Disclaimer: I own nothing in this Fanfiction.
Chapter XVII: Unforeseen Consequences
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Dawn was upon Ryuudouji temple. It was a new day, but there was a stillness in the air. An eerie silence filled the place, only to be interrupted by the loud screaming of an old man. Zouken fell onto his knees, gasping for air. Beads of sweat formed over his wrinkled face as he stared at the wooden flooring with a grimace on his face. The pain of a thousand deaths by burning was engraved into his consciousness.
He punched the floor with his creased fist once and twice, gritting his teeth as best he could to endure the pain.
"Curse you!
Curse you. Curse you. Curse you. Curse you. Curse you. Curse you. Curse you. Curse you. Curse you!"
He repeated again and again for what seemed to be an eternity.
"CURSE YOU EMIYA!"
It was unbearable hatred, rage, and extreme spite. The grin of the redhead couldn't have made him any more wrathful. He thought he had grown accustomed to pain, but this was on a wholly different level.
Was that the boy's idea for revenge? If so, then he surpassed any limits Zouken had drawn for him. And it wasn't just the pain. No, all of his worm familiars were actually mystic codes he gathered during his lifetime. To think that Emiya would trample over such valuables and set the entire residence on fire.
It truly, wholeheartedly, infuriated Zouken.
Coughing sounds, then blood and centipedes sprayed on the ground.
"I suppose I've grown soft lately…"
He said while revealing a twisted smile, "Sending Assassin out, only for him to be put down by some unknown Servant, and now my workshop is gone…"
The centipedes crawled towards the other end of the room to join the rest of their kin. To feast on the fresh meat they've been given. The monks of the temple made for fine meals.
"I'm done being soft. Time to teach those youngsters to respect their elders."
He had decided. It was time to reveal what Zolgen Makiri was all about…
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"..."
It was that night, right before everything went wrong. He just had the most passionate time of his life with the woman (vampire) he loved. Then they made a promise to go fight Michael Roa Valdimjong together the next day. Under the sheets, his body felt as light as a paper, not hindered by the anemic feeling anymore. It was as if being in her general vicinity caused him to forget he was sick and badly beaten due to the latest debacles they've been having with the Undead.
Her warm body next to him on the bed, the smell of her golden hair, and the sensation of her skin on his…
This… right here… was heaven.
"Looks like you're having a good time."
That voice again…
One could never really get used to hearing someone speak to them in their own mind using their own voice.
So this is another dream then… I sure hope everyone's doing okay back in real life…
"Hey. I'm very much real too."
Don't be an idiot. You're just a voice inside my head. Probably just a replacement for the old Shiki who died. My subconscious must've developed some sort of secondary personality as a coping mechanism.
"..."
Why so quiet? Don't tell me you actually thought you were real?
"No, I'm just dumbstruck by how stupid I used to be."
… Excuse me?
"What? Don't tell me you actually thought you were strong enough to handle Chaos that easily without my help."
I did feel stronger. But that's only because I was facing him… Right? That's what Sensei said, because I was the one who killed him, his Servant form is made weaker to me.
"Think about what you just said. It makes him weaker to you. It doesn't magically make you stronger. So how come you were able to jump around like gravity doesn't exist?"
…
"I guess you did still remember how to use the Nanaya techniques, so you were able to boost your strength and speed significantly. But that wasn't enough to make you jump that high or throw him so far up."
Then you're saying you somehow granted me strength? What are you implying exactly?
"Let's keep it clear and simple. Remember when you tried summoning a Servant, but the Grail cut off the Ritual at the last second?"
Yeah?
"Well, let's just say that you did summon a Servant. Just not in the traditional sense."
What? I'm not following. How could I have summoned a Servant?
"Sigh… Me. I'm the Servant you summoned."
… Oh… But… I only hear you in my dreams?
"That's complicated. But basically, I was summoned into your body directly. Before I knew it, we were merged together."
Merged together… You mean that I'm now some sort of Half-Servant?
"Demi-Servant is the term. But yes."
Wow… That's kinda worrying… But how come I'm still in control of my own body?
