Rin Tohsaka sat in the train and stared out of the window watching the countryside go by. On her side hung a rucksack that contained, amongst other things, a piece of wood wrapped in cloth. Despite the age of the piece it wasn't that hard to obtain, nor that expensive. It hardly required any of her wealth or her connections to obtain, yet it was invaluable if she was to win the Holy Grail War.
She had even bit back her pride and went to ask the only known survivor of the fourth war for any workable tactics. Lord El-Melloi had only looked at her before he had told her to give up. He had then claimed that no amount of genius would ever prepare somebody to fight in the war and he had no further time for a dead student. She had left his room wishing that the dismissal had made her furious. Instead it had resurfaced a deep fear that had been festering in her heart for a few years.
When two expert executors arrived at her house informing her that the Einzberns were wiped out and the killer was traced here she was shocked. She took a day off school just sitting behind her bounded field waiting for news of the killer Kiritsugu Emiya's death. Well she received news a day later. That priest later confirmed that Kiritsugu Emiya was killed by a member of the church; however the two executors that were sent to Fuyuki had disappeared without a trace. After those events she found it almost impossible to sleep for weeks after that. The thought that it could have been her to simply disappear like that kept flashing through her head.
Eventually she had taken that dread and used it as fuel to drive her to master her magecraft. She had excelled and after many more sleepless nights she had been declared adequate at magecraft and graduated as a mature magus. From then she had immediately turned her eyes towards the clocktower and after a few false starts she had been granted an apprenticeship by the Wizard Marshall Kischur Zelretch Schweinorg himself. It had been the best moment of her life so far. All of her hard work had been acknowledged and she had been given an opportunity to not only prove her ability as a magus but also advance her family lineage.
This had disappeared shortly when the rumours of previous apprentices of Zelretch reached her ears. Stories of young magi being driven to insanity during his teachings were rife and those combined with the memories of her mother's blank eyed stare as she spoke to an absent Sakura and her dead husband almost made her turn down the honour. However in the end she was very glad she didn't.
Zelretch was not the most professional of teachers. He consistently displayed a lack of concern for any mishaps that Rin had while practicing her magecraft, which only in the most private recesses of her mind would she admit that there were more than a few. He also had the tendency of giving Rin the most impossible tasks to do in order to practice her magecraft like store fifty units of prana in a thirty capped gem. Rin still felt phantom pains in her left arm when she thought about it.
Still he was an excellent mentor, consistently showing her new tricks and new ways to refine her magecraft. He also gave her perspective. Despite all her genius and lineage he flat out stated that she was far worse at magecraft than he was at her age. He also stated that while she could qualify for the rank of Pride in the tower if she was tested, that there were also Magi her age who could qualify for Grand.
Rin shuddered at the thought. People who achieved the rank of Grand were incredibly powerful like the queen of clocktower. To think that people her age were on that level humbled her slightly and she found herself slightly dejected for a bit before she shrugged it off and got back to practicing her jewelcraft.
The train lurched to a stop and Rin left the vehicle and the station automatically, her legs carrying her on the way to her house without the input of her higher brain functions. She didn't actually want to take part in this war. The last time the war took place she lost her mother, her father and her sister as well as almost died herself. Despite the massive pride that she had in her legacy as a Tohsaka the Grail War had over time become something she actively despised.
This lead to the current direction of her thoughts. She would win the Grail War, obtain the grail and smash it until it was completely destroyed. She had even considered doing it before the war would take place and ending it prematurely. Unfortunately the Tohsaka's had very little information on the mechanics of the grail compared to the Einzbern's or even the Matou.
Her thoughts went in a very painful direction. Sakura, her beloved former sister, was who she would have to talk with to get any assistance in that objective. However she had no idea how to approach her about this. Last year when Sakura became the head of the Matou family on "that day" she had hoped that they could reconcile without pressure from those from either of their families keeping them apart.
But unfortunately it wasn't to be. Any overtures that were made to Sakura by Rin were either ignored or rebuffed. She couldn't even go through any of her friends to talk to as Sakura kept a polite distance from everybody the only exception being Shirou Inke.
