On the Precipice Between Worlds. Chp. 7

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Wordcount: 2500

Commissioned by Marteddu

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Fate pressed her fist into Emiya's stomach, and as she felt him go slack to turn the blow into middling concern at best, she brought up her fist towards his chin.

His counterattack stopped inches away from her face, as she lay her gloved palm beneath his chin.

"It's my loss. Again." A wry smile played on Emiya's face, as he shook his head and relaxed his body. Fate disengaged as well, fixing her gloves, and evaluating the fight in the back of her mind. "What did I do wrong this time?"

Fate finished her review of the fight by the time the question was asked.

"You are improving in regards to using your strength, but it's still not enough. You require more practice." During their fight, Emiya was still conserving his power for opportune blows at critical moments, as he tended to do. It was understandable, as he was undoing a lifetime's worth of training, but she didn't feel it necessary to coddle him. She felt that she would be a better teacher, if she simply told him the truth. "You are moving with less caution, and more drive, but you are still holding back and waiting when you should be pressing your advantage. I believe it is a matter of habit, which will take time to unlearn."

Fate studied Emiya for a moment, and was pleased to find only understanding in his stern visage, as he received her instructions and advice. She has taught many people, given advice, and many times she wondered whether or not what she imparted was learned. Such was not the case with Emiya Shirou. Every word she uttered was received, embedded, and ready to be drawn upon at a later date.

"I see. Thank you, Testarossa-san. I'll keep at it." Emiya offered her a bow, and she returned it her own, as well as a smile and an extended hand. He took her hand and shook it firmly and without hesitation, making it clearer to her that he felt no ill will towards her whatsoever. "Now what's next?"

Fate glanced around the gym for a moment, as she recalled the schedule, she had in mind for Emiya's training. By the time she found Nanoha panting on a bench after finishing her workout, she was already gesturing for her new student to follow her.

"We're going to the ship's range, so you can begin practicing with a sidearm." Fate took note of how Nanoha perked up at her words, and rose up from the bench with a smile. "Nanoha will be teaching you the basics, while I practice myself."

"Hee-hee, it's my time to shine!" Nanoha had a wide grin on her face, as she reached Fate and swung an arm over her. Emiya looked upon them both with a smile, while Fate simply accepted her friend's affection. "Fighting in melee's great and all, but being able to blast away opponents is great too! Don't worry, I'll make sure that you two can take care of yourselves just fine in a pinch!"

"Then, I'll be under your care, Takamachi-san." Emiya offered Nanoha the same bow he'd offered Fate, but there was a smirk on his face that told Fate that Nanoha's enthusiasm was set to be deflated. She wondered exactly what experience their new recruit had with ranged weapons, when he specialized with swords. "Please take care of me."

Nanoha preened, as Fate wondered what the joke Emiya had in mind, as they both went their separate ways to the showers.

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Fate could barely stop herself from smiling, as Nanoha trembled and shook, as Emiya held a TSAB, standard pistol in his stall at the firing range.

"Well, Takamachi-san, how did I do?" Emiya's query was heralded by a small smile, and the slightest tilt of his head. Not a single sign of malice showed upon his body, his body language perfectly benign, and yet an aura of palpable smugness emitted from every pore of his being as his score from the latest shooting test blazed over his head as a perfect 100. "Is something wrong?"

"You… you darn liar!" Nanoha couldn't take the second question, and Fate couldn't stop herself from chuckling, as her friend stomped over to Emiya with a furious, scarlet blush on her face. "You're good at shooting! Probably the best in this entire ship!"

"Unlike most in the Clocktower, I find nothing wrong with firearms as long as they can harm my enemy." Emiya explained and Fate couldn't help but shake her head at the simple leap of logic that they'd ignored. Of course, if magic was in short supply, then a warrior would naturally gravitate and practice with normal weapons used, produced, and maintained by the rest of civilization, unless there was a taboo against doing so. "So, I've had a bit of practice with them, and many other weapons."

While Fate merely nodded at the simple statement, Nanoha's reaction was far more pronounced.

Much to Fate's enjoyment.

