Disclaimer: I do not own the Fate franchise it belongs to Kinoko Nasu and Type-Moon.
This Cannot End Well
Chapter 17
"…huh."
"That's all you can say?"
"…fine, we've apparently stepped into Feudal Japan, happy?"
Rin looked miffed at her sister, who just crossed her arms and looked deadpan at her. Rin rolled her eyes. "Come on, let's keep moving." She said. "If this is Feudal Japan, considering the way we're dressed we'll likely get shot on sight for apparently being foreigners when being one was illegal at the time. And even if they don't shoot us, well, we don't exactly have proof we're Tohsakas, do we now? Not one the people of this timeframe would recognize, at any rate. We'd still get hanged for impersonating the local lord's family, or as peasants wandering without leave."
"Stupid feudalism." Sakura grumbled. "Thank you, Commodore Perry, for helping bring it to an end, and to His Majesty Meiji the Great, for seeing it through."
"…anyway," Rin said with a cough. "How's your head?"
"…I'm thinking as fast as I was back then." Sakura said. "You?"
"Likewise…" Rin said with a nod before giving a smile. "…looks like we kept our upgrades, or at least some of them, from being in that timeline."
"So long as they're backed by physical changes in our body, I think." Sakura mused. "Intelligence is, after all, more or less backed up by increased connections between the nerve cells of the brain, allowing for improved networking and faster data transfer and analysis. Those connections remained even after we left Temporal Zone Post-Human, so if nothing else, we kept our augmented intelligence."
Rin hummed, and then coming to a halt, looked around. Then smiling like a cat that got the cream, she walked off in another direction, Sakura looking on curiously. Then she blinked, as Rin stopped in front of a boulder, and then gaped as Rin lifted and threw it several meters away without breaking a sweat, or even reinforcing herself.
"I think our bodies have been physically augmented as well." Rin remarked as she returned. "You were watching weren't you?"
"Yes." Sakura said, before turning as Little Rin materialized.
"You two have been moving really weird too." She said. "Like…I don't know. Catlike…yeah, let's go with that."
"So our balance has been affected too." Rin mused.
"Stronger, smarter, and I'd bet faster too if we move like cats only we're otherwise Human." Sakura said before shaking her head and grinning. "This is amazing! Is this what Humans were like in the Age of Gods? No wonder Gilgamesh kept looking down on modern Humans, it must have been like…like watching people turning into apes out of the blue."
"Yeah, well, we'd better keep it quiet." Rin pointed out. "If the Association finds out, chances are we'll get placed under Sealing Designations. That, or the Wandering Sea extends us an invitation we can't refuse, considering how those guys are so obsessed with the Age of Gods. Remember, they don't see anything of value in the Age of Man. And if this is what Humans were like back then, well, I'm suddenly sympathetic."
"Good point." Sakura said with a nod. "Mind you, I wouldn't mind studying at the Wandering Sea. At least, after I complete my path, and assuming I survive the trip, of course. I mean, the whole point behind magecraft is to reach the Root, right? So, once you do that, then what?"
"That's…a very good point. And…oh shit."
"What?"
"There's a village over at the boundary." Rin said. "See?"
"…well, this is going to be troublesome." Sakura sighed. "Well, no choice for it. Let's pass through quickly before the Shinsengumi show up, or our ancestors' thugs, and cause trouble over our looking and acting like foreigners."
"Yeah, might as well get it over with."
The walk down to the village went smoothly, and it really looked like something out of not just Feudal Japan, but out of any medieval society in general. Wooden huts, unpaved dirt roads, people going around in simple clothes of rough-spun coarse cloth, and the stink of unwashed bodies, rotting filth, and general wetness filling the air.
Naturally, Rin and Sakura stood out, and not simply because of their western clothing. They were literally taller, and not because of any augmentations from Temporal Zone Post-Human, as they hadn't actually gained in height. It was just that with your average male at this time averaging at only four feet and eight inches tall, Rin and Sakura might as well have been giants, standing at least a foot taller than anyone else.
That said, while there was muttering and stares, none of the peasants tried to come close, and even tried to be as discreet as possible. Sakura had pulled out her swords from Imaginary Numbers Space, after all, and strapped them to her waist.
