A/N:
Chapter 5, here we go!
This is the second half of what was supposed to be only one chapter, and it still manages to be over 10k words. A lot happens, what can I say? Pretty sure this is the longest chapter I've released so far.
Anyway, for this, we'll be stepping away from the split-POVs and going to be following one character for the entire chapter, like how it was for the Prologue and Chapter 1. Mostly to change things up a little- and also to harken back to the fate/stay night VNs, in which it was also mostly in just one character's perspective.
I'm glad you guys gave respect for Cu's tragic (yet honestly, expected) death, lol. And also for...Rin.
There were a surprising amount of people that liked me describing Rin while she's sleeping. Might do that more often.
I'm not biased, you're biased!
Also the inclusion of Ciel! Last chapter she got a proper introduction, after only being basically a cameo during the Prologue. Like I said at the beginning, this is a proper and true Type-Moon crossover, so her inclusion represents at least a part of that. She's probably in my Top 3 of Tsukihime characters (my favorite favorite is...kind of too strong for this story right now lmao), and I'm glad that I've found a good place for her in it, and I hope you guys will enjoy her, too.
I'll see you all below!
Chapter 5: A Certain Lilac Flower
P.O.V.: A Certain Hero of Justice
Seven Years Ago.
A red-haired boy slides open the balcony door to his apartment, to see his father leaning over the side rail in pensive silence. The black-haired man, with stubble of middle age, was donning a blue kimono; something oddly traditional for a city of the future like Academy City.
The boy walks up next to him, and watches as the first fireworks of the night shoot into the air, brilliantly lighting up the distance with colors of the rainbow. "Beautiful, isn't it?" His father says.
"…Yeah." The boy responds, awkwardly.
"It's been almost three years since I've adopted you, Shirou." The man says, quietly. "How do you think I've done?"
The boy looks up into the night sky, which thanks to the light pollution of the city, stars were barely, if ever visible. "Pretty good I'd say, Dad." He didn't elaborate, but it seems to be good enough for his father as the man chuckles lightly.
"…Good." The father breathes a sigh of relief. "…So this all wasn't for nothing."
"…" The boy chooses not to respond as they continue to ponder at the fireworks.
Streaks of flowery fire dance through the night sky. Green, gold, red and blue lights fill the hearts of the people who watch. The Daihasei Festival…a time to celebrate unity within Academy City.
However, soon after its conclusion three years ago, all hell had broken loose.
This fact, the father and son knew very well.
"Shirou," the father begins, "Why do you want to walk in my footsteps? Between being an Esper and being a Magus…you choose to follow me."
The redheaded child looks up to him, and gives him a straight response, as if it was the most obvious question in the world.
"I wanna be like you, Dad. You told me you wanted to save everyone…I want to do the same."
The father's eyes narrow at the flashing lights far away. "…It's a dream I never reached."
"So I'll reach it for you."
"…"
Kiritsugu Emiya sighs, as if accepting defeat once again.
Shirou and his father had had this conversation a number of times. But every time Kiritsugu warns him of the dangers, the child presses on bullheaded, refusing any other answer or desire.
It was this conviction that Kiritsugu seemed to approve of. "…Very well. How old are you now, Shirou?"
"Um…ten, I think."
"…I think it's time I begin teaching you, then."
He directs his son into the apartment, and asks him to sit quietly on the couch as he gets something from underneath his bed.
Returning, the man appears with a black briefcase. Without a word, the Magus clicks open the locks, and opens the container.
Shirou's head tilts in confusion as his eyes scan over a rather large and scary-looking syringe, and a small glass vial filled with a clear liquid. "…What's this, Dad?" He asks. "…It looks kinda like the stuff that my school gives me. Y'know, the one that gives me my ability? Well…I guess it's supposed to…whenever mine shows up."
Kiritsugu chuckles as he carefully picks up the syringe, inspecting it to make sure it's still sterile. "This is something similar. You see…if you really want to follow in my path, then I won't stop you. However, you cannot be an Esper while being a Magus. It's physically impossible. Unless…"
He stabs the syringe tip into the vial, filling it with the liquid. "…You take this. This will only hurt for a moment, son. After it sets in, it will make it so you can practice what I used to do without any drawbacks."
After the syringe is completely filled, Kiritsugu's gaze hardens at Shirou. "One final time. What is it you want to do, Shirou?"
The boy stares back with equal force. "…Be like you. Be a hero of justice."
The father silently grins. Whether it's of sadness, or of satisfaction, Shirou couldn't decipher. Kiritsugu places the syringe tip just at the skin of his arm…
"…Then go on, son. Even if it's hard…
…Keep chasing after that dream…no matter what."
…and plunges it down.
XXXXX
A sharp gasp of air enters Shirou Emiya's throat as he's suddenly jolted awake, upright in his bed.
A dull stinging rings out in his stomach, causing him to wince as he lays himself back down onto the bed. He turns over to his alarm clock: it reads the twenty-sixth of September, at 10:30 A.M.— way past school time.
"In your condition, I recommend you not go to school today, Shirou."
A monotone but succinct voice speaks to his right. In his confused stupor, he hadn't even noticed that there was someone in the room with him.
A girl with blonde hair tied in a bun sits politely and silently at his side. She was wearing not the silver armor of battle, but a long white blouse that stretched close to her knees.
"Saber…" Shirou crawls upright again, this time ignoring the dull pain, which was already starting to fade. "…You were next to me…the whole night?"
His Servant nods quickly, as if he just asked a pretty obvious question. "Of course. In your injured state, it was my duty to make sure no harm came to you. Oh, and about my clothes-" She gestures to her long shirt and black leggings, "They were provided to me by the master of Assassin's friend. When I'm not in combat, they told me these clothes would help me more fit into the everyday crowd."
Shirou nods in understanding. "Makes sense…though, where are they now?"
"At school. They left more than three hours ago and left you in my care. I assure you, they mean to come and visit when they are finished."
"Ah, I see…wait— what about Sakura?"
Saber tilts her head in confusion. "Oh I mean…" Shirou scratches his cheek as he recalls Sakura's appearance, "…did a girl with purple hair come by this morning?"
The normal-clothed knight ponders for a moment, before realizing and nodding her head, "Indeed. A girl of that description did come by right before the Master of Assassin and her friends left…but I simply told her that you weren't feeling well, and to come by after school."
"And um…what did she say after that, Saber?"
"She asked who I was," Saber responded, "I was about to say that I am your Servant, as that is my relationship with you-"
"-Isn't that dangerous, Saber-?"
