IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT!
Hi everyone!
I just want to announce that I will be moving my fanworks to AO3 on account of the website being safer and more reliable and much easier to update on. You can find The Play of Fate, my story, here:
/works/16670764/chapters/39091468
just add the website before the slash or just look up my username.
Sorry for the very long wait. I went to college and I haven't caught a break. This chapter is a bit long and its an interlude, so please do bear with me. The next one is in the works. See you at AO3 next time!
-akampana
"...Arty? Is it…really you?"
"Kay."
Arturia was shaking, she couldn't believe it, but it must have been true. This man had scars in all the right places, he smelled of apples and he was warm. This was her brother. This was Kay.
"I don't understand. How?"
The man pulled away to look her straight in the eyes.
"Nevermind how! Arturia…Bollocks! There are so many things, so many things I have to tell you. I'm so deeply sorry. I never should have left you alone under all that pressure I just I couldn't—"
Kay stopped abruptly, realizing that they had company. Diarmuid stood flustered, looking off to the side. The Irishman felt he had no right to be witness to such a private moment, but here he was. Kay gave Arturia a look and composed himself as he stood up.
We'll talk later.
"I promise I will be right there for you from now on. I promise, Arty. Bollocks, I did not even think I could ever come across you again. Thank the heavens and thank fate. Where have you been?"
"Where have I been? Where have you been? Kay, excuse me for the term but, you look a bit older," she said, taking in her brother's appearance more closely.
This was indeed Kay, but the crinkles at the corners of his eyes had deepened, a sign of his years despite his still youthful face. He wore his hair pushed back with product, the sides were cut short in a clean fade. He looked polished and clean cut with his suit, a stark contrast from the stubbly jagged-haired brother she grew up with.
"And you look the way you did when I last laid eyes on you, dear sister," he replied, placing a kiss on his siblings cheek.
Arturia looked back at her companion and pinked. Diarmuid's eyes looked elsewhere, out of respect, but still, she had been so... vulnerable around Diarmuid recently, she wondered if his opinion of her had changed. Shaking the thought away, she accepted her brother's outstretched hand. A few streets later, the recently resurrected found themselves sitting across the round table knight.
"I have been back on this earth for nearly seven years, Arturia. This newer world is strange. They have no need of knights or kings, and the people are not ruled, but rather put in line by laws. Oh and of course, there's money. The common folk are ruled by slips of paper, would you believe it?" Kay continued, holding his sister at arms length.
Seven years?
Arturia recalled what Shirou had said the day they arrived. If Kay was here due to the Grail, she could only imagine what other servants had come to the world.
"How did that come to be?"
"If it was within my knowledge, Arty, I would tell you. One minute I was on my deathbed, and the next, in a strange new place I only later realized was Camelot, hundreds of years later."
If Kay didn't know the specifics, then it was most likely Grail activity, as Shirou and Rin had discussed. But, why Camelot? Saber raised an eyebrow.
"Camelot, Kay confirmed. And soon, I was surrounded by various magi wearing ridiculous garbs that made no sense to me. A ginger lad, a brunette with the bluest of eyes like those of Guinevere, and a man with hair rivaling the length of Lancelot's. That man was the one who brought me here, Lord El-Melloi II."
That name again…
Lancer and Saber exchanged glances. First, with Shirou and Rin, and now from Kay. It troubled Diarmuid to think his terrible master and worse betrothed had left behind a child, but he was more curious as to why this Lord Second was so involved in this whole situation.
Kay continued to tell his tale, but his voice faded into the background as Diarmuid's mind flooded itself with thoughts of his past lives.
Drip...Drip...Drop went the water from Fionn's hands. Drip...Drip…Drop went his own blood in his hands.
He shook his head.
How was it that more information confused them further ? Diarmuid could practically hear his jaw crunch in frustration. He thought at least—at the very least—he was free of heartless Masters who saw him only as a tool and now this, his last Master's heir . Another being with the same twisted blood coursing through his veins.
Drip...drip…
Diarmuid felt the warmth before he realized Arturia's fingers wrapped around his clenched fist. They snaked into the crevices of his hand and into the spaces between his fingers until his nails stopped digging into his palm. He didn't realize he drew blood until he saw the red crescents on his punctured skin pressing onto the King of Knight's fair wrist.
