Chapter Ten
Stolen Flower
Shortly after dawn, Irisviel stirred at last.
Saber, who found she'd needed scarcely any rest, had kept beside her with her knees folded to her chest, her whole body as tense as a lion on alert. And the moment Irisviel started to wake, she gasped and leaned forward onto her hands hand knees, bending over her, but still giving her space to breathe.
Irisviel's eyes fluttered open, and it was probably the loveliest thing Saber had ever seen in a good while. Then her crimson eyes adjusted, before they floated briefly about the room and alighted on Saber.
She smiled. "Saber."
"Irisviel." Saber let out a breath she didn't realize she was holding, returning Irisviel's smile.
Then she held out a hand. Irisviel considered this for a moment, and then she reached up and accepted it, and let Saber help her up into a sitting position.
"How are you feeling?" Saber asked her.
"Hm." Irisviel's smile widened a little. She even had some color back in her cheeks. "Much better, thank you."
"That's good to hear," said Saber. Hope took flight in her heart, hope that maybe Irisviel would be all right, that she would overcome whatever was ailing her. In which case, all Saber had to do was protect her until the bitter end.
And the end would be bitter. She had a feeling about things like this. Wars always ended that way, even for the triumphant. She supposed it was in that way of thinking that she and Kiritsugu's views on such things actually sort of intersected.
There was a knock on the door, the secret knock Saber recognized as Maiya's. Irisviel recognized it too, as she called out, "Come in!"
Maiya slid inside. "I have something." She held up a folded sheaf of parchment paper.
"Let me see," said Irisviel, and it seemed she could still manage unfolding something as flimsy as paper. Which meant Saber still harbored concerns for her health. She wouldn't really start to feel better until she saw that Irisviel could handle things like buttons and keys and driving again.
"Oh, it's from Tokiomi Tohsaka," said Irisviel. "He even wrote this in German." The corner of her mouth quirked up in a rather smug amusement. "He overdid it a little with the formalities. But then, that seems to be his way."
"What does he want?" Saber asked, just a little tersely.
Irisviel raised her eyebrows at this, rather surprised, but made no comment as she proceeded to summarize Tohsaka's missive.
"He wants to meet us at the Fuyuki Church," she said. "The church is neutral, of course, so he can't do anything like attack us there."
"You think that's wise though, to meet him?"
Irisviel looked up at Saber, and then glanced at Maiya. The two women shared an oddly knowing look, as between people who had previously bent their heads together in making plans. It was only odd because Saber had rarely seen the two women be anything like close, except perhaps when they had both decided to try and take on Kirei Kotomine in the Einzbern Forest in order to protect Kiritsugu.
Maiya nodded, and then Irisviel did the same, as if they had come to an agreement on something.
Then Irisviel turned to Saber again. "It's fine. We'll meet with him. There's a matter I'd like to address with him, in any case." She folded the note up carefully, handing it back to Maiya.
"Shall I write out a response then, madam?" Maiya asked.
"If you would please, Maiya," said Irisviel, folding her hands quietly in her lap. They shook just ever so slightly.
Okay, so writing was still out for her.
Saber bit her lip. "Um…can I ask…what matter would you need to discuss with Tokiomi Tohsaka that you would agree to meet with him in person?"
When Irisviel looked at her then, Saber was gifted with the surprise of a spark of a flame in her crimson eyes, a flame whose strength contrasted with the remaining weakness of her body.
"Kirei Kotomine. It's clear he's been assisting Tohsaka this whole time, the both of them working together to ensure a Tohsaka victory." She narrowed her silver eyebrows, her flare of indignation reminding Saber a bit of a warrior queen. Of Guinevere, when she'd been fiercer and fierier. "Believe me when I say, Saber, that Kirei Kotomine is the most dangerous man that Kiritsugu will have to face. And he will have to face him. Soon."
"Kirei…Kotomine…." Saber would remember the name. She gave a nod. "Okay. You do what you think is best…Irisviel."
Saber kept her guard up at the Fuyuki Church, naturally. Just because this was neutral territory didn't mean there wouldn't be any surprises.
Irisviel played her part as diplomat admirably. As Saber watched her, there was no doubt in her mind now that there was no error in likening her to a queen.
