Day 5: Shirou — Eliminated Master

Upon entering the temple grounds, Shirou immediately caught sight of two figures.

One was the dismembered body of Souichirou Kuzuki. He was instantly recognizable, even in death, because of the cleanness of the wounds. Though his body lay in three pieces, he did not appear to have been torn apart by brute force; his arm and leg had been severed as cleanly as though by a guillotine, and his body bore no other significant marks. There was a neat hole in his suit over his heart, but very little blood stained the fabric around it; he had probably already lost a fatal amount of blood from his severed limbs by the time it was inflicted, making it more a coupe de grace than anything. His face was slack, as though he had died so quickly that he hadn't had time to feel pain from his injuries or horror at his impeding demise. That, at least, was a small mercy. Shirou had never been close to Mr. Kuzuki — as a teacher, he'd always maintain a cold distance from his students, in sharp contrast to Taiga's cheerful outgoing personality — be he never would have wished this on the man. If only he'd reached the temple first, maybe he could have found some way to defeat Kuzuki's Servant and eliminate him from the War without killing him.

That left the other figure, the one standing over the body. A woman with short-cropped hair, wearing black gloves and a business suit. A strange cylindrical container was slung over her back. She was standing tensely, her eyes alert, and immediately turn to face Shirou's group as they approached.

"She's a human, not a Servant." Red Archer whispered softly. "Likely a magus; possibly a Master."

"She's alone." Black Archer added. "But if she is a Master, then she could transport her Servant to her side in an instant no matter where it might be by using a Command Spell."

"If she tried, could you kill her before the Command Spell took effect?" Rin asked.

"Certainly." Black Archer said without hesitation, and Red Archer nodded his agreement.

"Alright." Rin said. "Attack if she tries anything, but not otherwise. I'm going to try and get some answers from her about what happened here."

She took a deep breath, then boldly approached the suited woman.

"I am Rin Tohsaka, head of the Tohsaka family and Master of Archer!" Rin announced. "Who are you, and what are you doing here?"

"My name is Bazett Fraga McRemitz, a member of the Mage Association sent to compete in the Fifth Holy Grail War." the woman said. "My Servant is... or rather, was Lancer."

Lancer. The blue-clad Servant with a red spear who had hunted Shirou through the school and tried to kill him; who in fact would have killed him with a spear-thrust to the heart had not first Black Archer and then Saber interfered. This woman, then, was the Master who had given Lancer his orders — who had tried to have Shirou killed. However, Shirou found it impossible to hate her for it. Some imagined abstraction of a Master ordering a Servant to kill children was easy to despise; but seeing this woman standing in front of him, all Shirou could feel for her was pity. She looked somewhat insecure, and was probably deeply anguished by the death of her Servant; Shirou could only imagine the pain of her loss. He knew that he would be utterly devastated if Saber died following orders that he had given; since a Servant had no choice but to obey their Master, it would be as though he'd killed her himself. Having to bear that loss and guilt would be a worse punishment than he would ever wish on anybody. The War was over for Bazett Fraga McRemitz, and she was no longer an enemy. Holding on to old grudges would only bring pain for the both of them.

"Did you kill Kuzuki-sensei?" Tohsaka asked, pointing at the body.

"This man was already dead when I arrived." Bazett said. "Based on the nature of his wounds, I suspect he was killed by the same Servant which eliminated Lancer."

"Start from the beginning, please." Rin said. "What were you doing here tonight?"

"I had received intelligence that this mountaintop temple had been claimed by Servant Caster as her Temple, from where she was gathering souls to increase her power. Lancer negotiated passage past the Assassin guarding the temple gate and entered through the front, while I waited just outside the anti-Servant barrier. However, once inside, he encountered not Caster, but a second Assassin — much as you seem to have two Archers, Lady Tohsaka, and your friend has two Sabers...?"

"Explanations, later." Rin said. "Finish your story first."

"The second Assassin defeated Lancer." Bazett said. "However, Lancer was carrying a communication device to keep in contact with me, and it remained functional. I overheard the second Assassin make a contract with a new Master — male and elderly, to judge by the voice. I waited until I was certain that they had departed, then entered to investigate what had happened here. A short time later, you arrived. I assume that Noble Phantasm which vaporized the gate was to eliminate the first Assassin?"

