Notes: Uh, so, this ran a little longer than intended, since I couldn't figure out a suitable place to stop, and one scene decided it wanted to flesh itself out a bit more. Also, just so everyone understands, I've got the story plot more or less planned out, at least a fourth of the way, so everything's more or less going according to plan. Let's have a blast, yeah?
If you happen to see any mistakes in spelling, or missed punctuation, please let me know. I don't have a beta reader, and I'm rather lax when rereading...
Shirou picked up a piece of the banana bread, looking it over. He preferred cooking, and wasn't much of a pastry chef or baker. He could make simple things like gooey, chocolate chip cookies, but breads and pastries were far beyond him. In a way, that made eating the morsels all that much more delicious, though he did wish he could have made one or two different dishes for Rin and himself. Rin hadn't been able to make many desserts either, so if they had wanted something sweet, the two had been forced to visit a patisserie or bakery and buy them. That in itself was fine, but without a doubt, Shirou thought as he took a bite out of the slice, home-cooked food had to be the best over all else.
Myrus, however, was a baker by trade, second only to being a mage. It had nearly been a week since the two had met, but Shirou thought they got along fairly well. At the very least, he had never been bored.
"Hey, bro, I've got three new things for you to try," Myrus said, holding two plates as he walked out of his kitchen. "They're a couple of new experiments. I've added a little special something to all of them."
The red-head turned around, sighing slightly. One thing that struck him as odd about the other man was his need to foist all of his food experiments onto Shirou. He wasn't particularly against being a guinea pig, but once one invention was given to him, there was never a second of the same kind. Shirou wasn't even sure whether each test proved a success or not – every dish he had tried had tasted great to him.
Myrus set the two plates on the coffee table in front of him and placed his hands on his hips. "I guarantee that you'll love these. Oh crap," Myrus said with a frown, looking back towards the kitchen. "I forgot the drink. Hang on a sec."
"You made a drink, too?" Shirou asked, surprised.
"Nah, bought it at the store. I did add a little something to it, too, though."
Shirou made a small grin – Myrus was a bit clumsy at times, always forgetting one thing or another. His knowledge of magic was definitely high-class, though. While Shirou had never actually seen Myrus perform any techniques, there was no way he could've missed the rows and rows of books about magic all across the house. He'd also had the luxury to visit Myrus' workshop, which was a bit odd as well. Most magus' would never allow another magus to see their workshop – it was their private place, where no one else could enter. It contained all of their secrets and mysteries, and knowledge of these secrecies could bring about their downfall. Myrus didn't really seem to care though, but then again, he didn't seem to care all that much about anything. He was just a down-to-earth, cool, easygoing guy.
Just about to reach for a fork to dig into the two desserts, Shirou jumped when he felt his cell phone start vibrating. Taking it out of his back pocket, he looked at the display to see who was calling.
"Gah," he muttered with a grimace. "It's Rin..."
Shirou stood up, heading towards the front door. Waving back at Myrus as he pressed the "accept" button, he called out, "Hey, I've got to take this call. I'll be outside for a bit."
"Then I'm going to rummage me up some grub," Myrus replied in kind. "Take your time, daddy-o."
The second Shirou stepped outside, he hurriedly put the phone to his ear, wincing when Rin started yelling at him.
"You idiot, where the hell have you been? I know you aren't working or anything, since you would never try to cause me any trouble while I'm gone, right?"
"Uh, yeah," Shirou murmured, eyes askance. "Never..."
"But seriously, where have you been? I tried calling the house phone, and whenever I called your cell, it always sent me directly to voicemail..."
She sounded concerned, and Shirou felt a bit of guilt creep up. "I've just been out strolling, seeing the sights...making friends..."
"Friends?"
"Yeah, there's this guy that just moved into the same house that one guy used to live in. You know, the guy who was 'disposed' of? He's a mage, too, and he's really strong. You wouldn't believe the number of books this guy has. Oh, and his name is Myrus. He was born and raised here, but he's been hopping off all around the world, learning new stuff. And can you believe that he likes to cook, too? It's like we were destined to be friends."
"Oh..." came Rin's voice through the phone. She sounded somewhat relieved and skeptical at the same time.
"Well, I'm glad you're safe, but, I don't know, Shirou. Something about all of that doesn't seem, well, normal, you know? I mean, what are the chances that a new mage would move in, become your friend just like that, and happen to have the same interests as you? Something about that just isn't settling right for me."
"Oh, come on, Rin," Shirou argued. "I hardly have any friends here, and now that I've made one, you think he's just someone who's somehow targeted me for some inane reason?"
"Look, if he's a good guy, and you really think you can trust him, that's fine, Shirou," she responded, still sounding troubled. "But, this wouldn't be the first time you've been tricked by another mage. I mean, you make it hard to not trick you, what with how naïve you are."
He grunted slightly, grudgingly acknowledging her worry. He had been tricked a number of times over the years, and each time, Rin had needed to bail him out of trouble. Shirou just honestly didn't want to believe people would think to hurt before helping others. In his mind, people were inherently good – it's just that circumstances would work against them and turn them towards a darker path. He would prefer to blindly trust and believe in others instead of doubting them from the start and potentially missing out on wonderful relationships. He was still an idealist, after all.
"Yeah, and you always had to give me a hand," Shirou sighed, rubbing the back of his neck as a nervous gesture. "Guess I'm on my own this time around."
"Don't say something so discouraging! I can't deal with that from five thousand miles away, Shirou."
"When are you coming back?"
Shirou head a slight pause, before Rin said resignedly, "Well, that's why I called in the first place. Something...unplanned took place, and my time here has been extended a bit longer."
