When she was a king, Saber preferred nights that dreams would not come to her. Unfortunately, the moment she closed her eyes in the King's chambers, she would be visited by Merlin to continue her duties in her sleep, or more commonly, be visited by her nightmares.
She expected the latter to come to her tonight. Will it be the Mordred, Lancelot, or Guinevere this time? She could vaguely feel her eyelids weighing down and her body growing slack, when finally the exhaustion from their day-long ordeal had hit her. She barely registered the shoulder that she had leaned upon, and the scent of the chivalrous rival she'd been reunited with before sleep finally claimed her, her last thought happy, for after ten years she'd finally reconciled with the Irish knight.
Maybe for once, she would be allowed a dream.
An azure sky was what first greeted her, a great blue dome as far as her eyes could see, painted with soft white clouds that did nothing but add to the clear heavens' beauty. When she spun, there was nothing but endless sky in every direction, the white clouds floating slowly across, creating various shapes as they went.
A light breeze tossed her golden hair around as she breathed in the sweet air, looking directly upward. The yellow star was absent from her sight, even if she could feel its warmth on her naked white skin. As she breathed out, she turned her vision downward, where stood an exact copy of herself where her feet touched the surface of reflective water, staring back up at her and copying her movements.
She bent down, and so did the figure. She reached out and touched the water, joining her palm with her mirror's. The water rippled at the contact, distorting the image, and it soon disappeared into the depths of the still lake she had been standing on. The ripples continued across the surface, troubling the calm water, until they too had soon disappeared into the far off horizon.
She turned around, hearing the trickling of water behind her.
What appeared suspended in front of her was a familiar headdress, one that had been worn by her father before her and by his father before him. The radiant item spun around slowly, it's jewels refracting the ever present daylight.
She reached out to the only item in the strange realm he was in, her fingers almost grazing the familiar metal.
"Saber."
The familiar voice jarred her out of her thoughts and she whirled around, coming to face the bare body of the worse of her Masters.
Excalibur was at his throat before he could say anything more.
In her peripheral vision, the blue sky above fractured like glass, a web-like pattern spreading out from directly above her. She could hear each sickening crack, sharp and screeching to her ears, until finally she watched the sky fall.
The shards of blue struck the water like boulders, breaking it brutally under their weight. The once quiet lake answered in thrashing, foaming white wherever the boulders hit, tossing and turning like a man at the whipping post. As the heavens crashed down, tendrils of black seeped through the spaces the blue sky left, swallowing the heavens into its nothingness.
But Saber did not flinch...and neither did Kiritsugu.
"What do you want?" she hissed, as the thundering cries of her dying world echoed all around.
The lake tipped sideways under her bare feet, throwing her off balance. Her instincts tried to drive Excalibur into the watery floor, but it did not hold, and to her horror, her beloved sword sank into the depths, leaving her slipping across the surface of the lake.
Arturia yelped as the lake dislodged itself from the crumbling sky and began to fall like a plate of water, aqua splashing off the edges into an endless black abyss.
Kiritsugu's sinful hands had grabbed onto her wrist, holding her steady as the dreamscape fell, far down the dark space.
"Calm your mind. This is just a dream, King of Knights."
Green eyes watched the crumbling remains of the sky disappear. Just like that, she could no longer feel the pull of gravity.
"Un-unhand me!" She tried to wrench her wrist out of his strong grip, but was surprised when the man did just as she said.
"My purpose here is not to harm you. You are a significant part of my plan...an asset. I would not jeopardize a fundamental part of my mission," he told the girl, expression ever unchanging. Arturia rubbed her wrist, repeating her earlier query.
"I came to inform you of some...important matters regarding you and your companions re-entry into man's world," Kiritsugu stated with stern eyes.
"Firstly, while we acknowledge all of your abilities and consider them instrumental to ensure our success, we find it absolutely necessary to control them. The present time is rather fragile, and its people even more so. The Command Seals that functioned as the Grail War's controlling mechanism can no longer hold you back, and as you will be given fully functional bodies like those you owned in your old lives, you will no longer be dependent on a Master's mana supply. Heaven knows what sort of chaos you can cause," Kiritsugu explained. He moved to fish his pack of cigarettes out of his trench coat, but realized he wasn't wearing it. Or anything for that matter.
