The girl held a hand close to her chest as she gulped, beads of sweat forming on her forehead. Her eyes were focused on the horizon, her chocolate brown irises fixed on a red blur speeding through the area as it dodged a hail of bullets.
Her heart was hammering against her chest that she could her the loud thumping of her heartbeat in her ears. The red blur was doing a good job in defending itself from the onslaught of attacks, dashing in all sorts of directions while parrying the bullets every now and then, but it was clear that the red blur was struggling and was slowly but surely losing the battle.
An evil cackle resounded in the air, causing her to spin around sharply to meet its source. There, standing smugly as always, was Shinji, with a hand on his hip and a confident smirk on his lips. The girl eyed him in mute terror as he gave another laugh, his eyes portraying an indescribable expression of bloodlust.
Taking a menacing step towards her, Shinji begins to speak. "Haha, you didn't really think that you could defeat me, did you...Hakuno?" His question rang painfully in her ears as her breathing quickened. The girl wanted to run away from him, but found that her feet had been promptly nailed to the ground.
The sharp sound of seething steel causes her to turn her head in the direction of the red blur again. Her eyes widened, her mouth agape as her dilated pupils watched the red blur stop moving, eventually falling to the ground. She wants to call out to it, but found that her voice had died in her throat.
A pain rips throughout her being as the girl collapses hard onto the ground. Confused, the girl shakily looks down at her legs, only to see that they had been embedded with bullets, bleeding profusely as the crimson liquid was already seeping into her skirt. She takes a moment to gingerly touch her wounded legs, looking at her red-stained fingertips in horror. She manages a strangled noise of utter pain, tears already running down her cheeks like a fountain at the burning sensation. It hurt, it hurt so much. Never did she think she could ever feel such agonizing pain.
A shadow looms over her as she slowly looks up to see Shinji and his servant looking down at her, with Shinji still wearing that smirk of his. "Looks like I win. Oh well, the end result was pretty obvious. After all...you're nothing but a weakling, Hakuno." More pain shot through her body as she winced, feeling the bullets pierce through her arms and torso as she fell unceremoniously to the ground.
The tears hadn't stopped as she began to cry. Why was this happening to her? No, she didn't want to die...not yet! Staring at the pistol aimed at her forehead, Hakuno's eyes bulged in fear as she struggled to beg for her life to be spared, finding that no words would come out of her mouth. "Now...die."
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Archer awoke to the sound of sobbing.
The man was quick to get up, utterly confused but on high alert as he scanned his surroundings. It was still quite early in the morning, with the sky still dark as night. The man quickly caught sight of his master on the bed in a sitting position, her hands covering her face as the girl let out soft hiccups.
Without another second to spare, the servant was already by her side, bending on one knee so he could be on eye level with her. "Master, are you ok? What happened?" When the girl didn't respond, Archer placed a hand on her arm, only for her to twitch and violently pull away from his touch as soon as she felt the contact of his fingers, scooting away slightly to distance herself from him.
Archer couldn't help but feel a twang of hurt himself at how she rejected him so quickly at the mere brush of his fingertips on her arm, but there were more pressing matters to address at the moment. "Master, what happened? Please tell me what's wrong," he tried again, trying to prompt her as gently as he could at the moment.
The girl shook her head, rubbing her eyes, a clear indication of not wanting to tell him anything. Seeing that he wasn't going to get any answers out from her, Archer slowly moved over and tried to pry her hands from her face, feeling her tense up once again as she tried to struggle against his hold, her cries escaping her open lips in a frenzy.
"Master, calm yourself down. It's just me...!" Darn it, just what the heck happened to her?! Did someone break into their room without him noticing and had attacked her?? No, that couldn't be possible; Archer would've sensed something like that immediately. Then what could-
Finally managing to pull her hands away from her face, he could see how distraught she was. Her eyes were red and sore from crying, with tears still freely streaming down her face, her nose and cheeks also a hue of bright red. But what concerned him the most was how frightened the girl looked, the obvious fear that showed on her face as her shoulders shook with each breath she took.
Ok, now he really needed to know what was going on. Personal privacy be damned, he was gonna question her until she did tell him. Nosy or not, he wasn't gonna just go back to sleep and pretend that his master was alright when she clearly wasn't. "Master, you need to tell me...otherwise I won't know what's going on," he says slowly, careful not to raise his voice at the already scared girl.
Hakuno continued to shake her head, the tears pouring down her cheeks as her lips quivered. She manages to force out a sentence, her voice dry and cracked as she croaked out, "I'm fine, really."
"For someone who's crying her eyes out, you don't look 'fine' to me," Archer retorted, his patience starting to wear thin. Dang it, why won't she just tell him what was wrong already?? Was she worried that he might laugh at her or something??
