Talks with Matou
(Sakura)
"By the way," Caster said after a moment. "You do need to let up on Rin, she will die if you drain her totally dry."
"Eh?" Sakura thought for a moment. "I didn't think she was that badly off, but I'll take your word for it."
"You must've seen some crazy stuff if you think she doesn't look to be in a really bad state," Caster said, receiving a slight nod in turn.
"So, tell me, just how much information did you tell Emiya-senpai while we were talking?" Sakura refused to believe Caster's innocent expression. "This is your privacy Field, and while I appreciate it, don't bother telling me you couldn't communicate through it."
"Only enough that he wouldn't come of as completely ignorant of the situation," Caster said in a normal tone unlike someone who had just been caught out. "I mean, you intend to actually speak to him without me around."
"Yes, I do." Sakura said firmly. "Thanks for understanding."
"If that's what you want, then it's up to you to convince him of our agreement."
"If he disagreed, you'd go along with what he wanted, wouldn't you?"
"I'm only a Servant after all," Caster admitted easily. Hmph.
"I hope you don't mind agreeing to take a little nap while we talk. As it is, having so many Servants in here is too much." After Caster dropped her Field, the two of them walked back to Sakura's one. She paused to change it from a draining Field to simply one that blocked the usual flow of magical energy.
"Not that it would help any to refuse, but if you're planning to just knock me out..."
Sakura made a show of reaching into her pocket, though she actually pulled Rider's Gorgon Breaker out of her Imaginary Space. "This won't have the side-effects of her Mystic Eyes, so it would be preferable if you cooperated."
Caster shrugged and sat down on the ground in front of Rin, who stirred slightly and looked at the two of them. After reconsidering, the Servant instead lay down flat and looked upwards at Sakura in silence.
The purple-haired magus fastened her Servant's blindfold around Caster's eyes. A brief flow of prana was all it took to lock her consciousness in a 'dream'. Sakura narrowed her eyes as the Noble Phantasm began drawing steadily on her dwindling prana supply, as though struggling to keep Caster in its grasp, but after a while, the draw began to slow.
"You know, I think that can give them either a nice dream, or a nightmare." her mental companion spoke up. "Which did you give her? I couldn't tell."
"Figure it out yourself."
She turned to her sister, but whatever she was about to say was forgotten as the doorbell rang. Sakura just glanced at the clock on her table - Shirou had not wasted any time chasing after his Servant. Though it was perhaps disingenuous of her, Sasaku communicating with him might have helped prevent a situations like, oh, a Saber smashing down her front door.
"I'll be back, nee-san." Sakura nodded to herself and left, closing the door behind her. The Field prevented seeing or hearing from outside, but in its current state, one could see and hear from inside, after all.
(Matou house, front door)
"Senpai, what a surprise to see you at this hour," Sakura said in her usual manner.
"I think you're playing host to my Teacher," he said after a moment, as the Servant behind him stepped forward holding Shinji. Sakura immediately noticed her brother's missing hand and the awkwardly tied tourniquet. "I think we both might have need of her expertise."
"Come in," she said as though nothing out of the ordinary was taking place. "Will your friend's friend be coming too?"
Shirou paused, blinked, and replied with "Oh, she left this up to me."
Sakura pressed her lips together as everyone filed into the house. Senpai gathering more girls again... wait, it's more likely to be an older woman.
She checked that the door to the basement was closed before joining them in the living room, though it hardly mattered as Grandfather could definitely spy on anything in the house.
Saber laid Shinji down before taking a seat. Shirou glanced at Sakura as the unconscious boy moaned at the motion.
"I didn't have the ability to treat him," Caster's Master explained apologetically. "I think my Teacher might be able to do something to help..." he trailed off significantly.
"She's your Servant," Sakura said flatly.
"I never learned anything of magecraft, even its existence, until I met her, so she's both," he explained patiently, before switching to a more direct tone. "Where are you keeping her?"
Sakura ignored his question, having other things on her mind. Especially since the Gorgon Breaker was starting to increase its prana draw for some reason. "Did she tell you about our deal?" she asked simply.
"Yes."
He didn't seem inclined to elaborate. She continued, "So?"
"You already reached an agreement, but for some daft reason she forgot to include herself." Shirou nodded in Shinji's direction. "It might not be the fairest trade, but we're apparently allies now, so take it as a gift exchange."
Sakura lightly bit her lips before stopping. "Sure, if you're willing to give me that prana now, that is."