Saber's green eyes sparked at his last statement. An unspoken insult was to be found there, and she found herself angered on her fellow heroes' behalf. If Kiritsugu noticed her reaction, he didn't show it. Nevertheless, she kept her furious gaze on his pupils, refusing to accept his judgements.
Kiritsugu did notice. It was hard not to, when the King of Knights had nothing concealed. He could see the quivering of her tiny clenched fists, the muscles of her arms very slightly ripping when she shifted her fingers. Probably to alleviate the pain of her nails digging into her palms. There was movement by her collarbones, she was grinding her teeth. Her modest chest heaved with breaths. She was trying to calm herself. And of course, even while floating in midair, she assumed the same ready stance she took when she was fighting Lancer. Arturia Pendragon was angry.
He looked down beneath his bare feet, where none of Arturia's sky or sea remained. Perhaps he shouldn't have been so critical.
"Power corrupts, and even the most righteous heroes are not immune to its silver tongue," he answered, raising his eyes, and skipping over her figure to meet her green orbs. She might not be happy with what he would say next, but none of this was under any debate anyway. He drew a deep breath, missing the flavor of tobacco on his tongue.
"You and the other Servants will be stripped of the full extent of your powers until you are dispatched to destroy a seal. Only then will you be able to use them to their full abilities," the magus-killer finally let out.
Saber scoffed at the condition, resting a hand on her hip.
"Preposterous. And what if battle shall find us? How are we to defend ourselves?" she asked, insulted at Kiritsugu's obvious mistrust. She had sworn to help Emiya's cause. Why would she do anything to obstruct them from their goal?
Kiritsugu expected this reaction, of course. If he was presented the same proposition, he would have been just as of work had been put into honing their skills to perfection. The condition was the equivalent of sharpening a knife til it could split hairs and finding out the match was hand-to-hand.
"I am leaving you with half. None of you are by any means normal human beings. Even at half your power, the average human stands no chance. Is that enough insurance for you?" Kami-sama, his teamwork skills needed bloody improvement.
Saber considered this, unspeaking. Her mind drifted to the other blonde in their group. She remembered feeling...petrified. Against him, both times, there was never a moment she could clearly see a way to victory.
And even when she had won, she knew her victory was only by a hair's breadth and no more.
"Fifty percent is the most powerful I could make you while not endangering the populace. Also, at fifty percent, should anyone go rogue, defeating them should be less of a problem. This leads me to my second point, your role," Kiritsugu continued, counting his points on his fingers.
Again, Gilgamesh flashed in her mind. Even at half...
"You, Saber, are the singular Servant both Iri and I have ever interacted with, and so are the sole Servant we have solid influence on. We can trust you. We need you to be our safety. Another controlling variable on the ground, so to speak," Kiritsugu said.
"And a tool you can use to eliminate those who choose not to follow your rule," Saber finished for him, challenging him with her piercing gaze. Just like before…
"No."
The single syllable flew from both their lips at the same time, bouncing back and forth in the invisible walls in the darkness around them. Slowly, Kiritsugu lifted his arm and pointed at the back of his hand.
"You are no longer my Servant, and so I do not command you, Heroic Spirit King Arthur," he voiced, looking at the unmarked skin where once were a red sword-like command seals, now just his blank, rough complexion.
"It's your choice. But, given your ideals...I'm sure you won't allow them to go rogue, even without me asking you," said the magus.
Saber was unsure how to react, given those very ideals were the reason he and she didn't get along in the first place. Their incompatible attitudes and views drove them apart faster than a bullet. Although, after meeting his son, somehow Kiritsugu's ways weren't as despicable. She still disagreed with him, but she was no longer blind to his reality. In her eyes, he was a person. A person whose opinions should be respected. Because of that realization, there was a part of her that wanted to know him. Why would he push Irisviel away? Why would he look at his daughter so lovingly a moment, and turn into a cold-eyed killer the next? Why, for all the murders he's committed, does he hate an honorable duel so much? Why does he hate her so much?