"El-Melloi used to ramble about how he'd met you before, and that it would be likely you would surface in this part of the world, if his theories were true. So he took me and some others and decided to wait here," Kay said, snapping Diarmuid back to reality.
"For seven years?" Arturia asked, her eyes remaining fixed on her brother. But by the short squeeze she gave Diarmuid's hand he could tell her attention was on himself, too.
She'd stopped him from hurting himself more, Diarmuid realized, looking at their joined hands under the coffee table. A soft expression crossed his eyes as he let them drift to her tranquil face. He squeezed once, and with reluctant fingers, he let her go.
"We kept busy," Kay continued, noticing the gentle exchange before him, "Lord Second eventually grew tired of me sitting around and sent me to take up some form of study. Bollocks. It took four bloody years and an apprenticeship to a spiky-haired youth who loved pointing and slamming tables but eventually I graduated and began my practice."
"And so?" Arturia asked, turning her full attention to her brother once more.
"I'm a lawyer, Arty. And you thought my silver tongue wouldn't get me anywhere," said he, with a smug smile on his lips.
Arturia's mouth dropped, and when the surprise had left her she chuckled into her hand.
"So that explains the blue suit and red tie," she teased, gesturing to Kay's modern garb.
"Ah, well, it's more of an homage to my mentor, Ryuuichi Naruhodou. He was always fond of the color blue," Kay explained, delighted at his sister's reaction.
"I must apologize for soiling such a fine suit. It must have cost a fortune," Diarmuid offered, feeling himself disappearing more and more into the background.
Ah, that was right, they weren't alone at the table. Kay's focus was redirected back to this stranger, whom Arty apparently was friendly with. If this man thought he was being slick with her holding his hand and all, he had a lot coming.
Diarmuid gulped. The look Kay gave him was mixed. Diarmuid could not read the low eyebrows, the curve of Kay's mouth. Stoic, he believed, was the closest answer.
"Don't worry about it."
His words were calculatedly delivered, with a voice like that a gambler uses to fool those opposite him on the table. It unnerved the Irish knight to no end. Maybe this Kay didn't like him all that much.
"Say, I never caught your name," Kay suddenly asked, tone once again indifferent.
"Diarmuid O'Dyna. First Knight of the Fianna. It is my deepest pleasure to meet the brother of the King of Knights."
Kay's eyes shifted downward, then up, whatever thoughts lay behind those eyes, his face once again did not betray. Diarmuid was reminded of Fionn's advisers, ever stone-faced and judging. It dawned on him that Kay may have been one of the individuals Arturia held closest, thus Kay being so apprehensive of a deserter like himself, regardless of the circumstances.
"I have heard the stories. Though I suppose I should have been able to guess. You attract an unhealthy amount of women, even when you have got that love spot of yours covered."
A glance to the side showed a few young women covering their faces with menus whilst whispering amongst themselves. Most, red-faced and excitedly twittering, others trying to sneak a photo. Saber met Diarmuid's eyes, apologetic. Kay could be blunt at times.
"It is not exactly something I am proud of," Diarmuid strained to say, trying and failing to put up a strong face.
The Irishman's discomfort triggered no sympathy.
"No," Kay clicked his tongue, "No, I suppose not," Kay said, stroking his beardless chin as he talked.
"But I might have use for it. You too, Arturia."
The woman raised an eyebrow. Kay was sporting the kind of mischievous look he had whenever he'd drag her into plans to prank their father, or perhaps hatch a plot to get the attention of the common barmaid.
"You two were looking for jobs, yes?" the two knights promptly nodded.
"I might know a place which will allow you the freedom you need for those missions you told me about." As Kay talked however, his face seemed to pale and his voice faltered.
"You do not seem to be excited, brother," Arturia said, cocking her head to the side, a gesture Kay recognized from back in their childhood. She only ever did that when she was at ease, surrounded by people she trusted. He missed that, he missed the days where they were just two innocent kids with high hopes and big dreams.
Kay sighed, "Oh, and I had so hoped to keep you for myself for a while, Arty."
Diarmuid and Arturia followed Kay through the streets 'till they reached a black Mercedes-Benz parked in the garage of a modern office building.
It was exactly Kay's type of car, the kind anyone would know is luxurious at a glance, but not too flashy. Arturia stole a glance at her brother in the driver's seat. She could tell he was proud of this vehicle. Part of her was proud of him too, for affording such a fine ride.
