomorrow, two days from now, or even a week! But I need to get stronger. I won't be helpless in my next fight. So please… teach me all you can."
Saber was slightly startled at the pure conviction inside her Master's voice. She only heard that kind of conviction in her knights and a few of the Servants in the last war. He was dead-set on this decision to have her train him in swordsmanship.
"…Very well." Saber replied, walking toward a rack of Bokken and taking one off, throwing it to Shirou who caught it in his hands. "But know this Shirou, I will not coddle you. Once we begin, you will follow my instructions, and perform what I ask of you without hesitation."
"She's beginning to sound like a drill sergeant…" Shirou thought to himself with a small bit of exasperation before nodding in confirmation.
"Good, now we will begin with your stan-"
"YAHOOO!" The shout of Assassin rang though the air, interrupting Saber as the Servant crashed through the sliding door and landing perfectly on the mat, giving Shirou a wide grin and thumbs up. "So you want training huh? Don't worry, 'cause a big guy like me is willing to help you out!"
Tsubaki stepped over the now ruined doorway, sighed, and bowed apologetically saying, "I'm sorry about the damage…"
Before Shirou could try and tell her it was alright, Assassin spoke up once more. "Tsubaki, you don't have to apologize. Guy's a Magus! He can fix it up in no time!"
"That doesn't mean you can break his stuff Black*Star!" Tsubaki huffed out in frustration, though Assassin only continued to grin.
"What is it that you wish to help with?" Saber asked, motioning to Shirou with a raised eyebrow. "I am assisting Shirou in swordplay."
"Please, I go through awesome physical training day after day! A star like me has to always be in his best shape!" Assassin boasted, flexing his right arm muscles. Shirou could not help but notice Tsubaki blush as he did so. Was she sick? "I'll make sure that this guy can get the workout he needs to…"
"Black*Star just wants to help with Shirou's strength and speed." Tsubaki summarized, making Assassin sputter due to his tirade being interrupted. "His workout regime really helps out with that, and speed can really make a difference in a battle."
Saber had to admit, the reasoning was sound. But… "Why is it you want to assist us? What reason do you have?"
"Sakura really cares for the guy." Assassin spoke, his voice becoming more serious than usual. "It would really hurt her if he got himself killed. So I'm going to help make sure that doesn't happen."
"Sakura…" Shirou thought glumly to himself as he remembered the Matou girl. Despite all her own pain, she still cared for her. She was probably worried about him right now. But he needed to do this.
So that neither she nor anybody else would be put in danger during this war.
"Alright, I accept." Shirou stated, making the two Servants (and one Noble Phantasm) turn to him. "Where do we start?"
Meanwhile (Kitchen):
"Now where did Assassin run off to?" Luvia muttered to herself as she looked around the kitchen from her place on the table, a small cup of steaming tea in front of her. "He was only here a moment ago…"
"Well, Assassin and Tsubaki-san do like to go off on their own from time to time." Sakura told her as she began chopping up carrots with the expertise of a professional chief for the stew that would be a part of their dinner. "Perhaps they went to go check on Sempai and Saber?"
"He shouldn't need to be checked up on." Luvia muttered to herself in frustration as she crossed her arms over her chest. "Nor should I need to worry about him in his own home…"
Lately, Shirou had been going off more and more by himself to train. She suspected that it was to improve his Projection ability, but she could not be completely sure. He locked the shed in the back whenever he went there, and would instantly stop whatever he was doing whenever she tried to see him train in the dojo.
Honestly, him closing himself like this was beginning to worry her.
The sad part was is that she knew the reason why this was happening. With Maiya still in a coma and had no signs of waking up anytime soon, it was really eating away at Shirou's mind.
Sakura said nothing as she continued with cooking the food. She was also worried about Shirou's behavior recently, but was a bit more quiet about it. After all, she was also a contributing factor in his recent pain.
By getting kidnapped by Avenger, she had unintentionally brought Maiya to her eventual coma, bringing Shirou more pain than he had ever experienced before. Sakura hated herself for that. She hated herself even more for being unable to tell him about what she thought was Avenger's true identity... that Avenger was Shirou.
"It could help him take down Avenger, but…" She poured the orange vegetables into the steaming pot and set down the chopping board as she continued to think. "Would knowing that he turned into someone like that hurt him more...?"
She had already caused Shirou so much pain recently, Sakura didn't know if she could bear giving him another reason to hurt inside. And yet, she had to tell him sooner or later. Knowledge about the other Servants was a deciding factor in the Holy Grail War. And even if revealing Avenger's identity hurt Shirou, knowing who the Servant was might be able to help them somehow.
"I have returned, Master." Lancer's voice spoke, making Sakura turn to see the Servant appear in the middle of the kitchen, making her gasp in shock from the sudden appearance and Luvia spill her tea on the table.
