EDIT: Black goes with everything. New truck? Black. Don't know what to wear? Black. The best colour to edit google docs in the middle of the night when you don't want to wake people up? Black. Sometimes that bright white hurts my eyes :(
Hello everybody! I know it's been a while and I know I published another chapter for another fic before this one, but EoE is significantly easier to edit and the beta working on that was available at the time.
Because of some communication issues between me and my wonderful beta, Talndir, this chapter was delayed (Sorry). You'll be happy to know that the next chapter is pretty much finished though!
We also breached 100k views! I'm quite proud personally, hope you all enjoy the neat milestone too.
Well, it's that time again, let's get right into it!
Lancer's story checked out. The man wielded whatever weapon Shirou threw at him with astonishing masterful ability. Swords, axes, bows, shields, even small sticks that could only be classified as a weapon in the direst of situations.
From his demonstration with Saber to this uncanny ability, Shirou would almost agree with Illya and her claims of having the stronger servant. While far from disappointing, Saber certainly wasn't the unstoppable blademaster that he had expected.
Something redeeming was Saber's experience in fighting alongside Lancer. This meant that neither would become a liability in combat due to their partnership. They could cooperate together with increased efficiency. That, along with their already high status as two of the three knight-class servants would hopefully make them unstoppable.
After spending some time training Lancer and performing his morning training ritual, Shirou prepared an overwhelmingly large breakfast for the servants and his family. In order to account for the two servants who would also be eating, he took the same amount of food he would eat, then added double that, expecting each one to eat as much as he could.
With so much food being made, Shirou ran some calculations and felt his bank account crying prematurely. Hopefully, this Grail War wouldn't last very long, because if it did, he would have to borrow some money from Kiritsugu to support how much food was being made.
After setting the dishes on the table, he gathered Lancer and Saber who had been diligently acting as sentries around the house. As usual, he neglected to wake anyone and drag them out for breakfast, allowing every other resident to get their rest or complete what they needed to before naturally making their way to eat breakfast. Since he typically made it around the same time each day, things simply worked better that way.
"Shirou, as a servant I do not require food to survive," Saber claimed, getting a complimentary motion from Lancer as they both stood awkwardly around the table.
Shirou stared at her and blinked twice, letting his face split into a soft smirk. "That's nice, now sit down and have breakfast."
The two servants were stunned into silence, but both settled at a seat around the table. After a brief count, Shirou realized that they wouldn't have enough seats if another guest arrived. With four on each side and one at each head, they would need to upgrade to a larger table to support more than six people comfortably. Maybe Kiritsugu could find another, larger table and somehow shoehorn it into the kitchen.
Hesitantly, the two knights delivered a modest portion to their own plates. They began eating at a slow pace, seemingly apprehensive of the meal. After the first few bites, their attention became devoted to finishing the meal and adding more to their plates.
Oyakodon, miso shiru, shokupan toast and a spinach-laden rolled omelette were all components of the healthy meal Shirou had prepared for his guests.
As for Illya, her specially made breakfast was waiting in the oven, remaining hot for when she stepped into the room. As she preferred breakfast laden with sugar and sweets and Shirou felt that she deserved it due to her circumstances, he cooked her something separate each morning. When she woke up, she would get to enjoy upside-down apple french toast, a dish which he liberally showered with chocolate chips and pecans for good measure.
"I had no idea you were such a good chef," Saber claimed, hardly stopping for more than a second.
Lancer nodded in agreement, deciding not to waste so much as a moment eating. Shirou moved some food onto his own plate and began, keeping a watchful eye on the knights. The two servants finished simultaneously and they both reached for a single utensil to pile on more.
Realizing they both had the same idea, Lancer gave a warm smile to his king and gestured for her to take first. "Gi- Royalty first," he saved, closing his eyes tight to try and hide his blunder.
Evidently, Saber was more interested in the food, as she delivered a considerable helping to her plate with a self-satisfied grin. These were two of the strongest knights in all of history; it was comedic to see them act so human and familiar.
A soft noise of strain brought his attention to the door, where a half-asleep Illya had stumbled in still dressed in her neon-pink pyjamas. She clumsily tried to sit where Lancer was, realizing halfway through the motion that someone was there. Apologizing with a mumble, the girl settled into a free spot and focused on rubbing her eyes clear.
Standing, Shirou rubbed the top of her head and asked how she had slept while moving to retrieve her breakfast. "Not good at all. I slept long enough, but I had this really weird dream and when I woke up, I still felt tired."
Gently placing the plate in front of her, Shirou resettled himself onto a zabuton. "Perhaps you are still acclimating to my mana draw, Master," Lancelot pointed out.
Illya shook her head. "I don't really notice you taking my mana." The girl paused to yawn, taking up a fork before picking at the sweet, fragrant dish ahead. "I think the only time I did notice, was when you were fighting Saber. Even then, it was only just a fragment."
Saber had even stopped filling her mouth now, swallowing before asking, "You can't really mean that, Illyasviel. Powering a servant takes a considerable amount of mana."
Shirou scratched the side of his face. "I guess I should have told you that Illya is kind of," he struggled to find the correct wording, "broken. She has so much mana, I think she could qualify as a Caster."
With one bite of toast being chewed, the homunculus agreed while simultaneously gloating. "I could probably support you both at your fullest and have mana for a third servant."
Lancer made a short hum. "Not that I wish to call you a liar, master, but could you demonstrate this mana supply somehow?"
While still chewing, the girl offered their servant a terse look. Without another word, she scrunched up her face and tensed her body. On command, jagged crimson lines scrawled across most of her visible skin. As she did this, Lancer visibly jumped in his seat, making a choked noise all while his eyes snapped open.
Just as quickly as the markings appeared, they faded away to bring back her pale skin. "That was all I could make on such short demand. It's also morning and I'm tired - so give me a break," the girl murmured before getting lost in the sugary dish Shirou had made.
"Well then, using my noble phantasm shouldn't be much of a problem then," Lancer claimed, slowly returning to his breakfast.
Expectantly, Saber turned to Shirou. "You must be capable of producing a similar amount of mana, correct?" There was a competitive edge in her eyes, the flame of a lion that wanted to prove they were the head of the pack.
Two snorts sounded at the same instance. They were both from Emiya males. Kiritsugu had stepped into the dining room as Saber posed her question, but he made a brief stop near the kitchen where a coffee maker beckoned his name. Pausing only to express a greeting to his father, Shirou answered Saber's question. "Illya is pretty unique. Of all the magi I know, she has the most in raw reservoir capacity." Methodically, he reached for another rolled omelette to add to his plate. "As for me, I'm pretty weak in terms of mana."
Saber made a short hum, watching his plate with empty eyes for a moment. "You don't appear any less capable than your father."
A questioning noise sounded as the father in question settled with a cup in hand at the table. "Is that so?"
"It's been some time, but I would estimate that your son might even be stronger than you in terms of mana potential, Kiritsugu. Though I'm merely speculating, as I've never experienced a full mana supply from either of you." Saber continued eating after her statement, allowing the two to look at one another questioningly. A considerable time ago, he had been nothing in comparison to his father - magic circuit wise at least. Had he really developed that much in so short a time? Perhaps it was the Emiya family crest that had provided such a boost.
"Shirou, are you still planning on going to school tomorrow?" Illya asked, shifting the conversation entirely.
"Why wouldn't I? I need to collect some homework before I can stay home at least," he claimed with furrowed brows.
"Well-"
Saber was the first to state her obvious distaste for the plan. "Mast- Shirou, entering such a public place undefended with your current position is asking for trouble. What if an enemy master attempts to strike at such a vulnerable moment?"
Considering the danger for some time, Shirou could only shrug. "Other masters aren't supposed to fight one another at such times, but rules don't really stop the more determined," he agreed.
Lancer cleared his throat. "Seeing as how our masters are working together, I could provide protection for Shirou by remaining close in spirit form. Should danger arise, I would be there to assist and you would be notified immediately, my liege."
Shirou considered the proposition, remembering Rin and Sakura abruptly. The former might have already summoned her servant and how would she explain Saber and Lancer to Sakura? "What if we encounter another master who has a servant at school? Can servants detect other servants even in spirit form?"
Kiritsugu made a noise. "They can for the most part unless the servant is Assassin."
"If your concern is absolute anonymity, I believe I have the perfect set of skills to provide just that," Lancelot touted, nodding with a soft, smug smile. "All I need is a set of women's clothing."
… … …
… … …
"I can't believe I'm doing this," Shirou murmured, shaking his head in his hands.
"I assure you, not even the most perceptive servant could see through this disguise," Lancer appeased in a voice that was not his own. Walking toward Homurahara, Shirou was accompanied by another individual. It wasn't the tall male knight Illya had summoned, but a young woman dressed admittedly well in casual clothing. After racking their collective minds all day yesterday, they had decided on a believable design and cover story that Lancer could use.
Daughter of the regional kyudo league president, Taasa Miyoshi, or Miyo as she preferred, had come to examine Shirou in person. The rumours of his skill had reached beyond Fuyuki, but his display at the previous year's tournament didn't match up to the stories.
This would, unfortunately, put Shirou back into the kyudo dojo, but it was the only believable cover that they could find. No member of the Emiya household had any descendants they could imitate in a believable fashion, be it from amnesia, anonymity or plain lack thereof.
The girl had typical short black hair which fell around their face in a natural bob cut. It worked well to frame her soft features but there was still a rigid seriousness in her eyes that unnerved Shirou. Apparently Lancer had done such a thing on purpose, claiming that it would dissuade many of the less resolved from speaking with her.
Shirou could practically hear Sakura's questions ringing in his ear already and he wasn't even at school yet. "Who is she? What is she doing walking with you? Is she staying at your house?" among others.
When he arrived at the school gates and met Sakura, she did ask all of those questions as he predicted, but in a different order. Explaining the situation, the overly-attached girl calmed down significantly. Throughout the start of their encounter, Shirou noticed that she was making a close examination of his right hand while trying to appear subtle about it. While noting it down in his mind, he quickly thanked whatever power decided to place his command seals on his left hand. If he was different than everyone else, it would be easier to hide his affliction.
