/
I don't own anything related to Fate/stay night; this is a work of parody
Act One: Correspondence
Whirlpool of Fate 2 (Music.) /3wXmgL-CuY0
I didn't know why Tohsaka was here in the first place, and now she was crying and hugging me. I really had no clue...
Dad walked away awkwardly and left me with her. Like when you touch metal sometimes, there was electricity between us... I didn't get it. It was like how I used to have a magic spear pierce my back.
I felt that she would fall if I let go. She felt light, weaker than I had ever seen her, and I didn't know why. Tohsaka Rin was someone I looked up to as strong, but recently she has been growing weaker. I don't get it. What is the weakness that is doing this to you?
I'm just leaving for a week, why are you so sad? "Oh, well, I'm going to London... I'll be back in a week, Haha." I laughed, even though I felt poor on the inside. I didn't want her to feel bad... does she not want me to go? That's weird...
"..." She looked at me with an open mouth. Then her face changed to the red one. I looked too closely...! Then I noticed she wasn't happy. ...I noticed I was looking too closely.
Red: Anger. Embarrassment.
I clench my teeth. I still don't know why she is changing.
Confused, I ask. "...What?" Did I do something wrong?
My eyes were starting to run, like an engine starting up. I needed to be alone for a while. Mom said that I can't use this power.
But then that resolved by itself, "You... Idiot!" Hmm? A powerful scream echoed into my head. It shattered the issues with sight.
I didn't even know to react before it struck me: the slap of lightning.
Clang. The sound of metal clashing reverberate in my brain, like the clang of a hammer on an anvil.
Expect my face was the anvil and Tohsaka's hand was the hammer.
It took me a second to even register what had happened.
...Ouch! I held my cheek. A slap hurts more than it injures. I know that firsthand from fighting Dad in the dojo. But... that was a firm slap. Haha, nice one, Tohsaka... I was dizzy and thought that. "...Tohsaka...?" I said out loud, holding my cheek. But she had already run right back out the door.
...I just stared confused out into the gate for a while... I mean... wheat heck was that for? We were even hugging... it felt... weird. Girls are weird.
Aren't hugs supposed to be for close people, like friends? And aren't slaps for people you hate? She did both, so which is it...? I really have no clue.
I don't really hug people. I get hugged by Fuji-nee a good amount, but she treats me more like a blanket, and I don't hug back. Dad doesn't like that sort of stuff, and Mom... is a difficult case... I... wish we could really hug...
So I don't do hugs.
So... I have no clue anymore... Only one thing I think is true: "Girls are weird..." I shake my head. I'd rather have her hate me than to have her cry, so I hope she feels better... Something mother told me once, People will always turn against you. I'm not sure that's what she meant, but I can't really think of anything else.
...I got off my butt and stood up. I turned back and walked right into dad. "Oof..." I stepped into him. "Sorry..."
I look up to see if Dad is angry or not, but... he's not even looking at me. He was gazing at the now empty entrance.
"Shirou..." Dad's voice came out slowly. A serious tone. "Are you okay?" He looked like he didn't know what to do.
I was still holding my cheek. "I don't get it..." I try to be nice and help people. But I just get slapped in return... do people hate me?
"...I don't get girls, do you, dad?" I said to fill the silence. Maybe this whole friendship thing is just not for me. I can save people without even knowing them. So why do I need to get to know anyone? He shook himself, then smiled down at me lightly. "Haha, No... Neither do I... Neither do I..." Dad patted my back. "That girl, what is she to you?" His eyebrow peeked up. I looked into his eyes...
Pity. I looked... too closely and felt my eyes burn a little. I turned away and held them shut. It was fine.
I remembered to answer. "...She's... my friend." Do friends also hate each other...? Hmm, I'm learning more every day...
Conflicted emotions went through his face. I couldn't understand what they were. "... Shirou, when we return... I don't want you to meet with her, do you understand?"
I didn't understand anything... but I knew I wasn't that smart. Tohsaka reminded me of that... well, a lot. It was his voice as my teacher, not my father... so I listened.
"Yes Dad." I wouldn't go against him. He knows pretty much everything, after all. I didn't know what to do, so I let Dad manage it for me. I'm weak.
"I will handle this... somehow..." He muttered and looked at the luggage we had prepared. Dad would have to handle it... knowing that made me feel worse. I would fix this... somehow.
I was getting ready when I came out here and saw Tohsaka looking sick... I still needed to finish up. "I... promised you a vacation of sorts. I won't cancel that for anything..." Then he sighed. "Hah, it may be good to leave soon..." He had a serious face on. He went back into the house and brought more stuff with him.
We had nothing keeping us there. It was almost like to Dad we wouldn't be coming back.
Heart's chime (Music) /fJfhCJSr0hw
When we found Fuji-nee, I already had the feeling that things would be wrong. And well... I was right.
Fuji-nee... well, she had five huge cases of luggage. Dad ruthlessly made Fuji pick two she could bring.
The first she picked was full of good luck charms and messages from her classmates for good luck. Dad said no to that quickly. The second... there were completely useless things in them, like her shinai and full kendo gear. There were also way too many blankets.
Her excuse was, "What if a noble British knight challenges me to single combat, and I don't even have the gear ready...! Imagine how humiliating that would be!" Like that would ever happen. I promise you, Fuji-nee, a knight of a Britain will never challenge you. ...I felt sweat pour down my back as I bet against Fuji-nee and her luck.
The last bag she had to keep at home was... empty. Apparently, she thought she needed a full bag if she had to fill it with purchased stuff. Dad said we'd just use mine for that, as I had the least items with me. Dad had more stuff than you'd think.
Dad forced the bags down to two. He commanded her, and she followed his orders. He... was grumpy... I had made him that way by bringing Tohsaka home. I want to be a hero, but I'm so far from that. I just make people sad... was my conclusion. Why do I always make Dad sad when I should be making him happy?
