Shirou felt content.
That was his feeling whenever he had whenever he was making himself useful for anyone who needed his help. Having lost everything in fire and ash ten years ago -even memory of what his life was like beforehand, including his parents- he made a point to adopt a philosophy of selflessness and put others before himself. This event of fixing a heater, something that was damaged during a violent argument between Ayako Mitsuzuri -current Captain of the Archery Club- and Shinji Matou -the second best archer of the Club- transpired, damaging the unit. Having been a proactive member of solving disputes as much as he issued out bulletins, announcements and did volunteer work on top of being a disciple monk in training, Issei Ryuudou watched with a leg crossed over the other, hand moving from his hand to the desk while his spectacles glinted from the passing afternoon Sun shining from the windows with his blue-raven hair swept neatly to the left side of his face.
"So, what do you think, Emiya?" He asked, finally speaking after a good ten minutes of silence of prodding and examining was made from Shirou with the tools in hand. "Is it salvageable, or do I need to put in an order for something else that has broken down?"
"You know, you could always report Shinji for...well...throwing this at Ayako," He reminded him, his soldering tool sparking across the machinery with a few flashes of blue and orange sparks dancing around the towel-laid surface of the club room they were inhabiting. "I mean, I know Ayako was the one who smashed it, but still..."
"It's because Shinji is a rich kid whose got ties to some less than savory people. The school board, let alone the principal, would be in for a migraine that'd be passed along to me if I even dare to speak out about the Matou Family's precious son," He sighed, waving a hand with emphasis as he closed his eyes. "On the other hand, I can't exactly fault her either. Shinji's been having a mean streak, especially in this past year. He's always had an attitude but I can't believe he's going around antagonizing people the way he has."
"Shinji's just got a sore spot for attention and he likes to get a rise out of people," Shirou affirmed, not taking his attention off the heater as a nostalgic smile bristled across his fair skinned features, his golden eyes glistening in memory. "I've always gotten on his nerves cause I never let it show I'm bothered by it. I think he likes to compete almost as much as he likes people's eyes on him. I guess with me not there, he's just getting an opposite effect with Ayako cause she doesn't get humored or let's it roll off."
"If you ask me, Rin Tohsaka seems to be the only person who actively puts him in his place and comes off as even more of an elite than he is," Issei rebuked, changing subjects to something that made himself boil on the inside. "She has no dignity! She'll use her looks to get her way, and if that's not enough, she's quite an aggressive hussy. She thinks she can just bully and manipulate anyone to do what she wants? The nerve of that girl!"
"Man, Issei, if she bothers you so much why don't you marry her?"
"TAKE THAT BACK, EMIYA!" Issei stood up and shouted, though it was in such a dramatic flair that Shirou couldn't help but set his soldering tool down and laugh into an open hand. Grimacing, he let out a deep breath, inhaled and recomposed himself, not bothering to look at his red-haired companion for fear of embarrassment swelling up more than it has. "Are you almost finished?"
"Yeah, I just need to wrap things up. Just give me some privacy to work my craft and I should be done," He replied with an innocent smile.
"Why I'm never allowed to watch you to the end still baffles me," Issei sweeps his bangs back in place, readjusting his glasses before casting a small smile Shirou's way. "But your dependency has always been constant, so I won't pry on your secrets. Just holler when you're done."
"Roger," Shirou replied, attentively watching his good friend walk out of the club room and close the door behind him. Placing a hand on the device, he inhaled and held his breath, raising his prana just enough to cast the spell he wanted. Muttering under his breath a simple, "Trace...On," let loose vein-like etchings from his hands and fingers, tracing over the machinery and gave him a conceptual mind's eye view of everything within the Archery Club dojo's broken device. From the wiring to the metallic flaps and the coils within, he could see the real fault was a mechanism within; preventing the functioning starter from being utilized. Releasing his spell, he smiled and began prying off some parts off the machine and returned back to his work.
"Oh, well if it isn't miss 'High and Mighty'. Come to bewitch more innocent minds with your hedonistic witchcraft?" Issei's voice rang out, loud and authoritative, from beyond the door of the club room, making Shirou look up for a moment before busying himself with fixing the faulty mechanism.
"I'm actually here to turn in my homework and the answers for some tests for my classes. I've been a bit too busy as, how you put it, bewitching innocent minds, Mister Rep," Rin's voice, cordially lashed out with a contrasting stoic venom to her usually chipper and daresay cute pitch her vocal chords usually produce.
"Your mind games won't work on me, for I am in training to hold my spirit and body in check through sheer will. Don't use flattery and fanciful words to undermine my work-hey! HEY!"
"Is that...perfume?" She inquired, making Shirou look up with an odd arch to his brow. He didn't smell anything, let alone notice anything odd about Issei other than the frustrations of doing too much that he shouldn't be obligated to. Listening further in as he didn't hear Issei retort, he assumed by a sweet giggle from Rin that brought him out to shout something unintelligibly back, she raised her voice a bit louder than earlier. "Oh wow, are you seeing someone, Issei?! What would Mr. Yamashiro think?"
"It is none of your business!" He readjusted his glasses, making a visible motion from the window pane of the club door of his arm gesturing provocatively with his left arm. "Now, take your business elsewhere, you hussy!"
"Hussy?!" She shrieked, her emotions incensed and her voice raising to a ear-rending pitch as she stomped; following of which a loud slap was heard with the boy's head bonking on the club door, finalized with a jab towards his dazed face. "Well fuck you too, Issei!"
Half-expecting to hear her continued aggravated assault, Shirou winced as he heard her stomp noisily off into the hallway opposite of their room. Sighing, he hefted the heater up and crab-walked over to the door, opening the club door to creep a gaze at her brown hair twirling with her skirt around the corner beyond sight. Looking up at Issei, he recoiled at the large welt of red encompassing his right cheek, his bangs disheveled over his bespectacled brow as he looked a bit begrudging at the outcome of the encounter.
