I do not own Fate/Stay Night nor any other Servants depicted here.
Into The Night
"-vo!?"
A girl dressed in white ran towards her Servant's embrace.
"C***o!It's you!"
He lifted her up, spinning round as she flew with him. He set her down on her feet with gentle care.
"You're wearing a mask to sneak around, aren't you?"
Her question gives a glimpse of her intelligence. Quite clever for a girl her age.
"They told me you were... Head chopped off, in prison. Dead. Like Mother."
She gasped. This girl experienced a horrible thing and yet was still very calm.
"That seems a long time ago... But you're not dead! So now we can leave. I have a plan. I almost got away twice."
Again, that cleverness.
"There's a special door to come and go, for special people. I'll show you. And if anyone tries to stop us, you can fight them."
She watched as Assassin lifted his mask and put it on again.
Sakura awoke. She blinked and then slowly sat up on her futon. She looked to her side. Taiga was still asleep. She took in a deep breath and exhaled. She pushed her blanket off and got to her feet. The dream was still on her mind. It was quite vivid, experiencing it through his eyes. That was the princess, wasn't it?
She kept this in mind as she went about her morning routine. Within no time, she made her way to the kitchen. She smiled as she heard her Senpai busying himself with breakfast preparations.
"Good morning, Senpai," she greeted him demurely.
"Good morning, Sakura," he said, a bit quiet himself. Far from the happier tone that used to greet her.
"Is something wrong, Senpai?" she asked, her worried feelings plain on her face.
The boy sighed as he turned off the stove. "It... it's nothing... it's just that story Assassin told us," he told her as he wiped his hands on the hand towel.
"Senpai?" she repeated, feeling confused.
"The twin brothers. While he spared them, he left them to suffer," he stated as he went around the counter and sat at the table. She moved with him and took her own seat. "While I'm fine with him letting them live, what he did to them afterward was... too much."
The both of them stared at the table in silence.
"Assassin probably had no other choice but to do so."
They looked to the doorway, finding Luvia standing there with her arms crossed in front of her. She was already dressed in her usual rich blue outfit, looking as if she was preparing to leave.
"He already said that there was a plague spreading through the city," she explained, "Not to mention the assassination of the Empress. It was probably enough to send the whole place into turmoil. Most likely, he thought it was a lot safer to have them disappear mysteriously than to publicly announce their death, plunging the city into more chaos. There might have been even more deaths had he not done so. And judging by the words he used, there was a whole lot more than he was letting on."
"...I guess that makes sense," he said with the utmost reluctance, "I still don't like it that he left the twins like that... but I think I can understand why he did it. Thank you, Luvia."
"Ho ho ho, it was nothing," she said happily, a tint of pink on her cheeks. Calming herself down, she turned her attention to Sakura and said, "I shall be leaving now. Would you care to see me out?"
"You won't be staying? I could always go back to the kitchen and cook a bit more," said Shirou in surprise.
"Hmm, as nice as that would be, I can't," she informed him her reasons, "Your teacher would be asking too many questions. I will swing by later for your magus training anyway."
"Alright. I shouldn't take up more of your time then," he relented.
She nodded and the two girls left the room. Not a word was said between them as they walked to the front door. Which brought more trouble to their doorstep.
"Eh? Kuzuki-sensei?" exclaimed Sakura after opening the door. He looked as if he was going to press the doorbell.
"I see. Inform them that Caster will see them tonight," he announced to them.
"Wait a minute! I thought we had two whole days," the blonde magus protested.
"She could not find him," he stated calmly, "Since he is nowhere to be found, then he must be dead. By her reasoning, she should not waste any more time being misled by the other Masters."
The two girls were unable to say anything, much less come up with a reply. "The road to the temple sees very little traffic at night. Caster has chosen that place to face you and your Servants," he informed them further before turning to leave, "I will leave you all to prepare."
"This is not looking good," Luvia spoke up, breaking the silence that remained after the teacher left, "Sakura, I trust you can inform the others?"
"Ah, yes!" she stammered, knocked out of her stunned state.
