An Opportunity of Fate part 14
-Author's Note—
Please note this story is rated M for a reason. Also while I am posting disclaimers, I do not own the characters or setting. That is owned by the good folks at Type-Moon.
-Story Start-
Arturia Pendragon-
Arturia had spent the entire night scanning the skies. What she had expected to see she didn't know. But then, while her senses had been on alert and she was listening to everything around her, her mind was wondering at failure that was her life.
She had done the best she could. She had tried to be the best and most honorable king that she could be. She had done the right thing, even when it had been ruthless, all to save her people.
And in the end? She hadn't truly led them.
After several hours Arturia looked down. Iskander had been right about her. How could her people truly follow her if she had been so detached from them? She hadn't even noticed the pain she was giving to those closest to her. She had driven one of her best friends… No could she even still consider Lancelot that? Had he actually been a friend? Had she let anyone other than Merlin and Guinevere get close enough to see the real Arturia?
She had been the wrong King. Surely another should have pulled that sword. Surely another had been more worthy. And now once more she had a chance to rectify that situation.
Only she was working for another Emiya. This one didn't seem cold and distant. He didn't seem detached and focused on the mission. And yet there was a part of him that seemed missing.
The only one she had ever seen like that, seen that emptiness in was Kirei Kotomine. It wasn't the same and yet….
She needed to think on it.
Thock. Pause. Thock. Pause. Thock. The sound of a soft feminine curse.
Arturia tightened her eyes. She hadn't felt anyone enter. But there had been some movement in the house. The Matou girl. Arturia wasn't sure what to make of her. She was a good cook, and yet….
Arturia felt from her some of the same vibes she had always gotten off of Morgan. Powerful, eldritch and dangerous. Possibly unstable. Not fully in tune with the real world, even though she fit in it. The woman had been called 'le Fay' for a reason.
Arturia wasn't quite ready to condemn the poor girl, but she had always paid attention to her instincts. And oddly of all the magi she had seen, it was this one she thought dangerous. It was just an instinct, but even with her high magic resistance, she was wary of the girl.
She stopped when she watched Sakura lift a bow again and shoot at the target. Her hair was different though, snow white. And her stance was different. It wasn't the calm and diffident pose that Sakura had struck earlier.
And her clothes were simply scandalous. Some thin body tight fabric. On one arm it seemed thicker, almost like a bracer to protect her arm. The girl raised the bow and shot.
Arturia watched. The girl was passably good. Still young and she didn't seem combat trained.
Oh. Yes. Archery was a sport in this world. Funny how different the world could be.
The girl sarcastically asked, "Did you want to shoot too, or were you just going to glare at me all morning?"
"Isn't it kind of dark to be shooting like this?" It was just starting to brighten on the horizon.
"Sorry, just a little frustrated. Close call with Emiya after all. Didn't think it would be so hard to be so close to him." Sakura turned to face her, "Well, I will make sure we don't do anything foolish, Rider. Or would you prefer Arturia? Or how about Miss Pendragon?"
"I am Arturia Lilian Pendragon. Do not make light of my name. Call me Rider." Something was wrong with the girl. Her hair had been pale but not entirely white before. And her eyes. "Sakura, could you look me in the eyes?"
Sakura grumbled and made another shot. She then turned and with a twisted smile glared at Arturia. "Happy Miss Rider? Going to try to eviscerate or exorcize me now?"
Arturia took a step back. Sakura's eyes were a bright red. Inhumanly so.
All around Sakura the shadows twitched and twirled. "I promise that I won't go down easily. Not even for the Servant of Sempai."
Arturia looked down at the sword she had summoned to her hand. She sighed and let Invisible Air go. "I have caused enough trouble in this household. You are his guest. By the laws of hospitality and in the interest of harmony, I promise to bring you no harm. Save in the instance I believe you are a threat to Shirou."
Sakura nodded and the shadows settled around her. "Yes. If I become a monster please kill me before I hurt Sempai." She looked down at the bow still in her hands. "I am after all, halfway there already."
Arturia stood there wide eyed. Not even Morgan had been this crazy. And yet…. She could sense no true evil to the girl. Of course, Morgan hadn't always been the hateful woman she had later become.
Sakura smiled over at her, "It was a pleasure to meet you. I am really tired now. And I can hear Shirou in the kitchen. He should be safe. I can sleep." She slumped to the ground.
Arturia walked forward to see if the girl was okay.
Sakura's body twitched and she rose to her knees. And began to sob.
Arturia really had no clue what to do at this point. Had she been suddenly charged by another Servant, had the Emiya household been under attack by bandits, had an army of demons or monsters or faerie shown up, she would have known what to do. But to be a king, a true King, one had to put away their emotions.
She looked down on the sobbing girl and made a guess. White hair and red eyes. That was the key here. She didn't know if it would help Sakura or not, but she could try. She easily picked up the girl and moved her to the shed. She kicked away the heavy boxes that interrupted the Circle.
She placed the girl within. Once activated it would isolate her from outside influence. And possibly help her. Now that Arturia had placed Sakura into the circle she laughed at herself. The Circle lay quiet. It had required magic to activate after all. Magic that she didn't have.
Supposedly.
In truth Morgan hadn't been the only one with the capacity for magic in their little family. Arturia had it as well. But she had never desired to learn much of the arcane arts. There was no point; she wanted to be a knight, a famous knight like her father. And after a few trials, Sir Ector had let her. One of the unspoken choices given to her by Merlin had to been to be his pupil.
The truth was, while Arturia now believed she had been the wrong person to remove Caliburn, at the time she wasn't sure anyone else would have been able to. Because she had something very few possessed. A dragoncore. It was why she was so strong with such a frail body. Why she healed so fast, even without Avalon. Why magic simply tended to fail when it was tested on her.
None of the others who had tried to pull out Caliburn had been able to activate the sword itself. That was the only way to pull the sword out. Outside magic had not been enough to release it. Immense personal strength hadn't been enough. It had taken her Dragoncore to activate it. And Merlin had made sure she had understood how rare they were. How unlikely another nearby possessed one, even as he told her what the costs of removing the sword would be.
Arturia reached down and gently let her prana activate the circle. It gleamed as it activated and Arturia waited.
Maybe this was another mistake in a lifetime of mistakes. Arturia felt her eyes burn as she remembered all that she had lost. All that her reign had cost her people. She couldn't think of where it had all fallen apart. The only thing she could think of was that the failure point had been her. Her own lack of emotion, her own lack of connection to the people.
Shirou called out to them. "Sakura? Rider?"
A still crying Sakura stood up in the Circle and called back out thickly, "We are in here, Sempai."
Shirou entered and gasped. "Where had that Circle come from? And what is Sakura doing inside of it." He turned to face Arturia, "What is the meaning of this?"
Sakura coughed for a moment and then said, "Rider was trying to help me." She smiled wanly at Arturia, "And it has if not the way she might think."
Shirou looked at Sakura and flushed, "Um, Sakura. Your clothes are, they are…."
Sakura looked down and saw what she was wearing. Skin tight shadow and nothing else. "Sempai!" She wailed and covered herself with her arms. But Arturia noticed the flush and her eyes. Her now purple eyes were watching Shirou closely to see if it affected him.
