A/N: Hope you're all having a good snow day~!
Consider this massive chapter a little presents, of sorts. More to come soon!
You should probably read this Author's Note, else you'll miss out on some vital information. Disclaimer: I own NOTHING related to BlazingAzureCrow, TFS, or other media. They're a massive inspiration!
Again:
I!
OWN!
NOTHING~!
No quotes, no references, no fourth-wall breaks, NO-TH-ING!
Now, onto your questions from far and wide!
Fair warning, the first two are...
...well...see for yourself.
Q: You r shit. Your writing is shit. Your fans shit. Why you love writing this cringy character so much?
A: Putting your...unique grammar aside, I don't love Naruto and he's far from my favorite. Would you believe that title actually falls to Fate and One Piece? It used to be Bleach, I even wrote it all the time, but well...after that disaster of a finale I'm not touching that series with a ten foot pole unless...certain circumstances are invoked.
Nor do I write cringe.
Yes, some of my stories are crack and meant to be silly. Others are outright bloody parodies. But even those have a cohesive foundation. I'll be the first to admit I'm not the best writer on this site. Far from it!
That crown belongs to others far greater than my humble self.
If you don't like a story my friend, then by all means move on. I can't force you to read my works. Nor will I give out your penname and allow others to attack you. Insult me all you like. I don't mind. I've been called far worse to my face in my day. But DO NOT attack innocent folks looking for a decent read. People come to this site to escape reality, to get away from the madness of this world and find a bit of solace. Since you seem so intent on taking that away, I've got one last thing to say to you, ye who shall-not-be named...
Have a nice day~!
Q: This story covers way too fucking much. Are you a pansy or something, or just afraid to kill people anymore? I wanna see Servants die already. I want blood! Gore! Chaos! Nobody cares what the Masters think. Certainly not that bitch-tsundere Rin.
A: Oi, really? I don't know what to say to that. I'm not going to have Naruto run roughshod over the entire cast! Its important to understand their motivations, how they tick, why they work the way that they do. Without that, their just words on paper. And I do not simply write words. I write characters. Arcs. Stories. For someone to tell me to cut down on the detail...well...at least Dark Shadow Raven was nice about his views and listed valid points in his critique, but you...meh. Can't please 'em all, I suppose.
Q: Did you fix the issue we discussed? Reality Marbles...people can't have multiple of those, can they?
A: Yes, I've been meaning to address that. Naruto doesn't have multiple Reality Marbles. Pretty sure that's not possible. My bad~!
Q: SABER FIGHT WHEN?!
A: Saber soon!
Q: Is...Is Archer dead?
A: No, but he's currently airborne and Lancer is laughing his ass off because of it. Naruto literally threw a solid clone at him. Also, Naruto can't simply absorb Servants. That'd be murderously OP.
Q: Oh god. The shadow. We getting some Heavens Feel shit up in here? AND Unlimited Blade Works? You madman!
A: Ah, flattery will get you everywhere~!
Q: Zouken needs to die. Now. If he has his way a lot of people are going to suffer soon. ESPECIALLY with Shinji's death.
If he's already summoned Assassin that means shit's about to hit the fan, no?
A: Ah, but THIS Assassin is a stubborn one and just the sort to dig his heels in against the old man. Now if it were Hassan from the movie, shit would've gone south real quick by now. As it stands, if "Assassin" gets his way...the events of Heavens Feel may well be TAME by comparison. He means well of course, but you know what they say: "The road to hell is paved with good intentions."
Of course, now that Rider's solicited Naruto's aid, he's starting to become aware of who and what Zouken truly is, if not just who Assassin may be...
Q: Naruto's gonna meet Gilgamesh, isn't he?
A: As of the opening scene here, Naruto is AWARE that Kirei's packing a Servant, but he doesn't know who he is. Only that he wants to keep Rin and Illya far, FAR away from him.
Q: Whoa, whoa, whoa! Naruto just killed in cold blood! What's up with that?!