"Gah! But what am I supposed to teach you, if you're already good at this!? How am I supposed to be a cool senpai like Fate!?" Nanoha gripped and held her head as she shook from side to side. It was a pronounced, theatrical act, but as Emiya chuckled at the silliness of the sight, Fate knew that her friend was doing it on purpose to draw their newest ally out of his shell. She's always been better with people than her, so she was more than happy to leave that responsibility in her hands. "Ah… I know! If you're good at using regular firearms, I can teach you how to use an Intelligent Weapon—

Fate interjected, as Nanoha intended her to, since they both already spoke about the fact Emiya wasn't permitted such power weapons as of yet.

However, Fate didn't expect Emiya to interject as well.

"He is not allowed to use such weapons./That's not something I can do, Takamachi-san."

"Shot down TWICE!?" Nanoha cried out, as Emiya shook his head.

Fate had another question though.

"Emiya, how did you know that you're not allowed to have an Intelligent Weapon?" The reasoning behind it was simple. Intelligent Weapons are computational devices which permit the TSAB's Aces to act in greater capacities, as well as handle dangerous forms of magic. They are simultaneously powerful weapons, but also capable of interpreting phenomena, and finding countermeasures against them. Not only that, but they gather data that the Research and Development teams of the TSAB utilize to study and analyze anything that the device itself cannot quantify on the field.

For all those reasons, Emiya couldn't be paired with such a weapon, despite all the information he offered and the asset he has become.

However, they did not tell him that.

"…" Emiya was silent for a moment, and scratched his cheek, as he hesitated to answer. Fate wondered if he put his more clandestine skill set to use, until he spoke again. "I realized what those weapons were when I performed Structural Analysis on them. I know what they're capable of, so I'm sure that that the TSAB wouldn't allow them to fall in the wrong hands."

Fate blinked for a second, before nodding and filing the information away to report later.

Emiya had reported his abilities to them, so that they could understand his capabilities to the degree he was comfortable with. If he completely joined the TSAB, and ceased to act as a pseudo-auxiliary, they would ask him for the entire truth. However, as a nominal ally, they only expected him to reveal essential information.

Among the powers he described was, of course, Structural Analysis, which was what he normally used on magical weapons to discern their history, power, and creation in order to manifest them through Projection, and utilized them in battle with Reinforcement.

Fate had focused on the myriad of abilities and varied assets he had at his disposal, and how he could modify and create multiplies of the weapons he acquired through Projection, but overlooked the asset that was Structural Analysis.

The spell which allowed him to analyze an object's existence, from within and without, by simply glancing at it.

Of course, he would use it on everything that he encountered, as it was a massive boon.

"I see. Then… can your replicate them as you do other weapons?" Filing away her new discovery, Fate moved on to pursue possible tactics for the battle ahead. Much was going to be discussed in regards to the ability Emiya possessed, but that was for later, as it was a critical oversight on part of the TSAB. He had explained his power, but they had failed to take into account its use outside of combat, and they would pay the price. She focused on the new, expanded possibilities of having two Bardiches at her disposal, if at all possible. "It would be beneficial for me to have two Bardiches, and Nanoha could benefit from having the same, even if you cannot use them yourself without a Linker Core."

The sudden stiffness in Emiya's shoulders disappeared at her words, and a light laugh left his lips as he scratched the back of his head.

"As long as it doesn't cause problems, I'll be happy to help increase your power. But… it's not exactly a sword, so it'll take more power to Trace." Emiya confessed, and Fate was content with the information that she was given.

If he could only replicate them once or twice, without their help, and the weapon ceased to exist for a moment, then many potential issues of TSAB technology being lost and reverse-engineered were alleviated.

Still, his statement in regards to his limitations brought something else to Fate's mind.

"Do you think you'll be capable of replicating the dagger you utilized to traverse dimensions, if both Nanoha and myself gave you all our power?"

Emiya had explained to them that the Jewel Dagger was provided to him for the purpose of chasing down Charon, and when his actions were judged not in the interests of his superiors, it and most of his equipment were taken from him. The TSAB were naturally interested in such a weapon, not only to make countermeasures, but also so that they could refine their own magics based off of Space-Time manipulation.