Interesting.
"Um, Sakura, breakfast will be ready in about a half hour." Shirou's face was entirely red. And while he kept trying to turn his head, he kept looking at Sakura. Then at her eyes and then away.
Arturia rolled her own eyes. Teenagers. Some things never changed.
Sakura's own face was a mixture of mortification and… satisfaction? "I am going to go get ready for school. Sorry for disturbing you, Sempai." And she walked by and touched Arturia's shoulder. "Thanks. We will need to talk in a bit, but you helped me more than you know." She then left, swaying slightly.
Shirou turned to watch her leave, his jaw opening and closing.
Arturia looked over at him, "How well do you know her?"
He was still staring at where she had entered the house. "Not as well as I thought apparently. She has always been so sweet and demure and…." Shirou shook his head, "What is this Circle?"
"it was Irisviel's. This house was our backup site. She had needed it to rest." Arturia said softly, "It isn't demonic possession if that is what you are worried about that. There would be more physical manifestations."
Shirou asked quietly, "Is she dangerous?"
Arturia said curtly, "Yes. There isn't a physical resemblance, but she reminds me of my sister, Morgan."
Shirou continued quietly, "Was she tortured for years?"
Arturia looked at him in shock. She might not have ever gotten along with the witch, but she would never have allowed someone to do that to her sister. "Never!"
Shirou said softly, "I do not know if this is something you want to get involved in. It is complicated. And tangential to the Grail War itself. But right now, one of the few things I would wish for on that cursed Grail, would be to save her from all that she has gone through." He looked Arturia in the eyes, "I don't know everything, but what I do know sickens me." He sighed heavily, "If you could keep an eye on her that would help. More than that, well I will have to talk to Rin."
Arturia nodded, "You keep saying the Grail is cursed. Why?" What had Kiritsugu learned in those last few minutes? What had made him cast aside a dream he had possessed as deeply as she possessed hers? She had hated the man, had hated how he had treated her, and in truth how he dealt with situations in general. Had Lancer's curse come true?
"It is definitely cursed. If you wish, I will find a way to release you. This fight, well my fight will be more about trying to keep the casualties low and to somehow stop the Grail from manifesting." He laughed wearily, "Of course, neither I nor Tohsaka have come up with a plan for that. But it is definitely cursed. I will show you the Park where it had manifested last war."
"You mean the Fuyuki Civic Center?"
He shook his head, "No the Park they built after the curse that flowed out of the Grail had burned it and the surrounding neighborhood down. Your Excalibur had closed the Gate, but not before some of the substance came through. According to Dad, that would have covered the world in time."
Arturia stared at him in horror.
Shirou continued, "Oh, it would have given him his dream alright, world peace. No human would fight another." He glared at her, "Because we would have all been dead. I am going to go finish breakfast." He stalked off.
"Shirou! Wait!"
Shirou paused, his face unreadable.
"We got off to the wrong start. I want you to know that my sword will be you shield in this conflict. That I will serve you and I will not fail."
Shirou looked at her and nodded, "And I will do my best not to fail you as well. Come, it has been a long night for all of us. A good breakfast will help." He turned to go back in.
Arturia followed. Her stomach grumbled. "I agree to that, Shirou. Shouldn't we wait for Sakura? She was such a good cook last night and well…."
Shirou glanced back and smiled, "Trust me, I know my way around a kitchen too. I had to, Father and Taiga were useless." He laughed, "I either learned to cook or ate prepackaged food. So I learned to cook. It is like archery, soothing."
"Okay, I am trusting you with this. I was a King you know, I have high standards." Too bad most of the cooks in Britain had failed her.
He just smiled and cooked a large breakfast.
And she watched, letting the aromas ready her for the upcoming battle. For hunger was sort of like the Saxons. You could beat them for a while, but they would be back. And you could never be sure how the battle would go, only that this one looked mighty tasty.
-Scene Break—
Luvia Edelfelt
Luvia stared at the ceiling. Yesterday had been strange, but she was glad she had followed Sakura and Rin. They hadn't gone too deep into detail, just a few comments really, but they had mentioned that the Grail was cursed. That their plans were to stop it.
Somehow.
She needed to know more. She needed her uncle to finally tell her everything he had learned. She wasn't used to being left in the dark like this.
He had asked her to observe, and she had. Only what she had learned so far was not conducive to sleeping well. She rolled back out of bed and put a robe on. She walked to the field workshop she had built in the basement of the house they had rented. Much of the equipment was simply repurposed medical and chemistry supplies. Altering it to fit her needs had taken a few hours, but it would serve.
She examined the table with the protective circle and bounded field. Inside as she had hoped, her alchemical process had worked. She had known it would take time so she had left it to settle overnight. And now the sample she had taken from Fuyuki Memorial Park had separated into its component parts.
Most of it was boring. Simple earth. But the separated Ether was alive and it reacted as she entered the room. It was a blot of darkness that seemed determined to work its way through the various protective magics she had worked into the table.
She had been careful and it didn't have a chance. Had she taken a larger sample there might have been a danger, but this was small and the circle isolated it from outside assistance.
The researcher in her was curious if it reacted as vehemently to all animal life or if it was strictly anti-human. The facilities she had here were not sufficient or safe enough to test that theory. It would have to wait until she got home. But if it were as virulent as she suspected, it might make for a nice addition for a killing Gandr.
She nodded to herself. A few years of refinement maybe? She had a few other projects she was working on, but this had struck her interest since she had gotten here. The sheer malevolence she had felt in that park…. Surely there was a way to weaponize it.
Luvia sighed as she studied the tiny blot of animate darkness. That brought back the source of this curse. Was the whole Grail War this corrupt or had there been some sort of accident in the last conflict?
Too many questions without answers. She would find out some of the answers from Emiya and his friends, but there was no reason to simply depend on one source. So she walked over and picked up the phone.
Most magi avoided using standard modern conveniences whenever they could. Luvia thought that silly, although she herself rarely had time to use any of the new gadgets that had been invented herself. Waver Velvet on the other hand was a proponent of using whatever got results. And while resonance crystals could be more secure, they were much less convenient unless you had planned on whom and when to call in advance.
Luvia was setting up such an appointment now. She knew very well that he was supporting a different contestant in this War, but that he might be willing to share some information if she was willing to do the same.
Besides, if the Grail was cursed, this whole ritual needed to be stopped, or at the very least paused to examine it.
-Scene Break—
Cassandra Martel-
Cassandra stood in front of the Church. Why did she feel an odd sense of forbidding here? The Church and the Magic Association rarely got along, true, but this feeling….
Ajax, still in spirit form, but comfortably close muttered, "There is something wrong with this place."
Cassandra could only nod as she entered the building. She had called before she had arrived and was not surprised to see the priest waiting.
He looked normal. His hair perhaps a bit long. Waver had told her that Kotomine had fought in the previous war, and had taken up his father's burden of being the mediator of this one. A dangerous man.
"I am here to record my place in this conflict." She said quietly.
"Ah. Such a pretty young woman to be associated with such a desperate ritual. What hidden secrets do you possess that would drive you to such a thing?"
She looked him in the eyes, "Does it matter? My reasons are my own."