"L-Lancer!" Luvia gasped out in surprise as she stared at the Servant. "Where have you been all day?" The Servant mysteriously disappeared earlier, confusing and worrying Luvia greatly.
The last time Lancer disappeared, she had picked a fight with Rider.
"I was having tea with Pilot Ikari." Lancer explained, Sakura noticing the light hint of coloring in her cheeks as she spoke the next few words. "It was… enjoyable."
"Inform me next time Lancer. I have to know your location in case I'm in need of you." Luvia ordered as she used a napkin to absorb the spilled tea on the table. She paused for a second before asking, "Lancer… do you have any other clothes other than your uniform?"
Lancer seemed to blink in confusion at that question, but her face did not betray her true emotions. "My uniform and my plugsuit are all that I need in order to function for this war."
Luvia stared at Lancer. She could not help it. As the Edelfelt heir, it was her duty to look as good as possible in a wide arrange of outfits for any situation. Hell, she even had a magical girl outfit in the far back of her closet! For Lancer to dismiss the very idea of fashion besides what was necessary was just…! "But then again, her life…"
Yes, throughout Lancer's life she never experienced any true comforts regular girls crave. She never bought any hair products, never painted her nails, never used any skin cream, and didn't have any outfits other than her school uniform, gym clothes, and swimsuit. While short in variety, they served their purpose to Lancer, and she never had any reason to get new clothes. After all, she was not a regular girl.
But as a respectable woman of (high) society, Luvia just couldn't leave things as they were.
"Very well then, it is decided!" Luvia declared, pointing at Lancer with her right finger. "Tomorrow, you and I will go into the city and find more fitting clothing for you! I will not have my Servant look like an everyday schoolgirl all the time!"
While confused at the suddenness of the entire thing, Lancer complied with a short, "Understood Master."
Nodding in victory, Luvia turned her head to Sakura and stated, "You may come as well Matou. However, you must purchase things with your own money."
Sakura thought about Luvia's offer. Honestly, with all that had happened lately it seemed a little strange to go clothes shopping. Then again, it would be better than just sitting around and waiting for the next enemy to rear his or her head. It might even help take their mind off things. While Sakura was not one to go on a shopping spree, a new dress might be nice. It might even impress Sempai and help get his mind off of all the depressing things going on around him, even for a minute. But there was also another reason for going. Ever since she returned, Sakura noticed Luvia, Saber, and Shirou being closer than before, on a hidden emotional level that is. For some reason, Sakura could just sense it. Could she perhaps find the reason during this shopping trip?
Only one way to find out.
"Alright, I'll go."
Later (Mitsuduri Residence):
It was nighttime once again.
The moon's light was shining down on the darkened streets of Fuyuki City, as its residents slept in their homes, oblivious to everything around them.
Waver smiled slightly at this. It was nice when things were peaceful. The peaceful moments during the Holy Grail War were always appreciated, they were times of rest and relaxation before they went off to their next fight.
Unfortunately, he could not just stand idly by anymore. It was time he and Rider went on the offensive.
"Weren't we going to wait until Saber and her Master were ready to take on Berserker?" Rider asked, leaning on Lagann as Waver closed the front door quietly to not wake up its residents.
"We were, but it will probably take a while before that actually happens." Waver replied as he went down the steps and walked to the front of the house. "There are still currently seven Servants in the war. With what happened to the Church, it's obvious that things are starting to heat up."
"That's definitely true." Rider lightly laughed out, a small smile forming on his face. "I can feel it in my gut that this war is going to get good."
"So we need to get going and find the other Servants fast." Waver continued, walking towards Lagann with his own smirk. "Can't let them get the drop on us over here, can we?"
"Yeah." Rider could see Waver's reasoning. If they continued to just watch rather than act, the other Servants would chase after them, potentially harming their host family and his wife.
All it took was one little argument to have Waver find his determination once again.
"So can you sense any Servants out right now?" Waver asked, making Rider close his eyes in concentration.
While normally Servants could immediately find other Servants (Except Assassin) should they focus enough, Rider was a bit different. He didn't rely on Mana or Prana output from a being. No. He relied on something greater and more powerful. A power source barely even tapped into on this world.
Spiral power to be exact.
Every living being had it. It was, after all, the power of evolution and determination (Or manly spirit as bro and the others described it). No being, except those artificially created, had Spiral Power absent from their bodies.
Besides Berserker, all the Servants had more Spiral Power than the average human, allowing him to track them down easily.
From what he could tell, only one was out tonight exploring the city…
"Got one." Rider replied as he jumped into Lagann's cockpit, Waver sitting on the side while Rider put in his drill into the slot. "Alright, let's go!"