"But instead, Assassin herself interrupted and claimed that I was a family-friend from overseas. I chose to not object, since that is a valid cover-up."
Shirou sighs in exasperation. After being asleep for what must have been over twelve or more hours, he wakes up to what he realizes is going to be a pretty big mess.
'Sakura now probably thinks that I'm friends with a bunch of girls…without telling her.'
It's less that they're girls is the issue, and more that Shirou didn't tell her in the first place. 'I've known her for so long that it's natural that we know a lot about each other…but now it seems like I'm keeping secrets from her…'
He stares at the back of his hand, at the red tattoos that signify his role as a Master. 'Well…I guess there's some secrets that are better kept than others.'
"Saber," Shirou asks, "I thought this whole Grail War thing was a secret? Then why were you about to tell Sakura that you were my Servant?"
Saber replies calmly, "Simple. Servants in the more…colloquial context could mean maid. I could play the role of your maid when we are not fighting."
"That's not necessary, Saber."
"It could be."
Sighing, Shirou pushes away his blankets and rolls out of bed, getting to his feet. It's only then that he realizes something tight and linen-y is wrapped around his body. Looking down, his eyes widen at the white bandages, with large, faded red splotches around his stomach area. "Uh…"
He tries recalling what happened last night.
"Good evening, Onii-chan."
"Right, that girl…" Shirou shivers at the thought of her snow white hair and blood colored eyes. "…What happened to me last night, Saber…?"
The Servant's demeanor shifts from one more casual to now hardened and professional in a millisecond. "…You were gravely injured, Master."
Shirou feels his stomach. As far as he could tell, there was nothing still stinging underneath the bandages. "…Are you sure…? Wounds like that…they don't just heal overnight, right?"
Saber closes her eyes. "…Who's to say? In any case, you are essentially back to one-hundred percent, now."
"Alright," He reaches for one end of the bandage, and winces a little as he starts peeling it off. "Let's get this off of me, then."
After washing up and eating a light meal, Shirou Emiya finds himself at the door to his apartment with a very concerned blonde girl at his side. It took some persuading, but he managed to convince Saber that he'd be able to get through school.
"Are you sure?" Saber asks, "Enemies could appear at any moment, Shirou. And if I'm not there when you get hurt again, then…"
Shirou waves his hand to brush off her concern. "I'll be alright."
After a small huff, the Servant steadies herself and lets him go. "But if you need me," She points to the back of her own hand, gesturing for Shirou to look at his Command Seals, "You know what to do."
XXXXX
By the time he arrived at that certain high school, lunch time had already begun. He swiftly checks himself into the attendance office, then makes his way to the cafeteria.
His high school was small enough that he was able to recognize a lot of the students that pass by. Low-level high schoolers were fewer and farther between in Academy City; normally by the time one entered their first or second year of higher education, they'd at least be a Level 2.
Unfortunately, the few-hundred students at this high school were all Level 1 and below, far below the benchmark that they were expected to be at their age. Their relatively small community did mean, however, that he was able to recognize quite a few of his fellow classmate's faces.
Even the more…interesting ones.
"Yo, Emiya!" An all-too familiar blue hair waves at him in the halls as Shirou passes by. "Where you been? Sick?"
Emiya chuckles lightly. He obviously couldn't tell Aogami that he was in some sort of magical war, so he settled on the next best thing, "Yeah, for a bit, but I feel better now, so…"
"Emiya!" A feminine voice calls out.
A girl in her mid-teens, with long black hair and dark amber eyes marches up to him with crossed arms and a disappointed frown on her face. The way she was crossing said arms made…a certain part of her look bigger than normal, but Emiya managed to maintain proper eye contact. "Next time, let me know if you're sick. I could have sent you notes, or something."
"Sorry, Fukiyose…" Shirou responds, "…There wasn't much that I missed, right?"
She shrugs, "Not really. But still; just text me."
He continues onto the cafeteria, which was rife with students waiting impatiently for their lunches. Fortunately, he and Saber had quickly put together a meal for the day, so he didn't have to find himself in that unbearably long line.
He spots a certain signature messy and spiky black hair in the distance, and decides to call over to him. "Kamijou!"
The boy turns his head, and his face lights up. "Oh, hey Emiya. Heard you were sick or somethin'."
The redhead sits across from him, opening his lunch to reveal a small bento and water. Without even asking, Shirou picks up one of the onigiri from the bento and tosses it to the unlucky boy across from him.
Touma catches it with one hand, though his face is more surprised than grateful, "How did you know I didn't have a-?"
"Just a hunch of mine," Emiya says, looking at the distinct lack of food on the table in front of Kamijou, "It's fine, I made extra in case this would happen."
The two boys settle into eating. The cafeteria grows steadily more busy as more students pile into it and sit down at the tables. Even though they were by themselves just a few moments ago, almost every seat around them was quickly occupied.
"Did you hear?" A girl a seat away from Shirou speaks to her friend, and he couldn't help but eavesdrop since he and Touma were silent, "There was some sort of explosion in District 22…"
Emiya raises a brow, and looks at Kamijou. The black-haired teen nods in affirmation. "Yeah, the news was saying there was a gas leak in the Underground School District…if you ask me, that's really dangerous."
"Yeah, extremely." Shirou nods. An underground explosion of toxic or flammable fumes, where it's difficult for air to be pumped in without expensive technology, could be disastrous, put mildly.
'…Hope everyone made it out of there okay.' Shirou thinks as he bites his onigiri. '…A fire, huh?'
The putrid stench of burning corpses.
The billowing smoke that burns the eyes and nostrils. The broken rubble and hot soot that stabs and burns the body.
Air so thick with death that it's impossible to call for help. Eventually, your legs give out, then your arms, and then—
"Emiya?"
Shirou shakes his head as he pulls himself back into reality. "…Y-Yeah?"
"You okay?"
The redhead nods. "Yeah, I'm okay. Sorry, I just…got distracted."
Kamijou raises a brow, but doesn't give it any more thought as Shirou continues.
"So, what did I miss this morning?" Emiya asks.
"Ah," Kamijou looks up as if to recall what happened earlier today, "Well, Ms. Komoe announced an upcoming test at the end of the week."
'Of course she did.' Shirou inwardly sighs. Now he had another thing, on top of everything else going on in his life right now, to worry about.
"A couple chemistry assignments…and just an English lecture. Nothing too bad."
Emiya shrugs as he takes a bite of his self-made onigiri. 'Could be worse, I guess.'