The traditional katana and wakizashi combination, typically worn only by samurai and others of similar rank. And even in Feudal Japan, the rich being seen as eccentric by the lower classes was as commonplace as it was in Europe. Even those a little too troubled by their western clothing dared not raise any fuss over them. This was the time where the upper classes had the right to simply cut down anyone – barring doctors and midwives, who enjoyed an exception thanks to their professions – who failed to show the proper respect to their status without fear of reprisal from the authorities.
As it was, it wasn't long before the villagers retreated into their houses, locking their doors and closing their windows behind them. Passing through the village, Sakura and Rin arrived before the boundary, crudely-made (and completely powerless) wards of bamboo and paper planted into the ground before it. No doubt the villagers had thought it the work of some witch or demon or whatnot, and had reacted as best they could.
"…this is pathetic." Rin said, looking at the wards with an air of sad disappointment.
"Yeah, no kidding." Sakura said. "I mean, I get it's supposed to keep evil spirits away, but as someone who works with evil spirits, this is like trying to patch a hole in a wall with paper mâché. A wall meant to keep the sea out, mind."
Rin sighed and pinched her noise. "Come on, let's go." She said, before walking into the boundary.
Sakura shrugged, and looking back behind her once, followed her sister.
"Did you notice?" Rin asked.
"No, what?" Sakura asked back.
Rin tilted her head at the people going up and down the street of this new temporal zone. Everyone was subdued, and the air had a feel of anxiety and apprehension to it. From the way people dressed, and the machines on the roads, it looked like they were back in WWII, but before the Americans had begun their daily bombing raids.
A glance at a newspaper proved that wrong, though: apparently, they were in 1938, so about three years before the Pacific War started, if a year after the Second Sino-Japanese War had started.
"Look at them." Rin observed. "Look at the way they move."
Sakura raised an eyebrow but did as asked, and it took only a moment to realize. "This is going to take some getting used to." She said with a sigh, and Rin laughed ruefully.
"I'm guessing this is the downside of being an Augment." she said with a sigh. "Everyone looks…clumsy, and awkward in comparison to you."
Sakura snorted…
…and then grinned. "Now imagine being able to see Luvia not so perfect anymore." She said.
Rin blinked, and then a grin slowly spread over her face. "Well," she said. "Now that you mention it, that would be the sight. Maybe this isn't so bad after all?"
Sakura cackled. "What are the chances she'll reinforce herself every time she meets us to look as…graceful, as we do?" she asked.
"Compensating for something, yes?" Rin asked with a cackle of her own.
"Now that's just mean…" Little Rin complained before quickly giving up the point. "…okay, fine. It sounds fun. I can't wait to see it for myself!"
The sisters smirked at each other, and moved on. Eventually, they reached the next boundary…
…and came up short. "Okay, this might be a problem." Rin observed.
"Can't we just hypnotize them into ignoring us?" Sakura asked.
"…good point." Rin admitted.
The sisters looked at each other, and then both gestured at the IJA men manning the cordon before the boundary of the next temporal zone. They had rifles, machine guns, and even tanks backing them up. There was even an AA gun surrounded by sandbags on a nearby (commandeered) building.
Then Rin and Sakura walked past their lines without any of the soldiers noticing them.
"Well," Rin said, waving a hand in front of a surly-looking NCO's face. "That was anti-climactic."
"I'm sure once we get to Matou Central," Sakura primly replied. "All this…anti-climactic patience will pay off."
"…point." Rin said, before walking into and through the boundary. Sakura followed suit, leaving this temporal zone behind.
"This time zone also looks pretty calm." Rin observed.
"Lots of police around, though." Sakura remarked. "Probably thanks to the boundaries of the other temporal zones."
Rin hummed in agreement, and taking a quick peek into a nearby shop to see the date. "It's 1964." She said before looking around. "Well, this is disappointing."
"What is?" Sakura asked.
"It's 1964." Rin whined. "Where are all the people in the funky clothing? Afros? Disco music? Hippies?"
"…this is Japan, not the USA." Sakura dryly said.
"…I knew that." Rin muttered, before her cheeks turned pink at a groaning complaint from her stomach. "Let's find something to eat before continuing."
