Fate Stay Night – Unlimited Boob Works
Chapter 16
"Noctis Eques, Noctis Eternus"
"You mean the dragon? Of Colchis? I kept it . . ."
"A – dragon?"
"I figured I deserved SOMETHING for my trouble – "
"YOU summoned a DRAGON!?"
"Well – she DID call me a witch – "
"YOU *ARE* A WITCH! AND *CRAZY* TO BOOT!"
"AAAHHHH!"
The sound of Archer's scream interrupted them as he dove down the stairs. He survived only because of their steep angle, the jet of flames passing just over his head, as he pressed himself against the stones, thankful for their cool damp as the air around him took on a super heated haze.
"It's not that big of a deal, really. Rather second rate, as dragons go. The only problem is I don't have the command spells to control it – "
"YOU SUMMONED A DRAGON AND YOU DON'T HAVE THE SPELLS TO CONTROL IT !?"
"Shh! Not so loud! He'll hear you!"
As if to validate her concerns, the beast turned from menacing Archer (after firing several more blasts down the stairs for good measure), and turned its attention towards Lancer, Caster, and Issei.
"Ignis!" Caster shouted, letting forth a burst of fire from her staff. It struck the beast directly in its scaly nose, making it momentarily retreat, evidently regarding her as an equal.
"Oh! Do keep it away from the temple! What sort of guest would I be if I let it damage my Master's house!"
" . . . . ."
Lancer glared at her incredulously.
"See – this is what I liked about Souichirou", Caster pouted. " *He* always let me do what I wanted, and never scolded me."
Meanwhile, Archer ran for his life. As he fled, his red coat flapped in the wind, drawing the dragon's eye like a bull being drawn to a matador's cape, and it turned to follow him, spitting bursts of fire that erupted at his heels.
"Don't run, you idiot!" Rin shouted. "You'll only make him chase you!"
"I'd like to know what YOU would do!" Archer shouted back, but immediately he regretted it, for the dragon turned, and seeing Rin's red coat and sweater, decided she might also be tasty, and gave chase.
"Uwah – ah – ah !"
"Don't run in a straight line!"
Looking back over her shoulder, Rin could see the scaly beast fast approaching. In her panic, she'd made a beeline for the trees, but that only made her an easy target to follow, and she could see the fire welling in its throat as it prepared a massive blast, ready to cook her and eat her all in one go.
Heeding his advice, she began to veer around in an arc, narrowly missing a jet of flame as it shot past. Reaching into her pocket, she took out an especially large gem, and tossed it into the beast's face. The tactic worked, as she watched it explode, leaving it momentarily stunned.
"Oh – I'm going to make Shiro buy me a new one! And it's going to be EXPENSIVE! The biggest, most expensive one I can find! I don't care if he has to work THREE jobs!"
Shaking off its momentary confusion, the dragon looked around, until it caught sight of Lancer's spear.
"Here, beasty – beasty – look at the pretty red stick!"
"HRR – RRR . . ?"
Turning, the dragon snuffled, then slowly opened its mouth.
"That's it – that's it – just a little farther – " he said, watching the dragon's eyes as they followed the spear from side to side. "Ugh – " he swallowed hard, feeling the years drain off of his life as the massive jaw opened, and he could see a ball of flame forming in its throat.
"Just a little farther now – " he said, carefully marking the place where the soft tissues of its throat came together, just behind the scaly plate that lined the roof of its mouth. Carefully he steadied his spear.
The dragon paused. Sensing something amiss, it decided to err on the side of caution, and belched forth another burst of flame.
"GYAAHHH!" Lancer shouted as he leapt to the side. "Dammit! I was so close!"
Turning back to Rin and finding her farther away, the dragon let out another blast in her general direction, and then fired a second shot over her head, into the woods, setting the trees alight, and cutting off any possibility of escape.
"This is getting out of hand!" Caster shouted, using a jet of water from her staff to put out the flaming trees.
"Do you think?" Lancer answered testily.
"Hmm – he's obviously a fire elemental – "
"Obviously –"
She ignored his sarcasm.
" – so if we can just curb his power – here, this should help!" she said, raising her staff. At once a blast of blue light went up, into the clouds, mixing with them in a vortex, before coming down in a shower of snow.
"There!"
"I fail to see how this helps our predicament", Lancer said sourly as the blizzard rained down all around them.
"That should reduce his power by 20% at least!" she said, putting up a wall of ice, only to watch an arc of flame begin to melt through. "You're my Servant – do something!"
Lancer stared at her in exasperation.
Seeing the wall of ice melt in its wake evidently satisfied the beast's need for immediate destruction, and it turned to survey the rest of the field. It regarded the man in the red coat, and the girl in the red sweater, dismissing them both, before alighting on a girl with purple hair, standing off by herself.
Perhaps because she appeared to be alone, or perhaps because she looked defenseless, or maybe because purple is next to red on the color wheel, or else maybe for some other dragonish reason, known only to dragons and their kin, it settled on her next, and took off at full charge.
Seeing something so big move so fast was terrifying. For a moment Sakura stood motionless, paralyzed at the sight of the wall of dark scales coming towards her. It was only Rider's quick thinking that saved her Master.
"Mistress . . ." she said calmly, stepping to the side, pushing Sakura ahead of her. As it went tearing past, she shot out her chain, looping it around one of the dragon's horns.
Sensing something amiss, the beast reared, spreading its wings, and took off – straight up.
"RIDER!" Sakura screamed, but it was too late. In a twinkling, they were both gone.
Far overhead, Rider clung to her chain, its silver links the only thing that bound her to this world. For a moment she dangled beside the beast's face. Watching, she could see its left eye slowly move back, regarding her ominously. Thinking to catch her and eat her in gulp, it shook its head violently, but before it could make good on its plan, she shot out the other end of her chain, catching its other horn, and then stepped up onto its neck, careful to stay near the base of the skull, where it could not reach her with its teeth.
For a moment it thrashed violently, first to one side, then the other. When this failed to shake her, it began to roll, corkscrewing through the sky. Rider held onto the ends of the chain feeling the cold metal dig into her hands as the sky spiraled all around her, first to the right, and then to the left.
Seeing that this was also of no avail, the beast levelled off, and vented all of its frustration in a mighty roar that shook the sky, echoing down to the city below.
Seizing her opportunity, Rider released her chain, then shot it out again. Letting it grow long, she watched as the end shot past the beast's mouth. Yanking back, she saw the spike bend around, then come shooting back, until she caught it with her other hand, its loop forming a giant bridle, for such was its original purpose, to tame supernatural beasts, and hence the name of her class.