Kamijou's eyes widen, "Oh yeah, there was something else. A new transfer student came into our class today."
Shirou raises a brow. "Another one? We get a lot of those, don't we? Last one was…Himegami-san, right?"
Kamijou nods, "Yeah, I think so. You'll like this new girl too; we agreed to meet for lunch, hopefully she shows up soon. Freaking Aogami and Tsuchimikado were all over her."
"Sounds like them."
"Unfortunately…" Touma sighs, "She's apparently a transfer from outside Academy City."
'Now that's pretty rare.'
Transfers from outside of the city typically don't happen for high schoolers; 99% or more of transfers come from grade schoolers, when their aptitude to become Espers are at their highest. The older one becomes, the less likely they are to develop an Esper ability.
"What's her name?"
A pair of fingers tap Shirou's shoulder. He turns, to meet eyes with a blue-haired student donning a pair of ovular glasses. Like all of the other girls in their high school, she's wearing their typical sailor uniform.
"Oh, you made it!" Kamijou exclaims from behind Shirou.
"Mhm!" The girl smiles, then turns to Emiya. "It's Ciel. Nice to meet you. You are Emiya-kun, correct? Kamijou-kun told me you were sick. Feeling better?"
"Th-That's right."
Shirou's taken aback by her formal, and crystal clear Japanese that's not belonging to any particular dialect. If her voice wasn't decidedly feminine, he'd almost take her for a robot or cyborg by the way she speaks. "It's good to meet you too, Ciel. From your name…you must be a transfer student from France?"
"I am, indeed." She takes a seat next to Shirou, placing her tray of food on the table. On her plate is white rice, topped with thick, dark red sauce and chunks of fall-apart-at-the-bone meat. "I only just started learning Japanese a few months ago, so forgive me if some things I say sound a little off…"
'No, no I don't think that's going to be an issue.' Shirou thought. It's not her words that were the problem, it's how she's saying it. Though, being around actual native speakers would likely help her find a dialect to follow.
"So, do you two typically eat lunch together?" Ciel asks.
"Well, only recently, really." Kamijou replies as he opens the food that Shirou had offered him, "We've only been general acquaintances until yesterday."
"I see, I see." Ciel nods in understanding. "Glad to see I will not be much of a stranger, then."
She digs her spoon into the rice, and piles on some of the red stew and meat. Just from the scent alone, Shirou can tell that she had chosen the curry as her lunch.
It was one of the most expensive items on the menu, and considering that she had travelled from France all the way to Academy City…
'She must be rich.' Shirou deduces. 'Or at least has a lot of scholarships.'
Ciel takes a healthy bite, then stews on the curry for a few seconds with her eyes closed. "Hm…"
She places her spoon down a little disappointedly, her face shifting into a frown. "Not enough spice."
"It is a high school cafeteria, after all." Kamijou comments as he takes a bite of his onigiri. "Fancy food really isn't their forte, I imagine."
'Well…'
Emiya thinks back to the meals he'd see Kamijou eat. While most students picked the moderate priced meals with at least a baseline level of seasoning, Kamijou, being the ever-present broke student, always was forced to pick from the bottom of the barrel.
Shirou deduced the food he ate wasn't quite what one would call gourmet. Nothing against Kamijou himself, though— the man had to do what he had to do to get by and survive.
However, as someone who cooks food at home quite often, including dabbling in curry, Shirou had also grown curious about the plate of food before Ciel. He normally packs his own lunch, so he never has to wait in the cafeteria line.
"Hey um, Ciel?"
"What is it, Emiya-kun?"
"Mind if I have a bite of that? I just want to try it."
Ciel blinks, almost in surprise, it seems, but settles into a smile as she nudges the plate over to him. "Be my guest. But don't be disappointed when you find out how mild it is."
Shirou produces his own metallic spoon from his bag, and takes a modest portion, not wanting to encroach on Ciel's meal too much.
'If it's good, maybe I can take a pointer or two from the cafeteria to make it more mild. Sakura thought my last curry was too spicy, so…'
He takes the bite.
'…Oh no.'
"…!"
His vision starts to blur as tears form in the corner of his eyes.
Shirou Emiya had quite the strong palette, so when something particularly intense invades his sensitive taste buds, well…
"Emiya-kun, are you okay?!"
"Hey, are you good, Emiya?"
He hears his two recent friends call out to him as his body fights for its very life, the warfront being the whole surface of his tongue.
He feels his cheeks turn flush red as he's easily losing the battle to the capsaicin intruding every part of his tongue, ripping through his taste buds and holding his nerve-endings hostage, lighting them on fire.
"Kami…jou…!" He reaches out for his bag, but can't see straight from all the spice. The spiky-haired boy across from him dutifully pulls out a bottle of water, and hands it swiftly to the dying redhead.
Shirou rips the cap off and floods his mouth with cool, refreshing water. It simmers the flames annihilating his tongue, which he was sure had shrunk and turned to ash from the taste buds before the water rehydrated it back to life.
Although the pain was still far too strong for mortal men, Emiya found the willpower within him to sit upright and talk properly, wiping the tears from his eyes with his shirt. "Ciel…did you…play a prank on me, or something…?"
"Eh? No! Not at all!" Ciel protests, almost seeming offended that he would accuse her of such a thing. After all, he had asked for a bite, not the other way around. And since they had only just met, she wouldn't know he'd ask to try it, anyway. "Is it…is it really that spicy?"
"Yes…!" Emiya coughs out, taking another swig of water to prevent his tongue from raising a white flag, "Yes, it is! Did you…ask the cook…what spice rank…it has…?!"
Ciel blinks. "Spice rank…? Oh, right."
While he didn't know the menu off the top of his head, he is aware about the spice rank. The cafeteria menu has a spice-level chart, so students could be able to choose what level of intensity they could handle. Quite frankly, it is quite an intuitive system for a high school that was notably underfunded, compared to the schools with higher-ranking Espers.
Academy City is a realm of meritocracy, after all.
In any case, the blue-haired student ponders for a moment, probably recalling back to when she was looking at the menu a few minutes ago. "Right…out of a scale of one-through-five, I think it said ten?"
'…Wh…what?!'
If Shirou Emiya has a sensitive tongue, then Ciel's must be made of pure steel.
"Ten?!" Kamijou nearly spits out his rice in surprise, but stops to save Emiya from even more suffering, since he was right across from him. "That must be close to a five-hundred thousand Scoville units, then…Ciel, how are you not…you know…acting like Emiya, right now?"
