Chapter 41

Tomohisa sat alone in the living room, accompanied only by his own thoughts. His daughter was growing up. It was hard to accept at times but he would have to. For her sake, and eventually for Tatsuya's when his time came.

He didn't regret marrying Junko nor starting a family with her. He loved them with all his heart. But it wasn't easy, it never was, trying to keep it all together. To keep them all safe.

It was strange that he would be one staying up at night rather than his wife, but these were strange times indeed. So many years spent in the comforts of domestic life, he still wasn't used to the return of the Moonlit World that he had thought had escaped from.

Or perhaps there was no escape after all. Like a certain Archer in red and black would say.

Speaking of…

Tomohisa watched as Archer casually materialized in the living room. His back facing away and his form just inches away from the table itself.

Always one for dramatic entrances that one.

Tomohisa removed his glasses. He didn't actually need them, he wore them because his wife liked how they looked, and stared at Archer. Despite how stoic he tried to act; Tomohisa could tell that the man's talk with Yuma had gone badly. It was easy, considering how alike the two of them were.

It was because of that that they had a hard time getting along in the first place.

In the silence of the night, Tomohisa got up and walked to the kitchen. From a cabinet he took out a bottle of whiskey and two glasses that he filled with ice. He then brought all of that to the table so he could pour a pair of drinks.

"Never took you for a drinker," Archer finally commented, still facing away from Tomohisa

"It's my wife's," Tomohisa admitted as he poured the contents into two glasses. "But I did dabble a bit over the years thanks to her."

"She has good taste."

Tomihisa handed him a filled glass. "Never took you for a drinker."

"I'm not," Archer admitted as he turned around and took the glass. "But I knew people who were." The man took a tentative sip and shrugged lightly in acceptance. That was probably the closest to a thanks you'd ever get from him.

"Well, Junko's been trying to teach me about good liquor."

They drank in silence. The only sounds that night came from the ice in their respective glasses. They were comfortable like that, barely acknowledging each other's presence but still staying in that room anyway.

A long night. A quiet night. Not the worst one that Tomohisa ever had if he was being honest.

"How's Ren?" Tomohisa asked, some time later. "She seemed a bit off."

"Minor headaches apparently, Ereshkigal says some sleep will help," Archer replied.

"Hmm."

"How's your daughter?"

"Tense," Tomohisa admitted. He began to swirl the drink in his hand. "But she's prepared to go to Kamihama. As for me, I'll make sure Saotome gets a proper excuse so Madoka doesn't have to worry about school while she's away. She'll have a lot to catch up one once she gets back."

"Hmm." Archer tilted his glass and completely emptied it in a few good sips. He then set the glass down and wiped the condensation off his hand with the sleeve of his coat.

"You know, you've gotten your hands on something pretty good." Tomohisa began pouring Archer another drink. "Those two girls upstairs. You've done a good job raising them."

"I didn't do much of anything. I try to prepare, try to plan, but it never goes how I expect. I probably have no idea what I'm doing when it involves those two."

"They're still yours though."

"Not mine, at least soon enough." Archer looked down at the palm of his hand. "These hands will never hold anything, not for long at least. No matter how much I create, no matter how much I struggle, eventually it will just fall from my grasp."

Tomohisa poured himself another drink. "That's one way to think about it. Constantly reminding yourself of the inevitable departure that we'll all experience with each other. Nothing lasts forever." His drink refilled, he took a sip and looked at his reflection in the amber liquid. "But doesn't that mean you should just appreciate it while you can?"

Archer grunted. "Now you're starting to sound like Yuma. She said that once, a little while back."

"And?"

"Death for them is the end. For me it's just a return to my eternal contract. Those memories, that hope, it all dulls with time. And that's assuming I do remember them the next time I'm summoned."

In the end Archer was a Counter Guardian. His existence was different from other Heroic spirits and one whose duties would wear away even the greatest of heroes should they had ever been drafted by the Counter Force. It was a fate that Tomohisa wouldn't wish for everyone, one that was so precariously close for people like them to fall into.

