Fate Stay Night Umbra Bello
Well, shit.
Looks like I missed the anniversary, Christmas, and New Years.
All I can say is that I'm sorry for the wait, and let's get back to bus-
"SEASON FOUR! SEASON FOUR!"
"Sensei…" the resident Albino Loli gazed upon her teacher with reverence.
What the hell is going on now…?
Chapter XX: Sibling Strife
Date: 02/06/2004
Time: 5:14 am
Location: Emiya Household
I… am not perfect.
A shocking revelation, I know, but an important distinction in my case.
People often ask- "oh, why'd he do that!? He's so wise, knows so much, there's got to be a reason, right..? Right…?".
Truth is, on some level, I am human. And humans make mistakes.
Even with my natural clairvoyance, there are things I miss, and errors I make. That, and it only shows me so much.
Case in point, my current predicament.
But that is neither here, not there.
Point is, I've made mistakes.
And the biggest one I ever made?
It was a failure on my part in her training.
Something I dismissed as unnecessary in her because… I suppose I wasn't really capable of it. Never saw a need… or felt a desire to indulge in it. Even if I could.
Of course, we've already been over my thoughts on that.
~Getting back on topic, I want to see what you've learned since then.
What was my mistake?
"…
…
A child of man and demons determining what constitutes an "Ideal King" for humans wasn't that outlandish.
Being a part of, yet not one of something gives a… unique perspective.
The mistake was that, though you liked humans, you totally rejected your own humanity.
In an age of the foolish, the cruel, and the prejudiced, you believed accepting that part of yourself would only breed weakness. And to do what needed to be done, you could accommodate no such failing.
For a human, to murder, maim, betray, and destroy came easily enough, just look at any war ever.
What doesn't come so easily, was doing it for the sake of the very same people you were maiming, killing, and destroying. Just ask Archer.
In other words, killing for resources, for god, and plain psychotic rage is primal. It's been in your blood since your ancestors had blood.
Killing "Few to save Many"? Spilling the blood of those you so desperately want to save for their own sakes? That's fairly new.
But, whereas Archer ignored the contradiction until that hell consumed him, and he saw no other way out besides suicide by grandfather paradox, you chose an... alternative method of dealing with it.
The part of you that blanched at the choices you'd have to make, the lives you would ruin in the process, and the consequences if it led you to where you are now?
Just as it rejected what needed to be done, you rejected it.
And, in doing so, you rejected half of your own nature.
The half that altruistically sought this path to begin with.
All that was left, was the half that could not possibly understand its goals on their own merits.
All that was left, continued the plan on its own desires.
Because, it only loved humans. Not humanity.
The best analogy would be something like… like loving someone for something surface level, rather than something deeper.
Love from the former is ephemeral. You'd never truly understand each other.
From the latter?
And from that analogy, we reach your mistake.
Something that only loved humans on the surface level- only loved the idea of humans- was incapable of creating their "ideal ruler" because it did not understand them.
I suppose, once again, Archer put it best. "Sacrificing yourself for the sake of others is hypocrisy, blah blah blah, kill yourself Shirou.", or something along those lines.
Better translated for this situation- "Rejecting your own humanity for humanity's sake defeats the point.".
And from this mistake, the entire tapestry of the idea unravels.
Because the "Ideal King" was raised, and molded by something that rejected humanity, the King rejected their own in turn.
It was to be expected, really. Children often emulate their guardians, and mentors.
But, there's the issue.
You are an entity in twilight between two natures. Remove one, and something shall remain. Gutted, but functional on some level.
But, with an ordinary human…
Take humanity away from a human, and what remains?
A machine?
An animal?
A monster?
You believed that the "Ideal King" had to be apart from humanity, but in reality, the very premise that humans could accept rule by something inhuman was flawed.
If they could, the Age of Gods would have never come to an end. Once again defeating the purpose of this entire endeavor.
Because of this, Arthur's reign was doomed from the start.
Whether by Morded, Morgan, Lancelot or Agravain, the round table was destined to be smashed to rubble long before Uther laid eyes on Igrain.
That was the mistake that doomed you from the start."
I see…
And, having learned from that, do you know the mistake you're making now?
"…"
2 Hours later…
"Master!"
I blinked out of my daydream and ducked under the swing.
"A close one..."
Too close. She's really letting you have it today.
Avoiding my Servant's swing, I used my sword to guide hers further away using her momentum, and, upon her blade being forced to the ground, I used mine to poke at her abdomen.
Okita was still faster though, and swayed to the left, avoiding the attack.
My practice sword still being thrust forward, I could not move in time to block a painful-
THWACK
-to my left shoulder.
"Dah!" I reacted poorly to the hit, and nearly dropped my sword.
By the time I affirmed my grip-
SWOSH
I froze as my Servant's kendo sword nearly took my head off.
"Nice try, but can you name your mistake?" Okita asked in sensei mode as she nonverbally declared the match over.
"I wasn't focused." I guessed as much.
"Right. That much isn't usually an issue for you, what's up?" she asked.
"A bunch of… odd feelings I'd say. My gut's been trying to tell me something… for a while now really, but I've never really… understood what it was trying to tell me. It was all… too vague." I explain to the best of my ability.
My Servant nodded in understanding.
"You should trust your gut Master. Intuition for warriors, especially for Mages, is as important as their most powerful weapons and spells. Pay attention to it, as it may save your life, but don't get distracted by it. Now, judging by your phrasing, I can only assume you've narrowed that feeling down?"
I nodded in turn.
"I'm… not from around here. Hell, I'm from about as far away as a person can get. But I can't help but feel like… it feels like the cousin of deja vu. Like… I'm involved more than I know. But based on all facts, and evidence that can't be right. And that, despite all I know, I'm the one in the dark."
"That feeling, and what Illyasviel said the other day is getting to you?" Okita hit the nail on the head.
