They were sitting on the bed, now. "I don't understand." Asuka muttered to Merlin as she stared at her hand. There was an odd runic symbol on the back of her left hand. It looked like a cup with half a sun above it.
[AN: Sigil - https/search?q=holygrailsymboltbm=ischved=2ahUKEwjU5oHemc_sAhWXAKYKHZBuAUYQ2-cCegQIABACoq=holygrailsymbolgs_lcp=ChJtb2JpbGUtZ3dzLXdpei1pbWcQAzICCAAyBggAEAUQHjIGCAAQCBAeMgQIABAYMgQIABAYOgQIIxAnOgQIABBDUMm-AVjyggJguoYCaABwAHgAgAHMAYgBkRWSAQYwLjE3LjGYAQCgAQHAAQEsclient=mobile-gws-wiz-imgei=kSaVX5TaGZeBmAWQ3YWwBAbih=582biw=360client=ms-android-oppo-rev1prmd=isvn#imgrc=xElFZQ9TIZ2u4M]
"You destroyed the chalice, didn't you?" Merlin asked with his head tilted to the side. He wore an expression that spoke of childlike curiosity. "Try calling upon the Grail, Su-chan."
So she did. Suddenly, they found themselves staring at the Grail, or at least, what they believed to be the Grail. It was like a giant blue and green sphere of raw magic. More so, they found that this may be a way to help those who were meant to be together, regardless of the barriers of time.
Merlin believed this wholeheartedly because there were red strings. One such string, thin and long as it was, wove around him and Erica. It travelled from his heart to her own. He laughed softly as Erica's fingers nimbly played with the string, twirling it between her index finger and thumb.
"No wonder the Grail thought we were highly compatible. I didn't think the strings of fate truly existed like this." He mused as he pulled her closer to him. "What does this mean, then?" Merlin hummed as he thought of how to answer her question. Then, he grinned, closing his eyes and declaring, "First, we go out and see who the Grail has deemed worthy, of course!"
Ritsuka blinked when the string came into existence. Or perhaps, he was just unable to see it before. Either way, Ramses chuckled in that deep and utterly sexy (in Ritsuka's opinion) way he did, all loud and honest and cheerful. It made Ritsuka's heart flutter. It also led his blood to rush two ways, to his face and down to his crotch.
Ramses was now eyeing the red string like he was a hawk stalking its most favorite meal. Or something to that effect. "This should prove that I care for you more than I ever cared for Nefartiti, my Ristu." He said as he stood from the window sill. He took two slow steps toward his mage. There was barely any distance between them, now. Ramses gave Ritsuka a soft smile before he leant down for a kiss.
"I knew it." Merlin stage-whispered as he and Asuka stood at the end of the corridor. "That does somewhat explain why he relished in teaching Ritsuka how to swim." Asuka thought back to their beach outing. It had been fun, she thought. Maybe she can rope Merlin into another one. Just them and the sea and sands… in proper bathing suits…
"Hmm? Su-chan? Did you get a fever all of the sudden?" Merlin frowned in worry and jealousy when he noticed the flushed look on his flower's face. "No, I'm fine." Her words were quiet and soft. "You think we can go on a swim after this, Merlin?" Then, Merlin almost squealed and cooed in excitement. Almost. He did not, though, which he should point out was an achievement, considering the image of Su-chan in a cute bikini had popped into his mind right there.
Asuka's gaze left the pair of men making out in the corridor to look at her cambion. She chuckled at the very much dreamy expression he wore. "Alright. Let's go see who else has been brought here so we can hurry and find a beach or a river to swim in, hmm?" That seemed to snap Merlin out of his daze and he quickly followed after Asuka.
Ramses pulled away from Ritsuka with a grin and a wink. "Looks like a certain someone is finally understanding human emotions, haha!" Ritsuka sighed and put his arms around his Pharaoh's chest to pull him into a tight embrace. "We can tease Merlin later. May I have more kisses, Ramses?" Honestly, how was Ramses to deny his Ritsu when the mage looked like a content cat asking for more attention? "You are so beautiful, my Ritsu." He whispered and then, those slightly chapped lips of his were on Ritsu's soft lips once again.
Gilgamesh had stopped walking when he was sure they would no longer be heard by the others. Ayaka would have squealed, if the blond hadn't kissed her as he maneuvered them to lay on the soft grass. He pulled away for a short moment, just looking down to study Ayaka's flushed expression and store it into his memory, before kissing her again. His kisses were aggressive. His tongue kept parting those thin, pink lips and Ayaka responded with equal passion.