"This is a little different than riding a horse – "
Rearing, the beast gnashed its teeth, then spit fire, filling the surrounding sky with flame, but it was no use. The chain held. Once more it cut its eyes to the side, trying to find her with its hateful glare, then turning its head, pitched over into a dive.
Rider felt the world fall away out from under her as her stomach heaved up into her throat, but she held on. Seeing the ground come rushing up towards them was dizzying, and it seemed they would surely crash. But at the last moment, the beast pulled up, arching its back to skim along above the trees.
And then it sank beneath them.
"UWAH!"
Rider yelled, assaulted by the sudden storm of branches. The dragon broke through a cluster of maple trees, then made a beeline for a clump of evergreens.
"ARGH!"
She could feel the needles tearing at her skin. Crouching, she took shelter behind one of the horns, letting it absorb most of the shock as the branches continued to break all around her.
Coming out the other side, it rose once more above the trees, smiling a toothy grin – only to emit a shriek of protest when Rider stood up. Taking the reins, she began to pull. Alternating from side to side, the beast thrashed against her at every turn, but she did let up. Next she pulled back, making it climb, then pressed down, causing it to nose over into a dive. Growling, it fought against her, but with the silver chain in its mouth, it had little choice but to obey.
Feeling her relax her grip, it seized its chance, and reared, shooting straight up until it silhouetted itself against the moon, before pitching over, back down towards the earth again.
"I can't survive much more of this", she thought, feeling her arms stiffen as the cold night air numbed her fingers.
This time, instead of rolling to the side, it nosed over, straight down. All around her the entire world went crimson as the blood rushed to her head, but she held on. Instead of pulling back, she stepped out further onto the beast's head, leaning over until she could practically see into its eyes, and pressed down. The ground beneath blurred towards them, filling their vision as it approached, but neither of them would yield.
At the last moment, the dragon reared, intending to pull up, but Rider put everything she had into one colossal pull to the side. With the chain in its mouth, the beast was unable to resist turning its head, and came careening around, until it slammed into the side of the mountain.
It struck with the force of an earthquake, making the whole mount shudder. A ripple went up the stone steps, while the old temple swayed, and for a moment they all watched, wondering if the old wooden building would collapse, or else the mountain itself would come crashing down beneath them.
Loosing her chain, Rider let the momentum carry her forward, off the beast's back, landing lightly at the top of the stairs, where she took a few quick steps, before coming to a stop beside Sakura.
"Are you all right, Mistress?" she asked as the thunderous rumble gradually died down all around them.
Sakura stared.
"Rider!" she blurted when she was finally able to speak again.
By now they were all staring, and it was clearly making Rider a bit uncomfortable.
"I trust you are unhurt . . ?"
Arched leaned out, surveying the damage. Part of the mountain had given way from the impact, crumbling down to the valley floor below, and he regarded the rubble, with the dragon lying in a heap of coiled scales beneath.
Rider lowered her head a bit sadly.
"It's a pity, really. If only I had a little longer, I think I could have been able to tame him."
As if to answer her wish, the beast's eye opened. For a moment it roved back and forth, finding its focus, before it locked onto them, and narrowed.
"Eeek!" Rin shouted, allowing herself a moment of uncharacteristic panic (which she no doubt would have denied if asked later), and quickly shoved Archer in front of her. Sakura shrank behind Rider, and Lancer gripped his spear as it rose, making a strange, ratchetting sound as it uncoiled, its scales brushing against the stones.
One story, two stories it went – by now it was on eye level with them, peering over the top of the mountain. As Shiro watched, it opened its mouth, and he found that he could clearly see the shape of its teeth. They were of different sizes, some smooth, some jagged and serrated, arranged in several rows, all sharp and deadly looking.
A fire welled up in the back of its throat, illuminating the ribs that lined the roof of its mouth. Illya cringed, seeking the protection of Shiro's arms.
It was at that moment that something black came hurtling in from off to their right.
It was impossible to tell what it was – it moved so fast. It might have been an arrow, or perhaps even another dragon. A black blade flashed veined with red – it struck once – twice – thrice – crashing against the scales, unable to cut through, but driving the beast back with the sheer brute force of its savagery.
The dragon reared up and drew back, opening its mouth. For a moment Shiro thought it was surely about to breath fire, and consume them all. Lowering its head, it emitted a titanic scream, then turned, and flew off into the night.
Satisfied, the shadow turned.
Against the backdrop of so much blackness, her golden hair stood out with the radiance of a light shining in a Dark Age. Her neck was protected by a gorget of black metal, rising on either side to protect the carotid artery and juggler vein. It came halfway up her cheeks, and covered her chin, while over her brow a band of black metal with a pointed beak came down to cover her face with a visor. Very little of the actual girl remained.
"Saber?"
Shiro called hesitantly, his voice tentative and unsure.
For an answer, she slashed at him.
"Saber's not kidding around – " Shiro realized, as he both felt and heard the sharp clang of her sword as it bit against his paired blades. "She's serious!"
He could feel the closeness of her sword as it sliced the air. It was wild, and it was terrifying. But at the same time, it was also exhilarating.
"What's gotten into her?"
For that matter, what had gotten into him?
"Why am I – enjoying this?"
He put everything he had into each stroke and blow, as his world slowed down, existing from moment to moment.
A thrust from Lancer's spear.
The clang of her sword as she deflected it.
The ringing blows from Archer's paired swords.
Somewhere in the distance, the dragon roared. But Shiro didn't care.
"She's alive –"
A blast of frozen daggers from Illya's ice magic.
"She's alive!"
Suddenly, Saber was standing before him. They exchanged blows in a rolling pattern, alternating from high to low, from one side to the other and then back again.
Lancer slashed at her with his spear, while Archer closed in, circling around to the other side. Shiro watched her head turn and her eyes travel, momentarily distracting her focus, and saw his own hand descend, the thick blade travelling down, until it met with the black visor where it crossed her brow, just over her left temple.
There was a terrific crash as the left half of the visor shattered, while the blade disintegrated in his hand, both of them falling to pieces.
"Saber!"
Turning, she regarded him. Through the jagged edges of the broken visor, he could see single eye, slitted like a snake's, and golden in color. Her hair had grown pale, it's bright yellow bleeding out into her skin, giving it a sickly, jaundiced color.
"Saber . . ."
For a moment the two stared at one another.
They were interrupted by a slash from Lancer's spear. He put up a flurry of stabs, but they were of no use. With her heavy armor, she just crashed through, parrying half of them, ignoring the others as they deflected harmlessly off of the steel plates.
One in particular grazed her breastplate, skittering along her bust with a sound of metal on metal that made Shiro wince, like the scraping of fingernails on a chalkboard. Saber pursed her lips. Even with the mask covering half of her face, Lancer could clearly tell that she was giving him a disapproving look.