As Lagann lifted off the ground and into the night sky, Waver's thoughts turned over to what happened little more than a day ago.
The confrontation with his wife was emotional on many levels. While his harshness had been justifiable, it also had another hidden reason.
He didn't want Ayako dragged into their world. A world where Magi rule, one filled with generation-long conspiracies and men and women willing to kill one another over family secrets. While Dai-Gurren had many supporters, the fact remained that they needed to gather more strength before they could change things.
And that strength can come from the Holy Grail.
"I'll protect all of them." Waver thought to himself with a smile as the wind rushed past his face. "I'll carve out a better future for both Magi and regular humans. Just wait Kamina, I'll show you how far I've come since you last saw me."
Elsewhere In The City:
"Phew! It's pretty breezy today!" Archer laughed out as he and Rin continued to jump from rooftop to rooftop, the lights of cars and streetlamps shining down in the street below while Rin held onto her Servant for safety.
While it was a gamble, she had to go outside during this night. Whoever targeted Kirei's church might be after her due to association, and what better way to draw them out than to go out in plain sight?
"If it's just Emiya and Saber, Archer and can handle them." Rin thought to herself, her eyes narrowing under her sunglasses. But if it's someone like Einzbern, we'll need to retreat."
The bad thing about this plan was the possibility that the perpetrator might be stronger than her Servant, or her for that matter. Not many people could get the drop on Kirei after all, but she was another matter. Rin knew that someone might be after her life specifically. Such a case was possible for all Masters in the Holy Grail War. Choosing a target and then eliminating it.
"Just focus Archer, and keep your eyes sharp." Rin ordered as they landed on another building, the Fuyuki Museum to be exact.
Fuyuki City's more urban district had many moderate skyscrapers while also containing small but more modern apartment complexes and stores. All of which were high enough that any light-night visitors won't notice any strange beings performing inhuman leaping heights.
Besides, as strange as it may seem, people hardly ever looked up.
"Hey now, don't you remember my class Rin? I'm Archer remember? My eyes are always sharp." Archer cheekily spoke to Rin, who flushed slightly at the teasing.
"I-I know tha… J-just pay more attention!" Rin fumed out, making Archer chuckle. Really, despite the situation, Archer still didn't stop with his jokes or teasing. "The one who killed Kirei might be out here! We can't let down our guard for a minute."
"Ah geez, Rin, I know that…" Archer chuckled out before jumping once more to the building in front of him. "But still, do you really think that its okay to leave your mom and that Bazette woman alone?"
The Wards will tell me if someone is trying to break in. If so, we'll go there immediately." Rin replied, but she too felt worry about her mother being alone within the house.
Aoi never learned any combat spells. She was married to her father for her Circuits, like most marriages between Magi were. And since Tokiomi handled most situations with his own impressive magic, she never felt inclined to. But now her father was no longer there. It relied on Rin to keep her mother safe should someone target them.
"Not only that, but now there's a cripple in the house whose circuits are completely fried." Rin thought bitterly to herself, but immediately felt a pang of guilt about referring to the former Master of Avenger in that way. It was not her fault the woman was helpless now, and it was her decision to bring her to the Tohsaka household rather than a hospital. If anything, she herself was to blame. "Maybe I should have moved them someplace else, like father and… Archer… did with me and her last time."
Remembering the Archer from the last war along with her father left a cloud of sadness over her. Especially after hearing Sakura's anger in the graveyard. Before, she thought Tohsaka Tokiomi was a perfect role model. Something to aspire to, something to remember fondly of whenever she felt depressed. But now, that image was tainted with the fact that he himself gave her sister to the Matou family and subjected her to that hellish 'training'.
However, from what she remembered, the last Archer was genuinely kind. He held no adult coolness or even had an air of suspicion around him. He was nice to her and her childhood friend Kotone, and saved them from being casualties in that serial killer's sick form of entertainment. She and Kotone somewhat drifted apart after grade school, but still kept in touch from time to time. Rin remembered how she constantly made sketches, saying that she wanted to make manga, something surprising considering there were few female manga authors. She saw her drawing sketches of the last Archer, all of which were incredibly accurate to the real thing. Rin remembered that Kotone said she was going to make her story something similar to a western mixed with science fiction…
"Rin…" Archer whispered, making her turn to see the Servant's eyes narrowing. "Someone's headed our way."
Rin shook out the thoughts about the past from her mind. The right now was more important. "Fine. Let's wait for them then."
With that, Archer stopped on the rooftop of a hotel building and set her down on the ground. Rin lightly patted her skirt to keep it in place before looking to the sky and seeing a green streak of light fly towards them. "What in the world…?"