Tohsaka's proposal seemed reasonable of course. He wasn't suggesting an alliance, but he was suggesting a sort of "cease-fire" between his faction and that of the Einzbern clan, at least until they were the only two competing teams left. Irisviel was willing to agree, but there was one sticking point that had to be addressed, one condition that had to be met, otherwise the deal was off.
Kirei Kotomine was to be dismissed from the proximity of the War entirely. In fact, until the War was over, he was to leave the country and stay out, effective immediately. Which gave Saber an even better idea of how much of a threat to her husband Irsiviel perceived this man to be.
Standing in the back of the church sanctuary with Maiya, Saber took another look at the man keeping silent vigil all the way on the other side, near the altar. Kirei Kotomine wore the cut of priestly dress, but he stood with the stance of a soldier, his hands behind his back and his eyes closed in patience. He reminded Saber of a domestic cat, not the fat and lazy kind, nor the silent prowler that Maiya actually seemed to be like. No, he was more like the average looking cat, of average weight and size, who seemed harmless enough, crouched in a corner, eyes closed. But not sleeping either.
Instead listening, waiting.
And any moment those eyes would open, and that cat would leap up and pounce, revealing its claws, its sharp teeth flashing in a Cheshire grin.
Yes, what a thing to think of, but Saber could see this man getting along quite well with someone like the Cheshire cat from Alice in Wonderland, a book she'd read with some fascination on the plane ride to Fuyuki. She wasn't sure at the time why she'd chosen it, perhaps because it was such an innocent fairy tail kind of story, but seeing Kirei Kotomine, she felt she had an idea of what to expect now.
And then, his eyes did open, and they met Saber's jade green ones. Saber easily returned his gaze with well-practiced impassivity. And, as if echoing her thoughts, the man did indeed smirk a little, just as Tohsaka was finally relenting and agreeing to Irisviel's terms.
Then he closed his eyes again. But the smirk was still there. And Saber felt like she was the only one who saw this.
Given that this was Kirei's domain as a priest of the Fuyuki church, he and Tohsaka held another council just between the two of them while Saber, Irisviel, and Maiya made their exit.
Outside, Irisviel reached out and put a hand on Saber's arm.
Saber looked up, and was glad to see Irisviel smile at her. A strong smile too. Saber had to cling to that smile.
"Wait just a moment, Saber," she said cheerily. "Kiritsugu's dropped something off for you."
"Eh?" Saber frowned, bemused. What would Kiritsugu have to give to her?
Irsiviel giggled, removing what looked like a tiny microphone from the lapel of her white coat and handing it to Maiya, who appeared to have just gotten off the phone with the man himself. The whole time they'd had this meeting, Kiritsugu of course had been listening in through that mic, a specter hovering all around them. That was how he did things.
"Take a look."
Saber followed the direction in which Irisviel nodded, toward the Mercedes, and there was in fact a second vehicle parked beside it, though significantly smaller.
It was a motorcycle.
And a nice one, by the looks of it.
Just as with the car, Saber quickly grasped what she was supposed to do in order to drive it, as she went over and laid a rather reverent hand on the leather seating, the handles, the sleek, chrome-shelled body.
The look of it in the moonlight was what had struck her, the way it gleamed. She'd had the same feeling when she'd gotten her first horse. A white mare she'd name Eira, for "snow". Being female, Eira had never been meant to be the horse that Arturia would ever ride into a battle on, just a horse she could learn to ride to get the basics. But she had loved that horse dearly, as it had been given to her special by Sir Ector. The way he had presented it to her, it had been more than just something he had given her out of necessity, though of course that had been part of it. Sir Ector had wanted to make a present out of it.
After Eira of course, she'd moved on to riding male horses, coursers trained to charge into battle. And then, as king, her mount had been a destrier, less common than a courser but the greater of the two as a type of war horse. A golden stallion she had named Llew—lion.
Saber shivered when she ran her gloved fingers back over the leather seat, her fingertips electrified and infusing her brain with the knowledge of how to ride thanks to the power of the Grail.
She found herself unable to contain her excitement to try it out on the road.
She beamed over at Irisviel, who had stood watching her with her hands behind her back while Maiya was unlocking the Mercedes.
"So, Saber, do you like Kiritsugu's present?" Irisviel asked.