"Right, I think I have to prepare a few things myself," the blonde muttered as she left in a hurry.
Sakura stood there in the doorway for a moment longer before she closed it. She stepped away and changed her slippers, intent on finding her former sister immediately. The plan has to be finalized that morning.
"So, I take it my Master informed you on what happened earlier?" asked Assassin as he stood in the middle of the dojo, bamboo sword already in hand. Before him were Shirou and Saber.
The boy in front of him sighed. "Yes, she did," he replied worriedly, "Right after Fuji-nee left for a teacher's meeting... it sounded rather convenient though... Sakura told everyone. Now Tohsaka has gone and shut herself in her room after having dragged Sakura with her."
"I would imagine she would be going over the plan and making sure that everything is covered," the Servant said, making his assumptions known, "Even so, we should continue your training. Get your sword and take up your position."
He watched as the boy went to the rack and much to his surprise, picked up two bamboo swords.
"Shirou? What are you doing?" asked Saber in surprise.
"Hmm? I don't recall you having proficiency in dual wielding," Assassin stated as the boy took up his place.
"I... I want to try this... at least get a feel for this," admitted the red head.
"Very well. Let us begin," he said as he got into his stance. A lunge forward started the spar. The Servant kept a careful eye on the boy as he attacked again and again. Once more, the boy seemed to have improved. His movements have become more efficient, his blocking more swift and he even attempted to counter attack once or twice... though they lacked any power behind them. He also seemed to be a lot more at ease with two swords. After a final series of attacks, he took a step back.
"Enough for now," he announced. Shirou moved to the side quite slowly and sat down, breathing deeply. The former Lord Protector turned to Saber and asked, "What do you think of his performance so far?"
She pondered for a moment before replying with a stern face, "His movements remind me of Archer. I am unsure if to praise him for finally finding something suitable for himself or to chastise him for wasting our time."
"Saber..." the boy groaned, but a glare from said Servant pretty much silenced him.
"Hmm," Assassin sounded with a smirk, "While his movements have improved again, his counter attacks are clumsy. It may do him well to get someone with more experience with this." With that, he strode over to the dojo's entrance and shouted out, "Archer!"
"What do you want, Assassin?" the bow man's voice ground out a few seconds later. Catching sight of the boy, he muttered, "Why are we spending time encouraging this one to kill himself? Please don't tell me I need to pitch in as well?"
"Oi, that was uncalled for," retorted Shirou with a frown, "If you don't want to train me, you could always refuse."
"I would like to know why, if that is his answer," chipped in the Servant of Murder with a calculating gaze.
"The boy is a fool," the Servant of the Bow scowled, "He honestly thinks he could save everyone. All you are doing is enabling that foolish notion and sending him to an early grave. You saw what happened during the first fight we had against Berserker. Can you honestly tell me he wouldn't do such a thing in the future?"
"He may, he may not," stated Assassin stoically, "However, he is still young. Whatever experiences he gets right now may as well shape him for the future. I'm sure he learned his lesson well in that first fight with Berserker." He paused to glance over at the resting boy, "At least I hope so. Charging in without much of a plan was pretty much the worst thing you could have done, boy." Turning back to the Servant in red, he continued, "I suppose your refusal is your final answer?"
"Yes. I refuse to encourage him any further. I suggest the same to you and Saber," the archer retorted with a wry expression, "Nothing good can come of this. Only a trail of bodies, despair... and regret."
"Then I'll make sure I won't end up that way," Shirou fired back resolutely as he stood up angrily, "I won't let anyone else die. I won't fall into despair. Most of all, I won't regret my actions."
"Hmph, we'll see," growled Archer as he turned and disappeared.
"Bold words," commented the former Lord Protector thoughtfully, "Saber, take a sword and stand with me."
"Eh?" sounded the boy.
"If you wish to keep your word to Archer, you need to improve," he stated as the two Servants took up position in front of the red head, "To do that, your training needs to be ramped up. For this, you will have two opponents today."
"Wait... WHAT!?"
