Day 4: Shirou — Miasma
Shirou walked up to the front gates of Homurahara high school to see Rin Tohsaka leaning against the outer wall, clearly waiting for him. She looked to be in a foul mood, which made Shirou reluctant to approach her; but knowing that avoiding her would only piss her off more and make the inevitable confrontation that much worse, Shirou sighed and walked over to greet her.
"I see you only have one of your Sabers with you." Rin said by way of greeting. "Do you have the other one out scouting or something?"
"No, she's just waiting at the house." Shirou said. "She can't take spiritual form, so there was no way for her to come to school with me."
Not that it had stopped her from trying. She had first been insistent on accompanying him; and when he'd explained why that was impossible, she'd tried to convince him to skip school for the duration of the Grail War. Shirou had finally gotten through to her by pointing out that he had no desire to get into a battle in a public place like the school where innocent bystanders could be hurt. If danger threatened, his first priority would be to escape — and since Crow could handle dragging him to safety on his own, there was need for Saber to be with him as well. Saber had reluctantly agreed to that rationale.
"Well, at least you brought one." Rin said. "Red Archer told me that if you were dumb enough to come to school without a Servant for protection, I should just kill you on the spot, since you'd obviously be too dumb to be any help."
That sounded like Red Archer, alright. Though the really scary thing was, judging from her tone of voice, Rin might have been willing to actually follow through on his recommendation. Shirou got the feeling he had, purely by accident, narrowly dodged a bullet.
"Where are your Servants, anyway?" Shirou asked.
"Sniping positions." Rin said. "If an enemy sees me and thinks that I'm undefended, they might try to make a move. The instant they show themselves, my Archers will shoot them down before they know what hit them."
"That's a bit, um..." Shirou said. "Are you sure it's a good idea to do that at school? If a Servant attacks you here, then the other students might get drawn into it."
"I wouldn't do this if I thought it would put civilians in danger." Rin said. "Rather, I'm doing this because I'm afraid that they're already in danger. I'm not just putting myself out as bait today for a whim — there's evidence that an enemy Servant has been staking out the school."
"What do you mean?" Shirou asked in alarm.
"It'll be easiest if you feel it for yourself." Rin said. "Step through the front gate onto the school grounds."
Shirou did as Rin instructed... and immediately fell to his knees. He felt a horrible pressure descend on him, an overwhelming toxic energy that made his guts churn with nausea. It was as though the very air had been steeped in malice and corruption. For a moment, Shirou thought that the evil power might crush him to pulp on the spot. Then, over the course of a few seconds, the overwhelming pressure slowly faded, until it had diminished to the level of a vague sense of lingering dread.
"What... was that?" Shirou asked as soon as he could catch his breath.
"It's a bounded field." Rin said. "A powerful one. Once it's activated, it will kill every living thing within the radius of effect and consume their souls."
"Why would anyone do such a thing!?" Shirou demanded.
"It's obvious, isn't it?" Rin said. "Servants can become more powerful by devouring souls. This is a spell to allow a Servant to feast on a large number of people at once, like an all-you-can-eat buffet. And if it takes both of us out in the process, so much the better for that Servant's Master, right?"
Shirou immediately took several steps backwards, his body instinctively pulling him to safety before his mind had even caught up with what Rin was saying.
"There's no need to panic." Rin said, rolling her eyes. "First off, the bounded field isn't even complete yet. At the current rate it's gathering energy, it won't be able to activate for at least another day or two. Second, even if it activated, it wouldn't kill you immediately — the prana in your own Magic Circuits would insulate you from the effects for a time. Well, probably not very long in your case, given how lousy of a magus you are, but it'd be plenty of time for your Servant to carry you out of the field. As far as traps go, this one is distinctly third-rate."
"But all of the students and teachers, who don't have Magic Circuits..." Shirou said.
"Yeah." Rin grimaced. "They lose consciousness in seconds, and die within minutes. Targeting civilians like this is... well, it's not strictly against the letter of the rules so long as they cover it up afterwards, but it's certainly against the spirit. I'd report it to that shitty fake priest in a heartbeat if I thought he'd give a damn."