I just ran after Kiritsugu carrying stuff. I m not really good at thinking. Dad had a rented car and drove us to the big airport. I didn't really get it till then. I'm really leaving...! If only for a week, but that feels like forever! And so began a voyage to the land on the opposite side of the world.
"It's big!" Fuji-nee said about fifteen times, looking outside the airplane window. The Tokyo skyline wasn't even visible with the fog, but her excitement was nice. I've never even been to Tokyo before now. The airplane... It's sort of scary, but Dad seems calm, so I try too.
Dad doesn't even care about being up in the air like this. When he first started traveling, he went everywhere. But that became only Europe over time. Dad sat in the aisle. I'm in the middle, and Fuji-nee has the window; it is definitely the correct decision in putting Fuji-nee and me together. Dad wouldn't have been able to cater to her need for a warm pillow.
That warm pillow being me, and I... had to do much more than that...
In the air, Fuji-nee seemed to start to panic. "Hey, Shirou... I like land Shirou... so let's go home! Tigers live on land... I wanna go home...! *Sob*" She started crying like a baby as soon as we couldn't see the lights out the window anymore.
You should have thought of that before getting on, Fuji-nee... I stroked her hair and spoke softly as if she were my little sister. "Fuji-nee, it'll be alright... um, because..." I desperately try to think of something that could possibly calm her down. "Because... It's a tiger plane, made specifically so tigers can fly. Say it with me, tiger plane... tiger plane... tiger plane..."
She repeats it obediently, "Tiger plane... tiger plane... tiger plane..." Taiga's eyes started to swirl, and her breathing was slowing down.
It's working. She's actually hypnotized! And I'm not even using magic!
Dad seemed to notice Taiga's insecurities about leaving land. "You are safe, Taiga... don't worry. I've made sure the plane is safe." Dad said in a serious voice.
"Okay, Kiritsugu...san..." Her head using me as her pillow. She trusted his word instantly while I relied on slowly hypnotizing her. Dad... was strong...
"Onee-chan... Sleepy..." She promptly fell asleep. I'm happy to be of help; her unnaturally warm body does well as a blanket too.
Fuji-nee was probably feeling the loss of her powers as the Tiger of Fuyuki. Without being in the land of Fuyuki, I think she loses a lot of her weird abilities. ... She's like a spirit of the land or something.
My eyes return to Dad on my right. I've taken to not looking at anyone too closely after what happened with Mom, but... seeing how cool Dad is on a trip already makes me feel so energized to be strong too. I don't really know what I'd do... become a hero or something like that, but I can't wait.
He eyes the plane meticulously. If I didn't know him as I do, I wouldn't even know that is what he is doing. I think he's... looking for anything bad...
"Dad...?" I call out to him, a little hesitant. I don't like it when Dad is nervous like that. I get nervous too.
He notices that I noticed him. "Oh... It's fine, Shirou... old habit is all." He tries to smile back, but he kept looking back and forth from the passengers, so it didn't really work. "I don't like planes. They're are the safest option... but once an issue arises, it's almost impossible for it to be fixed." His eyes looked off into the window.
"Oh, okay. That's good..." I couldn't keep up with how responsible he was.
"Go to sleep, Shirou. Don't worry about it."
"...Okay, Old Man..." I teased and fell asleep, tired from the long day.
I dream of metal colliding far away. When I awoke, the world was different
Stranger (Music) /MhAcoQuGfHg
I'm a stranger. Like how the teacher would talk about stranger danger, I'm like that... I think. Maybe that's not right, but I'm definitely the stranger here.
London was big. And the colors here were different like the winds of magic flowed differently here compared to home. ...London was more yellow, I'd say... That's not my color, so I didn't feel at home for the first time. So I was a stranger here. It wasn't my home. I don't think I could ever really live here.
The hotel was a place hidden in a corner. It wasn't a resort or anything. We didn't mind, and I think even Fuji-nee understood that Dad had his... own way of doing things. While Fuji-nee napped, Dad took me all over the port. I had no idea what was happening, and all the weird noises of the new land were throwing me off.
Dad said he had a job for me and brought me to the port while Fuji-nee slept... "Guard this, Shirou. I won't be gone for long... hopefully." He gave me a bag and told me to stand by it. "Wait here... and don't talk to any strangers... If anyone does ask, don't tell them you're an Emiya, alright?" He patted my shoulder and left me alone in an empty courtyard.
"...Yes!" I was about as happy as I've ever been. Did Dad just give me an important job? This trip is awesome already! I would wait as much as I would like to run after him. I know I would just get in his way. He walked off and left me alone. Dad is the sort of person who leaves kids unattended... wait... isn't that bad...? No. If Kiritsugu thinks it's fine, then it's fine.
...Does this bag even need to be looked after...? I thought after thirty minutes of waiting around.
If a bad stranger came, I would use magic to... err, I don't really have any fighting magic, do I? Well, it's not like there are any bad people... or so I think...
Not long after that, a girl in blue appeared like a detective and started questioning me. I guess Dad really needs someone to look after the bag. I was ashamed for doubting him.
Wandering Shadow (Music) /CSyaENS3_2s
I gave the boy a bag full of mostly useless things to look after. A little responsibility, which seemed to be something he liked, and I could focus on my job. A last... opportunity, maybe.
I am his father... it's a small joy to give him a little something.
Shirou almost smiled, but it turned into a serious look as if he were a loyal soldier. He's ten: old enough to be alone for a while, I think...
Shirou will be fine. I won't be long, I think.
No one will appear in this part of town... The bag has the effect of keeping the mundane uninterested, and the dockside is not the realm of magi, so it should be fine.