He merely smiled at her, his head tilted slightly, "It is a strange thing, this contest. Should you survive you will see the truth inside yourself and either be set free from what once constrained you or wallow forever in the depths of your regret. I wonder which you shall be, my dear, Miss Martel." He smiled, "I know some of your past, more perhaps than even your current lover knows. Are you truly willing to face the trials of death and despair that stand before you? All for the faint chance of salvation granted by a wish from the Holy Grail?"
"I didn't come here to discuss philosophy with you priest! My Servant is Lancer, and I have notified you. Good day." Cassandra whirled to leave.
"Have you no questions, Miss Martel? Once you leave, you may not return unless you come to relinquish your rights as Master and seek the protection of the Holy Mother Church. Have you no requests or pleas for tips that may insure your survival? Is that not why you gave yourself, body and mind, to that weakling Waver Velvet?"
Cassandra stopped, full of rage.
Ajax simply asked, "Do you wish for me to kill him, madam? I have known his kind before and the world would be improved by his death."
Cassandra snorted, "The fallout from that, as appealing as it might be, would not be pleasant. For now we must live with him."
Ajax nodded, "Perhaps that is wise. I do fear we may rue the day we did not kill him now, despite the damage it may cause."
Cassandra grunted in assent and whirled to face the priest. "I know you fought against my Waver, I know that you survived the War. What makes you think yourself better than he is?"
Kotomine smiled, "Your Waver? How charming. He left the War much as he came, a servant of someone greater than himself. A man he hid behind during the entire conflict, much like you will with your own Servant no doubt. Do you presume that the Bulwark of the Achaeans will truly be enough to keep you safe? Do you plan to stand within his shadow, much like your lover did his Servant? To accept the spoonful's of wisdom doled out to him, or will you actually fight in this war. Will you seek the truth that lurks within yourself amidst the perils and dangers that stand before you?"
Cassandra took a step back.
Kotomine continued, "I can see it in your eyes Miss Martel. You seek absolution from your sins. You deny your true self, much as I once did. Rejoice Miss Martel, you now will have the truth of who and what you are revealed to you in your actions of the next few days. Do you truly think you will be able to maintain the façade you have made for your own comfort? Will the stark necessity of survival let you?" He smiled wider, "I look forward to watching your progress Miss Martel, and should you survive, I would be eager to speak to you about your experiences. To see if they match up to mine. For while you have neither the skill, nor the training that I have, I see within you the desire to survive at all costs. And a question about who you truly are, and why you survived and not your first love."
Cassandra wanted to say something, but the words wouldn't come.
Ajax materialized and lifted her up easily. He turned to the priest, "We are leaving, false one. I pray the day comes when I have the chance to crush your head like a walnut between my palms. May that day come soon."
Kotomine sneered at the Servant, "You would find me no easy target, suicide." He turned to Cassandra, "Good Luck, Miss Martel." And he turned to leave.
Ajax asked, "I can still kill him."
Cassandra said quietly, "No."
She could have saved her first lover. But she had fled, leaving him to die alone and in agony. And even today she wasn't sure whether it had been out of fear or calculation. That saving him would have risked her own life; that she had put her survival so far ahead of someone she had claimed to love more than life itself.
She really wasn't sure.
Cassandra said softly, to her Servant, but mostly to herself, "I am not like him. I am not like that priest."
Ajax continued to carry her back to her hotel room. Luckily he was wearing civilian clothes, courtesy of Waver's suggestion. Oddly he was wearing a full formal suit. It had been expensive, but Waver had paid the costs. "That man is a snake. Even his truths are poisonous."
Cassandra wanted to rage and to cry and to scream. But all she could say was simply the same thing. "I am not like him."
She sat in contemplation for a long time. Remembering the past. Casually wondering if she truly had a future.
And what she would learn about herself in the process.
-Scene Break—
Rin Tohsaka-
Rin awoke from a series of odd dreams. Dreams in which she had been a soldier and had seen and done many unpleasant things. Had cut down men with a smile, wielding a blessed sword that cut through armor and flesh and bone easily.
Always rushing to the forefront, always relishing the joy, the sheer feel of life that came to him as he risked his own life. "For God and Glory!" Those were the words he would cry as he rushed into the fray, as he sought his own demise.
And when it found him, when he had fought to his end at Roncevalles, the only words on his lips were a single word of regret.
"Aude" Rin said as she shot up, The vision of a smiling brunette woman dressed in an elaborate gown. "When you return we shall marry, my love?"
Rin shook her head as she heard the alarm begin to ring. Time to wake up.
What had that been? What had she seen? Those dreams had seemed so very real….
A slight knock on the door, "My lady, you asked me to make sure you woke at this hour. I have brewed your tea as instructed and it is waiting for you in the living room. The laundry you bade me to do last night is cleaned and dried and packed in the suitcases as you wished. Your second bag of magical books and implements is also waiting for you."
Rin groaned and got out of bed. She opened the door to the smiling face of Roland. He was dressed casually in one of Shirou's spare set of clothing. They didn't fit perfectly, what had been a slightly oversized shirt on Shirou, was a little tight on Roland. And Rin couldn't help but admire how it looked on him.
With a slight smirk she wondered, what would Shirou look like in a more form fitting shirt? She would have to buy him one, or better yet have him buy one. Maybe she could induce him to do so with the promise of a date?
Roland's voice was dry, "My dear, I must decline. I am engaged after all."
Rin's eyes opened wide, "What? You, you idiot? What do you mean by that?"
Roland laughed, "You were undressing me with your eyes, my lady." He paused and smiled again, "Ah. My mistake. It wasn't me you were seeing. You were seeing the boy. These must be his clothes."
Rin looked away, "That isn't any of your business."
Roland seriously said, "Well if I can help you Master, just let me know. I am skilled in strategy and tactics after all, despite my favor of the direct approach. So if you need help in the Siege of Emiya, just let me know."
Rin took a deep breath. Elegant. Dignified. A Tohsaka. Calm.
He turned to leave. "Even if I do not know why it is an issue. He obviously cares for and even desires you. Even if he also shows much the same for that Matou girl." He stopped at the stairwell, "You on the other hand have considerable access to him as he is your student. And given the amount of chores he does for you around this mansion, your butler as well. What is holding you back, my lady? Neither of you have parents to dissuade you, nor does your culture hold such liaisons in contempt, so long as it is discreet. I had a considerably harder situation myself. I mean is it some sort of modern Magus thing?"
Rin had had enough. Her right arm reached out and her crest became a bar of fire on her arm. A stream of Gandr fired at Roland.
And did nothing.
Roland looked down. "Magic Resistance, my dear. Of course, I think you probably wouldn't have shot me if you were certain it would hurt me." He sighed, "Just a warning I overstepped my bounds."
Rin lowered her arm, slightly horrified at her action. (Not that she would tell anyone.)
Roland looked up, "I am on your side, my lady. I am here to help you in your endeavors, and while I was summoned for the Grail, I will happily help you with other things." He sighed again and said, "The truth is I do not want the Grail. It cannot give me what I desire."
Rin simply said, "Aude."
"She is with the Angels now, in Heaven with our Lord. I love her yes, I long to be with her. But not enough to pull her from that. I must hope that in time, I too shall join her."