In the next second, the streak stopped right before them, allowing Rin to see the object more clearly.
It was easy to recognize, considering that it was a giant face with two stubby legs and arms.
"Yo!" Rider called out, grinning as he landed the small mecha onto the roof. "Have to say, didn't expect to see you guys out here!"
"Same goes for you." Archer replied as he watched the enemy Master and Servant step out of the mecha and face them. "But then again, we don't get that many opportunities to meet."
"Well, there are always the random coincidences that happen once in a while. A day ago, I sat down with Saber at a restaurant." Rider replied with a shrug, making Archer chuckle much to Rin's shock. They were supposed to be enemies, yet they were still striking up a friendly conversation?
"You... you're the Tohsaka head right?" Waver asked, his eyes narrowing just a bit as he began digging into his jacket pocket. "I'm sorry that we haven't been properly introduced even though we met at the temple. I am…"
"El-Melloi the Second. At least that's your title, Waver Velvet." Rin said curtly, making the man blink. "I heard about you from some associates of my father."
"Good, saves me an explanation." Waver replied, taking out a small corked vial that held a silver liquid inside of it. "Before we do this, would you be willing to just surrender? Will save us both much time and pain."
It went against Waver's code to not offer this option to another Master before a battle.
"Absolutely not!" Rin instantly replied as she began to slowly reach for her coat pocket, containing all the jewels she brought with her just in case she went into a fight.
While she heard Waver was very knowledgeable in numerous fields of Magecraft, he was a rather average Magus. The only area that Waver was said to truly shine in is Alchemy. However, he made up for his lack of spells with the Archibald Mystic Code: Volumen Hydragyrum.
However, Rin had a few tricks of her own.
Yet, there was still one last thing she had to ask.
"Tell me, Lord El-Melloi..." Rin began, making the man raise an eyebrow in curiosity. "…Did you have anything to do with the destruction of the church?"
"No. I'd have no reason for doing something like that. Destroying the church causes too many problems that I'm comfortable with." Waver replied truthfully while Rin studied his reaction. His face, his speech, his hand movements…
Nothing was saying that he was a lie.
"So then he isn't the one that killed Kirei…" Rin thought to herself, making sure that she kept Waver in her sights. "At least I can cross him off my list for now."
"So, looks like we will have to fight…" Archer muttered as his hand began to drift towards his gun.
"Yeah, we do." Rider replied with a grin as he slowly began to unsheathe his sword. "Sorry, but don't expect that you will take me out so easily."
The rooftop became quiet at that moment, the wind blowing and howling ominously over the improvised battlefield. Rin unconsciously held her breath in the dense atmosphere, and Waver felt a bead of sweat run down his neck.
Less than a heartbeat later, Archer drew his gun while Rider unsheathed his blade. Archer shot a single bullet at Rider, who sliced it down the middle with his sword.
Thus, their battle began.
Archer fired a second shot at Rider's forehead, who ducked in order to avoid it. Archer saw the bullet pass through Rider's spikey blue hair, showing how close it was to ending the Servant's life. "He's fast, but not that fast."
"Can't hurt him from here. Time to get up close and personal." With that, Rider leapt towards Archer, his Nodachi held with both hands to his right side and ready to cut the enemy Servant in half. "TAKE THIS!"
Quickly, Archer leapt back just in time to avoid the strike, but his white shirt was torn cleanly right where his belly was. "Heh, guess you're fast when you want to be! However…" As he landed on the ground, Archer raised his gun at Rider and instantly pulled the trigger. "…So am I!"
Rider's eyes widened as he saw the bullet head towards him. "Damn, it's coming in too fast!" Despite his low speed, Rider was quick when it counted. Thus, he began moving to his left, making the bullet head near his right shoulder rather than his chest.
Rider felt pain as the bullet entered his shoulder. He felt the cracking of bone, the piercing of skin, and the heat of the bullet all at once as it punched through his shoulder. "Gh!" Rider grunted in pain, but ignored it as he pushed his advance at Archer and raised his sword. "Like that's going to stop me!"
Rider brought the sword down while Archer raised his gun. The blade hit the metal of the firearm in a flash of sparks. Archer grimaced with the force of the blow. Rider a much stronger physical fighter between the two Servants. Archer then gasped in pain as a punch hit him right in the abdomen, forcing the Servant of the 'Bow' to jump back to put some distance between him and Rider.
"A sucker punch?" Archer coughed, seeing Rider's right hand clenched in a fist.
"A real man uses his fists." Rider laughed out softly before running to the edge of the building and jumping to the surface of the skyscraper across, running up the vertical surface. "But let's take this somewhere else!"
"Shame I have to kill this guy." Archer thought to himself as he loaded more bullets into his gun and jumped to the same building that Rider went on, following close behind the Servant. "But still, why hasn't he used his mecha thing against me?"