Saber snorted a laugh, though Irisviel mistook its meaning for delight. In truth, she was dismissing the idea that Kiritsugu would ever do anything like give her a present, but nonetheless, she felt the same kind of joy that came with receiving one. So she wasn't about to ruin Irisviel's happy, optimistically, and seemingly energetic mood with such cynical reflections.
Instead she regarded the motorcycle again and then threw a leg over its seat and sat astride it, putting her feet on the pedals and gripping the handles, waggling her fingers as she relished the feel of them.
"I like this a lot," she said, and that was the truth, anyway. "This is more like a horse than a car is. I mean…I suppose that's obvious," she added, perhaps a little lamely.
Irisviel giggled again, tucking a strand of silver hair behind her ear. "Well, I'm glad you like it."
"I do. In fact, I think I'll take it out ahead and take the lead, keep an eye out for anyone who might attack while you're out in the open like this on the way back to base."
"Actually, Kiritsugu was hoping you might take some time to patrol the surrounding areas and take any preemptive attack measures where necessary."
Saber paused in running her hands rather tenderly over the chromy body of the motorcycle again (as if it really were a horse) and glanced at Irisviel. "Will you be all right in the car with just Maiya?"
"Of course," Irisviel assured her sweetly. "Maiya is more than capable of protecting me."
Saber held her lady's gaze for a moment. She really was such a lovely woman. Whatever Kiritsugu was, he was lucky to have had her for his wife, and she still had no doubt in her mind that whatever kind of fighter he was, dishonorable, godless, bestial, sneaky and conniving, he had a genuine tender place in his otherwise cold heart for this kind and beautiful soul, as he clearly did for the child they had had together.
Yes, that moment he had shared with his daughter in the snow, that hadn't been anything fake. Even after everything Saber had come to realize about the man, that moment still held true for her, that that was what he was really like, deep in his heart. It was why she had tried to reach out to him as she had, even if he had so cruelly shot her down. In fact, she'd almost felt closer to him after all of that, though an outsider wouldn't have thought so in the slightest.
Very carefully, Saber reached out and touched Irisviel's cheek with her gloved hand, trying to sense any weakness in her lady's body, any at all. She needed to know she would be all right without her. The last time she had left her side, she had ended up run through and would have bled out if it hadn't been for whatever power had closed and healed her wounds.
Next time though, such luck might not be on their side, so Saber had no intention of letting something like that happen again. Not while she still had the power that she did.
Then, as if sensing something of her thoughts, Irsviel's smile turned gentler, almost motherly. "It's fine, Saber. I'll be fine. Please, don't worry. You focus on what you need to do. Kiritsugu and I still need you. We have to win. We must. We can't do it without you."
"Yes," Saber agreed, with every fiber of her being. And with that, she finally relinquished her touch and turned away, kicking the engine of the motorcycle to life.
As she took it out past the barrier surrounding the Fuyuki church, she felt the same thrill that she had the first time she had ridden out to battle on a horse. So distracted was she by such a rare feeling of joy that for a moment she forgot about Irisviel, and by the time she considered looking back one last time, she was already too far down the road to be able to see her.
So she didn't.
In some ways she would come to regret this, but in other ways, she would realize that even if she had, what would have been the point, when it wouldn't have changed anything?
For the present, she enjoyed the feeling of freedom that riding the motorcycle gave her while she followed Kiritsugu's indirect order to go out on patrol. It allowed her thoughts to drift back to those times she would take Eira or Llew out on her own just to give herself a small amount of respite from the life she normally lived. At times Lancelot or Bedevere might've joined her as well if she desired the company, and she'd lost count of how many times she'd used this as a means to shake off frustration after getting locked in a snarled situation between her and Guinevere. Either that or escape to the practice court and work that frustration off with swordplay.
She luxuriated in the rush of air through which she knifed the vehicle, the stretch of curving open road in front of her, the feeling that she was the only person in the world, while at the same time keeping her senses open to any disturbances that warranted a preemptive strike. Of course, she had no intention of deviating from her course of facing someone honorably in combat rather than employing the kinds of underhanded sneak attacks that Kiritsugu would. But she agreed with the objective to intervene should she sense an immediate threat to Irisviel.
She went over in her head who was left.
Archer and his Master.