"How long's a bit longer?"
"Just a few days... Maybe even up to a week. Or, hell, maybe if I can come up with something, I'll be on a flight home tomorrow. I have no idea of what's going on though, Shirou. Well, I mean, I do, but I'm not sure how to go about dealing with it."
"Huh," was the only response Shirou could come up with. Well, Rin didn't seem all that concerned, which meant it was something she was more than able to deal with – it was just a pain for her to do so.
"Yeah, so, seriously, be careful, okay?" she warned him again. "Trusting others is, well, honestly, I think it's ridiculously stupid, but noble, in a way, I guess? Make sure to check whatever food he gives you for poison and try not to, I don't know, fall asleep at his place. Although, I suppose there wouldn't be a need to, considering how close you are to home."
It was at that exact moment that Shirou knew better than to say he had already spent the night at Myrus' a couple of times. He had also completely forgotten to check all the food items for poison, but...since nothing had happened yet, he was sure that Myrus meant no harm. Sure, it had only been about a week since they had met, but, Myrus had had more than enough opportunities to kill him, if necessary, or make him into a familiar or a puppet or something. Yeah, Myrus was just a good guy, through and through. That was the stance Shirou was determined to take until the other man proved otherwise.
"Okay, okay, I'll be careful."
"Who knows? He might be some kind of sex deviant interested in harvesting your nether parts for some kind of séance of sorts."
Shirou coughed, Rin's comment having taken him by surprise. After hitting his chest a few times, he cleared his throat and breathed out slowly.
"Geez, Rin, what the hell?"
"I'm just saying that you'd never know that by just looking at him, right? Just saying."
"Man, I think I'm going to throw up. I'm hanging up!"
"All right, fine," laughed Rin, obviously amused. "I'll get in touch with you later, when I'm sure about when I'll be home."
Shirou felt like he couldn't press the "end call" button fast enough. How the heck was he supposed to look at Myrus now, after being told he "might" be a sexual deviant out to get him. Wait, no, no, Myrus would never do something that horrid. Taking in a deep breath, Shirou groaned as he turned back towards Myrus' house. Now Rin had him feeling jumpy and wary.
"Freaking demon," he muttered, opening the door and stomping into the house.
Myrus stared at him from the couch, blue eyes opened wide. "Whoa, dude, something bite you in the butt or something? Or, what, get some bad news, maybe?"
Shirou plopped onto the couch and rested his head on the back of it. "You have no idea. Hey," he said, turning to Myrus, "are you an evil person out to kill me and use my nether parts for some kind of evil, sick séance or experiment, or something?"
Myrus stared at him for a few seconds, mouth agape. "Wait, how'd you know? Yeah, I'm a wizard here to force you to do my bidding, and disguise different potions and spells as various desserts and treats. What else would I be?"
Then Myrus burst out laughing at Shirou's deer-in-the-headlights expression. "I wouldn't say I'm evil, though."
Shirou sighed. "Yeah, I knew that sounded stupid as soon as I said it."
"Eh, well, you tried though, man," Myrus said with a smile, patting Shirou's back as the latter sat forward. "We can't all get the answer right all the time."
"I guess."
"Now, eat up! These luscious dishes have just been waiting to be devoured!"
Shirou felt his stomach rumble slightly at the mention of food. Staring down at the two different plates, he licked his lips – they looked amazingly delicious.
"Myrus, you've outdone yourself this time! These look even better than everything else you've made! So, what am I looking at here?"
Myrus pointed first towards the darker cake, grinning. "A Black Forest cake, complete with strawberry butter icing, and a touch of mulberry on the top. 'But Myrus, that combination sounds odd and horrible!' No, my dear, you have yet to understand and appreciate the true virtue of chocolate! Not only is it versatile, but it makes everything else something only dreams could possibly be made of!"
"Whoa," Shirou breathed out, reaching for the fork on the table.
"But the brilliance does not stop there!" exclaimed the other man. "For behold and feast your eyes upon my next masterpiece. Hailing all the way from the land of Latin America, see the brilliance that is the Tres Leches cake! A wonderful morsel that winds together three different kinds of milks and turns them into an amazing piece!"
Shirou was nodding along, already digging into the chocolate cake. "Mm, mm!"
"And lastly, some goat milk, with a little special something. Bon appétit!"
"Man, this stuff is so good!" Shirou managed out, already having finished the Black Forest cake and moved onto the sponge cake. "Whoa, this tastes good, too!"
Taking a swig of the milk, he looked down at the bottle, tilted his head slightly, and downed the rest of it quickly. Turning back to the Tres Leches cake, he inhaled the last two bites, set the plate down, and patted his stomach as he lay back against the couch cushions.
"Holy crap, I'm totally full," he said with a satisfied smile on his face. "No evil mage could make something that amazing over and over again."
"Glad you enjoyed it!" Myrus said, his chest puffed out with pride. "I've been working on those two dishes for a long time now!"
"You were raised in England right? How do you know so much about other cultures' foods?"
Myrus smiled, rotating his index finger around as he said, "I've been all over the world. Cape Cod, Los Angeles, Timbuktu, Perth, St. Petersburg, Haiti, Rio de Janeiro, all over. I like Britain, but there's no way I could stay here forever. Coming back every once in a while isn't too bad, though."
"You look like you're my age, though. Where'd you come up with that kind of cash?"
"Well, my family's rich, for one," Myrus replied. "I'm poor, but they're rich, and believe in a wholesome education, which means going around the world and exploring all there is to offer. And two, I'm way older than you, kiddo. Like, by at least ten years."
Shirou gaped at him. "No way! I thought you were maybe twenty-five, or twenty-six! Whoa."