"Is there anything we can do to stop it?" Shirou asked. "Prevent it from being completed or activating?"
"If it had been set up by a magus, I might be able to disrupt it." Rin said. "But this was created by a Servant. It might even be a Noble Phantasm. There's nothing we can do to break a bounded field of that level; at most, we might be able to delay it a little, but it would hardly even inconvenience the enemy Master. No, the only sure way to stop the bounded field is to destroy the Servant that is creating it. That's why I am hanging myself out as bait — if the Servant who's building the field is keeping an eye on the field, it might find me too tempting a target to wait until the field is complete."
"Does the Servant creating the field have to be nearby?" Shirou asked.
"Not necessarily." Rin said. "Once the initial runes have been placed, the field will finish building on its own. The Servant doesn't technically have to return to the area to complete or even activate the field. But... well, I've been thinking about it, and I think there's a good chance that the Servant's Master is a student or teacher at this school."
"What makes you think that?" Shirou asked.
"Well, like I explained before, the bounded field isn't very effective as a trap — both of us would be able to easily escape. So it hasn't been placed here specifically to kill us. I also don't think that strengthening the Servant is the sole purpose of the field. If that was the case, it would be better to place it in downtown Fuyuki, where the population density is highest — where the most victims would be consumed. That suggests there's another motive for targeting the school. For instance, suppose the Master spends a lot of his time at the school, and is worried about being attacked there. Setting up the bounded field acts like a deterrent: any Servant and Master team wishing to attack him would have to be willing to step into an armed trap to do so. And if anyone is reckless enough to do so, triggering the field will both give his own Servant a big power boost while forcing the other Master to either retreat or have their prana gradually drained; in short, it would tip the fight in his favor. I know it may sound like a bit of a stretch, but it's the best reasoning I've been able to come up with for why they chose to center the bounded field here."
"Then... do you have an idea as to who the magus might be?" Shirou asked.
"That's where I'm stumped." Rin admitted. "To my knowledge, there's only one other magus at school, but she definitely isn't a Master."
"You're absolutely sure about that?" Shirou asked. "Maybe she just doesn't bring her Servant to school?"
"I'm positive." Rin said. "I searched her whole body for Command Spells and didn't find any."
Rin's words brought a memory of a rather unusual conversation from a few days ago to Shirou's mind, and a piece clicked into place.
"Wait — are you talking about Sakura?" Shirou asked. "You're saying she's a magus?"
"She's from a magus bloodline, yeah." Rin said. "But you don't have to worry. Like I said, she's not a Master."
"That's a relief." Shirou said. "And at least now I know why you stripped Sakura in the bathroom; you were checking her for Command Spells. I'd kind of been wondering about that."
"And just what else did you think I might have been doing!?" Rin demanded, her cheeks turning pink. "Because I do not have any of those kind of feelings towards Sakura at all! Just because I sometimes fantasize about girls doesn't mean..."
Rin trailed off. She seemed to only just be realizing what she was saying, as her face turned an ever deeper shade of red.
"Um, doesn't mean what?" Shirou began to ask.
"Shut up!" Rin interrupted. "Forget everything I just said! That's an order!"
Shirou didn't bother pointing out how unreasonable that was. Rin was usually cool-headed, but she could get pretty irrational when she lost her temper. In any event, the conversation was abruptly brought to a close by the ringing of the bell that indicated the start of first period.
"Damn it!" Rin said. "Now I'm late! This is all your fault, Emiya. If you hadn't distracted me with your... oh, never mind! I'll come over to your house after school and we can talk more about strategy then!"
She turned on her heel and strode briskly for the school, only slightly stumbling as she crossed the boundary into the field of intense magic surrounding the building. His own experience of that vile, overwhelming miasma still fresh in his mind, it took Shirou a few moments to compose himself enough to follow her.
When the school day began, Shirou couldn't imagine how he'd be able to concentrate in class, distracted as he was by his knowledge of the sinister spell slowly weaving itself around the campus. Even Taiga's fearsome scolding for being late, a punishment legendary amongst students in her class, seemed positively benign compared to the danger now hanging over the entire student body. Soon enough, however, the bounded field was eclipsed in his mind by another worry: Sakura.