"That's right." Shirou said, stepping forward to join the conversation. "It sounds to me like you didn't kill anyone; and since you've lost your Servant, you're no longer a Master. So, there's no reason for us to fight. I've heard it's dangerous for Master's who have had their Servants eliminated, so I'm willing to escort you to Kotomine Church under my Servants' protection. The church is neutral ground, so Kotomine can provide you sanctuary there.

"Thank you for your concern, but that will not be possible for me." Bazett said.

"Why not?" Shirou asked.

"In the past, I had a professional relationship with Kirie Kotomine." Bazett said. "We covered the same territory, so the magi I was assigned to seal by the Mage Association were often also assigned to him as targets to execute by the Holy Church's Order of the Eight Sacrament. Though a strong animosity exists between magi and Executors, Kotomine and I were able to cooperate in taking down our targets together, and our missions thus had a much higher success rate than those conducted by either organization individually. However, my colleagues in the Mage Association came to strongly distrust me because of my willingness to work with an Executor. And because Kotomine is the Overseer of this War... were I to seek sanctuary at his Church, it might inadvertently create the illusion that I was collaborating with him. It could be seen as a breech of impartiality which could throw the neutrality of the Church into doubt."

"Doesn't the mere fact that you and the Overseer are old buddies throw his neutrality into doubt?" Crow asked.

"The Grail chose me to participate in this War; and its selection, once made, cannot be changed." Bazett said. "However, I have scrupulously avoided any unnecessary contact with Kotomine which might cause anyone to think we were colluding. But if I sought his protection, even now having lost my Servant, the other Masters in the War would assume that it was part of some ruse arranged between us. Some of them might even go so far as to declare the church's neutrality to be void in such a situation, and believe themselves justified in attacking the church itself. I do not wish such a thing to happen, so I cannot go to the church for sanctuary."

"Nice story... if it were true." Rin said. "But you don't really expect me to buy into that load of bull, do you?"

Bazett's face tensed, and her hands curled into fists.

"Whoa, whoa!" Shirou said, stepping between them with his arms raised. "What are you saying, Tohsaka?"

"Shirou, you dummy!" Rin said. "Can't you see she's tricking you? Look at those black gloves on her hands. The reason she's wearing them is to hide the fact that she hasn't given up her Command Spells!"

"Her Command Spells?" Shirou asked. "I thought those disappear when your Servant dies."

"They do... if you drop out of the War and go to the church." Rin said. "But if the Holy Grail senses your conviction to remain in the War, it will allow you to retain your Command Spells while you search for a new Servant to contract with. That's what she plans to do! Therefore, she is still our enemy!"

"I promise you, I have no intention of contracting with another Servant." Bazett said. "I am retaining possession of my remaining Command Spells solely out of concern for my self-defense. Since I am not taking sanctuary at the church, other Masters will continue to regard me as a valid target. Defending myself will likely require all the resources at my disposal. Even without a Servant, Command Spells can serve as a potent tool: they can be burned to infuse my body with an enormous quantity of prana, allowing me to fight with temporarily superhuman strength and skill. That is why I wish to retain them."

"And just how are we supposed to know that you're telling the truth!?" Rin demanded.

"I am willing to consent to a geas, if that is what you deem necessary." Bazett said.

From what Shirou remembered, a geas was a spell that bound a magus's soul with an absolute, inviolable promise. Rin seemed surprised by Bazett's offer, as though she hadn't really expected the magus to go to such lengths to demonstrate her sincerity.

"...Alright." Rin said, after a moment's thought. "Look into my eyes and lower your mental defenses."

Shirou's father had admonished him against ever staring directly into a magus's eyes — the eyes were the window to the soul, he said, and the perfect target for a magus working mind-affecting magecraft. Most magi had strong mental defenses to counter such "Mystic Eyes" techniques; Shirou, being an amateur, did not. Bazett and Rin likely had fortifications the likes of which Shirou couldn't even conceive protecting their brains from tampering; but from the trance-like way Bazett stared into Rin's eyes, it appeared she had agreed to temporarily deactivate those defenses.

"I, Rin Tohsaka, charge you to accept the terms of the following geas: that you will not form a new contract with any Servant for the duration of this Grail War."