Ciel smiles, fixing her glasses confidently. "I am proud to say that I am a connoisseur of spicy foods. French cuisine doesn't have a lot of spice, you see, so part of the reason why I travelled here is to take part in the Eastern World's more spicy dishes. I only recently discovered curry…now, I am probably addicted to it."
'Probably? Definitely.' Shirou sighs.
"Still…to have no reaction at all…!" The redhead takes another hefty swig of water. "My tongue still feels numb…"
After concluding that Ciel must not be any sort of human, the unlikely trio start eating their individual meals in earnest. Emiya peeks over to Ciel every moment or so, shocked to find that the only reaction she has to the death trap of a curry she's consuming is a light pink blush across her face.
'Yeah, definitely not human.'
He finishes his bento, despite his tongue being so burned that even the mildly-seasoned food he packed for himself also seemed spicy to him.
As soon as he downs the last bite, Ciel gestures to the TV in the corner of the room, playing the same news of a fire that had broken out in the Underground District. "What happened there?" She asks.
"The news is saying a gas leak of some kind." Kamijou explains, "It was so bad that it levelled nearly half of the artificial forest they had planted there. The whole District had to evacuate."
"…That's a little worrying, don't you think?" Ciel's expression shifts into an empathetic frown, "I've heard of Academy City's great technology and its security. Maybe it wasn't a freak accident…?"
Kamijou shrugs. "Who knows. They're probably investigating that as we speak. At the very least, no one was hurt, as far as I know."
'That's good.' Emiya sighs in relief, inwardly.
As if on cue, the bell to signal the end of the lunch period rings. All of the students in the cafeteria start putting away their food trays and disposing of their trash and recycling, with the trio following suit.
Ciel bows to the two of them as she makes sure the table is clear. "Well, I'll see you two when I can. Thank you for inviting me, Kamijou-kun."
Kamijou smiles. "No problem."
She turns to walk off, but Shirou notices her looking at the television in the corner for a moment or two. He could only barely see the side of her face, but her eyes narrow, as if stewing on a thought in her brain.
Then, she shakes her head and walks off.
Shirou realizes he's been staring at her for a hair too long, and shakes himself out of his own stupor as he walks alongside Kamijou into the hallways.
However, the two of them find themselves parting ways as well. They'd at least be able to meet up in the last period, when homeroom reconvenes before the end of the school day.
"Seriously, Kamijou; if you need help with your schoolwork, just let me know."
"No, no, I'll manage. Last time I tried asking for help, I kinda almost got fried…"
'The heck does he mean by that?' Emiya thought.
"Are you sure?" The redhead's instinct to help his friend out was in full-force, but Kamijou's bullheaded nature was something that he couldn't quite penetrate, even after knowing him for over a year. With the black-haired boy refusing his help yet again, Shirou lets it go.
It wasn't long after that the end of lunch bell rang, and the two of them split off as they headed for separate classes. "See ya around, Kamijou."
The two of them wave as they walk off separately.
However, the black-haired boy takes a second look, noticing something off about the back of Shirou's hand.
He had only seen it for a second, and yet… 'That…looked like Tohsaka's…
…No, there's no way.'
He shrugs off his suspicions, and walks away.
XXXXX
The rest of the school day was uneventful, and before he knew it, Shirou was walking out of his high school towards the coveted Garden of Learning, for his regular afternoon meeting with Sakura.
This time, however, he had a different thought.
'…I don't want her walking home alone by herself. And even if I escorted her home…'
He recalls how last time had gone, which was literally just last night. '…Yeah, let's not do that.'
Standing just outside of the Garden of Learning, he watches as girls a few years below his own age flood out of the gates.
He arrived a bit earlier than Sakura usually got out, allowing him to just lean against a nearby tree and passively watch the bustling city before him.
Most cities were different during the day and night, but Academy City was especially not like the others.
'Most cities don't have secret magic wars…' Shirou thought.
As he ponders quietly, he hears the murmurs of the passing schoolgirls around him. While he couldn't make out their every word, he could tell they were referring to him specifically.
"What's a guy doing here?"
"Is he some sort of creep?"
"I see him out here a lot…"
"Maybe he's waiting for his girlfriend?"
"Ooo, that's scandalous!"
He filters out their words as he patiently waits. Such words he's heard dozens of times in the many occasions he's waited for Sakura.
…Though, there was one that bypassed his mental filter.
"…Hey, you!"
He blinks himself out of his train of thought, turning to an all-too familiar chestnut haired girl standing amongst the crowd.
"Mikoto—?"
"What the heck are you doing out and about, you idiot?" The girl walks up to him with a cross expression and folded arms.
Shirou takes a step back from her upfront attitude, but maintains his composure. The girls around them start to stop and stare as the two talk to each other.
"Why is the Railgun talking to him?"
"They a thing, or something?"
A red blush comes across Misaka's face as she stares at all of the bystanders, as if to say 'Beat it, it's none of your business.'
"Well…I kinda got healed, so-"
"I'm aware of that." Mikoto's expression starts to soften a little as she looks down to Shirou's stomach. "…But still. I saw that wound with my own eyes…that's not something you recover from overnight. Not even Academy City's best doctors can do something like that with little issue, so…"
She presses her hand to his stomach. "Did it really heal that easily?"
Shirou nods his head. "Y-Yeah. Although…I still don't know exactly how it happened."
Mikoto raises her eyebrow, "Really? If I had to guess…might have something to do with your Servant? There's plenty of stuff I still don't know about them, but…maybe your connection or whatever means you can heal faster."
The redhead shrugs. "Probably…though, I don't think we should be talking about this here."
"Right," Mikoto blinks, "It's something we should talk about, though…we never had a chance to talk about last night. Let's go somewhere more privat-"
"Onee-sama, I found you!"
Misaka's expression suddenly shifts as a pair of twintails runs up at her from behind. "Hey there, Kuro-"
An exaggerated gasp grates Shirou's ears as the new coming girl points at him with a scornful look. "You! What are you doing, talking to my Onee-sama alone like this-?!"
Misaka gives her a side-eye, and Kuroko straightens up, and clears her throat. "…Right. Um…Emiya, right?"
"Yeah."
"How are you feeling?" She asks, her voice suddenly much more reasonable. "I heard you, um…got hurt. Last night."
Shirou scratches the back of his head, trying his best to make it seem like it wasn't a big deal. After all, he himself didn't really know how bad his injury was- only a general idea from Saber and Mikoto's words. "I'm alright, really. It's nothing bad."