"Like I said to her, I ignored the feeling in the past. The signs… those dreams… it felt… disconnected from everything else. Strange, but nothing to speak up about. I'm only a beginner in the world of magecraft, so the dream cycle being off wasn't exactly a lit up neon red flag. But… Illya pointing it out just… sorta clicked. And it's been bugging me ever since."
"Is it really that strange? Not knowing everything?" Assassin asked.
"Well… no. And I guess it shouldn't surprise me that there are some things I'm unaware of in this war. After all, there were two other routes I never saw, and I doubt the writers completely recycled all the same plot points, and characters for each of them. And even assuming those "routes" contained within them all the relevant information for the war… we're not exactly in a timeline like those ones anymore, are we? This timeline… I can't exactly call it "canon based.". While concerning, the gaps in the available data is to be expected at this point. The part that has me worried, is that there's stuff going on that- against all odds and logic, might involve me, when that shouldn't be possible. I guess what I'm saying here is that things have taken some... unexpected turns lately, and the unexpected can be dangerous, especially in war." I explain.
Okita nods in understanding.
"I'll repeat myself again Master. Trust your instincts, but stay focused. Unless there's something you can do about it, it's best to pay attention to your current objective. Speaking of, what's the plan for today?" she changed the subject.
I gave it some thought.
"Well, Shirou's going to be hanging out with his sister after he's done school, and he'll be taking a Servant with him… or else…" I added a hint of venom to my voice towards the end, "The entire left side of my body still feels like it was run over… again, so I figured, at least for today, to cut training short. It's… been kinda non-stop action since the fight at the school, and I'm a bit worn out. …that, and I'm a bit low on ideas at the moment. Aside from more patrolling. I know the answers as to what's going on aren't just gonna come knocking down the front door-"
'Knock!' 'Knock!'
Me and Assassin both jump at the loud sound coming from the entrance.
I give her a nod, and she fades away into presence concealment to prepare an ambush. After last night, we're not taking chances anymore.
I make my way to the entrance, a prepared Gandr in my pocket, ready to fire at a moment's notice.
Moving past the living room, I see Shirou, Sakura, and Saber taking note of something that had appeared to be stabbed into the front door.
"What's going on- oh god damnit..." the three open the door to find a note nailed to the door by an ornamental knife that was dripping green, ethereal goo that was eating through the floor like a dying xenomorph.
"I don't know who they are, I don't know what they want. I just know that if it's a ransom note for Taiga we'll be getting her back within the week after she eats them out of more money than they could possibly get by holding her hostage." he says, surprisingly cynically, "If they make it more than two they'll be breaking the last record."
"... I can't tell if he's serious, and that's very concerning for many reasons." I state to Sakura.
"Oh, this is just a thing that happens when you're the granddaughter of a Yakuza boss." she explained.
"... that makes too much sense…" I realize.
"Let's see what the note says before we jump to conclusions." Saber recommends as she removes the knife, and note from the door.
"... just now realizing the amount of property damage the house has accumulated over the last week…" Shirou sees his door now has a peephole through which he can see the damaged wall that Saber knocked Assassin over.
"Who'd he piss off this time?" I ask Saber.
""Let's take revenge on an unwitting Shirou Emiya." does seem to be the order of the day..." Emiya notes.
"... actually, it's for you." Saber hands the letter to me.
I raise an eyebrow as I take it and read-
Dear Scrub
Get your ass down to the Koshuensaikan Taizan down in Miyama, or else, please. 2:30. Be there, or be square, 'cause shit's about to get REAL up in this bitch!
Sincerely, the Second Owner of your ass.
"... should I even ask why you think Rin's referring to me in this?" I ask Saber.
"My Ma- Shirou" nice save,"-will be meeting with Illyasviel von Einzbern in the park during the remaining daylight hours after school. So he can't be there. The note was in English, and you have a larger repertoire with Rin." she explains.
"If by "repertoire" you mean she's tried to murder me with more direct methods, I suppose that makes sense... so much for taking it easy today… hold on..." I then realize something.
"What's up?" Shirou asks.
"Imma try something… 'ahem', "It's not like the bad guys are gonna start killing each other!" …" I say, dramatically.
"... I know what you're doing, and trust me, it doesn't work like that." Sakura advised me.
"A man can try Sakura… a man can try..." I lament.
ThemeSong- ENGLISH "Brave Shine" Fate/Stay Night: Unlimited Blade Works (Akane Sasu Sora)
Fifteen minutes later…
Shed-Kun…
"First, I'd like to thank you all for attending this briefing." I start.
"Well, you said you wanted to help me with my magic right? Was at least worth it to hear you out." Shirou stated, his Servant standing by his side.
"Now, before we move on to the topic I gathered you here for, do you need any clearing up about what happened last night?"
"Since when could you speak Berserker?" he asks.
"I- (…how did I do that…?)" I ask myself, just as lost as him.
"..."
"..."
"... moving on… you and Illya kept talking about how the Grail was corrupted? What'd you mean by that?"
"I was wondering about that too." Saber added her thoughts.
"Y'see, that's a question I can only… sort of answer. Illyasviel knows far more than I do, so you're better off asking her. I only know because…"
"Batman reasons?" the redhead offers.
"... in lieu of a better short version- Sure, why not?" I sound like I'm admitting defeat... "All I know for sure is that the Grail has been acting erratically since the fourth war. Behaving in ways contrary to the spiel the Mages in charge gave out to attract people into becoming Masters. And I don't know about you, but when an object with power nearing omnipotence starts malfunctioning, I get concerned."
Shirou didn't know what to think about that statement, but he did trust me to a degree. I was essentially his Rin for this route. Meaning I was his primary source for information on how these things worked.
Saber, on the other hand, seemed more conflicted. No doubt her desire to erase her rule clashed with what seemed to be a fair point about how the means she would use to do so seemed to be corrupted. That, and she seemingly didn't trust me. At all.
"Right… so, the reason we're here?" he got to it before me.
"Word through the magical grapevine is you've had some trouble controlling your circuits. I figured I'd take a look at em'. See if there's anything I can do about it. I'm still a novice, but, hey, it's worth a shot, right?" I offer.
