Sorry for being so late everyone (especially considering this is the continuation of another chapter), but I decided to prioritize my exams over writing. Then my computer broke, I got busy the moment it was fixed, etc… But I'm back, I've got some chapters ready to post for the following months, and I'm working on the chapters after that, as well! So rest assured, this impromptu hiatus is over, and this fic is back to monthly updates.

Anyways, here, as promised, is the second part of Amakusa in Shimosa! It's more serious than the previous part, but I hope you all enjoy reading this still!


"Master!" Amakusa almost grit his teeth in frustration as he slid down the slope, leaving a trail of dust flying up in his wake. He could hear Kotarou yelling the same somewhere from the bushes to his left, and Musashi yelling her name somewhere to his right. But despite their calls, Chaldea's Master gave no answer.
How was it possible for her to have rolled far enough down not to hear them still? Or perhaps she could hear them, but couldn't answer for some reason. The worst-case scenario was that she'd gotten hurt on her way down, or even got intercepted by one of their enemies.

The one thing they could be certain of was that she was alive, since both Amakusa and Kotarou were still receiving magical energy from her. That was some comfort, at least.

Finally, Kotarou found her, after he and Danzo stumbled upon a cave from which the smell of smoke from a campfire came.
The state the Master was in when they found her, however… Well, to say they were all horrified to find her with a hole in a stomach would be an understatement.

As he looked at his bandaged and unconscious Master, Amakusa had to admit to himself – while he was certain not to show it on his face – that he hadn't felt like murdering someone this badly since that time with the homunculus, in a world so different from this one.
He could only hope that he managed to keep his cool when the time finally came to confront the culprits behind this.


The Missionary. Amakusa had encountered him before together with everyone else, and of course the man's resemblance – both in appearance, personality and now even fighting style – to the Edmond Dantes of Chaldea was immediately noticeable. But now more than ever, Amakusa suspected him to be the actual person, instead of a strangely similar existence belonging to Shimosa like the Kiyohime and Otama from here.
If someone were to ask him why he suspected this, it's because when the Missionary mentioned a 'small connection to a man who looks exactly like him', he'd for a moment glanced right at Amakusa.

But more importantly than the Missionary's identity was that of the Sorcerer behind all this death and terror. And given the glimpse he'd gotten and the mention of a 'fellow Christian', Amakusa suddenly got the feeling like he could make a pretty good guess at that person's identity.


'Awkward' or 'unpleasant' did not even begin to describe the situation Ruler Amakusa Shirou Tokisada found himself in.

Gudako, Musashi and he had rushed up the stairs to catch up to Kotarou and Muramasa after they'd gone ahead to stop the evil mastermind behind all of this, but the moment they'd arrived at the highest floor, it had been as if someone called a time out.
Here he was, standing eye in eye with a man who looked exactly like him, were it not for the red sclera and deranged expression on his face. The Ruler couldn't even claim to be surprised, as he'd suspected as much ever since running into the Missionary again.

It was his counterpart that broke the silence first. Hatred, rage, madness… the 'other' Amakusa expressed all this and more as he said he could never forgive even himself for siding with humanity.

"And more than anything else," the man who had started to resemble an Avenger more than the human being he'd once been continued, "How dare you. Here you stand, fighting to protect this world that's accepted the tragedy and hell of Shimabara. You may be another victim of that hell, but your betrayal in protecting the legacy of the Tokugawa makes you no better than them."

"…"

'This' Amakusa knew that despite their similarities, the 'other' him was reading into it too much: they were both Amakusa Shirou Tokisada, they had both experienced the same hell at Shimada… but that was where any similarities between them ended. He'd died and the 'other' continued on, and perhaps there were even more differences in their pasts. And those differences in experience had made them into different people.

… Well, perhaps there was one more similarity between them: an incredible stubbornness that makes them both cling to their beliefs. If nothing else, Amakusa's certain they're similar in this regard. And that's why he knows, no matter what he says or does, that he won't convince this alternate self to change his ways. Similarly, this alternate Amakusa will never be able to convince him to betray humanity like he has.
As such, the Heroic Spirit Amakusa concludes that all that's left to do is to fight the mastermind behind all the pain and suffering in this Shimosa with all he has.


