Genesis 5: Blood
For a woman with as fragile an appearance as hers, Christie was inexplicably callous in nearly every respect; tossing a roll of cotton gauze by his pool of blood seemed to satisfy her as a sufficient means to saving Shirou's life. As Shirou proceeded to bandage his wounds as best he could, looking up towards Christie's figure leaning against a nearby tree rewarded him with a view of what might have been the most irritating smile imaginable. Was this the American version of benevolence?
Christie suddenly stood upright and compelled herself to break the silence.
"'Ey. You from around here?" Shirou was surprised to find her taking any interest in him at all. He granted her a simple nod.
"Good, good. Y'know your way around here, then, right? As repayment for savin' your life, you can be our guide."
Shirou scoffed at the prospect of being this girl's tour guide. "I have better things to do with my time."
"Do you really?" Christie chuckled. "I'd figure you wanna find who did this to you and show 'em what's up."
Shirou's sense of estrangement towards Christie suddenly took a slap to the face. He looked up towards her once more in what could only be seen as an unspoken approval.
"It seems as if our interests coincide, for the moment," Rider echoed from within a metal chamber. "Let us pool our efforts."
After some substantial traveling (and limping on the part of Shirou), the trio neared Einzbern castle. Shirou reasoned that if Saber had gone in the direction of the forest, the Einzbern house was likely to have some involvement. As the group progressed, he ignored his fatigue and began to amass a formidable collection of questions for the family.
Shirou's plans were put to an abrupt halt as he took his first step out of the forest. He stared at the massive fragments of wood littered across the ground before his feet. The castle doors had been ripped clear off their hinges, and a seemingly random assortment of windows were shattered across the massive building.
"'Ey, Rider. Seems like we're dealing with a sloppy one." The Servant acknowledged his Master with a simple nod.
Upon entering the castle, Shirou encountered a truly grotesque scene. Newly made corpses were scattered about the room, all bearing a large but clean stab wound to the stomach, the source of which needed not be confirmed amongst the three. Most bore at least a few other wounds, some with a look of unmistakable horror planted upon their face, even through their eternal slumber.
"Saber wouldn't do this," Shirou muttered. All of the events since the incident at Main Street seemed surreal to him. Could this really have happened?
"'Ey, Servants can do a lot of things. And how would you know 'im that well, anyways? This one's only been summoned for two weeks."
A greater deal of shock might have struck him, but there was something about heavy blood loss and navigating through a forest that somehow made Shirou a bit dizzy and lethargic. He simply turned to face Christie with a confused look.
"How do you know that?"
Christie looked upwards, as if in deep thought. "Mm… I dunno. Let's just say I have my sources." The petite girl gave Shirou a wink and a smile, tilting her head to the side and letting a few tufts of hair slide across her face.
Was Saber truly summoned again? Why are more Servants showing up when the Grail…
Shirou's thoughts barely had time to collect before the slow pitter-patter of footsteps emerged from the top of the massive staircase at the forefront of the castle. Shirou's current state made it hard to distinguish the figures in the distance, but he could clearly make out the lone set of pearly white armor and the familiar voice that arose from it.
"Why have you followed me? Surely you wish for death."
"Now, now, Saber. I've told you more than enough times. Kill only the designated targets. You've messed that up enough, haven't you?"
Squinting, Shirou was able to make out the man's figure. He was unfamiliar for one main reason; the man looked like any ordinary Fuyuki City businessman. Typical shirt, slacks, shoes, tie. Typical well-groomed black hair. Quite possibly the most forgettable and unnoticeable image he could imagine. What wasn't typical was the set of unmistakable markings creeping out on the stranger's arm.
"Oh? Another Servant, here in Fuyuki? This is hardly a coincidence. You were looking for me, weren't you?"
Christie applauded the Master with a few claps. "'Ey, good job, pal! Sorry I'm late, though. Had to come from overseas, y'know. Was a bit of a hassle finding you two gentlemen."
Gentlemen?
It was at that moment when Saber materialized behind Christie, blade raised and poised to strike. As the sword fell down upon the back of the girl's head, it was promptly met with a thick, elongated blade that reduced the attack to nothing more than a mere breeze of air that managed to slightly ruffle her hair.
What had happened hadn't even dawned upon Shirou until Rider's indeterminable voice echoed nearby. His blade had managed to not only stop Saber's, but it had the remarkable side effect of repelling the Servant's weapon completely, causing him to stumble a few steps backward.
"Your wicked tactics have not changed, Sir Mordred. I am surprised you were even granted an edict for summoning."
It was at that moment – the moment when Rider spoke the Servant's true name – when Shirou felt a peculiar amalgamation of relief and disappointment dawn upon him.
"How do you know my name? Who are you?" An expression of dismay materialized on the Servant's face, showing a clear recognition for the risks of having a revealed identity. "I recognize not your armor, nor do I know your voice!"
Rider simply raised his long-sword in one hand and pointed it towards his opponent; his dreadful, empty stare seemed to penetrate him from within the helm and paralyze him.
"Your mistake is assuming no Servant would recognize you, Sir Mordred. You wear your own armor and reveal your face so willingly that you become deserving of the fate you deem so improbable."
"'Ey Rider, how much mana do you think the magi here had? Saber probably grew almost twice as strong by now, wouldn'cha say?"
Christie's words broke Shirou from his state of awe, drawing his attention to her. The amount of prowess Rider contained in that simple movement was unfathomable. There had to be some explanation.
"Does that mean…Rider too?"
"Huh? Oh, no," Christie scratched at the back of her head nervously, smiling softly. "Eheh, I don't work that way. Not a drop of human blood."
In the middle of the chaotic streets, a young woman with peculiar violet hair looked around frantically.
Sakura had grown much more athletic throughout the years, but there was no doubt about it: jumping across rooftops was one sure way to lose her. It had the convenient side effect of showing her Shirou's exact heading, though, as it'd been obvious to her that he was traveling in a straight line. She'd taken the more rational route, however, and had taken a taxi to the middle of the city before continuing her pursuit on foot.
She'd stopped by the "accident" site at Main Street, waiting amidst the chaos for a good ten minutes before concluding Shirou wasn't anywhere around. Continuing in the same direction, she sighed.
"Senpai, where are you?"