"... oh. Oh! Er, yeah, sure! If you can help me with my magic, I'll take it." he seemed surprised by the serious turn, but quickly accepted the help.
"Right. So, stand over here." I gesture to a certain spot. "Okay, now turn around a bit… good. Now, I should warn you that since this is magecraft we're talking about, this will probably be at least slightly painful, so be ready as I reach deep within, and grab hold of your essence."
"... I need an adult." Emiya states, worried.
Define Real
"I AM an adult!"
BZZZZZZZT-BZZZZZZZZT BZZZZZZZT-BZZZZZZT BZZZZZZZZZT-BZZZZZZZT
"...okay, yeah, it's fucked." is the first thing that comes to mind as I look around in here.
"Okay, Shirou, I'm gonna need you to activate your circuits real quick." I notice them start to light up, aaaand-
"... I don't think that's how that works." some… pseudo circuit is being made around his spinal column.
"... why, and how are you making a new circuit?" it looks like this should be giving him nerve damage at the least… however interesting the method to create a circuit may be, it seems rather dangerous to use repeatedly.
Saber raised an eyebrow at this herself. Having trained with Merlin, she was well informed of the proper procedure for the use of magic circuits, and this ain't it chief.
"Well, that's how you're supposed to do it, right?" he asks.
"...no, no it is not. How are you even…" something else radiates energy through him and- oh! Right! Her scabbard! I remember now… that would explain a lot. "-nevermind. Look, I'm gonna try something, okay? I need you to pay attention to how I'm doing it."
"Er… okay? What's going on though?" he wants to know.
"Okay, so, it looks like you've been doing magic wrong for… at least a while. In fact, if you were anyone else, the way you're doing it would probably have killed you by now. Whereas you create a new circuit out of your nerves every time you do magic, most Mages use pre-existing circuits. I'm going to try and activate your natural circuits by running my energy through them. After that, try activating those circuits. It should be easier to activate your real circuits after I've run mana through them, more or less clearing out the cobwebs. After that, you should see a remarkable improvement in power, quality, and… not feeling like you're running a hot rod through your spine every time you use magecraft. You got that?" I ready the short, weak pulse.
"Yeah. That makes sense…" he says more to himself than me.
"Okay then… define real."
Fwooooosh!
BZZZZZZZT-BZZZZZZT
"Whoa!" Emiya reacted with a jolt.
A cursory glance around the place showed it at least appeared better.
"Okay… that seems good on my end, how 'bout you?" I ask as I retract my hand from his back.
"I feel… better? Less… congested if I had to put it medically." he answers.
"That's a good sign. Now, did you see how the mana flowed through?"
"Yeah. I get what you mean. You want me to try and use my magic like that right?" he asks, and I nod in turn as I grab, and toss him a pipe.
He catches it skillfully, and gives the lead plumbing implement a look like he's seeing an old friend again.
He closes his eyes, "Trace… on."
BZZZZZZZT
The object lights up like a christmas tree.
"... oh, I'd always welcome you back..." he… er...
"... you're weird. You're weird about pipes." I notice.
It's like a fetish at this point...
"Thanks. I..."
"You don't have to thank me. You're using these powers to aid our effort in the war, so it's more like I'm helping myself. Just be sure to get some practice in later to try and kick the habit of the old way. Now, if you'll excuse me, I've got to get myself ready for a whole different headache." I mentally prepare myself.
"Rin?"
"Tohsaka, yeah. That, and I gotta find this "Koskan Tarzan" place." I search the note again, and find that any attached address might've been melted off by that acid coating the knife.
" "Koshuensaikan Taizan", It's a Chinese restaurant in the shopping district… it's infamous for sending at least three people a year to the hospital from eating extremely spicy food. It even scared Taiga away for awhile but… well you know how she wouldn't back down from a food challenge." Shirou explained.
That last bit concerned me. If there's food capable of scaring that human tiger, it's probably best to keep a 1 square mile exclusion zone away from it.
… buuuut, being a fervent lover of all things spicy, I was just as curious as I was scared.
-wait a second.
… does this mean Rin just asked you out?
…
… well, my money's on she's calling us there to kill us... so yeah, she's there to 'take me out'.
You know that's not what I meant.
Ignoring you now.
"... actually, this sounds about right for Rin." I can see this version of Rin taking to spicy food.
"Anyway, I gotta take Sakura to school now. Who knows what dastardly things are walking the streets now…?" Shirou turns to leave.
It's at this point I get an idea.
"You're taking either Saber, or Assassin with you." a statement, not a fact.
"... nnnoooo?" that inflection though.
"This isn't up for debate. I'm not taking any more chances with your life. From now on, you're going to start acting like a Master in this war, whether you like it or not. Either take Saber, or I'll be sending Assassin to watch your back. And I'm warning you now, if you're feeling reckless enough to pull another stunt like yesterday, you can consider this alliance null and void." I stand my ground on this issue.
Shirou was taken aback by the confrontation.
There was a brief, but noticeable battle of will between us.
"... fine. But you'll be taking Saber with you." Emiya demanded, an... uncharacteristically smug smirk on his face.
"That… works out... kinda perfectly?" I think it through.
Souji has presence concealment… so he won't have to worry about people noticing a stranger following Emiya around all day, and she'll follow my orders to keep him alive to the letter. His orders be damned. That, and I'll know when somethings off because either Okita will contact me, or I'll be unable to check in with her.
Me and Saber exchange looks. She seemed to be putting on a visage that promised general discontent with the arrangement.
… yeah, there still seems to be some one-sided animosity here.
"... If it means he won't be rushing off to get himself killed, I'm willing to put this… whatever this is between us, aside for a bit. What say you Saber?" I ask the King of Knights.
"... fine." she sounded like that was rather painful to say.
11:20 am…
Homurahara Academy…
POV Shift- Shirou
If he had to tell the truth, Emiya would say he didn't mind the presence of the Assassin Servant all that much.