She felt the engine hum to life with a suave rumble, and then they were off.
Diarmuid sat quiet in the backseat, watching his female companion elbow her brother's arm as they talked. They must have really loved each other in the old days. He knew they didn't share blood, but the bond between the two must have been made of something stronger. Diarmuid almost envied Arturia for that.
She laughed a beautiful, beautiful sound, and again, Diarmuid felt like he was intruding on such a tender moment between family. He turned his eyes to the window instead.
As houses turned into skyscrapers and trees turned to streetlights, he couldn't help but think back on the last time he set foot in this city. According to Arturia, that was twenty years ago.
Back in the Fourth Holy Grail War, he never got to explore as much as he was able to in the two weeks since he'd been placed back in Fuyuki. And in those two weeks, he'd tried to visit the hotel Kiritsugu had bombed, but found no trace of it whatsoever. It was like the attack never happened, like El-Melloi's brief stay was but another insignificant point in the history of Man. He wondered how the common person would react had they known what had really taken place in that hotel...what had really befallen Fuyuki. How would they have reacted?
The Irish man looked down at the small red crescents pressed into his palm. Funny how such a short, forgotten point in time has affected him so much. A point in time that still affects him.
He heard Arturia's breath catch as Kay rounded a corner.
Blackened trees and ashen soil cut across the metro like an ugly gray scar. The air turned sharp and cold, the kind that racked a graveyard at night, the kind that sent chills down even the bravest man's spine. No weeds, no critters, no birds circled above, as if Mother Nature herself had forsaken this land and poisoned the soil. Death, Diarmuid realized, was much acquainted with this place.
He caught a glimpse of the blonde King in her window, her hand pressed to her cheek.
"Arturia?"
The woman's breath hitched and she blinked before looking back at him, speechless.
"Is something wrong, Arty?" Kay asked, glancing to the side.
"I...I don't know how much this... El-Melloi II has told you," she replied carefully, betraying nothing of the man occupying her thoughts.
Kay cast her a worried look. "Is it something you can't tell us?"
The woman shook her head softly. "It's nothing."
Diarmuid wasn't sure if it had become a habit of Arturia's, but as she looked through the window as they passed the gray scar in the city, she once again brought her hand to her cheek.
A multi-storey building greeted the group as they alighted the car, towering over the group like a glass giant.
"To be completely honest I wasn't certain this was what you meant when you said you had a job for us. I must say, it is… quite the shock.," Diarmuid managed, struggling to take in the words on the humongous sign that stood in front of them.
RTK FASHION INC.
We make fashion regal.
Both knights paled at the ridiculous size of the skyscraper in front of them. How the hell was Kay even involved with this…intimidating company?
"Kay, I am positive I told you we were trying to stay out of the spotlight. I do not believe this is the best way to keep us all incognito." Arturia said.
Her reaction only seemed to encourage the man.
"You think the same way we did when the dumb wizard brought it up, but if you're looking for work that will instantly give you apt financing, what better way to do it here? Besides, you'll only have to come in when they ask you to. Every other time you'd be free. That's as flexible a schedule as you'll get," Kay explained as-a-matter-of-factly.
Well, that was true, but it's not like she had the ability for that sort of work. She was a king, by the gods, if there was anything she wasn't equipped for, it was this, she thought, flinching as the LED screen to her right began flashing the trendiest designs.
She almost cringed as the beautiful woman on display shifted from pose to pose as the cameras flashed. How had Kay thought she'd be prepared for this?
"I can actually see Diarmuid excelling at this, but if my knowledge of this new earth is correct, I am quite sure I am lacking in the height department. That is one thing that hasn't changed since Camelot, isn't that right, Kay?" Arturia asked.
"Well, no matter what age, a king as short as a pre-pubescent lad on the front lines is not really the most normal of sights, Arty," Kay winked. "But don't you worry about that. I was right when I thought you would end up a beauty. That face of yours will get you anywhere you want to go, dearest little sister. Wish I had the same charm."
Arturia's lips turned downward. She was not sure how she should react to that. Physical beauty was never a concept she'd given much attention to. Merlin assisted her in keeping up appearances, but beyond that? Beyond necessity? Her thoughts brought her back to the ginger lad who'd been her Master. Shirou had said something like that hadn't he?