"Don't. Say. A word," He enunciated, palming his face with a sigh before retracting his hand away from the stinging mark left by her hand; he swore he saw the outlines of her fingers to boot. "Please tell me some good news, Emiya."
"Oh yeah, the part was just the mechanism that powered the starter got out of whack when the surface and exterior got bashed up," Shirou patted the machine, grinning with affirmation and satisfaction at his own handiwork. "No big deal. If you want, I can help you lift it back to the dojo."
"Appreciate that," The glass-adorned School Body President nodded, bending his knees and helping the machine up with Shirou as they both walked a smooth pace to the appropriate direction it needed to be. As they hefted the machinery, Issei thought to change subjects as he looked over the slight warping on the metal, shaking his head at the sight. "I don't know what I find more surprising. The fact that Shinji could throw this with such accuracy or that Ayako had enough adrenaline pumping to smash it nearly back at his face."
"Truly, it was the real victim here," Shirou joked dramatically.
"Yes, it didn't ask for this," Issei played along, joining Shirou with a mutual chuckle as they stepped in sync down the stairs and crossed by another row of lockers. Passing by a few classmates here and there, with the day of the school still relatively early, they'd find a group of girls give them odd looks and a couple of other students. Sputtering out, the dark haired rep did his best to avoid direct eye contact though the sight of his mark was being whispered even as they moved.
Sighing, they eventually reached the dojo's door, turning around to pause as Issei raised a hand and knocked on the wooden barrier, "Mitsuzuri, we've managed to fix it."
A rapid shuffling of feet later and the barrier opened smoothly, revealing the brown haired, hazel eyed girl adorned in a long-black skirt and beige over-shirt over white blouse with a red ribbon tied at the collar. Having already packed up her school equipment from practice, she looked expectantly with an expectant grin; one that became wolfish at the sight of Issei's despondent expression.
"Wow, that looks like it smarts!" She pointed out, bending under and around while the Student Body President turned away sharply with a hiss. "What happened? Did you get our shining knight of the school Shirou Emiya to give you a smack?"
"Lay it off, Ayako and let us in," Shirou intervened, causing his old dojo colleague to roll her eyes and usher them inside.
The range looked like it was in need of some cleaning, what with the spots of dirt and other filth enamoring the smooth wooden floor part of the building facing the field of grass where targets would be hanged up. Despite the adamant feeling of nostalgia, they moved to the back part of the dojo and set down the heater where students would congregate indoors.
Wiping his brow, Issei was about to turn and leave before Ayako whistled, pointed at him and walked over to a fridge kept at the far end of the indoor meeting room. Opening it up, she tossed underhand to him, watching the bespectacled man catch it while she also tossed another to him. Looking down, they'd see they were fruit flavored water bottles, she herself having grabbed one of her own she unfastened while smiling in a bit more of an endearing way.
"I may give you crap, Issei, but I'm really grateful you covered my ass on this," She affirmed with a toothy smile, taking the lid off her drink as she looked between the pair with appreciation. "Seriously, I'd hate to have to receive trouble just because that asshole got me riled up enough to get quarterstaff out to give him a good smack."
"Oh right. I forgot you keep that in the dojo," Shirou mentioned with an upward look while Issei pressed the water bottle gingerly against his sore face, allowing its coolness to soothe his swollen cheek while the red-haired boy mused aloud. "I think you were an expert in the spear, but I forgot which kind. Was it the...uh..."
"Naginata."
"Yeah, that was it!"
"Seriously, Shirou," Ayako twisted her head, taking a swig of her bottle before gesturing to him with a wry grin. "With memory like that, I bet you'd forget your girlfriend's birthday."
"Ehe, yeah, you're probably right," He replied lamely, sheepishly chuckling as he sighed with a sip of his own bottle. "Though, I did remember to treat Illya to a nice meal and a trip to the mall; even though I missed the initial birthday, she forgave me for that."
"Oh yeah, that foreign girl that moved in with you right before the holidays," The brunette girl mentioned, placing a hand on her hip and looking at him with a curious expression he couldn't quite read. "I saw her meet you outside the school a few times. You've never really talk about her."
"There's really not much to talk about," Shirou answered half-honestly, looking at her with a clouded gaze as he looked partially past her as the image of Kiritsugu appeared from the fore of his mind. "Let's just say, our family is indebted to her and we'll take care of her until we figure out a situation that's beneficial for her."
"Befitting for someone as noble as you, Emiya," Issei remarked, his own face masked in showing his pleasure but he could tell by his words that he vocally affirmed his conduct. Then, his smile became a slight bit mischievous than usual as he commented further. "As long as you aren't taking advantage of her situation, that is?"
"E-Eh?!" Shirou gawked, recoiling with shock at the accusation. "B-But, why you-"
"Pfffft, lay off him, Prez," Ayako snorted, winking at Shirou with a shake of her head. "He's hopeless when it comes to women, even those of dubious age. After all, just how old can she be anyways?"
"She actually didn't tell me her age," The red-haired boy surprised them both. A smile of resignation and an awkward shrug, he finished with a sigh. "She said, and I quote, 'Unless it's a lady who wills it, you shan't ask for her age, no matter how much you desire it'."
A few beats passed as both of them stared at him silently; the two finished with a snort or a roll of the eyes to complement their personalities.
"...yeah, she may actually be older than I thought," Issei muttered while Ayako shook her head.
"Regardless of actual age, do you think she's cute? I mean, that white hair sure is a shocker and makes her stand out but, what do you think?" The archer jock leaned in with hands folded behind her back, bottle still in hand. "C'mon, give me a hint. It's not often I see you get flustered about a girl in a positive way, you know?"
"I-It's not like that, I swear!" Shirou denied fervently, his cheeks now becoming a rosy red while sweat formed around his brow. The distant sound of the tuning of a megaphone caught their attention, as the Lunch Period was nearing its end; the same period he used to help Issei with the broken heater he just delivered.