'Souji', on the two occasions she was ordered to guard him, had mostly remained in her, as Shirou came to call it, 'stealth mode'. It was easier than having to explain the 'strange blonde foreign girl' who seemed to be following him wherever he went.
What he did mind was the obvious animosity Saber had for his fellow Master.
Which is why he pulled the reverse psychology card back there to get them to have to stand in each other's presence. Hoping getting them to work together for something might thaw the ice.
Y'know. Saturday morning cartoon shit?
Knowing those two, neither would make this push on their own.
Orso was too willing to let personal issues go for the sake of acting more… professional, for lack of a better term.
Saber was too prideful to admit she was making a mistake. Assuming she even saw this aggression as a mistake. Probably a side effect of being a knight.
Actually, thinking about it, their clashing personalities made sense.
Saber was a warrior through and through. Individualistic and proud.
Orso acted more like a soldier. Objective focused, and without ego.
With this in mind, and Murphy's Law as a factor, he assumed they'd end up in some scrape or another that would force them to work together.
That's why, earlier today, Shirou had found himself wearing an optimistic smile.
That changed when he got to school.
The somber atmosphere hit like Berserker on crack. Hard enough to make Emiya feel guilty for arriving in such a good mood.
Say what you will about Ryuudou Issei, but he knew how to make things feel… almost normal in such an abnormal school.
Now that word's finally gotten around about what happened, the students and faculty have found themselves handling the aftermath of the sudden death of the arguably most dedicated President any student council had ever seen.
The only one not knocked into a darkened mood was his apparent rival in this war.
Rin Tohsaka.
That's not to say she was unaffected. In fact, Emiya noticed she seemed more… unsettled.
Then again, that might be because he's more aware of the mask she wears. If he didn't know she was a Master, he might not have noticed the change.
The most hard hit by the loss was Ayako. After finally getting back to school after an 'illness', she was determined to get back to the dojo… that was still undergoing repairs.
Shirou didn't notice it much before, but thinking back in it, Issei and Ayako did seem to get along quite a bit. They were most likely closer friends than he thought.
If there was a single bright side to any of this, it was that Mr. Kazuki's 'disappearance/murder' had released a great pressure his presence had placed over the school. Since he technically didn't have a class, his departure didn't disrupt much. In a way, his was the sadder of the two, as he didn't have too many people to miss him.
About to head off to lunch, Shirou planned on sitting with Sakura when-
Whoosh
BAM
"Stay back." he was warned by a disembodied voice that had slammed him against a locker.
"H-Huh!? What's going on!?" the redhead asked of the hidden Servant.
"Mana flare up. Eight o'clock. Avoid it." the voice warned.
"What!? We gotta-!" Emiya moved to find out what was going on-
SLAM
"Don't." Souji forcefully warned him against this action by holding him against the locker.
"But someone's gonna get hurt if-!"
"(And it's gonna be you if you run in there without a plan! If you want to run in and get yourself killed, fine, but don't do it on my watch when it could get my Master killed too!)" she scolded him in a whisper/yell.
Shirou grimaced. Beginning to run into the one snag in his earlier plan.
He'd like to think Saber would ask questions first, and kill Orso later, but he'd be lying to himself if he thought she'd hesitate to do away with someone she clearly has a problem with.
Shirou thought of a way to deal with this.
If he walks away, someone else could get hurt.
If he charges in directly, it might end up being a trap. Bad for Shirou, and Orso.
"Look, if we don't deal with this, it could cause trouble here, and I don't think your Master would appreciate us just leaving this be, right?" Shirou tried to reason with the Assassin.
"..." she was silent for a moment, and Emiya had begun to wonder what was happening when-
"My explicit orders are to keep you alive." she told him, "But my Master has also told me to investigate, but not engage the enemy."
Shirou reasoned that she must've used that link she had with her Master to speak with him.
"Okay, so what do we do?" Shirou figured that she must have a plan if she could reject his.
"... act casual. Spring the trap. I'll back you up." she seemed hesitant to use this play. "... it worked out last time…"
Shirou had no issue essentially serving as bait if it meant removing something dangerous from the school.
At this point Souji let him go, and Emiya reorientated himself.
Steeling himself for trouble, he walked by his usual route.
Shirou took a breath, readying his circuits.
Running Mana through them like Orso had shown him, he was still surprised by how much easier it was on him. In fact, if before his circuits were as solid as that rolled up newspaper he used on Lancer, the manner in which he used them now were more like a lead pipe.
Nearly there, he turned a corner to find-
...
"Okay, this has got to stop!" Emiya complained.
"... oh? If it isn't Shirou Emiya. Now what exactly brings you here?" Rin Tohsaka asked as though she was accusing him of something after stepping back from a glowing circle that screamed magic.
"Okay, A- We're in the middle of school, what do you think I'm doing here? B- We're in the middle of school Rin! What do you think you're doing!?" he accused right back.
"... Oh… nothing… I just... dropped something?" Rin lied, poorly, as she sidestepped to hide the glowing magic circle.
"Is it a trap? Because that looks like a trap."
"Whaaaaaaat~? Noooo~! This is… just… Swamp lights?" she lied... again.
It was at this point Shirou noticed something was… off about Rin.
"... okay, this is going to sound weird from someone you're obviously trying to murder… but are you feeling okay?" he asked, worried. "Because you're better at lying than that."
"..." Rin failed to come up with a proper response to that, beyond being confused at his concern. Instead, she simply sighed out of frustration, and ordered- "... fuck it. Archer."
"YES! Fucking Finally!"
"Wha-!" Shirou could only flinch as something came hurdling towards him at the speed of a bullet-
CLANG
And was only saved by an invisible blade deflecting what now appeared to be a sword.
Everything after that was a blur. All Emiya knew was that in a span of three seconds, both he, and Tohsaka had blades at their throats.
"And- are you kidding me!?" a Servant wearing a red mantle complained upon realizing the predicament they were all in.