After Shirou's explanation, Lancer quickly went to work filling in the holes to solidify their story. "I'm only in Fuyuki for today so that I can witness Shirou in action at the school's dojo. As I have nothing else to do, I thought it wise to familiarize myself with the grounds in the off chance I need to return here again."
Sakura glared at the new girl, biting one corner of her lip in a half-pout. "Fine, but Shirou is mine, so you better not get any funny ideas."
Feeling his cheeks grow red, Shirou could only imagine how Lancer was responding to such a comment. Almost on cue, the voice of Saber echoed throughout his head. "Illya spontaneously burst out laughing, should I be concerned for her sanity?" He decided to leave the servant guessing, holding his silence.
Instead of laughter, the girl beside him donned a very serious expression. "I assure you, that is the farthest possible outcome here. Your relationship will go undisturbed."
Still biting her lip, Sakura assured herself with a curt nod, looking toward Shirou expectantly. "So does this mean you'll be rejoining archery club?"
He shook his head partly. "No, this will just be a one time only visit. I still think it's too boring."
"W-well, if you stay a little longer after school you can see how much better I've gotten since you last watched me." Hope was gleaming in her violet eyes and there wasn't a possible chance that he could say no to someone begging him so sweetly. The last time he had watched Sakura practice kyudo was when she was in junior high - last year in fact.
Lancer visibly shivered and wrapped her arms around herself. "If you two wouldn't mind, I would enjoy this conversation much more if we weren't standing in the middle of the cold yard."
Realizing his rudeness, Shirou sent an apologetic glance to the visitor. "Sure thing, let's go in-" Immediately, alarm bells rang off in his mind, guiding his head to look toward the school on pure instinct alone. Naturally being guided, he locked eyes with a very particular black-haired woman who was watching him with suspicious intent. Realizing she was discovered far too late, she twitched in place and hastily made a retreat out of sight.
"Shirou?" came a questioning remark, accompanied by a warmth on his shoulder. Turning his head to the voice, he met a concerned Sakura who after looking into his eyes, tried to find what he had spotted. "Did you see something?"
He hesitated while considering what he had witnessed and what he wanted to tell Sakura. He wouldn't be able to pull off a lie with her, but half-truths were still fair game. "Just another student. I felt like I was being watched and I was."
… … …
… … …
"Was that his servant?" Rin asked with a whisper, continuing out of the room. The boy she had been watching was her friend, her boyfriend in fact. Soon, he would end up being one of her rivals, why did life have to be so unfair? She could only hope that her plan would work.
A smooth baritone voice resonated within her skull. If this was how Shirou would sound as he got older, she wouldn't be complaining - that was for certain. "It seems that this world's Shirou has already made quite the advancement in his projection magecraft. Hair and skin pigmentation alteration didn't start for nearly a decade after this point in my life."
"Focus!" Rin hissed through her teeth, gathering her servant's attention. "Was that woman a servant?"
The Tohsaka could have sworn that there was a distant sigh in her mind. "As a servant, I can easily pick out other servants from a crowd but I can certify without a doubt that the woman who was standing beside him was not a servant unless they were Assassin."
"I thought you said he would summon Saber, King Arthur. This girl didn't really fit your description," Rin levelled, lacking any humour in her voice.
"He was supposed to, however, this Grail War is entirely different from what I am used to, as you already know. As much knowledge as I have, I can only make assumptions based on the known events of different times. The smallest act decades ago could have altered so much." He paused, giving the girl some time to travel down a staircase. "Are you familiar with the Butterfly Effect?"
"Of course, of course, isn't everyone?" she murmured, rounding a bannister. To anyone watching, she likely appeared insane. Speaking to herself in anger while flying down the stairs to get to class wasn't something normal people did at least.
"Then you shouldn't be surprised that I can't anticipate every next move."
Growling to herself, the girl reflected on last night, when she managed to summon her own boyfriend as her servant. He had been reluctant to speak at first and even more against answering questions. After hinting at events she thought would pique his interest, he began to open up. For some reason, he had an extreme fixation on himself - talk about narcissistic.
She needed to get to class, but letting her mind reflect on their conversation wouldn't hurt, just to see if she had missed something.
… … … …
… … … …
"I've been here before. Not here specifically, but here during another time - several times in fact. I was only a master one time and a servant all the others," the man claimed, fixated on Aoi as she stepped into the demolished living room. Archer had destroyed nearly every piece of furniture upon entry, but Rin had performed some quick magecraft to repair the furniture enough so that they could all sit and talk. Even though he had only uttered a few meagre sentences, she had gained some important information. Verification that Shirou was a master, for one. "In every other time I've been summoned, the most consistent detail is that you are dead."
The woman offered the servant a strange look, settling herself into a chair with refined grace. "I find it hard to believe that I am supposed to be deceased when I am very much living," the woman defended, collecting her own cup of tea to take a sip of the piping hot liquid. Unlike Rin herself, she was remarkably calm, but maybe that had something to do with age, wisdom begets courage and all that.
Archer appeared unfazed. "Yes, having someone you know explain to you that you died in another life must be so surreal. Almost as surreal as dying only to wake up mere seconds later during an entirely different time in an entirely different place."
Aoi was silenced by Archer's sarcasm but her daughter was far more annoyed. Furrowing her brows, Rin shot back. "Well, you're definitely a lot more jaded and sarcastic than the Shirou I know."
"That would be because we are two entirely different entities. The Shirou you know and the man I am share no similarities at all," he claimed, voice edged with a strong venom.
Rin hummed thoughtfully, taking a minute to think about how she could test such a claim. Eventually, she gathered a handful of questions that could work. "Well let's test that theory, shall we? What do you think about your father, Kiritsugu Emiya?"
Archer's face soured immediately. "A vile man, a disgusting existence that forced an unattainable dream onto his next of kin."
Blinking at the violent reaction but expressing nothing else, Rin noted that part down on a fictional list within her mind labelled "Not Shirou". "And Illyasviel? What do you think about her?"
Archer's expression softened dramatically before it shifted to confusion. "You know of her? You two weren't supposed to meet until the war had already begun." Rin merely levelled the servant a stern glower, an act which was enough to get him back on track. At least that was the same. "Even though I never learned she was my sister until it was too late, her end is one of my greatest regrets."
That was one point to the "Is Shirou" list, even with that strange part about not knowing her. "Looking back at yourself when you went through the war, how skilled of a magus were you?"
Archer snorted, leaning back in the chair after collecting his cup of tea. Obviously the scent was too alluring for him to resist. "I had as much claim to the title of magus as the nearest light fixture. Even a potted house plant would be capable of more than I would. You consistently called me a third-rate magus and that nickname happened to stick as long as we were together."
Rin immediately became distracted, cheeks warming at the prospect. "You and I were dating in your lifetime too?"
Archer shut one eye, smirking smugly. "To be honest, I still don't really know how I managed it, as clueless as I was." The smugness faded and bitterness took its place. "Even then, calling us a couple would be excessive. It was more like we were two rival business owners who agreed to work together to finish a project. It wasn't abusive, but far from traditional. Once we split apart- well," he paused, gesturing to himself.
So it wasn't like the relationship they had now, but something much more restricted and terse. To Rin, it sounded as if neither one could open up or rely on the other completely. It was an unhealthy relationship bound to fail. Would that be the ultimate fate for their current relationship? Maybe it would be better to stay away from the boy and let Sakura have him.
"You became a servant," Rin stated for clarification's sake, narrowing her eyes questioningly. "I was holding you back from becoming a hero?"
Archer took a drink of tea, staring into it before admitting with a conflicted expression, "I'm not a hero. However, before I can explain what that means, I have to ask for information on the Shirou you know. Should you choose not to answer my questions, I won't answer any more of yours," he threatened.
Rin sighed. "Well, I can't see there being any harm in telling you. Since you're both...you. Even if you hate yourself, you'll just end up in a stalemate should you choose to fight." She wasn't sure, but she could have sworn she caught Archer's eye twitch. So her little insult had gotten to him, good.
For some time after, she went into vague detail recounting Shirou's life. Starting with Kiritsugu approaching her and asking for her help, Illya appearing and living with them both, his assistance with her studies and development of his magecraft, training with Bazett. She even noted the rescue of Missy and his encounter with the werewolves and freelancers before he visited the Clock Tower. From there, she detailed his involvement with the various faces across the pond. Archer was wide-eyed as she recounted his stories of Luvia, Lectra, Flat, Gray and Reines. She wasn't watching a clock, but her mouth was certainly dry after speaking so many words and it certainly felt as if it had been some time.
"So we are even more different than usual, the expected outcome is therefore impossible," the servant summarized. He set the now empty cup of tea down onto its paired plate and stared her dead in the eyes with a look nearly as cold and vacant as the Magus Killer's. "Do you know what his goal in life might be?"
Rin repeated the question aloud to solidify it in her mind, even taking some time to consider it in depth. The only person who knew more about Shirou than she did was Illya and even then it was close. The boy told her everything - at least she assumed as such. There were a lot of things Shirou wanted to do. He wanted to save people and let everybody live a good life free of pain - but that wasn't his first priority. She thought back to the serial killer he had murdered for Illya, the werewolves and enforcer he had killed while on the brink of death to save Sakura, Kiera Eliphas and even Shinji.
"I think he just wants to watch over his family, you know - Kiritsugu and Illya. He's always concerned with them and every decision of his leads back there. Though, to be honest I've never asked."
Archer's serious demeanour faded. He seemed to relax and his expression turned to utter bewilderment. "Kiritsugu is still alive and Shirou doesn't want to be a hero?"
Rin scowled. "Of course he is alive, didn't you hear me talk about him when I was telling you about Shirou? Anyway, Shirou hates being called a hero. He said something about how calling him a hero defaces the word or something equally as melodramatic." The girl shrugged, her memory of his exact words rather hazy.
Archer made a long, thoughtful hum. "I see. As you've been around him for a considerable amount of time, would you consider him or some of his actions to be suicidal?"
Rin shook her head viciously, throwing her twin tails in every direction. "Of course not, but there are times I suppose." Making a thoughtful noise, Rin thought back harder. "Normally no, but if Sakura or Illya is in danger, he wouldn't stop trying to kill whoever it was even if you chopped his arms and legs off."