Shirou thought for a moment before replying, "You have my word that I will once I see her."
Well, I guess that's good enough. I wasn't expecting Shinji to be alive. Huh, does he think I was holding her to ransom? Sakura nodded, "Stay here and don't touch anything. I'll bring her down."
(Sakura's room)
She sighed in relief after removing the blindfold from her 'guest'. It probably wasn't deliberate, but Caster had definitely been up to something, to use up so much prana. The girl on the floor blinked and sat up. "So?"
"I need you to give some healing to my brother," Sakura said simply, receiving a nod in return. "Then you can handle your affairs with Tohsaka before we continue our discussion."
Caster looked confused by that, probably because they hadn't actually left any 'discussion' for later. But in Sakura's mind, the real business was yet to begin. Though her Grandfather was legendary in preparation, schemes and sheer survival instincts, there was after all a literal legend of a magus. I just need to approach this though Senpai.
"Always be on your guard most just before the break out," her helpful friend warned her. "I know full well what magi are like," she snapped at him. All this time nothing showed on her face as Caster finished what she was saying.
Caster repeated herself, though she was at least trying to be subtle about it. "Since I don't have any healing-specific skills in this form, I'd recommend the Church."
"Hmm yeah, well I'll think about it," she said non-noncommittally, which caught Caster by surprise. "Do you not have a good relationship with your brother?"
"Not really."
(Living room)
Sakura and the swordsman Servant watched as Caster examined a now-conscious Shinji. At least he had stopped screaming, which had been grating on her nerves and started when he regained consciousness.
"Thank goodness you came," he said after a while. "I was beginning to think your friend there was going to just amputate it with his freakishly large sword."
"Oh, that wouldn't be appropriate," she said frowning. "Wrong tool. Well you'll live at least. Left-handed, though."
"This is your fault!" he snarled, forgetting everything else in the memory of earlier that night. Caster didn't seem to care. "I actually wasn't aiming for you, believe it or not. You were just standing in the line of fire."
Looking around, Sakura caught sight of an uncomfortable Shirou who was also watching the proceedings, and smiled slightly to herself before approaching him. "Ah Senpai, if you'd follow me, it would be preferable to get that prana before I pass out."
"Er, right. Of course." he said as she took his hand and led him to the stairs up. Somewhere behind them Shinji suddenly shouted something like "Wait, what?!"
It definitely was about his own problems, right?
l
(Earlier, at the door to the Matou house)
(Shirou's perspective)
Walking up to Sakura's front door and ringing the doorbell suddenly felt really ominous.- Probably because the last doorbell someone rang resulted in them getting shredded by Sasaku's spears...
That said, this was Sakura, she'd never do something like that... Though Shinji thought the same about me. Pushing aside these thoughts he rang the doorbell. Nothing happened for a while.
Then he heard the sound of familiar footsteps coming down inside the house and steadily moving towards the door. Nervously, he moved back a little. "Make sure to let her see Shinji after we've said hello," he reminded the Servant just behind him. "I don't know if she'll react well or not."
It basically depended on if she expected him to be alive or not. Of course, he didn't treat her in the best manner, but still, it was a sibling relationship.
The door opened slowly, almost hesitantly, to show the expected purple-haired girl.
Magus he reminded himself. I can't lean on Sasaku now, need to be on guard.
"Senpai, what a surprise to see you at this hour."
Rather than make small talk, Shirou immediately moved on to business while keeping in mind everything Sasaku had told him earlier through their metal link. Such as: "I'm in one of their unused guest rooms, by the looks of it. Rider is around somewhere, she should be injured but Sakura made sure I never got a glimpse of her."
Sakura seemed to think, as was normal, that the Saber carrying Shinji was on loan to him. Given that, and her own need for magical energy, she probably didn't have a clue how screwed he was if she killed Sasaku. Added to that, going the length of making a deal with her, rather than simply as a hostage, meant that he should act as though he had the upper hand.
"I think my Teacher might be able to do something to help..."
He and Sakura made a few casual passes without any agreement. Thankfully, Sasaku had convinced her captor that she needed his cooperation to get the needed energy, so Sakura definitely had no clue about the Caster's special skill. He didn't really understand why she decided to trade the energy for information on Tohsaka's magecraft though, rather than her own freedom.
"...a gift exchange."
On the other hand, Sakura seemed to think she had to negotiate again, and for the same thing, so perhaps they had managed to sell the same assistance twice?