"Cause I don't want to take control of your body. It's a pain in the ass to handle day-to-day interactions while pretending to be you."
Ah… Well that was rude…
"Just the truth buddy. Now, try and guess my class."
Hm… We've seen Saber, Lancer, Archer, Caster, Rider and Berserker… Which only leaves…
"Assassin. That's right. Our Class is Assassin."
Makes sense, I guess… Though why couldn't I hear your voice before?
"Asking the right questions are we?"
I'm trying here, okay?
"Hahaha… Well, since you asked nicely. As a Demi-Servant, we only counted as half an Assassin, so we couldn't draw upon all the power to keep me anchored to reality from the Grail. Until some idiot was lucky enough to summon the other half of Assassin."
You mean to say that there is another Demi-Servant running around?
"Perhaps. Or used to anyways. The fact that I'm able to draw upon the full power of the Assassin dedicated Magical Energy from the Grail only means that the other half of Assassin died or was separated from their host."
And that's why you were able to address me earlier and supply me with extra strength?
"Yeah. With this much energy, I'd normally be able to manifest myself as a full Servant, but…"
But what…?
"..."
Hello?
"Let's just say that the World won't allow me to anymore."
The World won't allow you? But why?
"Too complicated to explain. All that you should know right now is that I'm stuck within you. So, be a good Assassin and don't let anyone know what you really are."
… Not even Sensei or Tohsaka?
"It's unnecessary to tell your Sensei, and especially not Tohsaka."
Why not?
"Sigh. Think about it. Six Servants are required to die in order for the Grail to appear. If you tell them, that puts you in direct danger because we're inseparable."
… Six Servants must die…?
"Oh yeah. You didn't know that?"
That means that… If I wanted to win… Caster, Archer and Lancer all have to…
"... Sorry buddy. It's just the way things are. That's why I asked you earlier…"
… What if I needed to trample over other people's dreams to achieve my own…
"How far are you planning to go to save her?"
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The black knight awaited her Master to emerge from the bowels of the Matou residence with great anticipation. The unconscious Sakura was dressed in a mana-woven dress out of pity from Saber who held her, before Rider revealed herself again.
The moment her eyes laid upon Sakura, she rushed towards Saber. Only to be stopped by the feeling of cold steel against her neck.
"Not a step further, Rider." Artoria stated without hesitation, "My Master ordered me to tell you to wait for him before any further actions are taken."
The saint swallowed her worry away, composing herself in front of the dark holy sword. She stole a glance at Sakura, then sighed in relief after noting her wellbeing.
"Very well. I shall wait for your Master to return." Said Rider with an indifferent expression, "Have you come across that old man inside?"
Saber only shook her head, as before she could respond, a massive explosion threw both of them off-guard. The two Servants dashed away swiftly and instinctively, avoiding the falling debris and chunks of burnt wood.
Once a safe distance away, the two were able to get a good look at what just happened. Rider was wide-eyed, while Saber just grinned again.
The Matou mansion was aflame. No, more accurately, it was erased from existence. For a brief second, a view of a golden colosseum-like theater replaced the L-shaped residence. Then the explosion soaked the entire area in blazes and fire, removing the very foundations of the house from reality. The once old and rundown mansion was now nothing more than a bare and empty chunk of land and burning rubble.
"What in God's name…" Rider exclaimed her shock. It was justified, considering the scenery. She turned towards Saber, "Your Master did this…?"
And just as she asked, Shirou just waltzed out from between the pillars of rising smoke with one hand over his nose and mouth, and the other holding the burning Aestus Estus. Despite the absurdity of what he just did, he seemed completely passive and indifferent in terms of expression. He shot a glance at Saber, then at Rider.
"Rider. I'm taking your Master back to my house. We'll take good care of her and make sure to treat her condition."
The redhead stated matter-of-factly, dismissing the burning sword into particles as he used his free hand to wipe some ash from his shoulder.
The saint was at a loss for words, she just stared at him blankly while he gave Saber a nod and assured her that he was perfectly fine.
"But why would you do such a thing?"