"Then I can only thank my genetics for that. I'm seriously getting up there in my years. I need to settle down and have some kids or something, maybe."
"You have a girl in mind?"
"I used to," Myrus murmured wistfully. "She was a beauty, always eager to know more and more. But then one day, something just clicked for me, and I realized I was getting into a pretty abusive relationship. Nearly cost me my life."
Shirou frowned, and leaned forward to as he thought over Myrus' words. "Do you mean she tried to kill you?"
"Yeah. She tried."
"How'd you get away?"
"Just shifted gears a bit. Escaped and journeyed to someplace new, someplace far. A place where she would never be able to reach me. I go back every now and then, but, she's either since forgotten about me, or doesn't think I'm worth her time anymore."
"Did you love her?"
"Yeah. Still do."
The auburn-haired man's eyebrows knitted slightly. He wasn't sure he would be able to leave a relationship like that, even if his life were on the line. It was difficult to consider, but knowing himself, he would be more likely to stick with the person and see if he could persuade her otherwise instead of running away. Running away was the smarter decision, but Shirou honestly felt that anything or anyone worth loving was something or someone worth sticking close to, no matter what. Saber... The night he summoned Saber changed his life completely – some might think it for the better, others, for worse. Because of her being summoned, he had gone through hell and back, experienced things he would never again wish to repeat, loved and hated, hurt and healed, gained and lost. Had his luck been any worse, or had he not made the decisions he had, he possibly could have even died by Saber's hands... If he hadn't decided to fight and stick with her the entire way, what would she have done to him in return? Would she have killed him?
Shaking his head, he quickly quelled that thought. No, this was Saber he was talking about. First of all, even if he had decided to stop fighting, her chivalric code would have never allowed her to kill an innocent. Aside of that, she was simply too good-hearted to do anything like that. She killed out of necessity, not desire. No, despite all of the, to put it plainly, shit, that he had to go through with her, he could never imagine having left her side, even if it had been guaranteed to cause him his own death.
Shirou closed his eyes, lips pressed firmly into a line. Myrus watched him carefully.
"I take it you disagree with my decision? That I should have stayed with her no matter what?"
"I don't disagree," Shirou said, denying the observation. "I think that was probably the healthiest choice possible. I'm just not sure I would've been able to do that myself."
"Well, it was pretty hard," Myrus said, jokingly. "That girl was like cocaine. Intoxicating, and yet such a horrible thing for me to be addicted to."
Shirou couldn't come up with anything to say in turn, but jumped slightly when Myrus clapped his hands together and then snapped.
"But enough of this crazy, mushy, really, really depressing crap. What about you, buddy? You got a girl? Harboring a forbidden love?"
"You could say that," Shirou said, laughing. "Yeah, I have a girl who I'm still head over heels for."
"Sweet, I smell a story. Spill, bro!"
"Well, there's not much to say, I guess," the younger man started saying, looking down at his hands. "The day I first laid eyes on her, I was hooked. She was strong, courageous, independent, idealistic, and righteous... Everything she did, and I mean absolutely everything, was the for the sake of those she loved. Never did she do anything for herself. It was more like, she never considered herself as anything other than a catalyst to cultivate good in others. She was an avatar, not a person. She loved, but was never loved back. She fought for others' sakes, but was betrayed as a direct result of living for her ideals, instead of living for her humanity. I guess you could say she was pure."
"Hmm," Myrus muttered, eyes downcast. "You keep using past tense, though. Did she...?"
"Yeah, she died," Shirou said, looking up towards the ceiling. "It's funny, though. I was only with her for two weeks, but I feel like we were together for years. What I wouldn't give to see her again."
He yawned, then, covering his mouth with a hand. "Crap, eating all of that food made me tired."
Myrus laughed, patting Shirou on the back. "Nah, all this depressing talk just really got you down, I bet. Hey, why not just take a quick nap on the couch here? I'll wake you in a couple of hours, before it gets too late."
"You sure? I mean, I don't want to keep you for too long."
"Nah, you're good, man, you're good."
Myrus stood up and stacked up the dirty plates and glass. "I'm going to go study for a bit. Don't worry, bro. Just sleep up."
"Yeah, thanks," Shirou said, yawning again.
He shifted around, lying along the length of the couch, hands behind his head as he looked up at the ceiling. Saber...
He grudgingly slowly woke up as someone started nudging his shoulder.
"Come on, bro. Wakey wakey."
Shirou opened his bleary eyes bit by bit, them slowly adjusting to darkness around him, and the soft, gentle blue light. He closed his eyes tightly and blinked them open a few more times, his drowsiness making him want to go back into the realm of sleep. Shaking his head back and forth a couple of times, Shirou groaned a bit.
"Ugh, what time is it? I feel like I only fell asleep for a few minutes."
"It's been more than a few minutes, mate. More like a few hours."
"What?" Shirou exclaimed, quickly waking up. "It's already that late?"
He attempted to sit up before realizing he couldn't move a single part of his body aside of his head. Confused, Shirou turned his head around in every direction he could manage, first looking over at both of his arms. He tightened his muscles, felt his hand clench tightly into a fist, and watched as his coiled muscles trembled slightly as he tried to move them. While he couldn't look down at his lower body, he assumed it was more or less in the same state.
"What's going on?" he muttered, bewildered. He looked up and tried to see over to where his friend was. "Hey, Myrus, I can't move. I mean, I'm not paralyzed or anything, but it's like there's something pressing my body down and..."
