Author's Note: We took a few liberties with Jeanne Alter in this chapter. In particular, we gave her some anti-divine properties to go with her bitter defiance of the God that abandoned her. Consider this Dragon Witch to be closer to the one from Orleans than the manga-drawing tsundere from later FGO. Hopefully her gratuitous French cursing makes up for it!
I can't read this.
Illya was more annoyed at this fact than she should have been. The golden coin she'd obtained from the downtown cafe was inscribed with cuneiform script and a maddeningly familiar profile. She bit her lip to quell the anger burning in her chest. Ancient Mesopotamia had a very limited repertoire of figures to add to the Throne.
King of Heroes, Saber had called her.
Gilgamesh.
Despite her feminine figure, Archer could be none other than the legendary King of Uruk.
"It's not fair," she muttered, staring out the window at the forest below. The Einzbern had done everything they could to stack the odds in their favor, even bent the rules to summon the fiercest Servant, and now this. An outlandishly powerful enemy she would have to face down, and soon.
Just for once, I wanted things to go right. Just this once, I wanted to win. Why?
"Lady Illyasviel," Sella said in a hesitant tone, "come and sit down. We brewed some tea."
"I don't want any right now," she replied, biting down her frustration.
"You'll be able to think better after a nice cup, my lady."
"I said I don't want any!" This time she couldn't stop herself from snapping at her maid, who bowed and retreated to the safety of the far corner. Illya squeezed the coin and looked outside once again.
No. It's fine. I can fix this.
Illya was given all of the information that the Einzberns had kept on previous Grail Wars and studied the events intensely. There were two time-honored traditions to obliterating your opposition: the direct approach—kill the Servant—and the indirect—to assassinate the Master. Most Servants guarded their anchors closely to prevent the latter, but Archer was remarkably careless. How many times had she been spotted sauntering downtown, her Master nowhere in sight?
A smile crept across her face as she looked out the window. Then she blinked as a thin line of smoke rose above the treeline. Moments later a pine came crashing down, consumed by flame. Avenger assuaging her wounded pride through systematic destruction of the ancient Einzbern woods.
Good, thought Illya, and her mouth twisted in spite.
"My lady," said Leysritt in her monotone, "The fire is dangerous. It could spread to the castle."
A concern she had heard many times over the past few days, not least of which from her own mind. But the other part of her, the one that still remembered long nights waiting by the window, rejoiced in the blaze.
"It's fine," she said firmly. "Jeanne knows what she's doing."
Leysritt made a skeptical noise, and Illya's grip on the coin tightened until she could feel the etchings dig into her palm.
"You wouldn't understand," she said through gritted teeth, then stalked out of the room.
Ever since Jeanne had stepped out of the summoning circle and swore the beard off old man Acht, Illya's life began to feel... alive once more. Even if her temper spiked on occasion (attested to by a few broken plates in the kitchen), it was better than being cold and lonely.
I'm sure Shirou never had to deal with that.
Her frown deepened. She swept out the castle doors onto the forest path, ignoring Sella's cry to put her coat on. The rising smoke promised her she'd be warm soon enough. Huffing, she picked her way through the trail of ash and fallen trees.
It didn't take long to find Jeanne; the Servant was tearing chunks out of the burnt oaks with vicious abandon. Her dark cloak rippled in the fiery wind, dust and ash drizzling around her. The picture of wrath made flesh filled Illya with a cruel happiness. Jeanne seemed to sense her Master as she approached, lip curling up as she pivoted to face her.
"Finally ready to move?" she said, dripping with malice. "I'll pin that bitch to the wall."
She's still sore about the water, sighed Illya. Not that she blamed Avenger. Having Shirou snatched from her grasp had left Illya trembling with anger all the way back to the castle.
Focus. You have to get the other one out of the way before you can have your reunion with 'brother dearest'.
"We're not going after Archer—"
When those molten gold eyes turned their rage onto her, Illya made sure to stand her ground.
"At least, not directly," she continued.
The flames burnt brighter, but at least they weren't directed at Illya now. Avenger crouched down to bring her face closer to Illya's.
"Go on," she purred. The savagery in her grin sent a small thrill through Illya. It felt like power—raw and unbridled.
"Archer is most likely Gilgamesh of Uruk," she said.
Jeanne's brow darkened. "Another king, then," she sneered. "I just love kings. Charred, not broiled."