"I have tried to enjoy myself, live in this world while I still can," Archer admitted. "But between the Witches, the Magius, and Oriko with her Servant, it feels like I just traded one war for another. The brief respite I had with Kyoko is gone and Yuma never had an opportunity to enjoy it in the first place."

Archer emptied the glass again and put it down for another drink. "We fight and we fight and we fight and there is no end in sight. Even if we do survive this, will we ever truly be at peace? Or will we just be thrust into another war soon enough? Maybe they would finally find peace if I went away."

There wasn't much that Tomohisa could say. Archer wasn't wrong. So instead, he did what he could do. Fill up his glass and drink with him well into the night.

A hammer smashing down on an anvil. Steel against the steel, a firework of sparks with each strike.

Clang. Clang. Clang.

The anvil dented and Yuma's Magical Circuit activated. Lines of bright green light appeared on her arms as she lifted the pipe. She took a deep breath as she took her first swing.

Not too much, not too little. Just enough to pick up her weapon without breaking her muscles and body with the strain. It was a little painful at first, but she was used to the pain.

One swing. Two swings. Three swings.

It would probably be weird if people saw her swinging a pipe on the Kaname's front yard, but thankfully Archer used a spell to stop people from seeing. The only people that could witness her self induced training were those who she wanted to see. It would force her to improve herself even more to know that the people she cared about were watching.

After the thirtieth swing she slowly lowered the pipe and undid her Reinforcement. Thirty swings, then a break to cool down her circuit and give her muscles a rest.

That wasn't enough, especially if she was going to start using a hammer again. She needed to be able to do more. Familiars would always outnumber her, Witches would tower over her, Magical Girls would be faster and stronger, and Servants… they were just something else altogether. If she was going to keep up with all of those threats, then she needed to get stronger. Fast.

"How's your Circuit?" Archer asked from the front porch. "It expanded recently due to the work you put it through, so it might be uncomfortable using it."

"I'm fine," Yuma replied as she clumsily stuffed the pipe into the small hip pouch that Kyoko had given her. She still wasn't sure exactly how that spell worked, but it definitely made carrying a weapon around much easier. "Are we going soon?"

"Later. Ren woke up with a headache. They're dealing with that first."

More time for training then.

Yuma quickly went to the ground and began doing sit ups. She hadn't skipped her physical training ever since Sayaka suggested it when they had met. She needed to be strong, to make up for the little Magical Energy that she had.

In the end though one Magical Circuit wasn't going to be enough no matter how big she made it. She needed to get some more or at least find some way to make up for it.

"Hard at work, aren't you?" Archer commented.

"Have to be stronger," Yuma replied.

"Have you ever thought about fighting and living for something else, apart from Kyoko and I?"

"Nope," Yuma looked Archer straight in the eye each time she pulled herself up. "You're not changing my mind."

"You're a stubborn fool."

"I know."

"We should leave you here for your own good."

"Then I'll go after you."

Archer sighed and shook his head. "When did you get so defiant?"

"From living with you and Kyoko."

"Cheeky brat."

"Love you too, Archer."

"Or maybe you just imprinted on the first two people that even showed you a modicum of affection. The Kaname's are a loving family, much more whole than Kyoko and I ever will be. Why don't you be with them and know what it's like to have a proper family?"

"Kyoko is lazy and hardworking," Yuma replied as she put the towel around her shoulders and looked at Archer. "If she doesn't care about it then she ignores it but if she does then she'll work her hardest. You act mean and think the worst of others, yet you still try to help them. When you say something that hurts them or makes them want to cry, you're only doing it because they need to hear it. I know that and I still want to be with you two."

Yuma had no delusions about Archer and Kyoko. Sometimes it was hard to say that they were good people at all. But she didn't want to be with good people. She just wanted people that accepted her for who she was. Like they had.