Sighing, Ayako rolled her eyes annoyance and both boys left together out of the dojo with her, leaving her to lock it up to get to her own classes. Still, the thoughts surrounding his relationship with Illya swam back into his mind.
"It's been four months now since she's moved in with us, and I still know next to nothing about her connection with Kiritsugu," He counted as he walked in relative silence next to Issei. Parting ways down the hall, he'd maneuver past a few traveling students, still dwelling in his private sanctuary of his mind. Eyes drifted from ahead to the ceiling, memories of the brief yet enjoyable time he's had with the white-haired, ruby-eyed girl who fell in literal and figurative means into his life. "She's kept to herself, talking to me so she'd know more about stuff in my past or anyone I know, but little else. She'd convince me to take her to trips across town, sight-seeing and window-shopping -when she isn't actually making me purchase some more outrageous things for her-. But still, I can't shake this feeling that some sort of destiny has intertwined her with my own. Is it just nothing more than fortunate coincidence? Or is this-?"
Maneuvering to grab his next batch of papers and text books from his oncoming locker he bumped shoulders with a familiar student of similar height and build with a tuft of stylized cobalt hair. Turning around, he waved in apology, recognizing him as Shinji Matou. As he began to speak, he cast a venomous stare and said something out of his hearing before he walked away, joining a pair of pretty female students with arms draped dramatically over their shoulders. Raising a brow, Shirou just scratched his chin and dismissed the thought, walking away with school supplies and his student bag in hand.
The rest of the passed by, his thoughts returning to the earlier dialogue he had with Issei and Ayako. Between the lectures he attended with familiar and less so faces, he wondered just what Illya's true purpose was within Fuyuki City. The first night was perhaps the most he ever gleaned about her intentions; a sincere pain lingering beyond the suffering lost by her mother bereft her of maternal warmth and comfort. The sketchy details of her homeland let her remain enigmatic and her means of arriving here in such a fine tailored clothes made him wonder whom was her benefactor before the money had run out.
Opting to journey with Sakura home from school, the pair would traverse the winding path going up and over a hillside giving a scenic view of the major part of downtown Fuyuki. As the Sun began to set, gleams of orange sprayed rays amidst passing clouds, giving a twinkling of faint shine that gave long shadows off the natural light that began to dim, the street lights not quite yet fading over them. The pair would walk with the overcast of tangerine-crimson lapping over them, splitting between obstructing clouds and objects, but holding a soft luminescence for their crossing of paved ground.
Eventually, the silence was broken when Sakura's voice emitted, almost too faint to be heard but nonetheless halted the red-head student, "Shirou, how long do you plan keeping Illya in your home?"
Stopping short, the adopted son of Kiritsugu halted his advance and so did the girl behind her. He didn't look behind her, just taking in the fact that she would more than likely have to accept that Illya would be forced to leave her new home. His stillness didn't need words to express how much he didn't want it, and his lack of retort equaled the mystery of why he wanted to keep her close to him; or rather, keep her in his life.
"Sakura, do you remember what your early childhood was like?" Shirou finally asked, his voice ragged and held a rare somber quiver that she never heard before. Looking up at the back of his head, she was quiet, not wanting to answer or was just curious about what he'd say? Either way, he continued to speak after a good pause was left unchallenged, his words unfurling with emotion as he spoke. "I can't. It's not that I don't want to, it's that it's impossible. Before Kiritsugu, it's just...nothing. Like a blank sheet of paper covering static and filled with white noise, nothing is there. The doctor said it's a form of trauma induced long-term amnesia, caused more than likely from the aftershock of surviving what I did. They said that it was a miracle, given where I was I should've been dead, but he saved me from that Hell no one else survived; including my family."
Turning to look at Sakura, her eyes pulsed with a throbbing longing that radiated with a need to understand, becoming filled to the brim once she saw his dead nearly thousand yard stare aimed squarely at her. Or, perhaps it was past her? His voice was suddenly croaking and his mouth continued to tremble as he explained more, "I-If...for some reason, I can find out what Illya's mother was doing here, ten years ago and what her purpose is for reuniting with me, perhaps I can...find out why that fire happened. I want to know, why I'm alive when I shouldn't be. I died, but Kiritsugu saved me, but I don't know what from. If she's lost the same thing as me, not only should I keep her safe, like Kiritsugu did for me, but I should find out what I can and learn what I haven't all these years! Isn't that worth just a little extra time?!"
Wind picked up by them, caressing their school uniformed bodies with its sudden chill. The warmth of the Sun was vanishing with the light, the halo making a majestic hue off Sakura's violet hair died and its darkness putting a more sad deep purple. When the street light switched on, she was looking down, an unreadable blankness with nothing but a depression oozing out of her eyes. This attitude was the result of his words, and for once, he felt as if his confession may have had the opposite effect instead of helping Sakura understand.
Clenching his eyes tight, he sighed, turning around and renewed his trek, hearing Sakura's feet soon join after him. As a street lamp shuddered nearby, almost shaking, Shirou got flashing ring in his head as if something was out of place. Turning to look at the street light, he looked up and over, his senses tracing what he felt was a distortion in the air before his eyes set upon the blinking horizon of night lights activating in downtown. He brought a hand to caress his face, sputtering out as he dismissed the unknown anomaly as his tired mind playing tricks on him.
All the while a fluttering crimson cloaked figure watched the pair walk the path home.
Illya could feel the pieces beginning to fall in place. Based on continued reconnaissance both under the cover of night and with the aid of the day she found the perfect staging grounds to begin her war against the other masters and their servants respectively. Using the Emiya Estate was a great disguise while her true headquarters were properly maintained by her handmaidens, keeping it ready for the time she'd eventually return there. In of itself, this was a decent place for her to monitor Shirou's ever move and dissect every facet of his day-to-day routine and life down to the most minute detail.
Archer assisted her, albeit begrudgingly, in her quest to hound him and scope his development while she became a constant facet of his life. Based on the most recent conversation, she could only deduce that he was desperate to keep her in the same place without going through the effort to find her a new place to live or find out what she was looking for. She had thought he'd be more invasive after this much time had been spent idling by but he was a very comfortable creature of habit, despite that unconscious longing for something greater; part of which was revealed this night.