Just what could have happened to make Kiritsugu the tragic man he was?
"I will do what I think is right."
Kiritsugu nodded. It was the right move to leave her a choice. Besides, the King of Knights' morals would never allow her fellow Servants to run loose; he didn't know why he bothered. One thing was for sure, having Saber on his side gave him an advantage. Not only was she a powerful force, she was also key in recruiting more allies. He could probably count on El-Melloi's former Servant's loyalty, and perhaps with a little convincing, she could reel in Rider. Those three already had a brilliant team dynamic, given the way they reacted to Caster's attack.
Right, Caster. There was a risk to bringing that unstable Servant along, but if he was gambling the fate of the world, he might as well go all in. Caster's abilities were not to be taken lightly, and if turned the right way, they could use them to their advantage. Anyway, just in case, he had the King of Knights as a failsafe.
And then there was Berserker, the Grail War's tragic, insane wildcard. The Throne of Heroes identified him as Sir Lancelot du Lake, surprisingly. Given he was eager to follow his former king, he shouldn't be much of a problem, now that his Mad enhancement has been removed. Then again, there was the fact that Saber might have caused his insanity, and the reason why he could be classified as a Berserker in the first place.
Of course, there were the servants he had no chance to gauge. He wasn't around for the Fifth war, so there was no telling just who he had entrusted the world to. Kami, he hated having such a shaky foundation, but he couldn't do much else.
There was one other that could damage the cause rather than help it. Kiritsugu's eyes flashed as his thoughts went to the problematic man that was Tokiomi's Servant. He had doubts about inviting him to participate for feared a double-edged sword. On one hand, Archer was the most powerful Servant there was. On the other, that also made him a formidable enemy, a threat second only to the Grail Kiritsugu was trying to destroy.
The turning point was Saber herself. He'd be blind not to notice her obvious...influence(?) on the flashier King. It was made more apparent during their recent meeting. He had no idea what exactly had transpired between his former Servant and the epic, but he knew he could use it to his benefit. If he played his cards right.
He just wished the one card in his hand wasn't the servant he had shunned.
He looked at his Servant, with regretful eyes. All the loose ends tied up to her. He needed her, but she could very well do without him. If he'd known then her value, maybe he wouldn't have been so coarse. Maybe.
There was no changing the past. The present, however...well, that brings him to his third point.
"Thirdly, the world you will enter is ten years into the future, as we have already said, but there may be...things that changed, and not just surface level. The Earth you will appear on is not the same Earth it was before," he vaguely reasoned, massaging his brow.
"What do you mean? Of course, it has changed with the times," she questioned, her voice less on edge.
Kiritsugu's hand again reached down to his nonexistent trench coat pocket for a cigarette, but in realizing it's absence, ran his hand through his hair, which Saber noticed, had grayed. He had gotten older.
"The Grail hasn't been idle since you destroyed it's lesser form for the second time. In fact, its abundant magical energy has been rather erratic. It's highly possible it had been acting irregularly since I commanded you to use your Noble Phantasm on it."
His words caused Saber to stiffen, but she said nothing.
"I will not discuss the unnecessary details, as you and your companions will soon wake. If anything of importance comes to light, I will meet you here. And perhaps the others too. As I already said, this world is a different one from the one you came out of. Perhaps the details will make themselves apparent, but they do not change the mission," Kiritsugu said sternly, meeting her eyes once more.
Saber nodded, wondering just what had happened in the ten years she slept through to make Kiritsugu feel the need to tell her.
Kiritsugu could see, in the corner of his eye, that the dark space they were floating in was beginning to bleach into white. He did not have much time left.
"...Good luck, King of Knights," Kiritsugu stated, tasting the statement on his for the first time since his days with Natalia.
He hesitated for a moment, unsure, but as the woman who carried the weight of the world on her shoulders began to fade away, he made one final statement.
