"You can go wait with my master, where it's safe."
Your… master? I turn to follow the direction she pointed in with her blade and my eyes fall upon the familiar shed. And inside it, hiding behind the frame of the entryway, is Irisviel peeking out. "Irisviel!" I quickly stand on my feet and begin hobbling over to the shed, cradling my shattered arm in the other.
"Shirou, hurry!" Irisviel calls out to me and emerges from the shed, taking a few steps out and reaching her hand out as though she thought I'd collapse before I made it. I pick up the pace and try to jog with my, now trembling, legs. Getting killed, running all the way home, having my arm broken. The series of strenuous tasks I've gone through in the past few hours is finally taking its toll on me.
"Coming." While hurrying towards her, I hear the chatter between the two "heroic spirits" behind me stop and the familiar sound of weapons being bashed against each other resumes. I can feel the gusts being emitted from the strong collisions hitting my back, urging me to hasten my distance from the monsters.
I finally reach Irisviel and she wraps her arm around me while yanking me back into the shed with her. "Ugh! Irisviel, be gentle. My arm isn't in great shape right now." She gasps and loosens up on her grip once we're in the shed.
"My apologies Shirou, but we need some cover while those two fight it out. Let me see your arm, what happened to it?" I release my left arm from its position wrapped around my right and unveil the damage to her. She gasps and tentatively touches the crooked appendage.
"He decided he wanted to fist fight with me. I managed to live, but this is what happened when he landed just one hit." The worry in her eyes intensifies along with my explanation and once I finish, she walks to my work bench. I feel panic wash over me for a brief moment when she reaches onto the tool rack before pulling off and brandishing a woodcarving knife. She approaches me again.
"Hold still Shirou."
"O-Ok." I wait nervously as she raises the knife up to my broken arm and makes a small incision into the fabric of the long sleeve covering it, right at the seam next to my shoulder. She then drops the knife and curls her finger into the incision before yanking down and ripping the sleeve off in one go, unveiling my bare, battered arm.
"Mm, yes it does look pretty nasty, but the bone didn't puncture through the skin, which is good." I nod while looking down at my scraggly arm that has begun to flood with color from the internal bleeding. Irisviel walks away from me and towards my bin of scrap wood next to the workbench. She kneels down and begins rooting through it.
"Irisviel? What are you doing?" She pulls out two little planks of wood, each about the length of a ruler, and walks back to me.
"We need to set your arm before it can heal." She blatantly states while wrapping her hands around my shattered forearm.
"Oh yeah, right…"
"This is going to hurt Shirou, but I need to align the broken bones as best I can. It'll make the healing easier." I nod and bite my lip in anticipation. It comes quickly and unexpected; the pain throughout my appendage when she starts yanking and twisting the arm.
"Ngh!" I close my eyes from the sensation, but as soon as I do, I hear "Done!" in Irisviel's cheery voice. I open them and see her on the floor beginning to cut my sleeve into a long ribbon with the knife. I look at my arm to see its shape has returned almost to normal, minus the angry bruise and swelling. "You seem pretty competent on setting broken limbs, Irisviel. Almost like you've done it before." She just laughs before standing up with the long cloth bandage she made. Wasting no time at all, she grabs my arm, presses the short planks against it on each side, and before I know it, I have a little makeshift cast.
"There, all done." I inspect my new splint and tentatively try to open and close my stiff fingers. It's still strange how the girl who lazes around home all day is so adept at this. I open my mouth to give thanks to her, but as soon as I do I'm interrupted by a bright light emitting from beneath the splint. I nervously look towards Irisviel who has a similar blue hued light veiling around herself. I just stare in awe, unsure as to what I'm witnessing. Once the light finally ceases, all at once, I feel what can only be described as the pain melting away. I look back at my arm and freely open and close my fingers normally. What? I can also see that beneath the cast the skin is no longer swollen and in hues of red and purple.
