As promised, Lancer did not leave the bedroom the entire night while he kept steady watch over his injured master. It wasn't until morning that he reluctantly moved, responding to frantic knocking on the door. As the door swung open he found himself mauled by a blur of white hair.
"What happened to my big sister?!" Illya demanded, glowering at him and clearly trying to muster up the scariest face possible. "What happened, what happened?" She continued to shout while banging her tiny fists on his chest. She was considerably less intimidating without Berserker around, Lancer decided with an exasperated sigh.
"That's quite enough, Illya," Rin stated as she approached.
"No! Archer said he," she emphasized her point by jabbing a finger in Lancer's chest, "carried Ash home all bloody last night! And I want to know what happened right now!"
"Calm down, shorty-"
"Don't call me short!"
"Hey, let go ya damn Einzbern munchkin!" Ashlin rolled her eyes at the sight before her as she rounded the corner. Lancer was desperately trying to peel a dangling Illyasviel off his steel shoulder plate. How the small child managed to climb that high was a mystery.
"Could you guys be any louder," Ash grumbled loud enough for the bickering pair to hear her. In an instant, Illya detached herself from Lancer and dove towards her, only to have the blue warrior catch her by the back of her shirt.
"Let me go!"
"No," Lancer said flatly as he held her suspended in the air.
"Why?!"
"Because Ashlin is injured, Illya. You need to be gentle," Rin replied before kicking off her shoes and entering the small house.
"You guys, I'm fine. Seriously," Ashlin asserted. Lancer shot her a disbelieving look but released Illya anyway. As expected, the young girl proceeded to leap onto Ashlin, effectively tackling her into a hug. Lancer winced as he watched his master suck in a breath, obviously biting back a scream. Illya loosened her hold immediately.
"You're not really fine, are you?" Illya questioned, her eyes starting to brim with tears. Ashlin gritted her teeth and forced a smile.
"Sure, I am-"
"Obviously not," Rin cut her off, looking rather impatient and a little annoyed. "I swear you do the stupidest things sometimes…"
"Hey! You don't even know what I did yet!"
"I know it was probably stupid!" Rin roared as she stomped inside. "And I'm going to find out exactly what you did very soon, believe me," she growled, facing her slightly taller sibling. "First things first though, let's get you healed up. Lancer, please carry Ash to the bedroom."
"What? Hey, don't listen to her!" Ashlin yelped when the servant in question proceeded to scoop her up and carry her down the hall.
"Sorry Master, but orders are orders," he replied with a snicker, a very amused smirk present on his face when he plopped her down on the bed.
"Seriously guys, this is unnecessary-"
"Hush!" Rin snapped before saying much more politely, "Thank you Lancer. Now if you wouldn't mind leaving the room for a few minutes so we can get her undressed and healed up."
"Undressed?! Why the fuc- heck do you need to undress me?!" Ashlin yelled, her eyes darting to Lancer.
He only laughed harder before saying, "Sorry Rin, but I feel obliged to stay. My master is in a very fragile condition, after all." Ashlin felt her mouth drop open.
"Fine, but I do insist you turn around," Rin responded simply as she got to work pulling various potions and objects out of her bag.
"Heh, fine by me," Lancer replied with a wicked smirk in Ashlin's direction before turning to face out the window. He could feel her fuming behind him. Archer rolled his eyes as he watched the entire ordeal through the glass from a distance.
"Ok, let's get started then. Illya, would you come help me please?" The white haired girl nodded her head enthusiastically before pouncing on Ashlin, attempting to pry off her shirt.
"Hey!" Ashlin squeaked while her arms flailed uselessly, too afraid of hurting Illya to try and stop her. Illya's actions suddenly halted.
"How did you get these?" She asked with a whisper, spotting the dark bruises coloring Ashlin's abdomen and chest. Lancer resisted the urge to turn around. He could feel his anger returning as memories of her battled with Kuzuki came to the forefront of his mind. God I want to kill that man.
"We can talk about it later, Ash. Just finish undressing please," Rin's voice was quieter this time when she spoke and Ashlin could see her sister biting her lip. She stared at Rin for a moment before silently complying. If Rin was shocked by her injuries she hid it well. Ashlin felt her broken ribs and scattered contusions heal slowly under her sister's careful touch as Illya watched in amazement. After a good hour of hard work, Ashlin was mostly back to her old self.
"There. All finished."
"OH! I wanna dress her!" Illya shouted as she made like a submarine and literally dove into the closet. Lancer could hear a great deal of shuffling and crashing quickly ensue behind him.
"This is the one! Wear this, Ashy!"