"And thank you."
…
Her eyes fluttered open, Kiritsugu's final words still echoing in the back of her mind. Where was she?
When the sleep had left her, instead of the dream-like glittery galaxies of the fantasy world the Grail had created, her bright orbs were greeted by a familiar starry sky. A sky she knew all too well.
Fuyuki.
She shot up when the sky had registered, green eyes wide. A soft, familiar gold had appeared at the corner of her vision, and she ran her hand through her hair to get it out of the way. It was soft, just like she remembered. Her hand was brought up in front of her eyes for close examination, and she flexed and bent the tiny, fair fingers that had once led Britain, the very ones that had pulled Caliburn from the stone, and of course had brought her rule to its tragic end.
A sharp pain in her heart drew her vision down to the rest of her. Fair skin, a slightly muscled physique that did next to nothing to help her draw her sword, and a petite frame. Goodness, had she really been so frail?
She moved beneath the clothes Gilgamesh had granted her in the Throne of Heroes, feeling an unmistakable lag between what she wanted to do and when her body did it. She didn't remember having a body being so...heavy. But that mattered not.
A body.
A real body.
Gone was the ghostly sensation of being a Spirit. Gone was the unreal floating feeling of non-existence. Gone was the dream-like feel of pseudo-life.
She was here. She was breathing.
She was alive.
Irisviel told the truth.
The girl got on her feet unsteadily, feeling uncomfortably like a toddler just learning how to walk, bright eyes sweeping side to side. She looked around in the little light that came before the dawn. They really were in Ryuudou Temple. Arturia recognized everything, from the gate that Assassin blocked her from, to the oriental temple that stood to her right.
It was like the scene was harvested from her memory, except it had quite a few more scars. Where she stood, the cement was newer than the rest. It was near unnoticeable, if not for the lighter shade. A large gash right where her final fight had taken place. But that wasn't all that had changed.
The forest surrounding the steps to the temple was denser. And the indoor garden's shrubbery was a little more unruly. Little details that hardly mattered, but it gave her peace to know this part of the world that she'd destroyed had healed.
Had she?
That didn't matter. What did was finding the servants-Diarmuid!
Several feet away, beneath trees and the leaves of shrubbery, orange eyes snapped open.
Arturia?
Diarmuid got up as quickly as he did when he was a knight in training...and fell forward. Luckily he had the trees to steady himself. Great Celtic gods, if his comrades saw him now, they'd laugh. He felt like he'd drank one too many of Oscar's wine with the way he swayed on his feet. But, well, being crazy intoxicated didn't stop him from winning brawls. Unsteady limbs weren't going to deter him from finding the female knight.
But first...he seemed to be in some sort of garden. The tree he was leaning against was not nearly as thick as a hardwood tree should be, and its roots were shallow and widespread instead of running deep. The soil could not have been more than a few feet deep. Although, that was assuming this tree was something natural. He'd never seen a tree with leaves so pink.
Anyway, given her voice came from upwind…
The knight took a deep breath and stretched out his muscles, trying to get rid of all the fuzziness between his nerves. This was his body, definitely, he felt more at home in this skin than he ever did being a Heroic Spirit, even if the spirit form was quite handy. It would just take a little bit of getting used to.
He felt his heart pumping as he jogged toward where he supposed Arturia would be.
Right. He had a heart now.
...
Saber whipped her head around, feeling a familiar aura.
"King of Heroes," she acknowledged, knowing not why she let him approach unguarded, "I can not say I expected you to–"
She was silenced when he rested his hand on her cheek.
"Do you know where we stand, King of Knights?"
His voice was strange. It froze her in place. Fear, maybe? This was the same man who tortured her and her Master just days (years?) before, it wouldn't be a surprise. She followed his eyes downward to their feet, where she stood on a large scar across the courtyard, filled in with newer cement.
She shied away when it hit her, removing herself from the familiar touch. Of course, the image was still fresh in her mind. Him covered in blood, a gash across his chest, one that she had inflicted, and for all that she was worth, she still couldn't believe she was able to deliver the killing blow before he could. His hair had fallen onto his face that moment, and for the first time she'd seen an expression she didn't know Gilgamesh could make.