"Okay." Sakura agreed before narrowing her eyes. "But something more filling this time…ramen, maybe?"
"No problem." Rin said with a shrug. "With gyoza and fried rice?"
"Now, we're talking."
The sisters wandered off to look for a ramen shop, and it took over an hour and combing through the temporal zone to find what they were looking for. "Three miso ramen, three gyoza, three fried rice with spring rolls," the chef's assistant at the ramen stand they sat in repeated their orders. "Extra pork and egg, plus two beers and a Coca-Cola."
"That's fine." Rin said, and the assistant bustled off to help the chef who was already hard at work.
"Keita!" the man rumbled. "Give our customers their drinks first, and a bowl of miso soup each. On the house!"
"Oh, thanks, master!" Rin said, with Sakura and Little Rin giving a bow next to her.
"No, it's nothing!" the chef said with a gruff smile over a shoulder. "Business has been hard lately, what with all the strange things going on in the city recently. Here's to hoping it's nothing serious, I wouldn't want to go through…well, never mind that. It's just an old man's rambling…alright! Miso soup and fried rice, for two hardworking ladies out for a late lunch with their little sister!"
"Yeah, things have been pretty troublesome lately." Rin agreed while toasting the chef with her beer. "But despite all that, the world keeps on spinning, and people still have to work to eat."
"Well," Sakura said. "I'm sure it'll blow over soon enough. Until then, all we can do is hold on and do our best. Just hiding and crying in a corner will do none of us any good."
The chef laughed. "No disagreement there, missy." He said, before putting up the gyoza. "Three gyoza, with the ramen to follow shortly!"
"Thank you for the meal!" the sisters chorused as they got started on their fried rice and gyoza. "Delicious!"
The next temporal zone…
"Welcome to Chaldea Annex 4220." A homunculus greeted Rin and Sakura as they arrived. "You must be Jeweled Sword Blue and Murderer Blue. Lord Zelretch said you would arrive. My name is Arnulf, and I'm in charge of this sector."
"Chaldea?" Rin echoed. "As in, the Greek name for the Babylonian homeland in Southern Mesopotamia?"
Arnulf smiled and shook his head. "No, it refers to the Chaldea Security Organization, but I can't say anymore." He said. "Suffice to say its existence is a secret kept for a very good reason, though, I can tell you you're both qualified to potentially undergo assessment for recruitment."
"And…what exactly does Chaldea do?" Sakura asked.
"I'm sorry, but I'm not at liberty to say." Arnulf said. "I can tell you, though, that if not for your intervention, we'd have intervened in this timeline already. As it is, we're handling evacuation and medical support. Please follow me."
Arnulf bowed and led the way, while Rin and Sakura looked at each other. Then they followed, past more homunculi and golems…
…then they gasped, as they entered what looked like a triage center of some kind. Everywhere they looked, there were men, women, and children on field beds, tended to by doctors and nurses. The air was rank with the smell of antiseptic, blood, and very faintly in the background, rotting flesh. As the sisters looked on in horror, they spotted more than a few nurses pulling the covers over the faces of dead patients as relatives wept in grief, while here and there they could see doctors and nurses desperately struggling to keep their patients alive.
"All this…victims of Matou…" Rin breathed.
Arnulf nodded. "Yes." He said. "And yet, I'm afraid we have failed in our given mission. As it is, we've barely managed to evacuate around six percent of the people inside what Task Force Saturn has designated Matou Central. And as you can see, a lot of those we evacuate aren't in very good shape."
"…leave it to us." Sakura grimly said. "Once we take out the Matou Hub, the timeline should reset, and keeping any of this from happening."
"That is the predicted outcome, yes." Arnulf said with a nod. "Mind you, the timelines will branch depending on the permutations within the various temporal zones, but the fracturing of the space-time continuum spreading outwards from Mount Enzo should be resolved permanently."
"Then let's get to it." Sakura said.
"Please follow me."
Arnulf walked off, and they followed…
…only for Rin to stop, as she heard something. A whisper, very soft, something she wouldn't have been able to hear if she hadn't been augmented by her experience in the Post-Human Temporal Zone.