"Hell no!"
"Ashlin, your language. There's a child present."
"Fuck no!"
"Ash!"
"How did that even get into my closet?!"
"Pleaseeeee, Ashy!" Even with his back turned Lancer could practically see the pouty face Illya was making. The room was silent for a long moment. Then his master caved, clearly no match for the cute Einzbern child.
"Fine, but just this once."
"Yay!" A few moments later, Lancer felt Illya tugging on the back of his shirt. "Lancer look! Isn't she pretty!"
Yes, she is. He couldn't help but agree as his eyes widened a fraction. Ashlin sat on the edge of the bed dressed in a pink summer dress, a light blush on her cheeks and a pout on her face. Lancer let his gaze sweep down her body for a moment.
"You look so pretty, Ashy. Just like a cute little flower!" Illya squealed. Lancer stifled a laugh when his master bristled.
"Yes, a very fearsome flower," he couldn't help but add before he burst out laughing, dodging an attack as Ashlin hurled a rather large sword at him. Lancer quickly grabbed her and wrapped her in a bear grip, effectively crushing her against his chest and lifting her off the ground.
"Now, now. We don't want to destroy Shirou's house," he snickered before whispering in her ear, "Besides, I much prefer you in that skimpy flight armor anyway, animal print is a huge turn on." Ashlin wanted to retort but found she couldn't when her voice caught in her throat and heat flooded her face.
"You… are an asshole," she finally concluded, unable to think of a wittier retort. Lancer just laughed.
Shortly after, the group sat around Shirou's table and listened intently as Ashlin recollected her encounter with Caster. Cú Chulainn remained mostly silent, allowing his master to describe the events. However, Archer couldn't help but notice how Lancer's hands seemed to clench and unclench while she spoke, as if he were imaging his hands around Kuzuki's throat.
"So Caster was eliminated from the war?" Saber confirmed.
"Correct."
"So besides us that leaves Rider and Gilgamesh, right?" Shirou asked.
"I'm not so sure about that," Archer spoke, quickly getting everyone's attention. "At Rin's request I did a little reconnaissance and it appears that Caster attacked the church where Kirei resided in search of the Holy Grail. She destroyed the place so its possible Kirei may have been eliminated already."
"I rather doubt that," Lancer snorted, clearly not believing it for an instant.
"Well, in any case we need to find out for sure," Rin spoke up. "So here's what I propose…"
The night was silent as the group trekked through the woods, making their way to the demolished church where Kirei Kotomine resided as overseer. Despite the information they received from Archer regarding Caster killing the false priest, Lancer remained suspicious. He very much doubted Gilgamesh would allow the man to be killed as easily. Kirei was his favorite source of entertainment after all.
"How much farther?" He heard Shirou ask.
"Not much, the church is just up the hill," Rin replied while continuing to march forward. Archer had taken a position many miles away on top of a skyscraper, observing their progress from a distance, and Lancer found himself wishing Saber had accompanied them as well. Instead, the powerful servant stayed behind.
"I don't like this," Lancer muttered, his voice low so only Ashlin could hear him. "We should have brought Saber."
"I agree, but I couldn't leave Illya alone. I made a promise to Hercules and I intend to keep it. Besides, with the two of us here and Archer providing firing support there isn't much we need to worry about." Cú Chulainn reluctantly agreed. His master was indeed on the same level as a heroic spirit; she had proven this while fighting Berserker and again when they sparred. But still, Lancer couldn't shake the feeling that something very bad was about to happen. He told himself he was just being paranoid but the prospect of his new master running into Kirei was unsettling. The group stopped as they approached the destroyed church.
"I think we should split up," Rin spoke, making it sound more like an order than a suggestion. "Shirou, you come with me."
"That's fine but you two will stay outside and search," Lancer stated firmly. "Archer can't protect what he can't see so be sure to stay in his line of sight. Ashlin and I will look inside the church." Rin grumbled a bit but complied.
"Oh, and Shirou?" Ashlin added before turning to enter the sanctuary, "If something feels off. Anything at all, use a command seal to summon Saber."
"Right." Lancer watched while Ashlin requipped into steel armor and manifested a sword. Clear his master was taking no chances as they entered the destroyed building.
"So what exactly are we looking for?" Lancer asked as he scanned the church and surrounding area.
"A body," she replied shortly.
"Simple enough." Between the two of them, it took nearly an hour to tear the church apart in search of Kirei's corpse.
"He isn't here," Ashlin finally concluded, her voice grave.
"I thought as much."
