Ayaka dreamed. She saw a wide table, made of fine wood and gilded with precious metals, perfectly circular with thirteen seats around it. Distinguished-looking knights occupied most of the seats, but one, across from a knight she recognized as Saber, was conspicuously vacant. This was Siege Perilous. Only the worthy knight who was fated to find the true Holy Grail was permitted to sit there. All others would suffer die instantly if they presumed to sit on Siege Perilous.
Her eyes opened. She was back in her own bed. But that dream about the Round Table and Siege Perilous… it was about her Servant, Galahad. Had the revelation of Shielder's identity caused her to recall the stories Manaka had loved as she slept? Or was this part of the bond she now shared with Shielder? While Ayaka knew the essentials of the Holy Grail Wars, she had neglected to memorize such details, as she had never planned on fighting in one.
Still… Galahad had found the Holy Grail in his… no, her legend, so what else could it offer her? Ayaka now realized how absurd was it that she had asked Saber what his wish was before her own Servant.
"Shielder?" she asked tentatively.
"Yes, Master?" The rosy-haired Servant materialized beside her.
"What do you wish for?"
"You probably have already realized this, but I have no need for the Holy Grail. The one here in Fuyuki is not even the genuine Grail, but an imitation created by humans to gather wishes so that their own can be granted."
"I know. It's another reason why I hate these Grail Wars… the selfishness of them all."
"Indeed, most wishes are selfish, making this Grail corrupt from the start. I would never debase myself by pursuing a false Holy Grail for my own gain, nor serve a Master who desired it for their own."
"But why come to me in the first place then?"
"Where would chivalry be if knights did not help innocents in distress? From that moment when you called for someone to save you, and I saw the you did not lust after the Grail, I was duty-bound to come to your aid. And of course, if my King is duty-bound to protect you, then I am doubly so."
Ayaka grimaced. She understood the idea of duty well enough, having continued to practice her Magecraft out of duty to her late father, though she found little joy in it. Shielder showed no signs of unhappiness at being her protector, but the idea that the knight had been obligated to protect her from the start rubbed Ayaka the wrong way. It was like she had forced Shielder to become her Servant.
"I still can't get that mindset that you, Saber, and Shirou share, of being so willing to risk yourselves for others. Doesn't that make me a poor Master for you?"
"You are nobler than you give yourself credit for, Master. Did you not put yourself into harm's way to try to assist me against Berserker?"
"I didn't know Berserker was going to come after me like that! That's completely different from something like what Shirou did. He jumped in the way of what was obviously a fatal attack. Only an idiot would…" She trailed off. "I mean, for someone you don't…" She was just going to make Shielder upset with her, wasn't she? "I'm sorry."
"Please, do not apologize. I did not take offense at your words. Self-sacrifice is an uncommon sort of courage, and I will not judge you for it if you think you are lacking in it."
"I'm a coward."
"I stand by my earlier words: you are better than you think you are, Master."
Ayaka didn't feel any better from Shielder's words. If anything, not being chastised for her impertinence made her feel worse.
She resumed her morning routine, which only caused her mood to worsen. As she got dressed, she put on a longer pair of stockings than usual to hide the scars Lancer's hounds had left on her legs. While Garden's medicinal plants had accelerated her recovery, they couldn't erase the faint white marks entirely. It wasn't as if she was pretty anyways, but she didn't want to show off her disfigurement to the entire school. Later, as she took out the eggs for her regular morning meal, she couldn't help but think back to the delicious breakfast Shirou had treated her to the day before. She almost felt inspired to do something exciting with her food for a change… but she lacked the ingredients she would need to make a dish that would could even compare to what Shirou, Sakura, or Saber could make. Rin and Shielder could probably cook better than her too. Even if she had the ingredients, she'd probably just make a flavorless mess or burn the whole meal if she tried.
Still, Ayaka recalled Shielder's comments about wishing that she could have joined her for the meals at Shirou's place, and against her better judgment, she decided to speak up.
"Shielder… it's not much… but… would you like breakfast?"
Would Shielder accept this in place of an apology? Or would the knight just say that such gestures were unneeded, and she shouldn't waste her mana keeping a Servant materialized for something as trivial as breakfast? Worse, Ayaka realized that, deep down, she was being selfish in her request. After the company she had enjoyed the other day, she didn't want to eat alone again. Surely Shielder saw through her even now.