In that blur just a moment ago, it would seem both Archer, and Assassin had decided to take hostages. In this case, each other's Masters.
There was a short pause as everyone involved took stock of the situation they'd put themselves in.
"... okay, let's all just take a moment to cool off-" Shirou spoke up, and recommended before-
"Call off your Servant, and you may just make it out of this alive." Assassin delivered her ultimatum.
"Assassin…" Shirou nearly growled at her to let him do the talking.
"Come on, you'd have me believe Dorkenstein over there would let you-" Rin, wearing her best poker face, nearly rebuked the Servants' demands.
"Pretty sure she'll do it Rin." Archer warned her. Aware of both, her identity, and killing intent.
"Yeah... she's not working for me?" Shirou added. "I can't exactly tell her what to do…"
"... oh." Rin acted as though this had caught her off guard.
"... look, I can tell you're having an off day for some reason, so… maybe we put this off? You can try and kill me later?" Shirou, again, tried to relieve the tension.
There seemed to be a tense telepathic exchange between Archer, and Rin. What it was about, and who was arguing for what seemed to be anyone's guess.
"-not caring for your tone right now Archer."
"Rin, please let me have this one thing."
"Didn't you just say that if you do, Assassin will kill me?"
"... there's a chance she won't."
"Why is killing Shirou so important to you? I mean… he's a terrible Master, a dorkaramous, and a suicidal idiot, but what does that have to do with you?"
"..."
"... Archer?"
"... well you're not wrong… but… we don't have to be rude about it."
"... this is weird. You're being weird about Shirou."
Shirou blinked owlishly at the intense exchange the Master and Servant seemed to be having. He felt tempted to speak up about it if Archer didn't have a sword to his neck.
But just as it seemed like the confrontation could carry on for a while, the group heard footsteps approaching.
The two Servants vanished into their spirit forms, but Emiya could still feel Archer's animosity towards him. At least until Sakura came around the corner.
"... oh, it's you Shirou, … Tohsaka." Sakura's uttering of that last name dampened the atmosphere.
"... Sakura." Rin acknowledged the other girl somewhat dismissively.
"W-What's up Sakura?" Shirou played it cool.
"You were getting late for lunch, so I thought you might've gotten stuck with doing someone else's work… again, so I was going to find, and eat with you wherever you were, but I guess you found someone else." the kohai sounded disappointed.
"Eat with-?" Tohsaka got a bit flustered before coming to a realization about Sakura's tone, and what actually seemed to be happening here. "N-No, actually, I was just leaving."
Rin directed that last part towards him through gritted teeth.
"... yeah. I guess it would… probably be for the bestif she could just go?" Emiya phrased it carefully towards a certain spiritual presence.
Whether the message got across to Assassin, and Archer was a gamble.
"... not that I disagree, but that's… certainly a way to phrase it?" Sakura noticed the odd inflections both were using.
"... so, I'm just gonna go now… by?" Rin turned to leave with an awkwardness one would think she wasn't capable of.
"And maybe take care of those "swamp lights"?" Shirou asked.
"Swamp lights?" Sakura sounded lost.
"Christmas lights. He's… talking about Christmas lights. And I will... definitely be taking them down, as soon as we have a talk." Rin got marginally better at lying.
"Christmas lights..? In February?" Sakura didn't sound like she was buying it.
"Yeah. I got… a lot on my plate. Just getting around to it. Got a problem with tha-!? I~ mean-" Rin nearly tripped over her words, not liking the aggressive tone she defaulted on, and took with Sakura, "... bye?"
After that, Rin made an uncharacteristically hasty retreat.
"... is it just me, or did Rin seem… off to you?" Shirou asked the girl now standing next to him.
"... no~?" Sakura responded nonchalantly.
"Hm… so, lunch?" Shirou lead the way.
2:24 pm…
Miyama Shopping District…
POV Shift- Orso
The walk to the Chinese restaurant was an… awkward one to say the least. Saber wasn't exactly the best conversation partner. With the light snow serving as an ideal backdrop to emphasize this icy… thing between us right now.
"This appears to be the place Shirou described." I inform the Servant beside me.
The Koshuensaikan Taizan. The place seemed small, but seemed to carry an air about it that made it stand out from its neighboring competitors. Probably explaining why they were able to stay in business in a location that kept it at least slightly out of view.
"I'm getting the feeling this establishment is challenging me." Saber spoke on the pressure the place put out.
"... yeah, I'm feeling it too. Let's go, we're just about on time." I lead the way to the door before I'm reminded of something. "Oh yeah! I nearly forgot, but if Rin seems to think I'm helping her… get with you… it's probably best just to go with it?"
Saber raised an eyebrow at the exclamation, and seemed to be about to question what I meant when she saw something in the restaurant that caught her attention.
"I don't think that's going to be a problem." she said, sounding more agitated with what held her gaze than with me.
I followed her gaze to find-
"((Sounds of ungodly poor table manners))"
A person that found a way to sour my mood to Saber's level.
Not seeing the person that actually invited me, I got the feeling this just got a lot more serious, and began walking over to the man.
A shorter man, likely the owner, handed me and Saber a menu as we arrived at his booth.
The man did not look up from his bowl of… what I can only assume from the smell to be the end result of Satan spending too long in quarantine, and picking up a hobby.
… how I reached that conclusion, given I have no knowledge of any form of quarantine is beyond me but-
"... we should go while we have the chance." Saber recommended strongly to me.
The man stopped his voracious attack on the bowl only once it was empty, and joined its six companions to the side, only to replace that bowl with another, filled with contents that seemed to burn my nasal cavity.
It was only when he picked up his utensil once again that the monster in man's clothing noticed his audience.
"... want some?" Kotomine asked, sounding… oddly content.
"... I think I'll pass. I take it you're the one that called this meeting?" I ask as I take a seat.
The priest seemed disappointed at me for turning down the meal, but changed his tune to a more business-like one.
"I was. And I suspect you're already aware of its purpose." he states as he takes another bite.
