So, uh… only three months, this time? I'm getting better! …maybe. Anyhow, I hope you enjoy the chapter.
Chapter 14: Crucible
"Hmmm, as pitiful as I expected." The proclamation drew the attention of everyone standing in the Einzbern castle's ruined hall to a blond haired man standing in the remnants of the entrance, his hands crossed over his chest. "Were that pathetic thing and its master really capable of taking the doll from me?"
Illyasviel seemed to shrink back at the sight of the man, though his glance slid over her without stopping. Instead, fixing on Shiro where he still stood a few feet from where his battle ended. "I suppose I shouldn't have turned from my real target just to sweep up garbage like that," the man drawled. "Still, for what it did-"
He was abruptly interrupted by a hurtling chunk of masonry from the debris on the floor, golden circular portals forming in front of him and a dozen blades spearing out to turn the projectile aside. Ranma's action hadn't been unthinking this time. A single thought motivated it, and the one that followed as he leapt across the distance behind his initial projectile, magic circuits roaring into life. "Whoever the hell you are, prepare to die!"
The blond man's eyes widened, his expression puzzled, though this didn't stop him from leaping back, new golden portals forming and peppering the path in front of the martial artist with bladed projectiles that he deftly weaved between. There was a sound of armored feet behind him for a moment, before that of metal clanging and shrieking, though he didn't even look back. "Saber! He's mine, get Rin, Shiro and I- the others outta here!"
As he burst out into the courtyard after his opponent,, who had begun casually walking backwards, the older man laughed scornfully. "I'm yours, am I?" His question was echoed by a sudden increase in projectile count, and a superior smirk.
'Yeah, keep smilin, asshole,' Ranma thought to himself, very deliberately avoiding using as much mana in his reinforcement as he could, barely sliding out of the way of a wickedly barbed silver blade. He didn't have many chances to do real damage, and he'd take all the help he could get.
HR.
Why are we leaving him in there to fight that madman alone?!" Illyasviel demanded as she hurried behind the rest of the group through the halls of her castle.
"I don't like it any more than you do," Rin growled, looking back to where Saber had an unconscious Shiro slung over her shoulder and wincing guiltily. She hoped the Gandr shot she'd had to use when he tried to join the fight wouldn't aggravate his injuries. "But I recognize that guy. He's the one who attacked here before, right?" At Illyasviel's reluctant nod, she continued. "Ranma laid out the problem pretty clearly after last time. He can generate portals and fire weapons from anywhere he wants. You, Shiro and I aren't capable of dodging them right now, and neither is Lancer, I'd bet. Plus, he didn't recognize you, which is probably the only reason he let us run. Hell, I'm finding it pretty hard to believe you're who you say you are."
Saber nodded. "Ranma is going to distract him and look for his opportunity to flee," she offered.
Lancer chuckled harshly. "Boy did you misread this one." At Saber's sharp glance, he shrugged. "That kid's not planning on ending that fight 'till it's ended." He shook his head. "I should probably be upset, since all his Servant wanted was to keep him alive, but I get it."
"He's going to kill himself against that monster?!" Illyasviel asked, horrified.
"That or he'll win," Lancer shrugged. "I doubt it, but miracles can happen."
"I'm going back!" The former homunculus proclaimed, turning.
"What?!" Rin demanded. "He's looking for you specifically, along with Shiro! We've got to get you out of here!"
"I don't care," The other girl retorted. "I won't…." She closed her eyes, fist clenching, before she whispered something too soft to be heard. "I lived here," she continued after a moment. "I know ways to watch the front hall and courtyard without being observed."
"Look, if I have to drag you out of here too, I will!" The twintailed girl snarled, before she was stopped by Lancer stepping between them.
"Don't worry, I'll look after her," he said, his red eyes meeting Rin's brown ones. He then turned to Illyasviel. "Only one condition. With what I just heard, I won't ask you to do it now, but if that guy finds you, you're contracting with me and I'm getting you out of there."
Illyasviel looked at him for a long moment, and then nodded.
"If you want to be idiots and get yourselves killed, I won't stop you," Rin's voice quavered, and she seemed to have great difficulty turning, but she eventually did. "Saber, come on, we're getting out of here."
Saber paused, her expression shifting subtly. After a moment, she simply nodded to the other two before resettling Shiro a little and following.
HR.
"Just about…" Ranma panted to himself as he barely swayed out of the way of another wave of projectiles, his spinning dodge letting him catch a glimpse of his opponent for a fraction of a second, the older man's former amused smirk having shrunk to an annoyed line. It was almost sad how easily the other man's actions could be predicted. Coming to a rest directly in front of the blond, Ranma's mana responded to his will, abruptly increasing the level of reinforcement it was providing to his bones and muscles, to his previous limit and beyond. This immediately started to cause his muscles to burn, just as it had the first time he'd practiced magical reinforcement, but he ignored this, vaulting forward even as a volley of blades fell far behind him and a jagged shard of ice materialized in his hand.
The Servant's eyes widened, and he tried to counter the sudden increase in speed, but Ranma grinned with savage glee as he batted the few swords that appeared before him aside. He let out a loud yell as he brought the blade in his hand down. There was a spray of blood, and a scream of pain as the ice blade shattered, before he brought his legs forward and vaulted off of the Servant's chest, just ahead of a burst of projectiles that hit so rapidly and so hard that they turned the stone courtyard before the blond man into even more rubble.
"You.. pitiful mongrel!" The yell was full of outrage and pain, but it wasn't followed by another spray of attacks. Ranma didn't use the opportunity to close again, as he was sure that wouldn't work, but he did take stock of the situation even as his lims began to throb with mana overstrain.