But Shielder graciously accepted.
Ayaka began scrambling the eggs and decided to add some toast, since at least that was simple enough for her. But she was nervous cooking for another person, especially one as distinguished as a Heroic Spirit, and she ended up slightly burning it anyways. It wasn't as bad as she had feared, but if she had been cooking for someone like Saber or Shirou...
No. She wasn't going there.
"I'm sorry. I messed it up," she told Shielder as she set the plates down on the table.
Shielder took a bite of the eggs, and then sampled the toast. "I won't lie and say that it's very good, but you could have done far worse, and I truly appreciate the thought that went into it."
At least knowing that Shielder was Galahad, Ayaka could be sure that her Servant wasn't simply saying that to make her feel better, and Shielder ate the rest of it without complaint.
XxX
Shielder accompanied Ayaka on her way to Homurahara Academy, following behind her in spirit form. Ayaka hoped that she wouldn't encounter Rin en route. She couldn't broach the topic of the Holy Grail War with her in broad daylight, and with Rin having declared her to be an enemy the day before, it would just feel weird.
Of course, she had no such luck. Rin crossed her path at an intersection. Rin bristled as she saw her, and Ayaka tensed. Their Servants were invisible to the naked eye in spirit form, but the spiritual senses of a Servant were highly attuned to other spirits. "Archer is with Rin," Shielder spoke into her mind. "Remain calm. Archer cannot harm you while in spirit form, and as long as we do not attack him or his Master, we can trust that Rin and her Servant will not attack us for now."
The standoff only lasted for a few moments. Rin went "Hmph!", folded her arms, and then continued on her way to school, pointedly ignoring Ayaka.
Still, Rin was the least of her worries. Thinking back, Lancer had said his Master was a "her". According to her knowledge thus far of who had summoned which Servants, and her working theory of who the other masters were, that meant either Sakura or Misaya could have sent Lancer to kill her two nights ago. Judging from their attitudes toward her at school, Misaya was far more likely to be the Master behind the attack.
How was she supposed to go to school with someone who had tried to murder her before she ever became a Master? It was almost enough to send her into a panic again, but Shielder's presence at her side helped calm her. She was still afraid of what might happen, but at least she wouldn't be practically defenseless this time.
Soon, Ayaka reached Homurahara Academy. She encountered Isemi by the school gate, but he didn't seem as cheerful as usual. In another moment, the reason became obvious. Matou Shinji had finally decided to take out his anger on the new transfer student.
"Look, I'm still the boss around here!" Shinji said. "I don't care who you think you are, but you won't be going around undermining my position anymore! And don't hang around my sister anymore! You think I didn't notice? You've got eyes for that Sajyou too- why, here she is right now."
"Leave him alone, Matou-san," Ayaka said softly. She would have liked to used 'Matou-kun', as Tohsaka would, to diminish his position, but doing so would escalate the situation.
"What was that, Sajyou-san? I couldn't hear you."
"Leave him alone Matou-san," she repeated, a bit more firmly.
"Don't be like that, Sajyou-san. Isemi-kun and I were just having a little chat. It's none of your business anyway."
"You're bullying him."
A nasty look flickered across Shinji's face, but in the next moment it was replaced with a grin. "You've got me all wrong, Sajyou-san. I was just making sure there would be no misunderstandings between Isemi-kun and myself. But say... you're not half bad yourself, Sajyou-san," he said, eyeing her. "I don't want you to think I'm a bad guy either. I know some good restaurants around town. If you want, I can treat you after school, and we can talk things over, just the two of us."
To think that the first guy to ask her out on a date would be Matou Shinji made Ayaka want to puke. But instead, she adjusted her glasses and said, her voice soft but icy, "I suppose I'm just your consolation prize after Tohsaka-san turned you down, Matou-kun." There, she had done it!
"You little..." Shinji snarled.
"She got you there, Shinji," Isemi said, sounding much more like his usual self with a good-natured chuckle.
"Shut up!" Shinji turned back to her. "Well, so what if I asked Tohsaka first? She's just too stuck-up for her own good. Think of it, Sajyou! There are certain advantages to going out with a gentleman such as myself."
"My answer is also no."
"You'll regret this!" he called after her, but she had already left him behind.