The voice…it was calling her name…and it was very familiar…
"…Shirou…?" Rin whispered, slowly walking over in its direction. Then spotting a familiar flash of red hair against white cloth, she sped up, ignoring Sakura's questioning behind her, pushing and running past patients and medical staff to kneel down next to Shirou's bed. "Shirou…what has happened to you…?"
It was Shirou Emiya alright, but he was nearly unrecognizable. And not simply because he was older, either. His hair was flecked through with white, and the gold of his eyes similarly flecked with grey. And his skin…
…this was no longer Shirou Emiya, not the one Rin knew. If anything, he was just a step or two away from becoming Counter-Guardian EMIYA.
More than that, he was dying. His right arm was gone, and with it, most of his chest and torso. Tubes and cables ran into his body, wrapped with bloody bandages, while feeds fed plasma, blood, and various solutions into his blood vessels.
Shirou weakly raised his left hand, Rin looking on in horror at how the flesh was melted down almost to the bone.
"…R-Rin…I'm…glad…to see you here…one last time…" Shirou gasped through his oxygen mask. "…I'm…s-s-s-sorry…I won't be…able to…k-keep my promise…to you…and…Nagato…I really…wanted to…see the cherry blossoms with you…next spring…"
The machines Shirou was strapped to began to sound the alarm, causing doctors and nurses to rush to them. "…R-Rin…always…remember…" Shirou gasped out. "…I will…always…be with…you…I…love…you…"
The machines flatlined, Rin just looking on in shocked silence as Shirou fell limp. The doctors and nurses tried to resuscitate him, but after a few minutes, they covered his face, and recorded his time of death. They also tried to take Rin to see a grief counselor, but she shrugged them off, and instead shakily walked to where a white-faced Sakura was standing.
"…are…are you alright?" she asked softly.
"No, I'm not." Rin said, pinching her nose. "How could I be…I mean…I don't…I don't feel that way about him. He's like my brother…he is my brother…and yet…I feel so…so guilty. I…he said all that, because he thought I was his Rin…so…what a waste. All that…wasted sentiment…all for nothing…"
"No…I don't think so." Sakura said with a shake of her head. "It wasn't all for nothing. If nothing else, he died content, thinking his Rin knew how he felt about her before he died."
"…stupid idiot." Rin growled, clenching her fists. "He brought this on himself. He could have kept all this from happening, by simply being there for her, and living a happy ordinary life with her. They could have kept Matou from pulling any of the stunts leading to this…but no. He had to be a hero. He had to chase after that mass murdering terrorist Kiritsugu Emiya's dream. This is all his fault! And now he's thrown his life away, leaving his wife and child alone in the world…choke on your ideals and die, Shirou Emiya!"
Sakura looked sad. "You don't really believe that, do you?" she asked.
Rin took a deep breath, and shook her head, seeming to shrink into herself. "No, of course I don't." she said. "But…it makes me feel better. I'm so selfish."
Sakura chuckled. "No." she said. "Just Human."
Rin smiled sadly at her, and the sisters bumped their foreheads against each other, fingers entwining in an unusually-intimate gesture for blood relatives. "Let's end this." She said. "I don't know if my other self is still alive or whatnot, but…Shirou Emiya, the one I know, is a friend. He's my brother. For his sake, I will avenge this Shirou Emiya's death."
"What can I say beyond doing the same for my Shirou Emiya?" Sakura asked in her turn. "Well, that and promising to be with you all the way in the waiting battlefield."
Rin smiled. "Let's give them hell." She said.
Sakura smiled back. "They'll never know what hit them." She said.
A/N
Only physical augmentations were carried over from the Post-Human Temporal Zone. Now that they're back in timeframes where they aren't the only Humans in the world, Rin and Sakura's magic is back to normal, more or less.
Some of you might wonder why they call the ramen chef/shop owner 'master'. Well, that's actually the polite form of address in Japan, if somewhat informal, similar to how in the West they're sometimes called 'boss'.
And that version of (UBW) Shirou dies, but at least he dies before he can become EMIYA. Up next, the beginning of the end. Or maybe even the end, as Rin is very angry, and out for blood, for all that she's quite calm right now (since she's around a version of her sister). And this is HF Rin we're talking about, and she has access to True Magic.
Either way, it's ouch time.