Escalation (III)

Issei woke to the sight of an unfamiliar ceiling. Although his own room at the temple was similar in many ways, this was certainly not it.

It took him a moment to recall what had happened the previous evening, but the moment he did, he jumped out of the futon he had been sleeping into on to his feet.

The first thing he noticed was that he was still wearing his school uniform, minus the jacket, which was hanging on the wall next to his resting place.

A dream.

It had to have been a dream, nothing else made sense. However if his recollections were a dream, then he had no actual memory of getting to what was undoubtedly Emiya's place.

For a long minute, he did not dare stepping out of the room, afraid of what else would expect him out there. Eventually, though, he realized that if his memories weren't a product of his imagination, then Emiya had saved his life last night.

Whatever obscure secret he held, they were still friends, right?

Taking a long, steadying breath, Issei made up his mind to leave the room. He retrieved his jacket and slid the door open just a little bit. The corridor was empty and the light of dawn was casting some light on the well-kept courtyard.

The house felt almost empty, but suddenly, Issei had the feeling of being watched and he froze in place.

He turned to the left, where a shimmering something flickered across his vision. A moment later the dark figure of a woman in a short dress and high boots appeared from thin air a few meters away.

She started at him through her blindfold with unseeing eyes.

"Master is waiting for you in the dojo," she stated flatly. "Follow me, I will take you to him," she said, turning around and heading in the direction of the aforementioned building.

Issei did not move, frozen as he was by the sight of the supernatural event. Only when the woman stopped in her tracks and turned to look at him from over his shoulders did he scramble to follow her, though at what he reputed being a safe distance.

"In here," she told him, before disappearing in thin air in the same manner by which she had appeared.

Issei didn't advance, standing in place where he was.

"Don't dawdle," the woman's voice whispered in his ear, from behind him.

Issei didn't notice he had crossed the threshold until he caught himself stopping his hand from slamming the door close.

"Good morning, Issei,"said Emiya placidly from where he was sitting in the middle of the dojo.

"E-Emiya,"he sort of greeted, swallowing the knot in his throat. "What... what is going on?"

"It's a bit of a long story. Take a seat and I'll tell you everything.

Issei hesitated. He used to trust Emiya implicitly, but now he realized that there were so many things he didn't know about his friend that he wasn't sure he ever really knew him at all.

However, he couldn't leave even if he wanted to. Not with that thing still out there. Moreover, Emiya seemed to be reading his mind

"Issei, you are in no danger whatsoever, I promise," he said.

"That's... can I Ieave, then?" he asked tentatively

"I won't hold you, if that's what you want but..."

"But what?"

"We have rules about the things that happened last night. If you leave now, you won't be able to recall a single thing. The events from last night will be completely erased from your mind."

"You... you can do something like that?" he asked hoarsely.

"Not me personally, no, but it doesn't really matter who does, right?"

It didn't.

Issei remained standing next to the door. Running really wasn't an option. If the speed of the guy from last night was any indication, he wouldn't get three steps out of the door before being caught. Assuming he'd get that far. The ghost woman was just outside the door.

"Why are we having this conversation at all then?" he asked, wanting to know.

"Because we are friends," was the simple reply.

Issei took a long breath through his nose and let out an equally long sigh from his mouth. Emiya had no reason to lie to him. From what he had seen thus far, he could probably do with him as he wanted and Issei wouldn't be able to do a thing about it.

But the previous night he had saved his life and now he wanted to explain himself. As a monk in training, and as his friend, the least he could do was listen to what he had to say, before making a decision either way.

He stepped forward until he was right in front of the red head and sat down on the floor like him.

"What kind of mess did you get yourself into this time?" he asked, his voice of a pitch closer to the usual

Emiya chuckled.

"It's a story that begun then years ago..."

[br]

About an hour later, Shirou was done retelling the story of how he had been adopted by Kiritsugu, the Magus Killer and the events that led him to this day.

To say that Issei was at loss for words would be the a great understatement.

"If I didn't see some of those things with my own eyes, I would have a hard time believing anything you just said." he eventually admitted, looking shocked yet far more calmer than before. "As a monk, I always believed that things like those exist, but to see them in person, and to have them explained like this is unsettling. At least, I was right about something."

"About what?" Shirou asked

"I knew Tohsaka was up to no good! She's a witch both literally and figuratively."

"Come on, Tohsaka is not that bad," Shirou laughed. "She's a bit rough around the edges, but even by Magi standards she's pretty soft. ... Don't tell her I said that, or I'll wind up dead."

"You do realize how contradictory it is the thing you just said, don't you?" Issei asked rhetorically, before shaking his head. "That's quite a mess you've got yourself into, this Holy Grail War. To think that our temple has been sitting on top of that thing all this time..."

