Chapter Twenty Eight

Bazett could have run her new Master the entire way home, she stopped not for her for her sake but for his. He was injured badly, and even if he was a magus he no doubt couldn't survive with that kind of wound for too long. Besides, she didn't actually know where he lived and it was broad daylight so someone would spot them eventually.

He panted and groaned as she gently set him onto a park bench, doing her best not to upset his injury. He didn't seem to realize how out of sorts he was, because although his face was pale he immediately tried to get back up. Bazett put a hand on his shoulder and forced him to stay down. With a thought she dismissed her far too revealing combat outfit and her suit returned. In one of her suit pockets was a small first aid kit.

He barely reacted as she pulled the sword free from his stomach. Good. Bazett would have been worried if her Master wasn't tough enough to handle pain like this. Remembering her training she had him hold down a cloth from her kit over the wound and apply pressure until she could finish wrapping gauze around his back to hold it in place. That would keep him alive until he could get proper medical attention.

"Thank you... Saber.." He said, between large panting breaths.

Bazett took a moment to analyze her new Master while he recovered from the shock of their fight. He was young, perhaps a first year university student, with startling red hair and finely honed muscles. He was a rather attractive, but it was the fire and determination in his eyes that she found so appealing. If anyone else had asked her to become their Servant after Kirei she would have said no. But she was jealous of that look in his eyes. Besides, she owed him more than that.

How he'd saved her she still didn't know. In none of their struggles had he put up much of a fight. She'd seen him first during her brief fight with Archer, when she'd been spared the necessity of killing him only by Archer's quick thinking. Back then she'd thought it inevitable that she would kill him later anyways. In their fight just now he'd proven that he had clearly improved remarkably, perhaps because of Archer's training. Or some aspect of her power. There was no way the two of them having the same weapons and fighting style was a coincidence.

Of course, a human couldn't fight a Servant. He'd been smart enough not to think he could overpower her. Instead he'd done something even better, set her free and then quickly claimed her as his own.

Yes, she'd made the right decision. Bazett knew she couldn't prevent the end of the world on her own. Perhaps with him and Archer by her side, she just might be able to pull it off. And then perhaps... the association would praise her...

He was looking at her oddly now. Bazett frowned. Had she missed something? "Sorry, Master. Did you say something?"

"I just said thank you. You really saved me there. I know we didn't meet on the best of terms, but even back then I thought that you were amazing..." He said. He grabbed at his gut, like saying so much at once had been a mistake.

Bazett tried to hide her embarrassed reaction. She knew it was pathetic, but even hearing those simple words had lit a fire within her. How long had it been since she'd received such simple acknowledgement?

But she shook her head to clear away those thoughts. Now was not the time for such foolishness. "Master... no, before that, what's your name?"

"Emiya Shirou... but please continue to call me Master." He said. Bazett nodded. She could respect that kind of professionalism. "And... you?" He was getting weaker, she realized. Probably because the adrenaline or his magical energy was getting out. That was to be expected of course, few Magi could take a sword to the gut without needing some time to recuperate.

"Bazett Fraga McRemitz." She declared. "Servant Saber, True Name Manannan Mac Lir. I am at your service, Master. We have much to accomplish."

Her new Master looked her dead in the eyes and nodded slowly. Weak though he was, he still held out a hand. Bazett shook it, finding comfort in his new strength.

"Okay, we need to go back." He said.

"Understood, Master. Hold still and I'll carry you as gently as I can." Bazett said.

"...I was actually planning to call a taxi." Shirou explained.

"...Ah. Very well, Master." She responded, ducking her head to hide a slight blush. It was possible that over these last couple of weeks she had gotten a little too used to the advantages of being a Servant. Although what she'd gone through had been far from enjoyable, the perks of being able to run through a city faster than a car could travel was undoubtedly convenient.

X X X

Shirou sat cross legged on the floor as his three – no four – Servants towered over him with varying levels of anger and indignation.

"...I'm very sorry." He said. No matter how he looked at it, he'd messed up. He should have at least told them all that he was leaving. But they had all been injured, and he'd thought of the church as a neutral ground. Still, it was a mistake not to say anything.

"Hmmph. We'll talk about this more when you aren't bleeding." Rin said. She was frowning, but her focus was entirely on the wound she was currently cleaning up. It wasn't life-threatening thankfully, but they all wanted him to rest for far longer than they had time for.

"I'm just glad you're safe, Master." Sakura said. Her eyes told a very different story. Sakura was the maddest one of them all, although she was hiding it behind a polite mask.

"In the future, I'm going to have a security team following you around at all hours, Master. An owner of one of the Edelfelt heirs can't be taking such foolish risks." Luvia said. Her hands were on her hips, and her glare was absolutely fixed upon him.

