Just an Avenger (I)
The door of Tohsaka's mansion opened, and three people stumbled inside. Rin, supported by Saber with an arm around her Master's side, and Dojima, who had driven them there.
Saber gently let Rin down on one of the armchairs of her living room, and Rin leaned back into the seat with a sigh of relief.
"Saber. Please go over what happened again, in detail," Rin said.
"There isn't much more to say than what I already told you. After Lancer stabbed you and took Illya, Shirou pulled Avalon out of his body and transferred it to yours. That's what healed your wound. After that, he started vomiting the Grail's mud and got submerged in it. When he got out, he was a different person."
"He said he was Angra Mainyu," Rin replied, and Saber nodded.
"Yes. He said that he had been imprisoned for ten years, which is when the last Grail War happened."
"Hold that thought. How did Emiya get his hands on Avalon in the first place?" Saber bit her lip and looked away.
"His father gave it to him, I assume," she said. "It must have been the catalyst for both summonings."
"Both summonings? What are you talking about?" Rin asked.
"Emiya Kiritsugu was my Master in the Fourth Grail War," Saber explained.
"Wait, what? How is that possible? Servants aren't supposed to have any memories of any other time they have been summoned. Heroic Spirits are supposed to be immutable."
"You are correct," Saber nodded. "The fact is that I'm not a Heroic Spirit. I did not die, and as such, I never ascended to the Throne. On my deathbed, I made a pact with Counter Force - to acquire the Grail and save my kingdom in exchange for my soul in eternal servitude. Until I obtain it, I will keep returning to that point in time and be summoned again with my memories intact to the next Grail War."
"That's why you can't turn to spirit form," Rin realized. "It's got nothing to do with being summoned the wrong way."
"Yes."
"You lied to me."
"I lied about my gender to my entire kingdom and my closest allies for years, Rin. Lying about a personal matter to a Magus I had just met was not something I took pride in, but not something that haunts my conscience either. I am sorry that I kept up the deception with someone I've come to consider a friend."
There was a long moment of tense silence.
"So it was him who summoned you, wasn't it? How did he manage to screw up so badly that you wound up as my Servant instead?"
"I'm not sure. I only remember seeing a glimpse of his Workshop, and then I was called by you. I'm unsure about the timeframe."
"How long have you known?" Rin asked.
"Does it matter? I've made my oath to you, not him."
"It didn't stop you from lying and keeping secrets from me. How long have you known, Saber?"
"I was fairly certain the first time we visited his Workshop. I recognized the place at once."
"And he must have known as well, or he would have never thought of using Avalon on me," Rin added bitterly.
"I wouldn't speculate about his knowledge, but I believe he figured it out at some point. Avalon's healing properties wouldn't work nearly as well without me. It must have increased its functions after I was summoned. In hindsight, that's how he must have survived the wounds inflicted by Rider. My proximity triggered its healing. If he didn't know before, he would have figured it out at that time."
"And neither one of you even thought of bringing it up?"
"What difference would it have made, Rin? The only one that I can think of is that it would have made you question my loyalties."
"That's reason enough, don't you think? Especially since you have been lying to me from the start. Don't tell me that if push came to shove, you wouldn't have been divided, at least."
"That time has already come and gone. Back in the park, even though I wished to help him, I couldn't risk leaving you defenseless. As much as I respect him as an ally, that does not supersede my oath to you. Not to mention he wouldn't have wanted it either. I am of the impression that he knew the consequences of taking out Avalon beforehand and did it anyway. I wouldn't have invalidated his sacrifice. I'm not that low of a person."
Dojima cleared his throat, causing both women to look at him. "Aren't we getting off topic here?"
Rin glared briefly at the detective before sighing.
"Yes, fine. You are right," Rin admitted. "Saber, Angra Mainyu said that he's been trapped for ten years."
"Yes, since the last Grail War, I assume."