"Done?" asked Rider.
"Yes. Please make your way to our house," ordered Luvia after making herself comfortable.
"So, what was it you were doing that took so long?" he asked as he turned the car around and went down the street.
"Mostly scouting out the place," she revealed as she frowned while looking straight at the rearview mirror, "You would think that Caster would have placed her own Bounded Field along that stretch of road. I found nothing of the sort, so I was setting it up myself. Since there was too much road to cover, I had to make do with a rather large one centered around that abandoned station. Hopefully, we can keep the fighting there. It would be too much of a hassle to explain anything extra away since our mediator is interfering in the War."
"Well... former mediator, if we believe Caster," he added as he made a turn.
"I don't," she groused, "That man is a slippery character. Plus, he is Rin's senior. He might have learned something to prevent being detected."
"Even by Caster?" he questioned with disbelief, "You sure about that?"
"...that does sound quite improbable," she admitted with a sigh, "However, it is not too improbable either. He may have discovered something that the Association knows of."
"Ho boy... that's gonna be tough to fight. I suppose that's why we've been having trouble getting the drop on him," he mused aloud.
"Anyway, we have other things to worry about. The evening's festivities will not disappoint, I'm sure," she declared with certainty.
The black dome receded and Kirei stepped out into a living room. He was carrying several plastic bags, mostly filled with food, the logo of Hongzhou Feast Hall: Taishan emblazoned on the side. With the utmost calm, he moved to the dining table and set the bags on it.
"Where did you go, fake priest," called out Shinji. He was seated on the couch in the adjoining living room, facing the coffee table and the television. His arms were over the shoulders of the furniture while his feet were raised on the table.
"Food. You may think you are fine, but you have only recently recovered and your body requires proper food," the former Assassin explained as he laid out a small feast on the table. Spring rolls. Steamed rice. An egg dish with minced meat. Several kinds of dumplings. Mapo tofu, both mild and hot. Fried noodles. Three small bags of different sauces.
"Eh, sounds like you bought a lot," the boy replied, hearing the rustling of plastic and the sound of plastic containers being placed on the table.
"I do not know if you prefer such fare," he admitted, now collecting the bags and tossing them aside, "Regardless, it is something to fill your stomach." Glancing at the medium sized tub containing the spicy version of the tofu, he mused aloud, "I still have yet to understand 'his' preference for this dish."
"Right, right. Energy is energy, whatever it comes from," the boy declared as he got up from his seat, "Fine, we eat. Then, we prepare."
"What happened to the family?" he asked, looking up to his ally.
"Oh, they're around," Shinji told him with a manic grin as he glanced behind. The four members of the family, whose house they had taken over. They were bound and gagged, The mother and father were on the side armchairs while their two children were on the couch. He was seated between them beforehand. The father seemed tired out from struggling. The mother and the children had red eyes, presumably from crying.
Kirei shook his head before sitting down. Tonight... another Servant will die.
"Everyone ready?" asked Rider as he looked behind. His glowering Master and her rival on the first set of seats while Shirou and Sakura one the second set. Saber, meanwhile, was riding shotgun. Getting a subdued chorus of 'Yes', he drove the car out.
"Are you sure we should be seated like this?" asked Saber after a few seconds, "I should be by Shirou's side for his protection."
"We should be fine," assured the Servant of the Mount, sounding rather easy going, "I don't think Caster would go all out to ambush us. More likely she would be waiting for us at that place already. Besides, Luvia prepared something just in case we are. No worries."
Behind them, Rin addressed the other Masters, "Everyone knows what they need to do?"
"Yes," affirmed Sakura, "Capture Kuzuki-sensei and prevent him from acting after Saber lures him closer to us."
"Protect everyone," muttered Shirou as he stared at the metal bar in his hand.
"Assist you in taking down Caster," added Luvia, "Though I highly doubt we could do anything. She is in the Caster class after all."
"We do what we can," said the twin tailed magus, "We still have numbers on our side so we may not need to do much after all. After making sure Kuzuki-sensei doesn't interfere, our Servants should be able to take out Caster without much problem."
