A Farewell

(A little before midnight)

(Medusa)

"They've been around magi enough to know not to try and clean or rearrange random things," Illya was explaining to Caster. "It's totally impractical and probably less safe for them to follow us rather than hold down the fort."

"Everyone's taking risks one way or another," Sasaku agreed after a moment. "Well we're a known quantity and our signatures are quite unmissable, so let's be on guard while making this appointment."

"By the way," Rin asked conversationally. "Why are you still wearing that? Anyone who spots you is going to have questions."

Caster let the question hang for a while before finally commenting cheerfully, "One would expect one to have changed, huh?"

Sakura and Rider shared a glance, remembering what the other Sasaku had mentioned. You can't really ask me about love, I never had such a strong desire for my husband. Eh, yeah there were no problems sure, but something like that won't do you any good.

"I wonder what kind of game they're playing. Even though Illya's description of him seems more accurate than Kuro's expectations, I can't help feel like she's just being used," Sakura sent over their link.

Medusa had thought so herself, but at the same time had other suspicions as well. "At least for the moment, it seems like his Chaldea project is compatible with Caster's own plans. Honestly, it seems like we really lucked out already, given the two of them were apparently playing some high-level games, as you put it, and collided without disaster."

"I suppose." Sakura had her own thoughts on the matter. "Then again, that girl seems at her strongest when she seems to be getting stomped on, maybe I'm worrying too much on her account." Her Servant picked her up easily, as the other pairs followed suit leaving Caster and Illya as the only ones left.

"We'll stop a little outside of the Park and walk in," Sasaku addressed this to Rider who was the fastest of them. "Kuro, keep an eye out on the approach, since we'll be moving above ground level on the way there and lose those lines of sight when drop down afterwards."

"Better stay close to me," Saber said with a mix of seriousness and humor. "Trouble seems to find you whenever you're out of my sight."

"Seems so," Caster picked up Illya.

(Sakura)

When they reached the park, Medusa looked about in some surprise. Sure, the area in front of them looked like a disaster zone, with the exception of the small monument in epicenter of whatever had detonated there, but "It feels clean," she sent.

"What happened here?" Rin sounded awed and upset as the Masters dismounted and looked around cautiously.

"A very good thing," Sasaku replied, aware of the apparent contradiction. "We should be on time, so I think Gilgamesh will explain."

"You are, so I might," the boy who appeared in a golden glimmer took over. He watched Caster with a poker face as she walked over to him and dipped her head. "You might find it hard to believe, but a dark Jeanne d'Arc turned a lot of corrupted Grail energy into something like a magic bomb. Thus."

"Saints don't have a dark side," Rin replied immediately, earning a grin in response. "I did say hard to believe."

"Why don't you just tell us what you want?" Shirou asked directly. "Caster gave a uselessly detailed explanation, as is her wont."

"Typical," Gilgamesh snorted. "Thankfully I need her to understand it, and not you." Taking out a small flask from his Gate, he handed it to Sasaku before nodding in Medusa's direction. Taking the cue, she delivered the item to Rider, who looked at it curiously. "What is this?"

"Potion of youth," he said. "One dose should revert you to the form you were summoned in, which I think will essentially delete the corrupted energy you've absorbed. But as a bonus, that actually holds two doses worth. You should probably-" he cut off as Medusa immediately downed the whole thing.

"I should probably have seen that happening," he concluded ruefully as Rider doubled over and went into Spirit Form. "Well Heroic Spirits are more discrete in forms than people, so it should work out perfectly."

"You mean she has a younger form?" Sakura asked.

"Of course," he said, almost laughing. "Well, as a goddess, she wasn't born as you summoned her, so based off my interactions with her sisters I thought this would be interesting. Don't worry, I've had personal experience with this item."

"Let me guess," Kuro interjected. "That's actually a potion made from the herb of immortality that you supposedly lost to a snake."

He simply nodded, turning his attention to her. "You might not know me, but we've met. Honestly, you aren't normally summoned here, but the same goes for me. A word of advice, though you've been training like a swordsman, your conceptual basis is actually closer to a magical girl."

"Which means?"

"Don't think, imagine. You already have teleportation down, which is quite a feat after all."

"Being a magical girl sounds convenient," Saber chuckled. "Speaking of which..."

"Yeah, I know." This made Gilgamesh frown if only momentarily. "It should be easier to deal with that from the Throne. Kaleidoscope is hard to reach from within a particular branch. Huh what's that?" Caster whispered something to him. "Oh that's good then. His toys are like monkeys' paws. Speaking of which, be careful about incarnation-type wishes, they might cause you to go down in power level, even if the Grail didn't give you a corrupted body."

"I'll keep that in mind," Saber sounded skeptical.

"That's about it," he smiled, looking around with satisfaction. "I think the park's flora should regrow normally. Okay, we're done here." He motioned for Sasaku to move closer to him before throwing some sort of sash around the two of them, who disappeared.

"What-?" Shirou took a step towards where the pair had been standing, before Kojirou, who seemed to understand, blocked him. "Don't worry, she's not being kidnapped. Again." The thought seemed to amuse him.

After a tense half-minute, they reappeared, a few feet away from where they had disappeared. Sasaku was stooping slightly, with Gilgamesh looking down on her with a bit of a frown, which she returned with a most innocent expression.

Heh. Sakura could guess what had happened, though she said nothing.

"I do hope this doesn't cause you any problem," Gilgamesh said apologetically to Illya as his form started to break up. "Though you seem to be handling everything so far." She nodded in silence as he disappeared.

"Well," Caster said after all signs of Gilgamesh's Spirit Origin had faded away. "It seems our secret boss is here."

The sound of metal striking metal came from the direction of one of the park's entrances.