"I see, so he's not as ignorant as the Shirou I'm used to," the man murmured, panning his eyes back to his master before standing. "I agree to act as your servant in this war, Rin Tohsaka. Our contract is complete."
Being honest, Rin thought there would be a whoosh of air or some sort of indication that some sort of solemn promise had been made - but nothing happened at all. Rin stared at her servant with apathy as he bowed in greeting. "I've answered all your questions to the best of my ability, now you must answer mine in kind," Rin declared, treating the man she knew as an absolute stranger. "You said you aren't a hero, that you're different somehow."
"Correct, I am a counter guardian," he stated nonchalantly.
Rin blanched, suddenly feeling as if she had been punched in the stomach. She examined her servant's face for any signs of a lie. "You can't be serious, you gave your life away to act as a counter guardian?" Rin claimed in disbelief.
"It is one of my deepest regrets, yes. Since you never really knew who I was before, the irony and weight of such a statement is lost. Then again, had you been from the same world as myself, you wouldn't be speaking to me in such a manner anyway," he huffed, settling back into the couch with a haughty expression.
"What would drive you to such a decision?" the girl asked, entirely invested in her servant's past. If her Shirou would make the same mistakes, she would have to stick beside him to keep reminding him about how much of an idiot he was and drive him away from Alaya.
The servant shuffled in his seat. "Whether you believe it or not, the downward spiral which would ultimately lead to my contract to Alaya begins when you and I go our separate ways."
Aoi interrupted with a warm smile. "How sweet, Rin is the last thing that kept you sane." It was a safe bet that she knew nothing about what they were talking about, but she decided to selectively focus on the parts she did.
The two other people present were visibly embarrassed. "Wording it like that is rather strange," Archer claimed, shaking his head softly.
"We're on the same wavelength there at least," Rin agreed, trying not to cringe inwardly. After a brief pause to repress the earlier comment, Rin returned to their serious conversation. "You mentioned something earlier about not speaking to me in such a manner, what did you mean by that? You wouldn't tell me all of this?"
"Once again, not exactly. Normally, two things take place in the worlds I am summoned in. In all of these worlds, you do not recognize who I am and that is mandatory for these two things to take place. The first is an incomplete summoning. I believe you conduct the ritual at an inopportune time and as summoning a counter guardian requires a much more stable ritual, my memories are in disarray upon materialization." The man closed his eyes and crossed both arms over his chest, sinking into the cushioned chair behind him.
"So you don't remember me or yourself?"
"Yes and no again. When you summon me improperly, I have no recollection of you, myself or Shirou Emiya. After interacting with you and allowing time to pass, my memories rapidly return which allows me to focus on discovering whether the second and ultimately most important matter is as I know it to be."
Waiting on bated breath, the Tohsaka grew annoyed when he refused to continue. "Go on?"
"The Shirou Emiya of that world must have a dream, a dream to become a Hero of Justice, all to satisfy the wish of a dying man."
Immediately, Rin threw up her hands and waved them in front of her face. "Hold on," she repeated several times to stop him, "I thought you weren't a hero, so where does the Hero of Justice thing come from?"
Archer rolled his eyes, much to Rin's annoyance. Rin really hoped that the Shirou she knew wouldn't become whatever this guy was. "It would be too much effort to explain to you in a sense you could understand. My suggestion would be to ask your Shirou Emiya directly, he'll likely explain to you his position and allow me to make my own judgement as well."
Rin scrutinized Archer's words, trying to find the meaning behind them. He was very determined on discovering what Shirou Emiya would aspire to be - did he have plans to…? "And what type of judgement would you make based on that information?"
Archer scrunched up his face in thought. It was something Shirou himself did, so it actually hurt Rin more to witness the similarity and be reminded that he had the possibility to wind up in this situation. He was putting deep thought into his words, a good sign that he was concocting a riddle-like half-truth. "Whether or not I would be able to end the cycle."
Rin stumbled mentally over the vague wording. Was he referring to the cycle of the Grail War or some other cycle she wasn't aware of? Either way, she logged the comment down in her mind and made a note to show how different the Shirou she knew truly was from the little she knew of Archer's Shirou; or the Shirou that would become Archer. "If you've been through this War before, then you must know everything about it, right?"
Archer nodded once deeply. "Correct, but if you're looking to abuse that knowledge to certify your victory, there may be problems. The most pressing issue is the fact that things are entirely new to me as well and the second is that victory isn't what you might expect. You will need to make that discovery on your own as you're unlikely to believe my word."
Rin stared at her servant for some time before she leaned her head over the back of the couch and released a deep sigh. "Either way, we've basically lost this war before it's even begun."
Immediately, two questioning voices reached her ears, demanding an explanation. Closing her eyes, Rin explained what she believed to be the case to her mother and servant. "If Archer is Shirou, then the two can pretty much match up against one another in a stalemate. It's like throwing rock against rock in Rock-Paper-Scissors. That would be fine and all, but Shirou has his own servant so you say. That means we'll effectively be facing two servants while we only have one."
Archer was silent, and that was all the confirmation she needed. "Come to think of it, you might be right. But your awareness of the situation is still limited. If Illya is living with this Shirou, they are undoubtedly working together. Which means-"
"-We have to face two servants along with Shirou and Illya. So essentially three servants and a ridiculously overcharged mana battery," Rin finished, producing another laboured sigh. "You might as well tell me all the details of the War or Wars you've been through and we'll see what we can plan out."
… … … …
… … … …
"We can't rule out this world's Shirou summoning Assassin," Archer reminded.
Rin's memory caught up with her at that moment. As she was around normal people, she turned to communicate with Archer through the voice in her mind. "Wait, yes we can. Assassin hasn't been summoned yet. Saber, Lancer, Caster, Berserker and now Archer are the only active servants."
"I see, you still keep in touch with Kirei?"
"Kirei?" She questioned, unconsciously scrunching her face questioningly even though she was speaking within her own head. She knew of a Kirei Kotomine, but merely in passing and that was ten years ago.
Archer was silent for so long, Rin had thought he might have spontaneously died somehow. "This world is unlike anything I've ever experienced. Without Kirei Kotomine, so much changes, Lancer will- there won't be an eighth servant."
"You didn't go over any of this in the rundown yesterday. You just told me the servants and what happens to me," Rin grumbled, growing quite agitated with her servant and his secrets.
"I had not expected this much variance, I had thought those details to be superfluous. As much knowledge as I have about my own Fifth War, I doubt any of it will be of use to you in this war."
Rin allowed her head to connect with the desk surface ahead of her face. "So you're even more useless than I thought, how is that even possible?"
"Hmph. It's been a considerable amount of time since you've ever insulted me like that, it's both familiar and demoralizing. Regardless, I believe you should hold your tongue until the war begins. I may not have information, but I can rightfully hold my own in ways you would not expect." Toward the end of his rant, the servant almost sounded prideful.
"Is your noble phantasm a working reality marble?" Rin asked, wondering if all Shirou's would get to that level of mastery at one point or another. Would the reality marbles be different with each of their different experiences? Could Archer teach Shirou how to enact his own reality marble?
Archer went absolutely silent and Rin wondered if he had spontaneously died once again. When she was about to ask where he went, he responded with, "I don't like this. I'm not used to being the one left in the dark."
… … …
… … …
A shout of his name sent the boy turning around. Having just finished school, he was on his way to the kyudo dojo to premier his skills to "Miyo". He caught sight of Lectra sprinting toward him from across the grounds, waving an arm to garner his attention. Getting close enough to speak at a normal volume she claimed, "I'm so glad I caught you before you went home." She paused to bend over, catching her breath from the sprint.
"Well actually Lectra, I'll be heading over to the archery club to demonstrate myself for the league president's daughter," he explained.
"Ah, well-" she paused, standing up and raising an arm above her head. "I just wanted to tell you that I got a B on my Japanese test, all thanks to your help." The girl cut a bright close-eyed smile that easily slid its way onto his own face.
"That's great to hear, Lectra!" he admired, genuinely impressed with her results. "Still having difficulty speaking though?" he asked, noticing that she was still communicating in English.
The girl nodded. "Still having trouble there but thankfully all the tests are written so it's not too big a problem. At least I can understand and write it now!" she exclaimed, holding her smirk. "Hey, you wouldn't mind if I came with you and watched? I've never seen kyudo but I've heard stories of you when you used to be in the club."
Shirou laughed and turned away shyly. "Seems like word really gets around. I don't know why; I wasn't really that good."
Lectra continued smiling. "The same rumours also said you'd be extremely humble about your skill. I was also talking to Mitsuzuri the other day and she says the only time you missed was during a tournament and that you did it on purpose."
Shirou knew that to be the truth and would admit it if asked directly, but he disliked contributing to rumours so instead, he rather awkwardly claimed, "Well you know how credible rumours can be."
Lectra's smile grew wider. "Exactly, so that's why I want to see it for myself."
… … …
There was a loud thunk as the arrow collided dead center of the bullseye. Releasing a calm breath, Shirou methodically lowered the yumi in his grasp only to adorn a frown. There just wasn't any challenge in firing a bow at this range, the lack of difficulty was still as boring as ever.
Taking a step back from the firing line, several voices made pleasantly surprised noises. Turning his head around, he spotted several new faces around the few he recognized. As Lectra spoke in English, her voice was easier to detect amidst the crowd. He couldn't quite decipher it all, but he assumed it to be a claim that the rumours about him were true.
As he moved further away from the firing line, he was practically crowded with Mitsuzuri getting to speak first. "So why couldn't you just do that and then quit last year?" she asked, shaking her head with a smirk. The girl lightly punched his shoulder, "Ah well, at least now the kyudo league won't keep thinking I'm a liar."
Sakura quickly piled on him as well, leering a bit too close for him to be perfectly comfortable."You were made to use the bow, Senpai, you should rejoin the club - we need a captain anyway!"
"Hold on there, Matou. You can't force him to do something he doesn't want to," Mitsuzuri claimed, smiling as she pulled her younger girl away from Shirou's personal space.
Lectra still held a bright smile, complimenting his shot. "You're a real crack shot, guess I can see why you would have left. If that's how every shot you've fired ended up, there's no reason to keep practicing."
