Walking down the streets of Fuyuki is Shirou and Shinji and the two make their way to Rin's house to make a new alliance between the three and take out the other Servants and Masters. As Shinji himself put it, making them unstoppable.
"It's the perfect plan Emiya." Shinji giggled as he put an arm on Shirou's shoulder and brought the two close. "Just you, me, and Tohsaka kicking the other Servant's butts and getting the prize for me-er-us!"
"That's...cool." Shirou says as he slowly moves away from Shinji's hold. "Still, what exactly are your plans on convincing Rin to team up with us? She is rather...prideful." Not to mention very stubborn.
"Oh please. Like she wouldn't accept a team-up with me of all people." Shinji says with Shirou realizing his friend is actually serious. "Just a few words from me, and she'll be begging to join us."
More like begging them to leave. Granted, Shirou is already allied with Rin. As such, there was no problem for him. No. The real problem is getting Rin to accept Shinji. While he's a...decent guy, Shirou knows Shinji can be intolerable at times. More so when a bad day happened to him. Heck, the few times he saw Shinji and Rin together with the latter looking like she wanted to kill him.
'Still, maybe I can convince her when we meet up.' I mean, having a third Servant on their team is definitely a boon that couldn't be ignored. I mean, with three Servants, Shirou bet they could defeat the other Servants if they played their cards right. Not saying it'll be easy, but it should be possible to win more smoothly with three Servants united.
Adding in Ozpin teaching Shirou and Rin's knowledge with Shinji's...stuff...Then winning this war with few to no casualties can be done.
'Just need to see what Rin says.' Shirou thought worryingly as at last the two made their way to Rin's home. Shinji confidently goes up the steps with Shirou close behind. The seaweed haired boy then raises his hand, and then knocks as loud as he could to ensure Rin heard the knock. Shinji then stepped back next to Shirou and smugly grinning.
"Just you wait Emiya." Shinji tells Shirou as the two wait. "Leave the talking to me, and Tohsaka will join us in an instant." The two then looked at the door, ready for Rin to come out. "Just wait and see."
After thirty seconds had passed, Shinji decided to knock again.
Another thirty seconds later, he knocked louder and longer.
One full minute later, Shinji was banging with Shirou tempted to do the same.
"Hey!" Shinji then shouted. "I know you're in their Tohsaka! Open up!"
As Shinji went and shouted, Shirou considered calling Rin when he remembered she didn't have a phone nor did he know her house number. The teen then wondered if maybe she was out with the house being empty. But if so, then where did she go? As for Shinji, he himself was just angry at what he believed was Rin telling them off, not even considering she might not be at home, and just kicked at the door.
"Damn that woman!" He shouted angrily while waving his hand at the nearest window. "I can't believe she's putting us off!"
"Um, actually Shini-" Before Shirou could say his own thoughts, Shinji continued on.
"I get it! She thinks she's better than us! Better than me!" Shinji then went down the stairs of the steps, turned back and shouted at the top of his lungs, "Well screw you! We don't need you at all! Emiya and I can win this war by ourselves bitch!" Shinji then proceeded to grab a rock, and throw it at the window.
While Rin has created many defenses that can outright kill magus, that was only for magical attacks. As such, the rock hit home and broke a window with Shirou gasping that it even worked. Shinji then grumbling as he grabbed Shirou and dragged him off, muttering how he even liked her and what not.
"Let's just go to my home. We don't need her anyway!"
"B-but-" Before Shirou could even explain that he himself is in an alliance, Shinji just kept tugging at him while complaining, drowning out his words.
Ten minutes later, Rin would come home with some groceries and soon drop them when she saw the broken window. Swearing to beat up whoever had done it while Archer just chuckled.
Sakura has finished her lesson for today. Granted, it seems grandfather didn't put much effort in it this time around, not that it didn't make Sakura feel any less worse. Feeling those worms crawl all around her...in her…
Sighing, Sakura just went to the kitchen where she found a small cookbook she had bought some time back. In it were the usual recipes which she used to make practice meals that way she'd know how to do the basics whenever she went to senpai's house and show she could get the job done. To be less of a burden to him and more of a...equal, so to say.
'Assuming he's still around.' The dark part of her mind then whispered. A cruel reminder than Shirou is part of the war her grandfather told her about. Where the Masters fought for some pointless cup for a wish, while the Masters usually ended up dead. Her brother became part of this, and now her senpai is in it.
'If he were to die…' Then...Sakura wasn't even sure what she would do. However when thinking this, a dark emotion seemed to have swelled up, along with certain whispers. The knife she held then chopping down on tomatoes she prepped earlier a lot more rapidly to the point where she was making a mess.