"No, it's...nothing really...just..." Her voice came out in between hiccups and sobs, and soon enough she found herself unable to speak as she broke down in front of her servant, more hot tears escaping her eyes as she shut them tight.
Her servant went quiet as she continued to cry. Hakuno was well aware of her embarassing actions, that she was a blubbering mess. However, she couldn't stop the salty drops of liquid from escaping her eyes as she clenched her hands into fists. She kept her head low, feeling the tears soak the blanket. The girl honestly didn't know whether to feel scared or embarassed.
It was then that she felt a hand on her shoulder. Her body went stiff involuntarily, her head still kept low as memories of what she had had dreamt began resurfacing in her head. "...It's ok Master. Whatever happened...it's over. I'm here," she heard Archer's voice quietly mutter through the darkness.
Surprised, she finally manages to look up at him slowly through teary eyes after a minute or two. There, before her was her servant, with a comforting hand on her shoulder as his thumb ran slow, gentle circles around it, a look of concern on his features. The girl continued to stare at him through her blurry vision, obviously taken aback by his gesture.
"I'm here...so there's no need to be frightened," he repeated, staring at her seriously. His other hand released her wrist before patting the back of her hand in a soothing manner. "I'm here...so don't be afraid." Slowly but surely, the girl's body relaxed and despite the fact that tears were still escaping the edge of her eyes, the girl manages to give a nod.
The two continued to remain like that, until Archer eventually piped up. "Now, it would be great if you could tell me what happened master." Hakuno's eyebrows knitted together in a frown as she bit on her lower lip, slowly tilting her head downwards in a futile effort to stop the rain of tears that was still flowing from her eyes.
"Master..." Slowly and very gently, as gently as he could, Archer slowly placed both of his hands on her face as she slowly tilted her head back up to face him, using his thumbs and index fingers to brush away her tears as best as he could.
Hakuno could feel the warmth of his palms and the cold feeling of his fingertips against her cheeks. "...I am your servant. As your servant, it is my duty to protect you at all times. I won't laugh, nor will I scold or get angry with you. I am simply asking you to tell me what's troubling you," he says, his voice kept low and quiet.
It was then that she could see the earnest sincerity in his eyes, the worry never leaving his features as he continued to gently prompt her. Gulping, she allowed herself a moment for her breathing to even, for her to collect her thoughts before she uttered in a voice so soft it was almost an inaudible whisper, "...I had...a nightmare."
"A nightmare? About what...?" Archer asks, his hands still gently cocooning her cheeks. Bringing her hands to hold his, Archer could feel them shaking as she took a sharp inhale of breath. "I-It was...nothing really. I just...dreamt...that we were facing the Elimination battle...and fighting against Shinji and Rider."
She paused, unsure of how to continue without potentially breaking down in front of her servant again. "You...you were fighting against her, but...you lost, and...then..." Hakuno blinked rapidly, more tears already forming as she went on. "Rider...she...shot me and...I was covered in blood and..."
Another hiccup escaped her lips as she began to tear up, withdrawing her hands to try and cover her eyes. "It...the pain felt so real. She shot all my limbs and my abdomen and it felt so painful...and...I couldn't do anything at all! I felt so powerless, so useless...!" Before she could stop herself, the girl found herself crying in front of her servant once again.
"It was...just a nightmare Master. You don't need to worry, you're safe right now," Archer tried, feeling stressed out at his master's current state. Just what was he supposed to do to stop her from crying?! Even he was starting to panic!
"No...that's not it! It...It was painful but...!" She goes silent, almost as if scared to finish her sentence. "...It was...the fear...of not being able to do anything," she eventually finished, her voice sounding so lost and broken. She Her eyes stung from crying for so long, her nose felt all nasally and disgusting and all she wanted to do at that very moment was curl into a ball and hide.
"I couldn't do anything at all Archer. I couldn't help you when you were fighting against Rider. I couldn't save you when you got injured. I couldn't even run away from Shinji and Rider before I got...killed!" Just uttering the last word gave her a sick, nauseous feeling in her stomach as she looked at her servant sorrowfully. "I wasn't able to do anything at all Archer. It is not Shinji or Rider that I am scared of but...it was the fact that I was so...powerless, that I couldn't even do a single damn thing when we faced against them!"
Archer was about to retort back but was cut off by Hakuno's trembling voice. "I even allowed you to die without being able to help you! You risked yourself for me like you always did, but all I could do was watch until you perished!" She was well aware of how pathetic she must look towards her servant, but she couldn't stop the stupid tears from escaping her eyes.