"No, that doesn't line up. He had been summoned during the Third War, not the Fourth. He couldn't have been talking about that."
"What are you implying?" Saber asked.
"How did Emiya become possessed in the first place? How did he know that removing Avalon would free it? He never came in direct contact with the mud, and you said that it came from inside of him and only after he took it out."
"You are saying that he's been possessed from the beginning. That he has been hosting the spirit of Angra Mainyu since the end of the previous War."
"He was at the epicenter of the explosion, wasn't he? Do you know something about it since you were apparently around back then?"
Saber looked down, and then nodded. "I did that. I'm the one who caused it." "... say what?" Dojima hissed.
"At the time, there was just Archer - Gilgamesh - and I left. The Grail had already started to manifest, and I was, well, I was losing against him rather badly. At that moment, my Master- Shirou's father- came onto the scene and used a Command Seal to coerce me into destroying the Grail. I managed to use my Noble Phantasm once, but I was defeated before I got to see the results. I didn't know what happened until Shirou told us, that night at the park."
"His father must have found out about the corruption of the Grail at that moment," Rin concluded.
"I came to the same conclusion. Kiritsugu was the kind of man who would choose the lesser evil no matter how ignominious it might have been. He would have personally killed hundreds to save thousands, regardless of their innocence. With the world itself at stake, he wouldn't have thought twice about burning a single city to the ground to save it."
"You didn't get along very much, did you?" Dojima asked.
"We had our differences, and his last act as my Master was to betray me without an apparent reason. I do not miss him, and I'm glad that his son is nothing like him."
"Speaking of whom, Emiya said that his dad was the one who saved him from the fire. If that's when he came in contact with the corruption of the Grail, Avalon might have saved his life and created the conditions that allowed him to survive long enough to adapt as its host. So when he removed it..."
"Angra Mainyu finally took over," Saber concluded. "How certain are you of this theory?"
"Fairly sure, unless we missed a time when Emiya was touched by the mud. The closest I saw him going was when he pulled Rider out of it, but I didn't see hit touching it directly."
"Do you think that if we managed to subdue him and force this Avalon-thing back into him, Shirou would be able to retake control?" Dojima asked.
"I don't know," Rin said. "In the first place, we don't even know if there's anything left of Shirou besides his body. We might just wind up giving an enemy a Noble Phantasm capable of healing mortal wounds. I'm not sure it's a chance I'm willing to take. Actually, I'm sure I don't want to."
"You would just abandon him to his fate?" Dojima asked angrily.
"Like I have any choice!" she snapped just as angrily. "I'm the only one left! Caster and Berserker are dead! Rider's gone, who knows where! Illya's been taken, and Emiya is controlled by the very entity we are supposed to destroy. What do you expect me to do? I am the Second Owner of this land. I have a duty to protect it against all threats. You want me to jeopardize it all to save a person who knew the stakes from the start? Like he would even want that!"
"He saved your life!" Dojima insisted.
"Well, he shouldn't have. To be a Magus is to walk with death. I made my peace with that years ago. He should have saved himself, that absolute idiot."
She leaned forward and held her forehead with one hand. "I'm going to bed. I need to rest," she said after a moment. "That's probably for the best," Saber agreed. "I'll keep watch." "What do you want me to do?" asked Dojima.
"I don't know. Actually, you should probably get out of the city while you still can. Saber can drive us around if needed."
"Fine. I get it," Dojima sighed. "You should probably have this, then." He reached into his coat and pulled out a gun.
"A firearm won't be of any use."
"That gun!" Saber said. "Did Shirou give it to you?"
"Yeah. How did you know?"
"Saber? Do you know it?" Rin asked.
"It's... It was Kiritsugu's Mystic Code. It fires bullets that destroy active Magic Circuits. It's an Anti-Magus weapon. The personal weapon of the Magus Killer."
"What?"
Rin hastily took a step back.