"Vaguely. I can only assume there's been a development in the Ryuudou situation on your end? My investigation has only opened more questions than answers." I respond while crossing my arms.
"Finding the questions one needs to ask is as important a step as any in uncovering the truth. On that matter, I wonder if you've been asking yourself any... pertinent questions lately."
"You're gonna have to be more specific."
"I was curious if you've put some thought into our last conversation at my chapel."
"... last conversation…?"
"-perhaps history repeats itself more often than one would think?"
He wasn't talking to me when he said that.
"... The implication here being..?" now I'm a bit lost.
"Robert Orso." The priest turns his attention to me once again. Seeming amused. "The Holy Grail does not make Masters of those without a strong desire for it. Whether you know what that desire is… whether you acknowledge what that desire is? It doesn't matter. Your wish, buried within you, will undoubtedly arise. Yorokobe. For the truth of Robert Orso shall be revealed along with his desire."
"... right. I'll have to disappoint you, but my thoughts on the matter are still the same. There's nothing I'd want to use the Grail for."
"Forgive me, but I find that hard to believe. If you truly had no desire, the Grail would have rejected you as a Master." Kotomine sounded amused at my objection.
"I don't care if you believe me or not, now, unless you've got something actually important to say-" I get up to leave when Kirei states-
"Lancer is dead."
Me and Saber exchanged looks of surprise at the sudden shift in topic.
"... ah." I sat back down. "Any idea who 'don it?"
"Caster. Or, rather, whoever had taken her body." he continued.
"Could you elaborate on that?" I asked.
"No. Lancer was killed before uncovering any names. I only saw this Caster saying she took the old one's appearance as a guise, and that she was responsible for many of the disappearances lately."
"Wait. That implies that you were-" Saber speaks up.
"Lancer's Master." I finished the King of Knights sentence.
"You knew then?" Kirei sounded genuinely surprised.
"I had my suspicions. This explains why Lancer's Master has been oddly quiet compared to the others. What's the phrase? "Hide in plain sight?". And you just said so yourself, the Grail would not have picked you in the 4th war if you had no desire for it. And given that the Church only started serving as Overseer's in the third war, there's no rule ingrained in the Grail itself stopping you from summoning your own Servant. The whole idea of an Overseer, or really referee in this case, requires someone to be objective, and uninvolved. Something you are clearly not." I explained away my suspicion of him.
"You see, that is where you are wrong Orso. Much like you, I have no wish of my own. In this one manner, I suspect we are alike." the devil in priest garbs explained.
"... excuse me?" I sound just about done with his shit.
Kotomine chuckles before beginning a story.
"As a Master in the fourth war, I did not covet the Grail. I merely fought because it was my duty as a son of the Overseer, an agent of the Church, and an apprentice to a Magus. My father, teacher, and myself allied to keep the Grail out of the hands of those that sought to use it for something it was not "destined" for. And because I had no wish of my own, no personal stake in the conflict, I was destined to lose the war from the beginning."
"Do you have a point to make, or can we get back to something actually important?" I ask, getting impatient. The priest just sighed at the interruption.
"Pardon me. Telling long winded stories is a large part of my job, and a long ingrained instinct. What I'm getting at here is that, if you want to succeed in the Holy Grail War, I would recommend you review for yourself what drives you." the sadist recommended.
I consider his words for longer than I'd like to admit.
I'd like to dismiss his words. After all, he doesn't know that I know the true stakes here.
…
Why are you fighting?
I said it once, and I'll say it again. If I don't, it's game over.
I don't want to die.
Fight or Flight is an instinct ingrained in everything deserving of the title 'Alive'.
I thought it would be enough for me. And it really is, for a start at least.
But I get what Kirei was saying.
All the others have something. A drive to fight the good… or bad, fight. For them, this is more than just a simple battle for survival.
Shirou's fighting to save innocent people.
Shinji sought to prove he was worthy of his name.
Medea had found happiness, and wanted to keep it.
Illya's out for vengeance.
Rin… well, I don't know about this one, but the one I watched believed it was her responsibility to take the Grail for her family's sake.
Me? I'm in this to see tomorrow.
I… I let myself believe for a while now that there may be a way to get home. If I just make it through this.
But, I can't help but face reality now.
I'm probably not going home.
This isn't my Odyssey.
Some interdimensional misadventure where I get to walk away, walk up to my home's door, and find everything the way it used to be.
I can't save my world.
Even if the Grail wasn't useless to me, I don't even know what I'd be saving the world from.
In other words, everyone else in this war has something bigger than themselves to fight for.
Can I say the same?
I want to make my world safe. A better place.
But, this war isn't a means to achieve that.
My only reason to fight is to survive. Which, ironically, may mitigate my chances of doing so.
"Perhaps you're right. I don't really have a reason of my own to be here." I admit to the priest. "But it doesn't mean I'm going to let that stop me. I need to win this war. And so I will." I emphasize with a clenched fist. "So, unless you've got anything else important to say-"
"Why yes actually." The Priest seemed pleased with my resolve to 'win the war', "The war is off."
I was surprised at this myself for a moment before smirking at his expense.
"What? Not feeling nice and comfy without your attack dog controlling the war for you?" Without Lancer at his side (assuming Kotomine is even telling the truth here), Kirei is losing control of the war. Fast.
The loyalty of Gilgamesh to Kirei, as far as I understand it, is dubious at best. So a difficulty level up via his taking Lancers place is… unlikely.
In truth, I have no idea what to expect from the King of Heroes. His decision making process appears to be rather arbitrary.
And that's just the normal version!
All I know is, whatever Gilgamesh chooses to do, it's going to be a major pain in my ass.
"A crude, but not at all inaccurate description of Lancer's role… indeed, Lancer served as a means to… control this conflict. Which is why you should be worried less about how I used him, and more with the end results of that loss of control. Now I have to resort to the traditional methods of controlling the war. In this case, stopping the war until Caster and her new Master are dealt with." Kotomine explained before going at another bowl of… whatever that is, that a small chinese man just delivered to the table.