"Sorry – it was an accident – I didn't mean to – YAAAHH!"
He shouted as she made a broad stroke that nearly took off his head.
"I said it wasn't on purpose! I take it back! I take back every nice thing that I've ever said about the Saber class! The whole lot of you can just DIE for all I care!"
He made a stab at her, but she hacked at his lead hand, so that he was forced to withdraw his spear, at which point she fell on him, closing the distance. For a moment she made a kind of game of chopping away at his hands, alternating between the two of them, so that he was forced to parry with the middle and ends of his lance, wielding it like a staff, jammed up, and unable to take advantage of the benefits of its reach.
He could tell that it was only a matter of time before he guessed wrong, and one of her blows sliced off his fingers, so he leapt back to create some distance between them, chambering his spear for a decisive strike.
Raising her hand, Saber caught the shaft along her arm, just behind the blade, letting it ride along the length of her heavy gauntlet. Wrapping her arm around, she pinned it close to her body, then lifted her sword, and cut through.
With nowhere to run, Lancer's only choice was to surrender the weapon, or else perish with it, and so he let go, the spear skittering harmlessly to one side as he fell to the other.
Stooping, Saber bent to pick it up. For a moment she studied the shape of the gracefully curving blade, and the red shaft with its scroll work of vines and leaves. Then she turned and made her way towards Illya.
Seeing Saber stalk towards her, she took a step back, but her foot slipped in the new fallen snow, so that she slipped from Shiro's arms, collapsing at his feet. Saber lowered the shaft so that the sharp point was only inches from her face.
And then she spoke.
"If you weren't Irisviel's daughter, I'd run you through!"
Illya stared up at the sharp point as it stood poised to stab her between the eyes, and ram right through her forehead.
Suddenly the spear quivered.
Looking off to the side, Saber could see Lancer with his hand outstretched, trying to call the blade back to him. For a moment it shuddered in her hand, caught between her iron grasp and the urge to answer its Master's call.
Turning, she held out her arm, offering it to him. Lancer reached once more, and the space between them grew taught, as all the world filled with a deadly tension. Beneath the mask, the corners of Saber's mouth curled up as a sadistic smile flirted its way across her lips. Once more, the spear trembled. Once more she held it fast.
Satisfied, she lowered her arm again, and turned. Shiro started towards her, but before he could reach the place where she stood, both she and the spear disappeared, dissolving in a shimmer of black flakes.
"SABER!"
That next day Fuyuki City was treated with a rare gift: snow. Evidently Caster's magic, which had done nothing to discourage the dragon, had other lingering effects. Anywhere else it might not have been so spectacular, and somewhere up north like Hokkaido it would not have even been worth mentioning, but here in Fuyuki, farther south, a port city warmed by the breezes of the sea, anything over an inch was unusual, and three to four was almost unheard of.
There had been several hasty attempts to organize the loan of some snow removal equipment from a neighboring town, but these had fallen through, with the general result being that the entire city had more or less shut down. Shiro nearly panicked when Miss Fujino had called him, thinking he had overslept, until he saw the time.
"I'm really sorry to call so early. We tried to do everything we could, but it was all so unexpected – it wasn't in any of the forecasts – and so classes for today are cancelled", she had said, along with a whole lot of other unnecessary information about the difficulties of getting out of a snowbank with a motor scooter.
His next thought had been of Illya, that she might like to go out and play in it, and he went to invite her, but when she went to the door to look out, she announced that anything under half a foot didn't count, and wasn't worth the bother. Evidently the same enchantment that protected Castle Einzbern, keeping its location hidden with a bounded field, also caused the surrounding area to experience unusually heavy snowfall (that's what happens when you cast an enchantment in Northern Germany), and so to her, the whole thing was nothing unusual.
Though he had to admit she did look cute standing at the door in her white robe and pastel lavender pajamas – for that matter, when had she gotten a new robe and pajamas?
"Oh", he realized, yawning sleepily. "She must have gotten them the last time she went back to the Castle." After all, she had come back with a rather large suitcase. Lately she was really upping her game – she'd even brought back a matching pair of fluffy white slippers.
"If you want to go out later I can call Leysritt and have Sella bring over the spare car", she offered. To think that they had a second car that was also a luxury SUV with all wheel drive just lying around – just how rich was the Einzbern family, really? The main car was in the process of being replaced after the accident, and from what Shiro could tell, Sella was having an absolutely miserable time with the insurance company.
"Oh well", he thought, yawning again as he laid back and Illya settled into his arms. With no place to go, and nothing in particular to do, he resolved to go back to bed, and sleep until he wasn't tired anymore – something he hadn't done in days, and it sounded wonderful.
When he awoke, it was after ten. Illya had already gotten up, and he figured Rin would probably yell at him, but he didn't care, and resolved that nothing was going to ruin his good mood.
Until he got to the kitchen.
"How good of you to join us!" Rin said sarcastically. She was sitting at his table, wearing a pair of yellow flannel pajamas, and sipping a cup of tea, with one of the old Emiya family housecoats wrapped around her shoulders that she must have found in one of the closets somewhere. It was even adorned with the family crest.
"What are we running an inn or something?" Shiro retorted (silently of course) as Sakura paused from drying the plates to hand him a bowl of rice. Rin didn't even bother catching him up before going on.
" . . . We still have an Archer, a Rider, and a Berserker. With those pieces, Caster shouldn't be more than we can manage. It won't do to be reckless, but I can't stand just sitting around. And there's another reason for my impatience.
'Right now we still have a numerical advantage. But if we sit around and wait, and let her start whittling away at us, it won't be long before we're just as bad off as everyone else. Then there will be danger on all sides. She could start chipping away at our Servants next, or decide to start eliminating us – "
"Saber would never - !"
"You CAN'T say that, Shiro. She isn't your Saber anymore. This isn't the Saber that we know. I think for the moment we had best assume that she might be capable of anything."
Shiro looked around the table for assistance, but found Illya and Sakura nodding in agreement.
"So that settles it. We'll target Caster next. After that, if all goes well, our next move should be against Assassin – "
At these words, Sakura recoiled in horror.
"You don't know what you're saying!"
"Oh? Do you have some hesitation about going up against your grandfather?"
"I have absolutely NO loyalty to him! But Zouken Matou is not someone to be taken lightly!"
"Archer, what do you think?"
Archer closed both his eyes, then opened one of them. It was his impersonation of Rin's fox eyed smile, and given that there hadn't been much fighting until recently, he'd had plenty of time to work on perfecting it. He glanced over at Rin, who scowled.