A: He wants his wish. Are you seriously mourning Shinji? He's all but stated he won't kill Masters unless they're rotten sacks of shit. Shinji falls in this category. Zouken and Kirei? Definitely. Don't expect him to start mowing innocents down. That won't happen.
Q: I'm surprised we haven't heard anything from Sakura.
A: You're about to. And you might hate me for it, because now that she's in command of Rider again, Zouken will become more active.
Q: Naruto playing matchmaker? God help us all...
A: *cackles*
Q: Why haven't we seen much of Shirou in this story?
A: You'll see him in this chapter. One, he doesn't have all that much to provide to Saber. As she's in her Alter form, its even more intensive. Remember, he hasn't bumped into Rin yet, ergo, no secondary source of prana to help him along. She's still powerful enough for a good fight or two before her natural reserves are depleted, so Servants beware. Furthermore, unlike her more noble counterpart, she's more than willing to devour souls if it means surviving.
As it stands Shirou and Naruto are going to...have a disagreement, to say the least.
Q: Don't do Lancer dirty. That's all I ask.
A: Fear not, thanks to Naruto's unintentional interference, Kirei won't be getting his grimy hands on Bazett or her Command Spells. Now that the Grail's spinning up and becoming more active, he's actually going to play a pivotal role in the battles to come.
Q: Can we get a hint of what's to come in this chapter?
A: Ehhhhhh, why not? This quote encapsulates it:
"Stab me again, Saber. I'M NOT DEAD YET!"
Q: So. Extra Servants courtesy of a pissed off grail. Nice. So when do we get to see them? Later?
A: Oh ho! But one of them shows up now!
Q: Okay, this is going to sound odd and I know it has no place here on a Fate fic, but frankly, I'm too lazy to login so I'm posting this anonymously. You SAID you're taking requests and you SAID if you updated all your Dragon Age stuff within a month you'd speak some Orlesian for us. Well, you have and Lets hear it! FYI you can delete this once you're done.
A: Well, in for a penny, in for a pound, I guess. A man must keep his promises.
*ahem*
Ah do not know zees countray of which you speeeeek, for it eees filled with filthee dogs and mud! Like that?
Q: Your "A Most Unlikely" stories are all connected, aren't they?
A: Everything is connected, yes. A Most Unlikely Rider gave hints as to that, and so does this story. In short, its leading to a massive crossover story, but one that won't be published until I've put the finishing touches on the rest of my works.
Thankfully my co-writer is helping me with that, wonderful girl that she is.
Q: So...where is Bazette?
A: She's in this chapter, and I've been forced to take some liberties with her, given we don't exactly see where she and Lancer hole in the canon route.
Now then away we go!
"I won't go down easily, missy!"
"Fool. A Caster cannot defeat a Saber."
"Funny, they also said I couldn't beat a goddess."
"Hmmph. You claim to have slain divinity? Such artifice."
"Nope. I cannot tell a lie. Compared to Kaguya? You're just a little girl swinging a sword."
...I'm going to take my time breaking you now, Caster. I hope you realize that. You've only yourself to blame."
"Oh ho! Did I make milady angry? Too bad! You tried to kill my Master. Now, c'mere, Saber. You're gonna work for this kill."
~Caster and Saber.
In Darkest Night
...I can't believe you just did that, Caster."
"Did what?" came the gormless reply. "No idea what you're talking about."
A muscle jumped in Rin's jaw. "Really? You're going to play dumb now, after all this?"
"Why, Rin!" Naruto clutched at his chest, feigning pain. "I have no recollection of such an event."
She wanted to kick him. She really, really, truly wanted to kick Naruto right now, and it was only prior experience that stopped her.
Thus, for what felt like perhaps the umpteenth time that night, Rin Tohsaka dashed a palm against her aching forehead. Were all Servants this exasperating? No? Just hers? Surely not. She couldn't possibly be the only one suffering here, right? Perhaps if she convinced herself of that she'd be in less danger of dashing her foot against Naruto's shin.