By the time Sakura and Shirou arrived home, she was already adorned in her white kimono fastened by a rose colored obi, matching her pale complexion and hair to the ruby hues of her eyes. Greeting them at the door, she was attentive to his state of mind, urging him to not worry as they gathered for another eventful meal.
The television, however, brought up an announcement that drew Miss Fujimura's attention. Grabbing the remote nearby her place at the table, she turned up the volume, and everyone was rattled by what the bulletin stated.
"-conclusion of the incident has left many people baffled by the pools of blood left in the wake of missing bodies, some of which have left mangled corpses in their wake. The deaths leaving up to a dozen and the missing somewhere in the triple dozen so far. Authorities have issued a mandatory curfew for the following districts and to keep an eye out for suspicious characters in which you need to inform them after you vacate the premis-"
"What the Hell?" Shirou exclaimed with morbid confusion, twisting around at his table while Sakura looked pale and Illya turning to look with a pair of narrowed crimson eyes. "Who would do that kind of thing?"
"It is Miyama Town. There might've been some sort of accident, or chemicals involved, what with it being an older part of the city," Taiga dismissed, trying to ease the minds of the children present with an obviously forced smile; at least, it was easy to see from Illya's perspective. Leaning forward, she did meet everyone in the eyes as she insisted with the same pleasant tone she led with. "Though, it's wise to listen to the authorities until this mess is cleaned up. Make sure you all come home earlier than usual; I'm sure the school will address that as well, but this is just me, your concerned guardian, talking to you."
"Yeah, that sounds like a good idea," The red-haired man nodded, looking to Sakura who seemed to look lost in thought. Leaning forward, he waved a hand over her face, drawing her out of her stupor with a squeaking start. With widened eyes she looked at Shirou and then Illya, finally over at Taiga. Bowing her head, she cleaned her spot and began standing upright, causing Shirou to look up with worry and his hand instinctively reached out to grab her arm sleeve. "Sakura, you alright? You're not spooked about what's happened, right?"
She shook her head, a sad smile gracing her face upon facing him, "I just remembered I have a lot to do at home. I'm sorry for rushing out so rudely, but with club activities cancelled, I think it's best I make up for that extra time tonight."
"Ah, okay," He replied, forcing his own brighter smile as he stood up and walked around the table as she ushered herself to the door. During his walk, he'd fail to see the twisted lips of Miss Fujimura or Illya's narrowed eyes of keen awareness of an uneasy air surrounding the Matou girl. As she put on her outside shoes, with Shirou still wearing his own indoor shoes, he walked out to the path and watched her coat wrapped person take a few slow steps away from the main structure of the Emiya Estate. Then, she turned and looked away from him, but her face was closer to seeing his outline than it was a moment before; giving a shadowed, melancholic and mysterious visage the young man hasn't seen from her in the time he's known her. "Shirou...will you make sure to come home early, no matter what? There's something I want to...talk to you about."
Blinking oddly, Shirou scratched his scalp and murmured aloud, "Sure, Sakura, but why can't you tell me now?"
"It isn't a good time," She smiled oddly, shaking her head before looking at him once more with a sad gleam from her violet eyes. "It'd be unfair of me to ask you to promise me, but, I just had to ask. Take care of yourself, Shirou."
Numbly, Shirou Emiya watched his junior classmate walk across the paved path of his adopted home and open the gate, closing it with a succinct thud before traveling out of earshot. Darting his eyes down, he bit his lower lip and gripped his hands at his sides, unsure why he felt so frustrated about this sudden departure. Surely it wasn't related to the television news? It triggered something in her head, but he hadn't the faintest idea what; after all, if there was one person he didn't know much about, it was Sakura Matou, whom he has spent much more time with.
Turning around, he'd see Illya, staring at him with a twinge of concern that was retracted from another expression of surprise entirely. He blinked, wondering if his eyes was playing tricks on him, but the kimono dressed girl stepped forward and reached a hand out to grab his. Feeling the warmth of her smaller hand, the shorter woman pulled it up to place it on her face, causing his eyes to dilate and his mouth open to question but she sternly looked back at him.
"Shirou Emiya, I don't want you to worry about anything that's going on. Forget what's happened tonight, and go to school as you always do, with a blissful smile and no dim thoughts," Her words entered his ears in a way that was uncommon for her, measured and collected with a layer of frost upon the base of her voice. Then, in a split instant, she turned it into a giggling smile that brought him out of his dim spell and brightened his countenance. "Alright? Don't worry about a thing."
A few moments of deliberation was all it took for him to dispel his worries. When he really thought about it, all of this could just be an exaggeration blown out of proportion. After all, sometimes bad things happen and there's nothing unusual about it once properly investigated, right? And Sakura's always been a worrier. It wasn't anything he should be concerned about, Shirou decided.
"Thanks, Illya," He affirmed with a sincere smile. "This will probably just blow over before we know it, right?"
"Mhm!" She nodded cheerily. Despite the front she put up -earning a begrudging head ruffle that made her pout her lips and huff with indignation- he walked off with his right hand swaying by and the other pocketing in his pants. Catching a glance of his hand's skin she saw what she had glanced and felt with her own fingers and palm; the etchings of a blood-red marking encroaching upon his hand's surface. Due to his own dense awareness and usual mentally taxed mind, she figured this was a recent phenomena. Her own experience informed her what it was and an inkling what should be done crawled into the back of her mind which she dismissed outright.
It wasn't the right time, not yet. Soon, however, their dream of peace will come crashing down and bring the curtains with them; the illusion of family torn asunder for her grand introduction. Grinning, she hummed an eerie tune as she skipped into the home and closed the main structure door behind her, with its clank echoing into the wind blowing night.