"See?" Shielder said, still in spirit form. "You went out of your way for Isemi's sake."
"That was nothing," Ayaka said. "Shinji's just a jerk."
She headed up to Class 2C, Fujimura-sensei's homeroom, and took her seat at her desk. A few minutes later, Shirou walked in.
"He doesn't have Saber with him," Shielder told her.
Ayaka wanted to groan in frustration. The whole point of her warning him about the other Magi at their school was so that he would take the appropriate precautions to protect himself. But Shirou had come to school, with nothing to protect him save a mysterious healing power that might not work a second time. Rin and Misaya were sure to take notice of Shirou's carelessness too. Well, maybe Shirou would be safe from Misaya for now, if she didn't know he was a a Master yet, but she would find out soon enough.
Fujimura-sensei came in just before the bell. It seemed she hadn't spoken to Kuzuki-sensei yet, so any stern lectures from the Tiger of Fuyuki would have to wait until then. Ryuudou Issei, the Student Body President, dutifully led them them in the morning ritual of bowing to the teacher, though very few students took Fujimura-sensei seriously.
Ayaka avoided Ryuudou to the extent that she could. Ryuudou saw through Rin's school idol facade, recognizing the devilish personality that lurked beneath it, and had come to despise Rin through years of having to put up with having her as his Student Council Vice President in junior high school. Ayaka knew that deep down, her own personality was not so different from Rin's, and she wasn't nearly as good of an actress, so Ryuudou would likely see through her if she spent any more time than necessary around him. It didn't matter if they were priests from the Church, or monks from local temple, but those who devoted themselves to religious orders were for the most part the natural enemies of Magi, viewing them as heretics. Kirei, and now Sancraid, were exceptions, in that they were also Magi themselves, but that was part of why Rin called Kirei a 'fake priest'. Ayaka's brand of Magecraft, Witchcraft, was particularly hated by the Church, for it was quintessential black magic, specializing in curses, and it had deep roots in pagan traditions.
Of course, Ryuudou had long since picked up on her aversion to him, and while her meek behavior at school was generally inoffensive, he had still decided that she had a "guilty conscience." Unfortunately, given that Ryuudou was friends with her ally, Shirou, it would be harder to avoid him now.
Ayaka's attention continued to wander through English class. Of course, this meant that Fujimura-sensei decided to call on her.
"Earth to Ayaka-chan!"
"Ummm… I'm sorry, Fujimura-sensei."
"You were zoning out in the last class too. And here I thought my best student could help Shirou-kun out with thus one." Her teacher's words were in Japanese, for it was rare for instruction to be given in English, even in the English class.
How embarrassing. "What was the question?" Ayaka asked, also in Japanese. As much as she cursed herself for bragging at times, she didn't like showing off her English because it only reminded people of her foreign ancestry, which drew unwanted attention to her.
"Which word completes the sentence for #16?"
Ayaka glanced down at her paper to see what she had written there. "Collaboration," she said smoothly. It was a difficult word for most Japanese speakers, who had trouble distinguishing the sounds of L's and R's, but Ayaka managed it.
"Excellent," Fujimura-sensei said. "Maybe you should study English with Ayaka-chan one day, Shirou-kun."
Fujimura-sensei wasn't going to let that go, was she?
Soon, it was time for World History, and Kuzuki-sensei came into the room. While students made fun of Fujimura-sensei to her face, no one would dare to treat Kuzuki-sensei in such a manner. Whereas Fujimura-sensei was childish and occasionally late to class, Kuzuki-sensei was professional and always punctual. He wore a smart green suit, and his bespectacled eyes quickly surveyed the class, taking note of any absences or would-be troublemakers. Kuzuki-sensei didn't need to raise his voice to command the class's respect. While he always remained calm, his presence was such that all it took was a single stern gaze from him for miscreants to wilt in their seats.
"Let us begin," Kuzuki-sensei said, and the class fell silent.
Kuzuki-sensei delivered a lecture on Medieval Europe. He covered the feudal system as it existed in France and Britain, comparing it to Japan's, which emerged later than in Europe and lasted until the Meiji Restoration of 1868, and expounded upon the legal and philosophical bases of each. He also noted the similarities and differences between European chivalry and the Japanese code of bushido.
"How oddly appropriate," Ayaka thought to herself, and she found herself paying closer attention to Kuzuki-sensei's lecture than usual.