I travel through the shadows, using the techniques of a killer, not a mage. There is a job here, not a kill. I don't even know if I have that in me anymore... No, it's a personal job... it's the tiny contract I put out to look for help... I regret it now, but I put it out... so I should look at the very least.
For Shirou and Illya's sake, at least.
Someone took the hook... but who? ...I figured I would see it for myself. The warehouse was one of my choosing. It was communicated automatically as I entered the city from the start, giving them no time to entrap it.
...Nor any to find out my own... I was walking in blind, only with the hope that my enemy wouldn't know that there was a bomb in some of the boxes and a detonator in my pocket.
When I arrived, the warehouse seemed quiet and innocuous, so I didn't trust it. Hmm... What should I do? Enter? Or not? Or just blow it up?
I always destroy first... but... for once, I do need something.
...I will enter. A feeling tells me that would be best. Running away has its merits, but running head-on has some too. I enter through the front entrance. Not because it's the best way, but because my body can't even push itself to go through a window or something like that anymore...
There was no trap in view, not that I thought there would be one. Magi rarely give themselves an easy advantage. The place has bombs in it: my bombs, a small array of traps that a magus could not comprehend until it was too late. Not enough to start a port fire but enough to create chaos with, if necessary. My hand was on my gun, hidden in my pocket. ...! My poor feeling revealed itself immediately. A woman standing on a guardrail.
(Music Stop)
In an excessive blue dress, looking down at me from an above part of the warehouse. It's dark, but I don't mind that. I see her smiling at me. Not hiding at all... is it? I know who this is immediately. The Edelfelt clan. I think was the name, she was a well-known magus in my trade, a competitor at times. I had a knack for taking her kill right from under her, she had retired, though... she was mostly before my time, even...
Indeed, we had never truly met... but I knew her style. She tended to do things head-on and with little subterfuge, obsessed with taking the maximum glory. ...I never cared for that.
A quiet tenseness reigned between us. I could shoot to kill, but... she was sly. Her reputation was that of a hyena, reliably versatile and understanding how to hunt. I did not have the luxury to take that softly. She would know I had traps, but she didn't know how to remove them... so she stays in a position above me where she feels safe in. A detonation would be more likely to end me than her.
Damn... This wasn't a common situation in the olden days, rarely did a magus get close to me. And if they did, it was because I let them. Talk first. Even if destroying is easier.
Confrontation (Music) /0dL6ixvoAxE
"Here to hunt me, is it?" A lone hyena would have trouble... There is more to this than I think... That's what my mind's eye said to me. No rash moves, be ready to strike with all you have in one single burst.
"I would have killed you when you opened the door, then." She said coldly.
True: Her best move would have been to do so. Unless she wanted me alive and unharmed, that is. To sell like a batch of fresh meat to the Association.
I worried If I could have dodged that... My body... was... lame like a beaten horse. I'm... not who I once was... I have to bluff a little... I can't jump around. A kill here will have to be fast and decisive.
"Then what, to take me in, then?" I check my flanks for cover or illusions.
It was at times like this that my suspicious nature bore fruit. I had the tools of death with me.
...Unfortunately, that would likely not be enough. Shoot! Kill! Black voices yelled at me from far away. I ignore them. I push myself to keep from falling into that abyss; I still have sanity.
A normal bullet could only be blocked by very potent magic. And every potent magic... would lead to their certain death...
An Origin Bullet: a powerful mage's greatest fear. He had one such bullet here. Which cylinder it was in was uncertain. She finally responded. "Not that either, but it is good to see where our position lies." Keeping a close eye on his arm. The tension continued to rise. And as it seemed like either of us would start first, the tension snapped...
It was severed by the yell of a young man, appearing suddenly. "Enough!" the voice rang out in the room. Just nonviolent enough not to trigger a fight
...Two enemies... damn... Not what he had hoped for. The man, or boy... saw that we continued a standoff and asked again. "Enough of that! Emiya Kiritsugu, can we not speak in peace?" He had a diplomatic voice, deeper than a boy's but higher than a man's.
...He knew my name. That wasn't exactly surprising but promised trouble. "Tch." I clicked my tongue. This wasn't what I wanted to be doing with my day. Careless. I entered this meeting carelessly and now was paying for it. I wouldn't have come at all if not for Shirou's sake.
The boy entered into the light of the window's rays. On the bottom floor, in-between me and the woman. He had long black hair, and a cigarette in his hands. A relaxed and serious look, but not deadly. He was looking at someone who had grown and had a goal in his life.
He recognized him, if barely: Waver Velvet... Three years had seen him grow.
Damn... Indeed... I shouldn't have thought that those other masters would just forget, as I have done.
"Mr. Velvet, it seems that you are doing well for yourself here." I use the time of small-talk to survey the room without even moving my eyes. 2 doors, an open area conducive to long-ranged magic... or a gun. Two enemies: resolve and arrogance uncertain. ...Fighting would be unfavorable and would likely lead to death.
The boy answered. "Yes. Third-year instructor." The boy he had only seen through a sniper scope and photo had grown from his small stature. He had a more rugged look on him and the smell of smoke on him.
...He almost reminded him of himself... from a long time ago. "I see... then why come here?" Obviously, not to take that small call for help he had put out. Another regret was thinking anyone would actually come to help me.
"I needed to talk to you." He looked right into my eyes. There was a fire in them, not at me but at something past me. There was something he wanted.
I hated this. I prefer to destroy... it's easy for me. But that may not be an option at this moment.
"I will... but not unless she puts her arm down." I nodded my head at the Edelfelt woman. The blue woman had a magic bullet: a killing Gandr shot ready to fire at me.
The boy complied immediately. "Mrs, Edelfelt... the contract says..." He looked to plead at her, up above us.
"Hmm, fine..." She put her hand down, letting go of the gandr shot she was aiming. "I will give you what you want, for now." It seemed she wanted to hear something as much as him.
She looked on with crossed arms and a scowl.