A small giggle escaped Illya. "You'll get to have her any way you like soon enough. Here's what I'm thinking..."
Jeanne's expression lit up in wicked delight as Illya set out her plan. By the end, the sharp laughter of the Dragon Witch rang out in the devastated forest.
"Splendide!" she said with a vicious grin. "I can't wait to see the look on that bitch's face. Let's go—right now."
The half-remembered voice of her mother called her to caution. The plan was half-formed, and full of risk. There was a reason most conflicts in a Grail War occured at night; it drew far less attention from overseer and stray foes alike. But all thatl faded before the sharp trill of vengeance in her blood.
She threw the coin into the fire, her smile growing as it melted.
"Yes, let's," she agreed, turning around. "It's time to pay Oniichan's friend a call."
Although blood is the preferred method among the Clocktower's gentry to transfer mana, this is inadvisable during a Grail War. A Master cannot afford to suffer any wounds. Therefore, crude as it may be, tantric ritual may provide the most efficient empowerment—
"Sex," Rin muttered. "Just call it sex."
She fought back the blush that had been threatening to creep into her face ever since last night. A midnight call of nature had sent her stumbling towards the bathroom, but a whimper had brought her to an immediate halt in front of Sakura's door. Then the sounds that followed after, little pants and groans. She'd stood there, stunned (and wishing she was there too), until Shirou moaning her sister's name broke her paralysis. Rin had fled to the bathroom, and mercifully things were silent when she emerged again.
That was why she had sent the two grocery shopping today, escorted by Saber.
If I'm paying for the food, the least you can do is go fetch it, she'd growled, granting them just enough time to change out of their uniforms before ushering them out the door. Then she'd forced herself to close it shut on her sister's silent invitation. This was for the best. Recent events had proven just where her crush's affections lay, and Sakura deserved this.
Rin could deal. Even if she might envy them, living like this wouldn't be as painful as the empty house of her childhood. Sitting across the table from a sister and a brother-in-law wouldn't be so bad.
Snickering at the thought of how Shirou's face would redden when she told him so, Rin turned another page in her father's notes.
A pressure wave came, soundless as it passed through her. Rin buckled over as nausea overtook her, accompanied by a loud crack from upstairs.
The Bounded Field! But how!?
Sliding a gem between her fingers, she ran for the stairs. Her eyes briefly glanced over the sigils glowing on her hand, before she shook her head. It was too early for a command seal. Besides, she'd relied too much on Archer lately. It was time for Rin Tohsaka to step into her role as the scion of her bloodline.
She kicked open the door and choked on a cloud of smoke. Flames—her home was on fire. She could hear beams snapping and crashing upstairs. Coughing violently, she crouched down where the air was a little clearer, pressing her sleeve to her face.
Just like Emiya's. Her heart clenched. Einzbern, it has to be—
Before she could raise her hand to call upon her Servant, a blade pressed at her throat.
"Try it, morveuse." She glanced down the blade to meet Avenger's sneer. "You'll be in pieces before you can get one word out."
Rin's breath locked in her throat momentarily before she let her hand drop. The Servant's smirk widened, and she grabbed Rin by the collar of her shirt. She dragged her down the hallway to the parlor room, past a bookcase disintegrating into ash. The choking heat made Rin's eyes sting, and with every second it grew harder to breathe.
She barely recognized the parlor room window, draped in flames, before Avenger hurled her into it. A scream tore out of her as jagged glass scraped through her limbs and sides, one piece squealing against a rib. She landed on the hard soil with a heavy thump.
Panic threatened to swallow her whole before she forced it down. She was a magus. Spitting blood from her cut mouth, she raised her hand—and howled when an iron boot stomped on it.
"Ah, ah, ah," came Avenger's mocking voice. "Not yet, petit chaton. I want your dress nice and bloody when Archer arrives."
Not like this. Rin gritted her teeth. I can't end like this.
She poured mana into her screaming circuits to reinforce her limbs, hoping to shove the Servant off. She might as well have tried toppling a mountain. Avenger let out a sharp laugh and dug the heel in further. Rin screamed as she felt her fingers snap.
"Impressive." Rin groaned as a vicious kick in the ribs turned her upwards. A white-haired girl in a purple coat loomed, red eyes twinkling in malicious delight. "I guess even degenerate magi are a step above humans. Let's see how much we can play with you before you break."