"...Hey, Master." Bazett said. She seemed more exasperated than anything else. "..Just how many Servants do you have exactly?"

"Hmm?" Shirou stopped to blink a few times. Oh, right. He'd been so worried about Illya that he hadn't thought to fill her in on much else. "This is everybody."

Bazett just stared at him. "...So right now all the remaining Servants, aside from Gilgamesh of course, are united under you? Master, are you perhaps some kind of extreme Casanova?"

Shirou felt like he should be embarrassed about that, but he just shrugged his shoulders. "Things just sort of happened that way. Wait a minute, all remaining Servants? Illya was Berserker, but that still leaves Assassin and Lancer doesn't it?"

"I eliminated them." Bazett said. There wasn't even the slightest bit of hesitation in her voice. "Originally that priest only wanted me to observe, but eventually he seemed to decide that it would be amusing to send me out to do his dirty work for him. I found Lancer and Assassin and ended their lives."

Shirou felt himself go a little white. Damn it, if he'd been stronger when he'd first met Bazett then perhaps he could have prevented the ending of two human lives.

Luvia's interest in that statement was a little more academic. "Did you determine what Heroic Spirits they were?"

"I believe Lancer contained Hector, due to his use of Durindara although it could have been another Servant with a lesser connection to that Noble Phantasm. As for Assassin, I had no idea beyond suspecting that it was one of the Hassan-i-Sabbah. Either way, I can assure you they are both eliminated."

Rin frowned, putting the finishing touches on Shirou's bandages while she listened to the conversation. "That's only three Servants. Gilgamesh said that the grail only needed one more..."

Bazett nodded. "That's because of Berserker. When she was eliminated, the grail filled as though three Servants were destroyed at once. Thus, the grail only needs one more Servant to be filled enough to manifest."

Shirou was more than just a little shocked by that. But he supposed it made sense. After all, Illya had been possessed by three divine spirits instead of the usual one. Her defeat counting as three was pretty logical.

"That's why Gilgamesh felt no need to kill us once he had Illya." Luvia reasoned out. "He knew Kotomine would send you after us, and it wouldn't matter which side won as long as he got that final death for his grail."

"...Possibly." Bazett said, looking rather troubled. "But I wouldn't assume that egomaniac did anything for such a logical reason. It's more likely that he felt that dying by his hands was more than you deserve."

"...That Goldie has a real troublesome personality." Rin said, with a quick shake of her head. "Okay, what's the plan?"

"That's enough Nee-san!" Sakura yelled. Shirou and everyone else stared at her in shock, none of them having expected the outburst from the quiet young woman. "Master needs rest! There's no point in keeping him up to have this conversation now."

"I can keep going." Shirou said. For some reason, he felt like nobody believed him. "...No, ignoring me we need to focus on Illya. That bastard still has her."

"Illya won't be happy if you die trying to save her, Master." Sakura said sternly. "You need your rest. Besides, we know she won't be killed. With all four remaining Servants belonging to you, they won't kill her and risk losing the grail."

Not killing her wasn't the same as not hurting her. But Shirou didn't argue, despite his grumbling. He had to admit Sakura was right. If he went against Gilgamesh again in this condition he wouldn't stand much of a chance. And Rin and Luvia were still injured, no matter how much they were trying to hide it.

He hated it, but he had to wait.

He was going to save Illya. But he owed it to her to make certain he could succeed.

X X X

Bazett completed her circuit of the house, searching for issues that she could solve. To her frustration there were none. The bounded field on the property was simple but highly effective. There was nothing she could make to improve it, especially since there was already a Caster far better suited for that kind of work here. And she doubted any magecraft they could use would be worth anything against Gilgamesh. If they were going to win, it would be on the offence.

No, Bazett knew that her efforts right now were for nothing. But it was a good distraction.

The longer she kept moving, the more she could put off thinking.

For around two weeks now, Bazett had been living in hell. Part of her hated herself for her fixation on that rotten priest who had so thoroughly transfixed her. The other part of her hated herself for thinking that her life could have gotten better in the first place.

It had started some time ago. As an enforcer, she'd had several opportunities to work side by side with Kotomine. When he'd told her about the Holy Grail War and asked her to enter as his Servant she'd thought nothing of it... no that wasn't true. She hadn't been suspicious, but she'd thought a great deal about it. To her that job offer had been like a missive from the heavens, a promise that she would finally be able to earn the approval of the Association and Kotomine all in one fell swoop...

