'It's up to you to defeat him'
'Easier said than done'
was the thought running through Shirou's mind at the moment. Facing Gilgamesh all on his own is crazy even by his own standards.
He was able to get some ground on Gilgamesh by copying the weapons fired from the Gate of Babylon, the fact Gilgamesh refused to take the fight seriously certainly helped. Although Shirou was no longer sure which was worse between the endless noble phantasms being fired at him and Gilgamesh's equally endless boasting.
Things took a turn for the worse when the Grail's interference interrupted their fight and Gilgamesh resorted to using Ea, what he did was hardly more than a flick of the wrist and yet it turned most of the temple grounds to rubble, forced the Grail to back away and, to top it off, nearly sent Shirou into a coma.
That isn't even mentioning the headache that was caused by merely looking at the damn thing. If he who was basically the embodiment of a sword couldn't comprehend its construction he doubted it should even be called one.
So, as much as Shirou would have loved to stay lying on the floor, he had a job to do, he only wished he had any idea how to go about it.
"Still ready for more, Faker? I suppose your tenacity is worthy of praise at least. However, it does not change the fact that your struggles have ceased to be entertaining, at this point sparing Archer would have proved more fun."
That definitely struck a nerve with Shirou, he and Archer may have gotten past the killing each other stage but Shirou still did not like him. At least he did not hate him at this point. He has to give it to Gilgamesh; however, he is really good at getting under Shirou's skin.
During this entire ordeal Shirou had to give it his all to not lash out blindly at Gilgamesh, the mockery and the insults were arguably worse than the literal Noble Phantasms being thrown at him.
And so, determined to bring this to an end, Gilgamesh unleashed his treasures upon the Hero of Justice, Shirou's magic circuits flared up, drawing upon Rin's Mana as well, he projected copies of the treasures and sent them to intercept their originals.
The Noble Phantasms from Gilgamesh's treasury were met by their equals. However, Emiya Shirou could only project so many of them at a time, it was why he still kept Kanshou and Bakuya in his hands.
The married blades blocked, parried and deflected again and again, but sadly they still had their limits. Kanshou and Bakuya broke for god only knows how many times already. Now unarmed and defenseless, the endless stream of Noble Phantasms will skewer Shirou and end this fight for good.
Such would have been the case if someone did not arrive just in time to intervene and deflect the blades, to a human like Shirou it was an exhausting task, but to a servant, deflecting such low level Noble Phantasms even in such high numbers was hardly an issue.
"Hey Master, what do you think you're doing losing to this prick?"
"How joyous, the other Faker is here as well." Gilgamesh said dryly.
Between Shirou and the Golden King now stood his servant, Jeanne d'Arc Alter. The dark manifestation of the Saint of Orleans glared at Gilgamesh, just itching to burn him to ashes, but Shirou took priority.
"Can you keep going? Because while I would love to beat this asshole all by myself I'm afraid that might be a bit too much even for me."
"Yeah, glad to see you're safe."
"You can get sappy with me after we make it out of this. Any plan of attack?"
It was a reminder that their time was slowly coming to an end, and while Shirou wanted to lament on the fact he and Jeanne would soon be separated, they had a job to do. "Can you buy me half a minute?"
"That's it? And here I was hoping there would be a challenge." A light chuckle escaped Jeanne's mouth, maybe this isn't going to be as hard as she thought it would.
"That is the easy part." Nevermind then.
"Implying that any part of fighting the King is easy is an offense deserving of severe punishment, Mongrel." Gilgamesh was starting to lose his patience, he was beginning to consider taking this seriously just to be done with it. His own ego, however, would never allow him to take a pair of Fakers seriously.
"Do you, EVER, shut that mouth of yours!?" Jeanne bit back.
Catching his breath, Shirou was ready to begin his chant.
"I am the bone of my sword."
As soon as those words left his mouth, the Gates of Babylon opened fire once more. In response, flames were released from Jeanne's form, melting or blowing away most of the low ranking Noble phantasms. And anything that pushed through was swatted away by her sword.