After Tohsaka's revelation that morning, Sakura was naturally foremost in Shirou's mind. He therefore quickly noticed that she didn't seem to be at school. This was surprising, since she had come to his house to make him breakfast in the morning as usual and then walked to school early along with Taiga; she should have arrived well before Shirou. As the day went on with no sign of her, Shirou's feelings turned towards worry. Yesterday, Taiga had told that Sakura had once been accosted by some creepy foreigner while on her way to his house. The Grail War wasn't the only danger in the world — what if she'd been kidnapped or something? As soon as lunch began, Shirou sought out Shinji and asked him if he knew where Sakura was.
"Sakura?" Shinji said dismissively. "Oh, she wasn't feeling well today, so she went back home. Grandfather is probably looking after her right now."
If Sakura had magus blood, Shirou realized, then she would be able to feel the pressure of the evil magic enveloping the school just like he had. But not being a participant in the Holy Grail War, she wouldn't necessarily understand what is was. Having been struck by that hideous, nauseating feeling as she crossed the front gates, she must have assumed that she was sick and gone back to her house. The thought actually comforted Shirou, a little. Even though Rin had assured him that the bounded field wouldn't be dangerous until it was complete, he was happy that Sakura was staying far away from it.
"Actually, Shirou, there was something I was hoping to talk to you about, too." Shinji said. "But not here, okay? Let's go somewhere a little more private."
Shirou allowed Shinji to lead him out of the crowded classroom and up onto the school's empty roof.
"So what's the big secret?" Shirou asked, once Shinji had checked to make sure that there was no one else in earshot.
I need to tell you something very important, Shirou." Shinji said. "I... have been chosen as a Master by the Holy Grail."
Of all the things Shinji might have said, that must've been the one Shirou expected the least. On a logical level, he knew that since Sakura was from a magus bloodline, that could only mean that her brother Shinji was as well. Even so, he found it impossible to reconcile the concept of Shinji being a magus with his memories of the long time that they'd spent as friends. Furthermore, Rin had to know that both Shinji and Sakura attended the school, but she'd been quite specific about Sakura being the only magus she knew of.
"But that's not possible!" Shirou said. "Tohsaka told me that there weren't any other magi at the school; she'd be able to sense it if there were."
"Tohsaka?" Shinji sneered. "She acts all high and mighty, but I don't think she's actually as good a magus as she wants you to think. After all, she never realized that you were a magus before you summoned your Servant, right?"
Well, that was true, Shirou supposed, though he didn't really like the snide tone Shinji was taking. Tohsaka could be a little arrogant at times, but she really was a talented magus.
"How did you know I was a Master?" Shirou asked suspiciously.
"Well, I've naturally been trying to find out what I can about the other Masters." Shinji said. "One can't be too careful. Congratulations, by the way. From what I hear, Saber is considered the strongest class of Servant."
"Don't let his boasting intimidate you." Crow, hanging close in spiritual form, muttered in Shirou's ear. "Earlier, he said 'Servant', singular; that means he doesn't know you have two. He doesn't know as much as he thinks he does; try not to make him aware of that."
There wasn't any way for Shirou to acknowledge Crow's remark without tipping Shinji off.
"I have to ask, Shinji: what are your intentions for the Grail War?" Shirou said. "We may be friends, but if you intend to kill people... I'll have to stop you."
"Whoa, whoa, no need for that." Shinji said, raising his hands. "I'm not going to fight to win the Holy Grail. The Matou were once an important family of magi like the Einzbern and the Tohsaka, but over the centuries we've dwindled to near-irrelevance. We no longer have any interest in the magic of the Grail; it's probably only out of tradition that the Grail selected a Matou as Master at all. You have nothing to fear; trust me."
Shirou frowned. There was something Shinji's ingratiating tone that struck him as false. He had been friends with Shinji long enough to know that Shinji enjoyed acting haughty and superior; when he was this pleasant to someone, it was usually because he wanted something from them.
"If you really have no interest in the Grail War, you should drop out." Shirou said. "If you give up your Command Spells, the priest at Kotomine Church will provide you sanctuary."