"Mr. Kiritsugu, I wish to speak with you." He said confidently. But I saw something in him that suggested a resolve past simple conversation.
"...The war is over. If you wish for a fight, don't bother." There is nothing to gain in that.
Suppose it came to that, though. I may have been greatly weakened, but finding a way to kill mages was my only specialty. I would not be the only death if there were a fight. We all would, most likely. He was underestimating me... I'd like to say... but the woman proved otherwise. She could end me in a close fight. I gather by the look on her face.
"I... only wish to talk..." He held his hands down.
"Talk then. My patience is not unlimited."
Then he started to talk and talk, and I already regretted not shooting him.
"...It's true then... that you destroyed the holy grail? ...That fire killed so many people, and you did that without blinking an eye!" He went from unemotional to angry and back. He was volatile.
"Don't preach." was my only answer.
The frustration and damnation in the question angered me, and I wanted to shoot him dead to make the source disappear.
"Did you do it on purpose, or did you not?" The boy responded again. He was angry at who he thought I was. But... I held my conscience together.
"I did." My words left no room for doubt or excuse.
The boy yelled at me."Why!? You had the power, and you threw it away, so why?" Fool, it seems that he too had hope.
You came here to damn me? I don't need more of that. I hear that shrill screaming every second of every day. I don't need that.
I mustered my response. "You know nothing of the truth, foolish boy."
"..." The boy wanted something himself. It was all over his face, the desperate hope. He looks at me as someone who wanted that wish-granting device.
He was the sort of magus who had little pride but pushed forward with a single resolve. ...It was hard to look at now that I realized that.
"Then tell me, please!" Tension grew between them now. They saw me as a mass murderer, which I was... but...I...it wasn't my fault.
All Magi are horrible people... but... perhaps he should know the truth. And so I respond. "...The grail was of no worth; it had been corrupted and morphed into something unusable... No: usable but horrible. It would only work as an object to murder."
"...Then...?" His eyes were wide, taking that in. I said it with honesty and force of will.
"Yes, to wish for something was to have it granted in the most destructive way. I had to destroy it. ...Do you understand, boy? That wish-granting device you seek is nothing more than a weapon of mass destruction."
The woman "A true magus would have done it. Damn all others, as long as your wish is completed." The woman's cold voice came out. Though she too sounded almost shaken by his tale.
What is her role here? Why does she care?
"Then you are lucky I am no such thing, as you would not be here. The price of a wish was total destruction. All evils made manifest. It only worked as a device of murder, so I destroyed it."
"...But...how can I summon a servant then?" The boy seemed almost reticent now.
"You cannot, not without a great source of magical energy. One that only the holy grail can provide." I didn't know more than that.
"...When does it appear?" He must know the answer... it's not so hard to predict.
"Sixty years. you will have to wait and live until then if you wish to pursue the grail again." And by then, it won't matter. The bombs I left in the leylines will end all that anyway. I won't let that war happen again.
"...I know that... and I am prepared to wait. But... isn't there some way?" The boy said the words with difficulty. " I... need..."
"I don't know." I really didn't, but I wouldn't tell even if I did.
"But... I need it... to see him again..." Fool. He was foolish. He knew that... because he had once been in the position this boy was in now. The boy yearns for something beyond mortal means.
"What are you trying to find? See someone who is gone? Impossible. Know that even the holy grail as it was promised could not bring people from back from death."
Not unless you were to use the ritual as it was truly designed. I wish, too, to find those that are out of my reach. So that's something I could understand. It is only possible by your own hands to continue on...
"My... servant..." Servant? Rider, was it...?
"A servant is a copy. It is a being that does not retain their memories here." Did he fall in love or something? I didn't care.
"Even so..." It looked to me like something past love, in a way.
"I am done here, I can't give you what you want, and you can't give me what I want. So I will be ending this farce of a meeting." I declared slowly. I looked at Waver. "I warn you, do not think of convenient solutions to this problem you are having. Find your own way. That would be best."
"I..." He was lost for words. But I was done. Leaving now would be a good thing.
"We are done here." I start to move back slowly. ... C'mon a little more...
The woman looked at me with a difficult smile. She seemed to believe me, and I wanted to get out now before they started asking difficult questions. But then the boy yelled out and approached me. The only reason I didn't shoot to kill was that it wouldn't be enough to escape.
"Wait! Please...! take my number..." He took out a piece of paper and held it out to me. The resolve he had been shaken compared to before, but he still wanted answers.
"..." ...I shouldn't take it. "No. We're done. I gave you more than enough." I don't owe you. But as I turned around, the blue woman jumped in front of me. He let her do so, unwilling to turn this into a duel to the death on two sides.
She looked at him with eyes of anger. "I see... what is your reward in this?" I did not trust her. He knew her well enough. A sort of business rival, in a way. "I will not show mercy to you. I heard you have children at home."
That seemed to piss her off even more. To him, she was a Magus who may almost understand him, something close to being feared. Almost being the keyword, she had never caught up to him once... before now.
Even angry, she still had full control of herself. She was a hyena, not a rabid dog. "Hmm, I may as well tell you. He promised me money, of course. But I only wished to see you and listen to what it was that you were to say... You see, I lost a close friend in that fire. The only true friend I ever had, and I hold you to account for that."
"..." His poor feeling was correct. "Them, I assume you wish to take revenge? ...I tried my best to save as many as I could..." I saved someone... my only sense of pride.
"It may not have been your fault, but I don't care. You are here now, and only by making money will I feel satisfied. I can't just let the infamous Emiya Kiritsugu out of my grasp, can I? Imagine how much the El-Melloi will pay?" She looked at him with eyes experienced with death, she was angry and wanted to take that out on me.
I felt the boy watch on. He lost control of the situation, it seemed.