"Steel is my body and fire is my blood."
Shirou's body lit up with his magic circuits, boosted even further by the connection with Rin.
"I have created over a thousand blades."
Clashes of steel rang out throughout the ruins of the temple grounds, each and every weapon fired in Shirou's direction was destroyed or deflected by the Dragon Witch.
"Unaware of loss,
Nor aware of gain."
As the chant was nearing its end, Jeanne had donned an almost manic grin, knowing what was to come.
"Withstood pain to create weapons, waiting for one's arrival.
I have no regrets. This is the only path."
A ring of fire rose around Shirou.
"My whole life was Unlimited Blade Works."
And with that, the ring expanded at a rapid pace, changing the landscape in its wake. In the blink of an eye, Gilgamesh, Jeanne and Shirou all found themselves surrounded by blades in every direction.
Unlike the desolate grim hill that was Archer's reality marble, this one still had clear skies, no hill, no giant gears in the sky. It was hopeful, promising a bright future ahead.
'Fakes, all of them. How insulting.' The King found himself disgusted to be forced into a world filled with nothing but fakes of his treasures. He will have to punish the boy for this, insulting the king like this was an offense punishable by death, and the woman shall not be spared either. As the King of Heroes, Gilgamesh naturally felt obligated to dispense justice upon those who would insult a hero such as the Saint of Orleans.
Shirou now stood side by side with Jeanne, "Are you hurt?" he asked, concern evident in his voice, he hated having to count on others like that, but there was not much of a choice with Gilgamesh as their opponent.
"Are you serious? As if something like that would be enough to put me down." She smirked in response, one that Shirou reciprocated. He had to admit he was getting a little bit excited himself.
Their small moment was sadly cut short by their opponent, "If you are quite done chatting over there, this farce has become rather dull. I believe it is time we brought it to an end."
Their eyes locked onto Gilgamesh, a flame of determination burning within their gaze. Shirou spoke, "Yeah, I agree, so do tell me King of Heroes…." His magic circuits flared up "... do you have enough weapons in stock?" Jeanne grinned in response, while Gilgamesh grimaced.
The battle had finally begun for real.
The Gate of Babylon opened up once more, the number of portals even greater than before, and yet, far fewer noble phantasms were fired out. Unlimited Blade Works was faster than the gates, allowing it to strike the portals down before they could open fire.
Of course, with the number of portals being opened, some noble phantasms were bound to still make it out, and yet, even they did not accomplish much, as they were quickly intercepted by their own copies. Two equal forces striking each other, getting canceled out by one another.
Finding her opening, Jeanne moved to close the distance between herself and Gilgamesh, aiming to overwhelm him further. As much as he loathed to admit it, Gilgamesh had to defend himself directly. Taking one of his countless treasures, he crossed blades with Jeanne.
While Jeanne sported greater stats in both Strength and Agility, Gilgamesh did have the advantage in skill, being aided further by the portals that managed to send weapons flying at Jeanne.
"To think I would be forced to exert myself this much against mere Fakers!" He growled out, clearly frustrated with the situation.
More and more portals were being called upon, the reality marble struggling to strike them all down. 'Good', Jeanne and Shirou were counting on Gilgamesh's hubris and anger. "What's the matter, your majesty, Fakers giving you trouble?" Jeanne taunted Gilgamesh with a shit-eating grin, further aggravating him,
"Mind your tongue, woman, before I cut it out for you."
His response doing nothing but get Jeanne to bark out a laugh. She was loving every second of this, the prick pissed her off to no end, it was fun seeing him struggle to keep his composure. And it was just what they needed, if they were lucky, this will be over soon and all that will be left will be to destroy the grail… which will make her… 'No. Not the time to think about that.'
Away from the two servants, Shirou was watching and waiting for his opening, the same bow Archer used now in his hand. Preparing a Sword turned arrow, he took aim. He would have loved to bring out heavier artillery like Caladbolg to take Gilgamesh down, but Jeanne was too close, forcing him to bring out a lower ranking Noble phantasm.
