A blazing inferno.
Three weapons of different types.
A desperate attempt to extinguish the seemingly endless flames that roared around and consumed everything like firewood.
The blazing images of armored warriors coming forward to attack.
These were the things that Fujimaru Ritsuka sometimes thought about when looking at the Archer-class servant who had once been given the title of "Gozen". A title she had gained when she had been alive and with her beloved.
She continued to hold the title even now, but he had not known that the first time he had laid eyes on the burning woman who had been trying to consume herself in flames as a way to burn herself up like firewood. Now that he was able to see a proper version of her, he could see many differences between that inferno and the "young lady" next to him.
"Master, is something the matter?"
.
Fujimaru shook his head once he realized Tomoe had turned to question him.
He had been invited yet again to play some games with her in the recreation room and found no need to object. This time the two had taken to games where they could work together instead of against each other. The competition would have been too much for him otherwise.
"Ah, no. I'm fine. I was just thinking about something, is all."
"Would you like to speak about it?"
"It's nothing special, really. Sorry I got distracted."
Was it right to speak to her about his thoughts on a version of her that she did not know about?
"I do not mean to be rude, Master, but..."
"Hm?"
"You are not the best at lying."
"Geh! That one hit surprisingly deep!"
He could hear her laugh towards him as he clutched his chest in an overly exaggerated manner.
The laugh was a good natured one that was no different from a normal person's laugh. It was soft and was not meant to harm him in any way. But he was well aware of the strength that was always hidden under that normal human appearance and laugh. He had fought against it before and had used that strength when climbing a pagoda made by Shuten Dōji.
It was the strength of an oni.
While moving around casually, Tomoe would tend to be in her first ascension. It had been a way to seem less like an oni, especially near the children Servants. At first it was a way for her to shun her oni side, but things were different since that time.
It had been after going through that pagoda that she began showing herself with her horns from time to time. While likely not completely fine with her oni abilities, she seemed far more lenient with them.
"So about what you were thinking..."
"It's fine, really. I was just thinking of something that happened before. During one of those times..."
It was hard to determine what to call it.
It had not been a Rayshift, rather it had been a "dream" that he had. That "dream" had taken him to somewhere that was different from his own world and it had been where he was assisted by Minamoto Musashi.
"Those times...? Do you mean like when Elizabeth-dono tries to put on a show during Halloween or when one of the Servants dresses up for Christmas?"
"I guess so? It's hard to really explain it, so I guess I'll say it was one of the 'dreams' I've had before."
"A dream? I see..." the Archer answered with her chin between her fingers. "I have heard that there are times like that for you, Master. Times when your body remains but you yourself are in a far off place. Would that happen to be what you are speaking about?"
Fujimaru gave a nod as a response.
It seems like a fine enough answer as Tomoe returned with her own nod.
"So then what happened during this dream?"
.
It may have been crossing a line for her to inquire so much from her current lord, but at this moment it was different. He was not just her lord and Master but a human - a boy really - who had gone through many things in such a small amount of time.
To brave through so much and still be like this... He is strong indeed.
But.
I understand that he keeps going, but it is not like he can simply forget everything he has gone through or felt nothing towards it.
During her life she had seen warfare and understood that there were simply things that stuck with people. Fights, loses, victories, they were things that would remain in the minds of everyone involved.
This was no different.
What her Master had been thinking about clearly had to with her specifically and she wanted to help however she could.
That was why she would be prepared for anything he said.
"I...Sorry. I know that it wasn't the you who is here now, but I can't help the thoughts that come up."
That gave her all she needed.
"You aren't that blazing inferno. Something that tries to burn everything up without regard to your own burning. I know you care about Yoshinaka-sama as much, but you never went that far. It's just..."
"Now I understand."
She smiled towards her Master.
It was a sad smile.
This human - this boy - was associating her with a version of her that he had previously fought and could not fully separate the two in his mind. The expression he wore was an obvious indication that he felt bad about it.
He truly is kind.
That was why she had to correct him.
"Master, there is no need to be sorry."
"But you-"
"Tomoe would like to correct some things, if that is fine."
He remained silent as she continued on.
The game they had been playing was no longer of any importance. The two of them placed their controllers down to focus more on each other.