"Hmm..." He narrowed his eyes. She was confident in herself, far, far more than other magi were in a fight to the death. It will be a hard fight vs. just her.
The screechy boy he remembered from years ago returned for a second. "This... wasn't a part of the agreement...!" ...Could he remove this boy from the equation?
"Hmm, and what agreement would that be? If I recall..." She tapped her chin. "That contract stated that I would facilitate a peaceful meeting with you and Mr. Emiya. Now that that is over. I am free to do what I will."
I move back, knowing that I need to keep them both in sight. If this was the old days, I would have already started shooting... but this is London... and it's not the old days...
I must lure them into positions where the bomb will take them out, and I can somehow not get also blown up.
A lot to ask for... The boy looked at me with meaningful eyes. Their meaningless arguing about contracts came to an end.
"What is it, boy? Going to leave?" Leave or be ended. That was implicit in my voice.
"I-I don't..." Waver wavered. "I-I will fight..." Then you will die too. I am ready to die. Are you?
... Sorry, Shirou, Ilya... I'm stupid to find myself in this situation. But I will still die for who I am.
Suddenly Waver moved and, in a moment, had a combat stance. His magic was uncertain… But... I did not kill him. My hand moved, but stopped. because the scene surprised me. Three Gandr shots flew out in the room and were dissipated before they arrived. ...Waver blocked them.
He was aiming up at her, not me. This was an outcome I didn't expect. What he said next made me understand, though.
"I won't let you end here... not when you can be of help to me." He was ready to die. He had a real resolve... "As you said, Mrs. Edelfelt. Our contract is complete, but I won't allow you to take a person within my interests." He spoke the diplomatic tongue well.
Hmph... I don't need allies... I would like to believe that... but I didn't even fire first... I'm so damn slow. Time alter would be a death sentence for these failing circuits of mine.
She flipped her hair and seemed disgusted. "Tch, I will leave then. I know a losing fight when I see one." She jumped and flipped cleanly through the large warehouse and escaped through an open window. 'Magic acrobatics?'
I couldn't take my eyes off of her.
She was quite pretty but not my type. It's just... I envy her physical abilities at her age. I... used to be able to do things like that... She was older than me in years, but I had experienced a greater hell than anyone, and now I live with that with my broken body.
I didn't even shoot; I was more interested in her movements. She wasn't evil...She had my job, but with only the care for money and glory. I was the heretical mage now. Well... I guess that was always the case, more or less.
I turned to the boy, suspicious of him still. "...What is it you wish for in return to this, Mister Velvet?" It was the first time I regarded him as anything but 'boy.' I could thank him for the help, but that would suppose he didn't plan this from the beginning.
"Take my number... that's all." He held it out to me again.
"Haha, don't tell me you planned this from the start? Try to trick me into some correspondence with an illusion of a united front?" To trick his mind of steel... would take more than that.
His face reflected nothing back. "...Think what you will..." I could see the tension in him, the desire to reach something pulling in his heart so bad that a bit into him.
To be honest, I didn't care. I had no pity for anyone in the path of magic. But I could respect him more than normal magi.
I grab it from his hands and read it. It's a number and a mailing address. "Fine then, I'll take your damn note. A phone number, is it? It seems that magi are finally catching up to the times." It used to be a scorned thing.
It ruined many forms of communicative magic, but it seemed that it was too late for them anyway.
"You had a part in that.." The boy muttered. True, I had used the telephone as a traceless communication device and even as a bomb. I never really concealed my methods. That was something magi really hated me for.
"Hmm, I guess that would be right." He had scared quite a few people in the magic community at the time. "...But that's none of your business now. You should stay out of it. If you don't, then I will destroy this note and forget all about you." Or shoot you on the way out.
"...You sound like a problematic girlfriend..." The boy joked with a stone face. He kept puffing a cigarette.
Amusing. "Hmph, you have some sense of humor left in you." That means you are not even close to what I was. "You have a far way to go if you want to reach whatever it is you are looking for." To gain something beyond yourself, be prepared to lose it all.
To walk the path of a mage is to walk alongside death. The boy seemed to accept that, but when real adversity comes for him. We'll see how you fare, Waver Velvet. The association is a battleground of its own.
"I will take it." I'll probably rip it up later anyway. I just need to make it there still.
I turned around slowly, covering my retreat. The boy made no movement, and I left. "Call me. Mr. Emiya. I will help you if you can help me." He said as I closed the door. The only problem with that is... I don't help people. I kill them.
(Music Stop.)
Outside was windy; the open sea air of the portside blew all around. I couldn't tell if the blue woman was waiting for me, but I started a slow trek through. "...!" My neck hairs went right up. Electricity is in the air. The woman was not there, but I felt a flicker of something in me.
Enough for me to start running as fast as I could, which was pretty slow. I relied on the darkness of the shadows to hide me.
Misdirect. The greater the intellect, the more ease in its misdirection. She was a specter in her own right, a hunter who could not be escaped from once she had you in sight. So I did everything to stay out of that sight. I hid in unlocked basements. I hid in heaps of trash. I did everything that one with pride wouldn't. I never even saw her once.
I kept my wits to myself and slowly sneaked through the warehouse district, passing through as if I was being trailed. This went on and on. Minutes became hours, and then an hour became a few hours. I spent hours circling the district, all to remove any trace of a trail on me. I was extra careful... sure that no one could find me... but... I made a mistake. I had a perfect guise. Indeed, even a hyena couldn't find me... but that did matter… Because, after all, who would think that they would find the one place you were trying to reach?
Shirou…
What am I even doing? I would have never made such a careless mistake in the past.
My heart broke. My efforts were all in vain. "..." Damn it... this is bad. Hours of misdirection and that all meant nothing. Shirou was encircled by not one but two women in blue. Dammit, I liked it when I didn't have to worry about Shirou at all when he was content to cook and clean.