He took the shot, hoping that this can be brought to a swift end, sadly things rarely go that smoothly. Gilgamesh has started taking the fight just a bit more seriously, having to tap into his Clairvoyance to keep track of the blades of the Reality marble. It also confirmed his suspicions that the other Faker was trying to catch him off guard.
Dozens of portals opened up and brought out various shields to block Shirou's attack. This routine kept going on for a while longer, Gilgamesh and Jeanne crossing blades, one having the greater skill and weaponry, while the other had the advantage of speed and strength. All the while Shirou kept firing projections either at Gilgamesh directly or to counter the Gates of Babylon.
It was obvious by now that a new strategy was needed, so Shirou decided to drop the long range support and join Jeanne's side. With Kanshou and Bakuya now in his hands, he joined the clash.
What advantage Gilgamesh held was now gone. Shirou had inherited the skills of Archer, which meant Gilgamesh was now facing an opponent with countless years of experience and one that was both stronger and faster than him. Stronger treasures were being called upon, the portals opened at a growing pace.
If he wanted to survive this, he had to start taking it seriously. Yet, despite the fact that he deep down knew this, he refused to do so. He was the King! As if he would actually take a mere pair of Fakers seriously! "You're getting real quiet over there, your majesty, are you having trouble with something?" and this damned woman just kept refusing to shut her mouth and be quiet. His frustration turned his response into a mere grunt of annoyance, rather than actual words that would more properly voice his displeasure with the situation.
He attempted to give himself breathing room time and time again- sending barrages of explosive weapons at his opponents to force them to back off. But it gave him no more than a few seconds of breathing room before the Fakers were upon him again.
In the end, even his pride and ego had a limit, and soon he was forced to admit this fight required him to put in proper effort. "ENOUGH!" his voice rang out, as portals opened up in a far greater amount than before. The spot Shirou and Jeanne occupied was shredded by several treasures. Their saving grace being their quick reactions, Jeanne managed to grab Shirou and get them both out of the way, jumping far into the air.
Gilgamesh spotted them quickly despite all the dust that covered his vision, unleashing even more treasures upon them. Unable to dodge or deflect such an onslaught in mid air, Shirou decided to block, "RHO AIAS!" The seven petaled shield was brought into existence and took on the onslaught with little difficulty.
He did not like it, but Gilgamesh knew he had to end this in one strike. Simply using a higher quantity and quality of weapons would not make the cut. As such, a portal brought out his greatest weapon, rivaled in importance only by the chains of his long gone friend. Ea released from the Gates of Babylon, ready to vanquish these Fakers and this damned reality marble for good.
"You have my praise Fakers, be proud that you get to perish by the greatest treasure in my posse-" He was however cut off, as Jeanne launched Shirou towards Gilgamesh so he could reach him before Ea was activated.
Just as the King's hand clasped the hilt of Ea, Shirou struck with all his might. While he couldn't dodge, Gilgamesh was able to move enough to make the hit non-lethal, but it still cost him his arm. He had to get away before Shirou could re-engage him. It was pointless however, as Jeanne had finally reached the ground and was making a beeline for him.
"You have won this time, I'll give you that much!" Gilgamesh recognised his defeat, as much as he loathed to admit it.
"OH WILL YOU SHUT UP ALREADY!"
Jeanne meanwhile has had enough of him, and decided it was time to end this for good. She points her sword at Gilgamesh and calls out her Noble Phantasm.
"LE GRONDEMENT DE LA HAINE"
An inferno bursts from Jeanne, racing towards Gilgamesh and engulfing him. Before the raging flames can end him, he is stabbed by the several stakes that rose from the ground.
In his last moments, Gilgamesh had only one thought running through his mind, 'Fakers really are an annoying bunch'. And so, the King was defeated by a pair of Fakers. Jeanne and Shirou were both left utterly exhausted, Shirou particularly so. Being thrown towards the ground while falling by a servant with A rank strength is not exactly healthy for the knees.