Martha asked, sensing some trickery was afoot, "You most definitely have just invoked the wrath of the old mage and stole his granddaughter, but why?"
Saber's armor made rustling noises as she turned to face Rider as Shirou walked up to her. His expression was still passive and indifferent, with no hint of worry about it.
"Sakura is my Kouhai in school." He stated, his lips curving up into a small smile, "And if it means that I get to stick it to that old worm, then I'm prepared to do anything. That's why I'm going to propose an alliance between our forces."
…
Rider was stunned. Not only did he just make an absurd comment about him caring for Sakura because she was his 'Kouhai', but he made an actual offer of joining forces against Zouken.
Who would've thought that the guy responsible for razing an entire neighborhood to the ground had a soft spot for Sakura.
"Rider. Consider your next words carefully."
Added Saber with a malicious grin on her face, "Master just extended a very generous offer to you."
Being reminded that Saber was still holding her unconscious Master, Rider opened her mouth to speak, but was interrupted by the sound of loud sirens incoming.
The trio looked towards the direction of the noise. It looked like the firefighters and police finally arrived at what remained of the burning mansion.
"Let's get out of here for now."
Suggested Rider, "We'll discuss this further when Master wakes up."
There were no objections from Saber and her Master, and so, they started making their way back to the Emiya Mansion.
On the way, Rider couldn't take her eyes off Shirou. Something just wasn't right with this guy. No matter how hard she tried to get a read on him, she would fail. Sometimes he would speak like any teen his age, sometimes his whole demeanor would change, especially while discussing Zouken or the Holy Grail war.
At the base of Ryuudouji temple, they stopped abruptly. A very unusual sight greeted them. A blonde man, clad in golden armor was coughing out blood on the side of the road.
"... Archer?"
Saber couldn't believe her own eyes before throwing Sakura at Rider and taking a position with her sword out, "What does this mean, how are you still in this world?!"
Rider who caught Sakura was confused beyond words, but from how Saber turned hostile at the first glance. She assumed he was bad news.
The blond king wiped his mouth with his gauntlet before turning his focus towards the trio…
"..."
He didn't say a word. Gilgamesh was in a very bad mood. The previous encounter with the homunculi still hindered him, his treasury was still jammed and the only weapon he could call upon was too good for a bunch of mongrels like these. It was an interesting thing that the cursed version of Saber still had memories of the previous war, but this wasn't his Saber. He had no intentions of going easy on her or breaking her to 'make her his'.
"Answer me, Archer!"
Saber demanded as she tightened her grip around Excalibur's handle. His brow twitched in annoyance as he measured them up, noting the presence of the unconscious Sakura, the silent faker and his otherworldly aura.
Gilgamesh stood upright and extended a hand forward, a golden portal appeared over his hand, causing Saber to tense up.
A stone tablet appeared from the portal. It floated next to him as he continued eying them with his red eyes. An unreadable expression on his face.
"Leave."
In an instant, Shirou, Saber and Rider holding the unconscious Sakura found themselves facing the outer gate to the Emiya mansion.
"Wha–!?" Exclaimed Saber as she and Rider looked around to take in their surroundings, "What just happened!?"
"We were teleported…" Explained Shirou with an annoyed face, "That guy seemed dangerous, yet he was wounded and unfit for a fight."
Rider just stared in disbelief, "So he just… teleported us away?"
The idea was absurd. Could he have teleported them anywhere he wanted it? Could he have killed them if he wished so? Who was that guy?
…
The sound of a door opening came from behind the outer gate. Then the unmistakable voice of Illya yawning, "What's this commotion so early in the morning?"
And then she slid open the outer gate. It took her a few moments to register the presence of Rider and Sakura alongside Saber and Shirou before drawing a deep breath.
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"... Kuwahara Hitoshi, our news reporter, had been reported to be missing alongside his family earlier this morning. With the sudden increase in disappearances and inexplicable strange occurrences, Fuyuki city is going through some dark times…"
The monotonous tone of the news reporter ringed in his ears as he woke up. The ceiling of his room in the Tohsaka mansion came into view. Shiki slowly sat himself up on the bed.
