Live Wire (II)
When morning arrived, Shirou was already wide awake. That is to say, he hadn't slept at all.
Medea's naked body was draped over him as he held her into his arms. She was sleeping soundly, and Shirou decided that there was nothing so urgent that he'd have to wake her up to leave.
For all that he cherished and enjoyed these moments, there was still a considerable amount of discomfort in the back of his mind. The feeling of not deserving this happiness. Medea had extracted from him the promise to follow all of his desires, even and especially the selfish ones. And to preserve her smile he would do exactly that. Watching her sleeping peacefully almost made him forget everything else.
For the longest time, he didn't move, listening only to the sound of her breathing. It was the first time he spent this long doing nothing but enjoy himself. Every second of his life so far had been spent doing something, driving himself beyond the limits
This day shouldn't have been any different, but as the situation outside derailed more and more, he understood that he had to live these moments when he could. For both of their sakes.
He noticed Medea's breathing change and he stroke her hair as she returned to the waking world.
"Good morning, beautiful," he told her.
"Good morning love," she replied, looking up at him.
"Slept well?"
"Absolutely, though I wish you could say the same. Worried?"
"Yes, but... that's not what kept me up. I was just enjoying watching you sleep. Did you know that you snore?"
"I don't snore," she glared.
"Just a little bit. It's cute, really."
"I do not snore," she insisted.
"Alright. I guess I must have been dreaming then," he conceded with a grin. "Ow! No need to pinch."
"You deserved it. Anyway, I think it's time we get up. Illya and Berserker will be here soon." "Hmm. I'll get started on breakfast. Anything you'd particularly like?"
"Whatever you make is fine."
Still laying on the futon, Shirou watched her naked body as she got up to her feet. He couldn't help but sigh and Medea noticed.
"Didn't you have enough of it last night?" she asked smiling at him. "No such thing," he replied, getting up after her.
Picking up their clothes from where they had previously thrown them, they got dressed and left the room.
"I'll make a quick stop down the Workshop. There's something I need to check." "Alright, but don't take too long. I can have breakfast ready in under twenty minutes." "I'll be there long before that and help you set the table."
Thus, they went their separate ways.
[br]
The torches on the way down to the Workshop lit up spontaneously as Medea descended the stairs. Once at the bottom she let the entrance close. She needed only a few minutes, but she couldn't be disturbed in the meantime.
Holding out her hand, she called forth the ampoule that held the liquefied remains of the original Rule Breaker. The one in her possession, a Projection made by Shirou, was nearly similar to the original, but it still existed only because he kept supplying it with Mana.
She had other plans for the original one.
From one of the shelves against the walls, she picked a sheet of parchment, a quill, and an inkbottle. After that, she sat at the table and started writing. It took ten minutes to put her thoughts into words. Then, once she was done, she rolled the parchment and tied it to the glass container with a purple string.
She held it up in her hands and murmured a spell. The ampoule floated in midair and disappeared with a shimmer. It would remain gone until the spell was broken.
In one way or another.
She stared at the empty spot for a few moments and then turned on her heels, heading for the kitchen. Like every time Shirou was at the stove, she could always look forward to a sumptuous meal.
[br]
Rider was sitting on the roof of the house, having kept watch through the night. When Shirou finally came out of his room along with Caster and saw the Witch heading for the Workshop, Rider jumped down and landed in the courtyard.
"Good morning, Rider," he greeted.
"To you as well, Master. Time for breakfast?"
"That's the idea. Want to help?"
"Of course. I'll set the table."
"How about you help me in the kitchen, instead."
"I'm not sure that's a good idea. I haven't been around stoves very much."
"Well, it sounds like a good time to learn then," he insisted. "There's nothing quite like making a good meal with your own hands."
"Hm. Is this also part of adapting to live in the modern world?" "Absolutely. Cooking is a life skill. It's fun. Come on."
Rider shrugged and followed after him.
"First of all, put this on," he said, handing over an apron. "Let's start with something simple. You do the pickled salad and I'll do the eggs with furikake. Then we'll work on the miso soup together."
There was a knife and a cutting board in her hands, and she didn't even notice him putting her there. It appeared that her Master's culinary passion had reached the level of Heroic Spirits.
Rider smiled. Perhaps this was actually going to be fun. [br]
When Medea arrived in the living room, she was greeted by the sight of Shirou cooking side by side with Rider. The kitchen was rather small, so their shoulders were touching every now and then.
At first, she felt a knot forming in her stomach but then she released a sigh instead. When she gave Shirou license to have relations with other women, she meant that she didn't care if he had sex outside of their relationship.
However, it was foolish of her not to consider that Shirou would only have sex with people with whom he formed an emotional attachment as well. She could see him getting closer to
Rider, but there was nothing she could or would say about it. He was doing precisely as requested.