"The gun is just a gun. It's the bullets that are special," Dojima explained. "I only know that they are made from his father's bones. Something about his Element and Origin. Bind and Sever or something."
"Sever and Bind," Saber corrected. "Yeah, that," Dojima agreed.
"Give it here," Rin said, snatching it from Dojima's hands and looking at it from up close. "Has this thing been modified by Caster?"
"So Shirou said. Something about making it possible for even someone like me to use it." "I see... I could actually use this."
"Hm. Here are all the bullets I've got for it."
"I'll make them count. Thank you, Dojima-san."
"Don't thank me. I'm just passing it forward."
"You have done more than enough," Saber said. "Certainly more than was asked of you. You should take pride in your efforts. I know that Shirou holds you in high esteem, and I can see why. However, it would be best if you left now. I understand that you are your child's only parent. Be with her. There might not be much time left for this world."
"Alright, but listen. If there's even one thing I can ever do to help, call me. I'll come running." "We know, and we will," Saber agreed.
"I'll be seeing you then. Take care of yourselves."
With those words, he turned around and left the building. It was for the best. With their forces
down to a minimum, he could offer little of value, and they had no way to keep him even remotely safe. He had truly gone over and above.
Saber turned to Rin, who was busy examining the bullets.
"Rin, you should rest now. You can worry about the gun in the morning. Leave it with me."
Rin looked at Saber with tired eyes. The Servant could see the doubt flashing through her eyes. The trust her Master put in her had been damaged by her own actions, but it was too late to regret it now.
"Alright," she eventually agreed, handing over the gun and bullets. "I'll probably be more clear-headed in the morning. My chest still hurts anyway."
They went upstairs, and Rin threw herself on the bed without even removing her clothes. Saber sat on the armchair next to the bed, holding Kiritsugu's gun in her lap.
Dawn was about to come but Saber found no solace in the end of the night. The hold of the darkness upon her spirit was firm and would not be so easily shaken off. With nothing to do but watch over her Master, Saber could only ponder about her many failings and shortcomings.
Looking out of the window next to the chair, her heart reached out to the young hero who had been stolen by the darkness.
'Wherever you are right now, don't give up, Shirou.'
A small prayer was the only thing that Saber had to offer to the man that was supposed to be her Master.
[br]
"You fucking jackass!" Lancer snarled, unceremoniously kicking in the door of the house that Kirei used as his hiding spot.
Sitting in the dark, quietly sipping tea, the priest smiled from the corner of his mouth. "Did you have your share of fun, Lancer?"
"My share of fun? You had me murder a woman in cold blood for no fucking reason."
"No reason, Lancer? You should be familiar enough with the flow of war to know that today's allies are tomorrow's enemies and vice versa. The temporary alliance had run its course. Striking down an enemy when they least expect is the best course of action."
"Yeah, maybe for a punk like you, but not for me. I fight my enemies front and center. I don't sneak up behind them and stab them in the back. Give me one fucking reason why I shouldn't gut you right where you stand."
"I can give you plenty of reasons. Killing me won't change what has already happened. All you'll get is to find yourself masterless. Sure, you can maybe make a pact with the Einzbern girl on your back, but she wouldn't let you wage war with the other Servants, would she? Because - let's not forget - that your one true goal is to go down fighting, and I can assure you, you aren't going to get that with them. Last but not least," he said, uncovering his arm covered in an intricate pattern of all the unused Command Seals from the previous Wars, "I can make you obey."
Lancer's lip twitched in a silent snarl. He hated Kotomine's smug ass, and he would stab him a hundred times over if he could. Unfortunately, for all that he dwarfed Kotomine in power under every aspect, the rogue priest was no weakling. Lancer was sure he couldn't kill him faster than the man could mouth off a command unless he got the drop on him.
Also, everything else he said was true. Like every other Servant, Lancer had no stakes in the modern world. Certainly, he had a preference for how things would go down, but not so much that he'd jeopardize the only thing that made the entire mess worth his while.