Stay calm, Rin told herself against the pounding in her head. Keep it together. If you panic, they're going to kill you. Her free hand was pinned under her, but she could maybe reach for the topaz sewn into the sleeve.
The Einzbern girl pulled on a shining strand of hair and idly wrapped it around a finger. "It's too bad for you that the fire didn't get you first. You could have made it easy on yourself. But no, you chose the hard way." She sighed and shook her head. "I feel so, so sorry for you."
Her mocking sympathy broke into a wide grin. "But I'm afraid Jeanne never feels sorry for anyone."
The sword was placed at her throat again, biting down just enough to draw a whisper of blood. She fought the urge to swallow.
ARCHER! She screamed as loudly as she could over their bond.
It is not the place for a handmaiden to call upon—
Rin cut Archer's response off with a flood of images. In return, she felt a momentary flash of anger on the other side.
...I see. I will be there shortly.
Rin hissed as the sword cut deeper into her throat. Anymore and it'd slice the carotid artery.
"I bet your head would make a nice present for Oniichan," the Einzbern giggled, moving around her prone form.
Emiya, right—she's obsessed with Emiya.
"H-Hold on," she groaned. "There's something you should know about him."
"She's stalling," Avenger said, letting the blade slide over the cut and filling Rin with a stinging agony. "But that's alright. We can kill her any time once Archer arrives."
The girl hesitated, biting her lip for a few crucial seconds. Then her expression hardened again. "Selling out your eye candy, hm? I guess all magi are the same in the end. Fine. Amuse me."
Fuck, fuck—what does a psycho little girl want with no-name Emiya? Do I make something up? No, she'll be able to tell. What—oh.
"I'm waiting," said the girl in an impatient sing-song.
"He's a terrible magus," Rin grit out. "He cannibalizes his nerves to create magic circuits. That's how hopeless he is."
Two delicate white eyebrows rose in surprise, before she gave Rin a scrutinizing stare. "...you're not making that up, are you? Nobody could make up something that stupid."
"I wish I were—agh!" Rin hissed as Avenger put a little more weight onto her boot. "A-Apparently, it's what his d-dad taught him. Might as well have given him... a noose for a birthday present."
"His father?" the Einzbern repeated, an unreadable expression on her face. "Why would he...?"
The girl was silent for a moment. Rin might have appreciated it more had Avenger not leaned into her sword, creating another cut at her collarbone.
"Are you two childhood friends?" the girl asked, some bitterness coloring her tone. It was the first time she expressed anything else but cheerful sadism.
"W-What? No!" Rin blurted out through the pain. "I b-barely talked to him before th-this week. He told me when I—fuck—when I asked how l-long he'd been hiding in my T-Territory."
"You say that..." The Einzbern's expression turned to mock pensiveness. "But you were rushing to his house quite quickly the other night."
"T-That's—!"
"Enough," Avenger growled. "She's here."
Though her vision blurred, Rin could make out a flash of gold and green high above. Not even a second later, the ground shook.
Archer had arrived.
"...you think to lay waste to what is mine, mongrels?" her Servant growled. "I will see you thrown to my lions for this."
Rin gasped in pain as Avenger hauled her up by her hair.
"Took you long enough," sneered the Servant. "Let's see how long you can last without an anchor."
Rin's eyes widened as she saw the blade brought up once more.
No, I don't want to die! I don't—
Her sigiled hand clenched.
"Archer, take me!" she yelled, and her hand blazed crimson.
"Oh you fuck—"
In a blink of an eye, Rin found herself clasped tightly to Archer's chest in a princess carry. Red eyes looked her over, and she couldn't help but blush under the close gaze.
"You can stand," Archer declared, and set her on her feet. A portal opened on the ground, and a large translucent kiteshield emerged to cover her. With it came a small vial. "Drink this and stay behind cover."
The Einzbern let out a wordless noise of anger, raking her fingers through her hair. "Damn it, I should've told you to kill her earlier! That was the plan!"
"Fuck plans!" Avenger roared as her free hand ignited in black flame. "My hatred will be enough for this salope."
Archer glared contemptuously at the other Servant and lifted her hand. A golden collar fell into it from a portal. "Time to collar this mutt."