Archer shook his head. "We should've raised you better. Maybe then you'd have higher expectations for people."

"Maybe. But I'm fine with what you've done for me so far."

"Hmph." Archer held out his hand and created a Warhammer that he then tossed to Yuma. "Catch."

With her Reinforcement Yuma was able to capture it, though the weight of it did push her back slightly. Once she caught her balance, she took her time to look at the weapon closely.

This hammer had a much smaller shaft than the one she used before. The black wood shaft was cool and smooth to touch, but it was still really easy to hold onto. The top though was really weird. One side of the bright silver metal was a flat head while the other side was a big and really long spike that curved down a bit.

"Horseman's Pick," Archer informed her. "Mostly used by cavalry during the Middle Ages in Europe and the Middle East. The spike makes it a more versatile weapon that allows you to grapple with a target's armor, weapon, or shield while also being capable of piercing through weaker defenses. The blunt end is, as usual, for when you just need to smash something hard."

It was a bit heavy and hard to hold without Reinforcement, but Yuma still made sure to swing and rotate the weapon in her grasp so she could examine all of it.

"Unfortunately, I don't have the time to personally craft you a weapon like I did for Kyoko, so you'll have to use one of my copies. It's still a reliable weapon though and better than that construction hammer you swung around in our old house, especially with the adjustments I made. The handle is a bit longer so that you'd have more reach to compensate for your small frame and the head's a bit heavier so you can land some stronger hits with Reinforcement."

Yuma admired her new weapon in the light of the sun for a brief moment before putting it into her satchel and walking up to Archer.

"What do you-" he was interrupted by Yuma wrapping his arms around him and giving him a hug. The top of her head barely reached his chest, yet she still tried to grab his waist with all her might.

Archer was warm. His heart beat in his chest. No matter what he liked to say about himself, he was a person. And he had someone here that cared about him.

She felt a hand gently rub her head.

"Glad you like it then," Archer said.

Yuma looked up and beamed. "I love it. Thank you."

"You know most girls wouldn't be very excited about being gifted dangerous Medieval weaponry."

"I still love it."

"We'll have to have you practice with it in Kamihama. It might be a weapon of strength but it's not something you can swing around wildly like you did before. Not knowing what you're doing, or worst of all being predictable, will lead to your death on the battlefield. You'll have to learn a bit of finesse."

"I will," Yuma nodded. "As long as you and Kyoko teach me."

Archer smirked. "Fine."

"Lines. The Black Lines," Ren moaned as she kept her eyes shut and buried herself in her blankets. They were everywhere now. On every person. On everything she saw. And looking at all of that, seeing all of them at once. It brought a constant agony to Ren's head. Like something was constantly pounding and bouncing around the inside of her skull. It was only by keeping her eyes closed, could she get some measure of relief.

"Black Lines…" Ren suddenly felt Ereshkigal grab her by the shoulders. "When did you start seeing them?"

"A few weeks ago… after we started… exorcising spirits."

"I knew you were close to death," the Goddess muttered. "But I didn't think you could connect with the Root since it's weak in this world. One second I'll be right back."

"Take… your time," Ren groaned as she buried herself under her blanket. Waking up to see black everywhere was not fun. She just wanted to go back to sleep and ignore all of it. Unfortunately, she only had a few moments of peace before she heard the familiar footsteps of the Goddess again. She then moaned as the blanket was taken off her face.

"Hold still," the Goddess said as she carefully cupped Ren's face and put something on top of her eyes. "Alright try opening your eyes now."

"Don't want to… it hurts."

"Trust me."

Ren slowly inched her eyes open, only for them to open wide when she realized that the black lines were no longer there. She carefully put a hand on the glasses that had been placed on her face. "How?"

The relief she felt was immediate now that her vision was cleared of those lines. Her head still hurt a little from the previous exertion, but now she could actually think.

"Robin Hood had a spare pair. It took a bit of my blessing and some Alteration from Archer, but we were able to get these to work for you. As long as you have these on then your mind will be allowed to rest."