The older man was clutching at his right eye with a shaking hand, a river of blood falling down that side of his face. He'd really been hoping the blade would get through into the brain, but it looked like he wasn't that lucky. Would a Servant even die from a strike to the brain? He banished that thought, but the next to come to mind was much less pleasant. Would he have a chance to find out, now that he was certain his opponent would stop holding back as soon as he pulled himself together?
"His name was Ryoga," He spoke before he could think better of it.
"What?" His enemy snarled, glaring hatefully at him with his one good eye.
"His name was Ryoga, and he wasn't 'garbage,'" Ranma continued, glaring right back. "I won't allow someone who hit him in the back without even giving him a chance to fight to dismiss him like that."
"You won't allow it?" The man actually laughed, in spite of the pain still audible in his voice. "Why should I care what you decide to allow? If names are to be given out, then mine I shall give. I am Gilgamesh, King of Heroes. Savor it, mongrel." With that, he stretched out the hand that wasn't clutching his eye, and the world exploded in golden light.
For an instant, it seemed like the air was made of swords. Ranma's mind raced to keep up with the ones aimed at him, fired with the same force as the instinctive defense that had torn up the courtyard earlier, but this time in a massive arc. This Gilgamesh had apparently been worried that his new lack of depth perception could compromise his aim, so he'd shot everywhere. Fortunately, this meant that even with the volume and speed of the projectiles, there were gaps to slip through, until the next wave exploded into being.
Ranma winced as he heard the front of the Einzbern castle disintegrating behind him. He'd known that his opponent had been holding back, and that was actually the key to his strategy to land a blow. He'd also known that, if the man was on the defensive, he'd have been incapable of getting close. What he hadn't quite understood was how much he'd been holding back, or that getting close was probably impossible while the Servant was on the offensive, as well.
'So this is it, huh?' He thought distantly to himself, even as he continued desperately threading the needle between waves of hurtling blades. The thought wasn't really a fatalistic one. He'd been pretty sure that he couldn't win a fight against a legendary heroic spirit even when he'd charged in. On the other hand, he'd managed to gouge out the man's eye, and a part of him couldn't help but be happy with that. At the least, he'd left a mark to remember Ryoga by. Still, even as his thoughts were going down that road, he continued to dodge and deflect, continued to look for an opening or a way to turn the tide. Until the trap sprung.
Apparently, even while enraged and throwing everything he had, Gilgamesh was getting used to his new situation, and his next of countless waves of blades shifted subtly, even as a new set of portals opened behind and above the pigtailed martial artist. Ranma looked for an opening to thread through this barrage, and found none. There was no gap he could slip his body through, at least not without losing an arm or leg, and then it was all over. Dodging abruptly stopped being an option. So he stopped dodging. Instead, he planted his legs firmly, and concentrated on all of the training he'd been doing to try and figure out his magic.
He only really had one trick. Rin insisted that his water elemental magecraft was actually fairly versatile, and he could probably work up some useful rituals with it, though all he'd managed to do was condense water vapor, and then ice, out of the air and control it. It had grimly amused him at the time, and he'd let out a semi-plaintive 'why is it always water?' before deciding that, much like Shiro, if he could only do one thing with magic he'd learn to do it well.
As he willed all of the water he could collect out of the air around him, a large, disk-shaped glob began to form above him, solidifying from the inside out into a steadily growing icy shield. The first sword passed through the edge even as it was solidifying, grinding to a halt mere inches from Ranma's chest,even as the shield sloped down into a dome, ringing impacts slamming against the outside. The martial artist strained with each one, pushing up with his arms as if they were holding the weight physically, channeling his mana through his palms as he did chi.
The shield dome rang again, and again, and again as waves of projectiles smashed into it, and the martial artist collapsed to his knees, his arms trembling as a disconcerting, familiar warmth began to spread down them into the rest of his body. He ignored this, glaring into the opaque white and forcing new ice to form as chips ablated off of the shield. The warmth in his arms quickly began to grow, and he grunted as cores of red-hot pain began spreading down his forearms, as though rods of molten iron were being shoved through his wrists. A moment later, the magic circuits along his left arm sputtered, and then flashed brightly before going dark.
The ice shield immediately began to melt as the mana that was keeping it frozen faded away, the rest of Ranma's magic circuits going dark as a wave of pain, and then numbness rolled across the left side of his body.
Gilgamesh seemed to have noticed, and wanted to know what was happening, as the waves of blades stopped, even as the dome of rapidly melting ice lost all structure and fell around Ranma, covering her in cold water.
"Heh…" She chuckled mirthlessly, even as small rivulets of the liquid dripped down her hair and in front of her eyes.
"What?!" The blond Servant demanded, glaring at her. "You… you're the one who stole the doll?"
"She's got a name too, y'know," The redhead growled, attempting to force herself to her feet and failing due to the fact that her left forearm still refused to move. Then, as she rested the arm against her chest, feeling heat radiating through her shirt into the skin there, her eyes widened.
She started to laugh again, this time more than a single chuckle, even as the pain she was in made it a little ragged.
"Have you finally realized the seriousness of your situation?" Gilgamesh demanded, as a new set of portals opened behind him.
"Nah, it's not that," Ranma said, blithely. "I think I just figured something out." Even as she spoke, her mind began frantically sorting through implications and possibilities, her body tensing up.
"I struggled vainly," She started, as she forced her magic circuits to reopen, almost stumbling when the ones in her unresponsive arm failed to activate with a stab of agony. "Against the current that flows."
"If this is some attempt at surrender, it is far too late!" Gilgamesh snapped.
"Through magic and life." Ranma ignored him, right up to leaping over a small barrage of swords he sent at her even as she kept speaking. "In order to find my goal, I embrace this Soul of Ice!"