Shirou reached up with his free hand to scratch at his neck. "I've just naturally been good with a bow, I guess."
"And kendo too," the girl nodded, starting a worrying pit in the bottom of his stomach. "Miss Fujimura told me all about how you could take on the entire kendo club with one hand - blindfolded." Something about her tone was worrying to Shirou. He knew that she, along with Luvia, were building a profile of him, he just hadn't expected them to go so in-depth, or for Taiga to spill every detail she had on him.
"That might have been because I was told to train the younger disciples. Since I had Taiga as a mentor when I was younger, that's how they wanted to make things fair. I never went to tournaments outside of Homurahara, so I couldn't really be that good." All that he said was true though he had been offered the chance to follow Taiga's dream of kendo mastery several times. He declined each opportunity to protect himself from situations like this one exactly.
"Oh, so it was all just some exaggeration? That's interesting. I guess if you're Miss Fujimura's favourite student, she's likely to hyperbolize some things, huh?" Lectra continued smiling, though something about it appeared off to Shirou. It wasn't her usually bubbly expression, but something different. Just as he was about to ask her why she was so interested in him all of a sudden, she bounced on her feet and cocked her head. "Ah well, I should really get going - I didn't tell Luvia I would be staying late so she's probably worried about me. Thanks for letting me watch you, it was cool to see!"
With a wave of her hand, the girl quickly departed with a visible sense of urgency. "Senpai, what was she talking about?" Sakura asked, stepping into view. Distracted, he took an extra moment to switch his mind to Japanese and responded.
"Just some questions about my school activities," he passed off, making things seem less serious than they were. "Luvia is expecting her, so she had to take off pretty quickly."
Sakura's features softened, likely thankful that nothing was wrong. "It's a shame she can't stay - but you will, right? You can watch me practice."
Out of the corner of his eye, Shirou caught Mitsuzuri raising an eyebrow with a smug smirk. She knew as well as he did - he was caught. Sakura's glimmering puppy dog eyes and pout broke what little resolve he had. "Alright, I'll stay and watch you practice." Looking down at his own ceremonial attire, he spread his arms. "While you set up, I'll have some time to change back to normal and speak with the league president's daughter."
Lifting his head, he spotted Miyo - Lancer - casually watching him from a distance within the crowd. Behind the golden glow of Avalon, Shirou found the connection he shared with Saber, opening the channel so his mind could speak with her as his father had guided. "Hey, Saber?" Cordially, the servant responded, asking what he required. "I'm going to be staying with Sakura for a bit. Since it wouldn't make sense for Miyo to stick around, he can head home whenever he likes, just make sure he isn't seen."
Saber agreed to do as requested and after a short time, Miyo softly nodded in his direction. While Shirou moved to the dressing room to change back into his normal clothes, he caught sight of Miyo as she - that is, Lancer - left. It was nice to have some protection, but he didn't want to waste his time. Besides, he wouldn't need protection anyway - he was just keeping Saber satisfied.
… … …
"So what did you find out?"
Lectra pushed a breath of air from her nose. "Well, I'm eighty-five percent sure that the Magus Killer's son was right under your nose eating lunch with us last year."
Luvia made a spiteful sound with her mouth. "You're that sure, huh?"
"Everything checks out. We haven't seen him fight in person, but he was in kendo which would lead to his blade mastery and he was apparently unbeatable. His skill as a marksman is also unrivalled and Blade was flawless with a bow and arrow." Lectra raised her hands, shaking her head in frustration. "The only time the guy has ever missed was when he did it on purpose. He said he did it because he was bored, but there's more to it than that. There's just so much going on with him."
Luvia pushed off the concrete wall, taking a few steps forward so she could lay a hand on her friend's shoulder. "You seem pretty steamed over this, are you alright?"
Lectra turned her head toward the blonde, anger in her eyes. It was the first time Luvia had ever actually seen such an emotion. "Of course not," she blatantly claimed, walking forward out of her reach. "Why would Blade do it? Play with our emotions and make it seem like he was our friend? Did he plan everything from the start? Why would he fake his own death?" The older girl ran both hands through her hair, squeezing the sides of her skull before throwing the hood of her favourite jumper over her head. "I just don't get it, I thought-" she murmured, voice fading away.
Luvia took a deep breath before letting it slide out her nose during her approach towards the woman. She was a mercenary, born and bred to be an efficient killing machine. Luvia was cold and merciless personally, but that didn't stop her from feeling empathy. Casually, the blonde wrapped an arm around the smaller girl and rubbed at her back. "As much as I hate trying to defend someone like that, it might have been done for our benefit."
Hiding her face, Lectra struggled to get out a question without her voice cracking. "What do you mean?"
"Think of it like those superhero movies you like so much. If the villain can't attack the hero directly..." she led on, allowing the girl to fill in the blanks on her own.
The girl raised one sleeve to wipe at her face. "Then they attack the hero's loved ones."
Luvia patted the girl's back comfortingly. "Exactly, so maybe he fabricated a life and faked his death to protect us, or people back here."
"Like Rin and Sakura - and Missy?"
"And his family, yeah," Luvia nodded, trying to keep her partner from breaking down further. "Or maybe he's just trying to cover up for the Magus Killer, maybe he's their disciple."
The two girls stood in silence in the open schoolyard, listening to the slight breeze and running over their thoughts. "Luvia, do you think Rin or Shirou have caught onto us?"
"I don't know about him, but I had you pegged from the start," a new voice claimed from behind, inciting both girls to snap around on instinct. The voice had spoken in English, but it was regretfully familiar.
With fists planted firmly on her hips, the sight of a particularly irate school idol stood before them. Her face was plastered with a deepened scowl that outlined her intentions perfectly. "Lectra, get behind me," Luvia directed, and the girl rapidly obliged. Preparing herself for an attack, Luvia narrowed her eyes and observed the Tohsaka closely. "So, the Fake Idol knows how to speak English."
Rin laughed, though it lacked any humour. "It pays to keep secrets, though it's not all that difficult with someone as clueless as you, Cow."
Snarling, Luvia considered her options. This area was too public to have an all-out battle, and the noise would bring out everyone from the kyudo dojo - Shirou included. If he caught wind of this, they were as good as dead. Luvia just had to keep Rin talking while she figured out a plan. "I forgot to ask, how was your recovery after our last altercation?"
The Tohsaka's fists seemed to tighten further. "You're just lucky that Lectra came around when she did otherwise you'd be back in Britain eating from a tube."
Luvia had done a significant amount of detective work following her visit to Shirou's home. Curious as to what he was hiding, she carefully positioned cameras to survey the Emiya household from an unnoticed distance. While they wouldn't be able to see inside, nobody would stay inside a house forever and the occupants would leave eventually. Watching for weeks, Luvia came to the conclusion that Caren was not Shirou's sister, as the girl only came around on Wednesdays for a few mere hours before travelling across Fuyuki to where she actually lived, the Church of all places.
It was too strange for the Edelfelt to explain, but it was far from the strangest sight she'd witnessed. The recovered video feed caught sight of something pure white within the backyard and occasionally in the entranceway when Shirou returned home. An in-depth analysis allowed her to decide that it was a girl, likely Shirou's true sister - with bright crimson eyes. Luvia eventually gained two more clear sightings before landing on the same conclusion she'd started with.
Shirou's sister was a homunculus, an artificial being created in a tube for a specific purpose. It was remarkably underdeveloped, an oddity in the world of homunculi. Typically, they were "born" from the tube as a fully functioning adult but this one was still a child. With details of the girl in mind, Lectra asked students around Homurahara about the girl, describing her specifically when they claimed to be ignorant. The act seemed to revive their memory and they were even able to gather a name amongst other useless qualities: Illya.
The memory problem was a classic sign of mass hypnosis; removing a single person from a group's memory. It was efficient and rather strong so long as the affected weren't reminded with specific details. It would have taken a considerable amount of mana, time and effort and it would have undoubtedly alerted the Second Owner. None of those things are a problem when the spellcaster is a homunculus and the Second Owner is already aware.
Following that discovery, Luvia concluded that the wound of deceit was deeper than she could have expected. Rin, a proud magus from the equally supercilious Tohsaka family, was working alongside the Emiya family in secret. Luvia had initially thought the relationship between her and Shirou to be some sort of cover but now she could see there was a mutual benefit to their relationship.
So as anyone would, Luvia established more watchful eyes around the Tohsaka manor - but the Tohsaka herself was evidently much more perceptive of her property. Under the guise of a "meeting to make amends", Rin had led Luvia to Fuyuki park, where the Second Owner rightfully accused her of spying. Communication devolved and the two violently reacted. Having made the mistake of turning her back to the plotting woman, Luvia wasted much of her on-hand supplies just staying alive. As claimed, it was only because of Lectra being close enough to react and assist that drove the Tohsaka off.
"Working together is merely a testament to my leadership and teamwork abilities, two things you seem to be lacking in. While commenting on your defects, you must understand that it's rather impolite and inconsiderate to eavesdrop on a private conversation."
Rin smirked before standing tall like the righteous, pretentious little girl she was. "With a mouth so big and a voice so shrill I'm surprised that private conversation didn't shatter the school's windows."
"I've never seen Shirou blush at the sound of your voice so I believe you're mixing up our two voices," the Edelfelt shot back, watching the Tohsaka visibly twitch. Luvia was always able to get under the girl's skin with comments regarding Shirou, she was rather transfixed with the boy - perhaps their relationship really did go deeper than the skin, unlike most magi.
"Can we get over this already?" Lectra asked, peeking out from behind Luvia. "What do you want, Tohsaka?"
"For you both to go back to Britain, but I have a feeling neither of you will do that willingly."
"Very astute observation," Luvia levelled dryly. "You already know why we're here and that we won't leave until the job is done. Nothing you can say or do will stop us."
Rin finally moved, crossing her arms across her chest defiantly. "There is plenty I can do to stop you, but consider this my final warning."
There was a new level of confidence in her voice that Luvia picked up immediately. The problem was that she couldn't tell whether it was genuine or artificial. "We were able to hold you off last time, what makes you think you'll fare any better now that we're prepared?"
