Chapter 8: The Fourth Master
Shinji finally seemed to notice the fierce glare on Shira's face.
"Why, Emiya, who pissed in your tea this morning?" His voice was mocking.
"You did after I realized you're the one behind the barrier!" Shira snapped.
"Oh, so you're a Master against your will, too?" Shinji asked, unruffled. "That makes two of us; I have no interest in fighting in this ridiculous Grail War."
"Bullshit, Matou! You expect me to believe that when you've placed a huge, life-draining barrier around the place?"
"I'm sure you're aware that we have a magus at school by the name of Tohsaka, right? I simply thought it was best to take some defensive measures with her around."
At that moment, Shira could've hit Shinji and not have felt the least bit sorry about it. "You call this a defensive measure?!"
"Don't get your panties in a bunch, Emiya," Shinji said, still wearing that infuriating smirk, "but as long as you're willing to chat, why don't we continue this talk at my place?"
Oh, I'm so sure that talking is all you have in mind, Shira thought sarcastically. "I wouldn't go anywhere with you with a ten-foot pole. Anything you have to say to me, it can be said here."
Shinji's mouth twitched downward and a flicker of annoyance flashed in his eyes, but his smirk was back on his face in no time at all. "Fine, then; I'll get straight to the point. I think you and I should work together."
...What? Shira blinked, her glare only slightly fading.
Shinji continued without waiting for a response. "While I have become a Master, I'm far from experienced, so I'd like to join forces with someone I can trust."
Trust happens to be a two-way street, and I trust you about as far as I can throw you. Out loud, Shira said, "First of all, I have some questions of my own. Who attacked Mitsuzuri? It was you, wasn't it?"
"Oh," Shinji answered, as if suddenly remembering something, "I did hear about what happened to that poor girl. It seems to me like she was attacked by someone's Servant. I hope it goes without saying that I had nothing to do with it."
"Uh-huh." Shira pressed her lips into a thin line; she didn't believe him for a second, but forcing the issue wouldn't get her anywhere. "Next question: How it is that you were chosen to be a Master?"
"The Matou family is a magi family," Shinji said matter-of-factly.
Shira's eyes widened in surprise. "Since when?"
"A long time ago. Our powers have dried up, so no one in our family is currently a magus. We've studied the lore, but that's it."
"Wait, are you saying Sakura has studied magecraft, too?" It sounded ridiculous to Shira; Sakura had always seemed so normal.
Shinji scoffed. "Don't you know anything? When there are two children in a magi family, it's the eldest son who becomes the heir. The general rule is that those who aren't chosen as successors are either raised in ignorance of magic or adopted out."
"I see." Shira nodded. "So Sakura doesn't have anything to do with the Grail War."
"Yes, but that means I can't use magic and you don't know its history, which makes us the perfect partners. Together, we can take out our biggest threat." Shinji smirked again. "That being Tohsaka."
"Tohsaka?" Shira repeated, her eyes narrowed.
"Yes, of course," Shinji confirmed. "First of all, she seems to trust you, which is good. Second of all, I don't have any magic circuits, which means I can't be detected by magi. So, if we join forces, taking out Tohsaka should be simple."
"Hold on," Shira said suddenly as something occurred to her. "Tohsaka said she sensed another magus at school. If it wasn't you she was picking up on—"
"Then somewhere in our school, there's a fourth Master," Shinji finished. "Interesting."
Another one, huh? Shira mused. After a pause, she said, "Well, about your idea on becoming allies, I'm afraid the answer is no. I may have to fight Tohsaka one day, but right now, she's someone I can trust."
"That's your choice," Shinji replied indifferently. "I'll just sit back and watch how things play out, then."
"I've wasted enough of my time," Shira said, her voice cool. "Goodbye, Matou." She turned around to leave the archery dojo.
"Emiya," Shinji spoke.
Shira grunted in exasperation, turning back to face him. "What now?"
"Here's a little information for you, in a show of good faith. I've been told that there's a Master who's set up shop at Ryudou Temple."
Shira's lips parted in shock. "That's Issei's house!"
"According to Rider," Shinji went on, "there's a witch who's been gathering souls in very large quantities. I have no intention of making a move on her, but if you think you have the guts," a sneer formed on his face, "go right ahead."
Shira remained silent, not trusting herself to speak, as she finally left the dojo for home. She made her way off the school's campus and onto the street, taking in the wonderfully fresh air.
As she walked, she replayed what Shinji had said about there being a Master at Ryudou Temple. I wonder if it's even true, she thought, frowning. For all Shira knew, Shinji may have lied about it to try to send her on a wild goose chase.