"But…."
Roland smiled, "You have your beliefs, please allow me to have mine. Besides I have noticed a few crosses here and there in your home. Several Bibles, one of them in Latin no less. I doubt you share my faith, but I believe you know of what I believe. Despite yourself, my lady, despite what you believe yourself to be, despite what you believe a magus must be, you are still a good person. And I pray that you will remain so, even if you must continue to hide it from yourself. So long as you remain such, I have no trouble in serving you."
"Hmmph. You are Saber. I can't believe you could divine that so easily. Besides I am a cool and elegant, not to mention, ruthless, magus."
Roland's grin widened, "Yes, you are most fearsome indeed. Come down and drink some tea. You will need to get ready for school soon as well. I presume you are attending? I am far from the best of cooks, but I can scrounge up some breakfast for you as well."
Rin shook her head and yawned. "Just let me get ready. We will need to hurry so we can catch breakfast at Emiya's"
Roland's voice was dry again, "So he not only cleans and regularly does the house maintenance here, but cooks for you too? I must say he will make you a nice wife someday."
Rin reached down and threw a slipper at him.
He just laughed and walked downstairs.
Rin sighed as she remembered the dream. That man was not what she expected. When she had summoned a Servant, she had been expecting some enigmatic hero. Instead she had gotten a person, a soldier of some skill who had become a legend.
And she was starting to realize that much of those legends were wrong.
She yawned again and got ready. She really was looking forward to breakfast. Whether it was Shirou or Sakura, it was always filling and good. She was smiling by the time she went downstairs to drink her tea.
Maybe today wouldn't be so bad after all.
-Scene Break—
Ayako Mitsuzuri-
Ayako stared down at the sleeping Issei. She shook her head at how odd her life had become. But then if she were honest hadn't she asked for this? Wasn't this part of what she had been expecting when she had decided she would force the truth from her friends.
"I didn't expect to sleep with Issei so soon, that was for sure." Ayako said softly. Not that they had had sex. She had merely slept in his arms. Not that it couldn't have happened given the craziness of the night.
Issei had actually carried her for a few miles, unwilling to flag a cab given her bloodstained dress. Why no one had stopped them to ask questions, or why the police hadn't gotten involved, Ayako wasn't sure. Probably magic of some sort.
When she had woken up, she had been rattled. Whatever spell had been put upon her had worn off, and she was quite ready and willing to run at that point. To the ends of the Earth if necessary.
Ayako could still feel the wound where that monster had taken a bite out of her. When Issei had finally calmed her down, had shoved her into this studio apartment and swore that it was warded and safe, she had fallen to her knees and sobbed. Her hands had scrabbled all over her body, looking for a wound that wasn't there, but one she could feel.
A wound to her mind. Her soul. The place where that woman had 'tasted' her.
It was still there, still present. Issei had told her it would likely heal. That was one reason they had gone through that whole cheesy purification ritual.
Who puts a magic circle in a shower? And what about the other sigils that had been on the walls, ones that apparently were painted in the same color as the tiles, as she hadn't seen them until they started to glow….
And Issei had been standing not more than a few feet away chanting in some ridiculous ancient Japanese. She wasn't sure she even understood everything he had said!
All at her mother's request. That was the part that had made it so strange. Here Ayako had babbled an incoherent story about youkai and magic and who knows what else….
What does her mother say? Do what Issei tells you. Her voice had been calm, collected, like she had been asking about her school day, or if she had finished her chores.
"Ayako, Issei may not be the most practiced practitioner available. But he has some training. Wounds like that are dangerous. You don't want it to be infected by, well, anything. Just as there are creatures who thrive in a normal wound, there are those who could thrive in a wounded soul."
Ayako had simply stood there listening to her mother calmly tell her the impossible. She had simply said, "Mom?"
There was a sigh on the other end of the line. "You spent so much time peering at your friends and your grandfather, even your father got scrutiny. Oh, yes he noticed. The house is scanned for bugs on a regular basis you know. But you never looked at me. Ironic in the end." There was a pause, "Stay were you are Ayako. You are safer there. I will bring a change of clothes. Expect me early."
And she had hung up.
The whole shower situation had been strange. Because Issei couldn't see her. And while she was fairly sure he peeked at some point, he hadn't reacted at all to anything she had done visibly while incanting the spell or ritual or whatever.
He had promised her that he could do something that would allow him to not see her. What had he said? "There are things in this business you do not want to look at. They are there and you need to deal with them, and it is easier to do so if you can still see. But you have to learn to not see them while still able to see."
Ayako had thought that finally male mentality had infused Issei. That he would do anything to see her body. Still he had saved her life. Plus her mother had told her to do what he said.
So she had and he had ignored her. The ritual had taken a little while, but the water had remained warm long enough. And she had been clean. She had even felt rested and refreshed, as odd as that might sound given the circumstances.
He had given her a robe and went to clean her clothes in the laundry facilities in the building. When he came back they talked for a while. At some point she must have said or done something because Issei flushed all red and retreated into himself for a while.
Neither of them had been eager to sleep, and the only bed was a single rollaway bed that folded out of the only couch. Issei offered to sleep in a chair, but Ayako wouldn't let him.
He had saved her after all. Besides she trusted him. She had worn her newly laundered shift and panties, and he had worn an undershirt and his underwear. But he had still been skittish lying next to her.
It had actually been kind of cute.
After that they talked. Nothing serious. Or rather nothing that involved the danger they had faced that evening or magic. They talked about school, about plans for college, plans for life.
It was then that Issei broke down. Dragging her into this dangerous world he was slowly moving into. He had been nearly hysterical about the fact he had almost left her, almost just ran for his own safety.
But he hadn't. She looked at his sleeping form. He hadn't. He had come back for her, he had saved her.
She had held him for a while, soothing him, holding him close. And exhaustion took over and he fell asleep. And so did she.
But not for long. Deep in the night she awoke from the deepest of night terrors. One in which she hadn't been saved. One in which she watched as that beautiful witch sipped Ayako's soul out of her body, until the very concept of Ayako Mitsuzuri was no more and her body fell empty to the ground.
Ayako hadn't known she could shriek that loud. It took Issei some time to calm her. And when she had finally came close to rational, she had kissed him. She had just wanted proof she was alive, just had needed to have some sense existence.
Issei had resisted for a moment. But it had been a long and frightening day, and even his reserve had limits.
Ayako now had definite proof, if only anecdotal that Issei did indeed like girls.
Their make out session was brief, passionate and awkward. Then Issei had pulled away and began apologizing to her.
Even Ayako would admit they had been going too fast. So she had apologized back, and well détente was eventually reached.
In the end, neither had been able to sleep alone, and so eventually they had gone back to holding each other.
How she was going to explain this to her mother, Ayako wasn't sure. But lying never worked against her. You could hope to slip something by her, but a direct lie was pointless. It was one of the reasons she was so blunt herself normally. Lying had always been more trouble than it was worth. Watching what words you used and what emotions you showed worked much better.
There was a slight rustling of the bed, and Issei began pulling off the sheets and blankets. "Eh, uh, Mitsuzuri. Just let me finish this and I will make some tea. There might be something I can make for breakfast too. Just…."