"That Tomoe that you had fought... She is not completely a separate Tomoe." Before he could interrupt, she explained further. "Those things you said, they are how Tomoe feels. That Tomoe may have had her own circumstances, but those feelings that led to that 'blazing inferno' were not different from this Tomoe who is before you. What she felt and what Tomoe feels towards things are likely the same, so it is not your fault that you cannot separate the two of us in your eyes."
"But you are not like that! You help out and are ready to fight when we need to call on you!"
"And does Tomoe fight any differently than that Tomoe you had once fought?"
No words came to argue against her.
It may have been due to her time spent with him or simply due to her moments while alive, but she felt as if she was talking to her child once again.
Ah. This truly feels nice.
This boy was having some inner conflict concerning her and here she thought it was a nice feeling. Was it wrong to think like that, she wondered?
Even if that had been the case, stopping here would not be enough.
"It is like Tomoe's own oni blood. It is simply how things turned out. You say that Tomoe holds regard for her own wellbeing on the battlefield, but that is not necessarily true. Before her own wellbeing, Tomoe focuses on Master. While she certainly does not try to extinguish herself, Tomoe is aware that it is a possibility when going into battle. In that sense, both Tomoes are the same."
There was only one final thing she could say to convince him that he was not wrong in thinking they were too similar.
"And what Noble Phantasm did that Tomoe use?"
"Her Noble...Phantasm? That was..."
Oṃ Ālolik Svāhā.
This should finish it.
It would have been rude to say that it was a simple game. A game to try and convince the other to go with what they thought was right.
Playing such a game with her Master and lord seemed almost like a warrior going against their lord, but that was not the case here. This boy had to come to terms with what he had seen and the Servant he had summoned on that day. That was why…
Tomoe will only say she is playing a type of game with this boy.
It was not something overly complicated. A straight answer that could not be dodged was all he needed to lose.
"A blazing inferno."
Yet he had found something around that straight answer.
.
"She couldn't be the same as you. Her Noble Phantasm was a blazing inferno meant to incinerate everyone in front of her using her feelings. And your Noble Phantasm..."
This observation was all he needed.
"Your Noble Phantasm is like a burning sun. A sun that is meant to shine for everyone and for us to know your feelings towards Yoshinaka-sama."
Both of them used it to show their love, sadness, grief, and want for Yoshinaka, but the way they had done it was far too different from each other.
The way they moved, the way they spoke, the way they looked at things, and the way they viewed their beloved was all the same. It had been why Fujimaru had been unable to fully separate the two from his mind. But the way they burned was completely different.
That Tomoe in Shimousa was a warrior who could only remain on the battlefield. Her fire burned and consumed everything around her for what had happened to her beloved.
The Tomoe in front of him was a warrior who did not need the battlefield. Her fire was warm and spread nicely to those she was around, yet it did not forget her beloved or cool down without him there.
"Heh..."
Seeing a different smile begin to form on her lips, his own expression began to fall into a confused one.
"Heh heh heh... Hahaha! Tomoe supposes this means she is the one who lost here!"
Her laugh did not get louder, but it was filled with joy and excitement. It was unlike what he had expected to hear from her after stating his observation.
Uncertainty began to creep up within him the more she laughed.
He wanted to speak up again, to ask why she was laughing, but he was cut off from doing so.
"Tomoe thinks everything is fine now. Master was able to see the difference that even Tomoe could not. Granted, Tomoe did not fight herself, so the difference could not be noticed by her anyway."
"What do you mean?"
"Master, when you look at Tomoe now, thinking about what you had just said, can you still see that other Tomoe? That blazing inferno?"
No.
When he saw Tomoe's smiling face he thought about the other Tomoe, but it was not the same as before. This time he thought of that other Tomoe as someone who could have been instead of someone here before him.
They were now separate people in his eyes.
Realizing that, he gave his own smile towards the Archer.
That Tomoe would continue to a terrifying and blazing inferno that he had overcome before. Something that would not leave his mind. A figure that would always burning with an intensity that he had never felt before.
But she was not who was here in front of him. This Tomoe was a warm sun that had been summoned in response to him. Not someone to be scared of or viewed as an enemy. Rather, someone to rely on and enjoy time with.
With his thoughts now sorted out, there had only been one thing left for Fujimaru to accomplish. A dangerous task that needed his full attention. And it sat right in front of him.
"Right! Tomoe-san, let's keep going and beat this game!"
"Right!"