The morning sunlight fell softly on the desolate street like peach down as it slipped through the magenta-rimmed scattered clouds. Mamako's shadow stretched long before her, just touching Ayako as she and Rin walked ahead of Mamako and Archer.

The two girls were having an odd sort of conversation, punctuated by long, crowded silences.

"Rin, I'm not sure if you've noticed but something strange is going on."

A pause, and then Rin said, "I haven't suddenly become an idiot."

"I mean, you've got this Archer guy following you around doing what you say, but he's not your boyfriend? Very strange."

Rin huffed and Ayako chuckled. Then Rin said, "Just because you don't understand something doesn't mean it's strange, Mitsuzuri. There's a whole world out there you don't know anything about."

Another pause and Ayako said, "True. That tower, for example."

They were approaching the big red bridge that crossed the river bisecting Ryuki. North of the bridge, rising from the river itself, was an impossibly tall black tower, glittering with tiny lights. It looked like a perfect cylinder and the deep blackness of its surface seemed to suck at the eyes.

"This is all wrong," complained Rin. "I don't want to have to erase your memory, dammit. But you don't belong in the Moonlit World." She glared at the tower as if it was a personal offense.

"Is this the Moonlit World?"

"No! This isn't normal! This wasn't supposed to happen! You're supposed to be getting Archery Club started, not—"

"Rin, I can make things explode with my mind now. I'm pretty sure that's not normal either."

Another pause. The two girls leaned on the bridge railing looking at the big tower, and Mamako and Archer paused as well.

"Can you make that explode with your mind?" Rin asked, nodding at the tower.

Ayako squinted, and then shook her head. "Too big. Too far away."

Rin nodded glumly. "Of course not. That would be too easy." She sighed and started walking again. "Come on, let's get you someplace safe."

Mamako lingered a moment, watching the girls as they walked on ahead. Archer stayed beside her, as if he expected her to get lost if he didn't keep an eye on her. After a moment, Mamako smiled up at him. "It was very kind of you to want to protect me last night. That's why you wanted me to come with you and Rin, right?"

Archer's mouth tightened and he also glared at the tall black tower. "Rin is very fond of you for some reason."

"She's a good girl," said Mamako placidly, but there was a hard glint in her eyes. "But she didn't want me to come along." She started to stroll along, just slow enough that she stayed out of earshot of the two teenage girls. "You knew you had some way of protecting her from that storm. If I'd come with you, you would have protected me too, right?"

"Of course," said Archer irritably.

"Would you have protected Shirou in the same situation?" Mamako's question, sweetly voiced, seemed to hit Archer like a knife.

He winced and then said sourly, "I doubt I would have had a choice in the matter. Rin is also regrettably attached to him. That troublesome girl…"

Mamako gave him a sidelong, thoughtful look. Then she reached up and patted him on the shoulder. "Keep working on making her happy instead of punishing that poor boy, and I think you'll be just fine."

Archer grumbled, "You have no idea what you're talking about." But when Mamako just smiled at him, he subsided, stalking along beside her in silence all the way to the Emiya residence.

When Rin burst into the Emiya residence calling, "We're home! I found Mamako, at least!" it was Sakura who greeted them, her hands clutching her apron and concern in her tired eyes.

"No sign of Fujimura-sensei?" Her eyes went to Ayako, stuffing her feet into a pair of house slippers, and widened. "Mitsuzuri-senpai! You're here?"

"Apparently," said Ayako cheerfully. "And so is Fujimura-sensei? That makes me wonder about the rest of the Archery Club."

"Um," said Sakura in a small voice. "We thought she would be. But she's not."

"Oh no!" said Mamako. "Are you sure? I know I spoke with her before we—" She stopped, shaking her head.

Ayako's cheer abruptly faded and soberly she moved aside to let Mamako hurry past.

Mamako came to the entrance of the living room and found Shirou kneeling before the table. Several beautifully laid out plates of snacks waited to be devoured, and he stared at them blankly. Only when Mamako said, "Shirou-kun?" did he look up and give her a shadow of a smile.

"Mamako. I'm glad you're safe. You didn't happen to see Fuji-nee on your way here? I was up all night cooking for her." He sighed. "Sakura said we ought to refrigerate most of it so it wouldn't go bad." He paused, and then said, "I keep thinking about all the food in all those empty houses, though."