A town ablaze that can be seen through the smoke in front of him, corpses of women, children, families, his friends strewn about, air so hot it felt like it scorched his throat every time he took a breath. The moment he took in his surroundings, Amakusa recognized the scene that still haunted his nightmares, even as a Servant. To think that he'd experience this scene in the flesh once more…
Amakusa recognized it instantly, his mind wandering to a worse time. He could hear the others despite not seeing them, could hear them try to figure out what was going on… But their voices, those of the 'present' didn't manage to reach through the fog of memories that clouded his mind.

No, the voice that eventually reached him was one he was both intimately familiar with, yet paradoxically had never heard before today.

"Indeed, this is Shimabara!" The Sorcerer announced. Amakusa couldn't tell whether he was reacting to the others' words, or if he knew Amakusa recognized it. No, there could never be any question that Amakusa recognized this scenery playing out in front of his eyes: the two of them had seen this hell for themselves, and the two of them would never be able to forget it.

"… But surely you already knew that, did you not, Amakusa Shirou Tokisada?" The Sorcerer's voice was calmer than any of those present had heard it so far.

"Though we may hail from different worlds, as Amakusa Shirou Tokisada, you must surely have seen a hell like this before. And yet, you still dare to look at the Tokugawa, at humanity, and desire to save them…!? Ridiculous! So tell me, Servant of correct human history: looking at what crimes have been committed here once again, can you truly say you do not wish to take revenge on the culprits…?!"

… Servant Amakusa already knew the answer to that. Indeed, the answer he'd decided on would never change, that was his one certainty. But still, when asked this by his alternate self, he couldn't help but gaze at this scene from his memories before answering.
Were those faint screams he could hear in the distance part of this Reality Marble, or simply his memories overlapping with the present?

"… Of course," he eventually replied, "After all, I've already forgiven them."

"…!"

"No matter how many times I experience this hell, that answer will never change." The silence that followed his declaration was so deafening, even the roar of the blaze all around them seemed to disappear. His companions were silent – perhaps out of respect for him, perhaps they were still looking at this scenery with muted horror – and his alternate self was…

"I see." The man who claimed to be beyond humans despite being one spoke in a tone of voice so cold, it could make one shiver even when surrounded by this scorching, practically poisonous air.

"Then you are a heartless fool, and deserve to die with the rest of the world." Amakusa wondered what the Sorcerer had expected: that he'd change his mind, and join his battle against his companions? Or perhaps he wanted the only person who could truly understand how he felt to validate his views and methods, someone who would sympathize before he truly ended everything.
But the Sorcerer would find neither in the Ruler Servant, and after realizing this, he spoke as if he'd never let this quiet bitterness leak out.

"Hahaha, oh, but how confused must all of your companions be…! Yes, you second-rate heroic spirits and humans, do you realize where you are?! This domain is the very heart of my fury! It does not suffer any living person to survive…!"

… Ah, what did the Sorcerer say after that? Amakusa could only stare out at the fire, blood and corpses in a daze as the words washed over him.
It was not until the sound of a hammer hitting metal that he realized a change in the situation was occurring, and he was snapped out of the fog that had taken hold of his mind.


How many times had it been now, that Gudako looked up to check on his condition?
Amakusa looked fine, and he acted like it, too: after the initial chaos of the castle burning down and the monsters dying off had calmed down, he'd volunteered to help with getting started on cleaning the area up, so people could then start rebuilding. The few times Gudako could look up from her task of treating the wounded, he looked fine.

… Yet, somehow, she couldn't shake the feeling that he was just pretending. That underneath that warm smile of his she liked so much, he was thinking only of the encounter with his alternate self, and what they'd all been shown inside of his reality marble.

Kotarou had agreed with her when she'd expressed her concern to him. But what could they do? Between trying to help the townspeople get back on their feet and their preparations for leaving, they couldn't find a good moment to take him aside and talk it out. To start with, the Ruler would likely refuse to take a break to talk while there was still so much he could help with before leaving.

… In the end, all Gudako could do was swear to herself and Kotarou that she'd have a proper conversation with him once they were back in Chaldea.

And so, amidst heartfelt goodbyes and concerns over the Ruler's mental health, the Master and two Servants left this Shimosa, returning to Chaldea safely.

But, perhaps as expected, the dark cloud that hung over Amakusa was not dismissed with merely returning home.


Amakusa watched as the muscles in his arm tensed and relaxed with the clenching and unclenching of his fist. Even in the safety of his own room, he couldn't bring himself to relax: the image of his alternate self's reality marble was impossible to remove from his thoughts.
The sight had been exactly like his nightmares, yet somehow worse. He didn't know if the others had noticed, but he was certain that inside of that hell he'd heard echoes of screams from voices all too familiar to his ears. If he made an effort, he was sure he could imagine the faces and names to match those voices, even though they'd all died so very, very long ago.
He'd forgiven those who were involved in quelling the Shimabara Rebellion, that was no lie. But that didn't mean the memory didn't continue to haunt him, most prevalently in his sleep.