She stopped walking once she came to a street corner, the nearby traffic light red. She allowed her gaze to drift upward to the mountain in the distance, where Ryudou Temple was located. On the other hand, though, if there really is a witch gathering souls, it would explain all these so-called gas leaks...
"The light's green, Emiya."
Shira jumped slightly, startled from her thoughts. She turned around to see that Issei had walked up to her.
"Oh, hey there," she greeted, her voice sounding a little awkward.
"Is something wrong?" Issei asked. "What were you staring at the mountain for?"
"Issei," Shira began, "have you noticed anything strange going on at the temple lately?"
If Issei thought there was anything odd about Shira's question, he didn't show it. "Change is constant up there; after all, we have about fifty monks-in-training living together. With that said, change never reaches the level of drama. The mountain is a tranquil place, all day, every day."
"That's nice to hear," Shira commented. I guess Matou was lying after all; what a relief.
"However," Issei continued, "there is this woman that my father has been giving lodging to lately."
Damn it! If it wouldn't have looked so bizarre, Shira would've visibly wilted.
"Who is she?" Shira asked, hoping she merely seemed curious. "Is she a nun or something?"
"No," Issei replied. "Her circumstances are a bit unique. She's got a wedding date coming up, and Father is letting her use a room until then. She's exceptionally beautiful, even enough to catch my eye."
Silence followed that last statement.
...Wow, Shira thought, stunned. First time for everything, I suppose.
But if Shira was shocked, that was nothing compared to the utterly dumbfounded expression that crossed Issei's face barely three seconds later.
"Did I just say that out loud?!" he yelped. "This is the problem with women!"
Shira just shook her head. Uh, newsflash: I'm a girl. That's never bothered you. As Issei began reciting what sounded like a Buddhist prayer, Shira looked at the traffic light to see that it was indeed green.
"See ya later, Issei," she said, continuing on her way.
"I'm home—ahh!"
Shira had just opened the front door of the Emiya estate to find herself face-to-face with Saber, who had his arms crossed over his chest and was looking at her with a disapproving glare.
"Why are you late again, Shira?" Saber demanded.
"Finally!" Rin exclaimed, coming to the door and standing behind Saber. "We were worried you'd been attacked!"
"I had a little run-in with Matou," Shira said. She, Saber, and Rin went to the living room, where Shira explained her conversation with Shinji.
"There's a Master at Ryudou Temple?" Rin asked after the explanation was finished.
"Apparently," Shira replied. "She's some witch that's been gathering a bunch of souls. I'll bet she's the one that's behind all the attacks in New Town lately."
Saber's brow furrowed. "Tell me, how much of what this Shinji Matou tells you can you actually rely on?"
"Ordinarily, I'd say little to none," Shira said, "but I saw Issei while walking home, and he said that his father is letting a woman stay at the temple. And since I trust Issei a heck of a lot more than I'd ever trust Matou, this whole thing with a witch on the mountain is most likely true."
"Did Shinji ask you to join forces with him?" Rin questioned.
"Yeah," Shira admitted, "but I turned him down. Like I said, I don't trust him." She paused. "Still, Matou said he isn't a magus, and if that's true, he shouldn't be too big of a threat." Aside from that barrier, she added silently.
Rin quickly got back to the original topic. "Whatever kind of Master this woman is, it makes no sense to set up shop in a remote place like Ryudou Temple; none."
"I have to disagree on that point," Saber said. "That temple sits on an old spiritual leyline. It's the perfect place for anyone who wants to gather souls."
Shira turned to him, raising an eyebrow. And how would Saber know that? she wondered.
"Hold on!" Rin also seemed put off by what Saber had said, but for a different reason. "If Ryudou Temple is such a key location, why is everyone else in the Grail War ignoring it?"
"Because a barrier has been raised over the mountain," Saber explained calmly. "It has no effect on normal humans, but if we Servants were to set foot inside that compound, our abilities would dramatically decrease."
Rin hummed. "This is tricky. The chances of me and Shira defeating that witch on our own are slim at best."
Shira nodded vaguely.
"Is something wrong, Shira?" Saber asked.
"Huh? Oh." Shira blinked, suddenly realizing that she'd still been staring intently at Saber. "Sorry, I just zoned out for a bit. It's nothing important."
That seemed to be enough for Saber. "At any rate, now that we have determined there is a Master on that mountain, I believe it's imperative that we attack as soon as possible."
"I don't think that's a good idea," Shira objected. "We should leave her alone for now."
