Author Note: For the sake of my fiction I'm saying that the Higurashi Shrine is in the same town that hosted the other grail wars. It's just easier tbh.

Hallowed Promise Chapter Three: Special

"When you were here before, couldn't look you in the eye. You're just like an angel. Your skin makes me cry. You float like a feather, in a beautiful world…"

-Creep Lyrics, Radiohead

The Higurashi Shrine –

A hum filled my ears, the absence of noise after the engine died. I let out a breath and slowly let go of the seatbelt where I'd been gripping it. I kept picturing the car I'd seen flip over the cliff earlier in the night every time he weaved in and out of traffic. Relieved to be back to my home and even more content the trip was over. It was a distance between my family's shrine and the Tohsaka house. Normally I took several trains and busses. With his car we'd made it here in record time, though that was also attributed to his speeding.

Had he been doing it to keep me from berating him about his attack on Shiro and Saber? They weren't even participants of this war. He was adding enemies to our list that we didn't need. Then, given how they'd murdered him and put him somewhere horrible by his description I had a hard time blaming him. I'd be pissed if someone murdered me too.

I stepped out of the gold trimmed Camaro, glad to have pavement beneath my feet again. Glancing back to a glimmer of light to see the car was already gone. I wasn't sure I'd ever get used to Gilgamesh's strange power.

"Do you really have access to everything possible?" I asked, I hadn't talked much on the way here unless you included squeaks of fear and grunts of discomfort. I knew that a connection to my Servant was key by the other research I'd done. Those with good connections had a better chance at the wish when all this violence ended.

"All the treasures of the world that have ever been, or will ever be, fill my vault." He stated, smug at my admiration of his ability. Or just the usual level of smug, I wasn't sure yet.

"So, you have more weapons than just swords and spears? Like the chains you used earlier?" I wanted to try and understand what he could do, cause unlike him just throwing himself stupidly in front of enemies I wanted a strategy to all this.

"The chains of heaven, Enkidu. They're unique even amongst treasures, they can entrap even gods." He explained as he followed me up the steps. At least he wasn't complaining about the climb.

"That's pretty cool." I had to admit, I'd read a little bit about his powers but there wasn't a ton that was detailed. "Any other unique beauties like that I should know about?"

"Your attempt to be shrewd has failed. You need not concern yourself with Ea, you'll have the honor of witnessing the sword of rupture drawn before this war concludes." Gilgamesh acted as if it was something I should simper and bow over. Then, he put off that image in general about a lot of things. I kept walking up the steps.

"So, if you have everything, couldn't you just use killer robots to murder the rest of the servants or something?" I knew that large weaponry like nukes would be against the inherit rules against involving civilians unless some part of the war was witnessed on a massive scale.

"You would have me use mongrel's toys as opposed to my own hands?" He shook his head. "While I'd rather not dirty my hands on the serfs, it wouldn't work. Other servants hold no candle to me, but do you believe mere metal constructs would harm them?"

"Uh, I guess not." I stated, then blinked at him. I had meant it as a joke. "Wait, you do have an army of robots?"

"Your home is remote. It will make it easier for other servants to ambush you if they discover this is your residence." Gilgamesh altered the subject instead of answering my question. "We could use that to our advantage, bait them here."

"Nope." I shook my head at him. "You can't do that. I have people that come and take care of the place in the day. They'll notice if you blast holes all over the grounds, not to mention how much I'd have to pay extra to get it fixed."

He started laughing at my comment, a rolling resonant mirth that shook his shoulders as he bent forward slightly. "Your concerned about money? Money? When all the wealth in the history of mankind lays in my vault?"

His voice was lighter with the continued convulsions. Eventually dying down from hilarity to cheer, as he wiped beneath his eyes. "Ah, that was good. I'll make certain before we part ways that you are reimbursed for damages."

Did he have to find it that funny? He hadn't even listened when I said. I turned toward him once we reached the top of the steps.

"Look, money aside. I don't wanna fight here." I said, knowing I had let irritation slide into my voice. I gestured around at the shrine as I spoke. "This place is my home. There are things you can't replace with money if they are destroyed. I don't want to risk it being damaged in the first place."