"Please tell me you killed that Archer, at least." she pleaded.
"Dunno~!" Naruto sing-songed back at her.
Rin tripped over her own two feet and shot her Servant the fiercest glower she could muster. "What?!"
"I said I don't know." broad shoulders rolled in a careless shrug as they continued their trek uphill. "Archers tend to be squirrely at the best of times and I lost track of him after my clone exploded in his face. If he survived that, great. I get to pay him back later. If the fall kills him-unlikely as it seems-then I say even better. One less enemy to worry about."
Realizing he'd gotten a pit ahead of her, the staff-wielder paused and favored her with a sunny smile.
"Well, don't just stand there." he chastised, "We have an appointment to keep."
Shaking her head, she hastened after him.
"Jeez! You're ridiculous sometimes!"
"Sorry, can't hear youuuuu~!"
"Aaargh!"
On some level she knew she'd never truly understand his motivations; it served as a poignant reminder of just how little she knew him. Outside of combat he seemed quite content to play the fool where his friends were concerned. If you were his ally he'd go to hell and back for you. But if you were his enemy...spirits help you. She'd seen him beat back Berserker and while he hadn't emerged unscathed from their battle, he'd proven just where the realm of his talents lay. If he ever decided she wasn't a worthy Master, if he tried to betray her...well. She swore not to give him a reason.
Finally, they reached their destination.
The church itself was an admittedly humble establishment, an isolated abode standing alone atop the hill. A faint light stood guard against the gloom, a lone sentinel in the dark. It should've been a place of peace. Instead, it felt oppressive. Stifling. A false shepherd eager to usher unwitting lambs to the slaughter. Four walls pressed in from every side, the building constructed in such a way as to make one feel very small. When she was little she'd always hated being here; always feared the ceiling would come crashing down on her head and bury her alive.
...rather ironic, considering just who lived here.
In all honesty, Rin almost expected another attack even as she stepped within.
Aqua orbs flitted about, warily regarding every corner, expecting every shadow to spring at her.
After all, Archer and Rider had already seen fit to accost them. Who was to say Lancer or Saber wouldn't do the same? Perhaps Assassin was lurking somewhere in the shadows, waiting to strike? No no no, she needed to stop being so overly paranoid; if she didn't, this War truly would be death of her.
At her side, Naruto sniffed sullenly.
"Smells like hypocrisy in here."
Rin elbowed him and entered first, her footsteps echoing hollowly against empty pews.
A single, solitary figure awaited them within and as they approached, turned to meet them. Framed by waning moonlight, he still cut an imposing figure in the gloom, albeit an infuriating one.
To say that Rin disliked Kirei would've been an understatement. There was just something...wrong about this man. She'd never gotten along with him in the first place. Nor had she forgiven him. After all, he didn't protect Father in the last war. Then there was that insufferable smarm of his, that indefatigable sense of being mocked whenever she spoke to him. As though he knew something she didn't, some great secret from which he derived endless amusement.
How little she knew.
"Ah, Rin." could a voice be oily? It was the only word she could associate with the priest's words. "How good to see you again."
Another muscle jumped in her jaw. "Shut up, idiot priest. I'm here to register my Servant for the war."
Again with that faint, mocking smile. "Yes, I can see that-
Abruptly, that deceptively blank expression shattered like brittle glass and his composure turned stone-tense. Those eerie dead eyes widened to an almost grotesque size, and it took Rin a moment to realize just what was rattling the war. The priest wasn't looking at her but rather, past her. Toward...Caster? Why would he be focused on Caster?
To her dismay Naruto wore a similar expression.
He even tilted his head, frowning.
"Have we...met?"
Kotomine frowned when the word "yes" nearly leaped to his lips. "I...no." a hand rose, pinching the brow of his nose. "It must be my imagination."
Was it?