"I'm home." It then stopped when she heard her brother's voice. Knocking her out of her more underlying thoughts as she then began cleaning up.
"W-welcome back bro-" Before Sakura could finish, she then heard another voice. One that entered the kitchen along with her brother.
"Oh. Hey Sakura. Are you feeling better?"
"S-senpai!" Sakura says as all bad thoughts vanish while dropping her knife.
"Whoa there." Shirou says as he walks up to her, kneels, and picks up the knife near her foot. "Be careful there Sakura. You could have hurt yourself."
"R-right." Sakura blushes a little, as she takes the knife from Shirou and goes to rinse it. "My bad."
"Puh." Shinji mutters as he walks up to the refrigerator. "Just ignore her Emiya. If she gets hurt, it's for being clumsy." He then opens the fridge up and grabs some juice. Putting it down on the nearby table and going to get a cup to pour himself a drink. "This always happens. Especially when she has her 'lessons' with grandfather."
Sakura flinched a little at the lessons part. It is true that she loses focus a bit, but mainly because of the lessons.
"That's not nice to say Shinji." Shirou then defends Sakura. "That just means she's tired, right?" While Sakura felt happiness at being defended, Shinji just scoffed as he finished pouring his drink and putting the juice away. Taking a mouthful of sips from the cup until he finished.
"Sure, sure." Shinji replies, not really caring. "Now come on Emiya, we have...business...to talk about."
Business? A bit curious, Sakura then asks, "What kind of business are you and brother talking about senpai?"
"Oh, that." If what Shinji told Shirou is true, then Sakura knew nothing about the Holy Grail War and magecraft. He had to keep it that way. "We're just talking about...homework. From school."
"I see." He's lying. While it was possible it might have been something else, Sakura knew better it's likely about the Holy Grail War. Yet for the sake of keeping him happy, she smiled and accepted his lie to her. "Well, if you need any help then come to me for it."
"Of course I will."
"Please." Shinji laughs. "As if she can help with what you're doing. Just...make a meal for us to eat later. Got it?"
While Shirou threw a slight glare at Shinji's tone, Sakura accepted the command as she went back to make the food. Thinking she can at least make Shirou something tasty to eat. It's been a long while since he has come over, and Sakura wanted to ensure his stay was a good one.
'Actually,' Sakura then thought as she waved Shirou good-bye. 'Maybe this is...a good thing.'
If Shirou is working with her brother, then that meant they were in an alliance and not enemies. As per the promise she had Shinji make to her, Shinji isn't allowed to hurt or kill senpai. Now, they were working together and as such, meant Rider would help Shirou out in case he got in trouble.
'And maybe,' Sakura thought as she began rinsing her hands, drying them, and then going to get some bowls. 'He'll live through the war. And he won't die at all.'
Yes. This was perfect. In fact, perhaps Sakura could have Shinji to 'convince' Shirou to stay here in the Matou home. While the Emiya household was far more nicer and homier, Sakura knows it was just a normal household with no defense compared to the Matou's own place. If anything, Shirou will be safer here instead of a place he could be attacked in.
'And Senpai would also be..' Sakura's cheeks then turn a bit red. "Living with me."
A slight giggle escaped her mouth as Sakura continued to cook. Maybe this war won't be so bad after all.
"Alright Emiya." Shinji tells Shirou as he sits on his bed while having Shirou kneel on the floor, so he could quite literally look down at him. "I think you should stay here in the Matou home."
"...huh?" Shirou goes.
"Oh don't 'huh' me." Shinji says as he then grabs a small bottle with some kind of weird liquid in it. Shinji then tossing it between his hands. "This is the norm for Holy Grail Wars, to have a good defending home."
"Defending? Like...defenses?" Shirou asks.
"Yeah, that's it." Shinji nods. "And from what I saw, you're home has none."
"Well, it is a normal house." Not like Shirou was preparing for the zombie apocalypse and junk like that. So no way it would have a wired fence, traps, and those guard dogs you see on television.
"That's not what I meant. Oh boy." Shinji shakes his head. "What I meant was your house has no magical defenses against magecraft. Bounded fields. Magical wires. Stuff like that."
"You mean like that movie series featuring the kid with the scar that goes to a magic school?" Shirou then brings up the film series that was well known in the west.
"Um, something like that I guess." Shinji didn't actually know what Shirou meant, but played along so he didn't look bad. "Point is, the Matou home has all sorts of defenses against other magus. Meaning here, we're way safer than your dinky little home."
Uh, ouch. Still, Shirou couldn't deny that what Shinji said is true. I mean, just barely a day ago he got kidnapped by Caster, and he's certain that it was so easy because he had no defenses in place as Shinji mentioned. So logically speaking, it would be kinda smart to be here.