"Yeah, I suppose that even I would freak out if my house was built on top of the nexus of an ancient sacrificial ritual," Shirou agreed.

"Then, what do you expect me to do from now on?" Issei asked. "You decided to tell me, so I assume you have something in mind."

"Honestly? I don't have a clue. Actually the best thing anyone In Fuyuki could do would be leaving the city and get as far away as they can. Nowhere's really safe in town as long as this War goes on. However, I don't think you'd be willing to leave behind your family and escape on your own."

"That's right," Issei concurred. He wouldn't call himself brave by any stretch of the imagination, but neither he was so much of a coward to run, abandoning his family to the wolves. He might have been an ordinary human, but that didn't mean he was an unprincipled one.

"I thought so. I have a solution, if you are willing to agree to it."

"You are already making it sound like something I wouldn't approve of," Issei warned.

"That's probably because I'm not too fond of it either. I could… implant a suggestion in the mind of everyone at the temple, to compel them to go on a journey if something weirds happen. That way, they would leave on their own and return only after the danger has passed."

Issei made a displeased face after hearing his explanation.

"Yes, I can see why you thought I would disapprove of it. Manipulating the mind of people in such a way… That's not a power anyone should have."

"I know, and like I said, I'm not fond of these methods either, but I cannot just openly raise the alarm for the reasons I've explained. Trying to make people evacuate when the crisis is already going on might be too late, though."

"You could just do it without asking my permission, Emiya. I couldn't stop you," Issei pointed out.

"Might doesn't make right, Issei," replied Shirou with a frown.

"I'm glad, Emiya-kun."

"Eh? About what?" Shirou asked.

"That you are not different from who you thought you were."

"Give me a break. Keeping up a facade is too much effort for very little return," he sighed. "I don't know how Tohsaka does it."

"I'm sure it's a just a fox's natural disposition," Issei remarked, to which Shirou smiled. It seemed that no matter what he said, Issei's opinion of the Second Owner would not change anytime soon.

"In any case, before agreeing to anything, I would like to talk to my father about this matter."

"Issei… you know you can't do that."

"No, I mean, about going on a retreat. We do organize one every few years. I'm positive that I could convince him to do so in a few days."

"Are you sure about it?"

"If I stay behind to watch the temple, then I think he will agree. I'm supposed to take over the management in the future anyway. A couple of weeks on my own would be good training for that."

"But you'll be left in Fuyuki," Shirou pointed out.

"Of course, but knowing the situation, I would make myself scarce at the first sign of trouble. I do not wish to be involved with this matter more than I already have been."

"As any reasonable man would," Shirou agreed. "Alright. If you are positive you can get it done, then I'm more than happy to go with this arrangement. However, you understand that I must make sure the matter doesn't leak out."

"Yes," Issei nodded. "Truth is a powerful thing, and unfortunately revealing it is not always for the best. I'm grateful that you chose to confide to me, Emiya-kun."

"Don't mention it. Thank you for trusting me so far. By the way, I suppose you want to get changed before going to school. If you have to make a trip back home, you are probably going to have to hurry."

"Ah, you are right. Wait… my family doesn't know I'm here, do they? They probably…."

"Don't worry," Shirou interrupted. "I made a call to your place, pretending I was you. I told them we were going to go over the budget until late, and that you were going to sleep here."

"Oh. That was a good call. Thank you."

"Like I said, don't even mention it. It was the least I could do."

"Then I better get going. I'll see you later at school, right?" Issei asked.

"Not today. There's someone else I have to meet and have a long talk with. I doubt I'll be back in time for classes."

"That… that didn't sound ominous at all," said Issei, straight faced.

"I'll be fine. You don't need to worry," Shirou reassured.

"I see," Issei nodded. "You are not good at lying even when you do try. It's almost painful to look at. How did you keep this entire thing secret until now?"

"By not talking about it with anyone," Shirou admitted, rubbing the bridge of his nose. Why did all of his friends have to be so brutal in their own way?

"I am in no position to give counsel on these matters, but please, do not take unnecessary risks."

"Hm. Some risks really cannot be avoided. Do you know the meaning of meeting one's fate on the road one took to avoid it?"

"So it's something like that, I see," Issei nodded. "Very well. It looks like you know what you are doing, so I won't say any more about this subject. Besides, I better hurry if I wish to make the round trip in time."

"Yes, that would be best. Come, I'll see you out," said Shirou as they left the dojo.

Neither Caster or Rider where anywhere in sight. Caster had gone out on an errand, while Rider was in spirit form, watching over Shirou and the house.

After seeing Issei out, Shirou went to prepare for one of the most important mission of his life.