A kid his age. A girl matching her mother. I had a shot aligned, and the woman started to twitch herself. The experienced head of Edelfelt knew a killzone when she saw one. I would shoot if I had to. I... prefer not to kill kids. And in front of Shirou too... Maybe saying no to teaching him magic was the right idea... No use regretting that now.
The woman... and her daughter, by the looks of it? The little one was smaller than Shirou, and she seemed close to Shirou, close enough that they had probably spoken. What do I do? My finger moved to the trigger of my revolver. I was close enough to be confident in even that hitting.
...I... My hands shook. Was I afraid of murder...? Pathetic. Kill them and drink in their blood! Kill your son too, wouldn't that be fun!? The twisted whispers taunted me.
Then I was saved from making that choice.
The two women left, leaving Shirou all alone. It was fast. The mother took the daughter and fled. ...? I didn't get it. Did she really not know? That was what I hoped... Did... Shirou actually lie successfully? What was it about this boy that made him have the oddest of situations follow him?
Unless it was fake scenario to draw me out... but as I watched, I confirmed from the shadows that the two indeed left in their ride. I couldn't look for long with the fear of being detected, but I sensed no illusion. I was relieved but a little perturbed... after all, when had Shirou learned to lie so well that a magus like her couldn't even see through it?
I brought him to the hotel and looked at the number once more. My questions and fears were only growing... but is there anything I can do anymore?
My mistake runs back years. Can I even kill anymore? Even for you? You are my son. My only success.
I look at the note with the number and mailing address. ...No one uses mail anymore. Leads right to your location. I almost start to rip and then stop.
Do I kill this then? An actual contact?
This number... Get rid of it. my suspicious side said. You don't need anyone. Kill it. ...I don't know... ...Maybe I should...? Just leave me alone. But... To burn a bridge is a privilege of the strong. And I already... burned every single one when I did have power.
Now, in this weak state... I didn't have the right to refuse. I put it into my coat pocket and forgot all about it.
The Door of Truth (Music) /kDU0Auyc-Zo
The blue girl came right up to me and spoke English. I could tell she was suspicious. "(What are you doing?)" The blue girl asked me, looking all over me. I was defending this important bag. I couldn't let anyone close. She was looking at my hair, I think...
"(Uhh, Who is you?)." English on. Let's hope this goes well...
"(Hoho, are you Japanese?)"
Japanese...? That's me, alright. "(Err, yesu?)"
"I can speak Japanese. Would you prefer that?" She said proudly. She had a hand fan and was fanning herself in the blaring heat of this land.
"...Yes... that works." I was trying to learn English, but I don't really know all that much. My mouth sort of opened at that. This blonde girl seamlessly entered into perfect Japanese.
"...That would be nice, yes. You are really impressive, to speak Japanese like that." For some reason, she smiled back at me in a challenging way.
"It is only one of the many languages I know. What do you think about that?" She said smugly. Does she think it's a competition? She completely outmatches me... A phantom pain on my cheek shudders.
"Wow, I'm not that good with English, so you must be super impressive to know all that."
"...Huh?" It took her a second to respond like she had not understood my intentions at all
"You remind me of one of my best friends. She's super smart too."
Her face was red, and she seemed lost. "This... isn't how this is supposed to go..."
"Hmm? But it's the truth. You really are way smarter than me." I don't really get what she was getting mad at. ...Is this another Tohsaka, someone I can't quite understand?
Then she cut to the point and disturbed me. "Cut it out! I know you're a magus, so stop trying to trick me!" She thrust her finger out questioningly.
"..." I was taken by surprise. "You're a... Magus...?" Crap.
"Indeed, I am Luviagelita Edelfelt! The soon-to-be head." Never heard of that one.
I almost hoped for a second that this was my long-lost big sister, but that didn't seem to be the case. "Luvia? That's a really cool name." I said honestly.
"...It is a beautiful name, isn't it?" She smiled and nodded her head, approving of my praise. "... Edelfelt is better, of course."
...She seemed to remember something and praised her last name. "..."
"...And? What is your name?" Her eye narrowed a little. Hold the line, Shirou.
"I'm Shirou." Just Shirou.
"Well... Sherou... as the illustrious heir of the Edelfelt, I should start small! You shall be my first business contact!" She seemed like an excited salesperson.
As she spoke with a weirdly adult Japanese, I felt pretty bad about my own way of talking. Magi... are weird.
"Take it, Sherou." She held out a small white card.
"Uh...I... don't know..." Her eyes looked into mine for a second, a mistake on my part.
Blue. Curious. Cold. Caring.
I don't like the things my eyes make me understand. I just try to ignore it, but it's like trying to ignore something In bold. By the time I got ahold of myself, she had already placed the card in my hand. "Ohh, okay..." I took her card. I flipped it around a couple of times. It had numbers and names on it... but I had no real idea what it meant. " Err... What is this?"
"...Hah, I'm not surprised. You seem pretty clueless for a magus." She exhaled and shook her head.
"Really?" I'm more of a magic user than a magus.
She looked at me, confused and lacking all that confidence from earlier. "You're not at all like a magus is supposed to be. You must be from a lesser family." She crossed her arms and looked at me like I was a puzzle to be solved. She didn't seem like someone who liked unsolved puzzles, just like Tohsaka. "So what is your clan, Sherou?" I was more disturbed by her question than her wrong pronunciation.
That is exactly what I'm not supposed to say... "Hmm... I guess I can tell you." I had to say something... I would lie. I don't like lie, but if it's for the greater good then I'll do it.
"You promise not to lie? Lying about your own family means that you would be the lowest of the low." She looked at me seriously.
"Err, Alright... as long as you don't make me move from this spot." I had to make her go... even if I had to lie. I felt bad, but I was on a mission, so she would understand.