Her mind seemed to go still even as Gilgamesh's eyes widened and a ripple of opening portals spread around him, firing as soon as they formed to produce a steady stream of weapons. The world slowed, even as fear and apprehension fell away and her magic circuits began to glow so brightly that they hurt to look at. "You're going to die." The clear, calm proclamation rang through the air, accompanied by a soft, slight smile, right before an almost inaudible chiming sound.
The first blade crossed a nearly invisible line of wavering air, even as a cold mist rose from Ranma's body. The weapon abruptly spun out of its flight path, end over end until the drag caused it to fall backwards into the next in its path. Eventually a shriek of clashing and breaking steel rang out, as more and more weapons deflected off of nothing and intercepted their fellows.
Ranma's expression didn't change as she walked forward into the hail of swords, each one wobbling, and then spinning off course as they passed the light layer of mist that surrounded her. Even when portals opened behind her, the result was the same.
Raising her right hand, fingers locked into a knife-like position, a crystalline blade of ice almost seemed to grow over the limb, batting any of the heavier swords her enemy sent at her out of the way.
At that moment, Gilgamesh began truly giving ground.
HR.
"Was that… supposed to be an Aria?" Illyasviel asked, as she and Lancer crouched in the second story bedroom of one of the Einzbern castle's outbuildings. He'd actually been quite impressed when she'd shown him the hidden passage that led to the guest house from the main building, though she considered it a matter of course.
The battle in front of them, on the other hand, he was treating as mildly interesting even as she'd just witnessed what she was pretty sure was impossible. Well, multiple things that she'd once considered impossible, as she'd never actually seen Ranma's curse before, but after her own, that was less shocking.
"Whatever it was, it worked," Lancer answered. "I don't think I've seen control of ice magic like that since…" he shook his head. "I didn't know the kid had a trick like this."
"I don't think he did either," the dark haired girl replied, wincing at a sudden intensification of the clash of blades in the courtyard before her. "The aria he used to invoke it seemed slapped together. By rights, it shouldn't have worked."
Lancer smirked. "Tell her that." The magus in question was leaping through the air, using Gilgamesh's latest attack as a stepping stone to get to him. Through the entire fight, she had been trying to close the distance, and he'd been determined not to let her. Even though the bubble of mist around her deflected his weapons, enough of them thrown at once still blocked the way. "It's too bad she's running out of time."
Illyasviel looked over at the blue haired man sharply, though he didn't return her gaze, as he was still studying the battle. It took a longer time than she'd like to admit to finally pick up what the Servant had noticed. In fact, she only barely grasped it before Ranma's newest charge faltered, her burning blue magic circuits flickering out, and her body crashing bonelessly to the ground. "No…" she breathed.
HR.
She tried again. Her magic circuits flickered briefly, and then faded. Her entire body hurt. The icy calm that had previously enveloped her mind had fled, leaving her confused. Her technique hadn't faltered, and her body had been enduring it, so why..
"Heh." She heard the amused snort from only feet away. "It's something like this that did you in?" She forced herself to raise her head, no matter how much her muscles burned. She wouldn't die to this bastard without looking him in the eye. She almost chuckled herself, remembering that, and noticing the streak of blood that still fell down his cheek as she forced his face into focus.
His smirk had somehow… changed. It was still as maddeningly superior as before, but a bit less of a sneer. "Mana exhaustion," he stated succinctly. "Not of you, but of the surroundings. You've managed to burn all of the free mana in a three kilometer area in less than fourty-five seconds."
That made sense, she had to reluctantly admit to herself. Unlike chi, which was generated by the body, most mana was taken in from the world by the magic circuits, and converted to a form you could use. That was why she'd lost her aura when her circuits activated, they were treating her chi like the rest of the energy around it and converting it. As that thought flitted through her mind, desperate action followed. Gilgamesh blinked down at her as she began to glow gold, pushing out as much battle aura as her strained body could manage, and then tried to open her magic circuits again. She barely got enough power to vault upwards, her circuits flickering out before she hit the ground, though she did manage to angle her fall so that she hit on one knee, barely keeping herself from falling over.
"Using your last spark of power to look your enemy in the eye?" Gilgamesh asked. "I can admit some respect for that." Even as he said it, his hand stretched to the side, and a heavy, bronze axe fell into it. He gripped it by a hole made for the purpose along the blade, and studied its ornate markings for a moment.
"May as well," Ranma rolled with the misunderstanding, not wanting to give her opponent the satisfaction of seeing fear. Even as part of her mind still scrambled for something to turn the tide, she kept eye contact with him, a defiant smirk of her own on her face.
"Your Ryoga was not garbage," Gilgamesh stated after a moment of consideration. "If he fought anywhere near as well as you, then Enkidu would have been happy to be part of a battle with him."
Ranma blinked. "Enkidu?" She asked, confused.
Her opponent seemed to pause unnaturally for a moment, glancing off into one of the buildings to the side of the courtyard, before Ranma's question regained his attention. "You don't need to know that," Gilgamesh shook his head. "But know that you fought well." Without a further word, the blond stepped forward, shifting his grip on his axe and raising it over his head.
Even as she instinctively channeled chi to her still working hand to try and block the Servant's blow, Ranma kept her gaze steady. She was in a perfect position, therefore, to notice as a shimmer of golden light appeared behind him, resolving into a humanoid figure. She kept her expression frozen even as the figure threw his arms wide, and closed them around the blond man.
"What… what is this?!" Gilgamesh demanded, struggling even as a hand covered in tiny golden fissures closed over his, squeezing until he was forced to let go of his axe with a grunt of pain.
"Thanks for the compliment," Ryoga stated simply. "Now die!"