There was something shamelessly disturbing about this young man; yet a feeling that seemed almost...familiar, to Kotomine Kirei. As though they'd met before; or perhaps known each other in another life. Another path. Another route. No. Impossible. Wholly, utterly absurd. Kirei was certain he'd never laid eyes on this person in his life, nor were his memories suppressed or erased in any way. He would know if they were. Executors-even a former one such as himself-had ways of guarding against such fell magics.
Yet there it was!
Try as he might to deny it he felt a connection between the two of them, the faintest sense of nostalgia tainting the air, pervading his every thought. He could see this Caster; see him for what he truly was. His name, his motives, his wishes, even his heart's desire worn on his very sleeve. He suspected the same might well bode true for the young man. Such a fool, holding out for the Grail to fix his mistakes, when it could only bring cold, cruel death...
Ah, but Rin was glaring at him and he had a mask to maintain.
"Right," suddenly the Servant known to him as Caster-as Uzumaki Naruto, a dark voice hissed in the back of his head-clicked his tongue in mild irritation. "We're going."
"Hey, wait!"
Rin jolted, perhaps realizing she'd just missed something. Poor girl. She was so easy to lead on. Kirei almost pitied her.
Almost.
Caster scarcely slowed, pausing just long enough to turn his head and incline hid head in Kirei's direction.
It was, by all means, a respectful gesture, not one smacking of their shared dislike of one another.
Oddly enough, this set Kirei on edge and further fostered his strange animosity toward the whiskered warrior. He wanted to break this man, to take that overwhelming determination that shone like the sun and drown it in blackened mud. Anyone-who was not Gilgamesh-capable of provoking such a reaction in him with scarcely three words was someone to be watched. Rin seemed fond of him. The former was enough to be sly but the latter gave him an excuse to indulge in his most savored of pastimes.
Kotomine chuckled darkly.
"Its sad, isn't it?"
Naruto bristled.
"What is?"
"That you'll never have what you desire."
A blazing red eye reappeared over his shoulder.
...oi. You wanna run that by me again, shitty priest?"
Kire's smile grew imperceptibly. "I meant nothing by it, of course...
Caster stiffened, but willed himself to relax. "Fine, then take back what you just-
Like a vulture, Kirei saw the opportunity and swooped in. "I merely said that your own foolishness will get you killed."
An awful silence answered him, punctuated by Rin's startled oath. Odd. He'd expected an answer from Caster not this sad, sullen silen-
A staff clanged against the side of his head, shattered half the church, and knocked his senses into oblivion.
Even as Kirei struggled to right himself a clenched fist slammed into the side of his jaw, sending him reeling to the floor like a drunkard at last call. Surprise dulled his movements. For all his goading, he hadn't expected Caster to actually attack him outright; that he had done so willingly actually came as something of a shock to Kotomine. Thankfully, even in his inebriated, state his body still managed to move of its own accord. In the time that it took the blond to reach down and seize him by the collar, a black key slid from his sleeve to slam into where Caster's spiritual core ought to be.
He missed.
Rather than stab the whiskered warrior high in the heart as intended, the thin blade took him low in the stomach instead; to which the young man merely grunted and headbutted him. Hard. Something cracked in Kirei's skull, his thoughts turning syrupy and sluggish despite his best efforts to muster them. Ah. So this was where he died, then. Unexpected. Eyes rolling, vision swimming, he could scarcely move. Where was Gilgamesh? No, that was a pointless question; trying to find-or control!-the King of Heroes was akin to steering a hurricane, it simply couldn't be done and ohdearthatoneratherhurt...
From afar, he thought he heard Rin's voice. "Naruto, no!"
Caster was of a different mind.
"Naruto, yes!"
He needed to kill this man. Every fiber of his being told him to do it, here and now. If he left him alive now, only misfortune would come of it. While not evil in the traditional sense of the word, this was a man who clearly delighted in the suffering of others. Yet something stayed his hand. Perhaps it was pity. Perhaps it was concern for Rin. Perhaps he simply wasn't sure what to make of this strangely familiar-and now bloodied-face before him. They'd never met-in this reality-yet, again, he found himself hesitating. As if a ghostly palm had laid itself on his arm, so too did he lower it.