[br]

Although it was still mid morning, and there was a bright sun outside, the forest surrounding the Einzbern Castle was dreadfully cold and looked every bit as haunted as it probably was.

Walking on fallen leaves and branches, Shirou's footsteps were anything but silent. Of course, he wasn't under the illusion of sneaking anywhere. There was no need to conceal his approach, as he had revealed his presence the moment he crossed the Boundary Field, a long time ago.

Since that moment, he was under the strong impression of being watched, though he saw no one anywhere. Not that it was particularly surprising. Half decent Magus with a territory this size would keep it under watch through all manners of familiars.

The fact that they had yet to come greet him was probably due to him not being escorted by a Servant, which definitely sounded like some kind of bait. As such, Shirou's advance progressed unhindered util he came in sight of of his destination.

The Einzbern Castle was a grandiose, western-style building that seemed to have come out straight of a fairy tales book. It was the kind of structure that wouldn't look extraordinary somewhere on the mountains of northern Europe, but that was completely out of place in Japan. Nevertheless, it was an impressive-looking place of five floors, underground levels notwithstanding. There had to be at least a hundred rooms inside it, perhaps even more.

Shirou had never come here, even though he knew exactly the location. There had never been any reason to and every reason not to. Kiritsugu might have had a claim to this place, but for him it would have been like trespassing in someone else's home.

A lot of tragedies were tied to this place and for him to come was almost desecrating.

However, it was a different matter now that its rightful owners had returned. The building, that was supposedly damaged during the Fourth War was now in pristine conditions. The gardens, that had not been tended to in years were in full bloom. The gates, which had been abandoned for a solid decade, were now guarded by two women dressed in old-fashioned maid clothes.

If their peculiar attire hadn't been enough draw the eye, the heavy-looking halberds they wielded surely did the trick.

'Looks like the welcoming committee is here,' Shirou remarked inwardly.

Not that he expected any less. It was already a miracle that he had been allowed this close, but then again why bother to intercept him when he was walking right to them? As he got closer, he noticed that the two homunculi looked surprisingly similar, almost like sisters, even though their body proportions were slightly different.

The first was more slender and looked to be the stern type, while the other one was a bit more stacked and had dull looking eyes, almost as if she was largely bored.

In any case the two of them lowered their weapons crossing them together and effectively blocking his path.

"Halt!" the more serious one ordered. "You are trespassing upon Einzbern territory. State your business at once or suffer the consequences."

Shirou looked from one to the other.

"I've come to talk with my sister," he replied. "Please, let me in."

Calling Illyasviel his sister seemed to have an adverse reaction with the serious maid - Sella, the tracing of her halberd provided - who clutched her weapon tighter.

"The lady isn't receiving unannounced visitors. Turn back now and we might just let you walk away."

He sighed through his nose. He would have been surprised if he would have been allowed in just like that. Illyasviel animosity toward him notwithstanding, he was still an enemy Master.

"I understand that it's your duty to keep me out, but my duty is to see her at all costs Please, I didn't come here looking for a fight."

"No, you have come looking for death, Emiya Shirou," Sella agreed, lifting her weapon to a resting position, her motion mirrored by the other one, Leysritt. "Very well. If you are so adamant about dying at the lady's hand, then by all means go through. Perhaps reaping your life in person will provide her with the comfort she seeks."

"Thank you," he said as if he hadn't been threatened with death more than once in the short conversation.

He stepped between them and pushed the large oaken doors, which cracked open with a loud cranking noise. For a moment, the difference in lighting from the exterior to the interior made it impossible for him to see clearly, but as soon as his eyes adapted, the opulent decor of the Einzbern castle bared itself in front of him.

Marble, polished to the point he could see his own reflection paved the floor of the immense hall. Lavish furniture lined the walls, themselves decorated by lifelike portraits made by master painters.

At the end of it was a large stairwell to the next floor, covered by a carpet of red-velvet that would have been fit to clothe a princess for a formal event. At the top of that stair, she stood, looking down to him with eyes of an intense crimson made only fiercer by her snow-white mane.

"Illyasviel," he said upon seeing her.

She did not answer. For the longest time she kept staring at him without saying a word.

"Hi," he eventually said to break the silence, rubbing his neck uncomfortably. "Sorry for dropping by out of the blue like this."

"You have some guts, showing yourself in front of me this way" she replied, her voice as cold as the winter wind of her homeland. "Are you crazy, or just plain stupid?"

"I've been called both often enough," he admitted.

"Why have you come?" she asked and this time she expected a real answer.

"Several reasons," he explained. "To meet you for the first time for one thing, but also to bring you the message that Kiritsugu asked me to give you."