"Irisviel, what did you-"
"Come, let us check on the battle. Saber might need my assistance." Without even bothering to let me finish my question, Irisviel interrupts me and walks out the shed doors and back into the yard. I stand alone in the shed, dumbstruck as to what's going on and my head beginning to ache from all the fast-paced events transpiring tonight that I can't keep up with. After a moment, I sigh and follow Irisviel into the yard. Who's "Saber", anyway?
In the yard, unsurprisingly, the two warriors are still fighting to the death. My eyes are drawn back to the graceful, blonde knight wielding the vortex of air as a weapon. "Saber! Keep pressing the offensive! He wants to maintain distance between the two of you so his spear can perform optimally. Don't give him that opportunity!" I jump slightly in surprise from Irisviel so assertively barking out commands at "Saber". I notice the man in blue scowl at Irisviel before having to backstep a few feet from Saber attempting to tackle into him with her blade again.
"Yes ma'am, Irisviel!" As I figured, the woman is the one called "Saber". And she referred to the blue man as Lancer… I begin to wonder at how she knows Irisviel's name while uncomfortably tugging at the ribbon of the splint. Without even glancing at me fiddling with the splint, Irisviel sternly tells me to stop.
"It still may not be healed completely and I may yet have to break the bones and reset them again. Keep the cast on for now." I quickly plant my arms back to my sides and chuckle nervously.
"Y-Yes ma'am." I don't know where this stern, assertive Irisviel came from, but I'm not too keen about it…
After the two warriors exchange blows a few more times, Lancer jumps up from the yard and onto the roof of the house. "Well Saber, up until your master had re-emerged from that shed, I was completely stumped as to what weapon you had hidden under that veil of wind, but after she revealed your class to me, how could it be anything other than a sword? And in these last few trades I now know the reach and width of it. Why not stop the gimmicks and quit hiding behind that wind sheathe?!" I glance towards the blonde knight whose stoic expression has still not faltered, when suddenly she cracks a smile.
"Impressive Lancer, but just as you have determined the characteristics of my hidden weapon, I have discerned some things about you as well." Lancer shares in the smug expression Saber has donned.
"Oh? And what might that be?"
"Other than your mannerisms and attire completely indicating your Gaelic origins, the speed and skill with your spear paired with your animalistic fighting also give light as to who you may be." I've been impatiently tapping my foot on the grass this whole time while listening to them bicker. I don't care about them or this fight, but if this woman is helping Irisviel she needs to hurry and smash this guy's head in. Stop wasting time talking! "Yes, few men can claim to have skills such as yours in their possession. Your renown betrays you, Lancer. Of Ireland's many great heroes, there aren't many that can-"
"Enough of this!" I shout out, taking a step forward. Irisviel, Saber, and Lancer all look in surprise at my sudden outburst. "Get off the damn roof already asshole!"
"Wh- What'd you say!?" Lancer is taken aback by my sudden demand and Saber dons a bitter expression directed towards me, before turning to say something.
"I don't know who you are young man, but I'd ask that you not interfere. This doesn't concern you."
"Like hell it doesn't! This guy has been chasing me all night! And then he comes here and threatens Irisviel in front of me?" I feel a tug on my left sleeve and glance back to see Irisviel grabbing the fabric with her hand.
"Shirou, stop. Don't try to antagonize him."
"I'm not trying to do anything." I turn my attention back to Saber. "Hey, windy girl." I call out to the blonde knight and upon hearing my choice of wording to refer to her, her gaze becomes more hostile and her face gets slightly flushed from embarrassment.
"W-Windy girl?"
"Yes, you. If you're supposed to be helping Irisviel, your 'master', then quit the chatting and start batting. Chase this guy off already." She begins stammering while I look back up at Lancer. "Get off the roof already, would you?! Any damage you cause up there, including what you've already done inside, is going have to be repaired by me and come out of my pocket!"