"That's absurd!" Saber argued. "What have I been resting for if not for this?"
"If this woman is as thorough as we think she is, then she's probably set up traps in the temple," Shira pointed out. "If we rush in without a plan, we're dead."
And no doubt that was exactly what Shinji wanted, but Shira left that unsaid.
"Those kinds of risks are to be expected in war," Saber protested, the slightest edge coloring his voice. "Shira—"
Rin raised up her hand to keep Saber from continuing. "Sorry, Saber, but I agree with Shira on this one."
Saber turned his gaze to her. "Rin!"
"If we stroll onto an opponent's turf," Rin went on, "we'll first need to find out which Servant we'll be dealing with. Besides, Archer still hasn't recovered enough for something like this."
"Okay, so it's settled," Shira stated. "Right, Saber?"
Saber looked away and said nothing.
Taiga and Sakura arrived for dinner a little while later, and Saber spent the next hour or so in silence. Throughout dinner, he spoke only when directly spoken to, and even then, his answers were curt and brief. Shira figured Saber's bad mood was due to the decision to not immediately launch an attack on Ryudou Temple. Even so, she still couldn't understand why he was so irritated, and she found that to be even more annoying than his sullenness.
After dinner was over, Sakura and Taiga left and Rin went to her room, leaving Shira and Saber alone in the kitchen.
The blond wasted no time in getting to the point. "Shira, regarding the witch on the mountain, you are certain you won't reconsider?"
"I said no!" Shira snapped in frustration. "We can't just waltz up there without any idea of what to do!"
"I'm not naïve enough to believe we can achieve victory unscathed," Saber said, his voice calm enough. "I don't care what injuries I sustain; as long as I still draw breath, I can fight."
"Are you crazy?" Shira demanded incredulously. "Why would you throw yourself into a situation where you know you're going to get hurt?" Doesn't he remember what happened with Berserker? There just can't be a repeat of that!
"Getting hurt is part of being a Servant." Saber was now starting to become as frustrated as Shira, no longer sounding as calm as before. "I will not tolerate having a Master who avoids battle."
"You're not even fully healed yet!"
"I'm well enough to take on this fight! Your concern for my health is unnecessary."
Shira bit sharply on her lower lip, resisting any curse word that wanted to fly out of her mouth. "The last time you were in a fight, you barely made it out alive. Is it your objective to get us killed? I'm sorry, but I'd rather avoid dying, thank you very much."
A moment of silence passed, Shira's brown eyes staring unflinchingly into Saber's blue-green ones.
"You're acting like a child, Shira," Saber finally said, his tone icy.
And you're not? Shira thought. "Think what you want, but we're not attacking anyone now, so just drop it, okay?"
Saber momentarily paused. "Very well," he said, though he sounded far from happy about it, "if that is what my Master wishes."
Shira nodded briefly, then left to go to her bedroom.
Saber stood in front of Shira's door, listening to the redhead's soft breathing, an indication that she was asleep.
If there was one word he could use to describe his Master, Saber would have chosen "puzzling." He was a Servant—a weapon to be wielded, a tool to be used—yet Shira did not treat him as such. She threw herself in harm's way in a rash attempt to protect him, introduced him to people who were better off not knowing of his existence, and wanted to keep him away from battle.
She is treating me like she would a human, Saber thought. He wasn't quite sure what to think of that; when was the last time anyone had treated him as a human?
What was more were the reactions Shira could invoke in him, and he didn't know what to make of that, either. Saber had perfected the task of keeping his emotions under control, but there were occasions where Shira caused that control to slip: during their argument in the kitchen, for instance.
Which led into what Saber intended to do now. After a few more seconds of listening at the door, the blond quietly walked away and went outside the estate.
Whether Shira liked it or not, Saber was going to confront the witch at Ryudou Temple. Fighting was what Servants did; the sooner his Master understood that, the better.
In the meantime, I must make sure your naïveté does not result in another Master killing you, Shira.
In a twinkling of light, Saber's civilian clothes were replaced with his armor. With that done, he leapt up and away towards his destination.
Author's Note: Oh, Saber and Shira; you're both so stubborn.
Notice that Shira did not go to the Matou estate? I realized before writing this chapter that a female Shirou would probably think going with Shinji to his house—or just about anywhere, for that matter—would be a Very Bad Idea, considering that Shinji's, ah, stance on girls is much, much worse than Issei's could ever be.
In summary, Shira puts the "tsun" in "tsundere" in her dealings with Shinji (well, sort of; she hasn't hit him yet), and Saber and Shira get into their first lovers' quarrel, which causes Saber to run off.