"Thank you…"

Ereshkigal crossed her arms, her expression becoming stern. "So when exactly were you going to tell me about those black lines?"

Oh yea… she never told Ereshkigal about that. "I didn't want you… to worry."

"Of course I'm going to worry if a precious branch of mine keeps these things to herself. If you want to give me peace then let me know about these things earlier."

Ren bowed her head. "I'm sorry." She didn't want to keep secrets. It was just that even now, she struggled to drag the words out when it came to certain topics.

Ereshkigal uncrossed her arms and patted her shoulder. "Try not to do that again. Humans like you are so fragile yet you always try to act so tough. As for your eyes, I might have to share some of that blame."

"What happened to them?" Ren asked. It was about time she learned, no matter how much she feared what they might be.

"A circuit has opened up in the brain and your eyes that allows you to see the concept of death itself in objects and people. It's called the Mystic Eyes of Death Perception," Ereshkigal lectured.

"Mystic Eyes… of Death Perception?" Ren asked.

"Those black lines you see are visual signals called the Lines of Death. They represent the eventual fated destruction of an object or person."

"Fated… destruction?"

"Death is inevitable. It does not matter if it's an object, Servant, or ghost, so long as it is living in the sense that they can interfere with the current world, then their existence can and will be destroyed. These lines are present on all those who can die. To trace them, cut them where they're drawn, realizes a part of that fated destruction."

Ren paused. "If I cut them… people will die?"

"Cutting a line will cut the victim along that same line. It doesn't matter what you use or how sharp it is. So long as it cuts, then a strike along a line ignores any armor, magical protection, regeneration, and any other defenses they might have. Once you target that part then that part of its existence will be erased. Needless to say, a cut along a line will lead to a devastating, unmendable, and permanent wound, if it doesn't outright kill the victim."

Ren looked down at her hands. She could never have imagined that she could do such terrible things to people, if she wanted to. "I'm… scared."

"It's fine," The Goddess reassured her. "It's a lot to take in. Just keep those glasses on whenever you're awake. The human mind isn't meant to perceive death in that way, especially with non-living objects. The headache is from the strain of that."

"I'm not scared about… my health… I'm scared about what I could do."

"You should be… death is sacred, and I've become quite fond of life recently. A power like that, to take a person or thing before their time comes, it's not something that should ever be used lightly. Additionally, each time you choose to use it will bring you even closer to death and allow you to see more. Not just the lines but also eventually the Points of an object's existence. Even those glasses have limits on what they can obscure depending on how much you develop your eyes."

"It can get even worse then," Ren realized.

Ereshkigal nodded. "It can. If you abuse it… but I trust in your discretion. You'll know when you have to use it."

"You want me to-" Ren looked at her Servant, her eyes widening at the implication.

"There might come a time in which you might not have a choice. In order to protect the life that you hold dear, sometimes you must take the life of another. You understand the terrible price of that… now you need to find the resolve to accept it when it is needed."

"I… I don't think…"

Putting the dead and Witches down was one thing. It was merely helping them to pass on or at the very least end their tortured existence in this world. But to use this power to kill the living, people that fought for their own survival and what they believed in...

With a gentle grip, Ren made sure that the glasses were secured to her face. That power to erase someone's existence. She didn't want to use it. She wouldn't.

Before she had thought she had conquered her fear of death, had resolved to live while accepting that moment when her time would come. Now though, she didn't want to be reminded of the death present in everything else that she saw. In everything that she held dear.

Madoka opened her backpack and checked one last time that she had packed everything she needed.

Her quiver stocked to the brim with arrows?

Check.

Cell Phone charger, portable adapters, and other such electronics?

Check.

Food, water, snacks?

Check.

Money and a credit card for emergencies?

Check.

That Beretta M9 Homura had accidently left in her room that Madoka had been planning to give back?

Check. And definitely not going to be touched until she got Homura back.