Anyway with the excuse that Sasaku was the only one who could help her brother, he convinced Sakura to give way.
"I'll bring her down."
Maybe she felt pressured by Saber, or her brother's condition, or she -really- needed that energy, but regardless of why, Sakura quickly went upstairs. That is, after warning him not to go anywhere in the house.
After Sakura's footsteps had gone silent upstairs, suddenly Sasaku spoke up in his mind. "Good job, seems she's quite happy. I hope you didn't give away anything valuable."
"Nothing really, just you need to help Shinji. Since you, uh, caused him to lose a hand..." Shirou wasn't sure what to make of that. Earlier, she had made it sound like Sakura might have some demands, but she didn't really?
"She didn't try to extract anything else from you? Good, good..." His eyebrows went up of their own accord. "Wait, was that a plan of yours?"
"Not really, I just figured she'd bargain hard with me but easy with you. And I had nothing on me anyway. Did you see Rider anywhere?"
"I didn't." There wasn't really a need to worry about a surprise attack, since a sturdy Saber was next to him. More importantly, she had nothing to gain from such an act. "Keep an eye out for her then. Oh and look up."
He turned in time to see a smiling Sasaku quietly following Sakura into the room.
(A little later)
As he followed Sakura upstairs, he asked Sasaku what her plans were. Obviously, she wanted to get back to the Emiya estate, so Sakura would have to be convinced to let them leave. However, unsurprisingly given that Casters were magi, she also wanted to go the extra mile for some knowledge.
"It's also that Kuro is around somewhere, so this should lure her out."
"So that's what you were trying to keep on the low-down," he thought at her. "Then, can you even use that information?"
"For things, probably," she replied in the vaguest manner.
The sound of Sakura locking the door behind them brought Shirou back to the present.
"I don't really know how to do anything with magecraft," he said after a moment of Sakura just looking expectantly at him. "She's only been my Servant for a while, we haven't had time for lessons," he explained quickly.
"It's no problem, Senpai," she said in a much more relaxed tone than earlier. "I can show you everything, but... it's just between us, ok?"
"Oh sure," he agreed easily. First Tohsaka's stuff and now this, Sakura seemed pretty free with the secret knowledge.
"Just sit down there," she said nervously, pointing at the neatly made bed in one corner.
"Thanks."
"Hey Sasaku." "What is it?" "Can you get everything done tonight? As in before the sun rises."
A brief pause followed. Shirou looked up to see Sakura deep in thought for some reason. "I want to get back as soon as possible too. Sakura's Grandfather isn't necessarily friendly, even if he isn't a Master in the War."
"Rin did say he was a nasty person, well when she thought he was the Matou Master. I wonder... does that mean Sakura is like me?"
"Maybe. Explains how even with her and Shinji working together they have problems after Rider just used her Noble Phantasm once and took some damage. Either that or I actually did quite a number on her, I don't know either way."
"Yeah, well they are unlikely to pull that out in their own house," he pointed out, more for his own peace of mind than any tactical consideration, as Sakura cleared her throat. "Um, senpai...?"
He glanced at her for a moment before it registered.
"Eh...? Wait, why did you take off your clothes?"
l
(Sasaku)
"Shirou? Master?" Sasaku shared a look with Saber. Be ready. "What's going on?"
"Ahaha," he laughed in the most fake manner ever sent via telepathy. "Well, you didn't know, but this ritual is a bit..."
Oh, she hadn't explained to him about Rider's Field. "Don't worry, she can adjust it to not be too draining. Take it easy, you're in good hands." Though it was a Noble Phantasm, since Sakura had some control over it, there shouldn't be any danger.
"Y-yeah, get everything done and in order. Talk to you later." The mental link cut off abruptly. She wasn't surprised or worried though, since the Field did disrupt such communications. Anyway, if she had to entrust Shirou's safety to any magus, not that she knew many, Sakura would surely be the most careful with him.
Finishing up her healing work, she turned to her fellow Servant. "Ok, here's the plan. You stay here, next to one of the windows facing Rin's house..."
l
Notes:
Next time, some honest fighting. That ambush didn't count (didn't get labeled as a fight).
l
Sasaku of course expected that Sakura would use the Bloodfort to draw the mana from Shirou. Except, when she released the draining aspect of the Field, she couldn't put it back up (since it was Rider's contribution). Even though Sasaku could guess that, she expected Rider to show up to re-do it, which is why she wanted Shirou to be on the lookout.