Matou Shinji and the Broken Chains

A Harry Potter / Fate Stay Night Story

Disclaimer: Though I wish it were otherwise, I do not own or in any way, shape or form hold a legal or moral claim to elements of either the Nasuverse, the Potterverse, or other works I may reference in the course of this story.

Summary: It is a time of seeming peace, as the British Ministry prepares to host the Quidditch World Cup - the greatest sporting event in the Wizarding World. But unbeknownst to them, a grand army of Giants and Werewolves is gathering in Eastern Europe, under the leadership of the vicious Fenrir Greyback, their sole objective - revenge. In the East, Matou Shinji and his comrades have arrived at the hidden bastion of Mahoutokoro to hone their skills, given that they are likely to become Champions of the two Tournaments this year – the Tri-Wizard and the Potions. And if their struggle against the Acromantulae has shown them anything, it is that only through power can they gain victory - and only through victory can their chains be broken.


Chapter 55. Three Little Words

For all his usual eloquence, Matou Shinji didn't know how to break the awkward silence that lingered in the air as he and Tohsaka picked their way through the rockery of Kew Gardens, an expansive area featuring alpine plants from Europe, Mediterranean and Africa, Australia and New Zealand, Asia, North America, and South America. Not that they could see very much of it, given the way the London fog obscured their sight, with only the silhouette of occasional slab of rock or leafy shrub peeking through every once in a while, as they strode along the path.

In the world of grey, the boy felt almost like he was floating, anchored to the ground only by the warmth of Tohsaka's hand in his, as his lovely companion having insisted that they hold hands so as not to inadvertently get separated. It was quite a practical suggestion, given how Zelkova and Mashu had already wandered off, presumably towards the Arboretum, with Shinji only knowing where his familiar was due to the link he shared with the kodama, and so Shinji had carefully ignored how Tohsaka had been blushing furiously at the time.

He really hoped she wouldn't get the wrong idea. It wasn't like he liked her or anything.

Well, not in the way she hoped, at least.

Still, he was quite aware of her, for how could he not be when the fog was so thick it muffled sound as well as sight, making everything else seem insubstantial, ethereal – making her seem far more present by comparison.

'Her hands are…rougher than before…' he idly noted, as his fingers twined with hers, his thumb idly caressing the back of her hand. 'Has Master been rough on her, I wonder? Rougher than she usually would be, I mean,' he amended, reflecting that even at the best of times, Touko was not easy to please.

"You were right," Tohsaka said abruptly as she jerked to a halt – the first words she'd spoken since they'd arrived at their destination.

"Hm?" Shinji oh-so-eloquently responded, raising an eyebrow as he turned to his companion to see that she was looking down, and wouldn't meet his eyes.

"You were right," the raven-haired girl whispered with a heavy sigh. "About what it would take to win Aozaki Touko's respect."

"Hm?"

"Damnit, Matou, I'm not repeating myself again, even for you!" Tohsaka snapped, whirling about to let the boy have a piece of her mind, only to swallow what she was about to say as she found her green eyes looking deep into warm pools of grey.

"Ah, there we go," he murmured with a smile, seemingly pleased by her outburst. Without even really thinking about it, he brought up his free hand to errantly trace the line of her jaw. "You look far prettier when you're full of life and fire, as opposed to sullen and quiet, you know?"

"I…" she tried to protest, but trailed off, shuddering as his fingers brushed her skin, a silent moan escaping her lips before she managed to stifle it, much to her embarrassment. "Thank you," she squeaked out at last, barely managing to tear her gaze from his, as her face did a fair imitation of a vine-ripened tomato.

"Of course, Tohsaka," Shinji replied, bringing the girl's hand to his lips, where he graced her knuckles with a kiss. Somehow, though it didn't seem possible, Toshaka Rin's flush deepened, her knees going weak at the touch of his lips.

'Why?' she wondered, fighting the urge to fall forward and be embraced by Matou's arms. 'Why am I so strongly affected…? It's…it's not like he has Mystic Eyes of Binding or something…right?'

No. For one, he wouldn't use such things on her – she trusted him that much. And even if he did, as a magus, she would have felt the effects of the spell if he did, which meant it was just her body reacting to his...

'It wasn't this strong last time.'

But that had been before he mentioned that he did not hold her in his debt for all that he had done, whispering into her ear that as friends, comrades, and more, they were beyond such things as debts and costs and favors.