In the end and against better judgement, he opted for the lesser of two evils, painful thought it was.
It was certainly within the realm of his current abilities after all. And it put him out of reach.
"I won't kill you." he decided at last. "That might cause problems for Rin. However...
Grinning, he hefted his staff. Its many rings offered a soft, sinister jingle.
...tell me, if you could take a trip, where would you like to go?"
Dazed, the priest offered a slow, baffled blink. "What-
"Alright! Mountains it is, then! Have fun!"
With a silent "snap", Kirei vanished into thin air.
To the naked eye he simply ceased to exist altogether; only one familiar with the breadth of his skills-one such as Rin-would've realized nothing was further from the truth. Rather than eradicate the meddling priest as had been his first intention, he'd simply deposited him somewhere far, far away.
It would take him hours-if not an outright day-to make his way back here.
Who was to say what could happen then?
Naruto snorted into the ensuing silence, the sound echoing hollowly in the now-emptied church. Only then did he finally remember his wound. After a long, ponderous moment he reached down and ripped the black key from his stomach. Mercifully the blade hadn't penetrated all that far; he could already feel his body mending the damage even as the thin steel fled from his flesh. He could also feel Rin glaring bloody red daggers at his back. Hmm. Should probably answer her.
Still, his blood was up and he wasn't certain he trusted himself to speak at the moment.
Reluctantly, he settled for a spiteful spit. "Hmmph! Serves him right!"
Rin groaned.
...that does it. We're going back to Illya's mansion."
"Great! Just give me a second and I can teleport us there-
"No!" She seized Caster by the jacket and shook him mightily. "Absolutely not!"
"Hey!" came the immediate rejoinder. "Its not like I pulled a Lancer and went flying off the handle!"
Rin shook him as much as she dared without physically exerting herself overmuch. "We are WALKING! Do you hear me?!"
(...0o0o0...)
Lancer laughed.
Nay, to call this laughter would've been a disservice of the highest order. A great whooping cackle erupted from the back of Cú Chulainn's throat and shook his limber body from head to toe; the force of his mirth such that it nearly knocked him from his vantage point atop the skyscraper and sent him tumbling down to the bustling streets below. With a supreme effort of will the Servant of the spear righted himself, wiped a mirthful tear from the corner of his eye, and favored the fading remnants of the explosion with a savage grin.
"I fucking love this war."
From here, his keens eyes had held a prime vantage of the chaos that had occurred only moments ago. Even now he savored it, turning the red bastard's fate over and over in his mind like some treasured gem. The sight of Archer scrambling back, a shrieking clone of Caster flung headlong into him, the fiery blast that followed; tossing the former into the city. Naturally, this meant one of two things. Either Caster possessed prodigious arm strength-very likely given the fight his "copy" had put up-or he was nearby. Regardless, the trajectory of that throw made it all too easy to track him down...but should he?
And now the blond bastard had gone and blown up half a church. An explosion like that was hard to miss, least of all when it lit up the night.
Yet did that make it worth abandoning his Master just to track him down?
Firm fingers curled restlessly about his weapon for a moment.
This war wasn't like the others; not only were Servants coming out of the woodwork left and right, but the Grail itself was in flux. For one who cared for little beyond battle, Lancer wouldn't have given the matter much thought. That had been before the damned thing started spitting out new Servants. At one point he'd even sensed another Lancer! That shit shouldn'ta been possible!
Eventually, Lancer made his decision.
"Bah! Damn me for a fool."
A single bound carried him forward to a lower elevation; blue clad feet scarcely alighting upon the smooth surface of another building before bounding away again. Wind howled in his ears but he paid it no mind, instead he gloried in the brief joy of flight before landing once more. Three such leaps carried him out of the city proper entirely, and one more brought him back to the one he served.
As ever she was waiting for him near the damn townhouse of hers.