She seemed excited. "Really!? Then, I will confirm that. Stand still. (Heart heed my call, lie no more)." A small light surrounded both of us. I felt like something was pulling on my heart, a temporary beat inside me.
"What... was that?"
"You can't lie now. But don't worry, I made it so it's only for this one question." She smiled at me confidently. ...Uh oh. Can't lie...? I may have made a mistake... Is this the bad mage that Mom and Dad talked about? It still didn't seem like that, though.
I felt surrounded... I could not lie to her, not could tell her the truth either. I wouldn't break dad's trust. What could I say?
I am Emiya Shirou... But... there was one other name I could technically take on that isn't a lie.
"C'mon... won't you tell me?" she pouted. I would have to say something... the truth was all that could set me free.
Dad didn't say I couldn't use that one! It was all I could think of. I don't even know my original name anymore, so... I could go by one other name...
"Okay... well... I'm... Shirou... von Einzbern." I say, telling a form of the truth. I am Mom's son, too, after all. It didn't sound right, but as I said it... the second heart left. It was the truth.
"Sherou... von Einzbern...? I'm not really familiar with them..." She looked surprised, maybe a little disappointed to hear about a family she didn't know. I mean, I bet that the Einzberns are just a small family in Germany or something.
"You are... German then, hmm, that explains the hair..." She circled me and looked all through me, measuring my appearance. "Red is indicative of certain noble blood. As you are Asian, you will have some other rules about it. But no family is greater than the Edelfelt, hohoho!" She puffed out her chest proudly.
"Uhh yeah..." I'm German... well, Mom is at least. Well, I think Irisviel looks like something unique. It seems to be luck that I appear German for some reason. I don't know why that is.
"German and Japanese…? You remind me of my sister." She muttered. Then she seemed to get excited. "(Aww! Sprichst du Deutsch?)" I think she asked me if I understood German. How many languages does this girl know?
For some reason, I understood what she said, but I didn't know German really. "Err, No..."
She sighed, "Hah... you really are weird... A German who only knows Japanese and a little English?" She eyes me suspiciously. "No one ever talks German with me… I'm left to train all alone as no one can keep up most of the time. I doubt you would know anything about that, though, as you don't seem to come from a true nobility." She pouted a little. I sort of liked the face she made, but I couldn't tell why. "Now, I can't stop you from leaving. You have entertained me, Sherou. Where are you of to now?" She flipped her bright blonde twin tails.
"Well... I'm not going anywhere."
"You aren't... but...?"
"I'm waiting for someone. I can't leave."
"That's weird. I'm waiting for someone too! I just came over here because I had a strange feeling." She looked back up at me meaningfully. "...So... What do you do?" She asked.
What do I do? What does she mean...? Ah! Maybe she's asking me to tell my magic to her. I don't mind... "Oh, I guess I do curses and stuff like that. That's all I can really pull off in terms of magic."
"Huh!? You can't just say that!" She protested, flustered.
"...What do you mean? You asked me...?" This girl makes no sense.
"Jeez, you're a real blockhead, aren't you? No wonder someone just left you all alone out here... Sherou, you don't just tell people what your magic is. Especially other magi. Mom says that if someone knows too much about your magic, then it's best just to kill them before they cause trouble." She said, shocked.
"Oh, I guess that's right, isn't it? Haha." I laughed, embarrassed. I forgot about that... even among people with magic, you can't tell anyone about what sort of magic you have. To be honest, I don't really get it.
"Curse though... that could mean many sorts of things... It isn't Gandr, though, is it?"
"Uhh, Gandr...?" I said dumbly. I really didn't know that one. Mom may have said something about it once, though.
"I'll take that as a no..." She sighed. "I think by the looks of it, you know almost nothing. You must really be from some small family then... that must be why your family is in Japan. Apparently, the association doesn't have much power there." She said as serious as a kid can manage. "That's good, though. If you did, then I'd have to kill you." She laughed, but her face didn't seem to give off the idea of a joke.
"What I meant is what sort of stuff do you do in Japan!?" she yelled.
"Oh, normal stuff. Walk to school, walk to the park, clean the house, cook dinner, then sleep and do that over and over and over. Simple things, really.
"...That's normal...? You must not be much of a noble house then?" She shook her head.
"Uhh, I don't think we are that, no..." Noble house...? Like the Emperor?
"I'll teach you, then. It is my duty to help those poor in knowledge." She nodded a few times and looked at me like I was a poor child.
After that... we talked for a long time. Dad or the person she was waiting for was taking forever.
She was quiet for a time. She didn't talk about herself, mostly about how magic society is. It was weird. I had no real idea about it before now. I just knew it was bad.
Twelve families run the Clock Tower: Trambellio is the head of General Fundamentals and the Democratic faction. They make the first of the three major families. Solonea is neutral and is head of Individual Fundamentals. Eulyphis Is head of Spiritual Evocation and is a part of the Aristocratic faction. Meluastea is the newest family since the previous head of the Mineralogy faculty died or something, El-melon or something.
Gaiuslink is in charge of Zoology and is a puppet of the Aristocratic leader. Brishisan is the head of the Lore department and is neutral. Archelot is the head of alchemy and is a part of the Aristocratic faction. Animusphere is the head of Astromancy and is in the Aristocratic Faction. Valuay is the head of the Creation faculty and is one of the three major families.
Jigmarie is the neutral family in control of the Curses faculty. Archeology is the realm of the Astaire, which leads to the more isolated neutral Faction. Norwich leads the Modern Magecraft Theory faculty but has no lord because nobody thinks that faculty has any value. Finally, there was Barthomeloi, who ran the Policies department and made all the decisions.
Lorelei Barthomeloi is the 'Queen' of the clock tower, and Luvia seems to look up to her. Pretty much, Barthomeloi is the head of the association because all the people above her never show up.