Rider and his Master.
And Berserker and his Master.
Berserker.
She couldn't believe she'd nearly forgotten him. Perhaps because he'd rarely made an appearance in this war, moreover had not once crossed her path since the battle against Caster, which felt like an age ago. Even so, she had been struck with how Berserker appeared to know who she was, and at first it had bothered her, but then other priorities had gotten in the way and she'd set that aside until now.
As then however, she still had no idea who this Berserker could really be to appear to know who she was. Or at least be familiar enough with her sword. Who had she known in her previous life who would manifest in the Berserker Class in the Holy Grail War like this?
Well…perhaps a vengeful Mordred. That was a possibility.
She hoped it wasn't though. She wasn't too keen on the idea of having to relive the fight that had ultimately claimed both their lives.
And then there was Kirei Kotomine, the ultimate threat to Kiritsugu. Or so said Irisviel. Personally, she wasn't entirely trusting of his acquiescence to Irisviel's demands to have him expelled from Japan for the rest of the War. That look he'd given her, she'd seen that look before. Recognizing that look had been what had saved her in the number of assassination attempts she'd had to fend off in her previous life.
And then her mind drifted back to a kinder memory, her thoughts as meandering as the long winding, twisting road before her.
"My lord," Guinevere greeted in the courtyard of Camelot with her retinue in tow, inclining her head as Arturia dismounted from Llew, quite exhausted from the battle she and her knights had just fought, but still able to put on a dignified air of strength.
"My lady," Arturia—known to her people as King Arthur—replied, extending her hand.
Guinevere considered her before accepting it with her own. Arturia felt a warmth in her chest at that delicate hand in hers, and she reverently bent as she touched her lips to the back of it before lifting her eyes to her wife…her wife who believed her to be a man.
When their gazes met today though, there was something different in Guinevere's shining irises. They lit up with a gleam Arturia had never seen before, and it made her decidedly happy to see it there. She smiled, and Guinevere blushed in kind and averted her gaze in a display of feminine meekness.
Merlin, who had accompanied them on the battlefield that day as a magic support that had partially won them their victory, was off to the side, feeding hay one of the goats the goatherd was tugging behind him as he made his way through the courtyard. He caught what passed between Arturia and Guinevere and raised an eyebrow at it, but did nothing more and simply turned back to patting the goat.
Arturia's gaze meanwhile lingered after her queen as she returned inside the castle with her retinue, and Lancelot, given the nature of his and the king's friendship, permissibly clapped his king on the shoulder, giving her that knowing smirk that men share between each other when one of them knows that the other's got romance on his mind. It was another occasion where Arturia actually felt grateful to have had a life that had allowed her this glimpse into the world of men. Among women friends, they'd have all giggled, hiding their mouths behind their voluminous sleeves. Arturia much preferred this more down-to-earth attitude of ribbing from Lancelot, and another knowing grin that came from Bedevere while the rest of the knights handed their horses off to their squires to be led back to the royal stables.
At the same time though, Arturia's appreciation for long hot baths came from a very feminine sensitivity, even if anyone, male or female, would appreciate something like soaking in clean hot water, washing away the grime and blood of battle and letting it act as a heat compress to the aches and pains in the muscles and joints.
She took the opportunity that day to take an extra long soak.
After she got out of the tub she rebound her breasts to get them back to being as flat as possible before wrapping herself up and escaping to her private chambers where she donned a set of billowing long robes that further served to conceal her bosom.
When she looked up again though, she was greeted with a surprise appearance from Merlin. Nonplussed, she asked the old mage to what she owed the pleasure of his company, and it was then that he cast the glamor upon her.
She would never come to understand from him why it was he had chosen that moment to do what he did, except that she could only guess that he had somehow intuited what was on her mind from her and Guinevere's exchange in the courtyard earlier.
But then…Morgan LeFay.
Arturia's mind clouded completely, and she forgot all about Guinevere and instead followed his sister, with her wiles and witchery, out of the castle and into the forest.
Really, she didn't feel all that different, aside from the obvious. And Morgan looked a treat begging to be devoured. Arturia's world was a haze of red, but the soft kind born of passion, not anger. She even recalled the little love-nips that she trailed along her sister's skin, and she calling him, "Dear brother…yes…" before sighing with pleasure.