Kuroko nodded. "Okay, good."
She clears her throat again. "Now I can ask this question…WHAT ARE YOU DOING, TALKING ALONE WITH MY ONEE-SAM-!?"
A smack of held-back rage sends Kuroko reeling into the concrete. "First of all, I'm not yours, Kuroko. Secondly, How many times do I have to beat it into your head that we're just friends?!" Misaka exclaims.
"Hmph!" Kuroko pops up to her feet as if the massive bruise forming on her head was ineffective for her. "As if a guy and a girl can truly just be friends."
Mikoto looks at Shirou and gives him a shrug, as if subtly telling him to just get used to her. '…I guess she's always like this, huh?'
"Um, excuse me?"
The three Espers turn their attention to a third just outside of their circle. A girl with dark lavender hair and a Shidarezakura schoolgirl uniform twirls her hair awkwardly. "…Senpai, Misaka-san, Shirai-san…um…good afternoon."
"Yo, Sakura." Shirou lifts his hand up in greeting. After what Saber told him this morning, he really wanted to make sure that Sakura knew he was at 100%. "Sorry about this morning. I'll tell you what happened on the way to my place."
"Hi, Sakura." Mikoto gives a friendly smile. "We were just about to go to Shirou's place-"
The purple-haired girl is taken aback by something Misaka had said, but doesn't interrupt and lets the Esper continue.
"-So we can…study, yeah." Misaka gives Shirou a look, and he nods in quick affirmation.
'So that's the excuse we're using?'
It's better than the truth, anyway.
"I…I see." Sakura bows suddenly, a faint blush forming across her face. "W-Well, I don't want to intrude on your study session, so…"
She apprehensively turns. Shirou's eyes widen as he realizes what he was going to ask Sakura.
'I can't let her leave.'
"Study with us, Sakura." He says.
The Shidarezakura student turns her head. "…Eh? I thought…"
"Four heads are better than three, right?" Kuroko says. "This troglo…I mean Emiya has been pretty lax on his studies. Three students from the Garden of Learning oughta push him back to where he needs to be, right?"
Kuroko inches closer, "Right, Emiya? You have been pretty bad at math, right?"
It's clear Kuroko's trying to cover up for him, but Shirou almost protested from the sheer fact that his Mathematics grade was perfectly normal. "Yep! I have a D- right now!"
Kuroko's eye twitches, as if to say, 'You didn't have to put yourself that low, but I ain't complaining.'
"I see…" Sakura looks down as if debating in her mind. Her general demeanor overall was more reclusive than Shirou knew her for. Usually, the both of them had a pretty balanced relationship— but her general body language seemed more distant.
Something about it bothered Emiya; almost too much. 'I need to fix this, somehow.'
Fortunately, Sakura gives him that chance. "…Alright. I'll come with you."
"Great!" Mikoto exclaims, "Let's all go, then."
XXXXX
The walk back to Shirou Emiya's apartment was just as awkward as he was anticipating. Misaka and Shirai followed several paces behind him and Sakura, as he tries his best to explain what occurred that morning.
A lot of it was filled with lies- white lies of course, since they were, in the long run, better for Sakura, but he still cringed a little every time he was forced to be deceptive about the truth.
"So, let me get this straight, Senpai…" Sakura says, her body still rather stiff as they walked side-by-side. Normally, she'd be so close to him, their arms would almost be touching; but she was keeping deliberate distance, now. "…You got jumped last night by some Skill-Out members after you dropped me off…you went into the hospital…your late father's friend from overseas came to visit you…then you were checked out and told to rest for half the day?"
"…Yes."
It was the best he could come up with. The hospital bit was the biggest stretch, but it was the only explanation as to why any injuries on his body were no longer visible. Academy City technology could make it so minor injuries would disappear overnight.
Of course, the actual injury Shirou sustained, he wasn't even sure if Academy City could've fixed it…
"I see…and you've known Misaka-san since you were a child?"
"Well…kind of?" Shirou ponders that question for a second, "We met when we were kids, but we haven't reconnected until recently."
After several seconds of awkward contemplation, a high-pitched groan comes from the Matou girl.
'Was that…good or bad?' the redhead thought.
"…Good grief, Senpai!" Sakura exclaims, almost shouting. "I worry about you a lot…I don't really care about the friends you make, obviously, but going to the hospital is something that I feel like I should know…"
She suddenly closes the distance, letting her shoulder bump into his as they approach his dormitory building. "…Next time, just tell me."
"…Sure. I'm sorry, Sakura."
"…I'll forgive you if you make us all dinner. And it better be good."
Shirou chuckles lightly, patting her on the head. "Of course."
A weight of a thousand mountains suddenly lifts off Shirou's shoulders as he sees Sakura's frown melt back into a gentle smile. He was expecting some sort of silent treatment from his kouhai the entire evening, and was relieved that it all somehow worked out- at least as long as he made a decent meal.
He leads the four of them to his apartment. Clicking open the door, he's met with a house that was exactly the same as he left it; save for a blonde young-looking lady sitting quietly and patiently at the kotatsu, her eyes just opening to make contact with Shirou. "I'm home, Saber."
"Welcome back, Shirou." Saber says, getting to her feet and smiling. "And…oh, it seems you brought friends."
"I wouldn't say we're friends-ow!" Kuroko groans as Mikoto bops her on the head again, right at the same spot she smacked last time. "…Yeah…okay, we're friends."
"Hi again, Saber." Misaka greets herself and Kuroko as they remove their shoes and enter Shirou's apartment. "We're just gonna help Shirou here with some homework."
"Um…Senpai?" Sakura asks, pulling at him to lean closer.
He does as he's asked. "Yeah?"
"…Why do two of your friends call you by your first name? You're not actually a delinquent, are you?"
"N-No!" Shirou jerks away in slight disgust at Sakura's words. "…Now that I think about it, they called me that, first. I never told them to!"
Sakura gives him an unreadable smile, of neither approval or disapproval.
"Shirou does roll off the tongue." Mikoto and Saber both speak simultaneously.
Emiya groans. 'You two aren't making this better.'
XXXXX
After settling in, the four girls were sitting around his kotatsu, making small talk with one another as an apron-donning Shirou stirred a pot of Udon. Thankfully, he had enough ingredients for at least five or six people; just enough for his sudden influx of house guests.
He pours the food into five separate bowls, and serves them a few at a time, leaving the fifth for himself as he sits down next to Sakura, who had insisted so.