Ranma was scrabbling for enough mana to capitalize on her Servant's action, the shock at his reappearance shoved to the back of her mind, when a streak of red flew over her head. Gilgamesh just had time to widen his eyes before the spear slammed into his chest, punching through his body and that of the man who was grappling him.
Ryoga's hands came loose and he staggered back as the red lance faded into mana, Gilgamesh falling to his knees, now eye-level to Ranma, before he pitched forward, a sickeningly familiar feeling reddish black sludge dripping from the wound in his chest.
"What… what just happened?" the pigtailed martial artist asked, as her Servant stood before her, glowing with a slowly fading golden light, even as there was a large hole gouged in his chest.
Ryoga's response wasn't actually all that unexpected. "You damned idiot!" He roared, stepping forward and grabbing Ranma by the collar, hauling her up to his eye level.
"Heh," she replied, a crooked smile spreading over her face. "Don't bother, P-chan." She cut him off before he could get up a good head of steam. "You asked me, last night… if I was the best. I know the answer now. And there's no way in hell I'd have avoided that fight."
"But I…" The Servant was obviously taken aback by the response, lowering his master gently to the ground as his anger drained.
"My life's my own, Ryoga," Ranma continued, doing her best to avoid showing how hard it was to stay on her feet. "That's the thing I couldn't figure out. And what I choose to risk it for's my own damned business!" Her smirk faltered a little. "I'll admit, I probably wouldn't have gone that far if I knew you were still alive."
The Servant looked down at himself, and shook his head. "I'm not," he said, simply. "The only thing keeping me moving is the last of my mana, and my bond with you is permanently severed." Ranma's eyes widened as she realized that the golden fissures that covered the taller man's body, gently shedding tiny particles, looked disturbingly like the edges of Gilgamesh's weapons had when they'd faded out.
"Wait, so…" She asked, gulping.
"So I'm done," he said, simply. And then, he smiled sadly. "But you're right. That fight was…" He shook his head. "I'm glad you figured it out. I'm glad the Ryoga here won't… can't make my mistake." His solemn expression then faded, replaced with a fanged grin. "Oh, and when you get to the throne? I'm going to kick your ass."
"Hey! What was that!" Ranma yelped, stepping forward, even as the Servant Assassin faded away in a downward flowing wave of golden sparks. She overbalanced at the abrupt movement, falling to the ground next to the body of Gilgamesh. A distant thought flitted through her mind that he probably should have vanished, too, but was quickly overridden by a chuckle from behind her.
Managing to roll over and glance back, she blinked as she saw Lancer walking across the castle courtyard, helping Illyasviel, who was leaning against his shoulder, exhausted.
"That is not how I expected that to end," the blue haired Servant said, his ever-present smirk in place. "Good ending, though."
"You… I…" Ranma stuttered, her mind trying to come to grips with the situation. Latching onto the most important thing she could think of, she asked, "What's wrong with Illyasviel?"
"It's nothing serious," the girl said, in a weak voice.
"She says after she uses her own mana to power my Noble Phantasm because someone drained the rest of it," Lancer interrupted. "She should be okay with some rest, though."
"Your Noble Phantasm?" Ranma asked. "Wait, so does that mean…"
"Yup, my new master," lancer nodded. "Much cuter than the last one, I- urk!" Illyasviel removed her elbow from the Servant's ribs, and he oblidgingly pretended to be winded.
"Oh," Ranma nodded. Then her head fell to the uneven stony ground, and she passed out.
HR.
Everything hurt. Fortunately, he was fairly used to that in recent days, and did his best to claw his way back to wakefulness regardless. When his eyes finally managed to crack themselves open, he saw a hazy black and red blob. "Tohsaka?" He took a guess.
"Yeah, it's me," the blur replied, slowly resolving into the girl. He took in the room around her, not recognizing it. The construction was very western, with stone floors and heavy wooden walls with cross beams to hold up the roof.
He shuffled to a seated position, noting the fresh bandages wrapped around him. "Where are we?"
"The Einzbern castle's guesthouse," Rin said.
"Einzbern… that Servant!" Shiro exclaimed, trying to roll out of bed, only to be stopped by the girl's raised hand.
"He's gone," the girl explained. "Lancer took him out after that girl who claims to be Illyasviel contracted with him."
"Claims to be?" Shiro asked, confused.
"She still refuses to explain to me how she supposedly became human," Rin snapped back, her arms crossed.
Shiro resisted the urge to smirk, and then remembered something. "Wait, did… did you shoot me in the back?"
The twintailed girl's superior annoyance abruptly fled, and she shifted a little in her seat. "You were planning on charging at that thing, after it made it clear it wanted you dead, while still injured from your fight with Archer!" Her sheepishness began to fall away, replaced with righteous anger. "So yes, I shot you in the back!"
He winced. When she put it that way, it did sound pretty bad. "But Ranma-"
"Managed to hold out on his own… somehow… until Lancer and 'Illyasviel' showed up, and I've got some questions about that too," Rin said, and Shiro noted that she was surprisingly good at the air quotes gesture. "Unfortunately, the fight put him in worse condition than you, so he's resting."
"I should-" He started, trying to shift his legs to get up again, only for the magus to stop him again.
"You should rest right there for the rest of the day. Even your ridiculous recovery speed has to have a limit somewhere. I checked the wards, and this place is fairly safe for the time being."
He considered arguing, but given the look in her eye, decided that it was a lost cause, leaning back against the pillow. He still did feel a little weak, but had to wonder if that was because of his injuries from the fight with Archer, or her weakness curse. He had the good sense not to say this aloud.
HR.