"Oh, that's it!" Avenger yelled and thrust out her arm. A barrage of iron spears shot towards Archer, purple fire trailing from their serrated blades.
Rin's Servant huffed, and seven portals manifested around her. Dozens of weapons poured out, breaking each spear and soaring towards Avenger in a torrent of steel. The other woman took her Master in arm and dodged to the side. What she couldn't avoid, she parried with astonishing precision.
"It seems the mutt is better trained than I thought." Archer's smile did not touch her eyes. "Perhaps this will be enough to bring you to heel."
The gates opened wider, and the torrent became a storm of blades. The shining runes and ominous reds told Rin that they were a more dangerous class than the simple weapons from before. But Avenger only grinned, dodging and parrying her way through the onslaught in a mad dance to the music of shattering steel.
"Is that all you have, King of Heroes?" Avenger said, setting the Einzbern girl on her feet before beckoning with her finger."Why don't you get your delicate little hands dirty?"
"I will not sully myself with your viscera," Archer spat. "Begone!"
Rin fell to her knees as the mana pull cooked her circuits. She couldn't faint-she wouldn't allow it-but her vision swam as the sunlight became blinding.
Wait, that's not—!
She looked up, and the sky was covered in a thousand glowing suns. They growled and spun angrily, jagged edges sawing at the air. Rin stared helplessly, her breath caught in her throat. Despite their violence, the sight held a strange, enchanting beauty.
Then the hail of steel began.
Rin's breath grew shorter as a curtain of blades surrounded her, so dense that they ground against each other. The angry shriek of metal almost deafened her, but she could still hear Avenger's laughter cutting through it all.
"Pathetic!" the other Servant yelled as the cascade died down. She didn't even turn around as her Master took up a strategic position behind a tree. "All you've done is brought your Master closer to death! Why not hand her over to me if you want her gone so badly?"
Archer snarled, and a golden axe appeared in her hand. "To make the King go this far... I shall see you boiled alive before the day is done."
Avenger laughed. "Do you mean to make me tremble at that? I, who burnt at the stake for the ambitions of those I fought for? You'll have to try harder than that!"
The wraith shot forward at Archer, her sword ablaze with dark fire. There was a clash of metal as their weapons locked, the Servants' faces inches from each other. But even though Rin couldn't see their expressions, she could see Archer's feet scrabbling for purchase in the soil. Her Servant was losing ground.
"How...?" Archer snarled in disbelief. "This blade cleaved the god Ellil's winds in two!"
"Fuck your gods," said Avenger, kicking Archer back towards Rin. "My God abandoned me to die, and from my ashes, I rose to destroy everything He held dear. What can a pitiful demigod like you do?"
Archer roared, and a dozen chains shot from new portals to bind the other Servant. Laughing scornfully, Avenger quickly shattered them all.
"My turn," she said with a cruel smile, raising her hand. An inferno flared from her ashen gauntlets towards Archer, threatening to engulf her—
Only for a gust of wind to snuff out the flames.
"What the fuck!?" Avenger absently parried another weapon with her flag. "Show yourself, couard!"
Rin turned to see Saber land next to her, both Sakura and Emiya under her arms.
"I apologize, Rin," she said. "I came as soon as I could."
"Neesan!" Her sister moved to pull her into a hug, but stopped as she absorbed Rin's injured state. "Oh my God..."
"Tohsaka, what the hell happened!?" Emiya cried as he joined her. Saber jumped out from behind the shield to join the melee. She had only taken a few paces when a dozen birds of shining wire assaulted her, their forms stretching into deadly sword points.
"They... they were after Archer—" she hissed as Sakura started pulling pieces of glass from her wounds. "They tried to kill me to get to Archer."
"What...?" Emiya glanced through the kiteshield at the raging battle. "That's..."
"Neesan, your hand..." Sakura muttered, tearing her sleeves into strips of cloth and wrapping them around Rin's neck. Distracted, the younger girl missed the tightening of Emiya's jaw.
Rin didn't. Her eyes widened. "Hey, Emi—"
"Stay here," he said, standing up. "I'll handle this."
"Senpai, what are you—!?" Sakura couldn't turn around fast enough. Shirou crouched down and leapt far higher than a human should have been able to—must be Reinforcement that idiot's gonna kill himself—and as he landed he pulled one of the innumerable swords out from the fence around them.