Rin tried to avoid talking to that madman as much as possible. His annoying magic tricks aside he constantly gave the expression that life was a game to him, one that he happened to play with more knowledge than others. This was not helped by the fact that his school results were genuinely great. Rin just couldn't deal with him for any long periods of time.
Taking her mind off unpleasant things she continued her walk to the Tohsaka residene that served as her home. After a short incantation and the use of the key to her house she was inside and away from the prying eyes of the general public. Relaxing slightly she sat down and went about preparing lunch as one does before partaking in a massive ritual and winning the war.
Finishing her lunch she went about preparing the various components of the ritual. A summoning circle was quickly and efficiently drawn up. The box that she had gotten from her father was once again excavated, messing up all the clocks in her house once again to her annoyance, and the jewel was taken while the broken snakeskin was ignored. While she suspected that it was a catalyst of some sort, she decided that she did not want to use it due to her lack of knowledge about it as well as the creeping thought that the servant who may have last been summoned by it had failed her father and caused his death.
Checking her pendant she noticed that it still had that same unbelievable amount of magical energy stored within. To be more specific it contained ten years' worth of magical energy. The pendant could be used as a trump card during the war to replenish her servant. She was not foolish enough to use it on a servant directly as that would be a slight annoyance to the transcendent beings.
Sighing she checked her watch. It had cost a lot to purchase but Zelretch had basically told her that he would personally never allow her to do a ritual unless she purchased a watch that remained accurate without breaking down. The time per her watch said 2:57:37. Resigning herself to a long wait she picked up the catalyst and headed down to the basement to place it beside the circle so she would have it on hand when the time came. Walking down the steps she once again pondered whether Sakura would be taking place in the ritual.
She didn't want to… No she refused to have to kill her sister. She would target her servant if necessary but she wouldn't fight Sakura. "Maybe I should ask her for an all…" was the thought that went through her head when, not paying attention she tripped on the last stair.
The wooden piece went flying out of her hand and towards the circle. Panicking she reinforced herself using her magic crest and dove after it moving faster than any human could for just a few moments. Her hand managed to grasp it just as it entered the magic circle.
Suddenly Rin felt her prana drain. Her eyes widened in disbelief as she suddenly realized she was channelling prana into a magic circle. A flash of light and a sudden surge of prana right in front of her caused her to jump back and cover her eyes.
The being that emerged from the light did not disappoint the term of heroic spirit in anyway. He stood six foot with blond hair and soft blue eyes and his very presence reassured Rin and she felt some of her worries melt away. He wore white plate mail that shone radiantly. Noticing Rin he smiled at her and unconsciously a blush almost found its way to her face.
"Greetings Master," the man said going down on one knee and covering his heart with his fist. "Servant Saber at your command."
"I accept your service Saber," Rin said regaining control of herself. "May I ask your name?"
"I am Gawain," the kneeling servant said simply still showing no self-consciousness at his position.
"Please rise," Rin said internally happy. While Gawain wasn't King Arthur or Lancelot he was still a well-known and famous knight and more importantly a member of the Saber class. Focusing on the knight she resolved to clear any communications errors between them before the start of the war. "Do you understand the nature of the Holy Grail War?" she inquired of him.
"I do," he replied back with certainty in his voice. "Seven masters, seven servants and the winners have their wish granted." Suddenly Gawain's constant smile flickered for a minute. "Master," he said his voice flat. "Am I correct in believing that the Grail War takes place completely during the night?"
"That's correct," Rin said wondering where this is going.
"Master my title is Knight of the Sun and I'm far stronger during the middle of the day. Did you not know this when you summoned me," Gawain inquired.
Rin's face fell as she felt her hopes of winning the Grail War crack to pieces and disappear into the wind. Falling to her knees the only thought that went through her head was, "I screwed up."
xxx
Rin and her servant stood on top of the building for the purpose of familiarising Gawain with the layout of Fuyuki. The night had been empty so far and they had not run into anymore servants and masters. However Rin couldn't breathe easy. About an hour into their travels Gawain had stated that he felt eyes on him. Rin had wanted to dismiss it but Gawain had assured him that while he could not pinpoint the location there was definitely something sizing him up.