As she stepped out into the little clearing behind the castle, Illyasviel clutched tightly to the bag of effects she'd recovered from what was left of her rooms. She slowly stepped forward, kneeling in front of the two sturdy wrought iron crosses that stuck out of the ground. Running a hand along one, she could feel the residual presence of magic, but the marker was made of real metal. As her fingers ran over the crosspiece, she felt the engraved letters.
"Sella…" She read them aloud. She just stared down at the lump of dirt that hid the body of her former companion for a moment, memories flooding her, mostly of the female homunculus' maddening insistence on propriety. Even before that first meeting with Gilgamesh, she'd…
The dark haired woman swallowed hard, desperately forcing back tears, before she rubbed the second cross. "Leysritt…"
She couldn't even really bring herself to think of her, given what she was here to do. Even if her family had deemed the blunt homunculus defective, she'd been her closest friend, if for no other reason than the fact that they were almost the same being. Even as she thought this, she moved her fingers, manipulating mana into a stream of long white threads that fell into the ground, burrowing into Leysritt's grave. As she worked, she felt the Servant materializing behind her.
"So, you found your way here," Archer's deep voice intruded on her concentration. "You remembered what this place meant."
"It didn't mean anything," She snapped back. "I don't know why they're buried here, I just followed my link to the dress."
There was a sharp intake of breath, and then a chuckle. "So, you really are her."
As the magecraft she was weaving had passed the critical point, Illyasviel looked back, surprised to see a fond smile on the Servant's face. "This place did become important, to the Illyasviel I knew, I mean. When spring came, after the war. She loved running through the forest near here." He leaned back against the castle wall. "That won't happen, though, will it? Perhaps it was presumptuous of me to bury them here."
"No!" Illyasviel said quickly, before shaking her head. "I… Thank you. For putting them to rest, I mean. Even if I have to do this." She gestured at the white thread laying on Leysritt's grave, which seemed to be slowly growing.
"What are you doing?" He asked, studying the spell carefully.
"I need to recover the dress," she explained. "I can't just leave it here, even if losing it will destroy what's left of her."
"I see," Archer nodded. He then just stood there, studying her. She did her best to ignore him, going back to her task, delicately wrapping the white cocoon of thread she'd created in a bag of more solid cloth which had runes stitched into its edges. Since she was currently human, direct contact with the artifact she was handling could have some pretty bad side-effects, starting with turning her into a golden statue and getting worse from there.
Standing and tugging the special carrying bag closed, she turned once more to face Archer. "Why are you here?" She finally asked, even if a part of her suspected.
He rubbed a hand through his hair violently. "That is a very good question," he admitted. "When I was summoned, my task was clear, if obviously futile. Now… Seeing you changes everything. It's one thing to hope that the idiot boy in there can avoid making my mistakes," he gestured back at the castle, "It's another to know that he won't have to watch you die."
"How long did I… she… last?" The girl found herself asking out of morbid curiosity.
"About eight months," he responded. "She could have gone longer, but she wouldn't stop exerting herself."
Illyasviel nodded. That sounded about right. She would have a lot longer than that, and had been sort of shying away from thinking about it for the past day or so. Still, she had a lot of exploring and traveling planned, if she could get away with it.
Eventually, Archer spoke again. "I know you aren't fond of me, and I've got a pretty good idea why. Just… you might want to ask Shiro about your father some time."
"Why would I want to do that?" She demanded, eyes narrowed.
"Because people are complicated," he replied, shortly, before fading away.
HR.
"You can come in." The voice still sounded alarmingly weak as Saber pushed the door open, stepping into the small, dimly lit room. Ranma was laying on the bed next to the curtained window, and he seemed to get more aware of the world around him as she, and the plate she was carrying, approached.
"Hey, that dinner?" He asked, reaching out for the plate. She was about to hand it to him when she noticed his left hand. It was reaching along with the right, but the fingers seemed to be trembling violently. Spotting where she was looking, he grimaced, and the hand steadied.
"Sorry, still getting used to that," he muttered, taking the plate from her.
"What's wrong with it?" She asked, sitting next to the bed.
"Rin says I fried the magic circuits in that arm, and they took some nerves with them. He frowned down at the treacherous appendage. "I've gotta sorta guide it with chi now if I want to move it properly."
"Can you do that in combat?" She saw his frown deepen.
"With practice… maybe? But that won't help with my magic circuits open."
"I see." She stared out the window as he ate his dinner.
"Hey, it's not a big deal," he said after a few uncomfortable moments. "I'll figure out how to work around it."
"I will assist you with that, if I can," she promised, but her expression still looked troubled.
"Look, uh, Saber, thanks for deliverin' the food, but I'm surprised you're not eating too. You alright?"
"I'm uncertain," she admitted. "My role in the war as of late hasn't been the most… helpful. It reminds me far too much of my role in the fourth war."
"You were in the fourth war?" Ranma blinked. "That was the last one, right?"
"Yes," She nodded. "I spent a vast majority of it underestimating the situation, and becoming a pawn of others as a result." She frowned darkly. "My misjudgment of your actions while fighting Gilgamesh was another… unpleasant reminder."
"You're not gunna tell me how I was an idiot for doin' it too, are ya?" Ranma asked, setting his plate aside. "Think you need to get in line."
"No," She shook her head. "I understand your motivations. I even, to a degree, respect them, even if the opponent was far too strong for you to take on alone. I should have at least attempted to fight alongside you in that battle, no matter what you said."
"I'd object, but I did sorta end up gettin' my ass saved by other people," Ranma grumbled. "Still, I was the one who asked you to get the others to safety, which you did. That would've ended real bad if Rin or Shiro were still around. I think maybe you're overthinking things a bit."
"Perhaps," Saber said, though she seemed uncertain.
The two sat silently for a few moments, before Ranma spoke again, if only to break the awkwardness. "There's one thing you could do for me," he said, and continued at her nod. "If you ever get the random impulse to start callin' people landlings, or Mongrels, or whatever, and lordin' your superiority over them, lemme know."