Ayako said firmly, "Issei call me Ayako. We have been friends for years, and, and yesterday you saved me."
He shook his head, "I nearly ran away. I could only think how powerful that monster was. She could have caught us both, but she let us go." He looked down, "I didn't really save you. She could have had us both."
Ayako walked over and gruffly said, "But you DID come back. And whatever you did, even if it only made her feel sympathy for us…. You still saved me. I don't know what will happen between us after last night, but I know this. You will forever be a friend of mine for what you did last night. You saved me and I will never forget it. Which is why it hurts me that you still, even now, feel the need to be so formal and remote." She took both his shoulders and shook him. "Does it hurt you that I call you Issei? Is that to familiar for me?"
Issei shook his head, "No I, it is different! Particularly after my disgraceful actions last night. I am surprised you even want to be in the same room as me." He pulled away and began folding the bed back into a couch.
Ayako smirked, "Hey, I started it. Who knew that you would want to participate too, huh?"
Issei flushed, "Mitsuzuri…."
"Ayako. Call me Ayako."
He took a deep breath and sighed. "Very well. Since you insist. Ayako, don't forget this." He handed the shortsword her grandfather had given her.
Ayako backed away. "I am not sure I ever want to see that blade again. Issei I, I killed someone with it." She looked down. Likely she would be going to prison for that. Were they looking for her even now? She should try to run or just turn herself in? How would this affect her father's career and her family?
Issei looked down at it and opened it slightly. "It is yours, Mitzu… I mean Ayako." The blade glittered with a trace of blue fire. "This blade is special and it has accepted you as its wielder. " He drew it fully and studied it. "Yes. It is a mystical weapon." He paused for a moment as he examined the symbols on the blade and then sheathed it with a sigh.
"What? Is it some cursed weapon?"
Issei shook his head, "Not at all. If anything it is blessed. I can't completely translate the small poem inscribed on it, it is in an old dialect and flowery. But I think I have the gist of it." He looked at her, "And it is apt for you. The Heart of Courage. It is obviously a secondary weapon, but to be frank I don't really know a lot about swords. You will have to ask Emiya about that." He handed her the blade.
Gingerly she took it. It felt good in her hands. "The Heart of Courage?"
Issei nodded with a small smile.
Ayako smirked sadly, "Once I might have believed it, but last night proved my mettle. You saw me break and cry out. You saw, saw how, how fri, frightened I, I am." She couldn't help it, the memories of last night came right back. The sheer helplessness, the despair that her life was about to be snuffed out.
And the fear. She had never felt such a crippling sensation before. She could still feel echoes of it rippling through her. She closed her eyes. She would need to return the sword. Need to apologize to Sakura and everyone and then let them lead their lives. Absently she was stroking the simple but durable sheath that held the blade.
Issei tentatively placed a hand on her shoulder. "You are making a mistake, Ayako. A common one." The other hand cupped her chin, "Look at me Ayako. Please."
Ayako looked at his smiling face. Why? Why did he smile at her? She was a coward. Last night she had shrieked at the top of her lungs and had been nearly inconsolable. She had been nearly broken when she had escaped even earlier. How could he not see her for what he was?
Issei continued, "Courage is not fearlessness. Courage is not allowing fear to rule you. To face your fears and overcome them. Last night you reacted to what happened to you, and you reacted appropriately. You were horrified at something horrific. From your description of what happened in the bathroom, that woman accosted you and threatened you. She even used some of her magic on you and how did you react? Did you cower in fear? No you defended yourself."
"But then that Witch…."
"Overpowered you, yes. She would have overpowered me. I doubt even Rin in all her pride could have resisted her. That being's strength of will was unnatural. I faced her at the end, Ayako. I saw her face to face. I cast the strongest spell I could. I invoked not only the power of the ofuda I had made, but invoked both the local Kami, and those of the Heavenly Plain…. None of it would have been enough. The local Kami might have cursed her, might have caused her some minor misfortunes, but that is all. She had us, Ayako. She had us and she let us go. Do not think yourself foolish for fearing such a creature. That is the right response. And if you see her again, run." Issei laughed, "And tell me too, so I can run as well."
Ayako looked at Issei, who was so very close. And a more natural smirk appeared on her face. So she kissed him.
He backed away. "What was that for," blushing ferociously.
She smiled at him again, "Nothing. Just a random act of courage." Her smile faded, "What are we going to do about our friends. I confronted you, and well, all hell broke loose."
Issei nodded and paced. "Sakura already knows about me. Both of you are already close, so I suggest her first." He frowned, "Although I would like Shirou to take a look at that sword. The one time I have been near his Workshop, I could tell his magic was all about blades. He should know more about what you carry."
Ayako nodded. "Good plan. I can actually do both in Archery club. Maybe later on today? Assuming my mother actually comes and brings me a uniform. What are you going to wear?"
Issei waved at a backpack sitting against the wall. "I was planning on staying at Emiya's last night after we met. I brought a change of clothes and left them here. The Doctor lets me use this place so long as I keep it clean and keep it ready for him should he arrive suddenly."
Ayako just looked around. There were shelves lining the wall. There was a nice television mounted on the wall, but for the most part it seemed fairly conventional. Nothing like she imagined a mage might have.
"Mitsuzuri?"
Ayako just glared at him.
Again the blush, "Sorry, it will take some getting used to. Ayako."
"Better."
He sighed and then his eyes looked her up and down and the flush deepened. "Ayako. I do like you. But I would like I do wish you would stop teasing me."
"Teasing you?"
His frown intensified; blush still evident, "You know what I mean, Ayako."
"Who said I was teasing you? Maybe I like you." She crossed her arms, bringing her back to the realization she was dressed only in her shift. She couldn't help as her own cheeks began to heat.
He looked away, "Please Ayako, we have been friends for a long time. Don't do this to me."
Ayako bit her lip, she nodded to herself. She had to ask. "Do you not like girls? You prefer boys?"
Issei turned and looked at Ayako with complete shock, "What?"
"Well that is a rumor going around school. And you do seem to only be friends with Emiya. Heck, even a bit possessive of him. I never totally believed it myself, but you never seemed interested." Ayako looked down, trying and failing to keep the smirk on her face. She was strong and self-confident; she wouldn't be affected by this! "And last night, when I kissed you. And we…." She felt her blush heighten. She looked over and saw Issei do the same.
Issei spoke slowly and softly, "I have spent my life believing I would be priest or at the very least, a monk of some sort. One of the things I learned early, was to not only control my emotional reactions, but to control my desires to some degree. To channel my mind in other directions. It is one of the reasons I am in the Student Council. There are always a million things that need to be done. A million ways to keep myself distracted. At first I thought this magic would be much the same. And to a degree it is. Just another set of duties that I push myself to accomplish every day. But to understand some of the concepts, I have had to shatter my own worldview. To open it to the wider world." He looked away. "I am no longer sure that the path I have long thought to be mine is the one I will actually travel. Or if I will take the place of my mentor in these new arts I have been learning. And to do that I will have to face the world, to be in the world." He looked at her, a strange expression on his face. "That means that I can't simply hide from myself. I can't simply pretend those desires are not there. There are creatures who can sense that and use it against you. Only I have spent so much time hiding from myself, hiding from others, that I don't truly understand what it is I feel. You confuse me Ayako. You are the Captain of the Archery Club. You are one of the best athletes we have at school. And you are lovely. Why are you wasting time with me?"