"I hope that's the case," the blonde girl stated with concern, "There is also your senior to consider."
"And I've said it before, that shadow thing was not my senior," the former growled out through gritted teeth, "I don't believe it."
"HOLD ON!" yelled out Rider in warning, interrupting the latter's reply. He suddenly swerved, his passengers being tossed from side to side before the car settled down to speed on the road.
"What the hell was that Rider?" shouted Luvia.
"Our shadowy friend appeared in the middle of the road," said the Servant loudly as the car braked to a halt, "Out! You guys have to move on foot. I got us as close to the place as we could."
"Do you need help in fending him off?" asked Saber as everyone exited the vehicle.
"Nah, I'm good," he said with a grin, "I think you guys can handle it fine. There's still three of you."
"Stay safe, Rider," ordered his Master, "Win and get back to me."
"No problem," he replied. Then he frowned. "Hold on, Master," he said as he fumbled around his pockets. Then, he pulled out a squarish, metallic device. "Here, catch!" he said as he tossed the item to her.
"What?" she mumbled as she caught it easily, "You still have this useless thing?"
"Hey! I still haven't gotten it to working condition yet," he retorted in good nature, "There's still a few songs I haven't heard too. I'll be back for it, so keep it safe for me, alright?"
"Edelfelt, hurry up! You're falling behind," spoke up Rin, the others already having walked ahead.
"Fine. I'll keep this nonsense for you. Just make sure to take it back," said Luvia declared as she hurried after them.
"You got it," he replied as he waved them off. After making sure they had moved out of sight, he turned back down the road they came from with a stern glare. "Okay, buddy. Time for you to show up and get the beating of a lifetime," he muttered out as he watched for anything out of the ordinary. He didn't have that long to wait.
A dark circle grew out on the road, out from which a dome rose. The inky blackness receded and revealed Kirei.
"So, they left you to face me," he stated nonchalantly.
"I don't know what your deal is or how you could hide so well," Rider said sternly as he got into a boxing stance, "But tonight, you're going down."
"Really... I think it would be quite the opposite," the fake priest replied with a smirk as the oily darkness surged up and enveloped him, "It will be your death. And maybe even more afterward should I be fortunate."
The group of four Masters kept their hurried pace, only presenting the facade of calmness. In fact, they were troubled as Rider stayed behind to delay their pursuer. While they still had numbers, Luvia and Rin had thought that his powers over ice would level the elemental playing field.
"Could we still beat Caster?"
Apparently, Sakura shared their doubts as she asked with a worried tone.
"We can," Rin replied, trying to project a hint of confidence, "We still have Saber."
"Do not worry. I'm sure it won't take Rider that long to beat that man," added Luvia, attempting to do the same.
"Sakura, we can win. I'm sure we will," said Shirou with a lot more conviction. It was his words that somehow calmed her down.
They trudged on and it did not take long for them to reach the abandoned gas station. The atmosphere was quite serene, if only a bit cold. Broken windows. Dirtied, greasy tiles. Empty shelves and cash register. And below, dry empty tanks. Supposedly a safe battleground, where there wasn't an excessive danger to them. However, it was Caster they were going to fight.
"I suppose you set up the area beforehand?" questioned the twin tailed magus as she looked around warily.
"I did," affirmed the blonde, "I only hope it is enough."
"Ready, Saber?" asked the red head.
"I am," replied the former King, hefting her invisible sword at the ready.
"I think all of us are ready, Senpai," added the violet haired.
"Indeed," agreed Assassin as he materialized.
"Hmph," sounded off Archer as he did so too.
Then, from out of the corner of her eye, Luvia noticed the metal box Rider passed to her lit up on one side. Puzzled, she brought it up to have a closer look. The plastic display seemed to have lit up with a muted neon green with some words and numbers on it. The right side seemed to be ticking down the time.
"Track three... Heavy Day?" she muttered in confusion. Wasn't this ridiculous thing broken or something?