Kay turned to Diarmuid and clapped the heck out of the latter's shoulder. Diarmuid nearly fell over. Arturia flinched as she'd once been victim to that infamous "loving" gesture and was no way eager to experience that again. Kay really wasn't holding back.
" You , on the other hand, Mr. Diarmuid O'Dyna, were definitely put on this earth for this job," Kay commented, smirking just a bit.
"I have to admit," Diarmuid huffed, rubbing his reddening shoulder, "I am not accustomed to those…tasks. I'd really much rather provide some real service."
He watched a man on the screen cross his legs and smile before he decided this was definitely a horrid idea. If only this scar-faced brit knew the trouble he had to go through with this stupid mole. He may have thought it great as an adolescent but hell, he sure hated it eventually.
"I'd probably have a woman at my arm if I looked like you," Kay said.
"Please, Kay, you've been at that for hundreds of years, and still you've brought home no lady," Arturia snickered, holding open the door for her companions like a true gentleman. While Diarmuid inwardly pinked in embarrassment, Kay seemed rather accustomed to the gesture as he strode right in.
"Hey! They just can't handle my charm! "
"You have the charm of a donkeys behind, brother," Saber chided with a smirk.
"That's not what the tabloids say. Back when I worked there, I garnered quite the following. Not as big as the others, but a following nonetheless," kay smirked.
"You mean, you once worked here too?" She didn't think Kay of all people would be interested in this kind of work.
"I could not rely on Lord Second for everything. He had his own fees to cover. I worked part-time throughout law school. Lord Second was grateful once he could kick us out of the house, believe me," Kay said over his shoulder as he made his way to the front desk.
The knight dipped down to the lady on the front desk and seemed to whisper something in her ear. She widened her eyes, nodded, and pointed the group to the elevator while she said a number.
"Before you walk in, Arturia, I would just like you to know. My flat is quite large, and it has an untouched guestroom. You could live with me. It'd be just like before. Apples for breakfast, I don't have my horse but I do have a car. But I'd understand if you would like somewhere else to stay. I could help you along too. Especially since you're just starting out."
"That is very generous of you, Kay." Arturia smiled up at her brother. Kay must have really missed her, if he was eager to share the same roof once more.
"Now that that's out of the way," Kay looked to the doors and sighed.
Steel doors slid open to reveal the thirty-first floor. The walls were eggshell white, with simple tan and dark wood elements tastefully placed near the windows. Though the office came with the standard beige tiles of the building, free working spaces and collaboration desks were placed atop fashionable textured carpets, the kind that zen designers would go mad for. A walled corner held a simple indoor garden consisting of mounted leafy greens and vines. Fiddle leaf figs and chinese evergreen sat on the white stone floor installment, delivering a pop of life to the corporate venue. The office in its entirety was very light, even the work cubicles were colored fair, with frosted glass dividers instead of gray wood. Though sunlight filtered through the floor-to-ceiling windows, what lit the office in the night were not the standard fluorescent bulbs, but a combination of recessed lighting and geometric pendant lights.
"I always knew you'd come one day."
A soft clicking of Oxford shoes came to a stop in front of the trio, bringing with it one who could only be described as otherworldly. The tan oxfords led up to a pristine white set of pressed slacks and a sharp, precisely-tailored matching suit jacket. One gold button was left loose, the collar left unbuttoned as well. It was clear to all present that not a single element of the three piece was of inferior quality, no thread, no seam.
More exquisite still, was the stranger's long hair, tamed perfectly by single high ponytail. It was platinum white, the kind one would suppose could only belong to beings not of this earth, or only to those of the magic realm. When light struck his long locks, one could swear they were bursting with all the colors known to man.
For the first time, Diarmuid felt like the shirt on his back was far too small, the shoes Emiya had provided with him far too scuffed. It was a feeling he was not used to. Though he learned to shave with those tiny blue plastic devices and was soon to visit the barber shop to keep up appearances, he began to think his efforts were sorely lacking.
"Merlin?" Arturia's voice came out in a breathy whisper.
"Hello, my child."
Lancer witnessed his friend envelop her arms around Merlin as he did her. He could see her eyebrows crinkle just before she pressed her cheek to the man's chest and hid her eyes in his sleeve, like a child would to their father.
"Now, now, let's not shed tears, dear princess," Merlin chided, a small, calm smile making its way on his face. Merlin's hands traced a path to her cheek. His touch was so tender on her skin, Diarmuid could tell it had been practiced, perhaps on one too many nights that Arturia couldn't take the pressure, on nights where the crown was too heavy and she needed a shoulder to lean on.