And besides, it was for the best. At least he wouldn't be alone when-
She shook her head. She had already taken the necessary steps. There was no need to dwell on such thoughts now.
"I think I might have messed up here," said Rider.
"Hmm? No, no. You are doing it right. Trust the process," Shirou replied.
Medea decided that she might as well set the table rather than stand there like a stooge.
Despite Rider's inexperience, breakfast was ready on time and they all sat together to eat.
"So, did you like cooking?" Shirou asked.
"It wasn't bad, but I'm sure I won't be anything more than passable at it. When it comes to food, I'd rather consume it than prepare it."
"Ah well. I suppose not everybody likes the same things," Shirou said.
Medea didn't say anything and merely watched their byplay unfold. To think that Shirou could tame the legendary Gorgon and bring the Witch of Betrayal to heel with nothing more than kindness and sheer determination.
If this had been a different time, this achievement alone would have surely been part of his legend. She felt sorry that he lived in an era when his actions would be known only to a selected few. Of course, he couldn't care less. Fame and glory were never his things, and that was precisely why he did what others couldn't.
It would have been wonderful if they could just forget everything and live their lives in peace, but the same thing that brought them together was threatening to break them apart.
Medea was forced out from their dark thoughts by a presence outside the perimeter. Even if he was in Spirit Form, Herakles existence was so overwhelming that she could feel it.
"They are here," she said. However, the others had noticed as well.
Medea took down the Boundary Field, while Shirou got up and went to greet them at the door.
"I'll clean the table," said Rider. "You go with him."
Medea looked at her fellow Heroic Spirit and nodded. Their relationship couldn't be called good. In fact, it was barely cordial. But the Gorgon recognized that Medea had been there first. It wasn't quite a hierarchy, but at least a form of courtesy.
Medea could accept that olive branch. They could and would largely ignore each other under this roof. This was as good as it was going to get between them.
Without a word, she left the living room and went after Shirou. [br]
"Good morning, Illyasviel," Shirou greeted.
His adoptive sister was standing in front of the house, while a limo was idle in the middle of the street. In the past, the neighbors would have stared and whispered, but in the past months the comings and goings from his place had become a regular occurrence, and nobody paid it any mind whatsoever anymore.
"Hm. Good morning," she begrudingly replied. "Are you ready to go?"
"All preparations have been made in advance," Medea replied, coming up from behind him. "We can leave in five minutes. Would you like to come inside?"
"I don't see any reason while I should," the white-haired woman replied standoffishly. "As you wish, Illya. I'll get my stuff and we can leave."
"Hurry up or I'll leave you here," she said.
Shirou went back inside and grabbed the backpack he prepared the previous evening. It contained water, rations, a first aid kit, and everything that might be needed to explore an underground cave.
Caster changed into her usual garments and shifted to Spirit Form, while Rider, who no longer could, climbed into the limo along with Shirou. Once they were all aboard, the car took off.
Illya sat inside with one leg over the other and her arms crossed.
"I want you to listen to me very carefully," she said. "Once we are in there, it will be just the two of us. Whatever happens, you must do as I say when I say it. No questions asked. Can you do that?"
"Of course," Shirou agreed. "Just as long as you don't ask me to leave you behind if something goes wrong."
"Not a chance. If something goes wrong, I expect you to get me out of there even if it kills you."
"Alright, then we shouldn't have any problem."
The ride to the mountain from Shirou's house took only a few minutes and soon enough they were stood at the bottom of the stone stairs.
"Where is the entrance?" he asked.
"This way, through the forest. This is as far as our Servants can follow us."
Caster returned to physical form.
"I'll be watching everything from here, Shirou. Should anything go wrong, make sure to run away as fast as you can. If something goes wrong, use a Command Seal."
"You know that won't work. The barrier that covers the mountain is even more powerful inside."
"I have enough Mana stored up. Just say get us out of here as a command and I'll be able to take you back before I suffer significant damage. Is that clear?"
"Alright. I'll keep it as a last resort," he agreed.
"Let's get going then," said Illya. "The day isn't getting any longer."
"Master, be careful in there," said Rider.
"I will. Don't worry. With a bit of luck, everything will be over soon."
Then, along with Illya, he went into the forest and lost sight of his companions.
Finding the entrance took a good half an hour. Even though Illya knew the general location, the thick underbrush made it difficult to move and to find anything.
"Here it is," she said.
It was a hole in the ground under the trunk of a fallen tree. If anybody who didn't know had seen it, they would have thought it was the lair of a boar or another wild animal. Definitely not something they would crawl into even if the average adult person could fit easily.
"Let me go first," Shirou offered and Illya made a sweeping gesture with her hand.
"Be my guest," she replied.