He stopped talking when he saw Myrus' shoulders slump in, was that disappointment? Shirou's breath caught in his throat when the raven-haired man turned to look at him, peering down as if he were a bug meant to be squashed. Gone was the carefree countenance, replaced by an air of superiority and ice-cold blue eyes. Shirou watched silently, heart rate starting to slowly increase as he saw Myrus walk towards him and lean down on one knee beside him.
"Myrus, what's –"
"I'm simply astonished," were the first words out of Myrus' mouth, as he patted Shirou's cheek. "Your friend even warned you not to freely walk into traps without taking the proper steps to ensure your safety, and yet you still, like an absolute fool, blindly trusted me. Trusted me, a man you have hardly known even a week."
Shirou felt a tub of ice water had been dumped into his veins, and gritted his teeth as he glared up at Myrus. "So, you were just targeting me. Are you planning to kill me?"
"Heavens no, boy," Myrus said with a frown. "True, I needed not have worked as hard as I did to lure you in, considering how absolutely naïve you are, but I have no intention to kill you. That would do nothing but have put my effort to waste."
Shirou closed his eyes and turned his head away. Not only had Myrus' tone changed, but his way of speaking had changed as well, as if he was a different person altogether. No, he hadn't changed, Shirou realized, concentrating inwardly on his magic circuit. He had just taken on a persona that would be most likely to make Shirou drop his guard quickest. He clenched his right fist tightly – the magic holding him down was insanely complicated, and he would need a lot more time to dispel it., which meant he had to keep Myrus' occupied enough to do so.
A muscle in Shirou's job jumped as he ground his teeth together. "So, what are you going to do to me?"
"I would much like to kill you," Myrus said, and Shirou had to give him kudos for being so honest.
"However," the older man continued, "I am obligated to fulfill my promise."
"Promise?"
"You see, that girl you spoke of... I am quite well aware of who she is," Myrus stated as he fiddled with something on his work desk. He heard Shirou grunt slightly and frowned deeper. "It only serves to perplex me on how she could manage to fall in love with a simpleton such as yourself. Alas, it is not my place to second-guess the king's emotions – they are hers, after all."
He knew Saber? Shirou narrowed his closed eyes, feeling magic start feeding out to every part of his body. If Myrus knew Saber, then maybe he had been around during the fifth Holy Grail War, or maybe even during the fourth. No, if it had been the fourth, then Saber and he wouldn't have met yet. Maybe he was related to one of the Masters from the war? That couldn't be either – the couple hadn't exactly broadcasted their relationship for the entire world to know. Could he be related to Kotomine?
"A fool granted the luck of God, and the skill of a troll. Yes, how you managed to secure her heart, that is something of which I will never understand."
"So, if you're not going to kill me, then what are you going to do?" Shirou asked for a second time, grunting as the magic seemed to burn all of his nerves.
"It's simple, my dear lad," Myrus replied, turning around to smile cruelly. "I will have you pay for the crime you have committed upon her."
Shirou opened his eyes and looked over at the man. "If you're talking about how we had sex, I don't think that's –"
"Good Lord, lad, are you daft?" Myrus barked. "If she chose to open herself to you, then you should only be grateful that she believed you worthy of doing so. No, boy, I mean the crime you committed when you forced her to destroy the Holy Grail."
"I didn't force her," muttered Shirou. "She told me to tell her to do that..."
"You used a Command Spell, did you not? You fool, no Servant could destroy their birthplace of their own volition! It is as obvious as the unspoken rule that one would not cause harm to his or her parents!"
Inwardly, Shirou wondered how Myrus seemed to know so much about the Holy Grail War, but then again, everyone else seemed to always know everything about it, except for him. How though, did Myrus know about him ordering Saber to destroy it? And, while he was thinking about it, how was that a crime? He closed his eyes, breathing in as he noticed his body was ready.
Shirou sent the magic flying out of his hands as he yelled, "Fury of Earth, Unbind!"
The barrier holding him down temporarily dissipated, and Shirou pulled up his legs and kicked up off of the ground, swirling around and flipping backwards. Quickly projecting six daggers, and holding them between his fingers, Shirou swiftly threw them at Myrus, and then jumped backwards again.
Myrus hardly glanced at the knives as a magical barrier materialized in front of him, sending the daggers flying in every which direction. Lifting up a hand, Myrus said,
"Depths of Night: Wrap and Bind."
Shirou had already projected his two favorite swords, Kanshou and Bakuya, and was quickly charging in towards Myrus. He came to an abrupt stop and flipped backwards again as tendrils of darkness reached out for him from around him. Releasing his projection magic, Shirou spun, swirled, flipped, and dodged around to avoid each tendril, acting as if they were an extension of Angra Mainyu himself.
He quickly whispered, "I am the bone of my sword..."
Myrus narrowed his eyes as Shirou continued chanting quickly, each word flowing into the next making a mixture of letters. Shirou slid forward on his stomach underneath a couple of tendrils before using his upper body to lift up his legs and push up off the ground into the air. He spun backwards again, before hopping up off his right leg and spinning his entire body in the air to escape more tendrils.
"Steel is my body and fire is my blood," Shirou muttered quickly, one word barely out of his mouth before he said the next. "I have created over a thousand blades. Unaware of loss, nor aware of gain. Withstood pain to create weapons, waiting for one's arrival. I have no regrets –"
Shirou quickly shifted his head left, even while his body was gravitating right to avoid a tendril shaped as a black dagger. "This is the only path!"
He quickly replicated ten daggers above his head, and sent them flying to entrap the darkness directly beside him. "My whole life was..."
Myrus held up both of his hands, palms facing towards him, and spread his arms out, glowing white magic trailing thereafter. The mage clenched his hands into fists and then thrust both fists in front of him, opening each hand wide as the white magic began to disperse. Shirou jumped up high into the air, once again projecting Kanshou and Bakuya and the moment he met the barrier of white magic, just as it started to wrap and tighten around him, roared out,
"UNLIMITED BLADE WORKS!"