The next day, Shirou was actually relieved. While Sakura had left earlier than usual to school, he blew it off, remembering the advice given to him by his sage guest. The walk over to his school was spent in admiration of the chilled weather that lacked the snowfall they had in the previous couple of months, especially around the holidays. Trekking across the paved sidewalk, he'd eventually find himself at the school grounds, joined with some others making the trip to make it casually before the morning bell.
However, as he passed through the school gate, he felt an ominous thrum pulse across his senses. Like walking through a veil of chills and static, his eyes widened and his mouth parted, unable to properly analyze the sensation that transpired over him. Looking around, he saw no other student seem to acknowledge it, or that he could tell, anybody that had his latent magical talents. As quickly as the sensation came upon him, it vanished and he decided to put it behind him, and just enjoy the rest of the day as he started it.
The early classes weren't a big deal, just more of the same and no word of a potential curfew closing just yet. He figured the school board must be still in discussion or wanted to wait until later in the day. It didn't bother him none, allowing himself to coast through the morning and taking his lunch to an uneventful stop at the clubroom inhabited by the only one reclining with his own lunch set down, Issei Ryuudou.
"Hey, Issei," He remarked, his cheerfulness catching Issei a bit off guard.
"Oh, Emiya," The monk in-training registered his attitude with a glance up and down at his seating person. "I'm surprised you're so enthusiastic. What's the change?"
"Nothing much," The red-headed boy answered with a shrug, unpacking his lunch and setting up his utensils. "Just got some good advice to not worry about things today, is all."
"Hm, perhaps if this was any other day, I'd agree with that sentiment."
"What do you mean?" Shirou asked, taking a bite out of a rice cake.
"If you haven't seen the news, apparently the school decided to take extra precautions and cancel all after-school activities in order for everyone to get home early," Issei explained, making Shirou frown a bit in between his chewing. Gesturing with emphasis, he looked calmly at his classmate with a neutral expression on his face. "I happen to get informed before Lunch at an important mission. They're going to make an announcement after the last class while Club Leaders will be informed discreetly to avoid spreading any form of panic or rumors from circulating in-school."
"People who've seen the news will probably be talking about it anyways," Shirou commented thoughtfully, chewing on more of his meal as he speculated with his friend. "I mean, what's really stopping them from talking about it now from those who are informed?"
"Look, I wish I could explain the rationality of the board, but you'll just have to trust me it's better this way," He sighed with resignation, looking over at the door. A particular face appeared, surprising the pair as the door opened and revealed a familiar tress of brunette stride in and look at Shirou's direction in particular. Blinking owlishly upon her singling him out, she gestured to him and made a simple wave to Issei before the red-head could utter a word.
Getting up, he followed her outside to the barren hallway and closed the door behind him. Looking at her, he enunciated curiously, "And...what can I do for you, Ayako?"
"Well, that depends," She led on, crossing her arms over her chest and jutting a hip out to the side in a casual lean. "I have to ask, even if its a long shot, but did you happen to see Shinji at all after school? Or this morning?"
"Shinji?" Raising a brow, the redhead waved a hand with understandable confusion. "Why? What did he do now?"
"It's what he isn't doing that's pissing me off," She snorted, rolling her eyes as she thumbed down the hall as she explained. "The asshole was supposed to clean up the dojo grounds but he's been putting it off for almost a week. I'm sure you saw the pigsty floors and the dust hanging off the walls, right?"
"Ah, right. School activities are closing early and you've got your other obligations to do too," Shirou assessed, rubbing the back of his neck as he thought about it out loud. "Can't it wait? I mean, the school's supposed to keep students from staying late after all."
"Believe me, if I wasn't already swamped with studies and prepping other things, I'd have done it by now," She assured him with a raise of her hands, now looking a bit more pleading in her eyes and stretching her face to impose this to him. "Please, you'd be doing me a huge favor getting this done. I promise, I'll even take you out on a date; my treat to any place you'd like."
The wording of it made Shirou briefly warm to the cheeks, and his eyes widened. The look in her eyes however softened his heart along with the sound of her voice sincerely begging him for help. It's not like he didn't want to help, but after what Issei had told him, he was under the impression it would be in his best interest to head home with everyone else. He wouldn't do it because a nice girl like Mitsuzuri was enticing him or that he was guilty, he was just torn on what was the right choice?
"Don't worry about a thing!"
Illya's words flashed to the forefront of his mind, reminding him to not overthink things and just do things as he'd normally do. The encouragement from back then reapplied his nerve to shake off what was told to him, allowing him to loosen the tension he didn't know he had in his shoulders and let them sag with a breath he didn't know he was holding.
"Sure," Shirou smiled cheerfully at Ayako, causing the brown haired girl's eyes to widen at this. "I mean, it shouldn't take me too long with a little elbow grease, right?"
Shaking her head, the tomgirl reached out and pulled Shirou into a rare hug, catching him by surprise and squeezing the air out of his lungs. Releasing him from her hold, she placed a quick peck on his cheek, causing his face to engulf in red before she punched him in the shoulder, making him grimace and contort with bewilderment. These things weren't normal, especially for Ayako!
"Don't scare me like that, Shirou Emiya!" She faked a scowl, turning it into a giddy laugh as she began walking away with her hands behind her back, waving back to him as she eyed him over the shoulder. "Oh, and if you tell anyone about our arrangement, I'll make you sorry you did!"
"Uh, I was going to do it anyways," Shirou replied lamely, causing her to laugh more raucously as she skipped down the hall.
Scratching his cheek, he watched her disappear down the hall and around the corner, causing him to ponder what was with the factitious attitude? He couldn't comprehend the mind of the opposite sex, so he just chalked it up as just some weird girl thing. Shrugging, he reentered the club room, making Issei look at him with a pensive -and visibly invasive- stare from his seat at the table.
"What was that about?" He asked brusquely.
Remembering the earlier halfhearted threat, Shirou chuckled and shook his head, taking his seat back at the end of the table before eating his lunch with gusto, "Nothing, Issei. Nothing at all."
"Archer, this better be important."