He clenched his teeth and dug his nails into the palm of his hand, in a futile attempt to distract his mind from the horrors of his memory.
Amakusa couldn't even close his eyes without imagining he was already back there, the smell of fresh blood and burnt flesh hanging in the air, the pain from the wounds he'd been dealt stinging almost as badly as the heat of the flames. He barely managed to retain his calm by focusing on the reconstruction efforts in Shimosa, but now that he was alone, he could no longer ward the dark thoughts off.

… He'd forgiven those responsible.
Yet, he still understood why his alternate self felt so much rage, enough to commit such heinous acts. He understood it frightfully well, what it was that had driven him to such despair.
Had he himself not died when he did, perhaps he too would've…

Amakusa gasped in surprise when he heard knocking on the door to his room, only now realizing he'd been holding his breath.

"Amakusa," A familiar voice spoke from behind the closed door, "can I come in?"

"Of course, Master. The door's unlocked."

With the opening of the door he could see his master's orange hair and comforting smile.
He tried to meet her warm gaze with a smile of his own, but given that a hint of sadness crept into her features moments later, he clearly didn't succeed. Still, she kept smiling, and walked over to him.

Patting the spot besides him on the bed, she asked: "Can I?"

"Of course."

With his consent Gudako sat down, the distance between them perhaps a little smaller than appropriate, but Amakusa found himself unable to care at that moment.
He had to turn his gaze to his hands lying on his lap to avoid looking at her face, lest he overlap that same face with the scenes of his nightmares and…

There was a sad silence between them, as even the ever-cheerful Master of Chaldea couldn't think of the right words to comfort him.
Amakusa appreciated her coming to check on him, but right now Gudako's presence was doing him more harm than good: her precious existence by his side just reminded all the more of what he had lost, and it was all he could do not to imagine the possibility that one day, she could reside amongst them.

He heard her take a breath to say something, but after a moment she let the air out in the form of a small sigh, having apparently changed her mind.
Perhaps Amakusa should ask her to leave? It would be harsh after she came over here to cheer him up, but the guilt would be preferable to what he was feeling at the moment.

But just before he could ask, Gudako finally spoke up: "Just to check, you don't have any issues with physical contact, right?"

Almost on reflex he answered: "No, I don't." But by the time his confused thoughts had gotten him turned to look at Gudako, her arms were already wrapped around his neck, pulling him down into a hug.

Amakusa was stunned, only able to note that the heat of her body was slowly warming him up.

"I'm sorry that I can't think of anything to say to comfort you," Gudako started, her breath tickling his neck as she spoke, "but personally I've always preferred a hug when I need support."

After a moment of hesitation Amakusa wrapped his arms around her back to return the gesture, and then he found himself more clinging onto her than hugging, his face buried in her shoulder.

"Would you mind… staying like this, for a while?"

"I wouldn't have done this if I did: take all the time you need." Amakusa imagined Gudako must have had a gentle if sad smile on her face as she said so.

"… Thank you," he said, and closed his eyes as he relaxed into her embrace.
Amakusa couldn't quite recall the last time he spent time in the arms of a loved one – he was certain that at the very least his mother must have done something similar at one point in his life, though he couldn't remember – so he wasn't sure if this warmth spreading through him was normal when being hugged, or if he felt like this because the other party was Gudako.
Either way he was grateful to her, for with her holding him close like this – she was holding onto him almost as tightly as he was holding onto her – he could no longer feel the phantom pain that had coursed through him earlier.

As he was drifting off Amakusa's erratic thoughts finally settled down, as at that moment all he could think of was listening to his Master's gentle breathing and feeling the steady rise and fall of her chest against his.


Alright, and with that this chapter's finally over! It… ended on a far more pensive note than I originally anticipated, but there was no way seeing the Shimabara hell wouldn't bring back painful memories for Amakusa. Due to the generally darker tone of this chapter, I even cut out some of the more comedic scenes I'd had in mind and expanded on some shorter ones, which clashed too much with the overall seriousness of this chapter. Well, if nothing else this has led to a rather tender ending in my opinion, so I'm glad it's there.

And again, sorry about how long you all needed to wait for this chapter: I hope that it didn't disappoint!