Nobody ever accused Cu Chulainn of being a good person. Honorable, maybe, but definitely not good.
Still, Lancer was totally going to shank Kotomine the moment he could get away with it, though the priest certainly knew it and wasn't going to give him a chance.
"If you are done complaining, drop the Einzbern girl over there and get out. I don't want your presence to give away my position just yet."
"I've got bad news for you, Kotomine-kun," a voice sang happily. A shirtless man stood in the doorway. most of his features shrouded in darkness except for his eyes and his wide smile full of teeth. "It's already way too late for that."
Lancer acted without needing to be told. An enemy had appeared. He threw the still-unconscious white-haired girl behind his back and into Kotomine's arms. He materialized the red spear and lunged at the newcomer, only for his weapon to be intercepted by a pair of claw-like weapons.
"Sup, Lancer!" "The fuck?"
In front of him stood none other than Emiya Shirou, except that he just wasn't the same person Lancer had seen last. Everything from his outward appearance to his demeanor was that of a completely different individual.
Still, Lancer could not mistake the bloodlust rolling out of the young man. Unlike their first fight, this guy was bleeding with murderous intent. He didn't come all the way here to have peace talks. This guy had come here to kill. Then again, he had stabbed that girl to death, so it was only reasonable that he was pissed.
"Sorry about that thing back there, kid. I don't mind if you get your pound of flesh off of me, if you are good enough to get it."
"I don't a fuck about that, Lancer, or about you. You guys got something I want, and I'm taking it. Get out of the way, or don't. It's all the same to me."
Lancer grinned.
"I can work with that."
Thus, the red spear and the misshapen claws began their clash. Lancer had no idea what had happened to the kid in the past half hour since he last saw him, but by exchanging blows with him, he immediately realized that the differences were more than cosmetic. Having fought against him once already, he could tell quite easily.
It wasn't just that he wanted to kill. He fought like an entirely different person. Previously he favored a defensive fighting style while now it was entirely aggressive. The only reason why he was on the defensive at all was that Lancer pressured him with his superior strength.
Moreover, up close, the kid was giving off the aura of a Servant, however faintly.
Lancer was curious but not curious enough to care. He had been itching for a fight, and he had finally got one without duplicity involved. He wasn't going to pass on the opportunity just to play detective.
Although the kid was considerably weaker than Lancer, he had already proven that he was the kind of guy around which the Servant of the Spear couldn't let his guard down, or he would suffer a fatal loss. As such, he was holding back just enough to make it somewhat even so that it would be fun. For instance, he basically wasn't using both arms at the same time. This was reckless behavior that might very well get him killed, but he was okay with that too, of course.
It soon became evident, however, that even holding back that much wasn't enough to make it sustainable. The kid was losing ground quickly. Then again, he had been fighting tooth and nail just before this. Both Mana and physical endurance had to be completely drained. Even so, it was already pretty unbelievable that he was putting up that much of a fight against an actual Servant.
Lancer stole a glance behind his back and noticed that Kirei had already left the area. So the Einzbern girl was more important than anything else, was she? Just what was the fake priest's ultimate goal, and what could Lancer do to mess it up? After all, while he had no stakes in the plights of the modern people, he also had no stakes in his Master's victory.
For a single second, he became completely serious. With a spin of his spear he shattered the kid's guard and drove his weapon through his shoulder, pinning him against the wall behind.
"Listen, kid. As much as I'd love to watch you skin that asshole, he's not going to let me do it. So find some way to get through me 'cause there's no way around."
The boy opened his mouth as if to say something but then closed it in favor of giving Lancer a wide smile.
"Gotcha! Run back to your Master now and tell him that we are gonna see each other again soon. Next time I'll make it an unforgettable meeting. A big friendly reunion."
Lancer grinned back, his smiles equally wide. "I'll look forward to it. Catcha later, kid."