Sakura and Mozart were politely looking away and busying themselves with their own passionate kisses. They were also trying to set up some sort of camp in between their kissing sessions, but Ayaka and her King were far more knowledgeable about such things than they were…
"Oh, honestly! You're out in the woods with no supplies and you're trying to have bedroom moments?!" A dulcet voice all but shouted. "Didn't Ninsun or Enkidu ever teach you how improper and dangerous that could be?!"
Merlin may be spouting such words but Asuka knew he was only teasing them. It was in the tone of his voice, really. She's certain the King of Heroes had noticed it, too. "Don't you have your own King to be lecturing, mongrel?" Red eyes were glaring at them and the king was actually blocking their view of his Master. "King Arthur is that way." Sakura said, hoping to diffuse the tension before a fight broke out.
Asuka smiled as Merlin visibly perked up. The man seemed to glow in happiness when he heard of King Arthur being around. "Let's go so you can introduce us, Merlin." She grabbed him by the arm and led him to the direction the girl mentioned. Merlin was listing ways of how Su-chan and his king could bond. Asuka simply shook her head with an indulging expression.
Mordred was still wondering how this came to be. It was surreal. His father should hate him, right? He had killed the man after destroying all that his father fought to build, gods' sakes! Instead, his father had happily introduced him to Hakuno before giving Shirou a silent warning in regards to Mordred's heart. Now, his father had an arm around his shoulders, seemingly content in their reunion.
Mordred couldn't count on Nero for help, since she was still cooing over Rin and pretty much bouncing like a delighted child upon realizing his father didn't want him dead. Though he supposed her reaction to that particular news was to be expected, consodering how her own family had been toward her. Currently, Shirou was chatting with his father, who was more than happy to tell the redhead certain stories that Mordred was never ever planning to tell Shirou. Stupid childish emotions and mistakes!
Gawain, the bloody git, was too busy giving and getting heated looks from his mage to help Mordred put the world back into a sensible perspective. Father had also given the slender blond boy a silent look, more grateful than threatening, but Father apparently knew him so… Anyways, Mordred didn't think things could possibly get less sensible than they already were.
Until the red strings appeared, that is. One for him and Shirou. Another for Nero and Rin. Then Gawain and his slender blonde. There was one connecting the little girls to each other, as well. Then, another surprise had oh so casually walked over to them.
Arthur, Mordred and Gawain had all been shocked upon seeing the Mage of Flowers walking their way. The lady tugging on his arm had stopped walking the moment her eyes landed on Arthur. She looked like a rather frightened cat, to be honest. "My king! You're Court Mage has returned to your side~ How ha-" Merlin was abruptly cut off mid sentence when Arthur enveloped him in a hug. A rather tight hug. "I thought you were trapped in Avalon?" Gods, that voice was shaking, though. Merlin hugged him back, one hand patting the king's back. "I thought so, too. But then, Su-chan summoned me!"
"Are you responsible for the red strings, Merlin?" Gawain asked once Arthur had recomposed himself. Truthfully, none of them cared at this point. The strings just proved what most of them had decided upon in regards to their feelings. Gawain pulled Leo closer to him as Merlin and his Master sat on the ground, close to their King, who sat back beside Hakuno.
"The Grail is the instigator, this time around. We don't really know how or why, though." Merlin looked very much like a content puppy as he leant into Asuka's embrace. Arthur laughed, honest and true. "I am glad you finally found someone, Merlin."
Today, exactly one year has passed since they were brought to this place. Asuka had called forth various spirits from the Grail after they figured out that it was possible, each Servant had showed such confusion upon realizing there was no war. Arthur had been happy when both Lancelot and Guinevere were called forth. He had made sure they knew their relationship had his blessing. Perhaps the hardest time had been when she had summoned Morgan Le Fay. Arthur, Merlin, Mordred, Gawain, the rest of Arthur's knights and even Guinevere, hadn't reacted well to her presence, neither did she react well to theirs. She went off to live on the other side of the valley.
The most awkward had been when she'd summoned Nefartiti as a Caster. Ozymandias had taken her aside and quietly explained to her the state of his heart as of that moment. She cried, of course she did. She also told him to just be happy before she went off with Nitocris to explore the valley.
Gilgamesh will forever deny it, but he could have cried when Enkidu was reunited with him. The being had gushed over Ayaka and showered her with even more affection on top of Gilgamesh's own devotion to her. Right now, the said mage couldn't stop smiling as she and Hakuno watched their kings spar. Enkidu was also watching from the sidelines, cheering on their friend. Gilgamesh was actually enjoying himself and not getting bored at all. Though, that may have something to do with Arthur's heartfelt reactions to the man's teasing, gloating and taunting.