Archer suppressed the urge to sigh or massage his temples as he tried to soothe her. "Master...it was just a bad dream. What happened to you wasn't real, so you need not be-" "Who's to say that this couldn't happen in real life, here within the Moon Cell?!" Hakuno herself felt shocked at how harshly she retorted back at him, but she of all people knew the sad truth.
She knew of how useless she was to him as his master, how powerless she was during battle, how cowardly she really was, how she served no purpose other than being a mere spectator that couldn't do anything. She couldn't even offer any support whatsoever the last time they fought against Shinji and Rider! And the dream she had felt a huge slap towards her face of the reality of it all; it reflected what really could happen to both her and Archer with the way things were now, and that frightened her terribly. The last thing she wanted was for both of them to get hurt...or possibly even...die because of her!
She was just a master who happened to be lucky and got saved on a whim by a servant who took pity on her. Heck, she didn't even have any memories when she awoke in this place! She was a powerless being who constantly needed saving from her servant like a damsel in distress, and couldn't even stand up to Shinji or help her servant when he needed it on the battlefield; she was like a cheap, hideous plastic decoration put on display that served no general purpose.
She didn't belong here, no matter how she looked at it. She shouldn't have that privillege when others better than her should've lived on and fought in her place instead. She couldn't even stomach the fact that she needed to kill Shinji in order to survive.
She didn't deserve to live.
The girl sat there, hopeless, sorrowful and filled with despair. What could she possibly do? There was nothing beneficial that she could offer her servant to prove that she was worthy of being his master, of standing on the battlefield as a useful asset that would give them the upper hand. She was always just standing on the sidelines, watching Archer as he risked himself to make them stronger. At this rate, it was obvious that they would never beat Shinji, not with the way she was now.
She was afraid.
How could she not be? Just a few days ago she assumed that she was living a normal life, attending school with her classmates who weren't trying neck-to-neck to kill one another. Just the mere notion of taking one's life had her feeling sick to the core, at both the reality of it all and at herself. She hated the fact that she was so weak, so useless, so-
She was abruptly broken out of her thoughts when Archer swiftly took ahold of her wrists once again, pulling them away. She didn't even bother to struggle against him this time, her head hung low in shame as her bangs shielding her eyes away from his gaze. She didn't know how to act or what to say anymore.
"You're alive." Hakuno stopped, her eyes wide as she stared blankly at the sheets, still afraid to look back up at him. "...You're alive and breathing Master. You're sitting before me now, fully awake and alive." Archer slowly pulled his hands away from her face to grasp her hands, gently removing them from her eyes as he leaned in slightly closer to look into her chocolate-brown irises.
At this moment, Hakuno would feel a tiny tinkle of joy, but was quickly replaced by frustration and sadness. "...But what about tomorrow? Or during the Elimination Battle? There's no guarantee that we'll be able to...live," she says in a hushed tone, her throat raw and sore from crying. She frowns, her puffy eyes squinting at him.
"...You're aware as well, aren't you? That I'm not capable of being a master who's better than Shinji. I can barely provide you sufficient support much less defend myself from enemy programs or even stand up to Shinji in terms of his skills." Archer doesn't retort or respond as she goes on, her fingers curling back into fists as her nails dung into her palms.
"I'm clumsy and clueless, and I don't know my way around magic or sorcery or even heroic spirit history. I'm powerless in battles and all I can do is heal you when you risk yourself...for my sake." She gives out a bitter chuckle despite the pain that enveloped their throat. "We can't win. You deserve a master that can properly fight, a master that has your back when you're in a pinch during battle, a master who can at least take care of herself...and I can't be that person. I'm only gonna end up pulling both of us down Archer. And...I'm so sorry."
Her apology sounded regretful and...just...sad. She didn't know what else to say anymore other than apologizing to her servant. She had to inwardly curse as her vision started blurring again. Great, so she was gonna break down in front of him for the third time. As if things couldn't get any worse than this.
What better way to reveal her horrific, weak self to her servant than to add to the situation by crying like a baby? Hakuno had to applaud for her inability to hold in her emotions when she needed it most (real smooth Hakuno, great job!) She didn't think that there could be any situation as complicated as this at this very moment. She hadn't intended for the situation to escalate to this point...but the pressure was just too much for her to take in at the moment.
Archer doesn't say anything for a while, choosing to remain silent until eventually, his grip on her hands tightened. "...I'm not going to deny your flaws as a master. Indeed, compared to other magi, you are rather inexperienced, and lack even the basic knowledge on magecraft or sorcery."