"Shirou!" Rin screamed after him, turning back to the fight.
Archer and Saber had Avenger in a deadlock, but the lone Servant seemed to mind not at all. She was easily matching the other two, her blade alight with dark flame.
Fucking Einzbern circuits, she thought resentfully before Shirou approached the Servants. She still hasn't seen you, get away!
The ice in her stomach grew colder. She latched onto Sakura's arm before the other could move. "Don't you dare join him."
Sakura whirled on her, gaze hard enough to crumble stone. "Senpai needs help!"
"We'll just be—!" Rin couldn't finish, as Avenger roared in surprise.
"Fils de pute!" she snarled, rolling around to savagely kick Shirou away. "I'll hang you by your own entrails!"
Through her blurred vision, Rin was able to see the bare skin of Avenger's arm. Shirou... hit her? Unbelievable, but the broken piece of armor on the ground was proof enough.
Archer was by his side in an instant. "Show me." Before he could reply, she tore the blade from his hands and looked it over. "Unremarkable... and yet..."
"Master, you idiot!" Saber yelled over the clash of her blade against Avenger's. "Why must you always throw yourself in the dragon's maw!?"
"I can't just sit by and watch you fight!" Shirou replied, getting to his feet. "I have to protect my—"
His words were choked off by a silver bird sinking its talons into his shoulder. Rin cursed—without the protection of Archer's shield, he was wide open to the enemy Master's spells. Sakura jerked forward, and it took every drop of Reinforcement that Rin's drained circuits could conjure to hold her back.
"No!" hissed Rin. "I won't lose you both!"
"We're not going to lose Senpai!" cried Sakura, trying to break Rin's hold. "Not if we help him now!"
The older girl's head ached with the effort of holding on, muscles and circuits screaming. Black spots danced in her vision, but still Rin would not let go. She was a magus, and a magus dealt in realities. However much the vision of Shirou injured (dead) felt like Avenger's sword on her throat again, she knew couldn't help him now. She could barely sit up, let alone stagger to him. The only thing she could do was keep Sakura safe.
Archer didn't even bat an eye in their direction. Her attention was entirely focused on the enemy in front of her.
"Here, mongrel, catch." Archer grinned as she threw the blade at Avenger. Due to the other Servant's engagement with Saber, she was unable to stop it from breaking her pauldron.
"Merde! Bordel de merde!" Avenger took a step back, but Saber pressed the attack.
"Avenger, let's go!" the Einzbern girl screamed, finally emerging from her cover. Her arm waved frantically towards the front gates. With her gaze fixed on the wraith's back, she didn't notice Emiya rushing towards her.
Rin could only look on in stupified horror. Oh no, what's that dumbass doing now?!
"Not this time!" Avenger yelled back at her Master, her malicious gaze fixed on Archer. "I will win! As long as my hatred burns, I can't lose!"
More shadowed spears flew in the air, then rained down in all directions. Archer knocked them away and hurled her weapons. Three precisely aimed swords blew away Avenger's chestplate. The Servant barely had time to snarl before a portal opened up above her and a bucket-full of water rained down. She sputtered but managed to parry another strike from Saber. The way her soaked hair fell around her face made her look like a drowned dog.
"I am somewhat humiliated by proxy..." the Servant of the Sword admitted, even as she kept pushing Avenger back.
"Shut the fuck up!"
"Don't make this harder—Master, watch out!"
Shirou leapt the final few feet towards the Einzbern Master. Eyes fixed on the battle, muttering incantations under her breath, she had not noticed the spear arcing down towards her. His arms closed around her waist just in time to pull her out of the way. They tumbled to the ground, limbs messily intertwined.
Sakura made a strangled sound. Foolish or not, Rin didn't have the heart to hold her back anymore. The instant she let go, her sister was vaulting over the fence of blades to race across the yard. Rin wanted to follow, but her head was spinning and her legs buckled under her. She could do little but beat her fists helplessly against the steel wall.
Shirou, you idiot! If you die… I'll kill you for sure.
"Putain de bordel de merde!"
Involuntarily, her head snapped back to where Avenger spat her hatred. Piece by piece, the black steel fell away to reveal a torn black tunic and skirt. The fur-collared cloak hung on by a thread, the touch of countless blades leaving it in tatters. Still Avenger fought on with all the enraged tenacity of a fighting hound.