She almost choked. "E-excuse me?"
"Well, with this Gilgamesh guy, that's two outta three blondes with powerful auras and kinda regal presences who've tried to kill me. Would just be nice to get some warning, is all."
Saber grimaced, and then seemed to think for a moment. "The disturbing part is that, when put that way, I can see the similarities. I'll try not to be insulted." Then, she paused. "Wait, three?"
"That's… a long story," Ranma admitted. "Maybe I'll tell you sometime, but not today."
Saber seemed to accept that, and oddly, the silence got slightly less awkward.
HR.
It was honestly a bit of a surprise to Archer how much nostalgia he had for Fuyuki, once he let himself just wander through it. His final reserve of mana was gradually trickling down, but that didn't really seem like much of an issue, anymore. He walked down a street, heading away from the school where he'd just spotted Taiga racing by on her scooter, and passed Copenhagen, the liquor store. He'd already circled most of the Shinto district, and decided to head across the bridge, to the older, less developed part of town.
He got a few odd looks, but ignored them as he climbed up the hill. Up until now, he hadn't allowed himself to think about this place, or the people who populated it. He hadn't let the memories that had slowly trickled in from resonance with Shiro Emiya form into a true picture in his mind. But… if this world had a chance to be even slightly different, then maybe there was less harm in remembering?
When he'd first arrived, this place had been so faded that he hadn't even remembered Rin's name, but over time, that distance had been getting harder and harder to keep.. More and more context began to surround the people and things he saw, until he saw her standing in the wreckage of the castle's entrance, and the knowledge that something had radically changed forced its way into his consciousness.
Now, as if the floodgates were open, Shiro's memories reinforced his own, from the words he'd spoken to Kiritsugu Emiya on a cold, winter morning, to the caring yet irresponsible antics of Taiga Fujimura. He paused at the crossroads that led to the Emiya home, but turned away from it, farther up the hill. There, he knew, both Rin and Sakura lived.
He knew that Rin was safe for the moment at the Einzbern castle, but idle curiosity drove him forward, along with his dwindling mana. He was approaching the Matou house, when he heard something from its direction, his enhanced senses magnifying what should have been a dull thump into a loud bang. Acting on instinct, he broke into a sprint, catching the sight of the front door to the large mansion swinging closed.
He paused for a moment on the poarch. The sound hadn't really been all that unusual, and he was pretty sure a strange man bursting in over what might be nothing would cause more problems than it would help. He was about to turn and leave, when he heard another thump, and what sounded like a woman gasping in discomfort.
Moving without further thought, the red-clad Servant slammed the door open, his eyes widening at what he saw. Two figures were standing at the other end of the hallway, both with slightly different shades of purple hair. The girl was pinned against the wall, her school uniform disheveled, the front torn open to reveal her undergarments, while the boy had one hand holding her in place and the other one raised.
"Shinji Matou." The name ran through his mind even as it slipped from his mouth.
"Who… you're that Servant!" The boy yelled, indignantly. "Why the hell are you here?"
"You're asking that right now?" Archer demanded, as the other name ran through his mind. 'Sakura.' A sense of revulsion at himself rose in the Servant's mind, as he remembered that he'd left the boy alone with Rin. Even if she had had half a dozen ways to deal with him, if things went too badly, starting with Saber's command seals and getting more painful from there if she got creative.
Sakura, who was looking between him and her brother with wide, terrified eyes, wasn't so lucky. A low growl started in the white haired man's throat, and his twin blades materialized in his hands. This taxed what remained of his mana, but he didn't care.
"What the hell are you doing?" he snarled. "Let her go!"
"Wait! Stop, please!" The call came from the girl, and caused Archer to turn in surprise. Shinji had let her go in fear when he'd started forward, and she was now standing between them. She was trembling, her face flushed and breath coming in short, sharp gasps. The Servant was about to demand to know what was going on, when Sakura collapsed to her knees, groaning and holding her head. He stepped forward once again, this time worried about what was wrong with her, before a wave of blackness seemed to roll out from around her body, swallowing her shadow.
He was half a second too slow, as a lashing forest of tendrils sprang from the darkness, closing around him.
HR.
He brought down his blade on yet another wave of shadow, even as he knew it was probably useless. This place was slowly sucking away his mana, and with each dark wave, visions of the horrors of humanity bombarded his mind. It was obvious that the thing was trying to break him. Unfortunately for it, he'd been a Counter Guardian for an eternity beyond memory. He knew every petty sin and cruelty humanity was capable of.
This didn't change the fact that every assault the shadows around him launched pulled away a little more of his essence. It may not be able to corrupt him, but his consumption seemed inevitable. Still, a contrary part of his mind decided that he'd make it as difficult as possible, while the rest mulled over the situation.
He still wasn't sure what was going on. The shadows felt, in some way, familiar, but the context danced at the edge of his memory and refused to come closer. It had had something to do with his last fight in his own grail war, but the vast majority of that time was still a blur.
It didn't make any sense, though. One thing he was sure of was that Sakura hadn't been involved in that war. Why had the shadows manifested around her? As if in response to that question, the next wave of lashing tendrils formed out of the darkness, and he prepared to strike it down. When it came into contact with the first of his twin blades, however, what he saw was different.
–
She gazed impassively at the wreck of a human being who stood before her. His eyes, which had once sparkled with compassion and determination, now only gleamed with the dimming embers of madness. His body was a wreck, its meager magic circuits incapable of supporting the load they'd been put under, as grandfather had explained to her, along with everything else, at great length.