"I, Bazett Fraga McRemitz, accept the terms of your geas. I pledge by the McRemitz magic crest not to form a new contract with any Servant for the duration of this Grail War."

There were a few moments of silence, then Rin nodded.

"Alright, then." she said.

"You trust her now?" Shirou asked.

"It's no longer a matter of trust." Rin said. "If she breaks her word and tries to make a new contract, her own magic crest will destroy her soul."

"As I said, I will use my Command Spells only as emergency prana sources in case I am attacked by another Master." Bazett said.

"It seems to me the safest thing to do would be to get out of town." Rin suggested. "The other Masters might hunt you down if you remain in the Fuyuki area, but they can't take time out of the War to go chasing after you if you leave the country."

"I cannot." Bazett said. "Though my fight has ended, my obligation to the Mage Association has not. My instructions were that, if unable to win, I should remain to observe the final stage of the Grail War — including, if possible, which Master obtains the Grail, and what wish they make."

"That sounds extremely dangerous." Shirou said.

"I understand the risks, and I have judged them acceptable." Bazett said. "The disastrous conclusion of the previous Grail War, and the great fire that resulted, remain shrouded in mystery. Very few of the Masters who participated in the War survived: Kirie Kotomine, who had taken shelter at the church after his Servant was the first to be eliminated; Lord El-Melloi II, then called Waver Velvet, whose Rider-class Servant was eliminated before he could reach the Grail, thus leaving him stranded a distance that left him safe from the fire but also unable to observe the events that caused it; and Kiritsugu Emiya, who died a short time after the War's conclusion without ever disclosing what he had done or witnessed. Given the catastrophic ending of that War and the great difficulty the Association had covering it up afterwards, the lack of information is concerning — particularly now that the new War has started far sooner than expected, causing some to wonder whether those events had a permanent effect on the Grail ritual. The Association has thus determined that the proceedings and outcome of this Fifth Heaven's Feel will be scrutinized with the greatest detail and care."

A black sun... a sea of fire... the screams of the dying...

Through force of will, Shirou banished the memories which came flooding into his mind when Bazett spoke of that day, ten years ago. If the Mage Association wanted to keep a closer eye on the Grail War so that they could prevent another incident like that from occurring, then Shirou wholeheartedly supported their decision. He also felt a swell of respect for Bazett: instead of fleeing the country to save herself, she was willing to put her life on the line in order to safeguard the lives of others.

"But how are you going to do this without taking shelter at the church?" Shirou asked.

"I'll continue to live in the apartment I was using as my base of operations when I was a Master." Bazett said. "I do not believe any other Masters or Servants have discovered it, so I should be safe enough there for the time being."

"No, that's not acceptable at all." Shirou said firmly. "You've lost your Servant, other Servants will be gunning for you, and you think you'll be safe all alone? With no one to stand guard while you're asleep or help you if you're attacked? I can't countenance such a thing."

"Did you have an alternative suggestion, then?" Bazett asked.

"You can stay at my house." Shirou said. "There's plenty of room, so it won't be crowded. And you'll have Saber there to protect you at all times, since she guards the house during the hours I'm at school." .

"Shirou!" Rin half-yelled, half-groaned. "Are you serious?"

"What's your problem now?" Shirou asked, a bit of irritation creeping into his voice. "I thought you were satisfied that she couldn't steal our Servants now. Or are you concerned that she might smother me in my sleep just out of spite? Because I think I can count on Saber and Crow to defend me in my own home."

"It's not that, it's — you're so naive." Rin said. "Sparing an opponent who no longer poses a threat is one thing, but going so far as to adopt her into your home like a stray cat?"

"Rin, it's not like that." Shirou said.

"Then what is it, if not pity?" Rin asked. "Attraction? Are you just eager too get to know her because she's got big boobs and looks good in a suit?"

Bazett blushed and crossed her arms over her chest.

"Rin! That's going too far!" Shirou said.

"Boobs are indeed a man's worst enemy." Crow said solemnly. "A voluptuous female form can cause even the most seasoned of veteran warriors to become distracted and make mistakes. I didn't object to your alliance with Rin because she's still just a flat-chested child, but getting close to this woman could prove dangerous indeed."