From that point on Gawain had been strictly immaterial in the hopes of drawing out their stalker and to prevent them from getting any more information. Unfortunately while Gawain assured them they were still being followed the being had yet to make a move. Leaving the tops of the building Rin had then led her servant to the park. Ever since "that day" the park had been remarkably peaceful. The curse that had plagued the land had dissipated and now it was a peaceful place that many families and couples loved to attend.
Walking through the park both her and Gawain stopped to admire the beauty. Rin supposed that the park at least was one good thing that happened on "that day". Suddenly Gawain, still immaterial, whispered from beside her, "Master, we're being followed," he said.
"Is it the person who had been stalking us," Rin replied back anxious at the possibility that they may have to deal with two opponents.
"I can't tell," Gawain replied. "Nevertheless be on your guard for others."
The two of them waited in silence for a brief time in the darkness of the park with nobody showing up. A chill wind blew through Fuyuki and the night was eerie in its stillness. Rin was about to berate her servant for needlessly worrying her when the sound of footsteps disturbed the night. Both Master and Servant were on guard instantly focused towards the source of the disturbance. The footsteps continued on slow and unhurried and it was only after thirty seconds that the man managed to enter their sight.
Rin's eyes widened as he took him in and she almost mistook him for a servant if it wasn't for the fact she could see the command seals tattooed on his face. One on each cheek and a third that was found on his chin. He stood tall towering over every human Rin had ever met, easily two metres at the least. He wore a figure hugging black top and a pair of black jeans that caused him to stick out amongst the natural colours of the park. His eyes were covered by a pair of sunglasses and he smoked a cigarette as he walked. Lastly he was tanned and had a bristly moustache.
Coming to a standstill he dropped his cigarette on the ground stomping down on it to extinguish the embers. "Saber I presume," he said and his presence and tone of voice made the simple statement sound forceful. Exhaling the last of the smoke he nodded towards the space on his left and another man appeared. "Lancer attack them," he commanded standing there with his arms crossed.
Lancer was tall standing over six feet which made him look short compared to the giant standing next to him. He had blond hair and sharp eyes that combined with his angular face gave him the appearance of a hunting eagle. He was wearing what looked to be like silver metal pauldrons on his shoulders. No armour covered the upper parts of his legs but he wore silver knee high boots composed of metal.
All of this was noticed in under a second by Rin before the servant literally disappeared in front of her eyes and appeared clashing against the sword of Saber who was suddenly in front of her. The swords clashed and Saber was able to repel the spear of Lancer, a wicked looking thing. However lancer disengaged and thrust again and again. With every thrust he slowly lost ground to the spear of Lancer. Seeing the continued danger Rin calmed herself and when the lancer extended and Saber locked his blades she took the opportunity and skirted around the two duelling warriors heading for the Master of Lancer. Gathering prana from her jewels she prepared to release it in a single attack that would instantly kill Lancer's Master before he had any chance of retaliation. While she would not normally use her jewels so wastefully she needed Lancer's master dead before he could command Lancer to return. She held her gems aloft preparing to shout an incantation and…
Rin froze. The man's face had not shifted one muscle. All he had done was lift his sunglasses revealing two red orbs and her body had frozen. Her gems were in her hand prana circling through them, incantations were on her lips waiting to be yelled out but to no avail. She could practically feel the spear piercing through her chest as Lancer raced back. With what could be her last thoughts she cursed this stupid ritual.
Suddenly a whistling sounded through the air and there was an explosion behind her. Her body was released of its bindings and the man in front of her jerked his eyes closing as he was hit by projectiles that she couldn't see. Rin didn't wait to see how he reacted as the instant she was free she turned expecting to see the charging form of Lancer only to be confused once more as she saw Lancer standing there clutching his right arm with burns covering it. He stood cautiously back and gazed into the distance as if expecting to see whoever the mystery assailant was.
Rin took this opportunity to retreat behind her servant once more noticing that both Lancer and his Master were no longer focused on her. Gawain nodded to her full of concern but he kept eyeing both Lancer and Lancer's attacker.
Suddenly a whistle sounded through the park from somebody who was apparently not very good at whistling. Footsteps once again sounded through the park but this time it took a very short period of time before a person appeared from the darkness of the park. The identity of the person, made Rin want to both sigh in exasperation and wring her hands together in nervousness.