"But if I give up my Servant, I'll be completely defenseless." Shinji protested. "You know that it's common for Masters to try and kill even Masters who have already lost their Servant, right? And I don't trust that Kotomine man in the slightest. My grandfather's told me more than once that he's as rotten as they come."
Shirou couldn't exactly argue with that; after all, he himself had gotten a bad feeling from the priest. The words the older man had spoken still echoed in his mind, sending a shiver of inexplicable trepidation down his spine each time he recalled them: Rejoice, Shirou Emiya...
"I have no intention of fighting you, but I will be keeping Rider for my own personal protection." Shinji said, then smiled slyly. "I don't know if you've noticed, Shirou, but not even this school is safe. It seems someone else has become aware of the fact that no less than three Masters are attending here, and has set up a bounded field to eliminate all of us at once. Of course, if it were activated, all of the normal students would be in danger as well."
"Do you know which Servant is responsible?" Shirou asked urgently. "It's important that we stop them!"
"I understand." Shinji said. "Actually, I do have some thoughts on who might be responsible, but I don't want to risk fighting them by myself. I was thinking that the two of us could team up and work together. What do you say, Shirou?"
"Unfortunately, I can't." Shirou said. "I've already formed a temporary alliance with Tohsaka. As long as we're working together, I don't think she would approve of me collaborating with anyone else."
Shinji's features briefly contorted into a scowl, then settled again.
"Well, that's fine." Shinji said. "Since we're friends, Shirou, I'll tell you my thoughts anyway — because I'm willing to trust you, even if you won't trust me. I suspect that the Servant responsible for this bounded field is Caster. You've certainly heard the news reports about people around the city falling into comas, right? That's because the Servant Caster has been feeding on their souls to increase its power. Since this bounded field around the school seems to be designed to consume the souls of those within once it's activated, I can only conclude that it is another example of her work."
"That would make sense." Shirou said. "This Caster has to be stopped! Do you have any idea who its Master is, or where it might be hiding out?"
"I haven't been able to gather much information about Caster; it certainly seems to be the reclusive sort." Shinji said. "However, I have heard rumors that a witch has taken up residence at Ryuudo Temple. When I sent Rider to investigate, she reported that the entire temple had been surrounded with a spiritual barrier that would weaken any Servant that tried to cross it. I had her retreat without trying to penetrate the barrier; like I said before, I'm not interested in fighting. But if you're serious about protecting the school..."
"Thank you for telling me." Shirou said. "I'll be sure to investigate."
"Not at all." Shinji said. "It was my pleasure. Even if you don't want an official alliance, we're still in this together, right, Shirou-kun?"
Shirou headed back into the school, the conversation weighing heavily on his mind. As soon as the door to the roof had close behind him, Crow materialized beside him.
"You sure you want to trust that kid?" Crow asked. "He seemed kind of weasely to me. And even if you were friends before, being Masters in the Holy Grail War makes you enemies."
"I want to believe in Shinji." Shirou said. "But you're right; since he's choosing to keep his Command Spells and remain a Master, we need to consider the possibility that he's deceiving us. You should go to Ryuudou temple and check to see if he was telling the truth about Caster being there."
"That sounds kind of dangerous." Crow said.
"I'm not telling you to get into a fight on your own." Shirou said. "Just see if there really is a bounded field over the temple like Shinji said."
"I meant dangerous for you, dummy." Crow said. "While I'm off investigating, you'll be unprotected."
"Don't start with that." Shirou said with a sigh. "I get enough of that from Saber. I can handle myself for the short walk home, thank you very much."
"Heh." Crow said. "That's the kind of can-do attitude I like. Just don't be an idiot; if you get into trouble, use a Command Spell to summon me or the lady."
"You be sure to take care of yourself, too." Shinji said. "Shinji may once have been my friend, but with the way he's been behaving lately... I just don't trust him enough anymore to be certain this isn't actually some kind of trap."
"Kid, not dying is one of my best talents." Crow said. "Sure, I might've lost a few bits here and there, but I always pull through in the end. See ya."
With that less than comforting reassurance, Crow returned to spiritual form and his presence vanished from the hallway.