The only thing he had asked, when last they met, was for her to look out for him as he looked out for her, now and in the years to come.

Words of alliance between individuals and houses, which in times past, had traditionally been sealed with by marriage.

'He doesn't ask it of me. But the fact that he doesn't demand it, just makes me want to…'

…want to give him everything.

The girl shook her head, swallowing and biting her lip to make sure she wouldn't blurt out something…foolish and irrevocable as she thought back to a moment of triumph not long ago, when she had finally defeated – no, utterly destroyed - the automaton of Aozaki Touko, and hopefully, impressed the puppetmaster just a bit.

Or at least, had won a bit of her respect.

Maybe.


Not for the first time, Tohsaka Rin had found herself on the ground, every bit of her body screaming in agony from how she had been thrown against the wall with skull-jarring force in the last moments of her combat evaluation. Yet this time, as the smoke cleared, and her head stopped ringing, a wan smile had crept over her face as she saw how the four-armed contraption modeled after the wielder of the Fifth Magic had been reduced to a pair of charred feet.

"…tell me, do you know the meaning of the word 'moderation'?" the voice of Aozaki Touko had inquired, the familiarity in it almost mocking as the puppetmaster walked into view, taking a long drag of a cheap Taiwanese cigarette.

Rin, for her part, had barely been able to muster up the energy to glare at the woman who was supposed to be her Master, but muster it she had.

"Still, a deal's a deal. Since you did defeat my automaton, I have to acknowledge you as my apprentice," the red-haired woman had noted coolly, the corners of her lips drawing up into a predatory smile. "Of course, that means you're going to have to pay for what you broke."

Aozaki Touko had gone on to name a truly staggering price, her words proving to be a more grievous blow than any the automaton had ever struck.

"Wha—?" Rin had managed to gasp in outrage, her features twisting in disbelief. "You—you never said…"

"I didn't think I needed to," the older magus had intoned, surveying the destruction caused by the detonation of one of Tohsaka's jewels. "Hm, so this is all a year's worth of magical energy can do in your hands? Raw destruction with no finesse? How…disappointing for a supposed prodigy."

To Tohsaka, each of the puppeteer's words, so laced with scorn and derision, had cut to the quick. Even in victory…even in victory, she had not managed to impress the elder magus. The magus that Matou had impressed so easily, when he had been her apprentice. The magus whose tutelage Matou had given up for her sake.

"I…" Rin had begun, but had trailed off, not knowing what to say.

A heavy silence had hung between them for some time. Minutes, maybe, though Tohsaka didn't really have any sense for just how many were passing.

"At least you finally decided to take the challenge seriously, even if your technique is lacking," Touko had said after a while, as a smirk stole over her lips. "Matou talked to you, then."

Rin had blinked at the utter certainty in the puppeteer's voice. How…how had she…?

"For a so-called genius, you're a bit slow," the elder magus had noted coolly, shaking her head as she took another long drag of her cigarette. "Always doing the same thing over and over, hoping for a different outcome, unable to even consider something new. Except for this time, when you did. Obviously, something changed."

"I—"

"You and Matou talked." Touko had supplied, her teeth flashing white against the darkness of the training room. "And so, you destroyed a gem worth what? Half a million yen?"

Rin had cringed, because the puppeteer was quite correct.

Half a million yen, on top of whatever she now owed for utterly wrecking the automaton.

"Still, it was a good tradeoff, I suppose. The puppet you destroyed was worth about ten times that," the Aozaki magus had noted, as a urk issued from Rin's lips unwittingly. "Of course, now that you've proven that you can beat one of my automatons, the next step is to beat one without destroying it."

"…without destroying it?" Rin had echoed numbly. How…how was she supposed to do that?! Martial arts weren't enough to stop one of Aozaki-san's automatons, even with the aid of Reinforcement. Her Gandr shots bounced right off of them. Only her jewels…

"Yes," Touko had confirmed. "I will not have an apprentice who cannot restrain her more…destructive impulses." She'd glanced over Rin, taking in the other's expression. "Or is it that you just don't know any useful techniques besides those you demonstrated?"

"…"

Tohsaka Rin hadn't been able to say anything, but the look on her face made it obvious that the puppeteer was right.

"...and this is the heiress of a family, who inherited her family's knowledge through a Crest," Touko had observed with some exasperation. "That's…look, do you even have a Mystic Code? Maybe an Azoth or something?"