"Look out!" shouted Shirou as a ball of raging inferno suddenly lit the area past the empty lot and was heading straight for them.
Assassin immediately Blink-ed forward and threw up a time bubble with a hand. Seconds ticked by as the fireball went in and slowed down considerably. On its appearance, several more plumes of flame were fired at them. All of them trapped in the bubble.
"Saber, if you will," he stated calmly. As the Servant of the Sword strode forward, Sakura threw up a wall of shadow between her and them. Presumably, the time bubble stopped as the roar of super heated air exploded at the same time.
Thus began the battle against Caster.
Commentary:-
Hello, everyone. I'm back. Sorry for taking so long. I was quite busy... going through The Crimson Court, the new Darkest Dungeon DLC. Not so new at this point in time, but was still a lovely addition. Not to forget the Knights of the Frozen Throne for Hearthstone. Mixed feelings about that one, to be honest.
But, enough of my troubles! We should get back to the chapter! Caster is accelerating her plans! Kuzuki becomes the bearer of bad news. Assassin and Saber escalate Shirou's training. Poor boy... not really. Luvia scouts ahead and makes preparations. Then, we find out what Chaos Shinji is up to. A sad ending for the poor family. As night falls, Masters and Servants come out to battle. Rider faces off against Eddiemine. Saber, Archer and Assassin move on forward, only to be ambushed by Caster. Luckily, the long ranged attack was swiftly nullified. And now, we only need to wait... for the next chapter.
Next, normally would be an Omake Servant, but I have been thinking. We already have a pair of Servants from one game, Omake Caster and Omake Avenger. I began to have ideas for an unrelated Omake Caster and Omake Avenger. Further thought drove me to seek out other pairs for future omakes. This is one such pair.
"You know..." started Rider, the first to break the silence, "Maybe we shouldn't start fighting? I'm sure you all felt that, right?"
"What aren't you telling us, Rin," Luvia frowned, making it sound more like a demand than a question.
"There is no time, you dumb blonde!" the Tohsaka shouted at her. Turning to her Servant, she ordered, "Let's go, Archer. For all we know, we may be too late and he is already dead."
"Damn it, you stupid girl," growled out the Edelfelt, "After them, Rider!"
The two pairs raced down the lane, but only for a short while. Something came over the wall and landed in front of them. A fully armored person. Parts of the armor, as well as the visor of the closed helmet, glowed green. A katana was strapped on the back while a wakizashi was tied to the waist. Luvia, Rin and Rider did not know what to make of this; it put them on guard, ready to react to whatever happened.
"You must leave. You are not welcome here," the armored one announced with a rather robotic but male sounding voice. He seemed to be quite relaxed... but was holding three shuriken that suddenly appeared between the fingers of the left glove.
While the two Masters felt a little perplexed as to his class, Archer cautiously stepped in front of them and greeted the Servant with, "It has been a long time, brother."
The armored man stared at him for a moment before replying, "You were summoned too?"
"Do you need to ask?" said the Servant of the Bow as he pulled out an arrow from his quiver, "From what I can tell, you were called to be Saber."
"Indeed. To think we would appear on opposite sides once more," the now revealed Saber said with a hint of sadness.
"What do you think, Luvia?" Rider asked discreetly, "Should we do our best to take him out, or delay him while you girls run ahead?"
"Delay him," Rin interrupted, a plan already developing behind her brow, "We have to get to Emiya. For certain, his Master is nearby and is most likely with him as we speak. Archer, work with him." A subtle nod was the response.
"Do it," affirmed Luvia with a nod of her own.
"Right," he acknowledged. Glancing at the other Servant's choice of weapon, he asked, "So, you ready for this?'
"You may make the first move," Archer muttered as he notched the arrow to his bow. The tattoo on his bare left arm started to take on a dimmed blue glow.
Saber, seeing that the two other Servants were getting ready to make their move, lowered his stance and placed his right hand on the handle of his wakizashi. Both parties would have certainly clashed, except...
"Optic Barrel!"
Thus, the end of the chapter. Thanks for reading. Please leave a review, would you kindly?