"You have not called me that in ages ," Arturia mumbled softly into Merlin's white sleeve.
And it was true, Merlin hadn't. The mage felt the familiar mana emanate from his lovely creation. It was still there, her strong spirit, powerful yet docile, like a sleeping dragon. The same imperfect green eyes, with far too much blue and specks of yellow, the same head of hay pulled into her favorite braided bun...It was Arturia, Uther's child, which he held in his arms. Merlin curled his fingers in her yellow locks as he thought about the multitude of things he wished to tell her.
Did she know he'd watched her, all the way from the Battle at Camlann? He'd watched Bedivere keep her company til she breathed her last, he'd watched thousands and thousands weep as she was laid to rest, he watched her knights live out the last of their years in grief , he watched their feeble attempts at moving on. He'd sparked to life, banging on the walls of the tower that had imprisoned him when he felt her presence the day Kiritsugu had summoned her. He'd seen her overcome each foe, seen her fight the Irish knight that stood with her, seen her struggle with King Gilgamesh not once, but twice. He'd seen her fall in love for the very first time, he'd seen her destroy the Grail twice —there was just so much .
And it was indeed too much to be appropriate, as deemed by Kay.
"Bollocks, that is quite enough, wizard, let's just get the papers done." Kay walked straight past them, and into the walled glass office Merlin had appeared from.
Merlin seemed mildly annoyed as his little 'princess' followed her brother into the room, but the platinum blonde hid it behind a wide smile as he shook Diarmuid's hand.
"Pleasure to make your acquaintance, Mr. O'Dyna. I appreciate your chivalrous acts in the Fourth War. A shame, how your time ended, though," Merlin ended his statement with a giggle.
Diarmuid peeled his hand away from the too enthusiastic handshake, saying, "You knew about that?"
"Enough to know that you harbor some unspoken feelings," Merlin poked a thumb at the glass office, where Arturia was now calmly sipping a cup of earl grey.
It took Diarmuid a minute.
"I—what?"
Merlin laughed like the old drunk knights at the gate who in their time had seen much and heard more, the kind of laugh that told him he knew nothing yet. "I am certain you will come to terms with it, lad. Now come, there are terms of another kind we should be getting to."
It took a multitude of documents and a session of drafting new signatures for Aria Dragon and Drake Odina to secure their place in the RTK. The identities Shirou and Rin had provided them had certainly helped speed up the process. Now all Merlin had to do was plant the information in the right places and get Kay to take care of the legal matters (he complied, not without complaint of course) and the two would be set for their new careers
The sun colored the sky orange by the time Kay ushered the two out of the building. The valet had just gotten out of the car and immediately handed the keys back to Arturia's brother.
"Arty, since the company actually has a lot of spare assets, Merlin told me to give you the penthouse," Kay said, as he settled into the driver's seat. "It's in the same building as mine. Merlin used to share it until RTK took off, but it's been a while since it's been occupied so he's having someone clean it today. You can stay with me tonight, unless you want to go back to Emiya's place."
Saber didn't know what to answer. Of course, she had no belongings and her leaving would make her one less burden to Shirou, but they hardly had the time to discuss their relationship at all. He's been so... distant , which she believed was because he was terribly busy, what with the full set of Servants from the Fourth and Fifth Holy Grail War appearing at once, but even then, he was almost a stranger. If she moved out so soon, she might never get the chance to clear the air. It was a terrible feeling, really.
But then there was Kay, her brother, her family . Here he was, right in front of her after so many years. And he was so different. He'd made a life for himself in this time and it would be foolish of her to pass up the opportunity to make up. Fortunately, Kay decided for her when he didn't wait for her answer.
"Pretty boy, although it isn't a penthouse, there is a damn spacious flat just a few blocks away from ours, and it's furnished," Kay tossed him a keyring. "It should be fit for you. Maybe even big enough for a roommate if you're up for it."
Diarmuid took a look at the key in his left hand.
"Sir Kay, I am not quite comfortable being so dependent. I would want to at least pay for it," he said, as he felt the car engine hum to life.
"It can't be helped right now, but as discussed, we set up some plans so you could both reimburse the company as your salaries come in," replied Kay, reversing with practiced ease. "Which reminds me, I need you both around on Monday, I'm not a notary yet and we need to get these, well, notarized."