"We should rendezvous with the others, I doubt we will find anything of use in here." Lancer nodded before following his master to the exit. The hairs on the back of his neck were standing on end as they emerged from the church. Upon spotted Rin and Shirou a fair distance from the clearing along the tree line both warriors tensed. Shit! Ashlin felt the attack coming before seeing it. The trees obscured Archer's line of sight, leaving both teenagers vulnerable.
"Lancer!" Ashlin shouted urgently while her command seal immediately activated. In a split second, Lancer found himself between Rin and Rider with the purple haired woman's chain wrapped tightly around Gae Bolg.
"My, aren't you the quick one," Rider commented, her voice smooth and bordering on seductive as she tugged the chain a bit. "Not quite fast enough, though." Lancer felt his eyes widen when a presence suddenly appeared behind him and Rin. Acting before thinking, Cú Chulainn reached behind himself to yank Rin to the ground, causing the attack meant for her to hit him instead. Lancer grunted as three blades pierced his back, slicing through flesh to exit through to his chest.
"Impressive, Lancer. Never in my wildest dreams did I think you could survive this long without a master. A pity you will die now." Before Kirei could thrust his second set of blades through her servant, Ashlin sent a blast of wind magic with her purgatory blade to destroy the surrounding trees and foliage, prompting Archer to unleash a barrage of arrows. Rider and Kirei sprung backwards to avoid the assault from the long-ranged servant, leaving Cú Chulainn to crippled to the ground.
"Lancer!" Rin shouted as she did her best to break his fall.
"Damn it, I should have seen that coming," he growled through clenched teeth, feeling blood pool in the back of his throat. Kirei's strike was deadly. His blades pierced both lungs and his heart simultaneously. Another blow might have actually killed him if not for Ashlin's quick thinking. He tried to stand only to collapse again as his lungs filled with blood. Rin was on his chest in an instant firing off healing spells one after another, trying to repair the damage. Glancing to the left he spotted Saber engaging Rider with Shirou not far behind. But where is Ashlin? Things started to go dark as he searched for her, feeling only panic as he lost consciousness.
Ashlin felt freezing cold wash over her as she witnessed Lancer get stabbed in the back by his former master. A second blow would kill him for sure and she couldn't reach him, the distance was too great. Feeling terror set in she wrenched open the magical channel connecting them and poured as much mana into her servant as possible before summoning her legendary purgatory blade to annihilate the surrounding forest. As expected, Archer unleashed a torrent of attacks that pushed Kirei away from Lancer, and Shirou quickly summoned Saber. While Saber engaged Rider, Ashlin requipped into Flight armor and went straight for Kirei. Fury and panic twisted inside her as she sent another blast of wind from her enchanted blade. It narrowly missed the false priest as he dove into the destroyed church, hiding himself from Archer's assault.
"My, my, you certainly are strong. And are those command seals on your pretty little hand? I see Lancer has been very busy while I've been away." Kirei's voice echoed off the walls as Ashlin pursued him inside. She stopped at the entrance briefly before advancing into the dark wreckage, her keen eyes searching for any form of movement. "Ah, and you bare the Fairy Tail emblem as well. It has been a very long time, Ashlin Tosaka."
"Shut up!" She roared, blasting an entire wall apart. She could hear his laughter fill the hall after that.
"I must say, you certainly did grow into quite the pretty little thing. I bet Lancer dreams of fucking you every night, I know I would." Ashlin felt her fists shake with rage as she proceeded to blow another hole in the wall. The church groaned after that, threatening to collapse.
"Get down here and face me," she snarled, seething with fury. "You haven't a prayer of winning against me, Kirei."
"We'll see about that, darling." A sickly chemical smell suddenly caught Ashlin's attention, causing her to flash backward when Kirei lunged at her. His triple blades dripped with what smelled like poison.
"Your arrogance is staggering," she hissed before flashing behind him and lashing out, slashing his back and slicing off the arm holding all his command seals. Kirei's face contorted into a look of pain and surprised after that.
"You bitch!" He snarled through his teeth as he dropped to the ground, grasping at the stump where his arm use to be.
"Now listen closely you pathetic excuse for a human," Ashlin growled lowly while advancing on him. "This is your only warning. You are going to leave this place forever. You will never look at me or Rin again, and you will never lay a finger on the people we care about." Kirei's eyes widened as she continued to approach him, terror flickering across his face. He scooted away until his back hit the altar. "If I ever see you again," Ashlin continued to hiss menacingly, "I will kill you. And I will make it painful and slow, just the way you like it." To exercise her point, she grabbed his severed arm from the floor and lit it on fire, dropping the charred remains at his feet before turning to leave.