"So Senpai," Sakura says first as she delicately picks up an udon noodle from the bowl, "How bad is your math, exactly?"
"U-Uhm," Shirou tries his hardest to come up with a believable math level. In reality, he was perfectly fine; able to perform everything up to trigonometry and basic calculus, but he dug himself this hole, and now he has to commit to it. "…Unit circles. Hate them."
He did not, in fact, hate unit circles. Not anymore, anyway.
"Eh?" Sakura seems dumbfounded. "Really? I learned that in grade school…"
"As did I." Kuroko huffs, her face showing that she, while disgruntled, did find Shirou's cooking at least somewhat decent. "Espers of our Level have to learn higher-level education at a younger age. Leaving all of the rudimentary stuff to the Level 1s and 0s of the world."
Misaka gives her a glare. "What? All that I said was true, Onee-sama."
"Even so, there's no need to be calling it rudimentary. Everyone struggles at different levels. For example…" Mikoto slurps up a noodle, her face flushing from the warmth of the udon. "…Mmm, bet ya can't make something better than this, huh, Kuroko?"
The pigtailed girl's face contorted into sheer horror. "I-I-I totally can!" She shouts, "I'm not gonna let that troglodyte- I mean Emiya one-up me!"
"Stop calling him a troglodyte!"
"I can't help it if it's true- ow, Onee-sa-! Stahp pinching mah cheeks…!"
Laughing, Shirou finds it rather relieving that the events of last night hadn't brought down anyone's moods. 'I guess if I'm physically better, then no harm, no foul, right?'
He turns to his Servant, who had stayed quiet this whole time. "What do you think of my cooking, Sabe— eh?"
The blonde girl in question had the bowl turned nearly 45 degrees in front of her face, with the chopsticks hastily pouring the food into her mouth. A beat later, she sets it quietly on the table, and pats her lips and chin dry with a napkin like a refined lady at a fine dining restaurant.
The whole table is silent as they glance between the petite blonde and her completely empty bowl. "Seconds please, Shirou."
Shirou picks up the bowl and does as he's asked. "Um…sure, Saber. So you…liked it?"
"Yes."
Her rather succinct response sent a shiver down his spine. '…I'm going to have to cook for her a lot, huh?
Wait, do Servants even need to eat?'
XXXXX
The subsequent faux study session went by with little hitch. Shirou had to make it so he seemed genuinely confused at the subject- even if he understood it perfectly fine, just so Sakura thought it was believable that he did need help.
After about two-plus hours, the students-turned-teachers, Mikoto and Kuroko, were ready to call it a night.
"Ya see, Onee-sama?" Kuroko haughtily declares, "A real man wouldn't be struggling with basic angles like this."
"Shirai-san," Emiya turns to the pigtailed girl with a slightly annoyed look. She is genuinely extremely intelligent, and as Mikoto's friend, of course he respects her, but her attitude towards him was starting to chip away at his sanity over the course of their study session. "…What do you have against me, exactly?"
Kuroko scoffs, "Eh? You? Nothing, really."
'I find that hard to believe.'
Kuroko points at her eyes with two of her fingers, then directs them both at Mikoto and him. "It's this I don't trust. I have my eyes on both of you, I swear."
"Oh for the love of…" Mikoto pulls on Kuroko's ear, ignoring her cries of pain and begging to stop as she turns to Shirou. "I'm really sorry about her. She acts like this whenever I talk to guys. Honestly, it's kinda weird."
"It's not weird, Onee-sama! It's just me being protective of yo- OW!"
"I don't need protection!"
Shirou waves off her apology. "I can understand that…kind of."
'Not really.'
The protective part he definitely understood; he wouldn't let Sakura go into dangerous places in Academy City for example, at least not by herself. Shirai…he had to admit, she took it a step too far sometimes.
Less protection, and more possession.
Now that the day was reaching its conclusion, though, Emiya realizes he hadn't quite completed either of his tasks:
'…I need to convince Sakura…and talk to Mikoto and the others.'
He decides on doing the former, first.
"Hey, Sakura." He turns to his kouhai, who was silently doing her own homework. "Can I ask you something?"
"Eh? Sure, Senpai." She sets down her pen. "What is it?"
Realizing that they were intruding on a private conversation, the two Tokiwadai girls start silently cleaning up the dishes still left on the table, and head to the kitchen to clean up. It was the least they could do, since Emiya had kindly made dinner for them.
'I should start with the question first.'
"Do you…want to stay here, tonight?"
It takes a second for the sentence to register in Sakura's mind, and Shirou could see the gears turning in her head in real-time as a blush starts to form across her face. "Um…what do you mean by that, Senpai?"
"I mean…" Emiya realizes he definitely should have started out with the reasoning. "I'm sure you heard of the news about the explosion in the Underground District…and the fact that well, I got jumped last night…"
He looks at the clock; it reads half past 7, far too late for anyone to be walking outside, really. "…Plus it's already late in the evening. I feel like it would just be safer for all of us if you stayed here."
Sakura nods, yet apprehensively. "Um…where would I sleep? I'm not against it, but…"
"You could take my bed."
"…"
That sentence seemed to be a bit much for her. "I-I'll sleep on the couch, of course!" Shirou exclaims.
"So you ARE a perver-!"
"SHADDUP!"
Another bonking noise could be heard in the kitchen as the two Tokiwadai students washed the dishes. Sakura and Shirou both turn to see Shirai bent over, holding her head in pain as an annoyed Misaka wipes a plate dry with a towelette.
Both of them laugh away the awkwardness, and resolve to let Sakura sleep there.
Sakura excuses herself, and gets up to shower. As she leaves, Emiya finally exhales in relief as his first mission is done.
'Now for the second.'
He nods at both Mikoto and Kuroko. The latter grabs the former's arm, and they both immediately warp back to the kotatsu.
"…So what the hell happened last night? After I, uh…yeah."
Mikoto and Kuroko both look at each other. "Well…" Kuroko starts, "Put simply…we were attacked. Not by that little girl and her giant monster, but…by Assassins."
"Assassins? Like, plural?" Shirou immediately senses a discrepancy. "Wait…isn't your friend's Servant Assassin?"
"Yeah, that's the thing." Mikoto crosses her arms. "We asked Saten's Servant about it, and she said, for one-hundred percent certainty, that she is the Assassin Servant. Meaning…"
'There's more than one Assassin.' Shirou concludes in his head. He remembers back to Kotomine Kirei's words: about how there are only seven Servants that battle each other. No more, and no less. Despite that Priest being anything but trustworthy, the facts and rules of the War was definitely something he wasn't lying about. "…There's something off about this."