Mamako, who hadn't thought about the empty houses at all except to notice they existed, felt a twinge of guilt. She'd been so focused on the people around her that she hadn't considered all those she didn't know.

Well, there would be time to worry about them later. Right now, she was needed here. She gave Shirou an assessing look. Then, very firmly, she said, "Have you bathed, Shirou-kun?"

He blinked at her. "Sakura did. She said… but that was… hours ago."

Mamako shook her head, tsking at herself for leaving these children alone for so long. "Go take a bath. After that, you must try to sleep if you can, yes, even if the sun is high. You'll be no help to anyone like this."

Her tone of voice jolted Shirou to his feet. "Yes, ma'am." A look of embarrassment crossed his face. "I should have…"

"None of that, now," Mamako told him gently. "Go take a nice hot bath. Everything will make more sense after that."

He nodded, and brushed past her into the corridor. Mamako followed him to the closet where she'd stored her swords and reclaimed them, twisting her miraculously healed hands to send the two magical blades to their 'rooms' in a pocket dimension. Umiko began to chastise her enthusiastically for leaving them behind, but as Mamako turned and found Sakura looking at her solemnly, she shushed the water blade.

"Is there any tea, dear?" asked Mamako.

Sakura nodded, and together they returned to the living room where Sakura fetched a tea tray she'd clearly had at the ready. As she prepared the drink, Mamako studied her. She was pale and quiet, but clearly far more present than Shirou had been. She smelled of soap, and Mamako recalled that she'd just finished bathing at her own home before they'd rescued her.

Rescued her, but from what? Mamako didn't dare assume she knew what Sakura had been through. All she knew for certain was that her brother was an insecure, spoilt brat and the grandfather was… not human. Mamako had sensed the bugs under his skin and felt the wash of magic he'd flung at her. But for Sakura and Shirou, she'd resisted it.

The old man had simply laughed at her babbling bravado, a sound like the creaking of a coffin, and waved his hand at her dismissively before commanding his grandson to come inside. Mamako wondered now if he'd expected his granddaughter to be swallowed by the magenta storm all the magic people had seemed to know was coming.

Sakura set a cup of tea in front of Mamako and she wrapped suddenly cold fingers around the warm ceramic. "Thank you, Sakura."

Nodding, Sakura took her own cup. "Senpai listened when you asked him to take a bath." Her voice was so neutral that Mamako could taste the bitterness as she sipped her tea.

"I didn't ask him, I told him," Mamako pointed out. "I know he doesn't mean to ignore you, dear." She thought carefully as Sakura lowered her gaze to her tea, remembering Ma-kun and the girls she'd adopted as prospective daughters-in-law. Shirou and Sakura were children in some ways, but, as Ma-kun had been on their Adventure, also verging on adulthood in others.

Slowly Mamako said, "But telling him wouldn't work for you. You don't want to be his mother." She concentrated on her own tea. "If I may, I suggest next time you want to take his mind off something, make sure his focus is on you instead. Don't ask him. Invite him." Her cheeks warmed as she found herself thinking of Gilgamesh.

"Ma'am?" said Sakura, clearly startled.

Mamako raised her gaze. "In whatever way you wish, dear. He wants to be with you. When he thought you were in danger…" She shook her head. "Nothing could have stopped him from getting to you."

"He worries like that about everybody," said Sakura, and conflict was clear in her voice now.

"No, I don't think he does." Mamako tilted her head. "Sakura, are you at all worried about your own family?"

Sakura's eyes changed as a mask settled into place, and Mamako leaned over and tapped her lightly on the forehead. " No, no, be honest. I won't be sending you back to them no matter what you say."

For a moment, a terrified child looked at Mamako out of Sakura's eyes, so vivid and present that Mamako almost knocked over her tea cup as she scrambled around the table. But by the time she was close enough to hug Sakura, the child had vanished and Sakura's reserve had returned. Mamako clenched her fists on her knees instead.

In a flat, controlled voice, Sakura said, "I'm not worried that they were taken, no."

"Hmm. Are you worried about Taiga?"

Sakura opened her mouth and then closed it again. Her eyes flickered and then lowered. "I… I should be, I know. But I'm just… annoyed, ma'am. And afraid."

"But not for Taiga?"

Mutely, Sakura shook her head. Mamako hesitated and then very lightly placed her hands on Sakura's shoulders. She leaned her head against Sakura's, holding her loosely like that for a moment. "It's all right, Sakura-chan. We'll figure it out, all right? You're going to be okay. And so will everybody you care about."

