Rin cursed under her breath as she slammed the car into reverse and roared back out of the driveway. The dark sky glowered down on her just as she glowered over the steering wheel. The darkness was all too poignant a reminder of how suicidal it would be to face Assassin alone.
"What was he thinking? There's nothing to gain from fighting Assassin except to get himself killed." Rin growled, tightening her grip on the steering wheel.
"Perhaps Shirou doesn't think in terms of what he has to gain." Berserker replied in his quiet bass. "He thinks in terms of what he has to lose. You heard what he said. He's not fighting to win, he's fighting to stop Assassin from hurting any more people."
"Don't you take his side on this." Rin warned, her anger adding a bite to her words that she regretted. Her tone softened somewhat.
"Protecting people is all well and good, but to do so at the cost of your own life is stupid. To die yourself just to save one person is irrational."
Berserker turned his face away, staring out the window as the houses rushed past.
"I suppose that depends on who you're saving." He said, an unreadable quality tingeing his words.
Rin gave him an odd look but didn't pursue the issue.
Some minutes later Berserker spoke again.
"Why does he make you so angry? He's not your lackey or your charge. So much anger is usually only provoked by enemies or lovers." He said. His voice still held that odd quality, like uncertainty or a hint of old bitterness. A throwback to some lost memory? Or…
Rin's knuckles whitened as her grip on the wheel tightened in surprise. Could Berserker be jealous Shirou? It made a certain amount of sense. Berserker was her Servant, her partner, but she was spending an awful lot of concern on Shirou. He had inside information on Omega, Berserker had no memories. Shirou was strong and determined and, even though Berserker was stronger than Shirou physically, he was much weaker than a Servant should be, crippled by Rin's botched summoning.
But Rin felt the issue went deeper than that. Berserker's comment about enemies or lovers seemed too specific and personal to be mere banter. Could it be that Berserker had feelings for her? The thought wasn't too farfetched now that Rin thought about it. He was her protector, her guardian. The summoning linked them and they had been through a lot together. Facing danger hand in hand fosters a closeness that few other relationships can match. But Rin simply didn't know Berserker well enough to know if she could have feelings for him. He was too quiet, kept too much inside. And what about Shirou? She was certainly attracted to him, that much she could admit to herself. But she knew even less about him than she did about Berserker.
Rin kept her eyes focused on the road, a dim feeling of confusion and misery settling over her. Why did everything have to become so complicated? Her life had been so simple a week ago. Go to Valencia, win the Grail war, earn the respect and admiration of her father. Easy like pie. Now she found herself in a love triangle, two love triangles? Love quadrangle? With her Servant, her best friend and her…what? What was Shirou to her? Friend? Pawn? Rival? Once again she didn't have a box to put him in. Tactics and magical theory was what she did well. Matters of the heart was…not.
Thankfully her musings were interrupted. A pillar of light shot upwards into the night sky from several blocks away like a beacon. Rin floored the gas pedal when she realized what that meant. Berserker pricked up besides her as well in anticipation for battle. A deep sense of foreboding nestled in Rin's stomach as they raced towards where Shirou was surely locked in battle with Assassin. It grew and grew until it was a gibbering panic threatening to overwhelm Rin. She chided herself and reminded herself that it was just Assassin's supernatural fear aura. Still, that didn't make the terror any less.
They rounded the last corner with a squeal. The scene was just as bad as Rin had expected. The light car was parked at an awkward angle halfway up on the curb. The hood was wrapped around a street light that Shirou had apparently crashed into. The bulky spotlight apparatus on the roof was still functioning, sending beams of light out in all directions. It only served to highlight the macabre scene.
The bottom of Rin's stomach dropped out when she saw Assassin but she fought off the sudden rush of terror that filled her. He was standing in the middle of the road holding Shirou aloft by the throat one handed. His other hand held a long slender knife cocked back to strike. Shirou's hands clutched at Assassins, his feet cartwheeled helplessly trying to reach the ground. They both paused when the Bentley came screeching around the corner, Assassin staring at them with a look of annoyance and Shirou with one of suddenly renewed hope. They stared each other down for half a heartbeat and then Rin hit the accelerator. A flick of Assassin's wrist would end Shirou's life and Rin didn't have anything but the car that would separate them fast enough.
Her maneuver didn't work exactly as she'd planned.
Assassin cackled in his disconcerting titter and flung Shirou forward before diving out of the way. With the light car sending beams of radiance piercing through the night he couldn't use his shadow stride or presence concealment but he still possessed all the strength and agility of a fully fledged Servant. Rin slammed on the brakes but the car had too much momentum. Shirou smashed into the windshield with enough force to shatter it, sending a spiderweb net of cracks through the safety glass. The car lurched to a halt and Shirou rolled off the hood onto the ground where he lay unmoving.
Like a bolt of lightning Berserker threw open the passenger door and leaped out to engage Assassin. He was clearly out matched but he fought on. He was bare handed and with nothing to block or parry with his forearms were soon ribbon-ed with defensive wounds. Assassin took his time, circling the group slowly and every so often darting in to try and get past Berserker. Berserker kept himself between Assassin and Rin, absorbing his blows and maneuvering for an opening that he knew he could never take advantage of against the stronger, faster servant.