After all, who would dare delve into gang territory just to wheedle out an enemy Master? None that he knew. No, any self-respecting magus worth their salt wouldn't tread here without taking serious precautions. Probably wouldn't want to dirty their shoes. Ha! The thought almost made him sneer. Magi might be powerful, but in his experience they were often utterly, wholly naive.
Little disappointing, that.
Alighting upon a ruined fence, the blue knight hopped down and made his way to their base.
"Oi, Bazette. Did you hear that just now? Seems like Caster's at it again."
"See what?"
His Master in question scarcely looked up at his approach; her gaze appeared focused on some distant point. At first she didn't speak; perhaps expecting the other shoe to drop at any moment. When Lancer didn't indulge her she huffed and shot him a withering glare.
Despite himself, Lancer smiled.
"Eh, bastard blew up another building. Nothing terribly important."
"Again?" Bazette slapped her forehead. "This war is getting to be more trouble than its worth...
As though waiting for that very moment Lancer uttered an explosive body-wracking sneeze.
"Aw, what the hell? Who's talking about me behind my back again?!"
"I don't know about your back...though its wide open. As usual."
Wheeling on the voice he brought his spear to bear...
...and just as swiftly lowered it.
The expressionless visage that stared back was known to him immediately; as was the danger lurking within. Though half their face remained masked he recognized those startling red eyes, that stern visage framed by a dark curtain of bloody violet hair. For a fleeting instant-despite his instincts screaming at him-his concentration wavered. Crimson eyes bulged.
"Oh, fuck me." he whispered. "What the actual hell is this?"
The newcomer smiled pertly right back at him. "Is that an invitation?"
Then the blunt end of a very familiar spear blurred and sent him snarling into the city proper.
(...0o0o0...)
"I'm never going to church again."
Rin palmed her face.
"Caster."
"No, really. Never again." Naruto rambled on, heedless of the disparaging look he earned in the process. "That priest gave me the heebie-jeebies! Strangest thing though, I get the feeling I know him. Weird." at her baffled look he offered a small shrug. "I know I've never met him before; just as he's never met me. Yet the memory's still there."
Was he immune to spells? Would he feel it if she shot him?
...probably not worth the risk in the end, that.
"You almost killed him!" she hissed!
"Ah, but I didn't!" he sang back.
...I hate you."
"Lova you tooooo!"
Their trek back to the Einzbern mansion had proven mercifully quiet thus far; none had dared to accost them. Even the wildlife itself had gone eerily silent. Almost as if it were afraid of being heard. Now that was a mite bit worrying, but there was nothing she could do about it. At any rate, she could see the little sprite's home in the distance now, peer at the roof poking through the trees. Perhaps Illya would have some answers once they returned. Perhaps not. Perhaps this was all a bad dream, one she'd wake from any minute now...ha! She should be so lucky!
"I mean, I wanted to gut the bastard," her Servant admitted baldly, peeling back a branch for her to duck under, "He just rubbed me the wrong way for some reason. With luck, he won't even remember any of this. I did rattle his brain a bit...
"We have no luck."
"Then we make our own." he growled.
Rin flinched. "Naruto...you're scaring me."
His head snapped up and Rin caught a flash of crimson.
"Funny you should mention that. I'm downright terrified myself-
Whatever else he might've said vanished in a low roar of dread fire among the trees. Could light be black? At first, Rin didn't realize what was transpiring; one moment the way had been clear for them; she'd stepped over an upturned root to avoid falling face first on the forested path leading to the mansion. Wouldn't do to make a fool of herself and fall flat on her face, after all-
"MOVE!"
Then the air boiled and Caster seized her by the scruff of the neck, flinging her backwards as though she weighed no more than a child. Her head struck a rock, her body bounced against the ground in harsh succession as she tumbled away, once, twice, thrice, and the world shattered behind her eyes as she struggled to come to terms with what had just transpired.
Steel struck steel, the mournful wail of a corrupted light clashing against a thin metal rod.
Naturally, her first instinct was to cry out...