Within nanoseconds, the reality of Myrus' lab was soon replaced with a barren field, weapons of all different shapes and sizes scattered in every which direction for miles. Large cogged gears slowly turned above the two men in the distance and Shirou immediately called forth two unnamed swords, holding one in each hand as he leveled his gaze at Myrus.
Myrus glanced around himself a bit, raising an eyebrow while doing so. "I see. This is your Reality Marble, then, Shirou. How fortunate that I had the chance to see it."
"Enough talking," Shirou replied calmly, voice deeper than usual. "I didn't train all of these years just to be beaten by someone like you."
"Someone like me? Dear boy, have you any idea of who I am?"
"No, and I don't care," responded Shirou. "I just know you're in my way."
Myrus barely saw Shirou's hair shift slightly before the auburn-haired man raced towards him like a flash of red light. His golden-brown eyes were like that of a tiger, focused on his prey as he neared ever closer to it. Myrus barely managed a step back before Shirou appeared in front of him, slashing both swords at every vulnerable point he could reach. Myrus shook off each strike with his white magic, eyes darting back and forth before he jumped back out of Shirou's range.
"You're far too optimistic," Shirou warned, the swords vanishing and a bow appearing in his hand. "My eyes will track you down no matter where you go."
In a flash, he let loose three swords, each one filled to the brim with his magic as they bore down on the escaping mage. Myrus whirled around, hand high in the air as he created a fool-proof barrier, successfully keeping himself safe. As soon as his first barrier dissolved, he had to erect another far stronger one as this time, ten swords came crashing down around him. His blue eyes narrowed slightly as the smoke cleared and he saw ten, twenty, fifty-two, seventy-five...no, one hundred swords float up into the air over Shirou.
"Escape this if you can!" yelled Shirou, pushing his body to the max as each weapon turned towards Myrus and darted straight towards the raven-haired man.
"Even I wouldn't survive that mess," muttered Myrus, as magic started to form around him. "It's been fun, but I'm ending this charade of yours, boy."
Shirou saw the burst of magic before he felt it, seeing the large ball of magic tower above him and his many swords before the magic swept down like a large wave of water, slamming into him and nearly drowning him in its depths. He felt, more than saw, his Reality Marble start crumbling down from the excess magic of his enemy, and felt his body start to be constricted by an outside source. The Reality Marble vanished entirely as Shirou fell to the ground in the middle of an engraved circle. He struggled, trying to loosen the bonds around him, but this was magic he had never encountered before. It felt almost corporeal, but was completely out of his league in terms of ability.
He forced his head up to stare at the man standing over him. After watching him a bit, Myrus took a step back and snapped his fingers, and within moments, the circle began to glow and a circular barrier shot up to the ceiling, encasing Shirou. As soon as the barrier materialized, Shirou's restraints disappeared, and the man shot up from the ground. His heart raced as he looked around him, knowing he could never take down whatever that barrier thing was.
"Good show, boy, good show," Myrus said, grudgingly acknowledging Shirou's fighting prowess. "The way she spoke of you before dying made it seem as if you, while a good lad, were somewhat useless without someone else around."
"Damn it, who is this 'she' you keep talking about?" yelled Shirou, irritated that he couldn't figure out a way to escape his current circumstances.
"None other than the one you knew as Saber – Arturia Pendragon, better known as King Arthur."
As soon as he heard that name, Shirou train of thought came to an abrupt halt, and he glared up at Myrus. "Don't you dare," he growled out, clenching his hands into fists, "talk about her in front of me!"
He raced forward and slammed his body into the barrier, and bounced back from it, rolling across the ground. Breathing hard, he shifted onto all fours, head bowed as he cursed himself for being so weak. Shirou slammed a fist against the concrete floor as hard as he could to satisfy his anger, indenting it slightly. Myrus continued staring at him, arms crossed over his chest.
"Are you finished?"
"Shut up!" Shirou snarled. "When I get out of here..."
"Rejoice child," Myrus said, and Shirou raised his head, glaring at the other man, "for I no longer have any desire to kill you. Rather, you have intrigued me. You might actually be able to hold your own at this rate."
"Why don't you start making some sense?"
"You recall that I said you must pay for the crime you have you committed? Due to your actions, Arturia has been reduced to living what she could only describe as Hell. A Hell she would never have wished for in a million years. She died a death full of suffering."
Shirou stood up, brows furrowed as he tried to comprehend what the other magus was saying. "You're saying that I made her suffer?"
"Quite so. You may not realize it, but while Arturia did indeed destroy the grail, that only served to spite the baby whose birth she denied. Angra Mainyu was quite angry because of your actions, but despite you being the one who ordered her to do so, she was punished in turn. When she returned to that bloody hill complete with the dead bodies of her soldiers and that of her son, or shall I say, daughter, Mordred, she did not die."
"What?" Shirou asked, his voice full of disbelief. "She didn't die?"
"No, boy, she most certainly did not. She survived. Imagine the hell she lived, being bound as she was, and you dare say that none of that has anything to do with you?"
Myrus kept staring at him, hoping his point had been driven home well enough. "Well, lad, do you still think you owe her nothing?"
"...No, I mean, if that's true, then how would you...?"
Shirou paused, a fleeting thought crossing his mind. As soon as he considered it, his shoulders slumped slightly. "I see, now I know who you are. No one from that time period who knew her could be here right now, except for one person. Geez, I never thought that could be possible," Shirou muttered, combing his fingers through his hair.