"You ready to order?" the man asked, looking at me.
Being so caught up in the conversation, I had nearly forgotten we were sitting in a restaurant.
"They'll both be having Mapo." Kirei ordered without our input, a mischievous expression on his face.
"I'm really not-"
"Trust me, it's to die for." the sadist seemed desperate to pull something on us.
For once, even Saber didn't seem all too interested in trying what was before us. Merely giving me a look asking for an out.
Sorry Saber. If the priest is making me suffer through this, you're going down with me.
Meanwhile…
Miyama Park…
POV Shift- Shirou
The atmosphere of the park had changed greatly since Emiya had last been here.
This, largely, being due to the fact that the siblings now had an… entourage.
Of course, Illya had paid no mind to the expressionless maid that followed the two in their walk.
"-and since the water was so polluted you could light a match, and catch the lake on fire, she walked down to Berlin and kicked him in the crotch so hard one of his balls broke. Anyway, that's how my great-grandma inspired that song, and helped win World War Two." Illya finished her story while swinging on the remaining park equipment.
"Great. Grammy. Ingrid ain't. nothing to. fuck with. hun..." the bodyguard, Leysritt, added.
"... right." Shirou, once again, did not believe a word of the story, but found it... fascinating nonetheless.
"The Einzberns don't get out much, but when we do, things tend to get a little cray~cray. Hehe…" The white haired girl giggled.
"Given the five times they've come to Fuyuki, I'd believe that." Shirou smiled with mirth, but his features shifted when he noticed a dampened atmosphere Illya was exuding.
"..." her smile, once content, and in the moment, had shifted slightly into one of melancholy.
"I-I didn't mean to bring this u-"
"No. It's fine. I believe it's time we got to talking about… this." Illya became serious.
"You sure? I'd be fine pretending things were normal for just a while longer." Shirou offered.
Illya considered it briefly.
"I'm sure. Normality is a wonderful fantasy, for a time, but all dreams have to come to an end some day." the girl said sadly.
"... I don't believe that. If it's what you want, and what makes you happy, you shouldn't let dreams go so easily." Emiya gave his sister some advice.
Illya was surprised at the objection her brother raised. Her features shifted briefly into one of deep thought, but returned to her sad expression.
"That might sound easy and all, but that's just not how the world works. Sometimes dreams have to die so that what we care about in the real world doesn't." Illya responded with a rather… depressing world view.
Shirou heard her words, and in a way could understand them. But he was sure he could never accept them. At least or for his own dream.
Saving people is his dream, so the point Illya raised was rather counterintuitive to itself. In his case at least.
But… maybe she spoke more on her own experience.
"What was it you dreamed of Illya?" he asked her.
"..." she was caught off guard by the question. She stopped swinging, and took a moment to consider her answer.
"I dreamed Father would come for me."
Shirou couldn't find a response to that.
"I dreamed it was all a lie. That one day, the gates would be blown down, and he'd come and take his little princess away from the cold castle." she opened her right hand.
"I dreamed that Mother would be with him. Alive, and happy to see me again. That we'd all leave, and go somewhere… somewhere away from the snow." she crushed a snowflake that landed in her palm.
Then, she turned to him, clearly upset.
"But she was dead. And Kiritsugu left me in that place for ten years." her voice trembled with venom.
"He left me in a place where I was the daughter of a failure, and a traitor. A place that threw failures to the wolves." her anger was now as cold as the castle she was abandoned in.
"And, like he wanted to rub salt in the wound, he left me, for yo-"
Before she could finish the sentence, Shirou enwrapped her in as tight a hug as he could.
"I'm sorry." not feeling able to express his feelings entirely through words, he got physical.
"S-Shirou?"
CLANG
CLANG
The maid instinctively struck out against him with a polearm she pulled out from god knows where, but was blocked by a Servant's blade.
"I don't know why he left you. I don't know why he didn't get to you. Kiritsugu… when he died, he did it with a lot of regrets. But… I can tell not saving you was one of his biggest. And… now it's one of mine." he told his sister.
"I can't get that time back. I can't undo what was done to you. But… I don't think it has to stay that way." he let go to see her response.
Illya was, to put it mildly, shocked at the close contact, and his response.
"I don't know if I deserve it… or if it can even work out, but I at least want to try to be your brother."
"Shirou…" Illya didn't know how to respond. "You… What you're asking..."
"I know it's a lot. After what's happened. All I'm asking for is a chance." he offered that up.
"..." Illya didn't look like a Master of the Grail War at that moment. She looked like a sad, lonely little girl. "...I… I'm still angry. I… don't know if I can let go of that."
"... that's okay. Because I'm never going to let you go either." he said with an optimistic smile.
Illya blushed at his words, and that damned smile.
There was a silent moment that hung on for far too long.
Illya was torn.
She wanted to accept him. She wanted… she wanted something warm to be a part of her life again.
But… that would mean letting go of what kept her warm for so long.
Her anger, and hatred of that man… Kiritsugu… it's what drove her for all this time.
By accepting Shirou… she'd be letting go of what kept her strong.
…
"I guess… I wouldn't be a responsible older sister if I didn't extend the olive branch."
Before Shirou could react, the little girl glomped him.
"But if you make me regret it, I'll have Berserker rip off your limbs, and tear out your intestines so I can ride you like some kind of meat toboggan." she warned him dangerously.
"Sure thing, "Tiny Murder Machine."." Shirou chuckled.
The two siblings enjoyed each other's presence for a while.
Noticing the two would no longer come to blows, the maid retracted her halberd as the Servant stood down.
"... wait, "older."?!" Shirou finally caught on to that last bit.
"Not important." Illya said, content.
"Speaking of important," The Assassin Servant interrupted, "really sorry to interrupt this touching moment and all, but my Master was promised an explanation about the Satan Grail thing."
"...right. An Einzbern pays her debts." the girl let go of her brother.
She moved to take a seat on a nearby bench, and gestured for her brother to sit next to her.
After doing so, she began.