They were standing on the very spot she ended his life.
You are a hateful woman. You defied me to the very end. But I shall forgive you. Some things are beautiful for the reason that they are unobtainable.
King of Knights, it was truly...fun.
How could she possibly forget such a moment?
She stepped back when he tried to touch her again.
"Don't."
For a second, the King of Heroes scowled, but the frown was quickly replaced with his signature smirk.
"If you think your refusal is going to discourage me, you are sorely mistaken, lioness. Twice already, I let you slip through my fingers. I will not let you go a third time," he said, brushing her loose hair behind her ear as he did so.
She swiped his hand away and turned her back to the King of Heroes. Why was the ancient Urukian even here? Why had he come with her? Certainly, saving the world wasn't his intention, she'd be damned if he'd joined her for the same cause. Her fingers went to her cheek, as she pondered on the subject.
It burned where he touched her. She could never get used to such intimate contact, be it with...with...whomever! It almost disgusted her how much like those blushing tavern barmaids she was feeling. Flustered, embarrassed...angry?
With a long, deep breath, she calmed herself, with hope the King of Heroes' observant, red eyes noticed nothing. It was proving to be difficult to think under such an intense stare. Harder still to determine the answer she was seeking.
Why was he here?
To pursue her?
Suddenly all her hair rose on end and she flicked her eyes to the temple steps, where no doubt a Servant had woken. Gilgamesh, however, was looking toward the temple, with irritated eyes. Another one. She picked up a few more signatures after that. The Servants were all waking.
Saber dismissed her thoughts. She had plenty of time to dwell on those things later. It didn't matter why Gilgamesh had chosen to follow, only that he kept his word and would aid in destroying the Grail.
"Something on your mind, my queen?"
She flashed him a dangerous glare, but her eyes were drawn to the pavement below her, and the lighter color of cement. There was...one other question she wanted to ask the King of Heroes.
"During our last fight, why did you-"
"Saber!"
A familiar voice interrupted her, drawing her attention to the Fourth War's Lancer, who was jogging up to them from one of the gardens. His was one of the closer mana signatures. Saber greeted him, unmindful of the scowl on her blonde companion's face.
"Diarmuid. I had wondered where you could have ended up," she said, as the dark-haired man approached.
Gilgamesh watched silently, his mind not registering the words. All on is mind was Saber, and why there was a curve on her lip that he did not cause, why she walked toward that dog and with him shied away, why she welcomed that mongrel and not himself.
There was no reason to see red, not when the lowlife was involved. How could that pitiful creature hold a candle to his splendor? There was no reason to fret, when she spoke with a beast so weak he deserved not even the job of being his slave. There was no reason for love's envious heartstrings to wrap themselves so tightly round his heart.
None. None at all.
So Gilgamesh stood there with his knuckles white, hoping soon his queen would notice her mistake. That smile belonged only to him. Her hands were only his to hold. Those green eyes exist for him to drown into. Him only. The King of Heroes did not want to have to teach her.
But also, there lingered, in the very back of his mind, the words he himself had told her after their last fight. For the first time, he wanted to think he was wrong.
Green eyes glanced back at him before she and the mongrel headed together to the temple, most likely to find the other servant he had sensed.
Gilgamesh eyed the petite hand that swayed back and forth as she walked away, wondering when he could know how it would feel to lace his fingers in between hers.
Somehow, he didn't think it would be for a very long time.
Diarmuid was almost thankful that Archer had chosen not to follow, although it must be because the King of Heroes didn't believe 'such a menial task as finding the other useless mongrels' was worth his time. From the corner of his eye, the last that he saw of the blonde man was him perching himself on the roof and sipping a glass of wine, all the while watching the back of the King of Knights.
Arturia's eyes glowed in the dim light. It was one of the first things he noticed when he was walking up to the two kings. They shone like magelight, two glowing green gems that drew him forward as if they had their own gravity. The knight wondered if it was her and not himself who was bestowed with a love charm, for there was no more adequate explanation to describe the hold she had on him.