The leonine grace of Arturia's body was fully masculinized, and Morgan was none the wiser that this wasn't the body her king and so-called brother normally had concealed beneath clothing. Until her dying day she would believe that the body she saw that night was the truth.
When Arturia awoke, alone, and returned to her true gender, an emptiness filled her as her first thought was of lonely Guinevere back up in the castle. And she, down here, frolicking like a beast. Consulting with Merlin, he told her that he'd tried to stop Morgan's wicked intervention, that he had intended for Arturia and Guinevere to couple, but alas. Arturia bore it with her usual practiced stoicism.
And then there came a morning when Arturia woke early, and sought Guinevere, still sleeping. And found that her queen even had a smile on her face, not yet realizing that it was Lancelot who had given her that smile. And despite everything, seeing that smile, Arturia managed one herself, if a bittersweet one. She was just glad to see her queen happy, and that perhaps it would mean nothing that she and Morgan come together incestuously in the forest sometime before that.
In that moment, for the first time, she really considered the concept of chivalry and what it stood for in a world that was otherwise so dark beyond the edges of fragile civilization.
Beyond the walls of Camelot, invaders from the north, from the sea, braggards who rape and pillage. Arturia had seen the scars and pain such things left in the eyes of helpless people, of men, of women and children, of young and old. Moreover, as the king to uphold that code of chivalry, she could be the light in the darkness that Merlin said she would be.
She could protect people.
Save them.
Even people who were close to her, or people she just cared about, even if they didn't exactly feel the same.
Watching her wife sleep like this, she knew with that same warmth she'd felt earlier in her heart that she would protect her, even though they would never share a night of bliss as couples were privileged to do.
Unable to help herself, Arturia leaned over the soft curve of her wife's shoulder and laid a soft, lingering kiss on her cheek, before she returned to her own chambers, leaving Guinevere to obliviously awaken a few hours later at dawn.
Not long after that, out in the wilds, there was the shriek of a newborn baby, cradled in Morgan LeFay's arms. She crooned to the beloved mechanism of her vengeance upon King Arthur.
Her sweet little Mordred.
Saber's heart felt heavy in her chest for remembering these things. It didn't help either that Irisviel really did make her feel that same old warmth in her chest that Guinevere had once made her feel.
Actually, she and Kiritsugu both made her feel that warmth.
She couldn't quite explain it, but just by thinking of the two of them, the way Irisviel spoke of him, and the way he'd looked at her when he'd thought no one was looking….and there it was.
It was a feeling she suspected was more than just simple love. She didn't think there was actually a word for it, not in any language she knew. But she did know that it was good. Too good. Too good for a world that even now was filled with so much darkness.
And she suspected that Kiritsugu knew that. Believing that gave her a better understanding of how he saw the world in his own way.
With a sigh, and as forlorn now as she had been then, Saber looked up at the bright moon filling the sky, and decided it was time to return to the house in Miyama Town.
When she did, she found Maiya just outside the storehouse. Irisviel was presumably inside, resting. Saber hoped that she hadn't fallen ill again and was using the magic circle to once more restore her strength. That would only mean that her lady charge was getting worse, not better, and Saber could hardly bear the thought of that, if she were being honest with herself.
As she killed the motorcycle's engine, dismounted, and propped it up by the kickstand, Maiya snapped the cellphone she'd been talking on shut and turned to her, aware of her arrival.
"Saber," she said. "Everything clear?"
"Everything's clear," Saber informed her. She nodded to the storehouse. "Is Irisviel in there?"
A ghost of a smile flitted across Maiya's face. It was actually a little wistful, which surprised Saber. "Madam was a bit tired, so she's already asleep for the night." She hooked the cellphone to a clip on her belt. "Kiritsugu instructed me to watch over her, while you take point patrolling a certain area in town for the base of operations for Rider and his Master." She handed Saber a map. "The area he's suspects they're holing up in is circled on there."
"All right." Saber took the map and opened it up, noting where Kiritsugu appeared to have circled an area on the sprawling city of Fuyuki with a red felt tip pen. It looked like another neighborhood, similar to Miyama Town but bigger, and probably more modern. When it came down to it, Miyama Town was actually quite secluded. Saber was sure that that was his main reason for choosing this spot.