Rin flashed a deadly grin. So her confidence was genuine then, what did she have planned? "You have two days to leave Japan. After that, I'm not going to hold anything back."
Luvia pursed her lips, scouring the girl's body for something new. There weren't any visible signatures of increased mana, she wasn't carrying any gems more powerful than normal - where was the validity of this threat? What was she missing? "Two days?"
Rin nodded, repeating those exact two words for ultimate clarity.
"Then we'll merely have to advance our plans." Standing upright, Luvia turned part ways over her own shoulder. "Lectra, let's get out of here."
The two left the schoolyard at a jog without much more of a dispute, taking their chances while they still could. The schoolyard was more to Rin's advantage, considering she knew the area and could have planted traps in preparation of such an encounter. When the two were out of earshot, Lectra asked the first question that came to mind. "Do you really want to try taking down the Magus Killer in two days?"
Luvia declined, slowing her pace back to a walk. "Of course not, I'm not suicidal. We need to strike when he's unprepared and alone."
"Then what's your plan?"
Luvia narrowed her eyes, forming several hasty plans in her mind and throwing them away just as quickly. "I think the first thing we need to do is gather more information from my family's library. Maybe then we can find out what's really going on around here."
… … …
… … …
"I'm home!" Shirou called through the house, barely managing to take off his shoes before being assaulted by a white missile. Exclaiming his surprise while reeling from the impact, he planted a hand on the soft head of his sister. "What's all this for?"
"I'm just glad you're safe," she claimed, squeezing him abnormally tight. "Saber kept saying how it's dangerous out there now and you didn't have Lancer to protect you so-"
His laughter broke her heartfelt sentiment to pieces. "Illya I'm fine. I can handle myself you know." Illya didn't usually act as protective and childish as she was now, but like anyone else she had her days and today evidently happened to be one of them.
"Yeah but-"
He knelt down to her level, offering a genuine smile. "I'll be fine, trust me okay?"
With lips parted in uncertainty, her glassy eyes flickered between his own. "Do you promise?"
The boy maintained his smile, patted the top of her head and offered a short nod. "If it will make you happy then I promise not to get myself hurt." Standing, he looked further down the hall. He caught Saber's eyes, who was looking at the two with the barest hint of a smile. "I'm sorry I was so late, did Missy make dinner?"
The servant nodded. "She assumed you would be too late to handle the responsibility yourself once she learned you were staying alongside Sakura."
"I'll have to apologize. I hadn't expected to be out so late and It wasn't her turn to cook." Stepping past Illya into the house, he was politely halted by his servant with a gesture.
"Your father has made some suggestions for the next two days that I wished to run through with you in private," she claimed, casually sliding the albino girl an assuming look.
Making a noise of frustration that worked its way onto her features, the girl haughtily stomped past them both toward the kitchen. While leaving, she murmured "can't even say hello to my own brother" among various other petty comments.
With the two of them alone, Saber motioned for him to follow. She led him out across the backyard into the stone shed, the most private location on the property. While Saber closed the heavy door, Shirou worked to light the stubby candles from their summoning ritual so they wouldn't be lost in the darkness. "Shirou, how much faith would you put in your father?"
The odd question was enough to catch him off guard. Locking up for a second, the boy abruptly finished lighting one last candle before turning around to face his servant. She was leaning with her back against the door, eyes closed and a tired edge to her features. "For the most part I trust that my father's plans will lead to the best outcome, but I make my own decisions as well."
The girl opened her eyes, looking at him without turning her head. "My intention is not to sow doubt of your father within your mind, but merely to make you aware that your father may be hiding information from you to achieve his own goals."
Opening his mouth to speak, a dull ache spontaneously formed in his skull. Forming the first syllable elevated the dull ache to a stabbing pain and he reflexively shut his eyes to repress the pain. On the back of his eyelids, were flickering images of a man writing in a journal. Memories that weren't his own, imported from writing replayed once more. Kiritsugu was hiding something from him, the identity of Caster from the last Grail War.
Saber pushed off the door to straighten herself. "As mentioned earlier, I do not wish to disrupt your paternal relationship but you must consider your actions and make them on your own. A poor king is one whose voice originates from over his shoulder."
Shirou didn't agree with all of Kiritsugu's methodology, but however bloody and ruthless, he couldn't overlook his efficiency. If the outcome would unquestionably end in casualties, the best thing to do beyond discovering an alternative plan would be to limit casualties as much as possible and that was Kiritsugu's motive. That in no way meant Shirou's decisions weren't his own. "If there's something wrong with the old man's plans, I'll be the first to speak up."
Watching his eyes, the girl nodded slowly. "Very well, then I will trust your judgement unless you provide me with a reason not to."
"We should register in the war tomorrow night, we can reduce the chances of encountering another master and formalize our position in the War."
Saber nodded. "Before you continue I must, unfortunately, move on to beating a dead horse and ask if you still intend to fight alongside the servants in this War."
Groaning, the boy cracked his neck by rolling it. "I've shown you that I can survive against another servant, especially if they underestimate me."
"You may be able to survive light combat unaided by magical power, yes, but I wonder how you might fare against a servant who happens to be a little more determined."
"So you want to fight at full power using all you can?" Shirou concluded, wondering why a servant would ever use their full power against a master.
Saber shook his head, a slight relief to the boy. "I would like you to fight Lancer, tomorrow, preferably somewhere you won't be seen."
… … …
… … …
It hurt.
There was so much pain. Nobody had ever told her that this would hurt so much. Had they left that detail out so they could all laugh behind her back? As if on command, another shooting pain coursed through her entire body. The girl's legs failed to support her body and she collapsed onto her knees.
She wasn't a stranger to pain, in fact, she had experienced much worse than this during other occasions. That experience was the only thing stopping her from screaming bloody murder as the torment raced across her body.
She could feel that monster draining her, but it was taking more than just mana. It was killing her, draining her life force just to sustain its mere existence. This was the power of a servant? He wasn't even fighting or using his noble phantasm - what the hell was it?
Resolutely, the girl lifted one shaky leg to stand, eventually rising to confront the broken existence ahead. Her nose was clogged with the dense acrid scent of sulphur and flame, which mingled with a sickly scent of burning flesh and the coppery iron quality of fresh blood.
"You are my master," he stated more than asked. He paused to look her over like one would a piece of fruit. Based on his expression, she was bruised or spoiled. "Your circuits are poor and the connection is weak." With a heavy thunk, he took a step down from the platform he had been summoned upon, approaching her and making that noxious stench that much worse. "I'll be running on my own power to save us both some trouble."
In an instant, like the man had snapped his fingers, the crushing anguish she had felt vanished. The sensation was so jarring that it made her gasp and collapsed onto her knees again.
Finding the strength to lift her head, the girl stared at the abomination she had summoned. He had a fitting name, for she could clearly see that it would be unstoppable.
"You are-"
… … …
… … …
Lancer placed a flattened hand over his eyes, gazing up at the sky with an inquisitive expression. "To go all out against a friendly master seems counterintuitive. What if I should inadvertently cause permanent injury?"
The morning after their chat, Saber worked with Shirou and Illya to immediately plan their spar, hopeful to put an end to what she claimed were his "suicidal tendencies". Because Kiritsugu wanted to remain hidden, Illya couldn't come with them to watch, even though she made every attempt to do so. She even argued that she could hide in a large bag and come out in the car once they were outside of the city, like a stowaway trying to cross a border. After making a cold lunch, Shirou was driven by Saber to a large field Kiritsugu claimed to be the exact sort of private location Saber was looking for.
The area they arrived at was spacious, settled on the top of a grassy hill range off the beaten trail. It was surrounded by sparse tree coverage and was perfect for an even footing spar.
Across the field, Shirou wanted to tell him that Avalon would protect him from such a thing, especially with Saber fueling it, but he couldn't. Instead, he told the servant, "Don't worry about that. If I can't last against you for a little while then I don't think I really deserve Saber as a servant. Whatever injury you might give me, I deserve it for being so foolish as to think I can fight servants."
Lancer stared at Shirou for a moment before blinking into a soft smile. "My, had you been alive during our time I am certain you would have made a fine addition to the round."
Shirou let the compliment roll off his back, trying to get into the mentality for an intense battle. "Is there anything you need before we start? A weapon for me to project?"
The man hummed appreciatively. "Yes, it does appear that I lack a weapon. Were this a more urban element, I would decline the offer. In the current case, I would like a sword: Thirty-nine inches long, balanced to the rear with a lenticular cross and a straight guard." Watching Shirou struggle with the request, Lancer laughed. "Or whatever you have to offer. I can make do with whatever you can produce."
Shirou's only struggle was altering a decent sword to match the knight's specifics and that was quite minor. "Hold out your hand," Shirou directed, waiting until the knight did as requested. Focusing on the spot, Shirou created a blade at the desired coordinates, surprising the servant when the construction and weight appeared from the very air. As Lancer's hand coiled around the grip, the surface rapidly changed to the peculiar ivory and gold that enveloped any weapon in his possession.
Swinging his chosen blade around to test its weighting, Lancer appreciatively looked the weapon over. "Quite a feat, it would have been advantageous to have you as a master."
"Enough with the banter, start the spar," Saber directed from the sidelines, looking partly annoyed.
Shrugging part ways toward Shirou, Lancer's armour snapped into position with the sound of shattered glass. "Prepare yourself, young master!" the knight shouted, readying his blade.
"Trace on!" Shirou commanded, and the fortified clothing Bazett had crafted for him appeared on his body. Extending both hands, two green blades appeared in his grasp. This was a real battle, he couldn't afford to make mistakes.
Lancer was upon him in a moment and the first strike had the force of a rampaging train. Barely holding his arms in place, Shirou fell into his tested tactic, keeping up with the knight despite his overwhelming strength and agility.
Unlike Saber, the knight was able to see straight through this tactic. In midswing, the knight abruptly halted his arms and twisted his body to rocket a kick directly into his hips, pinching his elbow against his body as he did.
The force was incredible and Shirou was blown back onto the grass, rolling twice before he could dig in his feet and stop himself. Surprisingly, his outfit had managed to severely dampen the impact and pain. It was how the boy could stand with relative ease. His arm had received the blow the worst, and every motion below the elbow sent searing pain through the entire limb. "An interesting tactic. I don't believe I've ever seen anything so brave and effective while being equal parts courageous and stupid."