And her words were too kind, he feared that she had seen his ears reddening, and had prayed the night would cover it up for him. The King of Knights had beauty in all aspects. She was as honorable as she was beautiful, as if her looks reflected her pure spirit.
"Shall we search for the other Servants?" he asked, just when he noticed the King of Heroes' grimace.
Had he interrupted something?
He left the question unsaid when the King of Knights agreed and gestured to the temple and to the gate, where she had sensed two others close by. They both chose the temple and began to leave, but he couldn't help but notice the way she glanced back. It wasn't a look he could describe. Only one he wished she had given him.
Ridiculous, he knew, for she had already shown him such kind eyes. He should be content with that, and not let the bubbling greed seep through. She was not his for him to exploit all her attention.
He shook his head, banishing the thoughts.
"Do you feel altered in any fashion?" the girl asked her tall companion, as they both swung open the heavy double doors.
Diarmuid inwardly scolded himself for letting a lady do such a thing, and then berated himself for forgetting for a second that she was raised a knight before a woman.
"Somewhat," he managed, despite the conflicting thoughts in his head. "Not significantly different, anyway."
He tried flexing his fingers, still feeling the momentary delay, but he was getting used to it. The temple interior was primarily built of expensive looking polished wood and stone that were carved into intricate oriental patterns. Due to Saber's experience with tatami mats, she felt a little guilty allowing both herself and her companion inside with their footwear, but finding the Servant became priority.
She swept her eyes left and right, following the mana signature she was picking up, but keeping tabs on the one they had left in the courtyard.
Diarmuid followed the female king, avoiding the mat's edges like she was. The temple was full of what he suspected were religious items, none of which struck him as familiar. Some were silver, like her shining armor. He let his mind fly back to the sight of her during their last battle, bright, radiant, enchanting.
Hm. Was this how it felt to be under a love charm?
He stopped short when he caught his reflection in a silver vase. The charm!
He couldn't stop himself. "Saber is my charm still in effect?"
He then realized the dire consequences his action could bring when she looked up at him to check. He quickly covered his mole with his hand before she could see it and stepped back into the shadows.
"Forgive my actions, King, I am only playing safe. We were lucky you had not seen this when we arrived at this location due to the darkness, however, we are human now…there is no guarantee of what should happen. If by chance it is still in effect then…"
Then I will lose you. His words hung in the air unspoken.
"It was you who requested me to act, knight." Saber huffed. Honestly, are females always to be taken lightly? He looked ridiculous, shying away from her like she was some untouchable god or something.
"Do not underestimate my magic resistance, knight. I may have been born with the body of a woman, but that should be no reason to look down on my capabilities. If that charm didn't affect me before, why should it now?"
Her words did not seem to sway Diarmuid. The stubborn man even took a step back. He knew by doing this he was hrting her, insulting her even, but he'd rather she hated him than love him by the curse. Not like Grainne, never again. Just the thought of Saber's beautiful green eyes blinded by the effects of the bloody love spot made him want to take his life, if only to save himself from the torture.
His obvious poor faith in her abilities to resist the effects of magic was beginning to get to her. She knew now the horrid end of his otherwise noble life by the tangled strings of love that had him caught in their web. He had reason to be afraid, but she was no ordinary maiden. She was not raised a trophy to be dressed like a doll and married off to some new allied king. She was raised manning stables and polishing armor. She grew up with swords and horses, not embroidery and poetry.
"Remove your hand," she commanded, her fingers reaching out. On his knuckles, her fingers were like feathers, soft and delicate, fair and small. But her grip was the one of a swordsman as it encircled his hand.
"Diarmuid,trust me."
A voice as steady as a tranquil lake, with eyes clear and honest like its waters. Determination swam in those green orbs, and just like that, as if in a trance, he let her take his hand away.
"It's still in effect."
He blinked, realizing he'd just let his hand drop to his side, leaving Saber exposed to the love spot's effects. When did...?