"I agree with the girl. Zouken Matou is no one to be trifled with. He's dangerous."
"Even more dangerous than Saber? We've still got three Servants on our side. I can fight with my magic gems, and Illya is arguably the strongest Master in all of Fuyuki. Sakura is powerful too, and even Shiro can do a little fighting of his own. Taken together, all four of us ought to equal at least one weak Servant. That would give us four Servants to his one. Couldn't he be overwhelmed? Or do you really think he's that powerful?"
Archer shook his head.
"Don't even think about fighting Zouken. For this, a Servant will have to be used, and it's better to engage his Servant, rather than targeting him directly."
"Oh?"
"Zouken is ruthless. He cares only about winning the Holy Grail War, and at any cost. He wouldn't think twice about killing any of you. But that said, he does have some weaknesses.
'He's very patient, and he cares only about himself. That works to our advantage. Zouken has already survived several Grail Wars. He'd like to win this one if he can, but he's willing to wait. If we can deprive him of his Servant, and endanger his own precious life, that will be enough.
'After all, Zouken doesn't think this is a real Grail War – he's said so himself. If he could win here and now, that would be a bonus. But if he doesn't like his chances, he'll likely go to ground and wait. That should be our strategy."
Rin touched her hand to her lips thoughtfully.
"What about Saber? Given our pieces, how do you think we rank?"
"Not good. Of the three knightly classes, the only one we have is the Archer – myself. And an Archer is no match for a Saber. Neither is a Rider or a Berserker – though in her case, she practically seems to be a Berserker herself. That battle with Assassin poisoned her somehow – almost like a Madness Enhancement. It deprived her of part of her wits. In the end that may be our only chance.
Rin nodded.
"So that settles it. Tonight, we'll go after Caster again.
Only when they got to Ryudo, Caster wasn't there.
"Mistress isn't home", Lancer said sourly. He had been left to guard the stairs, a forest of golems bristling all around him, and he wasn't at all happy about it.
"And YOU honestly expect US to believe THAT!?" Rin said haughtily, placing her hands on her hips.
"You can suit yourself, and do as you like", Lancer said, as the golems lowered their spears. "But I'm trying to save you the trouble. She isn't here."
"Oh . . ."
There was something in his tone so matter of fact that, in the end, she couldn't help but believe him.
"Well?" Shiro asked when she and Archer got back to the bottom of the stairs.
"She isn't home", Rin said, pausing for a moment, before suddenly remembering herself.
"Dammit, what are we going to do now!?"
To understand why Caster wasn't home, one had to look elsewhere, to an abandoned lot on the other side of Fuyuki, where Issei was getting a lecture on what it meant to be a Magus.
" . . . In the end, that's why so many Mages ultimately fail at Magecraft. I mean – what, after all, is a Dragon?"
Issei paused at what he was sure was some sort of trick question.
"Um – a large, mythological animal?"
"Yes – precisely! Very large, and to the modern age, utterly mythological – but it's still an animal. It eats and drinks – it wakes and sleeps. It leaves tracks and traces, and those can be found – A ha!"
Caster called, leaning on her staff as she stopped to examine a print in the snow. Issei examined it with her, not really sure what he was looking for. He noted the presence of four toes, each of them terminating in a large claw, while at the back of the foot, he could make out the faint outline of a fifth. But most of all, he was worried about the track's size.
"Ha!" Caster said again, catching sight of a line of prints stretching away in the snow. "Now we're getting somewhere."
They followed them, through a vacant field, and across a small patch of forested, undeveloped land, until they came to a fence that marked the edge of a salvage yard, adjacent to a landfill. A divot in the top of the fence looked large enough to be a dragon sized dent, perhaps from where its tail had dragged when it had hopped over.
"Normally a dragon would be drawn to a place of immense wealth, with great hordes of gold, or at least silver. The modern world must be a poor place indeed if you had to take shelter somewhere like this. This isn't a golden age, or even a gilded one – not even of iron or bronze – "
Caster's voice trailed off, noting the proximity of the junkyard to the garbage dump, and a small stream that ran between them.
"It has ample food, and a place to hide, and a source of water. It's a likely enough spot. We could try to catch it in the incinerator, or one of the compactors – or else lure it to the foundry, and douse it with molten slag – any one of those could work."
For a moment, Caster stood looking at the fence, as though studying something. When next she spoke, she did not turn, and her voice was very low and even.
"Don't look now, boy, but we're being watched – I said don't look", she said, reaching out to touch his hand as he craned his head, then suddenly jerked him to the side, as a smattering of black knives appeared in the tree just behind him.
"Eh – heh – heh – a witch's instincts are good – " a singsong voice laughed.
"I really HATE being called that", Caster said, casually unfurling one of her magic wings, and loosing a barrage of golden beams that sheared off the branches that made up his perch.
"Heh – heh – heh – " Assassin continued his laugh as he landed, looking from the girl to the boy as he readied his knives.
He was interrupted by the stroke of a broad sword.
"Yaahh!" he shouted, leaping back to avoid being severed in two. Saber smiled as she stepped out of the shadows, one of her golden eyes visible through the jagged edges of her mask.
"Sometimes, to catch one fish – " she said, glancing down at him as he struggled to regain his footing, " – you have to use another as bait", she went on, finishing with a glance at Caster and Issei.
Assassin looked up at her single golden eye, and gasped.
"Fair maiden – even now, do you still resist your fate?"
They were still fighting when Shiro and Rin arrived.
Shiro heard the ringing of blades as they echoed through the trees. It was a sound that, ever since that night he had caught sight or Archer fighting Lancer, had grown to be familiar to him, but even now, in spite of all its familiarity, it still made him feel a little bit sick.
Rin had picked up the magical signature as soon as it went up. The energy well was so large, even Shiro had felt it, and probably even those with no knowledge of magecraft at all had felt that something was off in Fuyuki that night. They'd come rushing over at once, to see the spectacle unfold beneath the trees. The latent energy made Shiro feel ill, and the memories of clashing steel made him clutch his chest with nausea, but that was nothing compared to what he felt at the sight.
A living shadow, and Saber – that dark ghost of herself – fighting, both of them blacker than the night. Something about it made him recoil in horror.
They appeared well matched. She was clearly stronger, and whenever the great black blade fell, she wielded it with such force that he was compelled to catch it with both of his blades. But the twin knives were quicker, and though he wore no armor, that made him lighter, and so his weakness was also his advantage. So long as the heavy blade could not find him, he was safely out of reach.
"I told you once before – I hate deception – " she said, clearly losing patience.
"Oh?" Assassin taunted. "Then why do you also now wear a mask?"