"Story of my life," Shirou murmured, testing his arm as Avalon healed it. It was obvious that he couldn't win a battle with the blade. Assuming such a thing was stupid.
But it had tricked Lancer into making the mistake of creating distance between them. Dematerializing the blades in both hands, Shirou reached into his mind for the English longbow he favoured greatly. Moving his hands to position themselves around the inevitable weapon, Shirou began altering a sword to act as an arrow. It would destroy the bow, but if he shaved some reinforcement off in two specific points, it would split after firing, rather than violently explode into toothpicks.
The bow and string fell into his grasp, and just as soon, the sword was notched and he was drawing to fire.
Shirou caught the slight widening of Lancer's eyes as he realized what was happening. His body lurched forward, but Shirou projected an angled blade in his direct path. If the Servant carried forward without noticing, the weapon would impale him. Hesitating just the barest moment was all that retained the distance between the two which gave the boy all the time he needed. As Shirou released the string and the bow tore itself apart, he carried on with the rest of his mental plans.
Duplicating the weapon in flight, creating them at multiple angles, leaping to the side from his known position while the dust concealed the servant entirely.
Shirou would never call himself a knight, that simply wasn't who he was. He was a tactician, an abuser of everything that was available to him. With a skill set like his, that conveniently happened to be everything.
As the dust cloud from his earlier attack subsided, Shirou repeated the process of creating a new projectile, this time charging the sword with mana to create a large explosion. Reaching into his mind, Shirou called forth a familiar bo staff from his time at the Clock Tower, using its extending feature to launch himself high into the air.
Projecting so much so rapidly was taxing his mana more than he was comfortable with, but overwhelming firepower from all angles to disorientate and confuse was the only way Shirou could survive. Direct head-to-head battle would get him killed. He had ways to reduce the cost, but those secrets were best left as such until necessary.
With the next barrage of weapons away, Shirou landed just in time to feel the entire hill quake beneath his feet due to the resulting explosions. The detonation had sent even more dirt into the air, adding smoke to the haze to make an efficient cloud of concealment.
Preparing another blade and bow in his mind, Shirou drew back the string to fire a new type of arrow he had considered only in theory. Before he even considered a shot, a white blur shot out from the smoke and ruined what opportunity he had.
He wasn't fast enough to replace his bow with swords and Lancer deftly wrapped a charred gauntlet around his neck. Being yanked from his feet, Shirou was able to survey the damage he had made in much greater detail. The pauldron on his left shoulder had been blown off entirely, leaving behind a burned, still-smoking section behind. He was bleeding, but only from a small cut on his cheek. Somewhere along the way, he had also broken or lost his weapon as well, as his hands were empty.
Shirou was in shock, partly because of the sudden burst of speed and partly because of the damage he had managed to cause. While nothing really quantified as an injury, damaging magically woven armour was a feat on its own.
Perhaps a little slower than he ought to have, Shirou realized he couldn't breathe and he struggled to correct the fact. Gripping the knight's arm, Shirou considered a handful of options, some he had never tried before. Gritting his teeth, Shirou formed projected blades behind Lancer, firing them off as fast as he could.
The servant's eyes widened for a moment, battle awareness saving his life as he snapped his head back to lock onto the incoming weaponry. With unprecedented agility, the knight used his free hand to snatch the nearest projectile out of the air. With a new weapon, he easily dispatched three more projectiles before the weapon shattered into sparks. The entire chain of events had been so fast, Shirou was amazed that he could even comprehend them.
The moment of distraction was enough for Shirou to get his feet up to plant a donkey kick onto the knight's plated chest. His reinforced muscles were more than enough to force him violently from the man's grip, launching him a few feet away. Rolling onto his feet, Shirou projected two fresh blades into his hands in case Lancer decided to follow. He didn't, thankfully, and it gave the boy a chance to plan his next attack.
Snarling as he predicted the incoming pain, Shirou drew from his circuits, pouring an excessive amount of mana into his blueprints. If Lancer would merely swat away the weapons, he would need to make them explode on contact, so it caused damage regardless. The first would be the most effective, the surprise of a new tactic playing to Shirou's advantage.
With the blueprints of his weapons lined up, Shirou began forming the weapons over his shoulders, with one very specifically positioned in front just at his arm's reach. He had never tried using his magecraft like this, but if it could prove to Saber that he could handle himself in a real fight, it would be worth it.
He could defend Illya, he would show her that, he would show them all. "Set, lock coordinates." The swords snapped into position, targeting their enemy with vibrating tips. Lancer had been walking forward, but his step hitched as he caught sight of the new threat.
Analyzing the construction of the sword just ahead, Shirou concluded that it wasn't good enough. It was far from perfect, with a glaring imperfection running down the very center. On top of that, it was filled to the brim with mana that threatened to violently erupt at any moment. None of it mattered, so long as it would fully form in the world, it would be good enough for Shirou's purposes.
The last step before his projections were realized was specifying a velocity input, the final safety. Allowing the blade in his left hand to return to mana, Shirou reached forward to lay his fingers upon the hovering blade's hilt. The maneuver would likely take all the mana he had, but if it worked as he expected it to, he wouldn't need anymore.
"Time Alter, Triple Stagnate - release!"
… … …
… … ..
"Master Kiritsugu, what are you doing?"
The man was concentrated on his work, managing nothing more than a mere questioning grunt as he focused intently on his fingers. With surgical precision, he slipped a miniature spring around an equally small peg. Easing off the pressure, a soft click sounded and the man carefully moved his hands from the table. "What would you like?"
Missy straightened under his gaze. She was tired, but Kiritsugu wanted her to survey the Tohsaka manor overnight. If he suspected that she wasn't mentally prepared for a stakeout, he would call it off and she would be left feeling useless. "I was just curious as to what you were doing."
The man looked between her and the tabletop littered with various miniature components. "I purchased a few dozen landmines from a shady wholesaler years ago. They didn't come with explosive payloads so I've been working on repriming them. There's a chance that they might come in handy."
Missy paled, registering the implications. "You've been working on explosives in the house?"
Kiritsugu stood and calmly strode past her into the hall. "Of course, I can't leave the house to do it anywhere else. As nobody else can do the work, the responsibility falls to me."
When Kiritsugu explained his motives, everything seemed so clear. It was one of the reasons Missy had allowed herself to become his disciple. "I see, is there anything you would ask of me before I rest for tonight?"
He stopped abruptly, turning part ways so he could look her in the eyes. "Yes, there is," he admitted, facing her directly. "I have a gift for you, but I'm not entirely certain that it's quite ready yet." Narrowing his eyes, he seemed to remember something. "Has Lancer's suit arrived?"
She nodded sharply. "This morning, sir. A contact of yours also called, they wanted me to tell you that your delivery is ready for pickup." Kiritsugu had a gift for her? She had told him several times over that she disliked gifts, that he didn't owe her anything.
"That's good to hear, you wouldn't mind presenting him with both as you did Saber, would you?" The man strode past her and where he had begun, obviously changing objectives in his mind.
Following from a short distance, Missy claimed that she wouldn't mind at all before adding on her own concerns. "Do you really believe that the two servants the children have summoned will be able to cooperate for nothing?"
Carrying down the hall to the far wing of the house, Kiritsugu replied without much emotion. "It's not for nothing. As I've told them, they'll be saving billions of lives should they dismantle the system rather than use it. Their chivalric code practically demands they follow through."
The man opened a door and motioned for her to follow. "I see, so it was advantageous that they summoned such compatible servants," she admired, spontaneously making note of where she was at the moment. "Why are we in an empty room?"
"Sit on the bed," the man claimed drly, crouching at a small dresser off to the side.
Doing as instructed, the girl rapidly contemplated what was about to take place. Was he...? There was no way. Kiritsugu was a man who had confined himself to a house for years, but could his urges finally be getting the better of him?
She shut her eyes, trying to clear the thoughts away. Each attempt failed and brought swirling questions to her head. A rush of warm blood hit her face and she felt light-headed. This was happening rather fast, she didn't have any time to prepare! "Kiritsugu, I-"
"Are you feeling alright?" he asked, cutting her off. Her eyes popped open to an unexpected sight: A fully-clothed Kiritsugu holding something wrapped in heavy cloth. "You appear flushed," he observed, narrowing his eyes accusingly.
Blinking and clearing her throat, the girl realized how foolish she had been and she excused her flustered condition on a sudden flash of warmth associated with the room change. In an attempt at distracting him, she reached up tentatively to draw back the cloth from whatever he held. The man allowed her to do such a thing and she quickly revealed four specific objects.
Two pistols, a knife and some bizarre type of monocular device. The pistols were lovingly crafted. Deep, matte black bodies with pristine, stunning pearl grips which contrasted the weapons wonderfully. On those same grips, were two simple black roses beneath beautiful golden cursive. The writing was in English, of a name she was unfamiliar with: "Maiya".
The knife appeared rather simplistic. She immediately recognized its exact model. D80, an offshoot of the M9 bayonet style of blades. It was standard military order really, but what really caught her eye were some strange symbols scrawled onto the side of the blade.
The last item of note, the monocular which was also in black, was large and gaudy with a comparatively small viewing port. There was a rail mount on the bottom, making her wonder if it was intended to be a scope.
"Before the War starts, I wanted to give you some additional equipment that might prove useful." As she picked up the two pistols, Kiritsugu began to explain. "Each item here is specifically designed to combat magi but to do so in an unassuming way. The pistols fire special bullets which explode on contact with blood or other bodily fluids. The stronger the magus, the more powerful the reaction. You'll have four magazines, thirty-two rounds in total so it's best to use them sparingly. Only use them as a last-ditch effort, or if you're sure the target is a magus." Setting down the two firearms, she lifted the blade from his hands. "That knife activates in the same way, contacting blood. Unlike the bullets though, it won't explode. Instead, it applies a minor curse that prevents healing. It's nothing permanent or truly damning, but it's enough to be an annoyance if nothing else."
Nodding as she considered the implications and uses, the woman set the blade down and lifted the last item from his hands, the monocular, asking, "And this?"