Though she found herself really wanting to believe, more than ever, that he really had had his wife's apparent desire to see a traditional Japanese dwelling in mind too when he'd chosen it.
As long as his love for his wife was genuine, she couldn't completely hate him or write him off. And so far, she still had reason to believe in that one small hope.
The next morning, per Kiritsugu's instructions, Saber took the Mercedes out, using the map to find the neighborhood he'd circled on there. And since she had the car to herself, she actually took the opportunity to surf the radio for herself, and managed to settle on a station that played what she was given to understand non-Japanese people called "J-pop" that she found had actually grown on her. She'd sampled some beats of it while she and Irisviel had been on their walk of the city, and if nothing else, it was something she could bop her head to when she hit traffic lights and didn't sense any danger nearby.
Now all she needed was some chewing gum and a set of shades and she could almost feel like a normal modern woman.
Good thing too that she gave herself this respite, because in all honesty, she didn't pick up a trace of anything that felt like Rider's presence. Or any Servant's for that matter. More than likely though, Kiritsugu had given her this task as a means to keep her out of the way while he performed work that was more vital to their goal of reaching the Holy Grail, but even so…she hadn't wanted to consider it. Not at least until she had nothing else to think of. And truth be told, she almost rather she was the one who found Rider and his Master. Rider's Master was only a boy, after all, a baby in this fight, and if he came face to face with Kiritsugu and Rider wasn't able to shield him, he didn't stand a chance, no matter how clever he'd grown as a mage. Kiritsugu would cut him down without hesitation.
Which was what soldiers did, but in the first place, killing Masters wasn't necessary (though Kiritsugu hardly cared about that seeing as he valued the benefits killing Masters brought), and secondly, Saber couldn't help having more sensitivity to the fact that the boy was still in many ways a child in the world.
After a fruitless search of the neighborhood in the car, Saber abandoned the Mercedes alongside a small, nearby bridge of white stone that overlooked a tributary of the Mion River with the idea of continuing her patrol on foot in mind. It was worth a try, anyway.
In her unassuming street clothes, she still felt she stood out a little, perhaps because what she was wearing was a sharp suit in a place where casual wear was more commonplace. She came across a small group of kids chasing after each other, kicking a ball between them. Saber paused from where she observed them across the street and smiled fondly after them, reminded again of the children she'd played with when she'd been really small, even before she'd started being brought up as a boy. Back then, the differences between boys and girls hadn't been nearly as important as they would be when she'd gotten older.
Otherwise though, she was ready to snap her armor on in a flash at a moment's notice, should she come across anything that warranted such an action, and by the time she returned to the bridge, the sun was setting, bathing everything in a citrus orange glow. A soft breeze blew, lifting her hair, and she watched the way the sun's light glittered on the water, appreciating the beauty of it.
Everything felt so calm, but that gave her all the more reason to keep taut. It was when things were at their most calm that the most terrible things could explode out of nowhere.
"SABER!"
Saber jerked and staggered back, and then stilled, physically shaken.
Kiritsugu's voice had thundered through her whole body, every vibration of it rippling with such raw fear that it left her breathless for a moment.
She had never heard him sound anything like scared, the way he did now. She didn't think it was possible.
"SABER! I COMMAND YOU—"
Deep inside, Saber felt a tug, like a hook snagging her from the inside—the supernatural compulsion to obey manifested by the use of a Command Seal.
"—GO TO THE STOREHOUSE, IMMEDIATELY!"
And before Saber could blink, or think, she was snapped through space and time and appeared, fully armored, a second later at the storehouse.
Or the wreck of it, anyway.
Like someone had knocked through a wall to get inside it.
Shit.
"What's happened?" she asked, only to find seemingly no one there.
Certainly not Irisviel.
Saber's blood ran cold as ice.
And then she spotted Maiya, facedown and motionless on the ground amidst the rubble, her sub-machine gun and her cellphone lying beside her as though she'd been desperately shooting with one and calling for help on the other before she'd fallen, and they'd fallen with her.
"Maiya!"