Saber smirked. Loosing her right hand's grip on the sword, she struck down. It was a sudden motion, and because only one of her arms moved, it was difficult to detect. What's more, holding the sword by the pommel in her left hand gave her several inches of additional reach. With only one hand on the handle, it didn't have as much power, but it didn't need to. The tip of the broad blade grazed Assassin's forehead, carving a neat line as it sheared through the grinning skull mask, and then the socket and eye beneath.
"Y – A – A – A – A – H – H – H – H !"
Saber smiled in satisfaction as he clapped his hand over his eye, blood spurting out from either side of his palm.
"That – was quite a dirty trick – " Assassin groaned, crawling backwards away from her.
"Yes – it was", she leered, holding her sword out to him. She was still gripping it with her left hand, and she turned it so that the edges were parallel to the ground, giving him a good look at the sight of his own blood dripping off of it, before holding it up over her head, and then swinging down, slinging the sticky crimson liquid along the ground, and against the bark of the nearby trees.
"SABER!"
Enraged at the interruption, she turned.
Shiro couldn't really say why he had felt compelled to say something at that moment. He knew that to interrupt a battle was dangerous, and he would never want to do anything to endanger her. But there was something about the sight of that look on her face, and that cold glint in her eye, that made him know he had to stop her.
"Saber!" Shiro called again, as he came panting up to her.
She glanced at Assassin, only to find him already scurrying away, leaving a trail of blood behind him, then over to Caster, who quickly threw her arm around Issei and spread her wings, lifting both of them up into the sky, firing a few hasty beams to cover their retreat. For a moment she glowered at Shiro, then turned to disappear.
"Saber – wait – "
There was something so commanding in his tone that even now she could not help but pause.
Shiro swallowed hard, knowing that he was taking his life in his own hands.
"You said yourself that you hated deception", he went on, pretending to scold her. "So why are you still hiding your face behind that broken mask?"
Slowly, Saber turned. Still holding her sword in her left hand, she put her fingers up beside her face, where she touched the tips of them to the remaining half of her broken visor. For a moment it shimmered in a dance of black sparks. Then it disappeared, revealing her other eye. It shone with a golden gleam, just as cold and as hard as the first one. Shiro gasped.
For a moment she looked into his face. Then she turned, and took a step to walk away. He started towards her, but before he could reach the place where she stood, there was another dark shimmering, and she was gone.
"Saber!"
"You idiot, after her!" Rin shouted
"What do you mean? She's gone!" Shiro shouted back, still looking down at his hand where it passed through the place where she had been.
"You fool! She doesn't have a proper Master! Have you even thought to check your Command Seal?"
"Well, no – " Shiro said, looking down at the back of his left hand, alarmed to see the crisp red lines had grown wavy, their edges now a black blur.
"Without a regular supply of mana, she isn't free to move around or do as she likes. She can't just come and go. Search the area! She can't have gotten far – "
Just then they heard a commotion from somewhere on the other side of the fence.
The salvage yard was bounded on one side by an open, grassy area where Saber and Assassin had fought, and on the other by a series of alleys that served a group of warehouses for Fuyuki Airport, and the docks and harbor district beyond. The whole area had a very industrial feel to it, very run down and decrepit, and not at all the sort of place a young woman should be wandering after dark – especially not one with beautiful blonde hair and a black silk dress.
Saber ran, clutching her sword as she looked over her shoulder. When she felt like she was far enough away, she paused. Remaining in spirit form would take too much mana, so she elected to keep a physical presence instead. It would probably be best to blend in, so she let go of her weapon, which immediately disappeared into thin air. Next she touched her hand to her chest, at which point her armor also disappeared, leaving her standing in just her black dress.
It still stood out, being several centuries out of date, but one could always speculate that she had come from some party or nightclub, and at any rate, it was less obtrusive than a suit of plates, so for the moment it would have to do. She was just considering her next move when she was interrupted by a beam of light that shone down the alleyway, accompanied by the low rumble of an engine.
As it drew closer, she could clearly see that it was a headlight, and hear that the motor was unencumbered, open to the air. It belonged to a motorcycle. Momentarily, several other headlights joined with it.
"Well, well, what do we have here?"
Just then Shiro's distant voice came to her from somewhere over the wind.
"Saber – where are you!"
"Sounds like you're in some kind of trouble. Lucky for you, I don't mind helping a damsel in distress. Our services don't come free, but you look like you have ways of paying us – "
Shiro's voice was closer now, and it made her cringe. Seeing her shrink, the lead rider mistook her reaction for fear, and revved his engine, making a run at her.
But that only worked to her advantage.
Straightening her back, she reached out, and caught him under the chin, lifting him up off of his seat.
"H – URK!"
He gagged as she held him up off of the ground while the bike shot out from under him, roaring past until it slammed into the wall, ending up on its side.
For a moment she looked up at him as he dangled. Then she threw him down, smashing his back into the pavement, and kicked him in the groin. The sensation of her hard boot meeting his soft body was satisfying, so she kicked him several times more, each one sliding him a good six inches along the ground.
Seeing their leader thus manhandled was enough to put the other gang members in a state of terror, and they turned and road away at full speed, leaving Saber looking down at his crumpled body. Off to the side, the overturned bike's engine was still running, purring idly.
Reaching down, she righted the vehicle, setting it up on its wheels again. The night air was cold, sending a chill along her shoulders.
Bending down again, she took hold of his collar.
"Hrgh – rgh – rgh - !"
He groaned as she shook him unceremoniously until he fell out of his jacket, onto the concrete. Holding up her prize, she felt its weight, admiring the black leather and silver zippers, then slipped it on. At once the cold air seemed more distant, and far away. Then, taking hold of the handlebars, she swung her leg over the back wheel, easing herself down onto the leather seat.
"Truly a most excellent steed. I think I shall dub you Dullahan", she said, giving the gas tank an affectionate pat. Catching sight of the fuel gauge, her eyes narrowed.
"Though it seems you're just as hungry as I am", she said, moving side to side, listening to the sloshing in the tank. Reaching down again, she pulled the biker's wallet out of his pocket, taking out several 1000 yen notes before tossing it onto his back again.
"Most obliged", she said, smiling bitterly as she shoved the paper bills into her pocket.
"Saber – "
Shiro's voice was getting closer now, so she looked down at her crumpled adversary, and made a small salute, then spurred the engine, and rode away.
"Aren't you the one always telling us not to go out together? That we attract too much attention? That we have to follow the rules? How the heck is THIS following the rules!?"
Shiro demanded as Illya pestered him for another 100 yen coin so she could look through the telescope.
"Relax", Rin said casually.
"Relax!?"