The Azoth sword (or dagger) was one of the most commonly used Mystic Codes in the Association, after all, with parents often presenting it as a gift to their children for a coming of age ceremony. And given that the Tohsaka heiress possessed a Crest, it would be odd if she did not have an Azoth.

"I…I left it behind in Fuyuki," Rin had been forced to admit, much to the puppeteer's displeasure. "I didn't think I'd need it."

"You didn't think you'd need it?" the puppeteer had echoed incredulously. "You left your hometown to study at the Association, and you didn't think a basic Mystic Code would be at all useful to you?"

"I…it's not as strong as my jewels!" Rin had argued – or tried to argue, though she quickly shut up when Touko shot her a look of absolute disgust.

"Believe what you want, girl," Touko noted after a small eternity. "Regardless, our training sessions will continue as planned, and should you destroy another automaton of mine, you will pay double the replacement cost. Destroy another after that, and the cost will double yet again. And should you lose three times in a row, by not trying your best, well, I suppose Matou will have given up his apprenticeship for nothing."

"What?! But…"

The master puppeteer had merely chuckled at her young apprentice's outrage.

"I'm not unreasonable, apprentice," Aozaki Touko intoned, a thin smile gracing her features. "I'll even supply you with an Azoth dagger, at no cost to you, so you have something to use besides your jewels. How does that sound?"

Tohsaka Rin's mouth had worked open and closed, with no sounds coming out of it.

"Feel free to be stubborn, but we both know that unless you learn to use something besides your jewels, sooner or later you'll run out of them," the elder magus had noted sharply. "You want to make Matou happy, right? Then prove that his sacrifice for your sake wasn't for nothing."

A terrible pallor had crept over Tohsaka's face at those words, when she thought of what Shinji would think of her if she squandered this opportunity.

"…fine," the girl had ground out bitterly, her voice barely audible.

"Hm? What was that?" Touko had inquired with a smirk.

"Yes, Master. I understand," Rin had said more clearly.

"Good," the puppeteer had noted, turning to go. "Oh, and while you're at it, keep working on that other Mystic Code you're building with Lev's help. A magus should never be a one-trick pony, especially when your trick isn't even a particularly interesting one."


Back in the present, Tohsaka Rin shook her head to clear it of a not entirely welcome recollection. Her Master was not a very pleasant person at the best of times, and didn't hesitate to run roughshod over notions and preferences that had long been central to how she fought.

'She's ruthless, in her own way. As I would expect of one of the greatest magi in the world. But…'

It didn't make studying under her any easier.

At least Professor Lev, who she worked with more often, was a rather nice man, who was always willing to answer her questions or give her assistance if she asked for it. Still, the man was more of a researcher than a fighter, and had asked her to talk to someone else with regards to the specifics of her new Mystic Code.

"I can certainly help you create whatever you wish, but you have to know what you wish to make," had been his statement.

She hadn't been about to ask her new Master, given how little she liked working with Touko, but now that Matou was here…

"Matou," she said quietly.

"Yes, Tohsaka?"

"What kind of Mystic Code do you think would suit me?" the girl asked, looking into his eyes. "You've…fought many enemies before. You know what it is like to be in a battle. What would be most useful?"

"What, you ask…" Shinji murmured. "That's…kind of a big question. I do find myself using my wand a decent bit, but that's not what you're asking, is it?"

Rin sighed, ignoring the little voice in her head that was telling her that since Matou used a wand, he wouldn't mind if she did...

"No, I mean, besides a wand," the magus clarified. "I have…I have one of those already. I'm…I'm trying to build one to surprise Master. But I don't know what to make. Something offensive? Something defensive? Something more…"

"Something which would be helpful in situations besides combat," Shinji advised, nodding. "It's no good to be so focused on attack or defense that you forget to consider options outside of it."

"…true," Rin grudgingly admitted. "So you mean something that what, makes me invisible?"

She supposed that a punch that no one saw coming could be quite damaging, but…

"No, that's not what I had in mind," Shinji replied. "Something to improve your mobility, either boosting your speed or helping you navigate tricky footing. Something that lets you see if there's something being hidden from you by magecraft, or if an item has been enchanted in some way."

"Huh, you've put a lot of thought into this, Matou."

"Of course I have," Shinji said agreeably. He'd already seen what a powerful force multiplier something like flow-walking or combat apparition could be, as well as how detrimental it could be if one lost sight of an opponent due to magical manipulation or other such. "I want what's best for you, Tohsaka."