I backed up a step at the dangerous glint that entered his gaze. The amusement was gone, reminding me why I needed to at least pretend to be reverent. Gilgamesh might have poor personality, but there was power in his veins. He wasn't an average spirit; he was a divine spirit. Sure, I had the blood of a priestess, but he was part god. If I truly broke his patience, I wouldn't survive to the end of the grail war.

"Is your conviction so thin you would question my authority over sentiment?" He stepped closer and I backed up again, my nervousness earning me a wicked half-smile. "Are you not a Master of the grail war? Did you not previously utter you'll do whatever it takes?"

"I am, I did…" I admitted nervously, still backing up as he slowly followed me. I was pretty sure I knew what the mice Buyo used to track down felt like before they were caught. "I just…"

"Just?" He interrupted, closing the distance when I ended up with my back against a tree. "Are you a military tactician? Do you know the nuances of war? Young for a general."

His arms settled to either side of me just before I was able to duck to the side. Yep, I was the mouse in this game.

"I'm not, I just…" I swallowed nervously, his proximity pulling at my mana and making me dizzy. Why was he like this? I could feel the warmth in my cheeks, hear my heart racing against my chest. I couldn't think to form what I wanted to say. "I'm sorry."

That wasn't it. Of all the many things I was, sorry wasn't it. Yet the apology bubbled up and out of my mouth anyway. Subjected to that terrifying scarlet gaze my body and mind had gladly kicked my pride under the bus. At least I hoped it was a measure of self-preservation. Particularly since he smiled a bit more after I said it. I resisted the urge to point out that I was far from apologetic while kicking him in the naughty bits. I'd lived so far. I needed that to continue if I was going to get back to the feudal era.

"You look quite vexed for someone blurting out amends." He observed, close enough his breath moved my bangs when he spoke. The anger had largely ebbed from his voice after my unintended concession. Instead, he sounded even more superior than usual, his tone infused with self-satisfaction. "My presence does tend to blur one's judgment. Was there something else you wished to say?"

So much, you conceited nightmare…

He was so close the hairs on my skin were standing on end. There was a hum through my body I couldn't explain. I wanted to reach out and touch him but was simultaneously uncomfortable at the concept. Was it because we were connected by the grail war? This felt like the intense charge just before I used magic. Was it because he connected our mystical circuits?

"Nothing then?" He prompted, reminding me we'd been arguing. Did it even really matter?

"Fun as uh, this is I guess." I managed to say despite my voice breaking slightly and the heat in my cheeks and neck. "I should get inside; I doubt we'll have a lot of time to rest and I need to sleep if I want to recharge my mana."

He smiled at my reply, even his damn lips were perfect…no one had a right to be this beautiful. I thought for a moment he might kiss me as he leaned in even more, but his head tilted so instead his whisper ticked my ear. "I've rested a long time…I could think of better methods to regain mana. But if you insist, lead the way."

Then he wasn't hovering over me, he was a few steps back gesturing toward my house and I took a deep breath, not even knowing until then I'd been holding it in. I swallowed, annoyed my mouth was still dry and walked toward the house to open it and let him inside. Trying not to think about how close he'd been or the static still dancing over the hairs on my skin as a result.

"It's not much, but there's a spare bedroom if you'd like to have it. I know you don't have to remain manifested to sleep but it's upstairs. Second on the right. The first on the right is my room. The bathroom upstairs is the first on the left. The kitchen is over there, this is the living area." I explained. For Tokyo my home was actually very large, but it came with the added cost of making sure the shrine was maintained. If it hadn't been for the unexpected inheritance of the Tohsaka estate I probably would have had to sell it. "Do you need to eat?"

"It's not required, though good flavors are still enjoyable." He answered, his coat vanishing before my eyes as I hung mine on the rack near the door. I replaced my shoes with house slippers, glad when he did the same. At least he wasn't completely devoid of manners.