Dimly aware of the one sided melee taking place behind her Rin rushed around the opposite side of the car to where Shirou had fallen.
"Oh my god, I'm so sorry. Are you alright?" She said in a rush as she went to his side.
He pushed himself up to his elbows, groaning and squeezing his eyes closed.
"Oh crud, that hurt...couple ribs...think they're cracked..." Shirou grunted through gritted teeth.
"Quickly, we need to get out of here." She said urgently, hauling him to his feet.
Shirou pushed himself up with a groan, one arm flung over Rin for support. Behind them Assassin hissed in frustration as he saw his prey escaping. Without his teleportation he would have to go through Berserker to get to them.
"Very well then." He spat venomously.
"If that is your wish, I will show you the face of hell!"
He lowered his shoulder and bull rushed Berserker. For an instant Rin though that he had made a vital tactical mistake. Assassin relied on agility to avoid blows, in a close combat grappling situation Berserker might just stand a chance. Berserker saw the same opening and lunged forwards to meet with his opponent. Assassin's features animated with a sly grin and with a flourish two antique style straight razors materialized in his hands. Rin cried out a warning but it was too late, Berserker was already withing Assassin's trap.
Ducking under Berserker's guard Assassin reached back with both hands and viciously slashed his hamstrings. Suddenly unable to support his weight Berserker tumbled to his knees, the grunt that came from his stoic throat was as good as a scream of agony from a less disciplined man. Berserker kneeled there in his own blood, staring up at his death with a defiant grimace. But instead of slashing his throat with his shining razors Assassin let them clatter to the ground. He pounced on Berserker and seized him by the temples, his fingers claw like. There was a dark vortex of grail energy and Berserker began to convulse, his eyes rolling back into his head.
"What's he doing to him?" Shirou asked urgently.
Reflexively Rin pulled up her Grail vision. A new entry wavered into view.
Noble Phantasm: From Hell
Type: Anti Unit
Description: Assassin sends the target to a realm of eternal suffering. Once there they experience the agony of all of Assassin's victims simultaneously. Once this attack kills the target its suffering is added to the attack and all subsequent uses are doubled in potency. This ability is not exclusive to itself and will grow exponentially in power as the Assassin kills targets.
The murder victims...Rin realized. Each of the women Assassin had killed was to charge up his Noble Phantasm. The first had doubled the power, the second had quadrupled it, the third had made it eight times as strong. By the fifth victim it would be thirty two times as potent. And all that destructive energy was currently being channeled through Berserker's temples. Even as she watched deep rends began to form in his flesh, knife strokes inflicted on Assassins victims being transferred onto his body. She felt paralyzed but Shirou galvanized her into action.
"Get in the Bentley! I'm going to use the light car!" He shouted, snapping her out of her catatonia and pushing her into the drivers side of the car.
Her fingers numbly fumbled with the keys before she realized that the light car wouldn't do any good. Hadn't that already been proven? Rin's heart froze when she suddenly detected a second burst of magical energy behind her. Assassin's master! Of course he won't sit by and let us escape while Assassin is busy with Berserker! She spun around in the driver's seat but the only person behind her was Shirou, sprinting towards the light car.
What...Rin thought in confusion.
Her eyes widened. Shirou skidded to a halt in front of the car and quickly bent to hook his hands underneath the bumper. He groaned with effort and the metal of the car groaned and twisted under the sudden stress. Then, with a final heft, Shirou lifted the entire car over his head. He stood there for an instant like some absurdly top heavy toy, his feet splayed wide for balance, his muscles straining under the car that he held aloft. Assassin looked up with a flabbergasted expression on his narrow features.
"Catch THIS!" He bellowed and hurled the car at Assassin.
Assassin was too shocked to move and the car caught him full in the chest, smashing him backwards and jerking his hands away from Berserker. Shirou sprinted forwards, his arms and legs pistoning to a superhuman blur. He radiated magical energy in quantities that Rin didn't think possible, certainly more than any mage should be able to handle without injuring themselves. Perhaps even more than Rin herself, jewels included. He threw Berserker over his shoulder like a rag doll and then made a beeline for the car. Suddenly remembering herself Rin sent the engine roaring to life and threw the passenger side door open. Shirou dumped Berserker in the seat and then dove in himself.
"Go, go!" He yelled and Rin obliged, jamming on the accelerator and peeling out as she rocketed away from the grizzly scene.
There was blood everywhere and the lingering effects of Assasin's fear aura still couded her mind. Berserker was in bad shape. And they had no idea if Shirou's attack had merely knocked Assassin back enough for an escape or if had crushed his body entirely. But the only one that drew Rin's gaze was Shirou. She stared at him agape, her mouth opening and closing like a beached fish. Eventually she summoned the mental faculty to speak.
"What...how..." She stuttered.
Shirou was panting, covered in grime and blood, and injured in half a dozen places. He still managed one of his trademark grins.
"What? I told you I was a super hero."