"The ancient wizard, Merlin," Shirou continued, his hand dropping to his side. "I see, 'Myrus' comes from the names "Myrddin" and "Merlinus". The girl you talked about earlier today must refer to Vivian, the Lady of the Lake. You should have died in that tomb, though. How are you still alive?"
"I told you I ran away, didn't I? I'll leave it up to you to guess how."
"Hmph," Shirou grunted, crossing his arms over his chest again. "I get it now. So after Saber died, you must have traveled to this time period and sought me out. Hate to tell you this, but it's been seven years since she vanished."
"Time traveling is an art, son," Myrus rebuked, shrugging. "You can't expect even me to be able to zero in on the exact time and date."
"Whatever. I kind of get what's going on now," Shirou said, cocking his hip. "So, you want to me to go back into the past to prevent her downfall from taking place."
"Fool, you've already angered one hailed as a god, and now you intend to test Fate as well?"
"I'm already on a roll," Shirou replied with a smirk. "In for a penny, in for a pound, as the saying goes."
"Then you consent to this journey?"
"Hah, like I had a choice from the start. Might as well give it my all."
Myrus looked at him carefully. "You may never return to this time, boy."
Shirou seemed slightly conflicted – he hadn't wanted to cause Rin any problems, but it seemed like he wouldn't be able to keep that promise. Even if he did go to the past though, what could he possibly do? Saber, no, Arturia didn't know who the heck he was, he wasn't a knight, he wasn't all that much of a mage or a fighter, either, and he knew he couldn't just walk straight up into the castle proclaiming, "Hey, I'm here to save the king!"
He would be kicked out, or maybe even executed on account of stupidity. Shirou gave Myrus a quick glance before looking away. No, he couldn't count on the Merlin in the past to help him, because that Merlin didn't know about the problem or who he was yet. This Merlin had already known of the king's fall, and apparently what she had gone through as a Servant. Wait, so how long had she lived before finally dying after returning to her own time? How long had she suffered?
Shirou clapped a hand over his face, a gesture he had learned from Rin. He had thought that everything would return to normal for the both of them – she would die without regret and he would continue living, strengthening himself to become a man she would find worthy of her. Sighing, he shook his head. All right, he was ready.
He squared his shoulders, facing Myrus head on. "That's fine. Even if I die in her time, I won't allow myself to regret a single thing. If I'm going to die, I'd rather do it by her side."
Myrus raised an eyebrow, snorting slightly. "You only make me desire to antagonize you further boy, but good. Had you been opposed to journeying back, the dimensional travel would have caused you much pain along the way."
Shirou raised his eyebrows, about to comment on what Myrus had said when the other man threw a tote bag through the barrier and straight into him. He caught it with a small grunt, and held the fading leather bag in his hands. It was heavy, full of who knew what. Then he narrowed his eyes at the barrier – it was prepared as a one-way portal, where anything could go inside, but nothing would ever get back out. Well, there was no point in trying to escape now, though.
"Those are supplies, and some clothing. If you arrive there looking like you do now, you'll be the laughingstock of the entire country. Hurry and change while I make the final preparations."
Shirou grunted again, bending down as he set the bag on the ground. Fiddling with the buckle, he pulled the top lid off and looked inside. There was a bag of something that smelled pretty good, some medical supplies – he didn't think ibuprofen actually existed back then, but whatever – and some clothes, as promised. Shirou pulled out the heavy white, long-sleeved tunic, with red trimming along the base of the shirt and the collar. It was of a simple make, with light blue dyed into sleeves. He wasn't sure about the fabric – cotton? – but it was slightly scratchy and stiff; it wasn't like anything a person could find in the modern world, obviously.
Turning to look back into the bag, he found a pair of black breeches, and a set of long stockings and boots. He looked from one article to another and then back at Myrus, whose back was turned. Slightly disgruntled that he had to wear clothes like these, – they seemed new, too – he sighed, and started peeling off his sweatshirt. He had just pulled off his jeans when Myrus said,
"Take off the boxers, too. Those don't exist yet."
Shirou stared at him, slightly mortified. "There's no way in hell I'm going to take these off. No one's going to see them anyway!"
"Huh, suit yourself."
Shirou grabbed the tunic and pulled it over his head, slipping his arms into the sleeves. Yeah, it was incredibly scratchy, but he'd probably get used to it sooner or later. The breeches came next, and he pulled them up to find that they were a bit snug, but manageable. He pulled the drawstring at the waist to make sure they wouldn't be falling down anytime soon, and then pulled on his white stockings. Tightening the buckles of the breeches just below his knees, Shirou then slipped on the leather boots, and after he was completely done, he realized something:
"This outfit has to be the most uncomfortable thing I have ever had on."
"I told you to get rid of the boxers."
"It has nothing to do with my boxers, damn it!"
Shirou scratched his chest a bit, before reaching behind to scratch his butt. "I could sure use some fabric softener right about now..."
"Stop your complaining," Myrus ordered, turning back to face Shirou again. "I've finished all the necessities, and the only thing left is to send you back."
"So what," Shirou started, spreading his arms out wide, "do I have to say some crazy incantation or oath or whatever to get this ball rolling?"
"Of course not. I just say a word and off you go."
"Well, that's anti-climatic," Shirou said, pouting slightly. "I was expecting a bunch of lights, crazy incantations, balls of fire, the works. At least give me the satisfaction of something to brag about to my friend, if I ever happen to make it back."
Then a certain question came to him after he had finished complaining: "Wait, back then, the Britons were fighting against the Saxons, right? They didn't speak English, and obviously not Japanese, so how do I go about communicating with them? I'm not really all that great at languages."