"It'll be fine – "
"Fine!? We're in full view of thousands of people up here!"
"And that's exactly why it will be fine. As you said, the street below is full of people. No other Master would dare attack us here, out in the open like this. And so we're perfectly safe."
Shiro scowled. But it was hard to argue with her logic. The busy Fuyuki crossing below bustled with thousands of people. Maybe tens of thousands. If any Master were to make a move in a setting like this, the entire city would find out about the Holy Grail War.
"Maybe she has a point after all . . ."
That next night they'd enjoyed an excellent dinner at a rooftop café (one that he had to pay for of course), which sold gourmet pizzas by the slice (at truly ridiculous prices), after which they'd explored a nearby shopping mall that was located in the same building but on a different floor, and even visited an adjacent arcade (Rin had said something about the importance in Magecraft of hand to eye coordination, but Shiro found the whole thing highly suspicious.)
At the moment, they were on a seventh floor balcony, which gave an excellent view of the intersection below. Rin was sipping a cup of hot chocolate, while Illya conducted surveillance with the telescope – or at least pretended to. Shiro was pretty sure she was actually using it to window shop at some of the stores on the other side of the street. Sakura, meanwhile, had taken out a pair of small opera binoculars that she had in her purse, and was using them to survey the intersection.
"I didn't know you were interested in the theater?" Rin asked.
"Oh, well – "
Archer, for his part, had taken up a post beside one of the beams that held up the frame for a sign for a large department store. Between the scaffolding and the glare of the neon lights, he was concealed perfectly. Shiro looked up at him, standing in his long red coat, then back down at the street doubtfully.
"So are we just going to sit up here and wait, and hope that we see something out of the ordinary?"
"Well – yes – "
Rin answered him as if the details of her plan were self-evident, and should have been obvious. Shiro sighed. The glare of the neon lights, with their electric blues and oranges lit up the otherwise dull, grey concrete streets. They certainly were pretty. But the street was teeming with thousands of people.
"Something could be happening right now, and I would never be able to tell."
Archer's eyesight was phenomenal. But still –
As it turned out, they didn't have long to wait.
"There! Look there!"
Archer shouted, pointing. High overhead, off to the right, they could see several flashes of light, followed by a showering of sparks. At first Shiro thought it might be fireworks. But they were answered by several large blue flashes.
"That's magic!" Rin shouted back.
"I don't know – " Shiro said, still uncertain.
"Oh come on! Who would be using magecraft in Fuyuki City and NOT be part of the Holy Grail War?"
"I guess you have a point."
Seeing the magical disturbance was one thing, but actually getting to it was another. Archer led the way to the upper floor, and down a service corridor, to a steel door that he jimmied open with disturbing speed and dexterity.
"Just what the hell kind of stuff do I end up learning in my future life?" Shiro wondered.
From there, it was another two rooftops over, being EXCEPTIONALLY careful as they crossed from one building to another, as the drop would have been at least twenty stories – straight down. They made their way over some large heating ducts, and past several industrial air conditioners, before dropping down on the other side of a skylight – just in time to have a full view of the end of a battle between Saber and Caster. Though from what Shiro could tell, it didn't look like it had been much of a battle at all.
Saber hacked away at Caster with her sword, avoiding an energy blast, which she silenced by slicing off one of her magic wings. Desperate to defend herself, Caster drew out Rule Breaker. Shiro wasn't sure if she was trying to use her Noble Phantasm, or just trying to put something solid and metal between herself and Saber's sword, but he never got to find out. In the next instant, Excalibur struck, landing right between two of the sweeping arcs of the gracefully curving blade.
Caster did her best to parry, but against the broad blade, it was no use. One violent twist wrenched the knife out of her hands, throwing it to the floor. Saber regarded her coldly. Holding up the menacing black blade, she looked down at the curving knife, and pointed.
Carefully Caster reached down to pick it up, expecting at any moment to have her head cut off. She turned the knife in her hands, preparing to stab herself and release her magical power. But Saber shook her head violently. Instead she held out her left hand, and shook it for emphasis.
Caster looked at her curiously, trying to understand her intentions, but Saber repeated the gesture, shaking her hand twice more. Slowly, and with great care to avoid any fatal misunderstanding, Caster took the knife, and pressed the handle into the palm of her hand.
Saber smiled. With a quick flick of her wrist, she inverted the blade, and stabbed it into her thigh.
"SABER!"
Shiro shouted, seeing the trickle of blood as she pulled it out. Undeterred, Saber flung the knife to the ground, as though she regarded it as now useless, then swung her leg over the seat of her nearby motorcycle. At once a flow of black energy began to emanate from her body.
"This is bad – " Archer said, no longer caring if he gave away his own presence.
"What the hell is happening?"
The black energy wreathed itself around her, forming the shape of the plates of her armor. It didn't stop there. Coursing over the frame of the motorcycle, the bike began to change its shape. A large steel plate formed over the front, tapering to a sharply pointed beak, while a similar cowl shrouded the rear. Standing up, Saber planted her feet on the ground, and revved the throttle.
At first Shiro thought that it was just the sound of the open engine. But as the noise grew louder, it took on the unmistakable character of a howl, and then a roar. It was the sound of a wild beast. The bike's back tire skipped, then spun, shearing off a layer of black rubber, filling the air with a burning smell. It kicked to the side, trying desperately to break free, but Saber dug her feet into the ground, straining against it as the rooftop tiles broke, peeling up all around her. But her grip held fast.
Finally the howl subsided, levelling off into a steady purr. Saber eased back on the throttle, a look of supreme satisfaction flooding her face.
"It's been a long time since I've broken a horse –"
"What the HELL did she do!?" Rin demanded.
"This is VERY bad – " Archer said.
Meanwhile, Saber set about examining her new steed. She regarded the handlebars for a moment, then shook her head, muttering something to herself. With a wave of her hand, the collar that housed the throttle disappeared, deleting from the right side, only to reappear on the left. A motion from her other hand, and the grips that controlled the clutch and the front brakes exchanged places. She squeezed each of the handles in turn, then rolled the throttle back, listening to the engine, and nodded appreciatively.
Satisfied, she placed her right foot on the pedal that housed the controls for the transmission, working each of the gears in turn, and then pressed down with her heel, testing the rear brakes. Deciding that no further modifications were necessary, she reached behind her, and took out a red baton.
"THIS IS VERY – VERY – VERY BAD!" Archer shouted, as the throttle roared and the spear grew long, taking on the familiar shape of Lancer's Gae Bolg. His opinion was justified. She was riding straight at him.
"Lancer, come forth!" Caster shouted, deciding that the present circumstances had grown serious enough to constitute an emergency, and warranted using a Command Seal.