Still, "What about my friends, Ozpin and Saber?"
"What about them?"
"I can't just leave them at my home, if it's so unsafe. Actually," Shirou then realized something. "Couldn't I just stay home and maybe...You set up some kind of defenses? That way, I don't have to leave." Plus, as far as Shirou knew, only Caster and maybe Assassin knew his location and nobody else aside from Rin and Archer.
"Yeah, that's impossible." Shinji straight up tells Shirou. "I already told you, I can't do much in magecraft. Besides, are you really willing to stay in a place where you could be attacked?"
"I mean, won't the other Masters just not know where I live?" Not like Shirou was out there declaring he was a Master or anything.
"They'll find out." Shinji says to him. "Might take some time, but unlike us, other Masters have spells and other abilities to aid them in finding out who's a Master. Besides, it's only a matter of time before things get ugly, and when they do realize who you are, they'll burst into your home and attack."
".." Shirou didn't like that. The fact that other Servants might attack him in the home Kiritsugu raised him felt all wrong. Yet as he learned with Caster yesterday, it seems she didn't care if she broke a few rules, as she was even draining people of their mana which risked them. She'd have no problem attacking his house. With that, Shirou knew what he had to do.
"Alright, I'll stay here." Shinji grinned at those words. "But," Then turned to a frown. "I want Ozpin and Saber to be with me."
Shinji looked a bit upset. "I can accept Saber, but not some mystery magus that came out of nowhere."
"You accept it or I go back." Shirou kept on going. "He's been helping me out, and I'm not leaving him out to dry against others. Heck, maybe he could help us in this war."
"..." Shinji stayed silent as he considered this proposal. He'd rather shoot it down, as he only cared for another Servant, not some weird guy Shirou came in contact with. However, maybe there is a benefit in allowing a proper magus here. At worst, he'll have Rider snap the guy's neck and drain him of mana if he was a threat, but otherwise Shinji didn't see any problem with Shirou's offer.
"Fine," Shinji agreed to it. "I suppose as friends, I'll go ahead and let your friends stay here."
"Cool. Thanks Shinji." Shirou thanked his friend who just rolled his eyes.
"Just be sure to tell them they either help out or they can chump out and live on the streets."
"Don't worry. I'm certain they'll be helpful in the coming days." Shirou assured Shinji. "Ozpin might even be able to teach you some of the stuff he taught me."
"I doubt it." Especially since Shinji knew that deep down, and while he would never say it, he was no magus. Just a front he made so Shirou wouldn't look down at him. Thus why he ensured to make it seem like he's large and in charge of this alliance.
"No, really." Shirou insisted. "While I still don't have the hang out it, look at this." Then, to Shinji's surprise, Shirou's body made some kind of weird orange light just a bit above skin and clothes. Shinji stood up in surprise.
"What the hell!" What was that?
"It's called aura." Shirou tells Shinji. "I can't say I understand what kind of magecraft it is, but Ozpin gave it to me and now, I have these strange powers."
"P...Powers?" A certain emotion entered Shinji's eyes. As he gazes at the light Shirou gave off before it vanished.
"Yeah. Apparently he can give it away or something. Maybe he can teach you to." At that, the lips of Shinji's lips tugged forward.
"R-really. Well then," Shinji then turned away for a bit, as a slight chuckle escaped from him. "Then, as this house's heir, I should at least present this home as presentable." Shinji then snapped his fingers. "In fact, Emiya. Why don't you help Sakura in making the food."
"That would be nice." Plus, the Matou home was always full of good food as apparently as Shinji would sometimes mention to him, that his family is loaded. "Though I probably have to get them here first instead."
"Then cook after you arrive. I'll..vacuum or whatever." Shinji then walks toward Shirou, makes him stands, then starts pushing him as they left his room, in the hallway, and all the way to the front door. "You just bring them here and tell them I, Shinji Matou, was kind enough to lend them my home."
"Sure. Why not." Shirou says as he exits the front door.
"Yeah! Be sure to give them how great I am for lending them the Matou home and everything. Got it!"
"Of course Shinji." Shirou begins to walk away. "I'll be certain to tell them all this."
"Great." Shinji smiles as he gets ready to close the door. "I'll have Sakura at least get some food ready, so bring them here. Bye!" The door was then shut, with Shirou continuing to move. Well, at least they had a good place to stay, plus the chances of his house now being under attack greatly decreased.
'Not sure how Rin will think about this though.' Though that'll be a problem for later. As such, Shirou continued to leave past the front gates until he then heard a voice coming from the side.