"Stop this at once, boy!" Windy apparently found the words she was looking for and starts barking at me again. "I don't know who you think you are, but if you don't stop interrupting this honorable battle, then-"
"Alright then." She's cut off by Lancer who suddenly speaks up while holding his spear back in the same fashion earlier when he was about to shiv me once again on the ground. "The smartass is right, Saber. I'm not too big on talking either, especially in the middle of a battle." He takes one final look at me and smiles as his crimson spear begins to glow vibrantly and spark violently. "I was right about you, you little punk. You remind me a lot of myself. So, since I like you so much, I'll grant your wish and finish this ordeal with the next strike!" I can feel it again. The same killing intent earlier tonight on the schoolyard. The move he was going to use on the man in the red cloak; he's about to unleash it here.
"Saber, look out! He's going to call upon his Noble Phantasm!" Irisviel calls out to Saber in a dire tone and Saber backs away from the house before readying her blade. Lancer laughs and extends his arm back before crouching down onto his opposite hand and feet, gaining the semblance of a savage wolf about to lunge.
"Move wherever you want to Saber," he exclaims "you can't escape this final strike!" I hear Irisviel turn on her heel and start running back to the shed behind me.
"Come on Shirou, come take cover with me!" I hear her shout out to me from the shed. I can't move though. I'm too fixated on seeing this man use his "Noble Phantasm". I can feel the sense of dread from before still within me, stronger than ever, but it is nothing compared to my desire to see this superhuman carry out this strike. "Shirou!" The spear becomes encased in a torrent of red energy and Lancer's body tenses up as he orients himself to pounce.
"Now Saber, fall! Gáe Bolg!" Upon uttering the alien words, Lancer darts from the rooftop, appearing as a red blur, leaving a shockwave in his wake that… th-that!
"That son of a bitch!" I watch, seething with rage, as the roof tiles and the decking beneath where Lancer once stood are shattered and blown to pieces by the force of his lunge and all the surrounding tiles are ripped off and jettisoned into all corners of the yard. I then remember the situation I'm in and rip my attention away from the destroyed roof and towards Saber, just in time to see her strike the tip of the red torrent with her veiled blade. Or at least, that's what I anticipated would happen, but right before the spear connected with the vortex of air, it took a sharp ninety-degree turn, and coiled around the blade before redirecting itself into Saber's chest. What the hell? How did he… The spear moved almost like a lightning bolt, an electric current, being conducted towards Saber's heart.
"Urghhhh!" Lancer belts out an angry grunt as he hoists the speared warrior up into the air and slings her across the yard and- INTO THE ROOF?! I almost spit more obscenities at him, but suddenly worry as to the status of our current protector.
"S-Saber?" I call out tentatively, knowing I just saw a spear be driven through her, but not wanting to believe our chance at seeing tomorrow had lost.
"Tch!" I hear Lancer spit in disgust and I glare back at him, preparing in case he came for me or Irisviel next. "Get up already, blondie! I know you're still kicking!" Shocked by his words, I look up at… thedestroyedroof, and see Saber pulling herself up before jumping off and gracefully landing on her feet. "You're one lucky bastard, to be able to avoid death from my ultimate strike." Anger was clearly evident on his face, he's beyond pissed.
"Your cursed spear… to reverse cause and effect? By the name of Gáe Bolg? You're Ireland's Child of Light!" Apparently Saber surmised who the man's true identity is, though I fail to see what the significance of that is.
"Hm, indeed I am." Lancer's pissed expression fades away and he turns and begins walking away from us. "It's bad news if you know who I am and how my weapon works. My master is telling me to return since my Noble Phantasm didn't seal the deal." As he walks away, Saber begins approaching him, anger apparent across her expression.
"You'd dare run from our fight?" He stops walking for a moment and laughs.
"By all means, follow me if you want." He glares back at her over his shoulder. "Just know that it'll mean your death!" Before he continues to leave he glances at me and his intimidating glare is replaced with a smug look. "Have fun with the roof!" And with his last wrath inspiring statement, he jumps out of our yard, farther and higher than humanly possible, into the distance.
"Why you!" Saber begins to follow him and I get half a mind to go get my bow and go with her so I can turn the pompous ass into a pin cushion, but we both stop when Irisviel calls out while approaching us.