"It is. After following the boy as you insisted I felt an ominous surge of mana come from entering the premises of the school he studies at. There's a bounded field, and from the feel of it, a quite crafty laying of one if not a bit rudimentary in its creation."
"So, one of the Masters is a student or a teacher at the school who doesn't mind indiscriminate slaughter. We can safely say it isn't just to prove a point or for the thrill of it, given this is a barrier; likely it is going to be charged using the life force of those inside and empower the Master or the Servant in question."
"What are your orders, Master?"
"We're going to see if anyone is going to take the bait."
"So, you think someone else will try to interfere with it?"
"More than likely we're going to have somebody with a heart try to disable it themselves, or another possibility, investigate the cause and inhibit their opponent from gaining more power. It's also possible they could try to find out its source and try to use it to find out the identity of the Master or its Servant."
"In that case, remaining in stealth will be our preferable option. I'll keep in mana form while you employ your magecraft."
"Alright, let's head out, Archer."
After conversing via telepathy, Illya was carried by her Servant towards the school in leaps and bounds. She'd be letting out pleased laughter as she'd sail across the sky before falling down in repetition of their hopping momentum. With her stomach rising up to her neck and falling back downward, it was on the cusp of nauseating while the winter weather was a bit nipping on her skin but her artificial nature combined with being raised in a cold climate dampened the ill effects.
Dropping to the ground, she wove some threads and wrapped an invisible curtain of light that obscured her presence both visually and via her prana to the environment. Unless she was standing fairly close, not even a perceptive Servant could notice her violet furred hat and coat covered body. With her own Heroic Spirit watching in his incorporeal form, they passed through the fold of the barrier and she twinged at the feel of it. Feeling just what her familiar had said, she could only imagine the amount of ruthless carnage this could invoke if left unchallenged on the students and faculty members here.
Looking around, she began to walk calmly, her eyes scanning the area for any possible anomalies that stood out from the usual. The sight of an abandoned school made her nerves dance, the jitters exciting her as blood pumped from her heart in an ecstatic manner. If it wasn't for the mission at hand demanding her stealth, she would've dared anyone to come at her as her instincts for battle demanded something satisfy her growing appetite for bloodshed.
A sudden pulse was felt, as part of a circle had been tampered with the greater whole of the bounded field. Her eyes furrowed, looking around, not feeling the prana responsible for tampering with it. She wondered if this was Assassin's doing, but alerting anyone like herself would be a rookie mistake. No, instead it drew out something else that was watching; that someone being a significant prana that exuded over a water tower next to one of the main school buildings. It swirled up and manifested into the crouching form of a blue hued figure with a red-dyed weapon, a spear perhaps?
"I spotted a Servant up there. Looks like he's noticed what we just did," She mentioned to her Servant.
"Yes, I see him. Do you want me to take a shot at him?"
"Actually, I got a more entertaining method," She intoned with a Cheshire grin, making Archer EMIYA sweat bullets as she pulled a hair and formed a ghostly bird familiar. "Be ready."
"H-Hold on, Master, we shouldn't be-!"
It happened in an instant. Transforming the bird into a sword, she shot it at frightening speed towards the support beams of the tower the Servant was crouching on. Slicing through it, she gestured and wrapped the threads around the now fragile superstructure. With a guided yank, the whole of it began to groan and churn, causing the Heroic Spirit resting upon it to gawk, howl with shock and then be thrashed down in a shattering of metal and blast of water. With the wave of liquid let loose around the side of the building and the side of the structure superficially damaged, out rose a visibly incensed statuesque man with a crew cut looking tuft hair of deep cobalt leading to a tied ponytail. His armor consisted with metal pauldrons shaping over his shoulders, leading to metal outlines over skin-tight fabric, showing the contours of his muscular frame. Most noteworthy was the crimson spear held in his right hand, pulsing with a familiar thrum of mana to Archer and his displeasure was already made known via mental link to the deviously pleased girl.
"Master, that was incredibly foolish!" He rebuked mentally.
"It'd been foolish not to do that," She argued, twisting around and pointing at him with a childish expression of humor stretched on her face. "I mean, did you hear him scream as he came crashing down?!"
"Take this more seriously, Master!"
"OI-OI-OI!" Clanged out the barking dog, causing both to turn and observe the Heroic Spirit looking straight at them. "What sick joke was that?! Not only did your little prank piss me off, it did virtually no damage! What kind of surprise attack was that supposed to be, huh?!"
"One made by an immature, dangerous child," Archer murmured under his breath, causing Illya to kick him in the shin, causing the man to grimace but not move. Fully materializing in a rippling blue wave of mana, he and Illya were made known to the man standing opposite. Strengthening his countenance, he took a few steps in front of his short Master, charging his steely-grey eyes at the Servant opposite of him. "You shouldn't act in such an uncouth way either, Lancer. Such an attitude will make you sloppy and easier to end you in a single motion."
"Ha! Well don't you got the nerve?!" Lancer snarked, taking up a left-legged leaning stance, spear held aloft with the razor edge pointed at a decline to the ground and its back raised up. Just as he fancied the idea of running him through in a single leap, his opponent vanished from the air in a split instant. Veins contracted across his face, razor-slits for pupils dilated and his perception enhanced to work in sync with his reflexes. Twisting around with a whistling swing of his spear, he blocked a harrying assault of sword swings, crashing across the pole handle of his weapon with surprising pressure and built-up momentum that exceeded the human capacity.
Darting around, Illya watched with giggling glee at the sight beheld to her. Streaks of blue and red danced like lightning across the open courtyard of the school grounds, dust unsettled with every clash and the air sending careening waves of wind howling from the more noteworthy collisions. This initial dance was just the beginning, and she was verily pleased at the spectacle shown at firsthand.
Twisting around a bodily arc to avoid a spear's thrust, the single sword Bakuya slid across the pole of Lancer's spear and slid about before Reinforcement increased at the last moment, batting the defending lean and sent him hurtling across the campus into a storage shed. A shattering blast of debris, a hurtling desk of sorts sent hurtling harmlessly in front of him; right before a suddenly appearing Lancer who sped up his thrusts at the now defending Archer.