With the battle over, Unlimited Blade Works was no longer needed, and so they found themselves back in the ruins of the temple in a blink of an eye. "You alright there, Shirou?" Jeanne asked, seeing as Shirou looked ready to collapse. "Yeah, I'll be fine, we should get to Rin fast."
Jeanne nodded, sheathing her sword, she walked up to Shirou and picked him up into a bridal carry. "J-Jeanne!?" Shirou's face became red as a tomato.
"What? You are barely standing on your own and time is of the essence."
"I-I understand that, but still…."
"Hooh? Don't tell me you're embarrassed, Master. I'm just doing my duty as your servant, am I not?" A smirk bloomed on her face despite her own light blush. She inwardly reveled at the opportunity to tease him - not that it was difficult.
Shirou, knowing he was cornered, relented and mumbled to himself.
"Alright then, let's go!" Jeanne exclaimed, bursting into the forest to find Rin and bring this whole thing to an end… sadly she couldn't say she was looking forward to it.
/
/
"I really am an idiot." Rin said to herself while dropping Shinji down and then sitting down on the ground herself, utterly exhausted after dragging him out of the grail.
"You're lucky Sakura still cares for you." She knew he couldn't hear her, but she was too tired to care. She noticed the drain on her mana has subsided, that meant Shirou's reality marble was down, and since she can still feel their connection as well as Jeanne, she feels safe to assume Goldy was defeated.
'I guess all that's left is to destroy this damn thing… How were we exactly planning on doing that again?' Rin had just realized that in all their planning they forgot to think up of a way to destroy the grail, such a feat would require a powerful Noble Phantasm, while she had little doubt that Jeanne's Noble phantasm could kill just about anyone, she wasn't quite so sure about its destructive capabilities.
She had to figure out something quick or Fuyuki was done for, maybe even the world; the grail was looking far too unstable for her liking. Wait, Archer was still alive, she had almost forgotten but he assisted her in getting away from the grail when he cleared a path for her. Maybe he had something that could blow the grail to kingdom come?
The issue is where could she find him. She assumes he ran off to assist Shirou and Jeanne, and since he was no longer her servant, she couldn't call out to him with the mental link. This was bad, really bad.
"I was wondering how long it would take you to realize your plan was lacking a key component. You really are hopeless without me, Master."
Nevermind. Rin's worry and panic was quickly replaced by sheer anger as she saw her servant with that smug smirk plastered on his face. "YOU!" she pointed her finger at him as she approached him. "What is wrong with you!? Faking your death like that, only to show back up out of nowhere and then run off before I can even process the fact you're alive!"
"Oh? Were you maybe worried about me, Master? I didn't think you cared." Rin had wanted nothing more to either punch her former servant or to at least keep yelling at him, but the Grail was becoming more unstable by the second, stealing both of their attentions.
It at least allowed them to focus on the matter at hand. Rin wanted to say a lot right now, but they were short on time. "Archer, please tell me you have something in that marble of yours that can destroy that thing." She looked at him with a pleading look and saw…. Archer started to grin, it was the grin of someone who was about to get something they were waiting for a very long time. It was a bit scary if she was honest.
"Oh yeah, I got a little something that can do the job, my former servant had just the thing for the job." This confused Rin "Your servant? You're telling me Jeanne has something with that kind of firepower?"
Archer could only chuckle in response "No, I do not think she does, I had summoned someone else entirely in my grail war. She was a bit more proper than our little witch, very much so a glutton still, maybe even more so." He spoke of fond memories, of someone he remembered clearly even after everything he has been through.
Not even an eternity as a Counter Guardian will wash away the memory of that night. A girl in shining silver armor standing before a boy, illuminated only by the moonlight. But, this was not the time to reminisce of old memories, as fond as he was of them, there was work to be done.
"Master, I believe I will require some mana quickly if I am to destroy that thing on time, so let's skip the formalities." He said as he handed her a jagged dagger with a colorful blade, Rule Breaker. It would allow them to reestablish their contract quickly.