Ayako smirked at him, "So. You think I am pretty. So how long have you been watching me?"
Issei mumbled something.
Ayako laughed, "Sorry, I did not hear that. I have to admit I didn't notice, but Sakura did."
Issei looked at Ayako again, "What did she say?"
"Just that you liked me. In a way she was the tip off about you. Because she treated your ofuda as real. And well, you heard my tapes."
Issei grunted.
Ayako noticed that he kept glancing at her. "Yesterday, when you said that you couldn't see me, were you lying?"
Issei shook his head, "I swear Ayako, I used a real technique. There are creatures that attack through their gaze, and others too horrible to hold in view for too long. That technique, flawed as it is, works for that. I just wish…." His cheeks flushed dark red.
"Okay," Ayako's eyes tightened, "Let me change the question. Did you see me yesterday while I was naked?"
"You were wearing the robe I gave you." He shot her a haunted look, "Why didn't you keep it closed?"
She poked him in the chest, cheeks flaming, her patented smirk still prominently featured on her face, "You said you couldn't see me!"
He walked over to the still open bathroom, "I couldn't. But Ayako, just because I can lie to myself doesn't mean I can fool a mirror. Illusion spells, particularly those that simply affect the mind, have problems with mirrors. I was basically editing you out, but the mirror…. Well." He stared at the mirror. "What I can do isn't that polished yet."
Ayako walked over and looked at the mirror. She remembered herself preening happily in front of the mirror, knowing that Issei couldn't see her. All the while she had talked to him, with him being only a few feet away. Unaware that she had been flaunting her body at him.
Or so she had thought. She chuckled slightly, "That was why you suddenly flushed last night."
Issei looked down, "I had never seen a naked girl before. You looked so soft. I wanted to touch you, to see if you felt as soft as you looked. I wanted to…." There was a grinding sound as Issei clenched his teeth very tightly.
"Oh, come on, Issei. Surely at some point…."
"I grew up in a Temple, Ayako. And sure, not even there could I totally avoid it. I did spend time with Shinji after all, and the manga he reads….." Issei shuddered. "That boy is corrupt. But a drawing is one thing, this was real. You were real. And I like you. And yesterday, I don't know. I cannot unsee what I saw, I cannot unthink what I thought, what my desires showed me. And then you kissed me last night." He shook his head, tears beginning to form at the outskirts of his eyes, "Please stop teasing me. Knowing what I want, knowing what I desire in my heart, and knowing it is wrong. Just please. Stop."
Ayako softly said, "No. I won't. I like you too, Issei. More than I thought I would, certainly. You saved me, Issei. Last night, had you asked for anything, I would have given it to you. When I awoke in terror, you were there for me. And, and in that moment I wanted more. I wanted to feel alive and I am sorry if I pushed you so far out of your comfort zone." She walked closer to him, "But get used to it, because at some point both of us might be ready for something else." She softly touched his cheek, "Or maybe not. Maybe we will remain only friends. But I would like to try."
Issei looked her deeply in the eyes, "I don't know. I am so confused, Ayako. The last time I felt like this I knew it was wrong. She was loved by all and yet so manipulative. I could see it, I could, but I still cared for her. I just threw myself into my studies and into every single problem at the school I could theoretically solve." He looked down, "It is still hard to be in the room with her."
Ayako burst out laughing. "Your first crush was Rin Tohsaka?"
"It isn't funny! I knew the girl was a manipulative monster and I still loved her! She uses everyone she knows as a pawn in some game that only she knows. She has even ensnared poor Emiya. The man knows she is evil, that she is manipulative, and yet he still follows her."
Ayako kept chuckling. After a moment she said, "Well evil is a bit much. But manipulative is dead on. Underneath it all, she is a nice person. You just have to dig deep to find it."
Issei just shrugged. It wasn't like he hadn't logged his complaints before with her and Sakura.
Ayako tightened her eyes, "And you say Rin is manipulative. You were getting off the topic."
Issei widened his eyes, "What?"
Ayako shook her head, grin forming on her face, "It is just like you Student Council types. All take and no give. Sure you saved me. But I think it is only fair that I see you in your glory like you did me in mine." She slid her hands down to pull down his underwear.
He fought back of course. And he was much better than she had expected. In fact she hadn't even realized Issei could fight. He was always so peaceful.
Ah yes. His family was skilled in judo. So was she.
Once more she was amazed at his wiry strength. He wasn't built like Emiya, but he was surprisingly strong. Her only advantage was she was faster and more skilled.
But she hadn't taken him seriously at the start, and he was slowly winning. But she fought using every ounce of leverage she had. Her shift had been working against her so she tore it to use her legs. She was a Mitsuzuri and she fought to win.
When a misaimed arm grappled snagged the upper part of her shift, she had let it rip and pull down, hoping that her breasts might distract Issei enough for her to regain the momentum. No such luck. Maybe because his glasses were long gone.
In the end he was above her, straddling her hips, her arms pinned at her side. He puffed out, "I win."
Ayako was shaking with exertion. And a new tension was building in her. Because while Issei might not realize it, Ayako was very much aware just how much skin was touching skin. Her heart was still racing as she looked up at Issei and smiled, "Are you really sure about that?"
Issei looked down flushed. He tried to pull away, but Ayako found the strength to hold him close.
Ayako smiled up at him. "I want this, Issei." An odd frame of mind continued to roll through her. Making small changes and adjustments. Ensuring that she would get her wish.
She could almost feel a wall of pheromones waft up to Issei. Feel her body move in just the right ways to increase his arousal. It was instinctual, a feedback loop. Like she could select among a group of possibilities and pick the one that favored her desires.
She couldn't truly control him, but she could control herself and adjust the environment. How or why she was doing this, she didn't know.
Nor did she care. She could already sense the oncoming pain the act would incur, the soreness of unused muscles. But if she did this right, if she could maneuver the possibilities just so….
Bliss. A moment of pure ecstasy and a sense of connection with Issei she would always treasure.
He looked down at her, his eyes fiddling with glasses he no longer wore. "I feel like I am taking advantage of you. Like I missed something when I did the ritual. But, but I want this too." He swallowed, "If you hate me tomorrow, or if you regret this. Well, I will take full responsibility."
Ayako just giggled. She could feel the lines of possibility open.
And they made love.
-Scene Break—
CG Emiya-
Emiya stared at the screen. "Okay. I am aware that I have twisted probability into a knot to do this task. That I have set up countless attempts to save Ilya from an early grave, Rin from constant isolation, Sakura from her damn adoptive family, but…. This?"
Alaya looked at him dryly, she adopted one of Rin's trademark teaching stances, "Do you have any clue how rare a pure human truly is? Someone who doesn't have elemental or nature spirit or divine or Gaia help them, infernal blood to some small degree? Or demon blood, although that tends to get crushed much faster as they warp space too much to survive long. You humans are attracted to beauty and strength, and what kind of bodies to you think any of the above spirits form when they meet you. Well, when they aren't out to intimidate or kill you anyway."