"You know you can always ask me about chivalry if you would like a firsthand description, Master" Shielder said into her mind. "But I must admit, it is fascinating to see what education is like today. Schooling was the privilege of a few in my time. Even some of the knights couldn't read. You are very fortunate to have a teacher as knowledgable as Kuzuki-sensei."
"While you must all study hard to do the best you individually can on your college entrance exams," Kuzuki-sensei said as he wrapped up his lecture, "in your future careers, you will be asked to work for the good of the group. Therefore, you will complete your next assignment in pairs, and submit it to me one week from today."
Huh? A paired assignment?
"… Emiya-san and Sajyou-san…"
"No way…"
"Is there a problem, Sajyou-san?" Kuzuki-sensei's gaze found her, and she could feel the pressure emanating from it.
"No, sensei."
The bell rang, signaling that it was time for the lunch break. Ayaka walked over to Shirou. "You're not some kind of psychic, are you?"
"No! I swear!"
"Fine… let's see if we can find Tohsaka-san then."
"Right."
But as they stepped out into the hall, they encountered the person Ayaka least wanted to see right now.
"Oh, my, my…." Reiroukan Misaya said, affecting a noblewoman's laugh. "You've changed your style, Sajyou-san. Perhaps there are some scrapes on your legs you don't want the rest of us to see. Were you clumsy again? Or perhaps you ran into a pack of stray dogs on the way home from school. Either way, you should be more careful. These are dangerous times." Nothing that she said would be construed by outside observers as implying participation in a secret war between Magi, but she wasn't at all trying to hide from Ayaka the fact that she was indeed Lancer's Master.
"She has a Servant with her!" Shielder warned, confirming what Misaya had practically admitted.
"I don't want trouble," Ayaka said, trying to meet Misaya's eyes without flinching. But she was terrified.
"Emiya-kun seems to be following you rather closely today. I wonder why that is."
"We were assigned a project together in Kuzuki's class," Shirou told her.
"I wonder… is that all there is to it?" Misaya took a step closer. "I must say that I'm impressed, Emiya-kun. I honestly never thought that you had it in you. Maybe you should study with me some time. I would be able to teach you far more than Sajyou-san ever could."
Ayaka clenched a fist. Misaya knew that Shirou was a Master. Most likely, Misaya had sent familiars to observe them from afar after Lancer's attempt to kill her had failed, and had viewed the battle with Berserker through their eyes. Now Misaya was trying to seduce Shirou away from her.
"I'm… fine studying with Sajyou-san," Shirou stammered, clearly uncomfortable with how close Misaya was getting to him.
"That's a shame, Emiya-kun. Are you sure? You have so much untapped potential. You should choose your friends wisely, Emiya-kun, or you may regret it later."
"Don't listen to her!" Ayaka thought. "She doesn't care about you! She only wants Saber!"
Of course, people were starting to take notice. Not only was Shirou with Ayaka, but one of the most beautiful girls in the school was obviously hitting on him.
"So the Second Red Devil shows herself," Ryuudou Issei said, coming up behind them. "Tell me, Reiroukan… what wicked scheme do you have in mind for Emiya-san?"
"What a pleasant surprise, Student Body President," Misaya said. "You needn't worry yourself. I was just asking if he would like some help studying. But I'll be on my way now." She gave a small wave. "Think over what I said again, Emiya-kun. But don't keep me waiting for long."
"So that's what they're calling it these days," Ryuudou said, shaking his head. "You do realize that you can't trust a woman like that, no matter how she much comes on to you, don't you, Emiya-san?"
"Yeah…" Shirou said breathlessly.
The Student Body President turned to Ayaka. "You may have an assignment with Emiya-san from Kuzuki-sensei now, but don't you think of trying anything funny with him either. You're not a deceiver of men like Tohsaka and Reiroukan are, but I know you're hiding something from me."
"I promise," Ayaka said, eyes downcast. Then, a thought occurred to her. Kirei had said that the Reserve System had been activated, which would deplete Fuyuki's leyline. The Ryuudou Temple, which Issei was the heir to, rested directly atop the leyline at it's strongest point. If true, might the monks have noticed something?
"Ryuudou-san…" she began, still avoiding eye contact with him. "How are things at the temple lately?"