Kay took quite the handful of turns before finally stopping at a modern tower, right at the edge of the urban side of Fuyuki City. Two men in suits and gloves stood at the illuminated glass double doors that reached up to the ceiling of the lobby. The doors did nothing to hide the marble flooring and elaborate chandeliers all across the room. Stone and a small waterfall occupied the left wall, and the right, a set of plush chairs and coffee tables, where several residents were lounging, mayhaps waiting for their respective rides. From there, Saber's eyes trailed upward where she spotted a common floor, and then more stories than she could count by sight alone.
In that instant, she felt ancient. Although her castle was grand, It could never have reached such heights as these. Truly the Age of Man had come and flourished.
"Arty."
She turned, and Kay placed a set of keys in her hand.
"Apartment 25 A. It's on the 25th floor left side," he said, as he made eye contact with the lady at the front desk and waved. "You make yourself at home. There are croissants on the counter and grapes in the fridge if you get hungry. I'll be right back, just gotta drop this guy off."
Diarmuid gulped as he was shooed back into the sedan.
"So tell me about yourself, Mr. O'Dyna."
"I'm not sure there's much to tell," Diarmuid replied, just a tad bit uncomfortable in the passenger seat.
"Oh, but I believe there is. I've met enough bards during my time who sang your songs to know who you are. They're…" Kay looked the knight up and down, "...surprisingly accurate. Thought you'd have green eyes though, that's what they said."
Orange eyes looked at Kay curiously. His eyes weren't green, but green was usually the color he would look for in Mr. Emiya's dresser. Sadly it seemed Miss Rin had influenced Saber's master a tad bit too much, judging by the dominance of red. Here he was wearing the last one, a simple basic shirt that hung rather loosely and had three-fourths sleeves. Now that he thought about it, maybe it was a favorite color.
Grainne had green eyes, dulled ones that always looked dazed and never truly loving. He didn't like hers that much, lovely as they looked.
Arturia's…. Arturia's were the kind that would make one catch their breath at a glance, the kind that one would dream about at night.
"Your legend precedes my king's," Kay said, shaking Diarmuid from his daydream, "For a while your love story was even compared to Arturia's dilemma, but-"
"I do not mean to disrespect you, Sir Kay, but I would like to speak about something else," Diarmuid stated firmly. He thought he'd thought about his past enough for today.
"...Why?"
Kay was just being polite, trying to start a conversation, Diarmuid reminded himself. But, perhaps, it would be best to clear up any misconceptions Kay might have right off the bat. Kay was an important person to Arturia. The last thing Lancer wanted was to get on Kay's bad side.
"I don't know what you've heard or your opinion on the matter, but I did not love the woman in those songs. That regretful part of my life was neither my fault nor my desire, yet it was a burden I was forced to carry. All that because of this curse upon my face," he explained, pointing to the Band-Aid hiding the tiny black dot.
Kay looked, and then smirked. Finally , Diarmuid thought, seeing the man's shoulders relax.
"I'm happy to hear that," said Kay.
"...Pardon?"
Kay shrugged, then made a careful turn to the right. They were nearing the apartment.
"At least now I know it's not for indecent reasons you hang around Arturia. She's a woman, though she was not raised like one."
Diarmuid resisted the urge to hide in his hands. Of course not! Why would he even think—Diarmuid would never ! He'll, if he knew the effects of the charm affected Arturia, he'd keep his distance.
"I would never even think of that! I have nothing but respect for her. Her spirit, her actions, they gave me hope when I had all but lost it. I wish she was the one I served."
Kay realized Diarmuid meant it. The fact the knight was denouncing Fionn MacCumhaill was a strong indication. Loyalty to their lord was a knight's everything. It's what kept them fighting, what pushed them to go such great lengths for glory. If Diarmuid said he wanted to serve Arturia instead, no doubt it meant she had his loyalty.
That didn't mean Kay trusted Diarmuid. No, not yet, but Kay could at least tell that the knight wasn't here to harm Arturia. Perhaps he should cut him some slack.
"Has the Grail given you information about yourself?" he asked, steering the conversion elsewhere. Just because Kay was giving him a break didn't mean he wouldn't take the opportunity to know more about Arty's new friend.
"I'm a bit confused, my apologies."