Emiya blinked, "You have to be kidding." He blinked again, "So when Gilgamesh was calling everyone mongrels…."
Alaya smiled, "That is because you ARE all mongrels. From his perspective of course. Of course, humanity is a dominant spiritual trait and the kids while hybrids tend to favor it heavily. The first few generations, when they live, often have much of the strength with reduced weaknesses. Their weaknesses tend to be human ones. Then again considering what jerks most of the gods were a lot of those weaknesses were general."
"So you don't care that human blood has been diluted?"
Alaya looked at him dryly, "Anything that gives mankind an advantage in survival is good in my book. Typically I preferred when the gods and goddesses mingled more, they had better stats." She looked back at the screen, "As for the occasional throwback, well the annoying ones tend to get themselves killed. The others are often useful." She shrugged. "Do you care for Arturia?"
"Yes."
"She is part dragon. A trace of faerie blood in her too. Your Rin is part Alfar, a bit of Dead Apostle, and…."
"Dead Apostle? Someone had sex with a Dead Apostle and lived?" He stood there one eye brow raised, "The power of love I presume?"
Alaya laughed, "Not a chance. Merely sating mutual lust and/or fulfilling some sort of contract. Business and pleasure typically. Now are you going to keep watching those two or are you going to do something productive to save Fuyuki City?"
Emiya nodded, "I just can't believe…."
"Sex happens. The odds were long, but the chance was there." She tilted her head to the side, "Not sure if Ayako did that subconsciously or if it was just chance that she went into a mild inversion. Not important. On to other work."
Still shaking his head, "Right."
-Scene Break—
Emiya Shirou—
Breakfast had been quiet but happy. Rin had arrived but had been lost in her own thoughts. Sakura rarely spoke at meals, and Rider was enjoying his cooking a great deal, but not speaking either.
He looked at from the usually exuberant Taiga. Outside of a few comments on Sakura's hair she was quiet, a worried look on her face.
He lifted the plates, "Are you alright Taiga?"
She stood suddenly and reached over to ruffle his hair, "Ah is my little Shirou worried about me? Even while surrounded by all these girls? It raises my hopes that you will not abandon me to a cold and uncertain future eating only stale rice balls bought from a local shop. You will make me a lunch, won't you Shirou?"
Shirou sighed, maybe she was fine. But her eyes looked shadowed and worried. And Taiga never looked worried, even when or perhaps particularly when she should be. "Fine, but just today. You mooch off of me too much already."
Rin lifted her eyebrows at him across the table.
Shirou shook his head. He had been hoping that he would be able to use leftovers, but given how much Rider had eaten, and Sakura had eaten more than usual too.
He looked at the quiet girl. Why had she changed her hair color this morning? It was almost black like her sister's, but not quite. It looked sort of odd, really. Like the light just stopped when it hit her hair, and yet it didn't completely absorb it. The hair didn't shine but it didn't look dull or drab either. Her eyebrows were a stark white however. She looked up at him and smiled. Then a flash of shame followed by a blush and then she looked away.
His life would be so much simpler if someone would just hand him a manual on how to deal with women. He just did not understand them at all.
Taiga walked away and looked back at them all, her face stern, "I will expect all of you to be home by dark, and that includes you Shirou. It isn't safe right now." She shuddered, "There were so many death's last night…." She turned and left. "See you at practice, Shirou. Sakura."
The door closed. Rider finished up her current bowl of food. "You do not actually plan on going to school today do you?"
Saber appeared, "Apparently they do. Don't worry, I will be there to protect them."
Arturia shook her head, "I don't think that is wise, Shirou. If you go, I am coming with you."
Rin smiled at Shriou. Shirou sighed. The girl probably had an argument that would work, but she was going to let him sweat it out until he was desperate.
Shirou turned to face Arturia, "Rider, I can't take you. If you had a spirit form, then yes. But you don't. There is no way you can follow me everywhere."
Rider stood up, "I swore to be your shield, I will not sit here idly while you risk your life miles away from my position. I am faster than I was last War, but I will not be absent when my charge is in danger. Not this time." She glared at him.
Shirou was taken aback. His Servant's glare was formidable. How could such a cute girl look so regal and intimidating? "I am sorry, Rider. I just can't…."
Sakura's soft voice rose, "She can come with me. That would be fine, would it not Rider? Sister will help me with Taiga and the School Administration to allow you on campus. But you will be able to go with me just about anywhere without question." She looked down, "The last thing I want is for Sempai to get hurt. This will work for everyone."
Rin opened her mouth, closed it and opened it again. "Sakura, you aren't exactly known as a people person. Why would they assume she is with you?"
Sakura looked at her sister with a smile, "I am her chaperone while she is here. It will also explain why I am staying with Sempai as well. She is an Emiya family friend and I will help her with her visit to Japan. Everyone but Sempai knows I would do anything for him." She looked up at him sadly.
He had to look away.
Rin said quietly, "You know this could work. Do you mind protecting my sister as well as Shirou, Rider?"
Shirou looked at Rin in surprise and she mouthed Shinji. Shirou's eyes tightened. He wasn't sure what he would do to his former friend. "This would be acceptable to me. Assuming you can convince the school to let her stay with Sakura." He turned to face Arturia, who was examining Sakura closely, "Would that be alright with you, Rider?"
Rider nodded slowly, "I will protect her as well, Shirou. But you are my first priority."
Shirou said softly, "Please, protect her Rider. If you need me to, I will make it an order. But we are partners after all, I don't want you to force you."
Roland walked over and clasped Arturia's hand, "Glad you will be there with me. I was getting worried I would have to watch Rin attempt to protect those two by herself."
Rin glared at Saber.
Saber looked back at her. "Yes, my master is a fearsome one. If not as wicked as she thinks."
Rin called stood up and said, "What do you mean by that you idiot!"
Roland gave her an elaborate bow and disappeared back into spirit form.
Shirou sighed, "Okay. So Rider is going. What are we going to call you?"
Rider opened her mouth, but once more a soft voice spoke first.
Sakura said simply, "We will call her Lily King. Our classmates will by that as an English name."
Rider ground out, "British. Not English. We were there first! Damn barbarians."
Rin laughed, "Okay. I doubt most of our class will understand the difference."
Shirou asked Sakura, "You seem like you have this thought out."
Sakura nodded and smiled at him, "I did. I even altered one of my uniforms to fit her. We talked this morning Sempai, and I knew she would want to join you. This is a compromise."
Rin said softly, "I am impressed Sakura."
For a moment Sakura's eyes flashed red, and she said dryly, "I may have gotten the Tohsaka looks while you got the brains, but I still have my share of brains just as you do of looks." The eyes flashed back and the look on Sakura's face was one of horror and woe, "I am so sorry sister. I…" She looked down, "Later tonight we all need to talk. It is time I told you all everything. Just, not at this minute."
Shirou shared a glance with Rin and then one with Arturia.
Arturia was nodding faintly. What had Sakura told her?
Rin looked down at her plate, "We should go if you do not want to be late for your Archery Club. I will help Emiya with the lunches, Sakura, if you will do the dishes?"