At once the air around them began to shiver as a blue light formed, distorting both time and space, as the Servant stepped forth, answering his Master's irrefuseable call.
"Aw – don't drag it on the ground!" Lancer shouted as Saber held her arm out behind her, letting the tip of his spear trail along the tiles, scattering sparks as she went.
"THAT's what you're concerned about!?" Caster shouted. "I could have been killed!"
"Yes – well –"
Rounding the corner, Saber made another pass. Lifting the lance, she lowered it, resting it along her left arm as she held the throttle wide open, bearing down on Archer with murderous speed.
Reaching up to one of the pieces of industrial machinery, Archer wrenched off an access door, throwing it up in front of him to make a hasty shield.
"Trace on!"
As he shouted, green lines fanned out over the flimsy metal, at once transforming it to become as hard as steel – and not a moment too soon, for in the next instant, the spear struck, its sharp blade ramming through, coming to a stop just inches from his face.
"That was too damn close!"
Whirling it over her head to cover herself as she passed, Saber turned again, this time lowering it on her right side, and charged, giving Lancer a taste of his own medicine.
"YAAH! Shit – shit – shit – shit!"
A burst of Kiritsugu's gunfire spoiled her aim, making her put her head down and lay across the handlebars as she ducked behind one of the heating units for cover.
"After her!" Rin shouted. "She's getting away!"
Archer glared.
"In case you haven't noticed, WE aren't hunting HER – SHE is hunting US!"
Rin pouted.
As if to prove him right, the bike's engine roared as Saber ramped it up over one of the heating ducts, then let go. Kicking off from the seat, she let it launch, sailing towards Archer, striking him with full force, before crashing into a pile of garbage and other assorted junk that had been assembled by one of the maintenance elevators, and taking him with it.
"UWAAHH!"
Letting go of the spear in midair, she landed with her familiar black sword in her hand, and sprang on him mercilessly.
"First a Saber – then a Lancer – and now a Rider – " he said, as the blows of her sword rang all around him. "Looking to add the Archer to your list of classes?"
"Hmph – bowmen are a peasant class – so you can just DIE!" she shouted, leveling a terrible blow that shattered both of his twin swords in his hands. "Besides – you represent a future for Shiro that I would never want for him!"
"Trace on!" Archer shouted, reforming them from thin air, just in time to meet with a renewed assault. It was no good staying back out of reach, where the black sword fell heavily about his head and shoulders, probing his defenses, so he lunged forward, seeking to close the gap.
The twin swords rang against the black blade. It was a desperate gambit, and he had to make three or four strokes to her one, but with a flurry he was able to walk his way down her sword. The first two strikes clanged against the length of the blade, while the third bit against the cross guard, but with the fourth stroke he was able to reach past the handle, and threaten her arm, forcing her to take a step back, to which she replied angrily by striking with such wrath that he had to pair his swords together and meet the blade with both of them.
For several moments they moved back and forth, trading the same few feet between them in a kind of deadly waltz, leaving Shiro to look on in amazement.
"He's fighting her – " he said, a dawning realization forming in his mind. "He's actually going on the offensive – "
"Gyah – " Archer yelled as his foot was pushed back.
"Ha! It would seem you know how to handle a sword – maybe you're not totally useless after all. Perhaps I could keep you on as a Squire – I could use someone to polish my boots!"
She shouted, and with another stroke, shattered his swords again.
The force of the blow pushed him back several more feet, but before she could use the distance to her advantage, Illya unleashed an icy barrage. Saber held up her hand, letting most of them shatter harmlessly against her gauntlet, but one of the frozen blades struck her upper arm, ripping through the black sleeve of her dress, passing cleanly between the muscle and the bone. For a moment she stared at the blood dripping from the frozen dagger's tip, more enraged then injured, but before she could strike back, a handful of Rin's magic gems exploded in her face.
Now really and truly angry, she wiped the black smudge from her cheek, and debated which of them to kill first, when she saw Archer readying his bow, fitting a charged blue arrow to its string. Deciding this was a good time to reorder the battle in her favor, she snapped her fingers, making her bike appear beside her with a snarl. Throwing her leg over the seat, she let the throttle roar, and thundered off.
They spent the next several minutes chasing her, from rooftop to rooftop, going from one building to another, until at last they came to the end of the block, where the side of the building tumbled down towards a freeway teeming with cars below.
"Ha! We have her now!" Rin shouted triumphantly. "She's trapped!"
"Or we are", Archer cautioned.
The only problem was –
"Where is she?"
The roof of the building was quite large, being the full size of an entire floor of the building below, and littered with machinery and industrial equipment.
An engine rumbled faintly in the distance.
"There!" Rin shouted, running headlong towards it, in spite of Archer's warning. But when she got to where she thought the sound had originated, there was nothing but a pile of old, dried out leaves.
A roar sprang up on the far side of the building, behind one of the generators. But by the time they got to it –
"Gone again – "
Next the engine started up on the other side again, this time making a steady drone.
"She's taunting us", Rin scowled.
It ran for several moments, and then, just as suddenly cut out. And then – silence.
"Ohh! I have no patience for this cat and mouse! Split up! We'll cover more ground that way. Illya, you and Kiritsugu take the north side, towards the far end. Sakura, you and Rider the west. Archer, you stay here in case she tries to double back. Don't let her escape – "
"I doubt very much that SHE is trying to get away from US – "
"Lancer – " she said, suddenly realizing that Caster had slipped away, but that Lancer, for whatever reason, was still there with them. "It figures that witch would slink off at the first sight of trouble – "
"Don't SAY that! She'll hear you!"
"Whatever! You – uh – just do whatever you want. Shiro – with me! Whoever finds her, signal, and we'll all come running!"
"If by signal you mean get your head chopped off", Archer said sarcastically, making Rin scowl again.
A bit to her surprise, and in spite of Archer's complaining, they all followed her orders. The only problem was where to look. The building was the size of an entire city block, so even just searching the roof was a daunting proposition.
"She could be anywhere", Shiro thought, looking around at some of the industrial machinery. The whole rooftop was crisscrossed with a maze of conduits and plumbing, along with exhaust vents and duct work. Sprinkled in were generators, furnaces for heating, and giant condenser units for the air conditioning. Shiro didn't know what half of this stuff even was, and he would have loved to trace some of it and figure out how it worked. Just the thought gave him an idea.
"Hey, I wonder if I traced some of these systems, would I be able to figure out where Saber is?"
But just as quickly he dismissed it. The roof was vast. He'd never tried searching anything nearly so big before, and he didn't want to risk blowing up a fuse box and knocking the power for the entire building out.