"A thermal imaging scope. As it's not zeroed for any rifle, the best use would be to use it as you would binoculars. In order to use magecraft, a magus generates mana within their body, an action which also creates heat that can be spotted easily with devices such as this. Masters of servants need to continually feed mana to their servants, so their thermal image will always be hotter than normal people surrounding them."
Missy tried to peek through the device to see what was on the other side, concluding that the device was likely off as she couldn't see a thing. Returning her attention to her mentor, the girl nodded softly. "I appreciate these gifts, should the situation arise I will be sure to put them to good use."
Kiritsugu stared at her blankly, eyes cold and distant. It was unnerving, but she had gotten used to seeing him that way during their missions. "Be careful during your stakeout of the Tohsaka manor. She may have already summoned her servant earlier than we have and they may not be so kind to spies."
Missy nodded in understanding and without much more conversation the man left her alone with her gifts. Collecting them all, the girl considered where she would keep such items in her room. She disliked clutter and would need to hide these things from any prying eyes. Even though Kiritsugu was the only one who ever came in unannounced without proper warning, it was good to be safe.
Halfway to her room, Kiritsugu met her once more to offer the two additional magazines he had mentioned earlier. With the weapons already loaded with one, that made four. Thanking the man again, she stowed off to her room to both find a good hiding place and take a nap in preparation for her next mission.
Awakening to the sound of the alarm she had set, Missy prepared herself and left without being spotted by any other member of the household. It felt wrong to sneak around people so hospitable and kind as Shirou and Illya were, but Kiritsugu had expressly told her that such a thing was necessary.
With the sun down and darkness quickly descending over Fuyuki, Missy travelled straight south toward her objective. The Tohsaka manor - and Matou manor for that matter - were positioned rather expertly in a soft hollow surrounded by the cover of trees, buildings and fence work.
For this reason, it was surprisingly difficult to find a good vantage point where one could survey the occupants without sticking out. Thankfully, Kiritsugu had the answer as always. According to him, there was a specific apartment building which had a rooftop that would prove to be the optimal vantage point. As if he had been planning such an event years in advance, the man had gained access through legitimate means and even installed foliage the previous years to provide a moderately believable form of concealment that wouldn't be out of place. With Kiritsugu, asking questions usually created more, so she settled with being grateful that something had been prepared.
Following the directions she had been given, Missy reached the specified building where she discovered a rather conveniently placed row of planter boxes housing some lush topiary. Examining it for a moment, Missy made note of a larger spacing between two plants, a space which formed a small opening in the direction of the Tohsaka residence.
Deciding not to waste any more time, the woman removed the slung bag from her shoulder and set it onto the roof of the building, unzipping it to withdraw all that she would need: A pair of binoculars and a simple notebook.
As it was the roof of an apartment building, a handful of chairs were assembled around a table for those wishing to get some fresh air or smoke cigarettes. Moving one over to provide her with some comfort, the girl peered through the subtle viewing spot to gaze upon her target. With the binoculars, she had a good enough view to peer into a handful of the windows.
Her watch garnered zero results for hours. Patiently waiting for a while longer got her a sighting at the very least. It was Rin, standing at the window of what Missy could only assume was the living room based on furniture inside.
The amount of time and stillness of her body was unnatural, to say the least. Missy narrowed her eyes behind the glass of her binoculars, what was she doing?
The girl's head snapped in her direction and a brief smile formed on her face. Feeling a sense of dread, Missy didn't even have a moment to react before something violently shattered the binoculars in her hand, producing a headache-inducing screech as something landed mere inches away from her.
The woman practically bolted from her position, terror on her face as she tried to spot the threat. Unlike most, the half-assassin snapped one hand behind her back to withdraw a pistol on instinct. Realizing nobody was there, Missy looked down at the hand that had been holding her binoculars to see if there had been any damage. Miraculously, there wasn't. With enough clarity to realize there was nobody there, she surveyed the area in greater detail.
Nobody was there, but her position had been compromised quite clearly. Sticking ajar from the topiary and skewing her binoculars to the roof, was a large piece of rebar which offered a clear message:
"Stay away."
… … …
… … …
Shirou bolted upright in bed, jarring the girl beside him into a similar position. It took him a moment of frantic looking around the room before he realized that he was back in his own room, safe and free of harm.
The last thing he remembered was using Time Alter on a sword in his spar against Lancer. The spell had worked as Shirou expected, but he hadn't planned for the extreme amount of pain that had come with it. It had obviously been too much for him to handle, as he had fallen unconscious at that point. He struggled to stand but something was holding him back and limiting his movement.
He subconsciously registered that there were hands gripping his arm and his ears quickly tuned in to what was being shouted at him. "-alright, you're safe!"
Shirou's panic subsided slowly as he realized he was safe. "Illya? How am I back home, what happened?" he asked, squinting. It was dark in his room, which meant that some time had passed since the spar.
The girl rolled her eyes, shifting in the futon to settle more comfortably on her knees. "You did what you always do. Pushed yourself way too hard and got yourself hurt."
He moved a hand to his forehead, trying vainly to recollect forgotten events. "Is Lancer alright?"
The girl tilted her head. "You're more concerned about Lancer? He'll still need to recover for a little while longer but he's fine." The girl yawned heavily, trying to rub at her eyes.
Shirou's eyes widened for a new reason now. "I managed to hurt a servant that badly?"
"You really have no idea what you did, do you?" she asked while shaking her head. "I'm too tired to tell you right now but first thing in the morning I will, alright?"
While he wasn't tired, he had obviously disturbed Illya's resting time and that was enough to guilt him into lying back down. Staring up to the ceiling, the girl latched onto one of his arms and rapidly succumbed to her fatigue.
Shirou could only stare at the ceiling and allow his mind to wander. At the very least, his coma-like time hadn't been influenced by dreams. While he had disliked his changing dreams before, they had gotten progressively worse after he summoned Saber. He still couldn't remember them shortly after waking but he knew quite well that they were terrifying.
Shifting his head to the side, he watched Illya's peaceful face for some time. That was what he was fighting for, but he had to act smart to ensure such a thing was even possible.
The old man and he had spoken at length about Illya. As a homunculus, she was this War's grail. That meant if she were to absorb the energy of the servants, she would die shortly after.
The two Emiya males had gone over several plans, trying to determine a way they could eliminate the other servants without bringing Illya to harm and they had settled on one foolproof tactic: distance.
With distance, came an exponential jump in mana cost. It was a known and well-documented fact of all magecraft. In a hypothetical situation where it would take one unit of mana to form an object nearby through projection, it would take ten units to produce that very same projection five meters away. This property coincided with another, or perhaps it explained another. Mana would always follow the path of least resistance, like electricity. That was why formal craft put so much emphasis on proper grounding and stability, so it could direct the flow of mana as intended.
With that information in mind, a plan was eventually conceived. It wasn't so much of a coordinated list of steps as it was a guideline for them both to follow. They had to keep Illya as far from Fuyuki as they reasonably could so that her body couldn't absorb the energy of the defeated servants.
According to Kiritsugu, who had gained the knowledge from his time at the Einzbern castle, the energy of a dying servant would enter the closest, most viable candidate to become the Grail. At a certain point, the one being filled with that energy would cease functioning as a human being and would become the vessel of the Grail. So to prevent Illya from meeting such a fate, they merely had to keep her away from any servants, ensuring she would never absorb any of their energy should they fall.
Keeping Illya far away and safe was Kiritsugu's task during the War. Shirou would handle the War, using Lancer and Saber to pull it off on his own. That plan had the added benefit of keeping Illya out of the line of fire, but neither one of the Emiya males had really taken her own thoughts on the matter into account. There was a chance that she would want to fight alongside Shirou to protect him, an ironic act that would put herself in danger.
Sighing, Shirou returned to watch the ceiling. It hadn't changed since he'd last looked. "I am the bone of my sword," he murmured, a phrase he had enunciated hundreds of times trying to determine his reality marble aria.
There was a soft grumble as the girl beside him shifted unconsciously at the words. Thankful that he hasn't woken her, Shirou closed his eyes just to give them a rest.
Mere seconds after, a knock echoed through his room. Shortly after, the door was slid open and Kiritsugu's dimly lit features came into view. "We need to have a meeting. Gather your sister and come to the kitchen."
Following instructions, Shirou rose and brought an indignant Illya with him to the kitchen. There, Missy explained the situation and relayed what little information she had gathered.
Listening while he crafted a cup of coffee, Kiritsugu was quick to summarize their situation. "Even though you returned early, we've ultimately determined the answer to our question either way. The Tohsaka master has summoned her servant. As expected, they're protecting their information and stopping anyone from gathering more," Kiritsugu hummed, covering his mouth with one hand.
"But the way they reacted could tell us what type of servant they summoned, couldn't it?" Missy asked, looking at the hand that had almost been lost just moments prior.
Kiritsugu shook his head softly. "The best we can do is guess."
"Maybe it's Caster?" Shirou suggested.
Kiritsugu shrugged. "It's entirely possible. I don't know of many servants who use construction materials as their weapon of choice, beyond Lancelot in specific scenarios."
Shirou straightened, his memory jogged. There was a question in his mind that he had meant to ask but couldn't find the right time. While it wasn't particularly the right time, it would be good to get it out of the way. "Kiritsugu, when Lancer and Saber were sparring you made a comment that mentioned Berserker. Did you recognize Lancer?"
He nodded. "Of course. It was easy to correlate Lancer to the Berserker of my War. The armour they wore was unmistakable even if they were different in colour," he answered.
"But the weapon appeared out of nowhere, right? Can servants make and throw weapons at people with that precision without being seen?" Illya questioned, resting her head on the table. Like Shirou, she had been woken up from the middle of her slumber with Missy's news. Unlike Shirou, she was taking the abrupt waking significantly harder.
Illya's input returned Shirou to the matter at hand. "Maybe it's an Archer class servant? But rebar is a modern item, what sort of legend would use something like that as an arrow?"
"While uncommon, it is possible for modern legends to become servants. The Mage's Association has a surprising amount of documentation on the ritual should you know where to look. The contact I have on the inside was able to gather some known details regarding the ritual and attempts to recreate it across the globe. For starters, there are more than the traditional seven we're all familiar with. In fact, there are fourteen possible classes, though their rarity makes them hardly worth mentioning."