Rin, for her part, just blushed prettily.

"Thank you, Matou," she whispered.

"Anytime," Shinji answered, kissing her hand once more, though he found he had to steady her when she swooned. "Let's get you to a bench, hm?"

Tohsaka nodded, and the two made their way over to a seating area, where they talked idly of many things, with Rin particularly enjoying a chance to talk in Japanese, until their companions found them once again.


The hours passed by as the group enjoyed their outing around London, though soon enough, after a rather disappointing visit to a KFC, where Rin learned that in the West, the restaurant chain offered no Christmas specials, and after an expedition to retrieve supplies for the night's repast, they returned to Matou Manor to prepare for the coming feast.

This Christmas Eve, the food for the celebration would not be coming from the Hogwarts Kitchens, as Rin was more than a little tired of the Western food served at the dormitory, and so wanted something a bit more familiar. Mashu was fine with that, as she wanted to try out a recipe she'd received from her superior – something about being Christmas appropriate.

And Shinji…well, as a gentleman, he knew better than to insist on things being his way when two lovely ladies argued otherwise.

As such, the kitchen of Matou Manor was quite busy that night, what with several people packed inside, making preparations for a delightful holiday meal.

Shinji, knowing his limits as far as cooking went, had elected to simply prepare ingredients for sukiyaki, cutting succulent wagyu beef into thin slices to be simmered at the table, alongside diced scallions, shiitake mushrooms, leafy greens, tofu, and yam vermicelli, in a shallow iron pot in a mixture of soy sauce, sugar, and mirin.

(Silently, he gave thanks for electric hot-pots, self-served meals and how much easier they made life sometimes – which made him all the more appreciative of the portable galvanism-powered device that Sion had sent him for Christmas. Small enough to be carried in his pocket, it turned prana into a steady source of electricity, meaning he would be able to use electrical appliances in places in the magical world that, unlike his house, had not been fitted with prana to electricity converters).

'Though if I'm not on a ley-line, I have to worry about draining myself of prana, I suppose…'

Mashu, for her part, had chosen to prepare some egg noodles to go with what she'd already placed in the oven: a dish of boneless chicken breasts pounded thin, rolled around herb-flavored butter and Monterrey jack cheese, and refrigerated before being battered with a mix of eggs, milk, more herb-flavored butter and panko crumbs, with everything put into oven and baked for about 20 minutes. Chicken Kiev, the dish was called, named for the capital of Ukraine - though the dish was actually of French origin.

Already, Shinji could smell the aromas of the herbs and chicken wafting from the oven, his mouth beginning to water at the thought of the deliciously moist and delicately flavored dish that awaited.

Part of this, of course, was due to the fact that, as a Japanese boy, no Christmas meal was quite complete without chicken of some variety (which Sion, who had provided the recipe knew full well). And part of this was simply how good it smelled.

He told Mashu as much, feeling good as he saw the young woman smile – though he missed how Rin frowned when he complimented the agent of Atlas.

After all, Tohsaka, in addition to wanting a taste of the familiar, had wanted to do something special for Shinji, to show him how much she appreciated everything he had done for her. And so, she had poured her effort into making a dish she was sure he probably hadn't tried before, yet would enjoy. In a way, it was a labor of love, as it was her first time cooking for someone voluntarily (and not out of obligation, unlike the times she'd had to cook for Kotomine).

Thus, in addition to the rice being cooked in a rice cooker, the Tohsaka heiress was preparing the first dish she'd ever learned to make, a dish that through trial and error and repetition, she'd long since perfected, even to the fake priest's exacting standards.

Mapo tofu.

A Sichuan dish named for the pock-marked wife who'd first made it at her husband's restaurant long ago, prepared just as it had been in China. The tofu was poached prior to stir-frying to freshen and tenderize it, with fresh garlic and ginger adding an extra layer of flavor to the chili bean sauce in which the dish was mixed, stirred together with a mixture of minced pork, wood-ear mushrooms, and topped with a lavish sprinkling of scallions and Sichuan-peppercorn powder for a wonderful meal.

Or at least, Kirei had said so. He'd always finished every last bit of it too, so she thought it had to be delicious.

So it was that after seeing Shinji praise Mashu, she shyly offered him a heaping spoonful of the dish, shortly after having used the very same spoon to test the dish for flavor, telling him that she wanted to make something special for him, and she hoped he'd enjoy it...