Uncle Kariya had promised to rescue her, to take her away from here, but grandfather immediately explained how that wasn't going to happen. He outlined in exact detail what was, as the burden of the crest and a Servant wore away at a body and mind too weak to support them. And now, the evidence stood before her, trembling. He reached out, as if to touch her, but then fell back, falling into the squirming and writhing pool they stood at the edge of. As she watched his reaching hand sink below the surface, she knew that he wouldn't re-emerge.
Just as grandfather said.
–
"Is it greedy of me to wish for an outcome where everyone is saved and becomes happy?"
He staggered back as tendrils made it past his guard, leaping to clear some distance and roaring, as he sliced apart the few that pursued him. That last vision had seemed… different. He'd seen far worse before, but it hit with more immediacy and force. As if capitalizing on the weakness it had sensed, the shadow reformed much more quickly than before, and attacked again.
As he struck down tendril after tendril, more images, thoughts and emotions flooded his mind. Resentment, jealousy, anger, each followed by shame and self loathing. The absolute knowledge that her situation was her fault, that the training Grandfather put her through was only so harsh because she was too weak. That Father had chosen Rin for her greater skill, and the jealousy that burned within her was wrong.
And then the urges, the constantly increasing craving that, after it got to a certain point, she was too weak to suppress.
Shinji…
–
"Is it greedy of me to wish for an outcome where everyone is saved and becomes happy?"
His guard faltered further even as it became more frantic. Multiple copies of Kanshou and Bakuya flew through the space, their master uncaring of the power he was burning. His previous battlecry turned into screams of rage, even as more and more tendrils found their way past his guard.
The next flash burned the most painfully, even as its beginning seemed so much brighter. The boy she'd seen. The one who attacked any goal, from a high-jump bar to the school's dilapidated heating system, with a methodical, cheerful determination that lifted her heart every time she saw it. The boy who had been unfailingly polite to her even as his friendship with Shinji had fallen apart because of her.
She had visited him, helped him when he was hurt, and he had cheerfully taught her how to cook, until she became so good that their breakfasts became a competition between the two of them. A part of her whispered that a tainted, weak thing like her shouldn't be so happy, but she managed to ignore it.
"And then Shiro Emiya ended up with Rin," Archer interrupted. "I know what you're doing, I won't…" The next memory, however, struck him speechless. It wasn't that of Sakura Matou, or of the Shiro of this world.
–
He carefully inspected the contents of the small, hard-sided suitcase before closing it, lifting it in one hand. He'd already had his argument with Fuji-nee, and it had been a struggle to get her to accept the key to the house, but he knew what he had to do.
He paused for a moment, glancing at the photo of himself and Illya at the amusement park that hung next to the door, before opening it and stepping through. He was stopped short by the girl who was standing on the walk, her hand raised as if she'd been preparing to knock on the door.
"Senpai," Sakura greeted, smiling cheerfully at him. His heart sank. He really didn't want to have to argue with her too. "I heard you're leaving today?"
"Yeah, that's right," he said, putting his suitcase down and doing his best to smile back. "I just… need some time, after Illya, and everything."
"Yes," the purple haired girl nodded. "I understand, Illya-chan's sickness was hard on all of us."
"I… yeah, thanks," he said, surprised. "Fuji-nee didn't seem too happy, though."
"I'm sure she'll get over it," Sakura said. "You need to take some time for yourself, after all." She paused for a moment, raising a hand and opening her mouth, before seeming to reconsider. "I hope you enjoy your trip."
"I will, thanks." He picked up his bag and nodded to her, before heading down the walk.
"Turn around!"
He didn't hear Archer's desperate call, turning onto the sidewalk, and heading down towards the bridge that led to the Shinto district.
"Turn around, you stupid, selfish bastard!"
Shiro Emiya didn't listen, even as Sakura's smiling face crumpled into one of profound depression. He never would turn around.
"Is it greedy of me to wish for an outcome where everyone is saved and becomes happy?"
"Yes!" Archer's swords fell from his limp, nerveless fingers, as darkness overwhelmed him. Without the ideals that had sustained him, or the hatred that replaced them, the nameless Counter Guardian fell, individual suffering succeeding where the horrors of the world had failed. And Shiro Emiya broke, twisted and was remolded with a scream like wrending steel.
HR.
She fought for breath, her head pounding and body burning. Every joint ached even as the crest worms within her writhed at such a frantic pace that she could feel them, her heart racing and the flush spreading over her entire body.
Even so, the sight before her captivated her. The bulging, three-dimensional shadow that writhed on the floor where the man, no, she now realized he'd been a Servant, once stood. She frantically tried to grasp what was happening, but there was really only one answer that made any sense. She'd wanted him to stop before he harmed Shinji, and somehow, the awakened grail within her had responded to that wish.
Now, though, it was doing something else, and she wasn't sure what. She caught flashes of sensation and images, even as she struggled with her own discomfort. "Wh… what the hell is that?" She was jolted back to reality when the shadow before her split, a pale hand reaching out of it and pulling a figure covered with mud free.
As the mud dripped away, her eyes widened, and her stomach dropped. Where the white haired Servant had previously been, there was now a teenaged boy with red hair. The red cloak was gone, revealing the black armor that lay beneath, and vains of angry looking red and black ran across his skin like the patterns made by magic circuits. His eyes were a pale yellow, pupils slit like those of a cat or lizard. The face, however, was unmistakable.
"Senpai?"
He smiled that kind and friendly smile she loved so much, and it still looked the same, even in the strangely altered face. "That's right, Sakura-chan," he said, stepping forward, the shadows retreating around his feet.
As he reached out a hand, she recoiled. "No!" He looked, felt and sounded like the Shiro she knew, but a feeling of uncertainty and wrongness built up in the back of her mind. "I don't… I did something, you…" She stammered, trying to get her thoughts in order.