"Tell me. Have you ever heard the tale... of Angra Mainyu?"
POV Shift- Orso
"..." I gazed upon the scene before me. My expression uncharacteristically calm for the situation. For what we did. "... we did the right thing?"
A question, as I wasn't entirely certain myself.
"Indeed." Saber responded to my left. "Such evil… it could not be permitted in this world. As a king, it was my duty to destroy it."
"But at what cost!?" I asked her. "Though obscene, and dangerous, it brought joy to… some. And worse, we ruined a man's- no, a family's livelihood!"
"By what's in your power, he can rebuild. And they can do it creating something better in this world. Regardless, this place… we both concurred it brought more suffering than joy." the ideal king reasoned.
"Was it truly right for us to decide that for others?" I asked the king, "After all, these people… they chose this suffering for themselves."
"Is it ever right to allow people to wallow in pain? Even if it's by their choice?" she countered. "As King, I must do what is in the people's best interest, even if it's against their will."
"Perhaps that is why my people rejected Kings. Denying people's choice, even if it's in their best interest… for me, this decision wasn't so clear. And I doubt I'll ever be satisfied with an answer." I theorize as I feel the warmth of the fire on my face.
"We, as humans, all have to face decisions in our lives." the blonde placed a comforting hand on my shoulder, "And not all those decisions have a single correct answer. In the end, we just have to hope we can live with the consequences."
"... I think I can live with… this." I affirmed for myself, gesturing to the burning restaurant, that got closer to killing me than any Servant, before us.
"As can I. Perhaps we're not so different after all." Saber smiled at the prospect.
I returned a smile at this mutual understanding we've reached.
"... but seriously, we should get out of here. We just committed a first degree felony." I recommend. "... and the priest will sanction us if he figures out what we did."
When you began your journey… did you ever think you'd become this?
"... I paid for repairs, and no one got hurt?"
You're already starting to abuse your power.
Today, it's arson. Tomorrow?
"... I already said I'd do what I need to to survive, right?"
The fuck does this have to do with survival!?
"I agree." Saber… agreed. "However, I think it best if we don't head home immediately. Shirou won't be back yet, and we ought to come up with an alibi."
"That's… uncharacteristically criminal of you… but you got a point. Come on, I know a place." I lead the way with a smile. The burning Koshuensaikan Taizan to our backs.
Two hours later…
Kotomine was finally getting back to his favorite restaurant after cleaning up another killing.
He was nearly chuckling. Reminding himself of the suffering he brought upon the Master and his borrowed Servant.
Knowing Saber's identity, seeing the great King Arthur cowed was… particularly satisfying, though he'd never inform King Gilgamesh of that particular develop-… -ment.
"..." it took a moment for Kirei to process the scene before him. The smoke rising from the charred remains of Koshuensaikan Taizan. His one joy, besides causing suffering.
There could only be one reaction.
After a full minute of numbing rage, the priest fell to his knees. What's occurred finally processed.
"...rrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrRRRRRRRRRRRRRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!-"
Meanwhile...
Miyama docks.
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!-"
"... do you hear that Archer?" Rin asked her Servant, a pleased grin on her face.
"How could I not?" he rhetorically asked, "but what the hell is it!?"
"...karma. Beautiful, beautiful karma." she soaked it in.
Meanwhile...
London Clocktower.
"Okay, I think that's the last of the student transcripts… Now I've only got… eight hundred more tests to grade before tomorrow…" Waver sighed.
When he took the position as Lord El-Melloi II, he was expecting paperwork… but not this nightmare.
"Look on the bright side! You're organizational skills, and expediency are being noticed around here." his assistant, Gey, assured him.
He allowed a smile to grow-
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!-"
"... should I bother asking what that is?" Grey asked him.
"...paperwork. Lots, and lots of paperwork…" he sighed.
Meanwhile...
Underworld
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!-"
"-eh!?" a certain blonde goddess looked up from her latest failed gardening attempt.
In a bad mood, she grabbed the nearest tool and banged it against the ceiling.
KNOCK
KNOCK
KNOCK
"Keep it down up there! Fricking Mortals… 'gasp'! Language Eresh!" she scolded herself.
It's my underworld! I can use whatever heckin' words I want! she… talked back to herself.
"You… go to your dungeon young lady!" she continued.
"Young Lady!"? I'm many millennia old.
"Well you're living in my head, so it's my rules!"
Fine!
Other Eresh retreated deeper into her mind and slammed a door to her… room?
This left Eresh to stew in her thoughts.
"..." she sat down before she comforted herself. "Ten years. Just ten more years, and I will have someone to talk to besides myself… ten years that seem longer than eternity..."
Meanwhile…
Moon Cell…
"aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!"
"..?" Hakuno looked to his Servant that started looking around frantically.
"Caster?" Rin Tohsaka observed this behavior.
"What the hell-? Oh gods, it's my ex! YOU ALREADY TOOK THE KIDS WHAT MORE DO YOU WANT!" Tammamo yelled at the ceiling.
ENGLISH "This Illusion" Fate/Stay Night (Akane Sasu Sora)
DUN DUN
DUN DUN
TAIGA DOJO
"SEASON FOUR! SEASON FOUR! SEASON FOUR! SEASON FOUR!" Taiga exclaimed.
"Teacher… we did it! I always believed in you!" the girl cheered her on.
Yeah… yeah, it's terrific. But could you calm down!? You haven't stopped since it aired… While impressive, it can't be healthy.
"But one can't simply stop the rock!" Taiga-sensei responded with a reference.
Yeah, this is set to go on for- oh.
"What's wrong?" student #1 asked.
Er… we have an announcement from management.
"Eh?" Taiga stopped partying for a second.
It appears that… in the interest of saving the animators time and money… there will be no Taiga Dojo in Fate Grand Carnival.
…
Taiga?
it took a moment for Taiga to process the news.
There was only ever going to be one reaction.
She fell to her knees.
"...rrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrRRRRRRRRRRRRRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!-"