"Well, make yourself at home, I guess. I'm gonna go sleep. I'm exhausted." I didn't have to lie about that. After the fierce exchange outside I felt even more tired, stumbling slightly as I walked to my room. I kicked off my skirt after unzipping it. Moving to the bathroom attached to the master to get my toothbrush. Brushing in bouts between taking off the rest of my uniform and putting on my pajamas. I swished water a few times and spit before wiping my mouth and cleaning my face. I would have preferred to take a full bath, but this tired that was a horrible idea. I might fall asleep and drown myself. I'd have to do it in the morning. I finished what I needed to in the bathroom and was delighted to crawl under the covers, ready to sleep. At least until I felt the warmth of another body near mine, an arm reach around my waist to hold me when I started to pull away…

"Calm yourself," He rumbled, his voice was discolored with tired as well. Fat chance of that. "I require mana, as I am now, I couldn't summon Ea. That needs to change."

"No offense," I muttered as politely as I could manage, which I'm sure wasn't much, "but you seemed plenty strong earlier when you sent that poor couple spiraling over a cliff with almost no effort."

"And if that 'poor couple' catches up to us, I'll require Ea if I am to fight them both at once." He pulled me closer, fingers trailing over the skin of my hip beneath the shorts I had on. "You might be a novice, but surely you are aware that contact between a Servant and Master encourages a better transfer of mana for both involved."

I was too tired to keep pulling away. I let out a sigh when he nuzzled into my hair. "That's all well and good, but if I'm completely drained, I won't be able to defend myself either."

This time I felt the rumble of his chest against my back when he chuckled. "You're my tether to this world mongrel. You'll be kept safe while the war progresses, I can't betray you remember?"

He had a point; I'd worded my command very specifically. He had to remain loyal. I was about to let it go, when I felt my shirt lifted and my eyes flew open again. My hand raising to stop him.

"Whoa…none of that." I blurted immediately. "Flesh contact or not, I'm keeping my sh…what the hell?"

My shirt disintegrated into golden dust, that was just cheating. I strained to escape him, but his arm might as well have been a steel cord. He pressed close again, the curves of his muscles against the skin of my back. He was warm to the touch, so much so that I kicked off my blanket and kept my sheet then immediately regretted it. Perhaps if I started sweating on him, he'd leave me alone.

That might still happen even without the blanket, did all heroic spirits feel like they were running a deadly fever? Was it because he'd been the king of Babylon? Was the desert itself infused in his body somehow?

Worse than the temperature, his fingers were tracing along my waist or caressing my hip lightly. For a guy always going on about being the best, he had zero concept of propriety. He'd kept his hands-off private areas so far, but he was exploring way more than he needed to for mana exchange. At least, I thought so, I didn't know enough about how it worked. It wasn't as if I had experience with this part of the supernatural world.

"Could you stop that?" I finally stated when his tracing my stomach tickled me and I convulsed slightly. "I get that you need mana, but to provide that, I require sleep. Which I can't get with you feeling me up."

"You'd said you were tired." He remarked, his own voice saturated with pleasant laziness. "If you are unable to rest, I could always wear you out."

I shook my head negatively despite the way my body ached at his words. "I said I need sleep. That is definitely not resting."

Not that I wasn't tempted. I hadn't touched or been touched by anyone since Inuyasha, and as embarrassed as I felt I'd also pined for a real connection for years. I knew this was manufactured by the grail; the logical part of my brain told me this was all a part of the grail war. That there was a mystical push to my being attracted to Gilgamesh. Yet, a part of me that wasn't pressed by the spell attaching us was still pleased not to be alone. Delighted by the idea of being wanted…even as I refused the offer to sleep with him.

"You need to relax, if you wish to sleep." He murmured, his breath warm in my hair. His voice was growing steadily more distant. He was closer to rest than I was. "Your mind is too busy. Let it go, you're safe."

Could he read my thoughts? Or just somehow knew I was overthinking? That brought a whole new series of questions. Though I had relaxed some at his suggestion, letting my body untense since he'd stopped trailing his fingers over my skin shortly after I'd asked. Safe huh? I wasn't sure that's how I'd describe feeling, but it wasn't long before my jumbled head quieted into the peace of unconsciousness.

End Chapter

Gilgamesh using poor Kagome as a battery amuses me.

-Aura

To my reviewers:

Thanks for the reads. I appreciate it : ) I am still slowly working on this while doing my other writing practice/project. I hope you enjoy Chapter 3.