Rin turned red and made a choking sound. Red Archer started to snicker, but hurriedly turned the sound into a cough when Rin whirled on him with murder in her eyes. Black Archer gave a pained sigh, then turned her back on the group and walked away.

"All of your are completely misinterpreting this!" Shirou protested. "I'm not agreeing to this out of pity or attraction or anything as shallow as that."

"Then please explain, Master Shirou." Saber said. "Why let a former enemy Master stay at your house?"

"Well, obviously I want to protect her from being killed now that she's out of the War." Shirou said. "But I also figured that, as a Master who's been fighting in the War up until now, she might have gathered useful information about enemy Servants and Masters."

There was a long silence.

"In addition to Saber and Black Archer, Lancer had encounters with Berserker, Rider, and Assassin." Bazett confirmed. "Additionally, I was monitoring his final battle using my magecraft, and can provide you with information about the Noble Phantasm of the Servant which defeated him. If you are granting me protection and lodgings, the least I can do is repay you by providing this information in return."

There was another, longer silence.

"...Fine." Rin said. "Fine! But only on one condition. If she's moving in with you, then so am I."

"Why?" Shirou asked.

"Because you need me to keep your childish sentimentalism from getting you killed." Rin said. "If I'm not there to keep an eye on you, you'll let your guard down and start thinking that letting her stay with you makes her your friend. It doesn't. The geas I placed on her may ensure that she won't re-enter the War, but she could still betray to in other ways — like selling information about your Servants to other Masters, just like she's offering to sell information on them to you. You'll need me there to keep an eye on her and make sure nothing like that happens. Anyway, you have no right to refuse me; we're in an alliance, after all."

Rin's sharp glare left no room for disagreement, and Shirou raised his hands in a placatory gesture.

"Okay, okay." he said. "It's probably safer for us to stick together, anyway; the whole idea of an alliance is strength in numbers, right? And while the Tohsaka family is famous in the magus world, nobody knows about my house, so enemies are less likely to find us there. We just need some kind of cover story to explain you and Bazett to Fuji-nee..."

He was interrupted by the sudden return of Black Archer, who seemed to appear out of thin air next to Rin.

"People are approaching the mountain." Black Archer said. "I do not sense any Servants, so they are likely just humans coming to investigate the flash of light created by Saber's Noble Phantasm... however, there could well be an enemy Master mixed among them Since we have finished what we came here for, I recommend retreat."

Even if it was just ordinary people curious about the light show caused by Saber's sword, Shirou didn't exactly want to get found at the temple in the middle of the night with the front gate mysteriously destroyed. That might lead to accusations of vandalism and calls to the police. And if any enemy Masters had been attracted by the battle, getting into another fight here would put the lives of the approaching people at risk. He and Rin both quickly agreed with Black Archer's assessment. They immediately began hiking down the side of Mt. Enzou, avoiding the path so as to not run into anyone headed towards the temple. Most of their Servants took spiritual form and ranged out ahead and to their sides, ever-alert for danger. Saber, who could not take spiritual form, walked next to Bazett. Shirou had told her to protect Bazett, since the woman no longer had a Servant of her own to look after her; but privately, he suspected that Saber had accepted the position in order to keep a close watch on the former Master. Being a warrior of legend, she likely shared Tohsaka's "enemies must be killed" mentality. He was definitely going to have to set her straight about that. Shirou intended to do all he could to minimize the number of lives lost in this War — not only of bystanders, but of Masters as well. He had failed to reach Mr. Kuzuki in time, but there was still a chance for him to save Bazett.

Shirou still recalled Kotomine's words, from their first meeting in the chapel. That in order to become a hero, he would have to stain his hands with blood. Shirou would not accept that, could not accept that. He would prove Kotomine wrong. He would defeat the remaining Servants without killing their Masters, would ensure that no more died in the struggle for the Holy Grail. He would be a hero who saves, rather than a hero who kills. Protecting Bazett, a former enemy, was an affirmation of that ideal. Shirou Emiya would be a true hero, a hero who saved everyone.

And he remembered Kotomine's other promise, the one that he had not shared with his Servants or with Rin: that he was Shirou's enemy; and that if Shirou tried to win the Grail, Kotomine would stand in his way.

Just you wait, Kirie Kotomine...! I'll put an end this stupid War in my own way — and show you the strength of my ideal!