Sakura said, "Sure thing Sister."
Emiya frowned and stood. They were running late.
They hurried, Rider changing her clothes, dishes done and lunches made they left for school. He smiled slightly as he watched Rin and Sakura walk in front of him softly talking to each other. Rider was beside him. How long had it been since he had made this trek alone?
Rin walked up toward the gates, "I will get with the Administration to register Lily, I will drop by the Archery Club when I am done. Until then…." She stopped as she stepped onto school grounds. And rapidly stepped back.
Shirou said, "Rin?"
Sakura looked angry, "Sister?"
Rin looked pale, "There is a Boundary Field surrounding the school." She looked at all of them. "It wasn't there Saturday. And it is almost complete."
Shriou stared at the school. The people walking about seemed listless. "What will it do?"
Rin said quietly, "It will consume them." She looked back at the school, "I almost forgot we are in a war."
Sakura said tightly, "That many people. All at once. It has to be Caster. But why? Why the school?"
Rin put a hand on her sister's shoulder, "I never like Shinji, but this. I am sorry Sakura, but if this is his work, I don't think I could forgive him."
Shirou said firmly, "We need to find out some way to stop this." The others looked at him. "Same plan, but instead we investigate. We will meet at the Archery Club near first bell ring. RIn? Can you still handle the administration?"
Rin smiled tightly, "I have that all handled. All of the rest of you be careful. I mean, I not worried or anything, but be careful."
Shirou smiled and walked onto the school grounds. They would stop this.
They had to.
-Scene Break—
Shinji Matou-
Shinji smiled at the pool of water that Caster was using to scry the school with. How she could see anything was anyone's guess, but Shinji didn't really care. Soon the school would be gone and all his troubles with it.
There were other places he could go. Go and start over without the rumors that had been spreading. That damn Noriko Anesawa! He would fix her. No one messed with a Matou and lived. She would see.
Besides there was no way it could be his. And she had been much too practiced to not be a slut. How could she be certain that it was him anyway?
And if he was lucky it would kill his slut of a sister and that damn traitor of a friend. Shirou would truly side with Sakura rather than him? Would let her stay at his home without hearing a word from him, his best friend?
Still if he could, he might risk meeting Rin. She was definitely a magus, and probably in this war. Having her as an ally could be useful. Not to mention that with Caster's help, he would have a good chance of getting between those luscious thighs of hers. He sighed in contentment at the thought.
Caster paused and Shinji looked. What do you know? It was Shirou and company. "How soon can the Field be activated?"
"It will be effective starting around midday tomorrow, but more effective on Wednesday. If you were willing to wait, it would be quick and painless. And all that power would be mine." She turned to face him, "Are you really sure you want me to target your own school?"
Rin then entered the gates paused and moved back out.
"Uh, Caster, can magi sense this field?"
"If they are sensitive, yes. Why? Does your school support a magus scion?" She frowned and her voice lowered, "It does. That girl. She has potential. Still one modern era magus is no match even for me. Unless…. She has a Servant with her." She turned to face Shinji, "Are you trying to get both of us killed? Do you know of any other…."
Shinji watched as the Emiya group talked and then tentatively entered the school.
Caster growled, "Not one, not two, but three Magi! And a Servant! And a Dragon! Are you insane Shinji Matou? Is there anyone or anything else you want to tell me goes here? A few demigods maybe?"
"I thought you said this Blood Fort thing was unstoppable. I thought you promised me it would work!"
Caster ground out, "You didn't tell me that this was where your sister went. That she had friends who were magi. That they were magi AND friends. Do you know how rare that is? And two Servants? The magi I can probably deal with. Modern magi are not nearly as powerful as I am, but my reserves are low and I have spent a lot of them to speed up the Blood Fort. The Servants on the other hand…. If we had activated the Blood Fort before they found us, maybe I would win. Without that power I have no hope."
Shinji raised his book, "I order you to think of a way to stop them." He loved it. It was so much better than being a real Master. The Book wouldn't allow any miracles, but with it he had complete mastery of the Servant. She HAD to do what he ordered. If only his sister had been half as obedient.
Caster looked at him dryly, "It isn't that simple. I need help. And I am not a master at summoning. I might be able to call a few things and…." She paled. "No. I won't even consider that. No. You can not make me!"
Shinji smiled at the woman's discomfort, "Tell me woman!"
Caster tried to keep quiet, Shinji could see the strain. Tiny wounds began to cover her beautiful body, like bug bites. One by one they opened into bleeding sores that began to ooze blood. Shinji looked down at his book. That was so cool! How he couldn't wait until he had won this war and got the magic he deserved! No one would say anything against him then. He would finally have the respect he deserved.
She said thickly, "No. I am a monster. I have done horrible things. But not that. Not in my darkest days. You can't make me."
"Tell me woman. Tell me or I will force you!"
Caster just snarled at him. "Never."
Shinji rummaged in his pocket for some of the tips Grandfather had given him. "I command you to relive your worst memory!"
Caster stood up and began to shake. "No. Run. Run you two. Can't you see what I have become? What they have made me into? Run! Stheno! Run! Please. I can't, I can't stop myself No, Euryale! Please." She fell to the ground screaming, hands raised to the heaven's "Why! We never harmed anyone! Wasn't banishment enough? Did you hate me so much Athena?" She shrieked as if her soul was torn and twisted. "Why!"
Shinji watched as she began to rock back and forth mumbling to herself in Greek. He grit his teeth, so she still wouldn't give in. "Relive it again. Slowly. I demand that you to savor every minute."
She trembled on the ground and began to whimper.
"All you have to do is tell me. How could you get enough help to defeat those Servants?"
At first Shinji thought she wouldn't break, that he would have to find another way. But after crying out to Stheno and Euryale, she stopped weeping.
"It will take a blood sacrifice. I will need a gift to entice and at least one more to offer as a gift if He requires it." She swallowed, "He doesn't like to be summoned. Not like this." She looked away, "But it will work. The Old Ways always do."
"Summon who? I command you to…." Shinji smiled at the humbled Servant at his feet. Who would rather have Command Spells? This Book was truly a wonder. Such a rush of power to have such a powerful being under his thumb.
"At your command and against my will I will summon the Lord of Erebus, one whom even uttering his name is to court death. With one sacrifice he will come and perhaps deal with us. If he is angry, we will need at the very least another to placate him."
"And if what we offer isn't enough?"
"Then we will serve him in torment for all of eternity." She walked by his suddenly shaking form. "We will need to gather some of your classmates. Both for prana and for sacrifice."
He blinked. He didn't recognize the references but it sounded like she was going to call up a demon. And they would have to sacrifice someone to it. A cruel smile carved itself on his face, "I have a present for you Noriko. And the babe you claim to carry."
With a light heart he began the trip to school, Caster at his side.
-End Part—
Sheesh this was a long part. Took a while to write too. Usually I will try to have parts ready every 7-10 days, but sometimes life is crazy. Hopefully this part is enjoyable. If anyone has any questions or comments please let me know.
Oh, and the part about Ayako being a perfectly normal girl…. That was totally a lie. (Not that I knew it before the story revealed that to me, but oh well.) Hope it all makes sense (eventually).
Until the next part, fair well.