"Is there a servant class that uses construction implements as weapons?" Shirou asked dryly.
"Unfortunately no, things aren't that simple," Kiritsugu sighed.
"So we still have no idea what sort of servant she might have summoned, but she has summoned one," Shirou summarized.
"Correct. Archer, Caster or Berserker are all options. It could even be Assassin or a Rider class servant that throws objects from their mount."
"Ultimately we're still grasping at straws then - I apologize for being unable to gather any worthwhile information," Missy claimed, visibly upset about the matter.
Shirou looked toward his father expectantly, assuming he would decline the self-deprecating notion. He was taken aback when the man did nothing of the sort and carried on seemingly oblivious. "Unfortunately, Rin has garnered more information tonight than us. Because she knows Missy, she'll correctly assume Illya has already summoned her servant as well, as there would be no reason to watch a rival master otherwise. The Tohsaka is rather smart, so she may have already predicted that you are a master as well, Shirou," he hummed, bringing one hand to his face. "I believe today is the optimal time to proclaim your involvement in the War. Go with your servants to the church, Caren will undoubtedly be waiting."
"We have to stay awake longer?" Illya groaned, lifting her head enough to drearily look toward her father, then Shirou with a pleading, pouty look in her eyes. He knew what was coming and he also knew that he wouldn't be able to decline her request.
… … …
With how many times Shirou had traced Illya before implanting Avalon inside her, specifics regarding her body were practically ingrained in his mind, though with his memory, that wasn't much of a problem anyway. Four feet, four-point four inches and seventy-four point six nine eight two pounds, give or take one or two pounds depending on the day and caloric intake.
While small and light, that weight grew heavier with time and after the hour walk to the Fuyuki Church, she might as well have weighed two hundred pounds. With how much training he put himself through, it was just starting to get difficult.
Saber's voice momentarily distracted him. "I can carry Illyasviel if you are feeling tired, Shirou." As they were going out biblically as master and servant, Saber had put on a well-fitting black suit with matching tie. Even though she was a woman, Shirou couldn't help but admit the outfit was rather fitting for her demeanour. Serious, tactical and masculine, all things the suit seemed to amplify.
Shooting his servant a glare, he cast a look down to the peacefully sleeping girl in his arms. "It's fine, I can do this for hours."
The soft sound of rushing air brought his attention to his other side. Lancer had appeared, in a near-identical suit. The only real difference was the size and thin purple lines on the tie, something which added subtle colour to the ensemble. "I believe the young master has proved himself to us enough, my liege, has he not?"
Saber made a derisive noise. "My master is a worthy combatant for servants and masters alike, though he is far from infallible."
Lancer leaned close to his ear, armour clanking even with the slight motion. "Take it from me, that's his-her way of showing respect."
Turning his head to watch Lancer as the servant fell into step behind him, Shirou gave the man a strange look. "I thought Illya said you were healing after our spar. You don't seem that hurt to me."
Chuckling without opening his mouth, the servant nodded. "I was quite injured after that attack, yes. However, my master is quite a powerful specimen and it took mere hours to regenerate my body."
Facing forward, Shirou continued their walk. "You know, nobody ever told me what happened after I passed out. Illya was supposed to this morning but then this all happened."
Saber made a noise, drawing his attention. "I had intended to give you an overview of the battle from my perspective but had yet to find the appropriate time. There is no time like the present, I suppose. Only one attack, your final one, carried enough power to truly harm a servant. While the attacks made with your bow were enough to leave marks and annoy, they would merely buy time. The weapons you launched from the air were the weakest, unable to do anything beyond annoy."
Working together, Lancer contributed his own comments to his king's observations. "Regarding those airborne projectiles you create, do not be afraid to fire them in my direction should I find myself without a weapon. Moving on, the final attack you made was considerably powerful, even for a servant. It moved faster than I could even comprehend, removing my entire left arm with ease. Had it been aimed with more precision, there is a chance I would not be speaking with you at the moment."
Rather than marvel at his accomplishment, Shirou felt surprisingly apathetic. He hadn't known that it would work outright or with such efficiency, but he had expected it to work in some capacity at the very least. In the end, it was just another tactic in his arsenal that he could use against serious foes. "Well, now you both have to accept me as a competent master, as someone who can fight alongside you at the front lines."
The two servants were silent before Saber let out a deep sigh. "Reluctantly, yes. I still advise you remain toward the rear as servants may waste no time in killing you outright before any one of us could respond."
"And what if a servant attacked you like that instead? Then you'd be dead and I'd be next anyway." Saber was silenced by such agreeable reasoning. If a servant had been able to get past their awareness and make a strike against him without being spotted, they wouldn't have been able to defend him regardless of where he was on the battlefield. Staying so close to the servants had the possibility of being more advantageous, in fact.
The conversation faltered as they reached the fenced area of the church. Shirou paused momentarily to admire the fringe-gothic inspired architecture. The servants at his sides did the same. "Should we accompany you?" Saber asked, throwing a glance toward Lancer.
Shirou hesitated for a moment. There wasn't much harm in bringing them inside or leaving them behind but it was always better when others knew less. "I don't think we'll need you, stand guard here and alert us if anyone else approaches."
Both servants nodded respectfully, turning to watch the path like bodyguards. With that decided, Shirou moved closer toward the Church, holding just before the doors. "Illya, I can't carry you inside. You'll also have to speak to Caren to register as a master."
With a stirring murmur, the girl tried to roll in his arms, an act which almost sent her careening down to the stone below. "I was having such a good dream and you ruined it," the girl complained, stretching out an arm that struck him directly in the chin.
Making an annoyed noise, the boy blew on his sisters face. It was enough to force her into awakening and the girl struggled to escape his grasp onto her own feet. Managing, the homunculus drearily rubbed at her eyes and produced a great yawn. "Let's get this over with so I can go back to sleep."
Pressing his hand against the heavy door, Shirou gave Illya an odd look. "We're committing ourselves to the most dangerous task of our entire lives, where we might be forced to kill our friends in order to stop a corrupt system that could destroy the entire world and you just want to get to sleep?"
The girl nodded righteously. "Rest comes first. Everything else is secondary."
The door creaked ajar, but Shirou paused. "Even me then?"
The girl stiffened and began trying to excuse herself, stumbling with her sleep-addled mind and the surprise of his question. Pushing the door open fully, Shirou was graced with the light, pleasing scent of incense. Inside, the interior was as he remembered - clean, dimly lit but inviting all the same.
"Caren?" he called out, expecting her to be where she typically was in the middle of the night, asleep behind the central podium. When the girl failed to rise from her expected spot, Shirou immediately sensed something amiss.
It wasn't that she typically slept behind the podium, she always took naps in that exact spot. For as many times as Shirou had arrived in this church, she had risen like clockwork from that position. Illya's soft footsteps entered from behind, and Shirou extended a hand to motion for her to hold.
"Trace on," he murmured to the still space. On-demand, two green blades formed within his grasp, the only symbol of security he had. While he could call forth the servants from outside, that would destroy the respect he had built with Saber. While she was more accepting of him fighting at their side, she hadn't fully committed to the idea.
Drawing weapons in a church felt a little wrong but considering the stakes, what other choice did he have? With trained caution, the boy skulked through the church, checking his corners and watching for anything out of place.
When he found nothing, he felt stumped. He was at a loss. There was nothing here, but he had never really explored the Church in depth before. There was a chance that there was a basement entrance he was missing.
Calling her name out and pausing to listen, he heard strange noises from deeper within the building. Following them to their source lead him to a darkly lit stairway downward. Shirou didn't recall Caren ever commenting about a basement; did it house her bedroom perhaps?
He took one step down into the murky depths before something glowing caught his eyes. Like something out of his nightmares, two yellow orbs appeared below, staring directly at him.
"Shirou," the orbs stated, much to the boy's relief. "What can I help you with?"
Letting out a calming breath and dematerializing the blades in his hands, the boy moved back into the light off the stairway. "Illya and I are here on business. We've come to register as masters in the War."
For as long as he had known Caren, he could certify without a doubt that the girl never flinched, winced or jumped in surprise for anything. Even when Illya had snuck up behind to scare her, the girl merely turned and almost sarcastically commented on how frightful the act was.
But the girl twitched then. He could tell as the two yellow orbs jumped just slightly in the darkness. "Please give me a moment," she calmly stated, disappearing into the depths.
Returning to the main area, he found Illya sitting in one of the pews, kicking her legs idly. Noticing his return, her head bounced up to look him in the eyes. Before she could even ask if the priestess was there, he explained that she was and took a seat beside her to wait.
"Tell her to hurry up so I can go back to sleep," the girl mumbled, leaning against him.
Patiently waiting for Caren to arrive, Shirou made note of Illya's soft snoring. It was miraculous how the girl could fall asleep almost anywhere when she was tired. When the priestess appeared she was hastily smoothing out her attire as if she had just put it on. With noticeable haste, the girl moved behind the raised podium and settled both hands on its surface. "You are both masters then," she claimed, nodding toward them both.
Stirring his sister awake, Shirou stood and flashed the back of his left hand. "I've summoned Saber and wish to declare my position as a master of this War." From behind with a voice obviously plagued with exhaustion, Illya claimed something similar, replacing "Saber" with "Lancer".
The priestess blinked, looking between the two for a moment. "I see, well I am unable to influence the Grail's decision. Your participation has been noted."
Hardly expecting things to go that smoothly, Shirou felt a little disappointed and awkward. All of his expectations seemed to be backwards. Easy tasks ended up being difficult and tasks he thought would be difficult were always simple.
Illya stood from the pew and proceeded to half walk, half stumble down the central aisle toward the exit. As Shirou turned to leave, Caren regained his attention by clearing her throat.
"Good luck."
I've got the next chapter pretty much finished, but it just needs some polishing... A lot of polishing. Not much to say for the end here, hope you all enjoy how chaotic the War is going to get, hopefully all of your predictions were smashed and you've learned that Fate:US isn't going to be anything you could have expected.
And it'll only get worse from here :}