Shinji, for his part, eyed the bright red quality of the suspension with a bit of trepidation.

Mapo Tofu, eh?

It was true that he hadn't had it before, but…just looking at it was beginning to make his eyes water, though maybe it had been all the Sichuan peppercorn powder and chili bean sauce that Rin had put in earlier.

Still, he reasoned, it would be a terrible thing to hurt Rin's feelings after she had gone through such effort, so he took the spoon and tasted it, his eyes widening as the indescribable hotness hit his tongue – and then the back of his throat as he swallowed.

And swallowed again.

And again, trying to clear the spiciness from his mouth.

"It's…good," he forced out, a smile on his suddenly flushed faced, with Rin thinking that the hesitation was because the boy was enjoying her dish, while in truth it was because he found it difficult to speak with his mouth swelling up so.

"I'm glad," Rin replied, relieved as she turned back to her cooking, as Mashu placed a comforting hand on Shinji's shoulder.

"You've brave, sempai," she told him, a gesture Shinji appreciated, but only a bit, as he asked Zelkova to go to Hogwarts to grab him a glass of milk, which he had heard was a time-honored way to cool his mouth down when water just wouldn't do.

'And some Christmas cake as well, since I don't think any of us will make any.'

'Yes, Master.'

Thankfully, the milk arrived in time to save his voice, and with the combined efforts of the three cooks, plus the (unknowing) contribution from the Hogwarts House Elves, there was plenty to go around that night – and plenty of leftovers.

Both Mashu and Rin enjoyed his sukiyaki, as neither had previously had much occasion to try the dish, just as Shinji and Rin had dug into the Chicken Kiev with relish, but at the end of the evening, a rather large platter of spicy Mapo Tofu remained – far more than any one person could hope to eat.

'I hope Rin isn't too disappointed that we didn't eat much of her cooking…' he thought, though the boy could see how her face had fallen as he'd taken generous second helpings of the chicken kiev, but had limited himself to a token potion of the Mapo Tofu, declaring that he would save the best for last – only to say, sadly, that he had no room. 'I guess I'll have to take it with me. Somehow. I don't want Tohsaka to feel like her efforts were a waste, after all…'

But how? He couldn't exactly bring a container of non-western food to Hogwarts, in case he got caught with the "contraband."

'Ah. I have it. The Book of Potions. Perhaps Zygmunt Budge will appreciate a Christmas treat. Or I can use it as a potions ingredient. Maybe.'

Or…

'You haven't eaten anything, Zelkova. Would you like to try some of Tohsaka's cooking?'

'That's quite alright, Master. Human food is not necessary for my continued survival,' the kodama replied diplomatically, content simply to look on as the group talked and ate long into the night, until it was the eve no more, and with a dramatic flourish, Zelkova delivered the presents the gathered humans had all procured for one another (as he neither asked for, nor gave presents, being a familiar).

For Rin, there was a stuffed black cat from Mashu, with the strawberry blonde explaining that Rin often seemed lonely, as well as a book of runes from Shinji, with the boy noting that her new Master would be appreciative of any efforts she made to learn these arts.

For Mashu, there was a set of lovely silver earrings shaped like lily blossoms from Rin, and a bespoke purple yukata of blended spider silk, possum fur and merino wool, patterned with falling sakura petals, accompanied by intricately patterned red and gold obis and matching parasols, which Shinji said would look good on her if she ever came to Japan (something which only heightened Rin's suspicions regarding the nature of their relationship).

Rin had given Shinji a self-geis scroll, saying that if there was ever anything he needed of her, to merely ask, and she would do it. His gift from Mashu, on the other hand, was a set of contacts that could prevent him from being affected by line-of-sight abilities such as Mystic Eyes of Binding…or the more direct applications of a satori user's abilities.

And of course, Shinji, in his largesse, had one more present for both of them – elegant black dresses from Fashion House LeShin. One (meant for Mashu) was a long black gown patterned with silver traceries, with the one meant for Rin was a more provocative affair, a slinky black number that came down only to mid-thigh, meant to be worn as part of a set with stockings and thigh-high boots. Both, of course, had a built-in suite of hair/eye-color changing charms that could be switched on and off at will (something that Rin first learned when her eyes went grey and her hair went white, much to her shock – and Mashu's amusement).