Madoka held out her hand and summoned her bow.

Bow primed, strung, and ready to use?

Check.

Everything she needed for her trip to Kamihama.

Madoka took a deep breath.

Everyone that she cared about seemed to know everything now. Even Hitomi, who had gone back home last night with a promise to see her off at the train station. It was strange yet relieving that they were all ready to support her. That they were all so worried about her.

"Seems you're well prepared."

"Hi Mama," Madoka greeted as her mother entered the room and closed the door behind her. It was almost natural to show these things to her mother, to be able to speak freely to her again. It made her regret ever keeping secrets from them in the first place.

"When did you get so organized?" Mama teased.

"Mami taught me." Meticulous preparation was a necessary requirement when being a protégé of Mami. That and acrobatic flair. Madoka was still getting practice on the latter.

Mama took a seat on her bed. "She taught you well then."

Madoka took a seat next to her. "She did. And Sayaka and Homura. We are all working together to protect the people here… I'm sorry I didn't tell you."

"Considering what was happening to you, I can understand. Just try to talk to us in the future. You can always rely on your father and I."

Madoka nodded. "I will."

"Also, I know that you're going to help your friends and you're probably going to want to help other people that are in trouble. There's nothing wrong with that, but please try to come back to us."

"I will."

Mama reached over and enveloped her in a hug. "My baby girl's all grown up now. Soon enough you'll be leaving the house."

"It's still going to be a few years before I move out… but I'll happily share a drink with you once I'm old enough."

"You will," Mama let go and patted her on the shoulders. "And it'll be the best drink you ever have."

Kyoko sighed as she lay on the floor, an open bag of chips on one side, and a can of soda on the other. There was nothing else to do but to snack and wait for their eventual departure to Kamihama.

She was hungry. More so than usual nowadays, which had worried Archer initially. They both agreed it was just stress though. Hard not to be stressed with everything that had happened.

It didn't seem to end there though. Apart from eating there wasn't much that really interested her, even the games on her phone just bored her now. She didn't feel much of anything now. All she wanted was to lie on that floor and stay there. Which was weird because she wasn't even getting much sleep recently either.

That's all you're good for.

She sat up, crammed the rest of the chips and soda into her mouth, and forced herself to move. That voice. It was all that voice's fault. And that's all it was, a dumb voice in her head. There was no way that she would ever become a Witch, there was no way that thing would ever take control. All she had to do was keep ignoring it. Wait for it to go away completely and she'd be back to her old self.

Kyoko wiped her hands on her pants before taking out her phone and using it to check the joint bank account that she and Archer shared.

Thanks to Archer heading to the ruins of their old home, once he was certain that Oriko and her cronies had left, they were able to make an insurance claim on the place. It came out to a very tidy sum of money due to the sheer size of the property and all the other touch ups they added to it over the last few years.

So yea, money wasn't going to be an issue anytime soon. School on the other hand…

Kyoko looked at her old school uniform which had been left discarded on the bed. It was still torn and ripped from that fight with Oriko and her Servant. If you could call it much of a fight in the first place.

Oh well, not like she was going to use it anyway.

School was going to have to be postponed for the time being. Didn't exactly have the time to go back there and explain to the faculty how she had gone unharmed jumping off a three-story window. Probably hadn't been the best idea to do that in front of so many witnesses, but she had been in a hurry. The news articles of their home and the rumors surrounding her supernatural flight from school didn't help things either.

Besides with everything that had happened she didn't think she could handle sitting in classes all day. Not when there was still work to be done.

She leaned back and began to stretch. Maybe a quick warm up would get her wanting to move again.

Yuma would also have to take a sabbatical from school. No way was Kyoko and Archer were ever going to let her out of their sights now. The girl was just about as much of a threat to herself as the Incubator was. There was no telling what crazy thing she might do for their sake if they looked away for a single second. And honestly… Kyoko was glad that she was coming with them. Of course, she was deathly afraid of what could happen to her, but at this point she couldn't imagine being anywhere without her.