How foolish she had been. After she'd summoned her Servant and bonded with Kotomine as her Master, he'd wasted no time dragging her into hell. She was no stranger to betrayal but this had been different. He hadn't hurt her for any gain. In fact if he'd simply kept his intentions a secret from her she would have done his bidding with pride and been far more effective of a tool. No, he'd betrayed her even though it made his own job more difficult simply because he enjoyed it. Because her suffering brought him joy.

A chill ran through her, that she did her best to ignore.

She needed something else to keep her occupied, that was all. She was the only one not injured, so perhaps she could stand guard? No, training would be best for keeping her distracted.

"Hey, Bazett!" A strong voice called out.

Bazett was far too experienced to jump in shock, but she did quietly chide herself for letting him get so close to her without noticing. She was better than that. It was just another sign of how she was off her game. She eyed her new Master with suspicion. He certainly didn't look like he was getting ready to lay down. "Yes, Master? Shouldn't you be resting?"

The best term she could think of to describe his expression was a pout, which she thought was almost too cute. Her very serious Master had an unexpectedly soft side underneath. "No, I wanted to check on everybody first. How are you feeling?"

"I'm uninjured."

He frowned at her, and she wilted a little. It wasn't that she desired his approval or anything – no that wasn't true. She wanted so badly to be liked that anyone with authority over her frowning at her felt like a blow. It seemed that side of her had only grown worse during her time under Kotomine's care. "You know that wasn't what I meant."

"...Sorry, Master. I'm a magus. That's all I can say about that." She said. It was still dodging the question, but it was as close to the truth as she could let herself get.

"Haaa." He sighed like he'd just finished trying to get blood from a stone. "Very well. You know, you don't need to stay away from the others. I'd like you to consider us all as allies now."

Now it was Bazett's turn to frown. "Ah, Master..." It hurt to be honest, but she felt like it was better to be upfront. "I'm no expert at such social interactions. Please rely on me in combat though. I can promise you won't be disappointed in me when it's time to fight."

It was a straightforward answer, but for some reason he still seemed troubled. "I see... in that case, follow me."

He took her by the arm and led her through his house. Seeing no reason to disobey, Bazett fell quiet and let him take her wherever he wanted to go. Their final destination turned out to be a rather plain room, with a few sets of futons side by side, and a large cage at the other end. "What is that for?" She asked, pointing at the cage.

He seemed confused by the question. "What do you think?"

Ah, of course. They must keep animals. Master didn't strike her as anything resembling a traditional magus so he was probably the type to keep pets. She hadn't seen any around, but it was likely they had sent them away before the fighting started. "Nevermind then. Why have you brought me here, Master?"

He nodded seriously. "You looked so distressed, that I wanted to bring you some comfort. Take off your clothes."

"Hmm? I told you, I'm not injured, Master." She said. Then she shrugged. If he needed to see proof, he needed to see proof. Bazett found that she didn't mind getting fussed over a little. She pulled her jacket off and kicked away her pants before removing her dress shirt. Underneath she had on a sports bra and a conservative pair of black panties.

His eyes traced over her body. "Wow..." He said. She wondered what that look in his eyes was. Admiration? No, it couldn't be. "You're so beautiful..."

Bazett felt her cheeks begin to warm up. "Hmmph. False flattery will get you nowhere." She knew that her muscular body was not something that men would desire. "In any case, are you satisfied now? As you can see I'm not injured."

He frowned again. "What made you think I was checking for that?"

Then he kissed her.

"H-huh!?" Bazett yelled, as she felt her mind begin to fry. That had been an assault that came so far out of nowhere even Kotomine couldn't have pulled it off! The kiss had been passionate on his end, but she'd been sitting there too stunned to really enjoy it. "Wh-what are you doing!?"

"Giving you what you deserve." He said simply. His arms wrapped around her body, pulling her in for a warm embrace. His hard muscles made her feel soft and feminine when her chest pressed against his. She couldn't deny the flush of pleasure she felt at the feeling of his strong arms. Although she did feel uncomfortably vulnerable being the only one half naked.

Before she could express that thought, he kissed her again. She wasn't too surprised to stand there silently, but she told herself that she was still too surprised to move away. His lips pressing against hers made her feel like life was returning to her body, and she revelled in the feeling of it. He tasted like metal. Not like copper or blood. More like steel. He felt alive, and her body responded instantly to his urgings.

"You're so perfect." He said, and she felt like something pleasant had pierced her right in the heart. "Here. Let me just get this off."

He tugged away at his shirt, and Bazett spent time that she should have been using to ask what the hell was going on instead watching him undress. Underneath the shirt he was every bit a muscular as he felt, and her eyes were almost hypnotically drawn towards his hard abs. He was not so bad looking in general either. His shockingly bright red hair was very eye catching and his determined expression made her feel like in that moment he was as utterly fixated on her as she was on him.