They are the strongest families in the Clock tower. And the Clock Tower is the head of the association, so they were the great families. Not all of them were lords, though, which was a significant rank. It seemed like one big complicated school to me. She said it took a lot of work just to be accepted. I didn't really think I would be going.
She knew a lot. I could tell I still didn't really have any clue next to her. ...I was more interested in hearing her talk happily than I was learning about magi. I like it when people are happy.
It lasted for a long time. We children with magic talked and talked, waiting for the ones that left us here. We mostly talked about non-magical things because apparently, magic talk is off-limits, according to her.
She told me about her home in Finland. About how cold it always was, but it was pretty and dark. A large place where the world never seemed to change yet had an infinite amount of beauty. It was her home.
And I told her about Japan and the Sakura blossoms of spring... Where it was sweltering in the summer and cold in winter. It was my home.
She was a good person, so I didn't feel bad talking to her. But it started to wind down; we became tired. We were patient children. A normal kid would throw a fit if they did have their parents there. But we entertained each other for as long as we could, and so we had a little bond from that. Indeed, I hadn't even eaten at all since the airplane food. I had yet to test British food, which I had no clue of.
"It seems that meeting you here will soon come to an end... you know... it wasn't so bad to have someone clueless to talk to. My sister used to be like you, but she's less fun now that she's getting smart." A light pink entered her cheeks, and for the first time, her confidence seemed shaken. Then noticing that herself, she tried to leave quickly. "Well, goodbye. Hmph, perhaps we shall see one another once we are of age to enter the Clock Tower."
"Yeah... I don't think I'll be going there."
"What!? Then why are you here?"
"Oh, I'm just waiting for someone." She shook her head unconsciously.
She looked sullen. ...I didn't like that, so I said something thoughtless to make it stop. I have this card. "I'll mail you, then," I answered instantly. It would be great to have someone I could mail across the world like that. "It's called a pen pal, right?" I think that in the higher grades, they do this for English class.
She turned back at me. "Huh? You- you will!?" She didn't seem to think I would take it so seriously. I was very serious.
"Yeah, you seem to be a really good person. So I wouldn't mind having you as a friend." A stroke of red covered her cheeks.
"W-wha... What a-are you saying!?" What? Does friendship mean something different for magi?
"We can be pen pals, right?"
"I mean... a boy and a girl... that's... you can't..." She was stuttering her words and saying all this weird stuff. I mean, boys and girls are the same to me, just another person to help. "And a magus and a peasant... y-you know that's improper...!" She started stuttering out nonsense.
And my eyes turned cold. "Why not Luvia? Why can't we be friends? Who really cares about those rules anyway? Don't you just want to have fun? Isn't there enough sadness going into magic to confine yourself so much?" I kept asking bad questions, even though I knew it was selfish. Maybe it was a flicker in me, but for the first time, she looked at me as something other than some foolish boy.
In the end, she was the flustered one. Not sure how to take all this in. But then it ended.
(Music Stop)
A voice broke between us. "Luvia, it's time to leave." An older version of Luvia, taller and with a very refined air, appeared.
The mom took her arm and guided her to the waiting car that appeared out of nowhere.
The Mother looked at me funny, but she seemed to want to leave now and ignored me. I waved them off but was ignored. Luvia looked at me with eyes that didn't seem to want to go, but it all happened fast. I never did hear her answer. She looked like an old queen from a painting. If I didn't know Mom, then I would think she was unique. Compared to Mom, she wasn't really that amazing.
They had the same blue dress on, but her mother's looked almost dirty for some reason. So I think Luvia shined a little brighter as the sun reflected off of them entering their car. Luvia looked at me meaningfully but said nothing and left, as her mom seemed to want. London was fast. Everyone was always running everywhere. It had none of the simple enjoyment that home did. They left so fast compared to the long wait. ...For some reason, my mind told me that avoiding the mother was a good thing.
Maybe I should have stood up for Luvia, but I didn't really get her all that much.
So I kept trying to figure out the card until Dad came back, out from the shadows, and tapped me on my shoulder quietly. I didn't get why he was playing hide and seek like that.
We made it back to the hotel through back allies and took taxis in weird directions. And when we made it, he said we had to switch our hotel already. Fuji-nee and I didn't mind. We trusted him. He had a sharp look on him like he was a superhero.
No... he is a superhero... and I get to be here while he is one. I was happy to see that. He didn't seem to be having fun, though. Dad... kept looking at me funny. I didn't notice at first, but when I first saw him staring at me, I kept noticing him over and over. "..." He would sigh as if he wanted to say something. He did, though, and that made me feel worse.
Why are all the adults staring at me?
She was a mage like Sakura, but the feeling and smell of her was more like Tohsaka. Hmm, it's weird that they seemed so sweet-smelling to me. That must be because they are good people on the inside. I dunno... I'm just a kid. So with the card safe in my pocket, the trip continued. The world is a strange place. Remove the curtain obscuring the back of the stage, and you find that luck and fate are not so different from each other. Collect friends, my son! Bring them all to witness my true rebirth!
Author's notes:
This is London part one.
Fun chapter, I had to figure out Waver's motivations first, but it was good enough for me. So, yes. Shirou formed a line of correspondence with Luvia, and Kiritsugu formed a tentative one with Waver.
Luvia and Shirou meeting not unexpected. I think writing letters between them will be fun once and a while. And of course, when that is exposed, Tohsaka and Katarina will freak out.
I still have some things I can pull out of my bag of tricks in London. I can promise a character you will probably not expect to show up and meet Shirou. I can tell you it's someone pretty random, but I think the two meetings is rather funny to me.
I could make it mean something to the story or not and it would be fine, so I think it's okay. I always try to write in a way that leave me open so as not to become stuck in a corner of poor logic.
Reviews are welcome but please be nice, please no flaming me... :). Tell me a scene you'd really want to see or any ideas you have!