Rin smiled, "Alright, let's send this thing straight to hell, Archer." She pierced his chest by just a bit with the blade, feeling their contract established once more.
"I would also suggest saying your goodbyes right now, I cannot guarantee I will be in much of a state to chat after I do this." This got Rin worried a bit, just what did he plan to do.
"Just promise me, you will try your best from now on. I think we both know after all this that there is still plenty of that softie still left in you."
Somehow that did not irritate him as much as it would have just a few days ago, he really was getting soft. But still, he did not plan on disappointing her now of all times, so he smiled, looking more like his younger self than he did in god knows how long. "Alright, you have my word."
He looked towards the grail, ready to end this for good. "Do me a favor, Rin, keep an eye on the idiot, we both know what he's like. And I can't say how he will take the fact that she has to go." As he said that, he held his hand out, they already wasted enough time.
Rin frowned, she hated the fact Archer was right. With the grail gone, Jeanne and Archer will both vanish from this world… unless, she could try extending their contract. With both her and Shirou there, it wouldn't be too hard to maintain Jeanne's existence even without the grail's support. But for that she would need Jeanne here, and those two were still not here and the grail had to be destroyed immediately.
"You got it, I'll make sure that idiot never turns into a jerk like you. Now, Archer, by this command seal, I order you to not hold anything back! And by my second command seal, I order you to send that damned thing straight to hell!"
Archer grinned in response, he hopes his performance will make his Saber proud. "Understood, Master!"
"I am the bone of my sword."
He had to give it his all here, while he was capable of tracing and projecting just about any sword in existence, divine constructs would still fry his brain upon projection, and he will barely have enough of his mind left after the projection is done to swing the sword and end this farce.
The mud bubbled, almost like it could sense what was coming and was starting to panic, trying to find a way to secure its survival. A golden blade was starting to form in front of Archer, his hand grasped the hilt.
He could already feel his mind starting to slip, even thinking was a struggle, but his focus did not waver.
He had a job to do, to protect those he loves, to be a hero, and this time, he has the chance to do it properly. Before him stood a threat to humanity and he was the only one who could stop it, failing here was not even a possible outcome in his mind.
The golden Sword of Promised Victory had finally formed fully in front of him, and his mind was all but gone, he did not recognise the girl standing behind him, he did not know how he got here or even who he was.
But despite that, he still felt a sense of purpose deep inside him. Protect. Protect the girl behind him, protect the world, protect everyone. And in front of him, in his hand, he saw the path towards that goal. A sword that he recognised as the blade of a girl in shining armor from a memory that even now, withstood his mind breaking down and fueled his actions.
He started pouring mana into the blade, putting every last drop of it he had, and it shone bright. At that moment, the monstrosity before him lashed out, the mud overflowing, no longer contained by the lake, wishing to drown him and stop him, but in its weakened state, it would not do even so much as touch him or the girl that stood behind him, now carrying some boy on her shoulder.
The winds and light of the blade blew apart the mud like it was nothing, the mud not being able to do anything to them, just harmlessly flowed around them, into the depths of the forest.
Heroic Spirit EMIYA had no doubts in his mind, it was time to be a Hero.
"EX-"
/
/
Jeanne was approaching the lake with Shirou held safely in her hands. They were close, in mere moments they will probably be able to see the lake and the grail, she just hoped they would find Rin there, preferably alive.
Once they got close enough to actually see the lake, she saw something she did not expect at all. It was Archer. She supposes she shouldn't be surprised, she knew Shirou had a tendency to avoid death despite the odds.
However, that did not explain the blade he was holding, it shone with a brilliant and warm golden glow. It was a holy weapon, she could tell that much. She was not allowed to ponder for much longer however, as she saw the grail's mud burst outwards, trying to drown Archer.
But the sword held it at bay, the mud being pushed, not even being allowed to touch the servant in red. It did not however stop the mud from going around and going straight towards her and Shirou.