"I'll kill you!" she howled. I'll flay you alive and je te battrai à mort avec tes propres membres! Tu me supplieras de te tuer pendant que je pisse dans tes plaies ouvertes!"
"Such incessant yapping," Archer said, stepping forward and breaking one of the dark leg plates off with the swing of a sword. "It is high time someone put you in your place."
With a savage motion, she kicked Avenger's legs out from under her. The other Servant was scrambling to rise when the golden heel pressed down on her stomach, knocking the wind from her. Then Archer bent down and pulled off the odd piece of armor adorning her forehead. With a grin that showed off her teeth, she snapped it over one knee.
"Putain! Je vais t'empaler—"
Avenger choked as the golden collar snapped in place around her neck. She thrashed violently in the upturned earth, trying to yank it off. Archer stepped back and watched her in open enjoyment.
Is this too much?
Rin's hand flared in pain.
No. No it isn't.
Cradling her broken hand, breath ragged, she looked around the field for Shirou. She spotted him a few feet away from the Einzbern Master, his hands raised appeasingly. The enemy's mouth was pressed in a grim line, a few silver strands shining in her grip. And was that Sakura standing between them, arms spread defensively?
Saber stood next to Archer, jaw tight as she watched the stand-off between the two Masters and Sakura.
Why isn't Saber moving? Isn't her Master in danger?
Then Saber huffed out a breath and turned her attention to the fire witch lying on the ground. A momentary pause, as Avenger caught her breath before renewing her furious struggles.
"Can you not put her out of her misery, Archer?" Saber asked. "We have defeated Avenger and neutralized her Master, surely you can grant her a quick end?"
You call that neutralized? snarled Rin inwardly. But when she looked back to Shirou, the Einzbern girl's shoulders looked oddly subdued. Like all the fight had abruptly drained from her, a candle that had been snuffed out.
"And let them die unpunished?" Archer shook her head. "No, little knight, she deserves far worse. This is a mercy."
"Fuck you!" spat Avenger, breathing heavily as she stopped once more. She yelped in pain when Archer kicked her in the side.
"Have you finished?" the golden Servant asked.
"Jamais!" The response was spat between cracked lips, but the Servant was clearly weakening.
"Crawl all you like, mutt. You'll still be dragged to the kennels tonight." She flipped her golden hair over one shoulder and looked over the battlefield. "Now, what about the little one that held your leash?"
With the immediate danger under control, all the adrenaline drained from Rin's system, leaving nothing but crushing exhaustion. Her eyes fluttered shut for a few breaths before she forced them open again, in time to see the Einzbern Master slowly walking across the ruined lawn.
Her shoulders were drawn in tight, and it took her a few paces to finally raise her head and look Archer in the eye. Brows furrowed but jaw set, Shirou walked at her shoulder, followed closely by Sakura. Even through the haze of pain and fatigue, Rin could see the tension in her sister's frame, her violet eyes dark with restrained anger.
Archer seemed amused. "What do you have to say for yourself?"
"There's nothing to say," said the Einzbern girl in a flat voice, inclining her head. "You've won, Gilgamesh. Go ahead and kill us."
A fierce smirk spread across Archer's face. She raised her hand, and a golden portal spun into existence above the girl. "You think to dictate to me—"
"Stop!" shouted Shirou.
There was a moment of tense silence as gazes snapped towards him. He flushed under them, but with a deep breath, straightened his shoulders and looked the Servant in the eye.
Archer raised an eyebrow. "You too, boy? Decided to side with those who sought to ruin me, have you?"
The gears turned in Rin's mind, but too slowly through the cloud of agony. Any moment, Shirou would say something that offended rather than amused the golden king. Think, Rin, think! What can you say to sway Archer—
Too late. Shirou was already balling his fists and gazing up into Archer's stern face. But just as his mouth opened, Sakura stepped in front of him. "Senpai isn't against you, he just doesn't want them to die."
As Archer turned her ruby gaze onto her, Sakura's eyes darted to the side for a moment. Rin could feel her charisma pressing down from this far away. But Sakura did not falter either.
"You may speak," said the golden Servant. Her statement was punctuated by the crash of the Tohsaka manor's roof. Rin looked away.
"We don't have shelter anymore," Sakura continued, wringing her hands at her side but not moving otherwise. "We can take theirs, but if we kill them, we could be attacked by any number of traps and fields on their property. Isn't it better to take them as... your slaves?"