"... Now we move on to show our live footage from the campus of Homurahara Academy…"
The TV screen started showing footage of a crowd of students holding up signs in protest at the entrance to the academy. A brown haired girl approached the camera and was handed a microphone.
"... We're standing here today in protest! We want to know what is really going on in our city. We can't be expected to just go on with our daily lives and focus on our studies when some of our friends and families are missing or were found dead. We demand an explanation! I, Ayako Mitsuzuri, will not—"
Dramatically, the TV made a sound as it was turned off. Lancer, who was sitting cross-legged on a chair nearby, cleared her throat to make her presence known.
"It appears the church can only do so much in terms of covering up…"
The queen of shadows commented, placing the remote controller on the cupboard. Something was off about her though, her body was like a ghost, almost fully transparent.
"How are you feeling? I'm surprised you recovered so fast after having practically killed Berserker alone."
The presence of the Servant was somewhat soothing. Even in her peculiar state, he felt relieved. Her being here meant that they had accomplished their goal and everyone was safe.
"I'm okay, thanks for—"
And before he could elaborate any further, Caster materialized on the other side of his bed, her left arm, which was injured before, wasn't fully materialized. It was almost transparent, just like Lancer's body.
"Master… Are you sure you're okay? Please don't overwork yourself."
Clear concern for his well-being was displayed by the Duchess, and it was shared by the Master. The moment his gaze landed on her arm, it stuck.
"I'm fine, honest." Shiki assured with a sheepish smile before his face turned into a clearly concerned expression, "Thanks to you Caster, I didn't sustain any major injuries… But… What about your arm?"
Anastasia smiled innocently, covering her arm under her cloak. "It's nothing to worry about. As a Servant, any damage done to my body will regenerate as long as my Spiritual Core is intact."
Shiki couldn't help but worry. He hid it however, not to make Caster or Lancer uncomfortable.
"I see… Thank goodness…"
The words of the Servant inside of him echoed within his mind.
How far are you willing to go to save her?
Shaking his head, Shiki tried standing up. Caster moved in to help him but he just dismissed her offer and stood on his own. True, his body was feeling much tougher, faster, responsive and durable. He was, just like the voice within his head said, a Demi-Servant.
Stretching, he looked at the seated Lancer and asked, "Where's Tohsaka, Bazett and Archer?"
He had to make sure everyone was safe before thinking about his next move. Only after he spoke that he remembered the gory image of Lancer being pinned to the wall in a crucified position. His eyes widened as he looked upon her form, he couldn't believe she survived that.
"Well, before you ask, yes. I am completely disabled right now, I can't fight other Servants effectively at my current state, but if I don't exert my body, I'll recover just as fast as Caster-san."
Lancer explained calmly. Standing up, she was surprisingly shorter than him, though not by much. Looking directly into his blue eyes behind the glasses he just put on, she gave a sigh, "As for Master, Tohsaka-san and Archer, they were summoned by the Overseer just less than twenty minutes ago. It seems that Saber and her Master broke the rules again and destroyed public property last night."
A raised eyebrow, "Huh? You mean he fought against someone again despite that Priest telling us blatantly not to fight amongst each other until Berserker is defeated?" That was rather weird considering three Servants were assaulting Berserker's base yesterday, that only left Saber, Rider and… Assassin…
Assassin, the other demi-Servant who just died yesterday… That would explain a lot of things…
Shiki looked at Scáthach with a hint of urgency on his face, "Were you told what exactly happened yesterday? I mean with that Shirou guy."
Lancer was somewhat confused at his tone, but she answered calmly, placing her left hand on her hip, "The Matou Mansion was razed to the ground yesterday. That's what Master was told on the call before she left."
Fixing her hair, the queen of shadows remembered something, "Tohsaka-san seemed to have taken a strong hit upon hearing about that. She seemed extremely worried."
"The Matou Mansion… Matou… Sakura Matou… That's the Master of Rider! That creepy white haired girl who was wearing a mask back during the meeting." He was sure there was something fishy about her, then he remembered something, "Thinking about it, I did see Tohsaka behaving strangely when she was around…"
"Yes. Correct, she didn't stop glancing at her throughout the meeting, and seemed as if she was shocked to see her there in the first place."