Much like how she couldn't have imagined a world without Momo back then either.

Let me out. You can't protect her.

Kyoko ripped open a loaf of melon bread and stuffed it into her mouth. It dealt with that dreadful gnawing in her gut. At least until she finished it and had to grab another one to satisfy her stomach.

As Kyoko ate, she glanced out the window and happened to see Yuma and Archer hugging in the front yard.

That was nice. It meant that they'd be fine together. Even without her around. All she had to do was to make sure they both got out of this Kamihama alive.

She began to rub the Command Seals on her hand.

No, that they'd all get out alive. Then they'd return to their old life. Yuma would become a Magus. Archer would continue on with his vacation in this world. And Kyoko… she… What did want to do with her life?

Kyoko immediately grabbed her packed belongings, slammed the door of the guest room open, and made her way downstairs.

Screw it. Thinking about things sucked. Best to just do things and not think.

"Everyone else isn't ready yet," Tomohisa commented as Kyoko marched past the living room and set down her luggage next to the front door.

"I know," Kyoko replied. "You got something for me to do? No point waiting around and doing nothing while they get ready."

Tomohisa gestured with his head toward a small pile of potatoes. "Mind helping me peel them?"

Kyoko went to the kitchen, grabbed a potato, and quickly went to work. This was probably the closest she'd ever come to cooking in the kitchen. Archer never let her anywhere near one, not since the great bonfire incident of 2010.

Apparently, it hadn't been a good idea to light up a gas stove with a Magic induced fireball. Good to know.

"Try not to eat all of them," Tomohisa teased.

"Even I won't eat a raw potato," Kyoko growled. Probably. What did a raw potato taste like?

It didn't take her long to get into a groove once she started peeling the potatoes. Doing it properly just took a bit of finesse, something that she could pull off if she needed to.

"How long have you lived with Archer?" Tomohisa asked.

"Didn't Archer tell you?" Kyoko closely examined the potato in her hand. Yep, perfect. She tossed it in an empty basket and started another.

"I'd like to hear it from you."

"…" Kyoko cut off a few black parts on a potato. "Three years now."

Three years since he had stuck by her, raised her, and took in Yuma. Theirs was no longer a relationship just limited to Master and Servant, yet Kyoko couldn't imagine a life now without him as his Servant. Even if he probably did deserve better at this point.

"What was it like?" Tomohisa asked.

"He gave everything. Food, a home…" A reason to live after she had lost everything. "A name."

"Kyoko Emiya. That's a good name," Tomohisa commented.

Kyoko nodded. It really was, despite everything that name carried with it. She'd rather bear it all though then be the person she had been back then. The person that had everything she had ever cared for burned in a fire.

"Though Sakura wasn't bad either."

Kyoko paused and turned to glare at the man. "What do you know?"

"We define our names. Who we are and what it makes us. I am Tomohisa, loving husband and father, but I'm also Robin Hood, a legend who once devoted his entire being to helping the helpless. Though I've changed… I do not deny who or what I was in the past or the present."

"Kyoko Sakura was an idiot."

"And her choices made you who you are. Even if it causes you pain, I don't think you should ever try to forget or deny who you are. Doing that and ignoring history puts you at risk of making the same mistakes again."

Kyoko simply remained silent and quickly worked to get the rest of the potatoes done. Thankfully the man was content to let her work in silence so it wasn't long until she pushed the filled basket aside, announced that she had finished, and made her way out of the kitchen.

Might as well take a nap or something if there was nothing else left to do while everyone else was taking their sweet time preparing.

"Thank you. For helping Madoka," Tomohisa said just as Kyoko had started climbing the stairs. She paused and turned to him. "And for being her friend."

"… She's a good person and she knows what she wants," Kyoko replied before leaving the room. It wasn't until she was out of earshot did she finally whisper the last part of her sentence. "Unlike me."