"…No. Even with advantages, I don't have enough Circuits to channel enough power to Project that sword… and that's if I didn't miss anything about it with my Structural Analysis." A rare, disgruntled expression formed on the normally collected Emiya's face. Fate thought he looked more his age, and less jaded, as his grimace early reminded her of an upward pout. She could almost believe they were only a year apart in terms of age when he made such a face. "It might've had the shape of a sword, but it really wasn't. It was more of a… small staff that had the shape of a dagger."

"I see." Fate nodded at the information, considered staying silent, and then chose otherwise. "The TSAB wishes to possibly make countermeasures against it, and to study it to farther our own interdimensional techniques. So, I would like to ask: is it possible that "Enforcers" of the Clocktower would be armed with these in the future and begin attacking us?"

Fate took note of Nanoha's silence, even as she stayed out of the way of the conversation, within one of the firing ranges' booths. They were both naturally worried that powerful, enemy agents armed with the ability to appear anywhere with a single swing of a blade would become the TSAB's foes, before proper protocols or studies of the different world's magics could take place.

An unknown, organized enemy with unmitigated, irrefutable mobility frightened the both of them.

Thankfully, to Fate's question, Emiya shook his head.

"Zelretch wouldn't mass produce anything like that for the Clocktower. He's a strange man, and very eccentric, but he's also the opposite of most Mages." Emiya spoke with enough assurance that Nanoha nodded and breathed a sigh of relief, but Fate calmed herself down and listened for concrete information. While she trusted in Nanoha's instincts, she needed more logical details that the TSAB could trust. "He doesn't like making anything for anyone else. Usually, he throws impossible projects at his apprentices, which takes generations of work for them to finish. I can think of only one person who could even try to make one… and she's not much of a fan of the Clocktower, even if she needs them."

A somber, sad small flitted across Emiya's face for a moment, and Fate blinked as she took in the regret in his eyes, before he shook his head and composed himself.

"The dagger that I used is something I can't make, which Zelretch took back, and is the only one in existence. The Clocktower might convince him to send a team of Enforcers through to solve Charon themselves, but I'm sure he'll send them along himself, instead of trusting them with that weapon."

Fate filed away that statement.

A lot of it relied on trusting their new ally, but there was enough substance to his words in order for them to be believed. They were technically operating mostly on information which he provided, which has since been verified.

If it was a lie, then all his previous statements and alignment would be cast into doubt, as soon as individuals armed with the dagger were found. However, if his words and prediction were true, then the TSAB stood to benefit from not having to worry about interdimensional guerilla attacks by a group with strange, eccentric magics.

It was a gamble that only the most paranoid of the TSAB wouldn't take.

Fate considered asking a few more questions, until Nanoha decided to step in.

"Alright, that's enough thinking for now! We're all going to have a little fun!" Nanoha pressed a visor and hearing protection into her hands, as she held her own set. The noise made by TSAB small arms were softer in comparison to gunpowder weapons, but the brightness of their discharge was far worse. So, without a Barrier, Fate was more than willing to use both to protect her eyes and ears. "The first Shirou-Nanoha-Fate shooting competition begins now! Let's have some good, clean fun!"

Fate nearly smiled at the words, until she took note of Emiya's dry gaze towards Nanoha, and turned to look at her friend herself.

Fate sighed immediately at the sight.

"W-what!?"

"Nanoha… in a competition everyone's supposed to use the same weapon."

"So… the both of you should use assault cannons too!"

"No, Nanoha, we're all using regular rifles, with regular projectile settings, and not overcharged rounds. We are not using vehicular, heavy weaponry."

"But… but how am I supposed to win against the two of you like that!? It's not even a competition, then!"

Nanoha cried out, and Fate looked to their new ally to offer his thoughts on the matter.

"Moderation is a virtue, Takamachi-san."

"Guh! Wisdom… my greatest weakness!"

Fate laughed lightly and shook her head.

Despite the many issues he unveiled and put upon their laps, Fate felt Emiya was a good, new friend to have for both herself and Nanoha.