Wait, what the hell was happening?

She probably should have asked that next, but instead she kissed him this time. Her fingers curled up in his hair as she pulled him down to lock lips, sighing with delight as he met her with equal passion. His hands freely exposed her body, and she felt a little jolt of pleasure as he squeezed on her breasts and curled his fingers over her hips. She pushed him back towards the wall. He let her lead only for a moment, before his tongue pressed against his lips and she allowed him in. He dominated the kiss, and she was happy to let him take his pleasure.

Her entire body was warm. Her arousal had been slow to start, but now that she was turned on it felt like it would be impossible to get relief. She wanted more of him. His hands on her skin, his tongue in her mouth his...

She blushed as he pulled away from her, now guiding her towards the futon. With skilled fingers he pulled off her bra and then used a hook finger to pull down her panties. She was now completely exposed before him. She felt a surprising amount of anxiety, before she looked up to see him openly staring at her breasts.

Then she felt... oddly proud.

He didn't leave her naked on her own for long. With a quick motion he disrobed his boxers as well, and she licked her lips as she saw his erection get exposed. Bazett was not the type to find erections attractive on their own merit, but something about seeing that and knowing that he was so excited because of her was incredibly warming inside.

As he guided her down to the bed, helping her lay on her back with her knees up, she had the presence of mind to finally ask an important question. "How old are you exactly?"

"Sixteen." His hands wrapped around her thighs, pulling her forward so that her legs could wrap around his back.

She was about to get fucked by a high school student. She bit her lip. If she'd found that out earlier maybe she would have stopped. Now she was too far gone. The arousal had overtaken her mind.

Her legs wrapped even tighter around him.

Using one hand to hold onto her hips and another hand to guide himself, he slowly approached her entrance. She was already soaking wet, but he went slowly until she practically whimpered to beg him to hurry up and get on with it already.

Then he sunk himself deep inside of her. Bazett moaned in absolute bliss as his long and hard rod pierced deep into her core. "Ah! Master!" She cried out. Her fingers dug into the futon, tearing it to shreds in her passion. It had been so long since she'd been with a man, and even longer since one had excited her like this.

"Fuck! You're so tight!" He cried out. Her Master began pumping her hips into her, but that wasn't what made her feel so good that she wanted to weep.

"Praise me!" She shouted. She wanted to feel him even deeper. Every time his hips moved forward it felt like she might melt from the pleasure. And because she felt so damn good, she voiced the wishes she would normally keep silent. "Praise me, Master!"

His lips curved up into a smile. "You're so beautiful, Bazett. So perfect. Your pussy is so fucking tight, like it was built just for me."

Each word of affirmation made her heart want to burst with joy. She tightened around him, trying to move her hips to welcome him even faster. A thousand men couldn't have broken the grip her legs had around him.

"You're so pretty. Fuck, you look so good. Do you like it? Do you like taking your Master's cock?"

"Y-yes, Master!" She screamed at the top of her lungs. It was getting harder for her to think clearly. Every time his hips slammed into hers the pleasure felt like it would destroy her rationality. "Harder!"

She wasn't sure if she'd meant to fuck her harder or praise her harder, but he did both.

"Fuck, you're so good! You're so hot, you're so strong, I want to stare at your tits bouncing all day, I want to fuck you all day long because you're so tight!" He cried out. His grip on her hips loosened, and he reached out to grab one of her breasts. His fingers weren't remotely delicate, but in that moment delicate was the last thing she wanted.

Bazett was aware distantly that her tongue was hanging out of her mouth, but she couldn't bring herself to care. All that matter to her was the pleasure from the things she was feeling and hearing. It was overwhelming. She felt like she was rapidly approaching a bridge –

And then, not understanding her own body enough to recognize the signs, she found herself screaming as she came. Her entire body shook with the pleasure of it, and the convulsions drew out his own orgasm. He might have been trying to pull out, but her grip on him was far too strong. His semen poured into her like she was deliberately trying to milk it out. It felt warm and heavenly inside of her. It wasn't a safe day, but that was a problem for the future.

Bazett panted. It took a very long time before she had the presence of mind to release her grip on him and let him fall into place beside her.

When he pulled her into an embrace, she fell asleep even before he did.

Well, I have to admit I felt a little guilty whenever I was reading people's theories for Lancer and Assassin, knowing that Bazett was going to kill them off screen. I actually really liked some of people's ideas, like Gray/Artoria and a Caren servant. But sadly I wanted to keep this at least somewhat contained and there's already probably too much character bloat. We're heading towards the ending now, so from here on out we're going to be resolving plot threads instead of introducing more.