"Man, we could be checking one place, and then she could double back while we're busy looking somewhere else – we could be at this all night, and still not find her", he concluded. He was just about to tell Rin as much, and try to get her to concede that they should just go home for the evening, when he was greeted by an unexpected sight.
There in front of him, from between two power boxes, a black silhouetted emerged. It was long and dark, comprised of the front wheel of a motorcycle, followed by a cowl that shrouded the handlebars, and there behind them was Saber herself. She was free wheeling the bike along, pushing it so as not to make any noise.
At first he opened his mouth to call, but his voice caught in his throat. She was looking from side to side furtively, and as he watched her, he found that he just couldn't do it. A moment later, and another thought came into his mind. He realized that with the bike in front of him, he was completely cut off. There was no going forward, and the machinery on either side made a kind of corridor, a long running hall, with him in its midst. He was trapped. She could be on him in an instant.
"Maybe I could trace a pair of blades – "
It was doubtful, but what choice did he have? That was when she looked up.
For a moment her eyes met his. They were still golden, and their pupils were still sharp, but they didn't have that same cold hardness they'd had before. Instead they were tinged with surprise, along with a hint of unexpected gentleness. And warmth.
And then she spoke.
"Shiro, get on . . ."
"What are you doing!?" Rin shouted, rounding the corner to see Shiro and Saber looking at one another.
Saber looked over her shoulder at the empty seat behind her, and then back into Shiro's eyes again.
"WHAT ARE YOU DOING!?" Rin screamed as Shiro placed his hands on her shoulders to steady himself as he swung his leg over the bike's back fender.
Using her left hand, Saber rolled the throttle back towards her, making the engine roar. Startled by the sudden noise, Shiro threw his arms around her waist and clutched tightly. The bike shuddered as the back tire broke loose, kicking sideways for a moment, then spun free, letting out a tremendous shriek as it peeled off a layer or rubber, raising a cloud of black smoke all around them.
Lancer stepped in front of them, then threw himself to the side as the tire found its grip launching them forward with a wild roar, leaving a black streak trailing behind them. For a moment they rode along with the city skyline. And then they sailed off the edge.
Shiro felt himself go weightless as Saber pulled back on the handlebars, making the bike rear in midair. For a moment they hung suspended, as the city lights twinkled beneath them, and he could hear the echo of the cars as they passed below. As he watched, the bike's tire travelled up – up – towards the building on the other side. It seemed they would just catch the outer edge of the roof. And then gravity kicked in again.
"THEY'RE NOT GOING TO MAKE IT!" Rin screamed, forgetting for the moment that she wanted to kill him.
As Shiro watched, the glass panels of the building across from them grew closer. He could clearly see the leading that separated the individual panes, and his own reflection as it drew near to approach him. The bike's front tire loomed, kissing their surface. And then they shattered as it broke through, making Shiro press his face against the back of her neck as the glass showered down all around them.
Saber cut the handlebars hard to the side, putting her foot down so that they wouldn't tip over as the bike spun a 180, revving the throttle until the drive wheel caught, halting their backwards slide. For a moment it scrabbled, then found its grip again, launching them forwards, and down a nearby stairwell.
Back on the rooftop, Archer stared. Bristling at the thought of her getting away, he glowered at the building on the far side of the street.
"Dammit!" Rin shouted. "Now what are we going to – hey – AIEEE – "
She yelled as he placed one hand behind her back, and the other behind her knees, picking her up, and then leapt.
" – E – E – E – E – E ! ! ! ! !"
She shrieked as they vaulted over the street, watching as a low hanging spike of broken glass that hung from the frame of the window drew near. At first she thought it would go right through her forehead. But Archer had timed the jump perfectly, so that they travelled just beneath it, landing lightly on the other side.
"Put me down! I said PUT ME DOWN!" she shouted, pounding against his chest, but he ignored her, and headed for the stairs.
Saber made several passes, the bike descending down each flight of steps with a series of snarls, pausing at each landing to turn round again.
"This is taking much too long – " she thought, looking over the side at the atrium far below. Such a drop would have been nothing for her, but she doubted very much if the bike would survive – not to mention Shiro.
"Hmm, there has to be another way", she thought, idling the engine just enough to keep the motor running as she nosed it cautiously through the door. She sped past the passenger elevators, into the more industrial parts of the building.
Even in the medieval era, castles always had a side door. The main gate with the drawbridge and portcullis was suitably imposing to impress the masses, but there were always humbler quarters – some sort of side passage for delivering food and wood and other supplies, emptying chamber pots and the like.
"Ah – ha!"
Her intuition paid off.
Down a maintenance corridor she found a service elevator intended for moving packages and freight. The door opened with a polite 'ding', and she found that the lift accommodated both her and her bike quite nicely.
For several moments she felt her stomach drop and then float weightlessly as she and Shiro rode in relative comfort and safety down to the bottom floor. She half expected Archer might try something dramatic, such as an assault from the roof, but as it was, they reached the bottom without incident.
As the door opened, she let the throttle roar.
It had only been a hunch, but her guess was good. There on the other side was Archer, looking rather winded as he emerged from the stairwell (even a Servant can get a bit tired after sprinting down more than twenty stories), with a very angry and bedraggled Rin still kicking and flailing as he held her under his arm.
"I SAID let me – "
At the sound of the engine they both looked up, just in time to see Saber and Shiro as they burst from the elevator and went tearing down the hall. The front door shattered in a curtain of glass as the bike leapt out, down the stairs, and into the street, where she picked up a ramp, taking it out onto the freeway beyond.
Omake
Kotomine: Wait, you mean we're going to start doing these again?
Rin: We were SUPPOSED to be doing them all along! If you weren't so busy hanging out at that curry shop –
Kotomine: Sorry, it's just, they have this special on Tuesdays –
Rin: (looks at Shiro and Dark Saber): And as for YOU, I've had just about enough of the two of you! I've decided, if you want Shiro that badly, you can have him –
Dark Saber: Really?
Rin: The two of you are both equally stubborn and block headed – you're perfect for each other. Of course Saber will have to sell her motorcycle –
Dark Saber: Wait – WHAT!?
Rin: Oh come on, you can't get groceries on that thing –
Dark Saber: That's not –
Rin: And you can forget about a child safety seat. I'll call Sella and see if she can help us find you a nice little Mom-mobile. Maybe a sedan – or an SUV? Or what about a station wagon? Do they even still make station wagons?
Dark Saber: NOOOOOOO!
Rin: Ahem – next time on Fate/Stay Night, Unlimited Boob Works: A Queen's Gambit –
Dark Saber: (hugs motorcycle protectively) Don't worry – I'll never let them sell you, Dullahan!