Sakura's stiff body slowly loosened until she was leaning against Mamako. They sat like that for a moment. Then she looked up. "Do you mind if I do the dishes, ma'am? I know I said you could do them, but… I'd feel better if I could do something useful right now."

Mamako said, "Of course, dear." She rose to her feet. "Did Saber go out?"

Sakura shook her head. "She's in the dojo."

With a bow of thanks, Mamako left Sakura to her self-assigned chore and made her way outside the house again. As she passed through the hall, she could hear Rin and Ayako still bickering amicably in the room Rin had claimed for herself, and the slosh of water from the bathroom.

Outside, the peach sunlight had brightened without losing any of its unusual tint. It looked like a beautiful day in early spring, although the chill bite of the air showed the reality of February. Birds sang, more noticeable than usual because of the lack of road traffic. But no dogs barked, Mamako noticed. They'd apparently all vanished, too.

Inside the dojo, Saber knelt meditating, wearing her street clothes. She opened her eyes as soon as Mamako slid the door open, and smiled. "I heard your return, madam, but I didn't want to overwhelm you with welcome. I'm glad that golden Archer saw fit to release you."

Mamako's gaze went to the red ribbon Gilgamesh had wrapped around her arm. "I don't believe he had much choice, dear. He was very helpful in letting me rescue Ayako, though." Thoughtfully she added, "Again."

An incredulous look flitted over Saber's face before she composed herself. "I am… intrigued to hear that, madam. Who did you rescue Ayako from?"

"Well, that's what I wanted to talk to you about," said Mamako. "That child Illya brought a giant of a man to battle a swordswoman of about my age but, ah, much taller and better proportioned. Gilgamesh said they were both Berserkers, one from the East and one from the West. I wondered if you knew of them?"

"Two Berserkers," breathed Saber, her eyes widening. "The giant… is probably who I fought before. But a woman—" Her brow wrinkled. "This is no proper Grail War now. I wonder…" She surged to her feet. "I was certain that Taiga had left the house of her own free will; that Rin and Archer would find her wandering the streets. Now I fear I've made a terrible mistake. She would have had no defense against an enemy Servant."

Mamako's brow furrowed. "Oh no. But what can we do?"

Saber paced in a tight little circle. "The Grail still exists. Perhaps even… but that doesn't matter. A Grail certainly still exists. I think all we can do is defeat the other Servants, no matter how many there may be. I would like to have a council of war with Rin, though."

"A council of war! Oh my!" Mamako tilted her head. "But I think we have to wait until after the young people have had a nap."

Saber stared at her for a moment before her shoulder slumped. "You are correct. Each of them has been up all night. Sleep will clear their heads. I will… wait patiently until then. But please, do not tell Shirou of my fears until then?"

"Of course not," said Mamako reassuringly, and then added, "Perhaps you need a nap too, Saber? I had one at Gilgamesh's and I feel so much better!"


Elsewhere.

Taiga pounded on Lancer's back with her fists. He'd taken her shinai from her when he'd slung her over her shoulder, which meant her assault was more like hitting an oak tree than a man. "Put me down! This is not how you should be carrying me! I am a teacher! And a—-aieeee!" She squeezed her eyes shut when the ground fell away in another of Lancer's dizzying, impossible leaps.

He was moving from roof to roof in what he clearly considered the most convenient way possible. He hadn't even asked her before scooping her up.

"Sheesh, take it easy, Kitten. This is the quickest way to get a good look at that tower, just like you wanted."

She pounded on his back again, keeping her eyes closed. "You. Could. Carry. Me. Properly!"

He laughed and leapt again, his fingers tightening over her thigh. Half his hand kept the skirt of her jumper dress pressed down, which might have meant something if she wasn't painfully aware of his thumb on the bare skin of her inner thigh.

Taiga growled under her breath, cursing the utter indignity of the situation. She couldn't help struggling every time he landed. But each time he jumped, she thought, Shirou and my students may be in that tower! and clung a little harder to his back. As soon as she had her enchanted shinai back, things would be different. For now… all she could do was hang on for dear life.


Author's Note:

Hey there! I've started a Discord for readers of my work to meet up and chat with me and each other. If this interests you, here is the invite code. qey3vdW. Looking forward to meeting you!