Rin inhaled sharply. Even knowing what had been done to her little sister, to hear her speaking so coldly… Even if it was expected from a magus, it felt wrong from Sakura's lips. A cold shiver crawled down her spine.
Shirou clearly shared her surprise, judging from the way he stared at her. Sakura wouldn't meet his eyes, only kept them fixed on Archer, as if she were the less frightening of the two.
"Hmmm." Archer looked stern as she rubbed her chin in consideration, but Rin could feel a pulse of amusement over their bond. She wasn't sure if that was a good sign, or a portent of something worse. "It would be a shame to put the cur down before it has learned its place."
Avenger took a deep breath, only to have her words cut off by the tightening collar. The Einzbern girl flinched but said nothing.
"Then…?" asked Shirou, leaning forward. A conflicted set of emotions flashed across his face, but most of all hope.
"Very well." Archer crossed her arms and smirked down at Sakura. "But the girl is your responsibility."
Sakura nodded, and Shirou visibly relaxed. Strangely, so did Saber—with everything happening so quickly, Rin hadn't noticed the tension in the Servant's posture until it visibly drained.
For someone who had just been snatched from the brink of death, Einzbern seemed remarkably impassive. Or perhaps it was simply shock and fatigue, from the ways her arms now hung listlessly at her sides.
The matter seemingly settled to her satisfaction, Archer smirked and snapped her fingers. The portals closed, the blades shimmering into gold dust then vanishing. The violent pull on Rin's mana reserves lessened, and her overheated circuits finally cooled. It should have come as a relief, but Rin could only feel cold. At least whatever had been in Archer's vial appeared to be finally kicking in, her wounds slowly knitting together. She could move her hand now without a blaze of agony.
Shivering, she sat up to see Archer leaning down to grab Avenger by the collar. Just as her golden gauntlets closed, a loud crack split the air behind him. Rin didn't need the groaning of collapsing beams or the thickening smoke to know the Tohsaka manor was falling apart.
Rin didn't want to look, but her head was already turning of its own volition to face the blazing ruins of her home. The only home she had ever known, filled with memories both warm and cold. The table she had fantasized about sitting at with Shirou and Sakura growing older together, less than an hour ago. Splinters and ashes.
For a moment, Rin wanted to force herself up to run back in and rescue what little she could. But closing wounds did not wipe away the memory of recent pain still screaming in her nerves, or buoy her exhausted shoulders. And even if she set herself to desperate digging, there would be very little left to salvage by now.
It was too late to correct her error. Just another in a long line of such mistakes in Rin's life.
Voices blended around her as Rin stared at the trailing smoke, but she didn't move. Not until fingers gently closed over her shoulder. She winced at the touch, before reminding herself it wasn't Avenger's cruel grasp. She was safe now.
She looked at the ruins of her legacy. And adrift.
"Neesan?"
"So that's it, then..." murmured Rin.
A sigh whispered in her ear, then Sakura wrapped her arms around Rin to carefully help her to her feet.
"I know it hurts now, Neesan," said her sister quietly, the flames reflected in her eyes. "But you don't have to let the past chain you. You can walk forward from this."
"Everything I... all the books, the artifacts… everything I'm supposed to be. It's all gone."
And the photo album, and Mother's wedding dress, and the crystal horse that was Father's last gift.
"You don't need any of that," Sakura said, giving her shoulder a comforting squeeze. "You have us. We're together again, aren't we?"
Rin met her sister's eyes, then her smile. It could have—should have—been mocking or cruel or any number of things. That house must have held so much pain alongside the joy for Sakura, and she could have been elated to see it burn. But she wasn't hanging onto the past. Sakura was looking at her.
"Yeah," Rin said after a moment. "Okay."
She clutched onto Sakura's hand tightly, and their fingers intertwined.
"Let's go," said her sister, and pulled her along.
Co-Author's Note: Yeah, okay, maybe just a bit more angst. Just a little bit more next chapter. Promise. Pinky swear. It's not like me and TungstenCat can't help ourselves from tearing hearts in two. No, but seriously, we know what this fic is intended to be and we will return to that. But if we rob them of the character growth that they deserve, then it will not be satisfying. Don't worry, though! Next chapter will have something very nice to make up for it.