A defining crack splintered his sword, causing the spearman to grin emphatically as he lunged for the kill.
Twisting air, glowing light and a pulse of mana formed another blade in his alternative hand, deflecting the weapon with ease and forcing back the Servant with a now black weapon with red octagon grooves fashioned over its ebony surface. Forming another Bakuya in his other hand, the man raised his spear aloft in front of him, his eyes wide and his brow furrowed with audible frustration.
"Alright, what the Hell is this?!" Lancer cried out, swinging his weapon abroad with indignation. "Those moves are shabby for a swordsman and yet you're using swift incantation for that other sword. What Class Servant are you?"
"Confused? Perhaps if you were a sharper eye as you were to pick us out before you'd figure that out already," Archer smarmed, a hint of a smile taunting him as he spoke his own analysis. "I, however, already have deduced your true identity. With your skill in a lance only comparable to three in the world, the armor you adorn yourself with and the style you heft that weapon makes it clear; Cu Chulainn."
Sighing, the Lancer's attitude shifted from frustration to bemusing respect. Looking up and down at the white-haired man, he twisted his spear around till it was aligned in a particular stance; one that was known eerily too well to the Counter Guardian. An ignition of crimson flames of mana bristled across the edge of the spear, flowing up the handle till it petered off its pommel. Staring back, he tightened his grip on his weapons, already formulating a plan to halt the Noble Phantasm that was being prepared.
Then, a sudden rattling noise was heard, and both Servants' turned to acknowledge what lied beyond the scope of their fight.
"WHO'S THERE?!" Lancer shouted, Archer already knowing whom had disturbed their encounter. The distant gasps of fright and retreating footsteps etched into his mind from the countless recreations of this scene that he participated in listening to. Just as quickly as their fight began, Lancer left, shifting into a mana form to pursue.
It was unfortunate, however, that Illya's eyes had caught the familiar if not distant outline of whom was fleeing the scene amidst the chaos of their fight.
"Archer!" She cried out, causing EMIYA to wince at being called out. "Don't just stand there! After him!"
"It's probably best if we follow mage law and-"
The sudden pulse of her prana followed up with an imposing throb of pain caused his whole head to ache and nearly crack. Looking over with sweat sloughing off his brow, his eyes filled with red veined cracks, he'd see the menacing Command Seals glow alight over her face and thrum ominously beneath her furred clothes. With hair blistering out akin to Medusa, she commanded him with distinct authority in her voice.
"By my Command Seal you will rescue Lancer's target and protect him till he's out of harm's way!"
Without a say in the matter, his body moved on its own. Grinding his teeth together -even within his astral form- he moved with impeccable momentum and speed, speeding through the building's floors and windows up to the point where the red-haired boy was heaving breath. He was beginning to turn and that fated blow that was aiming for his heart would never come; for Archer's blades would cross in front of him and the flash of red derail over the white-haired man's head into the school ceiling.
"W-WHA-!" Was all Shirou Emiya could get out before feeling a boot kick him in the solar plexus and send him reeling backwards the way he came. Crumpled him slightly, he painfully looked up at the broad back of the red-black clothed man who saved him, not getting even a glance of who he was. Just as he began to stand up, he heard a horrible shout that rattled him back to his senses.
"GET OUT OF HERE BEFORE I DECIDE TO KILL YOU MYSELF!"
Feeling adrenaline pumping through his veins once more, the young man began to clamber down stairs and go an opposite direction he used for a breakneck getaway back home. He had just been cleaning, lost in his helpful task he promised Ayako to do, making it spic and span, admiring his work after the Sun had long since gone down and the moon rose up into the night. To his surprise he had bore witness to something supernatural and it almost cost him his life.
"I should've listened to Sakura! Taiga was right! What the Hell was I doing here?!" He thought as Archer began to do battle with Lancer in the hallway he had long since abandon.
Illya herself had rushed over to the outside point where she could get a good view of the battle transpiring within. Like before, it was a flare of blue and red, cracking and shuddering the windows down to their frames as the pair had a much more cramped space to maneuver. On the one hand, she knew this was a benefit to Archer, disabling his enemy from moving quickly and using his thrusts would be far more dangerous without room to escape. The other hand, he had no means of gaining ground if he wanted to fire a salvo projectiles.
However, Archer was about to reveal another nifty trick.
Tossing a sword past Lancer, he summoned another, tossing it and another pair as it was deflected or spun out of harm's way. Soon there was a pair of blades circling the limited space, constricting the spearman into a boxed area. Gritting his teeth, he began raising his weapon in defense as they spiraled around like spinning razors, crashing into the staff of his weapon in showers of sparks over and over till a pair of them were grasped by Archer who slid beneath his guard and swung around in cleaving arcs at underside of his right arm and side.
"Ngh, shit!" Lancer swore, feeling the bite of the blades cut past the grooves of his armored mesh as he stumbled around and thrust out his spear, managing to nick him across the cheek. The pair resumed a continuous flurry of blows that shattered and broke the surfaces of the flooring to the windows, sending glass shards showering to the ground outside, forcing Illya to deflect some with her mana-infused threads. As the engagement ran on, the Servant seemed to grow frustrated by their current environment and the minor wounds accumulated by both of them. Worst, the confinement made getting his Noble Phantasm to activate would be halted before it could launch properly, making this current avenue a particular disadvantage he didn't wish to pursue.
"Hey, Red Saber," He spoke to his enemy, for lacking any better call sign to give him without understanding his true nature. His wounds would diminish and so would Archer's as he stood erect in the way he was earlier. "I'm disengaging from this fight. My Master wanted me to observe and beyond a point, I wouldn't go full-out, not in a place like this."