"Indeed…however," Saber interjects, "Multiple Assassins…Mikoto, what did they look like?"
Mikoto is at first surprised that Saber decided to use her first name, but shakes it off as she recalls their appearance. "Um…the three or four that I saw wore black, scraggly hoods. And…white masks. I wanted to fight them off, but Saten's Assassin insisted I shouldn't."
Saber nodded, "I see…" she took a sip of her drink silently, like she was stewing on a thought in her head, "…Well, only natural. Even if you are a powerful Esper, your body is still human. Disregarding your powers, you'd lose easily to an average Servant."
"Yeah, well…" Mikoto's gaze begins to grow pensive as she looks at nowhere in particular. "…I wish I could do a bit more than be a bystander. I can fight too, Y'know. Being powerless isn't something I'm used to."
"How do you suppose we go about this, then?" Shirou asks. "Even if you can't fight directly…strategy's still important, right?"
"Kuroko, Saten and I already put together a plan for that, we just need your go-ahead." Mikoto says, breaking out of her sudden mood shift. "Do you…mind being bait?"
"Eh?"
Just as Mikoto was about to explain, a shudder from the Master bathroom catches all of their attention, followed by a pained groan. Without even thinking, Shirou gets to his feet and rushes to the doorway. Saber, who had fallen back into a quiet mode, immediately jumped from her seat to help as well.
"I gotcha!" Kuroko shouts, and a slight gust of wind passes through the room as the air takes up the space that the Esper had just vanished from.
Shirou runs up to the door alongside Misaka, who along with Saber goes ahead of him to check on what happened.
"You okay, Sakura?" Misaka asks, her voice slightly muffled due to coming from the bathroom.
"Y-Yeah…just slipped in the shower…I'm just tired, that's all."
Shirou breathes a sigh of relief: mostly because Sakura was okay, but also a part of him was grateful that he didn't just blatantly run into a bathroom with a naked girl.
'That would have been…more than embarrassing.'
"Really?" Kuroko says from beyond the wall, "You should certainly rest, then. Here, let us get you dried up and changed."
"You alright in there, Sakura?" Shirou asks loudly.
"I-I'm okay, Senpai. Just, uh…don't walk in, right now."
He sighs in relief, and goes to clean up what remained in the kitchen as he lets Kuroko, Misaka and his Servant take care of her.
XXXXX
"Will you be alright on your own for a little while, Sakura?"
Shirou stands over the side of his own bed, touching the forehead of the kouhai that was laying snugly in it. After Sakura's unexpected collapse, Mikoto and the others brought her to his bed- and apparently, she had also suddenly caught a mild, but still notable, fever. It explained her general exhaustion, in any case.
"I'll be okay, Senpai." The lilac-haired girl spoke even lighter than she normally did. "Come back soon, though…"
"I will." Shirou nodded. "Dropping Mikoto and Kuroko off at their dorms shouldn't take too long, after all."
Sakura had asked why shouldn't Kuroko just warp Mikoto and herself to their dormitory by themselves, with Shirou explaining that Tokiwadai Students aren't technically allowed to use their abilities when off-campus and after certain hours. It was, of course, a bold-faced lie, but one that seemed to satisfy her.
After leaving a tall glass of water and medication to lower her fever at the bedside table, Shirou heads to the exit of the Master bedroom. "Later, Sakura."
He shuts the door.
…
The lavender-haired girl listens to the four of them: Senpai, Misaka-san, Kuroko-san, and Saber-san speak quietly, and then exit out the front door.
Only then, did she weakly lift her right arm up, staring at the backside of her hand. Although it was invisible, she knew exactly what was supposed to be there. "…Senpai, you liar."
She knew the moment that that blonde girl introduced herself as Saber. Even overseas, a name like that would be extremely unorthodox.
'…But all the same, Senpai.
Please come home.'
XXXXX
The plan was simple: use Shirou and Ruiko Saten as bait to lure out the Assassins, then Kuroko and Misaka arrive as cavalry to wipe them all out at once.
While Mikoto was a glass cannon, her abilities were still extraordinarily powerful.
"Make no mistake, Mikoto," Saber explained to her just before they split up into their two groups, "Your Esper ability is not one to be trifled with; even Servants will find it troublesome. The one that we fought last night…he was an exception, even for Servants."
Her words of encouragement seemed at least to somewhat cheer up Misaka, who agreed to not hold back anything if the situation called for it.
Kuroko had warped Saten back with the group, and she, Shirou and Saber were to walk along the Academy City streets essentially alone, so the fake Assassins could think of them as isolated.
Then, when need be, either Shirou or Saten would speed dial Kuroko, who stood on standby with Misaka not too terribly far away; but still close enough that they could warp in within seconds and catch the Assassins off-guard.
They had no idea how many Assassins there truly were; however, they did know through Assassin's input that they were on the weaker side for a Servant.
"I'm not exactly a powerful Servant," Assassin said, "But…I still managed to kill one without much issue. They can overpower any one of you for sure, at least physically…but for a real Servant, they're a pushover."
A strong blast of electricity from the Railgun would certainly stun most of them; and if they were lucky, kill the majority. Their plan was to at least keep one alive, and have Saten's Assassin, who could obviously see other Assassins when they use Presence Concealment, chase it down to find their Master.
Now, Shirou finds himself walking through the night of Academy City for a second time in a row. The air was somewhat chillier; either it was his own fear that this night could end up like the last, or there was something physically ominous about tonight that he couldn't fathom.
"Saten." He mutters to the young girl beside him, who looked even more nervous than he was. She was wearing her usual sailor uniform, but with a thick jacket to keep her torso warm. "You okay?"
"Y-Yeah…I think." She breathes into her hands to heat them up. "Just a bit cold…and obviously, still scared to be facing down a Servant…or multiple…directly. What…what was it like?"
'Right…Saten warped away before Berserker really attacked…and earlier, when Saber had first attacked them when she was summoned.'
This would be her first time really being in the front lines, and this time even as bait.
"Servants…well I don't know too much about them, either. Probably as much as you…but…I'd say, just stand your ground."
Saten looks up to him, her face curious. "What do you mean?"
"…Even if you see hell before you," Shirou mutters, "…Keep walking."