"What? So after all that you're going to let him live?" Ashlin stilled at the sudden presence of a very powerful spirit.
"Gilgamesh," Kirei croaked as he made to crawl toward the demi god. "Help me. Kill this ugly bitch!" The golden spirit simply cocked an eyebrow at his master.
"Ugly? My friend, I do believe your eyes have stopped working. Her beauty is fit for a king and her skill even more so. Indeed, I believe she will make a fine edition to my collection once I summon the Grail and rid the world of its worthless humans."
"What?" Ashlin whispered under her breath. She watched while Gilgamesh approached his master and placed a friendly hand on his shoulder.
"Consider yourself blessed my dear." The golden archer's words were directed at her. Suddenly, he thrust his right hand directly into Kirei's chest, ripping out his still beating heart. Gilgamesh smiled at Ashlin as blood splashed across his face. "Should you survive, I will welcome you into my harem to enjoy all the pleasures this world has to offer!" Seeming satisfied, the he turned to leave.
"Wait! What are you going to do?" Ashlin shouted after him.
"I'm going to summon the Grail, of course! I have all the necessary pieces. Whether your servants live or die will make no difference now. In three days' time, the Grail shall open a portal to hell and rain curses down upon this land. Only those strong enough to survive shall be worthy to serve me!" His smile was near maniacal as the golden archer vanished from her sight.
Ashlin stumbled out of the church feeling completely and utterly defeated. Her body felt numb while she trudged along, her brain trying to process the implications of Gilgamesh's plan. I knew that fuckin thing was evil! She vaguely took notice that the battle between Saber and Rider appeared to be over.
"ASH!" She heard Rin suddenly scream. Her little sister sat with tears streaming down her face next to a motionless Lancer. Ashlin felt her heart stop cold at the sight. "Ash, I don't know what to do! I've healed everything but he still isn't waking up," Rin sobbed uncontrollably as she threw herself down on the blue warrior's chest. Panic fought to consume Ashlin when she flashed quickly to Rin's side and examined Lancer. The wounds to his chest were perfectly healed but his breathing remained labored and his pulse was erratic. Shit, the poison! Wasting no time, she quickly reached into her weapons stores, grabbed Rule Breaker, and slammed the weapon into Lancer's chest.
"What the hell are you doing?!" Rin shrieked in alarm before she quickly snatched the weapon away from her older sibling.
"Poison," Ashlin replied shakily, silently praying the noble phantasm would reverse the poison's effects. A few minutes felt like hours as the two sisters waited. "Cú Chulainn, please," Ashlin pleaded. "You promised. You promised you would stay with me," she choked, feeling tears begin to flow.
"Sétanta." She jumped when Lancer spoke.
"What?" She whispered, bending down to look at him. He smirked weakly before answering.
"My real name is Sétanta." Lancer grunted as Ashlin dropped onto him, burying her face in the crook of his neck. He could feel hot tears run onto his skin and soak his tunic as she cried. His master trembled while gripping his shoulders tightly.
"Are you ok?" She finally asked, her voice shaking a bit.
"Yea, I'm going to be just fine," Lancer reassured her, letting his eyes close once more. His body felt heavy and his limbs were not responding well to commands, but he was alive. "Don't be scared," he instructed softly before allowing himself to drift off again. Lancer moved in and out of consciousness several times as Ashlin carefully lifted him off the ground and settled him on her back. He felt his arms brush something smooth and sleek. Wings? He wondered curiously before the soft feeling of her hair against his cheek lulled him back into unconsciousness.
Ashlin felt the air surge beneath her when she took flight into the night sky, the black armor she wore offering some camouflage in the darkness as she carried her injured servant home. Rin and Shirou remained on the ground well protected by Archer and Saber. Lancer had been so close to death. Ashlin felt sick when memories of his still body flashed before her eyes. She bit back a sob as she flew. She could feel the walls of resistance crumbling around her, leaving her bare before him. Damn it, this can't be happening. I can't love him. But she did. She could continue to deny it all she wanted but in the end it would be a lie. In truth she was completely, head over heels, irrationally and madly in love with the blue lancer. With Sétanta.
Ashlin couldn't help but smile a bit through her tears as she carried Lancer into the small cottage they shared, having finally accepted her feelings. She was still trembling when she laid him down on the bed and crawled in next to him, pulling the covers over both of them. She rested her head on his shoulder and inhaled deeply through her nose. The scent of dew covered grass and mountain streams quickly consumed her, and Ashlin eventually drifted off to sleep imagining the beautiful country where Sétanta was born.