"And you are?" Turning, Shirou then sees an old man, one who was bald and looked super creepy. Shirou normally didn't like thinking bad things of the elderly, yet this man just screamed wrong. When Shirou didn't answer, the old man spoke up again. "If you are here for illicit business...then I may have to make you suffer for a bit."
Shirou froze, as he felt something wrong was going to happen. Then, it vanished soon enough as the old man spoke again. This time, with familiarity.
"Hold on...Actually, I do recognize you. If I'm correct, you are Shinji and Sakura's friend, correct?" Shirou let out a breath of air he didn't know he had.
"Y-yeah." He stuttered. "I'm their friend." Shirou then takes a step back, getting ready to leave. "I was just on my way to pick up my friends since we'll have a..sleepover here at your-" Shirou then stopped, as he remembered something. How Shinji mentioned he's a magus, yet Sakura isn't. And while he never knew the two lived with their grandpa, having never seen him before but only mention of him back when he was younger, this made him think of something. 'Is he a magus?'
Gulping, Shirou then went to risk it. "Um. Sir...just to be certain, you are Shinji and Sakura's grandfather, correct?"
"I am. I assume that they mentioned me to you before, yet you never saw me, correct?" Shirou nodded. "Then what of it?"
"It's just...out of curiosity…" Shirou then calmed himself and decided just to get straight to the point. "Are you a magus?"
The old man said nothing, as he listened to Shirou's words. Then, he smiled. "My. I don't think I've ever seen such a young man ask such a blatant question like that. Not sure if you're very brave or very foolish."
Shirou couldn't help but think that to.
"And to answer your question...Yes. I am. Just as you are...Emiya Shirou was it? I believe that is the name Sakura called you."
"Yes." Shirou replied. "I am a magus. And I'm...going to be part of something big."
"No need to hide it. You are part of this Holy Grail War, are you not?" Shirou's eyes widened as the old man chuckled. "Don't be nervous, the truth is, I already know of this war. The Matou's having long been part of it. Though our old name was Makiri originally."
Right. Shinji told him that and Rin revealed the other family.
"Regardless, I assume you must be involved with this war somehow." The old man says before then beginning to move. "No matter, it is not my problem. If you are aiding my grandson in any way, then go ahead. Who knows, maybe this will be a war that benefits us if you are staying over. I know my granddaughter will be pleased with that."
"Right." Shirou says. "Oh, but I'm having others staying with me as well. A woman and an old man, so I hope that isn't much of a problem."
The elderly Matou grinned. "No problem at all. Why, make yourselves at home. In fact, tell them Zouken Matou welcomes them."
Then like magic, the elderly known as Zouken vanished before Shirou's eyes. Where Shirou Emiya then wondered if for a moment, he made a mistake in accepting the offer to stay over.
The Ryuudou Temple was back to normal.
Thanks to Caster's powers, while difficult, she managed to rebuild the entire thing to ensure her Master had a home, nobody grew suspicious how it got destroyed, and because she refused to live on the ground. A woman had standards, and sleeping on dirt isn't one of them. As such, nobody was suspicious of the temple, and everybody who lived their like Caster's beloved resumed like normal.
"Hmm-hmmhmmm-mmm." Including one woman who was walking down the temple. A friend of one of the residents there, and was was just leaving. Nobody special at all.
Crunch. Crunch! Crunch!
"?" The woman then heard a noise and turned, where she then saw a bush nearby shaking. Smiling, the woman listened closely and heard the chitter sounds of a rabbit. Walking over, the woman believed maybe she'll see a cute rabbit.
Stepping closer, she then stepped down and off the path. Then, she heard the sound of a splatter. Looking down, the woman then saw she had stepped on...red paint?
Crunch. Crunch. Crunch.
Eyes looked up, and then the shrubbery was moved where at last the woman saw it. A bunny.
"U...Uh!" Or what she thought was a bunny. Only such creatures weren't black, had horns, and were chewing on a dead human body with half its face missing. The woman frozen in fear.
"Scree!" Then attacked as the creature attacked, and the woman was no longer seen after. Her body, and those unfortunate remains never found. All while the critter went and burrowed themselves down deep in the temple's mountains to await another day to strike. To strike with the others that is.
Poor Shinji. He didn't meet up with Rin and got rejected either way. Where he screws himself over in impatience and leaves while taking Shirou with him. Guess it's just those two where Shirou and his group will stay with the Matou's which means bad news for all while they are unaware of it.
That's not even mentioning how Rin will feel when she discovers the Emiya gang has moved in with the Matou's.
On the bright side, Sakura gets to stay with Shirou quelling those dark emotions. Good for her.