"I accept these terms," Archer affirmed, lowering his weapons and following the conduct of this ability Lancer was utilizing. "My Master's conditions for the Command Seal used have already been met. Do what you wish, I have no desire to keep fighting in this current area or time."
"Tch, what an understanding guy," Lancer smirked, turning around with his spear hauled over his shoulder, disappearing in a waft of blue mist. "I'll be going now, tying up loose ends and all. You understand?"
He didn't answer. The memory of this hallway's occurrence being changed by his own hands sickened him in some way. He knew that there was a cost for being summoned by Illyasviel but he never imagined such a vast deviation occurring. Turning around he'd disperse into mana, he'd rejoin his Master in the courtyard, much to his chagrin as she scowled at his return.
"Why did you let him go?! And where is he?"
"Who?" He feigned ignorance, though that just earned a scarier glare which made him raise his hands up with insistence. "I got him out safe, don't worry about it. That Lancer was too busy with me to even notice. I'm sure it'll take him a long time before he puts two and two together."
"Sure," Illya replied with dubiousness, crossing her arms and looking away from him. After a daunting amount of silence passed, she snapped her fingers and pointed to the ground. Sighing, Archer relented and allowed her to mount his back, forcing him to stand upright with her legs held under his arms and hands holding onto his shoulders. "Back to the Emiya Estate, pronto!"
"Yes, Master," He answered begrudgingly, bending down on his knees and leaping with a dramatic pulse of mana and air being shocked. Taking flight he'd soar across the air and get his bearings back in the direction appropriate to what he sought. Hitting a rooftop he propelled himself off it, jumping from one platform and elevated structure to another. With Illya's clenching grip an ever-present reminder than he couldn't dally no matter how much he wanted it, he journeyed up and over to the eventual stop of the home she's lived in for the past four months.
It was strangely quiet, with only the faintest of murmurs had. Dropping her down to the ground, he began to slowly approach the area when he had sudden sense of static and crimson vision bleed over. This scene, it was familiar and yet, different at the same time. A stroke of a blade, a song of metal, and shredding of flesh and blood; it was all that it took to compel him to move.
Leaping past Illya in a blur of red, he performed an instantaneous Projection of Kanshou and Bakuya, clashing in the air against an invisible sword arcing towards his Master. The blows were strong and the grace was uncanny, forcing each and every strike with magnified sparks and blasts of wind from each clash between the pair's weapons. After nearly a dozen exchanges, the weapons in Archer's hands rattled and was on the verge of breaking, his countenance shaken as his mouth parted and his eyes narrowed.
Looking past him Illya saw something that took her breath away. It wasn't the Lancer, but another Servant; one beautiful and refined in every way. Sun-kissed blonde hair had framed a cherub youthful face with a single ahoge frayed upward while the rest of her beautiful yellow tresses were adorned into a braided bun behind her head. Her emerald eyes glared pointedly at them as her weapon, an unseen blade hidden by Invisible Air, channeled a swirl of mana in preparation for a finishing blow. She wore a blue and white dress, enamoring it with steel plating that wrapped her skirt up into a form-fitted breastplate that collared around her neck and protected her arms in gauntlets much like the boots covered by the hem of her armored skirt.
A sudden skirting stop of a frazzled yet alive Shirou caught Illya's eye, making her smile sinisterly. The effect was made on the Servant in front of them, raising her sword up and-
"Illya?" Shirou began to question, suddenly seeing his new companion bear her weapon in order to slay the white-haired girl and the strange red-black man who saved him earlier. Raising his hand out without thinking, he cried out with a desperate plea. "SABER! STOP!"
Due to either improper training or his desire rang true enough without incantation and thorough channeling of mana, a flash of red came from the mark on his hand Illya saw the night before -now fully manifested- and a pulse of otherworldly energy seized Saber up and constricted her movement. Grimacing at this, she looked incensed at the young man over her shoulder, her voice raising up with indignation, "Master! What are you doing?! Our enemies stand before us; we should slay them quickly-!"
"Master, we should withdraw," Archer insisted mentally, though Illya walked past him, causing him to balk visibly since again. "Master!"
"I guess there's no helping it," She sighed, though a playful smile still adorned her face that drew his and the aforementioned Saber's attention. Grabbing the sides of her skirt, she did a proper curtsy, closing both eyes as she announced herself in an accent and mannerism so very different than the red-head was used to hearing. "My name is Illyasviel Von Einzbern. It's a pleasure to meet you in this conflict at last, Shirou Emiya."
Gaping with a slack jawed mouth, Saber looked between the two and questioned with a flabbergasted expression and a point at the white-haired, ruby-eyed girl, "You know her, Master?"
"I-I...thought I did," He mumbled out lamely, almost feeling the strength give out from his legs, though he was caught by a free hand of his Servant to steady his bruised and weary body upright.
"Let's go inside, Shirou," Illya insisted, her voice more familiar but with an eerie edge he was still foreign to as her eyes gleamed at him with unknown intent while her voice belied a temptation to his ears. "Let's answer all of your questions; I'm sure you have plenty for me to give you, don't you, my sweet Shirou?"
A/N: And finished! After a week of positive and excited Reviews I've come back with the next installment of Fate Stay Night: Artifice. This Chapter was an enjoyable retelling as I dabbled with various events that took place in the usual routes but tweaked enough to make up my own interesting spin of conversations for character building, development and (more importantly) how Illya's stay at Shirou's home has started to effect his rationality and mental awareness of danger. Of course, Archer just feels helpless in this scenario; he didn't even get to see dumb Shirou bleeding out in a hallway!
While I will admit, the fights are kind of short, I wanted to emulate just how lightning quick they were in the Visual Adaptations I've seen. That and, this is the beginning of the Holy Grail War; the fight is meant to be short and sweet, to give you a taste of what's to come. And I promise you, I'll be having a nice amount of battles that'll be paced along with the length I want them to be at. Especially given how vastly diverged this timeline is from the other routes thanks to this AU's author...wait...
In any case, I hope you all enjoyed this upload and I hit expectations! ^^; See ya in the next update!