"Why do ask, Sajyou-san? You never ask me questions like that. Now I'm even more curious as to what your game is." He sighed. "But if Emiya-san's with you, I suppose I can tell you." He lowered his voice. "Something's not right at the temple. The monks say that the sacred power of Mount Enzou suddenly waned just a few days ago. It's only at a fraction of what it should be now. It's got everyone on edge up there. It's an ill omen, and if it becomes widely known that Mount Enzou has lost that which made it holy, then visitors and donations to the temple will dry up."
"That's terrible," Shirou said.
"And it's my fault," Ayaka thought. Her Servant was summoned with the Reserve System after all, which was responsible for the depletion of the leyline. She hadn't asked Kotomine for details, but it was likely that such a precipitous drop in the energy of the leyline could permanently damage it. Even if it recovered somewhat over time, it might never be as powerful as before. It could be centuries before Fuyuki was suitable for another Holy Grail War. But Fuyuki as a whole would go into decline. With an anemic leyline, which normally pulsed with life itself, it would become more difficult for plants and animals to live in and around Fuyuki. Rin's territory would lose much of its value. She couldn't be happy with that.
"Hey, Sajyou-san," Shirou said, returning her to the moment.
"It's not all bad though, and there's still something to celebrate" Ryuudou continued. "Did you know that Kuzuki-sensei is getting married?"
"Really?" Shirou asked.
"To a beautiful woman, no less. She's very dignified, and she's staying at the temple until the ceremony is completed."
"That's good for him," Ayaka said, not sure of what to make of it. Kuzuki-sensei didn't seem like the type to fall in love to her.
"Well, I should let you get your lunches. Later, Emiya-san. And I've got an eye on you, Sajyou-san."
Ryuudou left them, and soon, they found Rin, who seemed none too pleased to see them.
"We just want to talk, Tohsaka-san," Shirou said.
"I shouldn't be giving you the time of day right now," Rin huffed. "But since you're with Sajyou-san, I guess I'll hear you out. Meet me on the roof. But if this isn't worth my time, you'll be sorry."
XxX
"You still want an alliance?" Rin fumed. "Didn't I tell you? We're enemies now, got it? And I don't know about you, Sajyou, but I wouldn't want an ally who doesn't even have the sense to bring his Servant with him. He's just asking to be killed!"
"Saber can't dematerialize. It would raise too many weird questions if he was to come here."
"So do you at least have him waiting outside the school?" Ayaka asked.
"No. I'll be fine. The other Master's can't attack us here."
"Argh! See! I rest my case, Sajyou! Your partner is a complete incompetent! The only thing he knows how to do is throw himself into harm's way. Now you've got me all pissed off!"
But suddenly, there was a chuckling, feminine voice on the wind. "I see that the little Magi are all in one place. I should thank you, girl. Imagine my surprise when I found out that there were other Masters who went to this school."
"Huh?" Shirou said.
"Oh no…" Ayaka trembled.
"I recognize that voice!" Rin said, looking up toward the sky. "You're the Servant who Archer and I fought here the other day… Caster!"
Author's Note:
Thank you very much for the reviews, favorites, and follows so far.
A few reviewers have noted some pacing issues with the story. Part of this is undoubtedly a symptom of me trying to rush to complete as much of it as possible over the summer as possible, as I will have less time to write once the school year begins, and updates will become less frequent. Nonetheless, I'll try to keep up a fairly steady update pace until then.
Shinji is in love with the idea of being a proper Magus, and that is exactly what Tohsaka Rin represents to him in canon. Fate/Prototype establishes the Sajyou as a fairly prominent bloodline, so it makes sense that Shinji would similarly try to make advances on Ayaka.
As for Misaya, though we have relatively little material to go on for her character, from what we have seen in Fate/Prototype, we know she is proud and cruel. Her wardrobe preferences appear to be more revealing than her F/SN counterpart's, so I came up with the idea that she might try to wrap Shirou around her finger by taking advantage of her beauty and her superior skill as a Magus. Considering that a Magus family from Tokyo would probably be higher-ranked than one living in the backwater of Fuyuki, it seems likely that Misaya could be even more powerful as a Magus than Rin, and we know that she was ranked as the second most powerful Master in Fate/Prototype.
Lastly, if anyone is interested in becoming an additional beta reader, particularly those with a good knowledge of the Nasuverse, please PM me.