Saying that, he pulled Gae Bolg back, dislodging it from the wall but not from within his opponent's body. Instead, he spun around and sent him careening some distance away. Then, he shifted into spirit form and disappeared.
Time to catch up with his poor excuse of a Master. Finally, things were starting to shake up to his liking. [br]
Kotomine ran like the wind, his heart beating madly in his chest. The moment he laid his eyes on Emiya, he knew he had to run. Lancer might not have been able to tell, but that had to be expected, as he wasn't human. Kirei, on the other hand, was very much one, no matter how defective.
When the boy appeared in front of him, he couldn't mistake him for anyone else. He had been in its presence once before. He had no idea why and how he manifested like that. Did the boy come in contact with the mud from the Grail? That was the most likely explanation.
Whatever the case, Kirei knew that he had no option but to flee. Even though he was still in decent condition, he was no longer in his prime. But even if he had been it wouldn't have made a lick of difference.
No human could stand up to that.
After he managed to get some distance away, he turned his attention back to Lancer, only to find that he couldn't see through Lancer's eyes. The Servant had gone back to spirit form.
'Lancer, what happened?'
'What do you think happened? We fought a bit, then I got bored and kicked his ass to the curb. That's about it.'
'You didn't finish him?' Kirei asked.
'And do you a favor for free? Nah. Of course, you can use a Command Seal and make me go back and finish the job, but I don't think he'll be hanging around waiting for me.'
'Fine, it doesn't matter now. Come back quickly.'
'Oh, what happened to staying away from you and not giving away your position? Someone lit a fire under your ass or something?'
Kirei didn't reply and simply cut the conversation short.
Someone had, indeed, done exactly that, but he wouldn't give Lancer the satisfaction of confirming it. The Heroic Spirit was already entirely too smug for Kirei's tastes. As long as Lancer was still necessary, he'd suffer his foul mouth, but he wasn't going to give Lancer more ammunition.
Still, this new development changed everything. He was actually quite happy that Lancer hadn't finished the job. As much as he knew his life was in danger more than ever before, he couldn't help but feel excited for what was about to come.
He had already given up the hope of seeing the Grail come into full power and spill its fruits all over the world, but this was a very pleasant surprise. There might still be a little bit of satisfaction for him in this Holy Grail War.
And even if that wasn't the case, now that he had the Einzbern girl, it was only a matter of time before Zouken would have to make his own move against him.
All things considered, there was still plenty to look forward to for Kotomine Kirei. [br]
The sound of shattered glass echoed through the darkness, followed by the sound of running water splashing all over the place.
Gravity took its hold and Bazzet fell to the ground with her only remaining arm cushioning her fall.
"Cough! Cough!"
The fluid that previously kept her lungs oxygenated was expelled forcibly, as she was forced to switch back to breathing the old-fashioned way.
It took her eyes a moment to come into focus, but when she did she found herself inches away from someone's foot.
She looked up, only to see a face that was both known and unfamiliar.
"Wake up, princess," said the young man covered in tattoos. "Dream time's over. I've got a job for you."
"What -cough!- job?"
Of all the things she expected him to say, that was not it.
"Killing people, of course. You are good at that, aren't you? As for the payment, how about the opportunity to rip off a priest's head?"
Bazett licked her lips as she slowly rose up to her feet.
She looked at the stump of her arm and then at her fist, which she clenched and relaxed a few times.
"I think I'm up for that," she replied.
He smiled in return.
"Fantastic! We are going to make a great team, you and I."
She looked at him from head to toe. He stood there with his arms crossed over his chest, seemingly unbothered by the blood seeping through the filthy bandage wrapped around his shoulder.
"Who are you really?" she asked as she followed him out.
"No one of consequence," he replied. "I'm just an Avenger." "Hmm. Well, Avenger. I'm looking forward to working with you."
Thus the accord was struck, and a moment later, the two figures disappeared together into the dark tunnels beneath Fuyuki city.
[XXX]