Ruiko seems to understand, and they proceed forward—
That is, until a gauntlet covered hand blocks them from walking down the sidewalk any further. Saber herself was wearing a yellow raincoat, to hide her armor. Shirou looks ahead of her, and sees nothing in particular in front of them.
But instead, Saber points to their left; to an alleyway, nearly hidden from the moonlight.
Shirou and Saten peak over the corner.
An alley lamp flickers its orange glow, blinking off and on several times. Emiya narrows his eyes, and spots the outline of…someone, standing, leaning against the wall deeper in the alley.
A girl with long black hair. Her school uniform is sailor-style like Saten's, but with black and white color schemes instead of white and blue. Emiya couldn't get a good look at her face thanks to the darkness of the alley, that is…
…until the lamp finally settles into light.
Shirou's eyes widen in horror. He recognized that girl instantly.
"Fukiyose!"
He shouts out, wanting to run over to her, but Saber's arm stops him from going any further.
The girl's dark brown eyes are empty; seemingly unconscious.
More importantly…her standing position was less than human. It was as if…something invisible was carrying her, but not by the torso or arms. By the neck.
Her head was slumped backwards, and her chest pointed toward the sky as if something had possessed her. Foam formed at her lips, and Shirou spotted something red dripping down her neck and onto the alleyway floor.
Just then, an ethereal, otherworldly glow manifests around Fukiyose's body, forming into the shape of a small humanoid.
When it fully appears, it's made clear to Shirou: the monster that did this to Fukiyose… '…is a Servant!'
The Servant in question stands just under even Saber's height, with long, braided purple hair and a black hood and cloak. In her hands was a large, sickle-shaped violet scythe, with a chain at the end that wrapped around her arm. The dark alleyway made it tough to make out the petite Servant's face, but Shirou could tell they were looking right at him.
"Let go of her, right now!" Emiya yells. Behind his back, his thumb hovers over the speed dial button to Kuroko.
But he drops it to the floor as he hears a voice he hadn't heard in over a year; and never wanted to hear, again.
"Emiya…Emiya…Emiya."
Along the left side of the alley were rusty, iron emergency stairs. And coming out from the corner, at the top, just barely revealed in the orange glow of the streetlight…
A boy, identical to Emiya's age. His hair was a matted blue, split down the middle and messy. He wore a maroon-colored uniform, one fitted for a school in the north end of Academy City, and on his face was a smile— one not of benevolence, but of pure malice and ego.
"It's been too long since I've seen your face."
He steps down the stairs methodically yet confidently, as if he had already declared victory in this encounter. In his hands was a glowing purple book, its pages flipping slowly as he smirked at Shirou, and stared him down relentlessly.
Of course, Emiya returned the favor.
He knew exactly who this was.
"…Shinji…Matou…!"
His fists were clenched so hard, he could have been bleeding from his palms.
The eldest son of the Matou, and Sakura's older brother.
"Surprised to see me, Emiya?" Shinji asks rhetorically, "Not as surprised as I was to find out that Sakura hadn't come home yet, tonight…do you have any idea of where she might be-?"
"Like I'd tell you!" Shirou shouts, then quickly gestures for Saten to get behind him. "The only reason I still send her to that house is because I was promised you'd never step foot in there again!"
Shinji Matou blinks, almost as if he was confused for a second, then snickers…and breaks into laughter. "HAHA…Ah…you're too gullible, Emiya. Way too gullible. My family's connections run deep within Academy City. My lifelong ban from that house was cut down to just six months, and the restraining order was dropped! Incredible, right!?"
Shirou's brows furrow into daggers. Shinji's mere words are poison to his ears.
Shinji looks over to the purple-haired Servant, who gently places Fukiyose on the ground, then stands back up and stares the three of them down, her scythe brimming under the warm light.
Saber responds in kind, ripping off her yellow raincoat to reveal her silver-plated knight armor, and grips an invisible blade in her hands.
"Tell you what, Emiya!" Shinji announces, "I am a Master, and this is my Servant, Lancer. You seem to have a Servant of your own, unbelievable as that may be to me. So, here's the deal."
Lancer removes her hood, to reveal a youthful face with large, purple eyes. Her stance narrows, as she and Saber both size each other up.
Saten pulls on Shirou's shirt. "Should we call them-?"
Shirou shakes his head. "…This is between me and him. If you want to go, then go."
For some reason, the Master of Assassin sticks by his side, and chooses to watch.
"Your Servant…versus mine." Shinji continues, "Whosever Servant wins…they get to keep Sakura! Doesn't that sound great, Emiya!?"
"…There's no way…" Shirou Emiya steps forward, and signals for Saber to attack at her will.
With Saber's strength, he will cut Lancer down…
…and see the fear in the whites of that bastard's eyes once again.
"…There's no way I'd ever agree to that bullshit, you goddamned RAPIST!"
Yeah...what a way to end a chapter, huh?
Freaking Shinji. You knew I had to get that bastard in this story somehow, since this is following some of what happened in the Heaven's Feel route. Some things have changed with him though; like him having Lancer, instead of Rider.
Speaking of: now, I'm pretty sure that means all of the Seven Classes have been filled! Wow, Cu died before all 7 Servants even showed up. That's just rough.
I hope you guys liked the slice-of-life sections. Honestly, I'm more proud of those than I am the action sequences. Making crossovers means making scenes where I can write these characters have fun; and I have quite a bit of amusement writing them just doing shenanigans together.
Act II is still in-progress! Been slowing down since I'm honestly pretty ahead of schedule. However, I've also been working on a side-project of mine that will also likely be posted either on this site, or in this story itself.
Depending on how much I write within it, it will either be a short story in-between Acts, or just its own story set in the same universe as this one. We'll see, but it's in the works as well!
Thank you all for 100 Favorites! Pretty cool to see the story hit that number in just a month. Hope you all stick with my story until the end.
And one more thing. I've wanted to address something that I keep forgetting about every chapter release, but now I finally have a chance here!
If you've looked at my profile or just on the Fate/Index site, you may have noticed that I actually have another Fate/Index Crossover called Unlimited Illusions, one that never actually took off at all.
This is mainly because at the time, I was pretty new to both Fate and Index lore, and after a while, realized that I couldn't actually mix the lores together with my pretty newbie knowledge of Kamachi and Nasu's works. Now, though, I think I can.
Consider that little one-off story kind of a spiritual predecessor to this one. Whether or not I want to continue it...I don't know, we'll see. Might delete it, actually.
In any case, see y'all in the next one.
Next Chapter Release: "A Certain Unforgivable Sin" (November 24th)