Caster joined in, holding her straw doll, "To be completely honest, when I first became Master's Servant, I didn't know how trustworthy Tohsaka-san was, so up until we met Bazett-san and Lancer-san, I kept a very watchful eye on her and Archer."
"I noticed it too."
Added Lancer with a nod, "her expression was that of worry. Perhaps she knew her before the war started."
Shiki took a moment to ponder the information he had.
"That's right… Before we went in, that Shirou guy was showing some unusual interest in Sakura. Despite the cold silence, he kept trying to get closer to her… then…"
"'That's not Sakura'… I remember him saying that after she had attacked him." Lancer finished Shiki's words for him with a sharp, pondering gaze on her face, "What a strange thing to say."
"The magecraft she used was very strange too. Even Viy's Mystic Eyes of Clairvoyance couldn't see through it." Caster nodded along as she spoke, caressing the doll, "That black tendril seemed as if it was made out of pure, condensed hatred."
"So a curse of sorts, how dangerous." Followed Lancer, placing a hand under her chin, "If Saber hadn't moved in to protect her Master, he would've been dead."
Shiki had no idea about curses, but he remembered something else, "Wait, Caster, Lancer… Remember the bridge? Didn't Archer say that Saber unleashed some Noble Phantasm on the bridge?"
Both Servants looked at him curiously and nodded.
"He did say that." Said Lancer confidently, "I also remember him saying that Saber and her Master were retreating back to the Emiya mansion after things calmed down on the bridge."
Too many variables, and the answer is only one. There wasn't really a point in speculating what could've happened while they could simply wait for Rin and Bazett to come back and fill them in.
Shiki took a look at Caster, then at Lancer. Those two were at their weakest right now, if they were to get attacked, he would be the one who has to protect them, not the other way around.
Leaving the mansion would be dangerous, especially with that Emiya guy not caring about the rules. The best course of action is to wait until Bazett and Rin come back, then formulate a plan to deal with Saber and Shirou. Once those two are out of the picture, Rider shouldn't cause them much trouble. And then…
And then he had to make his own move if he wanted to save Arcueid and get the Grail for himself.
Lancer looked at Caster, then at Shiki, she sighed and turned towards the door.
"I'm going to prepare some food for us. When you're ready, come down to the kitchen."
She stated calmly as walked away, "I'll be waiting."
The door closed and her footsteps disappeared down the stairs. Shiki and Anastasia were left alone in the room. The latter walked up to her Master and looked at him concernedly, "Master, I don't mean to be a bother. But are you sure you're okay? You seem in pain…"
Caught red-handed, Shiki only scratched his cheek sheepishly and smiled to hide his plight, "Ah… R–Really? I guess this Holy Grail War had its toll on me."
He couldn't tell her. A Servant cares for their Master because without them, they can't remain in this world or get their wish granted by the Grail, and vice versa for the Master, they only need Servants to fight off others and get their wish from the Grail. It's a somewhat symbiotic relationship, so if she knew that he didn't need her as a Servant, there was no telling what her reaction would be.
"I see. Then in that case, Master, since we're finally alone and not on a battlefield, I think it would be rude of me not to reveal my True Name to you."
…
Oh yeah, she didn't tell him her True Name yet.
"Oh that's fine, you don't have to really…"
He really wasn't a history person, and was worried that he might not recognize her.
"But I insist." Announced Caster with a soft smile, "It's a token of gratitude and trust, so please. Allow me to express my feelings by telling you my name."
How could he say no to that?
"Well…" Reluctantly, he gave in. "Alright. What is your True Name, Caster?"
The Servant beamed happily and bowed to her Master gently, "Servant Caster, Anastasia Nikolaevna Romanova, the fourth daughter of Imperial House Romanov of Russia and Czarina." Raising her doll to Shiki's eye level, she explained, "And this is Viy, an Elemental and my dearest friend."
There was a faint glow which came from the doll, as if it was Viy's way of saying hi.