"You didn't do anything wrong," he said, stretching his hand out again and grasping her arm. A pleasant, tingling warmth came from the point of contact even as he pulled her to her feet. "You just showed me what I was doing wrong all this time."
"What you…" She asked, even as her thoughts became more sluggish.
"That's right," He nodded, those strange, golden eyes looking down at her. "All this time, you've been suffering so much, and I didn't realize it." He laughed bitterly.. "I wanted to be a hero, and I ignored the person who really needed my help."
"No, that's not…" A cold chill raced down Sakura's spine. She knew this wasn't right, and that Shiro wouldn't say something like this to her. Especially since she was pretty sure he was with Rin, now. It was impossible that he would abandon his dream like that, that he would abandon anything. "What did I do to you?"
"Like I said, it wasn't anything bad," his voice was gentle, soothing, as his hands ran over her back, and then her sides. She squirmed involuntarily, the scenario so similar to so many dreams she'd had. "All that time, you spent thinking that you weren't worthy of this," he continued. "Your anger and jealousy at Rin, hatred for your grandfather, for Shinji."
"What?!" Shinji yelled from behind her, but the sound only vaguely impacted upon her awareness, as did the horrified scream that cut off abruptly a moment later.
"But I-" She was cut off by a kiss, before she firmly but reluctantly pushed him away.
"You don't have to deny it," he said, simply. "It's fine. It's justified. No one should have had to suffer the way you did."
"But I… I attacked…" her mind struggled, trying to figure out what was going on, even as Shiro held her in his arms. She wanted to just fall back into the dream she was clearly having, and allow it to continue, even as a dwindling voice at the back of her mind kept screaming that it wasn't right.
"I love you, Sakura-chan," Shiro said. "I know all about you, and I love you. All of you."
That voice slowly shrank away. Against the fulfillment of her deepest, most secret, and desperate dream it stood no chance. "Everything's really okay?" She asked, in a small, fragile voice. "I did well?"
"Yeah, that's right," Shiro rubbed her back gently. "You've got nothing to apologize for. It's this world and everyone else that should apologize." One of his hands reached up and petted her head reassuringly.
"I'm so relieved…" She began to giggle softly, before the giggles began to be interspersed with harsh, wracking sobs, years of tense self-hatred washing away under the gentle hands of the man she loved.
And then, what he'd said fully processed, and she smiled. It made sense, after all. Her sobs trailed off, and her giggles began to turn to higher pitched, louder laughter. If it wasn't her fault, then it must be theirs. The people who had hurt her, who had taunted her, who had kept things from her. …who had ignored her. It all made sense now.
Shadow began coiling at her feet as she spoke, licking up her legs. "This world is an eyesore." A moment later, she grinned widely, coming up with a wonderful idea.
"It should disappear."
END.
So, no Taiga this time. I had a lot I wanted to say here, and hopefully I can keep this note shorter than the chapter.
First, I'm sure a lot of people have… feelings… about the fight. If they're just that it's not very interesting, that's a combination of my terrible descriptions, and the fact that without pretty visuals, Gilgamesh really isn't that dynamic. He throws things at you. That's about it. Sorry.
I had a long section here about the issues each combatant had during the fight, but honestly I'm not sure it would help. The two things that ended up deciding the way it played out were Gil's fundamental inability to compromise his pride and take an opponent seriously until they've more than proven they're a threat, and Ranma's inexperience and lack of knowledge of the magical world. If either of these factors weren't there, it would have ended in favor of the one without the disadvantage. But to be clear? If both weren't there, Gil wins. He's kind of ridiculous.
If you're wondering where the hell Ryoga came from, there's actually a hint about that dropped in the same information card I referenced last time. He's got battle continuation.
Next, Ranma's new technique. Here's the skill description.
—
Soul of Ice, (magecraft.) Rank B.
A form of physical and mental reinforcement. Due to extremely specific use requirements and elements of mindset, it is likely unique to Ranma Saotome. The soul of ice uses water elemental reinforcement, spread through the body of the subject, to syphon the heat generated when magic circuits process mana. It also vastly increases reaction time, allowing for a heightened perception of the world surrounding the user that, along with basic elemental manipulation of ice, acts as "Protection From Arrows' of the same letter grade, and adds one level to pre-existing "Eye of the mind" or similar skills.
By bleeding off the heat generated by overstressed magic circuits, this skill can dramatically increase a magus' mana throughput, allowing for the use of more powerful magecraft. With it, Ranma has similar mana processing abilities to Rin Tohsaka, in spite of the fact that he has fewer and lower quality magic circuits.
Unfortunately, in spite of this skill's power, it has many general and specific drawbacks. It is extremely complex, and requires widespread, precise reinforcement, along with the conversion of water elemental mana so that it has a natural cold aspect. Most magi simply don't have the mental capacity and elemental affinity to do all of this at once, and failure would result in severe injury, brain damage, or death.
Ranma is only capable of the technique at all due to previous intensive training in the control of odic energy, which, due to accidental self-suggestion, his mana manipulation emulates. He also subconsciously connects the concepts 'magic,' 'water' and 'cold' almost inextricably in his mind due to past incidents. Thus, more than half of the skill's preparation steps are already done. Even so, careless use of the ability could severely injure him, and as he found out during his first use, mana throughput isn't always the largest limiting factor.
Note: The activation of this ability doesn't automatically activate a Jusenkyo curse, but given its secondary effects include a light mist that surrounds the user, it's probably inevitable anyway.
—
Okay, so it was a terrible jisei, not a terrible haiku. What, it's the only poetry he knows.
Anyhow, with all of that out of the way, thanks for reading. Please let me know what you think, and have a good day!