Shirou took out a headlamp from his backpack and put it on. Illya looked at him strangely. "What? We are going underground. How am I supposed to see without light?"
"Trust me. You aren't going to need that. Just Reinforce your sight and you'll be fine."
Shirou shrugged and jumped into the hole. As expected, he didn't see anything but taking Illya's words into account, he allowed his eyes to adapt. There was in fact enough light to see a bit and it didn't come from the entrance itself.
He heard Illya come down after him.
"The concentration of Mana down here is so high that it only takes a little bit of enhancement to make things out," she explained. "Keep your light off or it will blind us to everything outside its cone."
"Yeah, you are right," he agreed, putting it back and taking out flare sticks instead. "I'm going to use these to mark down our path. Even if you know the way, we might have to rush out and I'd rather not have to think which way to go."
"Hmm. Fair enough," she conceded. "Come on, it's this way."
Illya went ahead first, and Shirou followed after her. Because she was shorter, she had a much easier time getting through some of the tighter tunnels, whereas Shirou had to crouch several times least he cracked his head open on a stalactite.
Because they were moving slowly, it took quite a long time to reach their destination, but when they got there, Shirou was amazed.
"Holy..."
The cavern that hosted the Greater Grail was enormous. The entire mountain was basically a hollow shell.
The concentration of Mana in this room was much higher. The point of conjunction of the leyline was a pillar of light that made the place look like it was outside during the daytime.
The central part of the room where the Grail ritual was laid down stood on a higher platform. They would have to climb up there if they wanted to interact with it. As they approached, however, they saw a figure standing on the edge, looking down at them.
He was a wizened old man, wearing Japanese clothes and leaning on a cane. Despite his frail-looking appearance, his sunken black eyes were nothing short of menacing.
"Welcome, Lady Einzbern. And you, son of Emiya."
"Matou Zouken," said Shirou. "What are you doing here?"
"Of course, as the head of one of the founding families, it's my duty to oversee the Grail."
"I should have expected that you would try to get in our way, old man," said Illya. "Step aside, Makiri."
"I cannot do that. I have to protect our creation. Especially from you. The meddling of your family is the reason why we are having so many anomalies right now. I cannot permit you to do any more damage than you already have."
"The Grail is something that should never have existed in the first place," Shirou intervened. In his hands, he had already manifested Kansho and Bakuya and deployed Twisted Embrace as well. When a Mage showed himself to an opponent, it was safe to assume they were confident in having the upper hand.
"I would not expect the son of a heretic Mage to understand," Zouken replied. "Needless to say, this is as far as I'm allowing you to go. Turn back now."
"Hm!" Illya scoffed. "I would really like to see how you would stop us."
Zouken's serious face stretched into a predatory smile.
"Why, like this of course."
Behind him emerged a figure. It seemed to be clad into some kind of black hood-like cloth line in a crimson red. Under the hood, there was only blackness.
Zouken tapped his cane, and like a signal, the hooded figure seemed to jerk and twist upon itself, as if it was being subjected to some kind of torture. It unraveled itself and the same black mud that poured out of the singularities oozed out of it.
"What the heck is it doing?" Shirou asked. "It's giving birth," Illya replied.
Indeed, that was certainly the came. The entity burst open and from it, another creature came out. The sight of it shocked Shirou to its core.
Her armor was completely black, and there was a dark visor across her face. Unlike the shadows that they fought at night who were nothing more than silhouettes of mud, she had the same blonde hair and fair skin, if a lot paler.
"...Saber?" he asked, but there was no reaction.
"Go," Zouken said.
"...yes, Master," she replied.
The ground at her feet shattered and she flew down at them. "Illya, move!"
Shirou pushed Illya away and managed to bring up his guard in the nick of time to parry the Black Excalibur with the Married Blade. His knees nearly buckled under the weight of the blow, but he managed to hold his ground just barely.
Of course, it was only the opening move.
Now on even ground, Saber's could display her swordplay in full. The flurry of swings had Shirou on the defensive the entire time. His body strained to keep up with the attack and he was forced entirely on the defensive.
He couldn't retaliate even if he wanted, because it was Saber. He didn't know what happened or why she was like this, but he couldn't attack her any more than he could have with Rider.
However, this limitation was exclusive to Shirou. Other people wouldn't and didn't have such qualms.
"RRRAAAH!"
For a moment, Shirou thought that Illya had called forth Berserker. Instead, the roar came from the woman herself.
As Saber was entirely occupied with Shirou, she couldn't protect herself from the attack that came from the side. Illyasviel's punch connected squarely with Saber's head, and the Servant was sent flying away, crashing and tumbling on the ground like a ragdoll.
"Illya, what the hell?" Shirou asked, flabbergasted.
"RRRRR!"