It wasn't that he was complaining that Rider hadn't decided to use his ace, but Archer still took note of it. After all, in his old line of work ignoring something might get oneself killed. He'd just kill Rider before he got it in his head to use his Noble Phantasm!
Waver poured the silver liquid onto the floor, the Code slowly growing and forming into the familiar visage of Bender. "I'm back baby!"
"W-What!?" Rin cried out in honest confusion as she pointed at Bender. "What the hell is that!?"
"What kind of retard doesn't know my handsome mug?" Bender shouted back, pointing at Rin as well with narrowed 'eyes'. "The name's Bender Bending Rodriguez! Remember it, meatbag!"
"What kind of Mystic Code can talk and have that ridiculous of a name!? It makes no sense!" Rin argued back in frustration. She heard rumors that the Archibald Crest had some strange 'bugs', but how could a simple bug result in something like this?
"Well you can kiss my shiny metal ass!" Bender shouted once more, seemingly as if to end the entire argument. Rin sputtered with outrage as the defective Code turned to Waver. "Who's the broad?"
"Rin Tohsaka. I'll be fighting her." Waver replied, pinching the bridge of his nose at the Code's antics. Honestly, he should research how to completely purge the Code of its 'personality'. It was beginning to get annoying.
"Wait you mean…" Bender began, realization dawning on it before it began to turn and walk away while waving its hand. "See ya meatbag! Try not to die too fast!"
"You know that as the bearer of the Crest, you are obliged to follow my will." Waver reminded, making the Code stop. Perhaps it was beginning to remember…?
"BWAHAHAHAHA!" Apparently not, because the Code instead began to laugh as if it were told a joke. Waver felt his patience end as it began to walk away and continued to laugh. That did it!
"Fervor, mei sanguis (Boil, my blood)!" Waver shouted while reaching his arm towards Bender, making the construct stop moving and shake a little before it turned around and began walking back towards Waver. Rin could see in the big cartoonish eyes that there was absolutely no emotion within the construct. It was acting like a, well, robot.
The reason why was simple. Despite the Code being faulty and developing its own personality, it still accepted its old commands. What Waver just said a second ago reverted it back to its 'battle' mode, which would end once Waver dismissed it. The 'battle mode' complexly purged the Code of any personality, making it the perfect weapon to use against any enemy.
Rin seemed to comprehend this as well, because she bent her knees in preparation and pointed her left index finger at Waver, shouting, "Gandr!"
Black projectiles flowed out of her finger like a gun, however Bender's left hand formed into a shield as it moved in front of Waver. Each curse instantly exploded on the shield, small plumes of smoke forming as they impacted. However in a second, Rin saw that all they did was form liquid-like ripples on the shield's surface.
"Scalp (Strike)!" Waver's voice ordered, making the Code's arms change into billyclub-like objects and revealing that Waver was in fact unharmed by the attack. The two 'arms' stretched and moved towards Rin in breakneck speeds, forcing her to leap out of the way as they impacted the ground. Cement cracked and pieces of debris flew, making Rin gape in shock at the precise destruction.
"I definitely need to avoid that…" Rin thought idly to herself before fiddling around with the jewels in her pockets. As a member of the Tohsaka family, she was more than an expert in the transferring of power into jewels. She, as her father before her, spent years honing her skills and storing power into jewels of all kinds. It was a reason why she was a teensy bit thrifty with money since she used most of it on getting new materials.
From what she had seen, despite being an average Magus, the Crest that Waver possessed gave him a very dangerous Code. It specialized on both defense and offense. However, she only attacked him with projectiles just now. "Let's see what happens when I give him something that's not a projectile…" Rin thought to herself as she grabbed an uncut saphire from her pocket, containing a wind spell equivalent to a D-Rank spell, before flinging it at the ground in front of Waver.
Waver's eyes widened as the object began to glow, thinking the word "Shit!" as he began to run to the side before the thing exploded, smacking Waver hard with a mighty gust of wind as it threw him back by several feet. His back hit the edge of the building, making the man cry out in pain as he rolled over it. Waver's right hand grabbed the edge just before he fell to the unforgiving alley ground as his left nursed his now bruised back. "Damn, should have attacked her again and kept her on her toes. Now Tohsaka knows…"
While Volumen Hydragyrum still had its near-perfect defense against projectiles, the bugs it got from the lightning bolt disrupted just how perfect the defense was supposed to be. It only protected him against just projectiles rather than all types of threats. Any other attack needed a specific order from him if he wanted the Code to guard him. Unfortunately, Waver never had the time to fix it. Thus resulting in this fatal weakness of the Code.