"You are clumsy especially when we're in the Arena, and your magic circuits are only capable of supplying me mana and healing me when I'm wounded. You constantly allow yourself to get influenced by your enemies, and almost got yourself killed within the first few days." Hakuno didn't know whether she wanted to listen on anymore, tensing her shoulders at his scathing comments; she wanted to shut her eyes tight to avoid his gaze, to cover her ears to drown out his criticism and complaints, to get away from this ridiculous, convoluted reality that was placed before her.
Hakuno almost laughed at the thought. If there was one thing she found out during the past 4 days, it was that she not only was powerless, but was a major coward who didn't want to stand up to her foes. She was a coward who only slowed Archer down when they were in the Arena, a coward that can't even look at their enemies straight in the eye without breaking into sweat or a nervous wreck.
Rin was right; she could never survive and proceed onto the next round in such a state. Who was she kidding?! She must've been out of her mind to even think for a mere second that she maybe stood a chance against Shinji and his servant, that she and Archer could actually win! Such a thing seemed nothing but absolutely crazy to her now that she thought about it.
"But...underneath all that, I see a woman who compromises her lack of strength with diligence. I see a woman who tries to analyze a situation carefully before making a move." Archer's gaze doesn't falter, staring straight into Hakuno's eyes as he continues.
"I see someone who stays in the Arena for hours to train. I am looking at the same person who works very hard to improve herself. I am staring at the woman who doesn't get ahead of herself, and tries to find as much as she can about her opponent. And most of all..." Archer allows himself a pause, seeing Hakuno's eyes flicker towards him in astonishment. Had...had her ears betrayed her...or?
"...The same woman that I'm staring at now is a master who considers the wellbeing of others over herself, and does her very best each day," he finally finishes, giving a hands a light squeeze. Hakuno opens her mouth, unsure of what to say due to the shock for a moment. "...And that master is you," he quietly adds.
Now it was Hakuno's turn to stay silent. No...no he...he couldn't have, surely he couldn't have. Had her servant, the same sarcastic man who had teased her and bombarded her with insults when they first met, said all those nice things about her...? Somehow, she found it extremely difficult to believe and process. "You...honestly think so?" She asks timidly after a while, trying to hide the hue of red that dusted her cheeks.
Archer lets out a cough, clearly uncomfortable with what he just uttered. "...I mean...you are too soft hearted for your own good. That, and I bet Rin thinks so as well." Looking away from her, Archer sighs. "Besides, I am your servant. As I mentioned, it is a servant's duty to begin with to protect their master. So...don't beat yourself up over it too much. I'm well aware that you're trying your best in your own way too."
Moving away, he brings a hand to her forehead and lightly flicks it to emphasize his point. "And also, who says we can't win? We've discovered a lot about Shinji's servant, and I've also gotten stronger after regaining of my abilities and skills from that Alteration of the Soul."
Poking her forehead, he lets his index finger linger there for a while before he withdraws his hands back to his side, crossing his arms over his chest and letting out a huff. "Don't come to the conclusion that we'll lose just because Shinji's servant is powerful. Even I've got some tricks up my sleeve. That, and I don't intend to go down without a fight, so you should too."
Hakuno was taken aback, too surprised to even reply to her servant's words. Unexpectedly, the corners of her mouth began to curl into a small smile, an earnest one. To think that her servant would be able to console her like this; the girl almost wanted to laugh at the absurdity of it all. "...Thanks Archer. I...I think I feel better now," she replies, the smile never leaving her features.
"Hmph, don't expect me to say those sorta sappy things often. Anyway, there's still a few hours till the sun rises. I'd recommend that you go back to sleep and get some rest. We have another long day ahead of us tomorrow." Hakuno frowns at his suggestion, her smile slipping as she bit on her bottom lip; the girl didn't really wanna go back to sleep after waking up from that horrible nightmare that got both of them into this dilemma in the first place.
Sighing once again, Archer slowly stands up and brings a hand to pat her head, ruffling her hair. "There's no need to be afraid master. I doubt you'll have the same nightmare twice in one night. But if anything happens, I'll be nearby." Somehow, his gestures and voice reassured her, as the girl unknowingly began to smile once again. Oddly enough, he almost seemed like some sort of father that was consoling his daughter or something. "...Alright. Thanks again Archer. And...I'm really sorry for waking you up."
Shaking his head, Archer suppresses a yawn as he withdraws his hand from her head. "It's fine. Anyway, get some rest." Nodding, Hakuno allows her head to fall back onto her pillow, her eyes closing as Archer made his way back to his throne of chairs, plopping into his usual position.
Hakuno waited until she could hear Archer's slow, soft breathing, indicating that he had fallen asleep before choosing to open her eyes. Staring at her servant, she couldn't help but smile gratefully at him before she too soon fell asleep. "Thank you, and good night...Archer."