She leapt over the heap of broken stone from the collapsed wall and dropped to her knees next to the downed assassin's apprentice, gently gathering her up in her arms and turning her over. The gauntlet on her one hand immediately came away with blood, and as Maiya gave a little moan, Saber could see where she'd been run through with what looked like a very large blade. She'd also suffered a blow to the head, and threads of blood trickled from her brow and from the corner of her mouth. When she coughed awake, she coughed up blood too.
Saber ground her teeth. It hurt. It hurt seeing Maiya like this. No matter how many times she'd cradled wounded comrades in her arms, or held their hands, it always hurt when she knew…knew…there was no way in heaven or on earth that they would make it.
"Sa…ber…" Maiya croaked.
"Try not to speak," Saber told her, her tightening throat and her constricting chest and her scattering mind making it hard to say much of anything else.
Maiya ignored her. "You have to hurry," she said with some very uncharacteristic urgency. "Rider…he came and…took Madam away…."
"What? Rider did?" Saber blinked, a little taken aback that Rider would stoop to such tactics like taking someone like Irisviel hostage.
"Please," Maiya implored her. Actually implored her. "You have to…get her back…I couldn't…." And those dark, fading eyes, before so stony and impassive, they were breaking, shining like shards of glass.
This woman who had once spoken of being willing to do absolutely anything for Kiritsugu without question, disregarding even her own life as though it was of small worth to her…in her dying moments…was suddenly filled with such raw regret.
Even if they hadn't done much like fight together, in those small twinklings they had spoken, even that one morning the two of them had just practiced shooting together…and the mere fact that they were on the same team, in the end, she was her comrade. It was as simple as that.
Saber fought back tears with a practiced effort.
I'm sorry…I'm sorry I wasn't here….
Carefully she laid Maiya back on the ground, but before she left, she briefly pressed both the dying woman's hands in her own, and Maiya met her jade green eyes with just a glimmer of hope.
"It'll be fine, Maiya," Saber told her, her voice shaking just a little. "Don't you worry about a thing, just rest."
And Maiya gave that ghost of a smile again, her eyes softening. "Yes. I'll be fine…after all…Kiritsugu will come soon, so…you don't have to worry either…." Something flickered in her expression at her mention of Kiritsugu, a kind of light Saber had not as yet seen in her, as if despite the fact that her life was ending, meaningless as it had seemed, the fact that she knew—knew—that she would see the man who had taken her under his dark wing one last time, it gave her something to hold onto.
So Saber clung to that too, and gave Maiya what she hoped was an encouraging smile. "I promise…I'll come back with Irisviel as swiftly as I can…so you just hang on until Kiritsugu gets here."
Maiya nodded. "Thank you." Her eyes lost focus and her lashes fluttered. "If she's in trouble…if she's lost…I know he won't be able to think straight…."
Saber didn't have to ask who she was talking about.
Unable to do anything more, and with Irisviel captive and, for the moment, lost to them, their time running short, Saber stood and turned away, not looking back.
She darted back out of the wreckage of the storehouse and managed to hop in one bound all the way onto the roof. Miraculously, she spotted someone who indeed looked like Rider, flying off, carrying Irisviel under one arm. The way Irisviel hung so helplessly limp like a rag doll only served to incense Saber, sparking a white-hot anger that burned through her shock that he would do something like this.
In another flash she rid herself of her armor and switched out for her street clothes again, jumping lithely off of the roof and onto the motorcycle. Fueled by her fury, Saber kicked the machine to life, and tore out of the yard onto the road, her glare fixed on the escaping Rider.
Damn you, Rider. Saber gnashed her teeth, her insides burning with the kind of vengeful rage she hadn't felt in what felt like forever, even when she'd been fighting Caster. Damn you!
But Saber would get her back. Get her back and kick Rider's ass while she was at it.
She even gave herself a wicked little smile at the thought.
Things were definitely getting bitter, just like she knew they would. But she'd be damned if Irisviel was going to pay the price for it. Maiya already had, and if Saber were being honest with herself…
…seeing that poor young woman like that…
…seeing broken and bleeding out like that...
…with nothing left but to wait to die…
…something shifted inside her, and caused something else to snap.
She was done with this.
She was done with people dying, and for no good reason.
Her nerves were steeled, wound tight and ready to spring into a recklessness that hovered just on the edge of her mind.
She hadn't exactly been holding back before, but now…
…now…
…they had truly unleashed the lioness.