Myrus sighed, turning back to him. "Have you really not noticed that you have been speaking to me in Brythonic this entire time?"
Shirou stared at him, stunned. "What? What are you talking about? Aren't we speaking English?"
"Fool, your English ability isn't enough to sustain a conversation of this level. I have prepared you suitably, so you need not concern yourself with the details. You have the same spoken ability as a plebeian. I should only hope you have enough sense to speak more properly when you come in contact with the court."
"B-but, I just spoke with Rin and she –"
"The brain is a miraculous thing," Myrus replied, rolling his eyes. "To think one could automatically switch between languages without some sort of problem cropping up."
Shirou scowled at him. He knew it was odd that he could state all of his feelings clearly and without messing up, but it never occurred to him that Myrus had basically been drugging him from the very start. He must have inserted small doses into every food Shirou had tried, culminating in a self-sufficient ability to speak a different language flawlessly. Shirou had had no idea whatsoever, and that scared him a bit. Had Myrus had less than noble intentions originally, Shirou realized he might not have made it to the second day of their "friendship".
"Damn it," he muttered, bending down to stuff in his clothes into the pack and then close the lid. "I was completely duped."
Shirou stood back up, hefting the bag up and slipping his arms through the straps. Myrus turned back around and then started to circle the barrier, pouring out a liquid along the way. Shirou followed him with his eyes, until Myrus had made a full circuit.
"What's that stuff?"
"A precaution, to ensure the backlash from opening a time-dimensional portal will not bleed out any further than this."
Myrus clapped his hands together when he finished and then turned to look at the man stuck within the barrier. "Now, I will release the energy necessary to open the portal, and do not worry, I do this all the time."
"Right..." came the dry reply.
"A final word of caution, boy," Myrus continued seriously, a hand on his hip. "Do not so readily release your Reality Marble, or project anything, at all. I doubt it need be said, but take great pains not to project something which has not been invented by that point in time. If others see technology beyond their scope of understanding, you may encounter more problems than you are ready to undertake. In addition, if you are actually capable of it, do be a little more assertive in establishing your safety. Not everyone in King Arthur's time will be nearly as kind as I was to you. They will kill you, without hesitation."
"Can we just get this over with?" asked Shirou, looking bored as he watched the liquid Myrus had poured bubble up slightly. "I'd like to get there before, you know, I start growing grey hairs."
"Petulant to the end, aren't you?" Myrus said, grinning. "Release."
Shirou felt his body abruptly shift down quickly, taken him by surprise.
"What?" he said, bewildered, as his body began to sink into the ground. "Oh, hey, this isn't that ba–"
Then, almost as abruptly as he had sunken, Shirou felt his body blasted up through the rotating crest above him. Myrus grinned evilly as he heard a telling scream as the other man went through the portal.
"AAAAHHHHHHHHHHH!" Shirou yelled, his body twisting and turning as he was forced through a narrow passage within absolute, pitch-black darkness.
His body would jerk one way before he would best catapulting in the entirely opposite direction. Shirou felt his torso spiral forward as if he were top-heavy before he was pushed back around in a nearly never-ending flip. He spun so much he felt like his brain was turning into gravy and he was only alive by sheer will.
"That assho-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-ole!" he screamed as his body flipped back upright and shot straight into a tunnel of white.
His body shot to the right suddenly, making him groan. "Oh God, let me off of this damn roller coaster..."
Then, almost as if he'd never gone through that traumatic experience, his body slowed down incredibly, and he drifted now through a tunnel of flashing, glowing lights. The light swirled all around him, but all Shirou could do was hope that none of his vomit had somehow managed to stick to him. He knew he had to be about as green as he felt, though the swirling lights around him did make the experience somewhat better.
"Man, he really is an asshole. He could've told me that there really were going to be flashing li–"
And, just as he was about to finish his complaint, his body was hurled forward at a speed unrivaled, and he found himself so out of breath that he couldn't even let out a single scream. The last thing he remembered seeing was something full of green before he shot out of the tunnel and slammed into something incredibly hard.
Shirou stared at the ground where he lay, unmoving, nor desiring to even move. His breath was raspy from screaming so much, and his hands were trembling from the fear he had experienced. His lips quivered slightly, and he had to blink his eyes a few times to make sure that he wasn't blind. He turned his head back and forth, his body shuddering as he tried to push himself up from the grassy land. Shirou grunted, forcing his body to move as he desired. He looked to his right, and barely saw the dimensional portal crest close up as if it had never existed, and the trail his body had made as it slid across the ground. There was no longer any grass left, just a shallow ditch of dirt and rocks.
Sitting back, his legs folded beneath him, he breathed in and out readily, still shaken from the event. Myrus had said it would have hurt far more had he opposed the travel – the trip had nearly killed him this time around. What would have happened if he'd been stubborn to the end then? Looking down at his hands, he cradled one inside of the other, frowning as he tried to control his trembling. Shirou took in a deep breath before chomping down on his right hand. The pain immediately flooded his system and he felt his fear fade away.
"Guh," he muttered, leaning forward on his arms. "That was Hell. There is no way in hell I'm ever doing that shit ever again."
Sighing, he shifted back again before finally pushing himself up off of the ground. After dusting himself off as much as he could manage, Shirou hefted his pack up on his shoulders, and tied the buckles on the straps more tightly.