Illya's teeth were bared and she was growling in a way reminiscent of her Servant.
"Keh! So this is the trick that the Einzbern came up with, this time," said Zouken from his position up above, his voice unamused. "To keep Berserk sane in spite of the Mad Enhancement, the Master takes the edge of burden upon themselves, along with a fraction of its power."
Meanwhile, Saber got up from where Illya's punch had sent her. She was unscathed, but the visor over her face had cracked and it crumbled to pieces, revealing her face. There were two eyes-shaped holes in her face that opened to bottomless darkness. The same darkness that the figure from before hid behind its cloth.
"That's not Saber," Shirou decided.
Not-Saber didn't object. Nor did she approach again. She stood in place like an automaton waiting for instruction. It had no will of its own.
"Destroy them," said Zouken.
She came at him, but Shirou was prepared this time. Not-Saber was faster, but she still moved like Saber. He had learned those movements like they were his own. He threw the Married Blades at her and she swatted them aside as she did with the next one. By the time he got a third pair out, she was on him
He parried her swing, then he drew the next one to the opening in his guard he had explicitly left open for her. Again, Illya came at Saber from the side. This time, the fake Servant wasn't caught flatfooted, and nimbly jumped back to avoid the incoming attack, only to step forward again to cut down the white-haired woman.
"No, you fucking don't!"
He moved into her guard and met her attack instead.
This knockoff couldn't hold a candle to the real thing. In a serious fight, the real Saber would have smashed his Projections like they weren't there. His chances to prevail were definitely higher.
As they exchanged blows the previous two sets of Married Blades he had throw were still flying around, and they were drawn back to each other. Specifically back to him.
To her credit, the fake's power and willpower were lacking compared to the original, but the skills were the same as the real thing. She felt the blades coming at her, but if she disengaged from Shirou to deflect them, he would cut her down instead.
What he didn't expect she would do, was completely ignore the coming swords and press on her offensive. Both sets of Married Blades found their way into her back, but she didn't flinch or slow down. Not only she didn't have any will. She also didn't have any sense of self-preservation.
He needed to change tactics. "Trace Bullet!" he called out.
Several blades materialized out of thin air, but they weren't aimed at not-Saber. They were pointed at Zouken.
"Return!" he called out.
With a great leap, the fake Servant disengaged immediately, getting into the path of the projectiles. She swatted them away before they could reach her Master, and landed back at his side.
'Shirou! That's enough! Retreat!' Caster called out.
"Illya, let's get out of here," said Shirou. "We need to regroup."
"I will not allow that," Zouken said. "Erase them, once and for all."
The Black Excalibur flared with dark energy causing a powerful wind to pick up around her.
Shirou's eyes widened and he clenched his fist, focusing on his Command Seal. But he hesitated. If he used it now, Caster would come but there wouldn't be enough time to get out. All three of them would die.
"EX-"
He ran toward Illya, grabbing her and putting his body between her and the incoming attack. One last futile gesture.
"-CALIBUR!"
The torrent of black and red energy rushed toward them, tearing up a stone like it were of
paper. Shirou had barely time to acknowledge that they would both die there. But then, a new voice rang out.
"RHO AIAS!"
Before Shirou's eyes, a seven petal flower blossomed. The energy from the Black Excalibur met it and was forced to split, leaving the place where Illya and Shirou stood completely untouched, while everything at its sides was obliterated.
It was now or never.
"Caster! Get us out of here!"
Caster materialized forcibly through the power of the Command Seal. She grabbed both of them and teleported out again. The last thing that faded from Shirou's vision was the iridescent flower that saved their lives as it started to crack.
[br]
Once the energy burst from Excalibur subsided all that was left was a scorched crater, save for a clear spot where the Einzbern doll and the son of the Magus Killer had been.
"Keh!" Zouken scoffed.
He intended to kill the fulcrum to the alliance that was Emiya and the Lesser Grail in one fell swoop but just like their plans to stop the Grail had been foiled, so were his.
He turned to the 'Servant' at its side. It stood motionless and a moment later it started to crumble like a cheaply made clay sculpture. It was a pale imitation of the real thing, but it was all that he could do with what he had at his disposal.
It was a temporary construct, but one he had full control over. Unlike what he used to create it. Employing the Shadow would have been a lot more effective but it was... erratic. At best he could point it in a general direction and hope it would behave as he wished. He'd rather use it only to deal with the Servant when he was certain he could beat them. He wouldn't want that pesky Caster to come up with countermeasures for it too.
Unfortunately, his hand had been partially exposed, so any additional move on his part would be more difficult going forward. But at the very least he had staved off the destruction of the Grail. Now they would not easily venture under the mountain again. And if they did, he'd be there to meet again.
Now, he had to implement the next stage of his plan. [XXX]