"What is that surprised countenance for? Did I not mention my magic resistance is not to be underrated? You should know never to take me lightly, Diarmuid O'Dyna," she reprimanded, smiling with those bright beautiful eyes that had definitely put him under a spell.
"A-ah," he agreed. He couldn't grasp what had just transpired. One moment he was looking in her eyes and the next, he'd dropped the hand he'd used to so desperately keep her from the curse. And now she was looking at him just like before. Just, she was closer.
He tore his eyes from her gaze and looked to the hand that had deliberately disobeyed the orders of his brain. It was still in the hollow of her fair palm. He turned his wrist before she could pull away and ran his thumb gently across her knuckles, savoring the bit of contact before reluctantly letting her slip through his fingers.
In the very least, I have you.
He stared at his palm before continuing after the female king, who walked a few footsteps ahead.
...
"Saber, wait."
The knight blocked her path with his right arm, eyes pointed toward the back courtyard. The blonde knight nodded, following his gaze from their perch just outside the back of the temple. Down below was the body of a woman, sleeping with her back to them.
"It's Caster-"
Diarmuid clamped his hand over her mouth and moved the both of them backwards. After an irate look from Arturia, he pointed towards a second body, one of a man he didn't recognize. Movement of the dark head told him the stranger was stirring.
"How about that man? Is he familiar to you?" he asked, trying not to focus on how soft her lips felt.
Saber removed herself from his fingers, her eyes widening.
"I...I don't believe it."
It was clear from the look he gave her that he had no idea what she was getting at, but she slowly directed him to a different vantage point which was closer to the two on the ground.
Could it be?
The man turned in his sleep and finally Saber could confirm her suspicions. A sharp nose and angled chin, with dark tousled hair and high cheekbones. God's angels, Kiritsugu and Irisviel hadn't lied. For now, she could, she should take the magus-killer's words with little doubt, especially if he's kept his words and done the impossible.
A sigh escaped her lips as she remembered the dreamscape she was in with her former Master. She must find a way to convene with the rest of the Servants to at least brief them on the new situation.
Now that they've found Caster, they had a way to contact the others, but...It just didn't seem like the right thing to do to approach her right now, even if it was the logical choice.
"Diarmuid, will it be alright to wait until she wakes?"
Arturia had on an expression he had never seen on her before. There was no curve on her lip, but in her eyes something he recognized in himself. A longing he could not quite describe.
He nodded. Anything.
So the knights observed from their perch as the purple-haired magus woke.
Medea's eyes snapped open and she shot up from the ground, a magic circle at the ready behind her. Where was she? Fuyuki? A quick look around told her she was indeed at her former residence the temple full of energy that she had used as her base of operations. At least, until her plans were thwarted by two blondes and a bunch of kids she barely even remembered. One of which she now had a grudge against, the heartless beast…
Her eyes began to sting. Gods, she didn't even want to be on this stupid mission. She cared not for this world. It was cruel, and unforgiving, and judgemental. She owed nothing to the world of mortals. Not her service, not anything. All she wanted now, was for her request to be fulfilled. If Saber's Master hadn't kept his word, this world would face destruction that even Ares could not fulfill.
"Medea…?"
The woman froze, believing the voice to have been a hallucination. It was all she heard in the Throne of Heroes after all; it wasn't real. It wasn't real. But despite her insistence her body would not follow.
Her head turned slowly, the shuffling on cement directing her gaze backward to hollowed eyes and a solemn expression.
Gods…
Tears fell from her eyes in torrents. There was no way, there was no possible way he was alive. She sank to her knees, the sobs from her throat increasing in volume til they were the shrill wails of a young child.
It is not possible. It is not…
A gentle thumb wiped the hot tears from her cheeks, and when she lifted her gaze it was his eyes, his face, him.
"Soi...chirou…"
Saber averted her eyes. This wasn't something she had the right to see. She was part of the reason Medea hadn't fulfilled her only wish after all. In the end, the Servants were just souls who wanted a little more from their lives. Only recently had she realized that by winning the Grail War she was in effect crushing the wishes of the others, and damning them to the eternal purgatory of the Throne of Heroes.