The wind of the spell died down, and Waver closed his eyes as he applied Reinforcement to his arm and lifted himself back onto the rooftop. Grimicing in pain slightly as a sharp pain entered in his back, he spotted Bender in the same spot, not having moved an inch since he last used it. "If it wasn't in battle mode, it would have just walked away without a care in the world…" Waver looked around the rooftop and found no trace of Rin anywhere. "Did she escape? Or is she just hiding somewhere to get the drop on me…?"
A whizzing sound in the air signaled the firing of ten more Gandr shots, prompting Bender to begin blocking them all once again. However Waver was not an idiot. He knew that once the projectiles were done she would fling another prana-filled jewel at him. Thus, he took the initiative and began running to his right, using the light smoke from the Grandr as a smokescreen to shortly cloak his escape. With luck, she would now throw the jewel early and reveal her location to him, that way he could order an attack from the Code…
Suddenly, as he passed by a generator on the roof, Rin appeared from the corner with her right fist reared back while her left was raised in a guard-like position. "Shit, it was a diversion!"
"Haaa!" Rin cried out as she threw her reinforced fist forward, Waver barely having enough time to Reinforce his body before it struck his chest. Waver felt his ribs buckle and was pretty sure two cracked as Rin pulled it back. She swept her left leg, knocking Waver off his feet and onto the ground.
If he didn't act soon, he was pretty sure the Magus was going to kill him.
Digging into his pants pocket with his left hand, he grabbed two pharmaceutical-looking pills and crushed them before throwing them into the air, making them shine a bright green light and forcing Rin to cover her eyes.
While he may be weak in the Magic department, Waver was a damned good Alchemist. Thus, he always kept these emergency light 'pills' in case he was stuck somewhere with no form of light nearby, or if the power went out.
They also made a pretty good flash-bomb.
Acting fast on his advantage, Waver swept the Tohsaka's feet from the ground with his own legs. As she fell, he rose and ignored the pain as he hooked his left arm across her throat and grabbed her right, pulling it back painfully. In a moment, Waver disconnected the arm from Rin's shoulder and made her scream in pain despite him trying very hard to deprive her from getting more air.
The reason for that was simple: To knock her unconscious. Waver knew enough about human biology (And seen enough fighting movies) to know that depriving someone of oxygen long enough would knock them unconscious. He didn't want to kill the girl, he just wanted to put her out of commission long enough so that she wouldn't become a problem anymore.
Unfortunately, that was not the case as Rin brought her left shoulder back and nailed him in one of his bruised ribs, making the Magus gasp out in pain and loose his grip. Instantly, she launched herself forward and coughed while taking in deep breaths.
"Scalp!" Waver ordered once more, internally ordering the Code not to leave any life-threatening damage as Bender attacked once more. However, despite her own injuries, Rin was quick enough to jump to the side and make the attack miss.
Looks like the battle would be longer than Waver would have liked…
Back With The Servants:
Archer and Rider continued to run up the skyscraper, not even stopping for a second as wind rushed past their faces. Archer quickly brought his gun and aimed it, firing two more shots at the Servant parallel to him while not stopping for a second. Rider raised his left arm and made the bullet deflect off of the Nodachi. The second one passed by his left cheek, only leaving a small bleeding cut.
"He's definitely lucky if I keep missing his vitals like this." Archer thought with a frown as he looked at the Servant. "And he keeps moving to avoid staying in one place, which would make him an easier target."
While normally this would not be a problem, Rider was a much different Servant from Assassin. While Assassin stuck to one style that Archer could more or less predict, Rider's fighting style was more improvised than Lancer's. It was like bits and pieces of actual fighting styles used sparingly and paired up with normal brawling and the swinging of his sword.
This made it hard to predict whether or not a bullet could actually hit Rider, since he while he could make a bullet still hit Rider if he would deflect it one way, Rider could either choose to avoid it altogether or deflect it at a completely different angle.
His luck didn't help much either.
"No choice then. Rin's counting on me, and I don't want to leave her alone to fight an experienced Magus." With that said, Archer raised his gun and electricity danced around the barrel.
"That doesn't look good." Rider thought to himself with a frown. While it was annoying that he could not land that many hits on Archer, he was making it hard for Archer to land any hits on him. But now, it looked like the Servant was bringing out the big guns.
Looks like he could bring out his.
"LAGANN!" Rider shouted at the top of his lungs, just as Archer shouted one word.
"Railgun!" Archer fired the powerful shot, the projectile Noble Phantasm barreling at the enemy Servant. For a moment, it was only five feet away and looked as if its impact was certain.
The next second, a green streak of light passed by, making the Noble Phantasm pass through empty air.