This was bad, she was still in mid air from her last leap, she had no way to get out of the mud's path. She could see the panic growing on Shirou's face as well. Knowing the bastard, he was probably only worried for her and not himself at that moment.
She did not see a way out of this situation other than to charge straight through. If anyone could take the grail's corruption head on, it was her. And that meant getting her idiot out of the way first.
Before he could even realize what she was doing, Jeanne had grabbed Shirou and thrown him into the air, hoping that he would manage to avoid the mud on his way down; her master was crafty when it counted.
And so, as her feet were about to touch the ground, the mud had also reached her and soon enough, completely consumed her. From the air, Shirou was unable to do anything, only being able to watch and scream his servant's name.
But it was quickly drowned out, as he heard Archer's voice.
"-CALIBUUUUUURR!"
And Shirou's world was engulfed by a blinding light.
/
/
-3 years later-
*Rrrrrrrrrriiiiiiiiinnnggggg*
Shirou woke to the distant sound of a ringing alarm clock. Confusion came first, he knew for a fact he did not have an alarm clock. He couldn't stand them. It was then that he remembered who it was that used one of those devilish devices. Rin.
And soon enough it was silenced by a gandr shot. The calamity known as Tohsaka Rin in the early morning continued its scourge to any and all that disturbed her dreary and not yet awake form.
He swore she wasted more money on alarm clocks and other things she breaks in the morning than she spends on her jewels. Well, he better get up and go make breakfast to hopefully placate the red devil in the other room.
As he was about to move out of bed something stopped him. That someone being a sleeping white haired beauty that is still asleep, or at least trying to sleep.
"Jeaanneee." Shirou drawled out, still half asleep himself. "Let go."
Jeanne's response being only to tighten her grip on the redhead. Making her wishes clear without any words. She wants to cuddle more, breakfast can wait.
Well, he might as well indulge her while he figures out a way out of his very comfortable prison. As he wraps his arms around her, he begins his negotiation. "You know how Rin is in the morning, making breakfast is in all our best interests."
Jeanne, still intent on using non-verbal communication, only moaned in response and nuzzled against Shirou, making it evident that Rin was of no concern to her. Her love for cuddling won over her fear of the red devil.
"And you are really okay with leaving Rin alone to make our breakfast while she is not even half awake?" This seemed to give the Dragon Witch pause. She weighed her options, and settled once more into the comfort of her bedmate.
"You can just make us something later." She speaks, which means he's getting through to her, food was the way to go it seems.
"Well, I could have some more freedom in the kitchen and make something to your preferred choice if I were to get to the kitchen before Rin did." Did this count as bribery? Well, more importantly, it was working. Jeanne had cracked one eye open to glare at Shirou.
While she hated being robbed of the comfort he provided, she knew that Shirou's insistence on a healthy and varied diet made chances of having complete freedom in the choice of meal a rarity.
"Pancakes, with plenty of syrup."
"Didn't we have pancakes yesterday?"
"And if you don't wanna get out of this bed we're gonna have it today as well."
Seeing how she was not going to budge on this, Shirou gave up. A bit more pancakes than usual never killed anyone. "Fine." Shirou was released from his comfy prison while Jeanne silently celebrated her small victory.
He got up, got dressed, and went off to make breakfast. Soon enough, breakfast was ready and the girls dragged themselves over to eat. It seemed that Jeanne had the right idea with the pancakes. They managed to placate Rin somewhat.
Although Shirou doubted that was her plan from the start. The way she consumed her food was clear evidence of what was her primary reason for the pancakes.
After breakfast Rin started preparing to leave, she was to meet El-Melloi II at the airport. He had a mission out of the country and wanted Rin and Luvia to join him as their expertise in jewel magecraft would be quite useful. Not to mention proper experience in practice beats sitting in a classroom for hours.
This gave Shirou and Jeanne a whole week all to themselves. As Rin finished with the final touches of packing, she went outside to greet her ride, much to her chagrin. As they were neighbors and had the same destination, Luvia offered Rin a ride. While she had little doubt it would be used to annoy Rin to the absolute limit, she still accepted. It's not like Luvia gave her much of a choice.