"All right. I'm here. Now, let's take a look ar–"
As soon as he had looked up, he felt his eyes widen incredibly when he'd taken a glimpse of the scenery around him. Green was, again, the first thing to pop in his mind as his gaze looked over the rolling fields of grassy plains and hills. A gentle breeze blew ran across the hills, flowing across the grass, large, strong, oak trees, and ruffling through their plentiful leaves. Shirou gaped as he stared down at one of the lakes below him, unsullied, pure, clean, and devoid of the pollution and crap the modern world had put their waters. He bent down to look better at the fish jumping through the air and gliding slightly before plopping back into the pristine waters from where he sat on an overreaching cliff. He looked up into the sky next, seeing the fluffy, white clouds flowing across a crystal-clear blue sky. His short hair flowed back and forth as the wind flowed over it, and he looked down at the ground under his feet, unable to comprehend that he really was in a time entirely different from what he was used to.
Shirou gripped his tote bag straps more tightly as he turned and proceeded to slowly walk down the hill towards the lake he had seen. Approaching it cautiously, he peered across its waters at the few families of ducks quacking from the lake's surface. Every now and then, birds here and there would duck down and grab a flying fish before hastily retreating back into the air with their meal. Shirou kneeled down to the water's edge, cupping his hand and scooping up some water to drink. Swallowing it down, he laughed and fell backwards onto the grass. It was absolutely delicious!
Something clicked in his mind though, and he quickly sat up when he realized what he was doing, or rather, wasn't doing. Shirou jumped to his feet, running his fingers through his hair.
"Ugh, what am I doing? I can appreciate the nature later," he said to himself, letting out a deep sigh. "I've got to find my way to Camelot and get myself situated. Now then, where to go...?"
He looked at the plains to his left leading to nothingness, and then to the right, at plains leading to nothingness. Shirou didn't have a clue of where he was, but he couldn't see even a single town or village anywhere close by. He kept looking in both directions as well as in front of him and behind him. His left eyebrow raised as he realized his situation was not the best one. He was alive, so that was great, but...he was also incredibly confused. Shirou had no clue of where he supposed to go.
Stretching his arms up to the sky, he yawned. "Let's just go right. Right's always got to be right, and that's why the word's called 'right'."
Letting out another sigh, Shirou turned away from the lake and started to make his way across the green stretch towards...wherever he was going.
By the time he had finally managed to find a dirt path, his patience had already started running out. It had taken him the better part of two full hours – he thought – to run into that stupid dirt path, and even then, it didn't exactly tell him which direction to go. He stomped on the dirt, letting out his irritation.
"Stupid Myrus! At least give me a map!"
He yelled out to release his frustration before falling down on his butt and glaring down at the rocks on the road. Patting his thighs with his hands, he thought of what to do next. "I'm hungry..."
Shirou took off his backpack and set it down in front of him, opening the top lid. Digging into it, he took out a smaller leather bag, held closed by some kind of yarn, or thick string. Untying it, Shirou looked inside to find some rolls, dried meat, and a metal flask. There was also a glass container of thick-looking milk, and he picked that up first. It hadn't been refrigerated for a while, and it would probably have been better for him to drink that first. Tearing off the thin leather sealing the liquid in, Shirou tipped it back and took a big gulp of the fluid, before promptly coughing and spitting it back up.
"Oh, what? Geez, is this churned butter?" he exclaimed as he tried wiping off his tongue. "Gross, ugh, geez!"
Taking a look at the bottle with disgust, he resealed it with the leather, and stuffed it back into the smaller leather bag. Trying to get the taste out of his mouth, Shirou quickly grabbed the flask, uncorked it and took a whiff.
"Gah, alcohol. Smells like whisky. Well, whatever, as long as that butter taste goes away."
He took a small sip and grabbed his throat as he coughed. "What the...? What kind of whisky is this? This stuff is super strong! Well, I guess it's better than the butter," he murmured, taking another quick swill of it.
Shirou grabbed a roll from out of the bag, and looked suspiciously at it. "This is a normal roll, right?"
Setting the flask down, he pulled out a piece of meat. "What kind of animal was this? A rabbit, maybe?"
First taking a bite from the bread, he was disappointed to find it somewhat tasteless and hard. He then took a bite of the meat and found it ridiculously salty. He felt his head fall – what a letdown. Shirou hadn't known what he had expected the food to taste like, but certainly not like it did. Unwilling to waste the food though, and still very hungry, he broke the bread apart, slapped the meat on one half and slid the other half of bread back over it. Taking a bite of the sandwich, Shirou stubbornly forced himself to chew slowly, to make sure everything went down smoothly. The tastelessness of the bread helped to soften the blow of the saltiness of the meat, and he somehow managed to eat without incident.
Taking another gulp from the flask, Shirou threw it back into the bag, tied up the bag, placed it into the bigger bag, and then flopped backwards onto the path. He folded his hands behind his head, looking up at the darkening sky.
"It's getting dark. I need to find a place to rest, but I feel like I'm just walking around aimlessly."
Which, he was, but that would be too much for him to really admit. Shirou sighed again, watching the clouds float by above him. With his archer eyes, he saw flocks of birds flying higher than most would normally do so in the future, but then again, this time period didn't have planes yet.
He closed his eyes for a few moments before opening them again and blinking a few times. "Oh man, I'm tired. I've got to find a town."
He was about to sit up again when something flying in the sky caught his interest. Shirou stared at it for a few minutes, watching it swoop back and forth and come nearer and nearer to his position. It was incredibly large, Shirou observed. Large, and very nimble, even with its huge body. Its wing span was unheard of, practically a two to three hundred meters across. Shirou had never seen a creature like it. Its tail guided its tailwind, helping it to increase its speed two to threefold. The fire coming out of its mouth was also pretty –
Wait. Fire?
Wait, no, seriously. Fire?
Shirou rolled backwards and shot up to his feet.
"Are you kidding me? Is that a dragon?"