"What the…?" Archer questioned as he stopped running and instead looked up to see Rider piloting Lagann once more. "So he finally decided to use it…"
"Hey, whatever happened to 'not holding back'?" Archer questioned, only for Rider to simply give a small grin.
"Sorry, but I wasn't holding back. You're just better than what I thought it would take to beat you." Rider said simply before the canopy covered him from view. Lagann's hands turned into drills as Rider's voice came from the loudspeakers, "Now get ready!"
The thrusters burst with green energy as the small Mecha flew to Archer in breakneck speeds, its drills ready to bore numerous holes into Archer's body. "Crap!" Archer shouted as he jumped up to the roof of the skyscraper, making the Mecha's drill 'hand' only scratch the bottom of his shoe. As he rolled on top of the building, he inspected the damage.
It was a clean, circular cut that almost hit the bottom of his foot. While it didn't leave any lasting damage to his body, the new groove would mess up his footing if he were to shoot while standing. "That's going to complicate things…" Archer then spotted the Mecha flying up to the sky and fired an experimental bullet at the canopy, only for it to bounce off. "Figures, its bulletproof too…" Archer clicked his tongue as he began reloading the empty chambers. The situation was not looking very good for him. Rider was more than a match for him. If he didn't think of something fast, he might be forced to use his ultimate attack. "Wait… The thrusters!" Instantly, Archer put in a red bullet into the chamber and fired on the mechanism attaching the thruster to the Mecha. It exploded on impact, halting the thrusters and making the robot begin falling. "And just in case…" "Railgun!" Archer fired another at Lagann, this time having it connect with the Noble Phantasm. The small Mecha began to spasm (along with the face making some weird pain-like expressions), making Archer smirk.
The battle was his.
Or at least it was supposed to be.
The next thing Archer knew, a fist was connecting to his face as Rider appeared from above, his right arms stretched out and his face now having a dead-serious expression on it. A small spiral portal appeared beneath the falling Mecha, making it fall into it and disappear completely. "The hell?! When did he…?" His eyes widened in shock as realization struck him. He completely forgot to check if the canopy was still closed when it was falling!
But Rider didn't relent from his advance. He used his left hand to knock the gun from Archer's grip before using a right hook to nail him in the stomach. Archer attempted to use his superior speed to put some distance between them, only for Rider to grab him by the coat. "You aren't getting away from me you bastard!" With those words, Rider head-butted Archer in the face, breaking the cartilage in his nose instantly.
As blood spewed out of his new wound, Archer analyzed the situation. In a hand-to-hand fight like this where Rider already had the upper hand, he would loose. He preferred to fight from a distance rather than actually up close and personal, using all the tricks he could to win. But now Rider could tell what was his 'comfort' zone. "Not only that, but I fired two Railguns. I only have one left and…" Archer's eyes widened in panic. "Oh crap, RIN!"
His Noble Phantasm, while powerful and deadly, also took a lot of prana to use. Mostly that prana came from Rin herself since she was his Master. But he fired two out of three already, and Rin was fighting an experienced Magus.
She would be in no condition to fight back for long.
With that in mind, Archer's hand shot into his jacket and pulled out a small grenade with a grinning black cat on the face. Before Rider could react, Archer pulled the pin and heavy grey smoke flowed out. Rider began to cough while fanning the smoke away, only to see Archer's silhouette jump off the edge. "Damn it, he's getting away!" Rider was never one to leave a fight once it started, which resulted in him doing many things that most would consider crazy throughout his entire life.
Like jump off a skyscraper in order to catch his opponent.
Luckily, he was a leader of Team Dai-Gurren. Reason was kicked to the curb on a daily basis.
By grabbing the Core Drill and twisting it like a key, Lagann appeared once more fully repaired from its previous damages through a green portal. Rider instantly fell into the cockpit, put the drill in its place, and activated the thrusters.
His fight wasn't done yet.
With Rin and Waver:
Rin panted as she clutched her dislocated right arm, grimacing in pain as blood dripped down her forehead from behind a vent. "Can't believe the fight has gone on for this long without anybody noticing…"
Then again, there was that movie supposedly being filmed within the city. Perhaps it was because of that?
Either way, it did not matter. What did matter was she was hurt, badly, and her strength was being depleted from her by the second. Normally, she would put it off as simple exhaustion. But this was deeper than that. It was a Mana drainage. "Just what are you doing up there, Archer?"
Rin peeked out the corner and saw that Waver was not doing so well either. The blows she landed on the Magus hurt him a great deal. He was clutching his back and the pained expression on his face was easy to spot from a mile away. She was damn good in Chinese martial arts if she had to says so herself, but while Waver lacked in skill he made up for it in physical strength and cunning. She never expected him to use such a simple method to temporarily blind her.