"Good morning, Miss Tohsaka. Glad to see you could make it on time." Luvia greeted upon Rin's arrival.
Rin did not miss the clear remark in Luvia's deceptively normal greeting. Still slightly groggy and far too tired to deal with this, Rin decided not to bother "Good morning, Luvia." She walked past the blonde and started packing her things into the limo.
The lack of a response gave Luvia pause for only a moment. "I see that not even an important mission like this can shake you out of your sleep. Are you sure you are up to the task? I would be glad to take over and you can stay home."
"Well I would feel bad if I didn't give you a chance to shine." Rin shot back as she finished packing her things in the trunk, causing Luvia to frown. She would have continued further, but it was then she noticed Shirou and Jeanne came outside to see them off.
"Oh hiii Sheerooouuuu~." She greeted with an energetic wave.
"Hello, Luvia-san. Hope you are doing well." Shirou greeted her back.
"I am doing quite fine, thank you for asking. Although I must admit a week without your services is most daunting, I assure you I shall manage, my dear Sherou." Jeanne's brow twitched at Luvia's boasting.
Thankfully, Rin decided to interject. "Luvia, would you get in the car already? Or are you actually trying to give a servant a reason to turn you to ash?" Luvia frowned, reminded of Jeanne and her…. "fiery" attitude.
Shirou laughed awkwardly, unsure how to defuse the situation. He honestly could not imagine what Lord El-Melloi II was thinking, inviting both Luvia and Rin onto the same mission. "I guess I'll see you two in a week then."
"Yeah, you two try to not break something while I'm gone. Well, beyond the bed at least." Rin remarked with a sly grin, not even when dealing with Luvia and her morning grogginess did she miss an opportunity to tease them.
Luvia laughed at Rin's comment, a rare moment of kinship between them. She and Rin proceeded to get in the car, leaving the driving to the chauffeur. Before they left Jeanne made sure to throw in her own remark. "If you two decide to finally kill each other do at least make sure to get it on camera for me, will ya?"
Rin chuckled, appreciating the uplifting joke, knowing she would need it if she were to tolerate Luvia for an entire week.
As they drove off Shirou waved them off while Jeanne decided to just lean onto him, silently looking forward to an entire week alone with her boyfriend.
With their friend seen off, they went back inside. They were alone and free to do whatever they wished for an entire week. The weather did not seem like it would be accommodating for any outdoor activities for this morning. That meant staying in the apartment.
To avoid the morning chill, they huddled up under a thick warm blanket on the couch and watched the TV. Finding a movie to occupy their attention until the weather cleared up.
They were content there, under a warm blanket, cuddled up together, chatting about anything that came to their minds. Whether it's about what they're going to do for the rest of the day, betting on how Rin's trip will go or even wondering how Sakura and Taiga are doing back in Fuyuki.
Soon enough, the weather started clearing up. If the weather forecast was to be trusted, it should be nice weather for the rest of the day. Once they got themselves out of their blanket they decided to go out.
Shirou put on a white shirt, blue jeans and a thick light brown jacket. Seeing how it was rather cold he threw in a scarf for good measure and tied it up neatly to fully cover his neck. Jeanne meanwhile put on a jet black turtleneck and black leggings beneath a gray knee length skirt.
She finished it off with a very dark blue coat and a red scarf she got from Sakura for Christmas 2 years ago.
Jeanne was by no means fond of celebrating the birth of the son of God, but she wasn't going to say no to presents and good fun. Especially once she discovered Shirou rather liked her in that revealing Santa outfit.
After leaving the apartment they went for a walk through the nearby park. After a while, Shirou started pondering. "Say, Jeanne, you want to go back to the apartment for lunch or should we eat out today?"
"Hmm, Rin did tell me about a new restaurant that was pretty good, not too far from here. We should make it just in time for lunch."
"Alright then, I think I know which one you're talking about."