Diarmuid saw the King of Knights shift by his side out of the corner of his eye, but his gaze lingered a little longer on the couple locking lips in the fading moonlight.
"Assassin should not be too far," the blonde one said, knowing the samurai never strayed too far from his Master.
"I'm not."
Both knights whirled around to find the samurai standing calmly behind them, also watching the romantic scene below unfold.
"Kojiro," Saber acknowledged.
"Greetings, lioness. I must thank you for letting my former Master reunite with her lover. She was devastated when she discovered she had not protected him against the Kin-pika. In the very least, she has gotten her wish, no?" the samurai's voice was a deep baritone. Respectful in tone, yet there was familiarity in the way he spoke.
This Kojiro had fought Saber before. He was sure of it. By the way the samurai was speaking he could infer it was a good fight, and it was fair. Perhaps uninterrupted by the workings of cruel Masters like his was. Diarmuid's fist clenched at his side.
"Yes, you are right…" the King of Knights replied.
Assassin frowned for a moment and reconsidered his words. "Oh, I must apologize. I didn't mean-"
Saber smiled sadly. Kojiro hadn't said anything wrong. "No, it's alright. My wish wasn't one that could be fulfilled by the Grail," she reassured him. "Neither was it one that should."
Kojiro didn't look convinced, with his azure eyes so doubting. "Still, if there were something I am able to do, I would not hesitate. It isn't fair, since both mine and my Master's have been granted."
At the purple-haired man's words left his mouth, Arturia and Diarmuid locked eyes before questioning him. Sasaki looked away and scratched the back of his head.
"Well, only partially. Saber...you are aware I am but a spirit given this name. I am not truly Kojiro Sasaki, for he was just a baseless legend. I just happen to possess the similar characteristics. Naturally, my wish would have been to live my own life. I am not aware of my real identity. I wanted to, perhaps, create one for myself. Now, I can." The samurai smiled sheepishly, peeking out of the corner of his eye to catch the woman's reaction.
It was a serene smile.
"You are absolutely correct."
Assassin made her see there was indeed a bright side to Kiritsugu's mission. A new life, was it?
The samurai moved and bowed. "I had nearly forgotten. I do not believe we have formally met, minus the wrath of my master. My name is Kojiro Sasaki. I am in your care."
Diarmuid cocked an eyebrow at the unfamiliar greeting, but responded too with his name and title. When the japanese man rose from his bow though, his eyes had sparked, just like a rival's did before a duel.
"By the way, Saber. I've brought company," Kojiro said, turning once again to his 'lioness'.
At that, what Saber had thought were dark shadows caused by the moonlight revealed themselves to be two more Assassins; the ones she met in the Fourth War.
"'Tis not the nature of knights to hide in the shadows," the female one remarked, her ponytailed purple hair catching the breeze, "However, we can understand that you do not wish to interrupt that," she said, gesturing to where the Medea still had her lips locked with resurrected lover.
"We were scouting for other Servants, our conqueror wants an audience for a short meeting. Do you wish to participate?" the woman asked the two knights.
The King of Conquerors was already two steps ahead of her. Saber needed an audience with the Servants if they wanted answers about their condition. A meeting would be the perfect place to tell them.
"Yes."
Diarmuid knew by the rules set by Kiritsugu Emiya that while in the real world they could do as they pleased, as long as they were present whenever they were summoned. He could find a quiet place to stay, away from the world. He could take off to his place of birth, and discover how much it had changed after his death. He could hunt like before in unfamiliar forests with unfamiliar prey. He could do what he used to. He could live like he wanted.
But as he echoed the King of Knights' reply, he knew that none of those would ever make this new life worth it, if he lived without her.
Heya!
OHMYGOD I'VE BEEN GONE SO LONG I'M SO SORRY
But here it is anyway. I really must apologize for this being so late.
Thank you for reading my work! I love you guys, really! 3 Leave a review if you like. I'd really appreciate it.
Til next time!