But that did not matter. In her current state, she couldn't keep up the heat on Waver much longer. And when that happened, he would win easily.
"Not many places to hide." Waver thought to himself as he scanned the now totaled rooftop. They had been going on for what seemed like hours, changing tactics constantly and keeping each other on their toes. He had to admit, the girl had vey impressive skill. He would have liked her as a student in one of his classes. "But first I need to make sure we get out of this alive. Both of us…"
A blur then landed on the rooftop behind a vent, stopping as it hit the ground and revealed itself to be Archer. "Come on Rin, we're getting out of here." With that, he picked up the Tohsaka head in his arms and looked directly at Waver. "Don't try to stop me if you know what's good for you."
Waver could literally feel the killing intent in Archer's tone. It wasn't a threat. It was a promise.
"Where do you think you're going!?" Rider's voice shouted from the speakers of Lagann as the Mecha floated above the rooftop. "We aren't finished yet!"
"You weren't…?" Rin began to ask, only for Archer to shake his head.
"You're too injured and drained for me to even try going all-out." Archer said bluntly as he glared at Lagann. "I won't fight with her like this! Let us go and we can continue this another time!"
A tense moment followed, and Waver looked from Rider to Archer and back again. Neither were moving, and Waver was actually afraid that Rider would choose to fight again. He knew that it went against what Rider stood for, but anything could happen now.
Apparently Archer thought so as well, since beads of sweat began forming on his brow.
"…Fine. We'll finish this another time." Rider relented, making Waver breath a sigh of relief as his faith was confirmed.
Archer nodded gratefully before jumping to the next rooftop, slowly disappearing into the distance.
With the enemy Servant gone, Waver turned to Rider and asked, "So how was your fight?"
Rider smirked as he answered with, "More than great. Was shot, but I got a few punches in." He then noticed Waver's pain and asked, "Hey, you need help?"
"Heh… yeah…" Waver croaked out as a new wave of pain shot from his ribs and back. "Ow…"
With the threat gone, Bender 'blinked' and began looking around, "What the…?" He then looked straight at Waver and glared shouting, "Alright, your dead now meatba…!"
Waver threw a magnet, instantly attaching itself onto its head and making it freeze up once more before singing, "She'll be coming around the mountain when she comes~! She'll coming around the mountain when she comes~!"
Waver sighed as Rider set down Lagann onto the roof for him. While he wasn't able to take out a Servant like he originally intended or even incapacitate the Master, instead getting a possibly fractured back and broken ribs, he was still able to get valuable information about Archer through Rider. Not only that, but he was now prepared for whenever he fought with Rin ever again.
All in all, not a bad day all things considered...
To Be Continued…
Omake- It's A Real Thing! Taiga Dojo Preview!
"It's about time some action went into this fic!" Taiga cheered, ignoring the fact that Illya was simply lying on the floor reading a magazine while kicking her feet in the air. "The readers will beginning to get bored of all that drama!"
"But drama is important for a fic Sensei." Illyasviel reminded the woman as she turned a page. "Nobody likes action without context."
"But people get bored of too much drama!" Taiga argued back before pointing her Bokken at the 'screen'. "And TIM! What took you so long for the update!?"
"He has a life as his own you know Sensei." Illyasviel mentioned as she smiled at the 'screen'. "I think graduating is a big factor in the delay."
"He didn't delay this much with Lupin…" Taiga sobbed out before a waterfall of tears fell out of her eyes. "ARE WE NOT GOOD ENOUGH FOR YOU!?"
"Stay tuned for the next chapter, "Q Note!"
Note- Hey! It's TIM here giving you the newest chap of Stay Away, betaed by Kiiam! Guy makes the awesome Want and Need and Holy GAR War in Red stories along with Betaing my other fic, JaUT! Seriously, check out his work. Guy's great at what he does.
So the reason for the delay in the latest chap is simple: I'm graduating! Considering all the preparation and practice I have to usually do, I'm just glad to get this out here now!
But other than my vague description of my personal life, I was able to discover this little gem of an anime, Michiko to Hatchin. It's directed by the same person who did Lupin the Third: The Woman Called Fujiko Mine. It's got two kickass female leads, one like a combination of Mugen (Samurai Champloo) and Faye Valentine (Cowboy Bebop) and even has a Cowboy Bebop feel! In fact, its music is produced by Watanabe himself! I highly suggest you all watch it if you love his work.
Anyway, I may have worked hard on the fight scene, but I know its not my best. Its purpose is to show the other Masters are not standing idly by and show the strengths and weaknesses of Rin and Waver in actual combat.
Criticize, but keep things constructive.
Also, you know the drill. Look at the Zero Sense TV Tropes page, add, blah, blah, blah…
Now then…
Would you kindly leave a review?