"Don't follow him Saber!" Saber looks at her with an expression indicating she's shocked by her command.
"B-But Irisviel, we can't let him escape. Despite finding out his true identity, he already knows much about us as well, it'll be nothing but disadvantageous if we were to-"
"I said don't! I summoned you to drive him off, not take him down as a contender!" Irisviel rubs her temple as though she has a bad headache coming on and I glare at Saber for bothering her. She notices my hateful look and returns it. "Just please, leave it be for now Saber. I have a lot I have to sort and figure out, I don't have time to go servant hunting. We're safe now, and that's all that matters." Saber pulls her glare away from me and returns it to her master.
"Very well Irisviel, I'll perish the thought for now. However, we are by no means safe now. There is another servant approaching the residence."
"What?!" Irisviel and I both shout out our shock in unison.
"Another one?" Irisviel softly questions Saber while her eyes fill with despair. Dammit, these things are popping up everywhere.
"My master, please focus. I must go to intercept them. Will you heal me?" Saber rubs her bloodstained shoulder after asking.
"Huh? Oh o-of course, Saber. Here-" Irisviel points the palms of her hands at Saber and closes her eyes. The blue light that veiled her in the shed graces her again and a matching light pours from Saber's wounded shoulder. So, it was Irisviel that healed my arm. Is this… magic? After a brief moment, the light fades and Saber gives her shoulder a test roll before affirming she's ready and jumping over the roof and to the front side of the house. Irisviel quickly walks across the grass and onto the back porch. I stop worrying about whatever she did to heal Saber and I quickly followed suit onto the porch and through the back door.
Right before opening the front door, I hear the all-too-familiar sound of steel striking steel on the other side and realize they've already begun fighting. I hesitate. I don't want Irisviel being in anymore danger tonight. I turn to tell her we should stay inside, but before I can she places her hand over mine and opens the door before walking out. I sigh and follow in her footsteps to see Saber fighting a man in a red cloak. Wait. Red cloak? If he's a servant then… "That's the other guy from the schoolyard." Irisviel looks at me inquisitively upon hearing me remark on who he is.
"Have you met this servant before, Shirou?" He was fighting lancer at school, right before I was murdered. That doesn't necessarily mean he's our ally, but… Just as I remember there was someone else in red accompanying him, I notice said figure standing behind him. Wait a minute that's,
"Tohsaka?" Hearing me call her by name takes her attention away from the battle and relief floods her face when her eyes fall on me.
"It's you, Emiya. Could you call your servant off for a moment?" I glance at Saber who's still fighting eagerly while the man with the dual blades is trying his hardest to defend himself.
"Saber! Didn't you hear her? Stop!" Saber glances back at me with her angry glare before lunging at the man again, swinging with what seemed like even more gusto than before. I feel myself get irritated and look at Irisviel who's looking between all the members involved in the current situation with a confused and lost look. She doesn't even know what's happening enough to tell her guard dog to back off. Though I suppose I'm not exactly aware of the current situation either.
I take a step forward to approach the battle and pester her to stop, but my first step is hindered when I stumble over something on the ground. My irritation runs deeper when I look to see it's a stray, stone roof tile that flew all the way over here. I swiftly pick it up with my left hand and follow Saber's movements until she finally stops for a moment during the fight. As soon as she does, I chuck it at her. The tile flies smoothly through the air up until impact on the back of her head, where it shatters.
"Ugh!" She turns and looks at the two of us and Irisviel quickly points at me to indicate I am the perpetrator. "Why would you!?"
"Hey. Stop." I nonchalantly command her. Her face burns an angry shade of red as she starts stomping over to me. I could practically see steam shooting out of her ears when she reached me and began violently poking me on my chest while telling me off. I ignore her ramblings and look at the two newcomers to see the man in red warily stare at Saber and I before finally relaxing and dissipating the two blades in his hands. I then turn my attention to Tohsaka who has already begun approaching us, with a complacent grin on her face. Rin Tohsaka… how are you involved in all of this?