Ozymandias had jumped into the fray, as well. Honestly, the pharaoh was almost as bad as Gilgamesh when it came to teasing and gloating. No one called him Ramses, aside from Ristuka and Nefartiti, when she was around. They were the only ones allowed to do so, after all. Speaking of Ritsuka, he was currently sitting by the riverbank, reading a book that Hookah got from Andersen. The Caster and her Master, Alice, were listening intently to his narrations, which were quite funny as he tried to mimic some actions and emotions either mentioned or implied in the book.
Shirou somehow got Merlin to help set up the picnic spot. Asuka was helping out, too. She was probably the reason Merlin was helping with setting up the blankets and food. Sakura and Mozart were bringing said food out from their baskets - there were a lot of them. Rin had practically demanded to be taught how to catch fish from the river. Again. Nero was handling that perfectly. Gawain and Mordred had gone off to hunt. Really, they did. Leo had gone after them. Rani and Tamamo no Mae preferred to keep a good distance away from them. Shinji and his Riders actually broke away from them in search of adventures in the rather large valley they now called home.
Somehow, the Grail deemed them all worthy for a chance to just live. They all noticed it. The Servants may have retained their skills and life experiences but their bodies were human, now. It was apparent in the way that Hookah had grown a couple inches. Then, Ramses had, maturely and royally, complained about how much longer it took for wounds to heal.
Finally, and possibly, most importantly-
Asuka looked down, finding that Merlin's hands were on her person again. She smiled, knowing exactly why that was. "I love you, Su-chan. My lovely flower. I also love you, our newly blossoming little rose bud." The man whispered, his hands rubbing circles on her slightly swollen stomach. This was the Grail fulfilling her wish. She knew it. Asuka let her eyes roam across the patch of meadow they had chosen as their picnic spot. Everyone was happy, she noted
She looked up to meet Merlin's gaze. Those lavender eyes were full of happiness and love and contentment. She couldn't help but give him a chaste kiss on his lips. "I love you, too, my wonderful Grand Caster."
THE END
Curtain call/Behind the scenes
Hakuno: Gil, stop it. Both of you. Arthur doesn't really love me that way, do you?
Arthur: gives her a princely smile
Caster Gilgamesh: clicks his tongue and scowls at Arthur
Archer Gilgamesh: points weapons from the gates at Arthur
Lancer Enkidu: I wanted some spotlight with Hakuno...! *trying to cuddle her*
Karna: pulls Hakuno away from the scene and into her room
Saber Altria: I can't believe that the idea of Mordred and Shirou together are in my head, now…
Shirou: I know... I love you, Saber. This is just... *sighs before going to sulk in a corner*
Mordred (Saber, Female): scowls at Avenger
Mordred (Avenger, Male): Something the matter? *With a raised eyebrow*
Emiya: Pointedly ignores Mordred (both of them)
Mozart (Nasuverse): ….
Sakura: …. Uhm…. Mozart-san, are you alright…?
Ayaka: You are not picking a fight with- Nee-san!
Manaka: *outside Hakuno's room* Hakuno~ Perhaps I should show you exactly what kind of person I am, yes?
Rin: sits with Hakuno on the bed, glares at the door when Manaka spoke
Karna, Jeanne, Nero and Tamamo: keeping certain people out of Hakuno's room, getting ready to murder Manaka
Lancer Cu: scowls at the air
Caster Cu: attempts to burn the false documents (they are definitely false, no way could that ever happen)
Berserker Cu: stalks every version of Nero to "spar"
Nursery: Hookah… I still don't like that name…
Alice: That's okay! You're still Nursery Rhyme to me!
Shinji: being all smug and stuff
Francis: Time to find those treasures! Don't lag, Shinji!
Medusa: I'll be in the training room.
Mash: That was... er... Something... Will you be okay, Senpai?
Ritsuka: Can you please get us out of here and into an actual singularity? Dr. Roman? Da Vinci? Holmes?
Ozymandias: grinning as he thinks of the more personal ways of mana transfer
Gawain: groans into his hands
Leo: At least they know I wouldn't settle for just any Servant.
Rani: … *just stares at the documents*
Merlin: eating cotton candy, offers some to Asuka
Asuka: I am never getting on anyone's radar ever again. I'm going to resign, now.