"..."
Shiki was right. He had no idea who Anastasia was, and after everything she just told him. He didn't even know what to call her anymore. In his confused state, Anastasia giggled slightly before drawing Viy closer to her chest again, "Don't say things like that, Viy. It's rude!"
"W–Wha? What did he say?" Asked Shiki curiously and embarrassingly. Earning another soft giggle from Caster.
"He said that you owe him some thanks for making him come out during the battle yesterday."
Looking at the straw doll, the Master's eyebrow twitched.
"Hey now. It was already a close call as is. If you hadn't come out when Caster called you, who knows what would've happened?"
That made Anastasia, uncharacteristically, burst into laughter once she 'heard' Viy's response.
"Oh my, Viy!" She said as she lifted the doll to face herself, "Even if people don't say it, we're still very thankful! No need to get all pouty."
Shiki couldn't help but smile at her earnest reaction. Even then, he couldn't shake the burning feeling inside, knowing that he had to betray her at some point… It was torture.
"Master."
She called out in a calm tone. Caster was serious all of a sudden.
"Yes?"
He responded just as calmly, trying to swallow his worry away.
"Do you want to know my wish for the Grail if we win?" Anastasia caressed the doll in her hands as she spoke, "I already know you want to save Arcueid-san. I saw some of your memories while you slept."
He tensed up all of a sudden, "Ah… You did?" He was worried about what else she saw.
"Yes." A nod, then another smile, "It's a noble goal. Mine is quite selfish in comparison…"
Shiki slowly noticed that she was being very tense as well. He wasn't the only nervous person in the room.
"My wish is… For me and Viy to be able to stay in this world after the war is over…" She reluctantly said. A small blush appeared on her cheeks as her eyes wandered around the room nervously, "I… died very young… I didn't get to live and experience life for myself… So…"
"..."
Shiki kept a blank expression, despite the extreme mental torture he was enduring. This was too much, he had to deny this girl her wish to live a life she deserved in order to fulfill his own wish. It was insane.
"Ah… Master… Is my wish— Is is bad?"
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Author's Note:
Heya! Here's another chapter, just as promised! You guys are great, keep up the reviews and I'll keep the chapters coming. It really helps with motivation knowing there are people waiting for the next chapter to be done. Now to talk about Unforeseen Consequences, this chapter is where the Tsukihime part of this fic is really going to start being apparent. You'll know it when you see it. Zouken had enough, Illya is plotting something, Shirou is being extremely OOC xD, Rin and Bazett are not getting enough screen time... Oh yeah, it's going in the right direction alright. Anyways, thank you for reading, and I'll see you on the next one!
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Reviews corner!
RegulusCetus chapter 19 . Aug 28
Then I look forward to said chapters!
Author: Oh they're coming. They're really close.
WarCorgichapter 19 .Aug 29
Gilgamesh got put on his ass LOL I'm surprised you didn't have him immediately pull out EA to deal with Cursed Iri. Excited for the next chapters
Author: LOL yeah, to be perfectly honest, Gil without GOB is still really strong, he just didn't get enough time to recuperate and reconsider his strat. As for EA, he wouldn't. They're under Ryuudo temple. If he did, he might as well just throw his entire plan of releasing the curses upon the world in the trash bin.
Misaka Phenexchapter 16 .Aug 29
Want this to go to grand order.
Author: Maybe in a future sequel?
Dat-boi-waddup chapter 19 . Aug 31
HighLordAlarak chapter 18 . Aug 25
In general, the final is a bit... Predictable.
1) Shiro pretentiously overcomes the Phoenix and expels him from his head / they help him / no less pretentiously sacrifices himself in order not to release the Demon into the world.
2) Does not prevail, and we get a Singularity.
Dude the Author said he's a fan of Cyberpunk Edgerunners and Akame Ga Kill so the final would be close to 2 which is more tragic and bittersweet
Author: Oh calm your tits man. I have something in mind, but jumping to conclusions won't help you. Believe me, no one in this website can predict the ending accurately. That being said, thank you for reviewing and reading!