Half an hour later, they found themselves seated inside the restaurant. It wasn't too big, but not small either, complete with a cozy atmosphere. The food was rather good, it made Shirou jealous a bit in fact. Mainly because he noticed that the reason the food had something he was trying to implement into his meals for a while now.
A personal touch. His meals were good but they lacked something that made them unique. Gilgamesh would probably make a comment about how even his cooking was that of a faker.
Soon enough, they finished their meal and left. The rest of their day was spent exploring. Walking around and seeing what London had to offer. They could only go on for so long and soon enough they found themselves in a bar.
Shirou was not much of a drinker, he dabbled here and there on occasion. Jeanne, on the other hand, found it rather fun to let loose. Before they knew it, the sky turned orange and soon enough started to darken.
Knowing how Jeanne could get if allowed free reign over her drinking, Shirou decided it was time to head home. As they walked back through the night, the weather forecast was proven wrong when the rain started and the wind picked up.
Thankfully after a short run they escaped the worst of it. They entered their apartment before the moon was fully covered by the clouds.
"Good thing we went home when we did, huh?" Shirou said as he hung up his jacket and took off his shoes.
"Mmmm, yea…" Jeanne responded with a slight slur, not quite sobered up yet. She took off her coat and shoes and put them in their place.
It was at that moment Shirou looked directly at her and saw her rather unique state. Hair still dry but shining from what little rain still caught her, cheeks rosy and eyes droopy from the alcohol, face illuminated by the moonlight that reached through the window. The sight was only enhanced in his eyes by the alcohol in his system and his love for the woman before him.
He was enraptured, he saw her every day for the last three years and she still took his breath away. Brought together by a war between legends, he still remembers the night she saved him in that shed. Even back then, when she still seemed like nothing more but a cruel monster, he found her beautiful. And as those 2 weeks went on her cruel mask was slowly chipped away, bit by bit.
Where most saw the Dragon Witch, wanting to burn the world, he saw a broken girl. One that he sympathized with, before he just wanted to get away from her, but now, he was ready to fight the world for her. Maybe that was what convinced Archer, believing that when it came down to it, Jeanne would be there to keep him straight.
His daze did not go unnoticed, Jeanne looked at his face, now sporting a blush of his own. Her slightly drunken state allowed her to fight off any embarrassment that might have come up from his stare as it usually would. And as such, she got up close to his face and asked him "Something you wish to say, Shirou?"
There were so many things he wanted to say to her, but with his brain short circuiting he decided actions would get the point across. He pressed her up against himself and kissed her passionately. She melted into it almost instantly. They stayed like that for a few moments before Jeanne separated them.
She then grabbed him by the scruff off his shirt and murmured to him "Bed, now." And Shirou then found himself being pulled over to their bedroom.
When they passed through the doorway their restraint broke and their lips locked once more. Rougher than the kiss just moments ago, but no less loving, their hands roamed one another's body. Clothes were soon starting to get shed. They fell atop the bed, Shirou on top, Jeanne below him. Her hair, grown out in the late years, now spread out across the bed.
The moon was by now completely covered by the clouds, leaving them in almost complete darkness. The only sounds filling the room besides the shuffling of their bodies being that of the rain and wind outside.
They were alone for a whole week, that was plenty of time for them to let everything out with no need to restrain themselves. It was going to be a fun week for them.
Author's Notes:
Welp, I'm back. Ya know the Lalter fic had some kind of logical progression. This one on the other hand just kinda landed in my head one day and then my brain just kinda rolled with it. Surprising amount of similarities between these 2. Had their rebirth in a fire, both are fakes, issues with their alternate selves, fucked up sense of self worth. Not much else to say, if you are hoping for a smut like last time with the Lalter fic... I might write it myself, not sure how that's gonna go. So just don't hold your breath or anything. And for anyone hoping for more Lalter, I go something cookin up for ya, might be a christmas thing, we shall see.
Anyways, hope you enjoyed, thanks for reading, leave any and all reviews and have a good one.