...until she saw the maiden in black-rather, her corrupted blade-occupying the space she'd just vacated. Their attacker was...well, to call someone armed and armored short sounded like an insult and insults were beneath Rin Tohsaka. Nevertheless, something in her quailed when she looked upon the enemy Servant.
Death.
Those wicked golden eyes were locked on her; despite the distance, despite Naruto's body blocking her, despite everything else...she'd nearly died. If her Servant had been a hair slower, a little bit off the mark, that would be her blood decorating the ground, rather than his.
"Its rude to attack without giving your name, you know." if she hadn't known him so well, she might've missed the tension in Caster's voice.
The bleak figure turned then, grim golden eyes regarding the whiskered warrior blankly.
...it matters not." her voice was sharper than any blade. "I am destruction."
Rin wanted to whimper. In truth, she nearly did.
"Oh, you have got to be kidding me...!"
Here was a pure being corrupted by forces beyond her control; a proud warrior dragged down to the level of a mere brute. Though that black veil hid her eyes from view, the fact nevertheless remained. Bloodlust radiated from her in waves, threatening to silence them outright. This, then, could only be Saber. Who else would wield such a sword, least of all force Caster to a knee? Because her Servant had been forced back, fists clenched white knuckled around the weapon. Somehow, her heart wept at the sight. What was he thinking, facing a Saber in close combat?!
In the end, Caster recovered first.
Rather than try to fight the blade biting into his staff the blond abruptly dropped back, allowing the corroded sword to sweep harmlessly overhead and shorten his coat by half-an-inch. In the same movement he kicked out and scythed the girl's armored legs out from under her, bringing his arm up to crash a Rasengan into her armored stomach...
"Naive!" the newcomer snarled at him.
...only to nearly lose his head to that towering blade once more.
With a startled hiss he brought his staff around to bat the sword aside.
Riposting sharply, the blond spun away and, much to her consternation, tilted his head.
"Hello, destruction. I'm Naruto." Pearly white teeth flashed out at her in a rueful grin. "Nice ta meetcha~!"
For all her severity, a crack etched itself in the woman's stony facade, a faint fracture breaking through those eyes of flint.
Then that black blade swung back, forward, and all the world-and Caster alongside it-vanished in a writhing sea of black light. "Have at you!"
A/N: Heh, this was a blast to write.
The battle next chapter? Ohhhhhhhh that's going to be even more fun.
Now if I could just shake this illness...
Really sick and tired of being...well, sick and tired. Pain is a near constant companion these days for one reason or another and its driving me MAD. Be it pain from my scars or from my teeth or other stuff, it can prove downright distracting. ESPECIALLY when I'm writing. So I do apologize for that. Hope you liked the chapter!
So in the Immortal Words of Atlas...
...Review, Would You Kindly?
And enjoy the good ol' potential previews!
They're rough atm, so don't think too much of them!
Please bear in mind that they're just POTENTIAL outcomes.
Nothing's solid yet, so as always there's plenty of room for change. No flak please~!
(Previews)
Protect.
This word thundered through the mind of Heracles as he gazed down at the golden one. Everything that he was, everything that he would ever be, screamed at him. This one would kill her. Rip out his Master's heart without so much as a second thought. Yet to fight him meant death. He could not protect her if he perished.
Protect Illya.
That handsome face curled into a derisive sneer.
"Begone, mongrel-
A flicker of light heralded the wounded Caster's arrival and the snarling vortex of light clutched in his hand. Dropping down on him from on high, he swung his arm back, the keening of a thousand storms howling between his clenched fingers.
"You first~!"
Then he slammed it headlong into the King of Heroes.
"You dare strike your king?!
"Fuck off, goldie!"
"I gave you everything!"
It was all her fault.
"I think that's enough, don't you, old man?"
"You'll have to use a Command Spell."
Remarkably, the ancient magus relented.
...hrmph." the old man grunted. "Resist all you like. It makes no difference."
"Th-Thank you."
Assassin smiled softly.
"Don't worry about it, Sakura."
R&R~!
=D