This is a slow story with many shorter chapters. Ishtar appears around chapter 12, more action from chapter 10. Two endings.
WARNING
Among other strange things, this story includes: really weird relationships (like, really, I could not find tags for that), gender changes (there and back again, like a certain hobbit), twisted morality, depression and loss, OP characters, mythological pranks with a dose of absurd and intentionally messed up pronouns. If You're not a fan of any of the above, turn around.
It's nothing weird in mythological stories and Fate franchise, but I've seen some people complaining here and there, so... You've been warned.
Those Who Belong to Heavens
Chapter 1: All the Treasures of This World
In which a weapon is summoned and a choice is made.
"Servant, Rider. I'm Arjuna. Please command me as you wish, Ma... King Gilgamesh?!"
There was no mistake - any Heroic Spirit would instantly recognize the famous King of Heroes. Dressed in red, white and black, covered with precious jewelry, which rattled with his every movement, leaning on the throne, with a hand supporting his cheek, in a relaxed, self-confident pose, Gilgamesh looked like a lion resting in its lair. Golden hair, quite untidy and partially covering his eyes, only intensified this impression.
Something dangerous sparkled in the crimson irises of the king of Uruk, when he examined his new toy.
"What of it?" - he asked, not impressed.
"Of wh...?" Arjuna bit his tongue for sounding like an idiot. What a stupid question to ask, he shouldn't let himself be caught off guard so easily!
"Should I recognize this name?" Gilgamesh huffed at the confused expression of his Servant. "Pathetic. I expected a powerful weapon, yet it's just a ghost of some mongrel. Get out of my sight!"
Rider needed all his willpower to keep his raging emotions in check. What had he done to deserve such treatment? Did Gilgamesh want some other, specific hero to answer his call?
"Are you deaf, mongrel? Begone."
With those words, the king threw the nearest vase at his freshly summoned Servant. Rider dodged it gracefully, still not sure if he should obey such ridiculous command. Was it a kind of test? A challenge to prove his worth to the godly entity, who had summoned him?
He didn't know yet, but could feel the growing irritation of the king. It manifested as golden circles around Gilgamesh, from which various weapons popped out, ready to smash the disobedient familiar.
So this was serious then? Arjuna sighed. An order was an order. As a Servant, he should behave properly.
"As you wish, Master. Call me, when you'll be in need of me."
And he dematerialized into spirit form before the weapons thrown at him hit the floor.
"My, you're such a troublesome man, Gil." Enkidu smiled, lying comfortably on the stone windowsill, hands clasped behind his head, near his friend's throne. "Why did you summon this thing in the first place?"
"Because all the treasures of this world are mine to be had. No matter what they may be, all of it is mine for the taking."
Enkidu sighed.
"Yet you dismissed it right away... Shouldn't you at least test it? It's not like you to throw away a sword without a single swing."
"This weapon has no worth," Gilgamesh replied in a bored voice. "If it had outright attacked me, I would have considered testing its capabilities. But it chose to bow instead. Disappointing."
"Maybe those things are called 'Servants' for a reason?"
"Hmpf."
Enkidu chuckled. Unlike Gilgamesh, they took an interest in this thing. It was the first fellow human-shaped weapon they'd ever met, after all.
"I can test it, if you don't want to."
"A waste of time and energy. It will sadden me greatly, if, after all we've been through, you return to wallowing among beasts."
Enkidu made an incomprehensible sound in response, which could be interpreted as a sign of amusement. They looked through the window, at the breathtaking sunset above the city, wondering what kind of adventure Gilgamesh would come up with next.
Disoriented by the outright hostility of his new Master, Arjuna did not know what to do next. He materialized at the top of the ziggurat, the best observatory point he could think of, and took some time to admire the view.
So this is Uruk? The city of gold and stone, of lions and bulls, sand and flowers, of sensual and spiritual pleasures. Rider could not detect any danger here, at least not of the kind that would require an intervention of a top class Servant.
So why had he been summoned, if there was no need for him to fight? Was it by accident? Or to become a part of collection of curiosities, a toy of the greedy king?
And, most importantly, what should he do about it?
Self-destruction wasn't a big problem, but seemed like a waste of potential. Gilgamesh fed him with more magical - and divine! - energy than needed. As the king had already noticed, Arjuna lost all his fame boost in this era, but his material body of a Servant was highly compatible both with his Master and the surroundings. Summoned in a class, that allowed him to possess many strong Noble Phatasms, with true ether in his circuits, he felt nearly as strong as when he was alive.
But what was the worth of strength devoid of purpose?
Heroic Spirits were supposed to inspire mortals, sometimes teach them or show them the right way. Of what help Arjuna could really be to a man, with whom all the legends of humanity had begun?
It made no sense so far, unless he was the one to learn something from the King of Heroes... Impossible, lessons were for the living, whose souls could still evolve, not for a magical interpretation of a myth about a long dead and very flawed man.
Arjuna felt that something had crushed beneath his fingers, clenched in an unexpected burst of anger. With a sigh, he brushed the dust from the destroyed brick off his perfectly white gloves. He threw his head back to calm himself down... and froze in amazement.
The starry sky in this place was stunning.
Rider breathed in the night air, warm and slightly moist, filled with unknown aromas of exotic plants. Unlike in his previous summonings to the modern era, he could still feel traces of primordial, raw energy in it. It was... intoxicating, so similar to his homeland, yet so vastly distant in every aspect.
So this is how the world felt at the end of the time of gods...
Yes, the air itself smelled like adventure. It was enough to awaken Arjuna's legendary wanderlust, his desire for knowledge, unlimited curiosity and delight over all the new things the world had to offer.
Athough such selfish reason might not feel proper for a hero like him, Rider wanted to stay here for a while, even if only to experience this kind of feeling for a little bit longer.
Originally posted on AO3. Actually, I'll be surprised if someone is interested in reading this one. :D I wrote it for myself, as a practice (there's a thin border between friendship, romance and just using each other for various reasons, I've never truly tried something like that before) and short break from my typical stories (I'm not abandoning any of them, I just need a bit of change, that's all).
Of course, I own nothing, only my terrible writing.