"I guess not yet then," Kay hypothesized, a bit disappointed, "Most of us come out here that way, but eventually that information system the Grail granted us kicks in. We could try something simple. How old are you?"
Diarmuid looked confused for a moment, but his mind fed him the answer almost immediately.
"I am twenty-five. Wait, how did I know that?"
That couldn't be right. The knight knew he was older when he died. Twenty-five was far too young. Perhaps it was the Grail's doing. Both men promptly realized that now, the age in the forged documents Emiya provided them was off by two years.
"Bollocks," Kay exclaimed, wondering if they should bother with changing his age again or not, "You're the same age I was when I appeared, and I was the oldest of the knights then, save for the dumb old Wizard. The Grail grants you little pieces of information like that. Eventually you'll discover talents, the same way I did when I decided to take up law and accounting."
Kay was silent for a minute.
"At least you have a long life to look forward to, but...for your sake, let's hope Arturia isn't actually a minor. It's hard to tell with her."
Arturia slid the key into the knob and pushed open the door. She was greeted by a cozy flat styled in a Western fashion fused with subtle Japanese elements. There were two bedrooms to the right, a living space right in front of her, and..
She felt the familiar presence in the room before she could even close the door behind her.
"You're quite persistent today, Gilgamesh."
"I will continue to be for as long as you resist, my lioness," he called, standing by the window at the far end of the room.
"I am not your anything, now please just leave."
Gilgamesh plopped himself down on the bar. Arturia sighed and decided to tolerate him, for as long as his actions weren't deathly irritating. She found the grapes Kay mentioned and set it down between them.
"If you do not have anything good to say, I'd like you to keep your mouth shut. Remember you aren't quite welcome here."
"Nothing about me insisting you marry me then?"
Saber glared.
"Fine. But I truly do enjoy the idea," he teased.
She flicked his hand away from her face, but he didn't advance any further as they shared the bowl of grapes, something that quite surprised her.
"I assume you will not return to the house of the mongrel this day onwards?"
"Only to pay visits from now on. If we truly are living our second lives, I believe we might as well be functional members of society. I did not want to rely on their help for too long." True, but it still bothered the King that She and Shirou had yet to discuss their...relationship.
"Hm."
"And you?" asked Arturia, directing his attention elsewhere, "Not going to boast about the mansion you most likely already purchased?"
Gilgamesh smirked. She knew him so well, so fast.
"Not a mansion, an estate," he cocked his head toward the window. Gilgamesh cringed as he took the cheap glass bowl in his hand, but he led them to the floor-to-ceiling window of Kay's apartment.
Arturia followed cautiously with one eyebrow raised. She picked up a grape, trying to follow his gaze.
"There."
Though Kay's apartment was only around the middle of the tower, Arturia could see the entire rural side in all its beauty. As dusk began to fall, the last Golden rays of sunlight cast its mellow splendour onto the landscape, and at the very end of her gaze basked a grand mansion easily ten times the size of the Emiya property. It sat right in the middle of a vast expanse of green, sporting wide gardens and even a small forest to the back. As the sun's last rays passed its facade, the building seemed to glimmer in the distance, as if waiting for the star's warmth to come again the next day.
"Even the forests are mine."
Saber jumped as his words snapped her out of her stupor. She'd forgotten just how rich and powerful Gilgamesh truly was. She bet he hadn't even spent a hundredth of his riches on that property, maybe not even a thousandth.
"It could be yours too, if only you would come with me."
The King grasped her hand and brought it to his lips so quickly she hadn't time to react. And with his tongue, skillfully plucked the grape she still held between her finger and thumb. Taunting her, he took the grape between his teeth before satisfyingly tasting it's sweetness.
Arturia wrenched her arm out of his grip and staggered away with heat involuntarily rising to her ears. She could still feel the warmth of his tongue on her fingers and it bothered her to no end that she had foolishly let her guard down. How could she?!
"You bastard ! Why can't we ever just-"
In the seconds that followed, three emotions overtook the mind of the King of Heroes. Triumph, for the taste of his Queen's skin was far sweeter than he thought. Worry, when Arturia's ire faded with her voice. Fear, when her eyes rolled back and she crumpled to the floor.
"Arturia?!"
The last thing she heard was shattered glass on the floor.
And there you have it. Thank you for reading! See you all next time on AO3!
-akampana