Shirou Inke walked casually into the standoff between the two feuding duos with the look of somebody taking a stroll on the beach. He wore a grey mottled set of clothes with a hoodie up which was quite unlike the usual brighter clothes he wore whenever not in the school uniform in the times that she had seen him out of school. And just as Rin was thinking of ways to get him out of here and hypnotize him later he had to open his big mouth.
"Hey," he said smiling at the two pairs. "All of you look pretty stressed. Do you want to see a card trick?" he said while raising a deck of cards in his right hand. Rin immediately noticed that he wore a navy glove on that hand.
Gawain raised an eyebrow at the sudden appearance of the man in front of him looking him up and down and Lancer spared him half a glance before once again scouring the horizon. At this point Rin was slightly panicking at the thought of Shirou getting caught up in it.
"Do you think you're fooling anybody?" the rough voice of the man rang out, the simple question sounding like an accusation.
"I think I was getting Rin there," Shirou replied and his casual smile was replaced by a look of slight mocking before falling off his face completely taking Rin completely by surprise.
"Oh well there's no reason to waste a good joke," Shirou said mostly to himself a faint smile crawling back on his face.
Rin was still recovering from the un-Shiroulike behaviour when the cards in his hand briefly glowed before he slammed his hands together and they disappeared. Feeling the surge of prana behind her Rin turned to see the cards glowing and lying on the ground at the feet of Lancer.
Lancer's eye's widened momentarily and he jumped high into the air escaping the cards which exploded immediately afterwards. Three loud cracks came from behind Rin and Lancer twisted his body in the air parrying two of the projectiles in his hand while the third barely missed his foot.
At the same time Lancer's Master had disappeared in an explosion although the reason couldn't be perceived by Rin. When the smoke faded Rin was treated to the sight of a very much okay Master wielding a massive black sword that caused Rin's breath to catch in her throat. The sword gave off an extremely cursed feeling and Rin found herself recoiling from it even as it was pointed at the man behind her.
"To redirect her arrows," Shirou said clapping his hands together his smile wide once more. "Truly you live up to your reputation . "
"You know who I am," the now named Mr. Strout stated to himself. "But I had no knowledge of somebody so strong living in this area."
"Well you know," Shirou said rubbing the back of his head. "Some of us enjoy our anonymity. "
"You know who I am," Lancer spoke up from beside Strout but it was almost phrased like a question.
"You're Patroclus right," Shirou said smirking. "I'd recognize the armour anywhere."
Lancer suddenly went very still and when next he looked at Shirou his look of fury was enough to make Rin recoil. He took a step forward but was halted by the voice of his master.
"Hold Lancer," he said. "The situation is unfavourable. You can settle any score you want later."
At that the man nodded to Shirou and turned around walking back into the blackness Lancer turning ethereal as he went.
Next to Rin Shirou sighed. "My, that is a bit concerning," he said. "Oh well, see you later Tohsaka."
As he turned to leave he was stopped by the form of Gawain who had stepped in front of him barring his exit.
"You were a magus the whole time,"Rin said her voice full of fury. "How, what, why…" she said trying to find her voice and ask the right question.
Shirou sighed cutting off Rin's train of thought. "Keep your questions; I'll talk to you tomorrow. Bye Rin," he said waving at her. He then clicked his fingers and mist descended on all three of them and when it faded he was gone leaving the stoic Gawain and the still spluttering Rin.
"Friend of yours," Gawain inquired sending his master a small smile.
"No," Rin stated earnestly after a few moments quiet her voice filled with weariness. "I've had enough of tonight. I'll interrogate him tomorrow."
As Gawain faded from sight next to her, Rin headed home her mind thrumming with questions.
Author Note: The start of the Grail War. I took less time than I thought because I only planned about seven chapters. I also polished off the first chapter of what will likely be my next Fanfic after White Ink. No that is not a subtle request to read and review. (Whistles innocently). I hope you enjoy the last and longest (by far) Arc of White Ink.
Brush With Death: Shirou and Zelretch would just not get along. Any meeting between them would probably end up with the surrounding area/city/dimension in ruins.
Please Read and Review.