Illyasviel eyes narrowed. "What is it?"

"He said 'I love you and I'm sorry.'"

She closed her eyes and her body trembled briefly. When they opened again, so did her mouth.

"Berserker!"

The gargantuan Servant appeared next to her and a heartbeat later he had crossed the dozen meters that separated his Master from him. His stone-axe already poised to strike.

It swung down like a falling meteor and rushed at him with the momentum of a crumbling mountain. An ordinary human would have died from the shock caused by the displacement of air alone, even though the Servant purposely missed him, stopping his weapon an hair's breadth from the marble floor. Even though it did not actually impact with the marble it still shattered like like crystalware under a truck's tires, sending shard everywhere.

Some of these fragments impacted against Shirou's body and face, drawing blood in several places. And yet, he had not moved from the spot where he stood.

He hadn't tried to dodge Berserker's strike. His body wasn't able to react fast enough to make a difference, even if his Reinforced brain was capable of barely following the Servant's movements.

In the first place he had come alone, knowing all too well that without his Servant he would be dead the moment that Illya wanted it. Yet he had still come, and it was so that he found himself looking into Herakles' burning eyes from much closer than anyone would would be comfortable with.

The Servant's face was surprisingly calm looking for one of his Class, though that didn't make him any less intimidating. In fact, it might have made it even worse.

Still, Shirou met his gaze without looking away and more importantly without retreating. One might consider it as courage, but the truth was that trying to flee would be pointless, so he didn't even try.

He didn't know what the Servant though of this, since he dematerialized again without saying a word. With the mountain of muscles gone, Shirou could see Illyasviel once more. She had not moved from her spot at the top of the stairs at all.

Seeing that Illyasviel was staring at him without saying anything, Shirou pressed on.

"The curse of the Grail that struck Kiritsugu destroyed his Circuits almost completely. As far as being a Magus goes, he was basically a cripple. He tried many times to get inside the Einzbern grounds, but he never managed. Jubstacheit adamantly refused to let him see you."

"... so what?" she asked, with only the faintest trembling in her voice. "What difference do you think that makes?"

"For you? I assume not much. No matter how anyone looks at it, Kiritsugu chose the world over his family. I could argue that saving the world was necessary to save you also, but that doesn't change the principle of the matter, does it?"

"It doesn't, " Illyasviel concurred. "Then if you know all this, why did you come?"

"Because you deserved to know. It might not change where we are now, but I had to tell you and you needed to know that Kiritsugu wanted nothing more than being reunited with you. What you make with that knowledge is your call."

"Aren't you even going to plead for your life?"

"Sure. I would appreciate it if you didn't kill me, but would that mean anything? I don't think so. If you want to come at me, then by all means do so. However, if I could make one request?"

"What do you want?"

"Please, don't involve anyone else. I'll bear all your grievances, so don't hurt anybody else in the process."

"At a time like this, you worry about the lives of others?"

"No. I worry about yours. Kiritsugu greatest regret was being unable to be reunited with you. Mine is being unable to have this conversation before the Holy Grail War forced it on us. At the very least, no matter what it takes, I'll stop you from becoming a murderer."

"...get out of my sight," Illya spat out in response.

"Illya..."

"Your face is annoying," she insisted. "Leave now or I'll have Berserker throw you out."

"Fine," he sighed. "Oh by the way..."

"What else?"

"I'm shutting down the Holy Grail once and for all. Too many lives have already been destroyed and too many families have been broken apart by it, without a single good thing in return for all that pain. If there's another thing I won't allow, is for you to lose your life to bring about something useless like that."

"Get. Out," she ordered one final time, and the silhouette of Berserker could be seen flickering near her as a final warning.

Shirou knew not to press his luck any further and he just made to leave.

"Goodbye Illya. I'm sure we'll see each other again soon enough. The door to my home is always open to you, don't forget it."

He turned around and left the castle. The two maids were still next to the gate, but they didn't spare a single word for him. They just kept their eyes fixed on his figure until he disappeared inside the forest.

He was returning alive and mostly uninjured. He should consider it a victory.

Then why was it that it didn't feel like one at all?

[br]

Illyasviel stalked the corridors of her castle like a teenager girl in a foul mood, which she normally was only on the outside.

Although her mental development was a little behind compared to her real age, it was because of her sheltered life and not because her body had been frozen in her mid teens, though being stuck in perpetual adolescence didn't really help her disposition.

Today, however, she was particularly volatile and it was entirely because of Emiya Shirou.
The nerve of that guy, coming all the way to her castle to spew lies and nonsense. She should have killed him where he stood.

So why hadn't she?

Because it made no sense. It made no sense whatsoever for him to put his life on the line that way for the sake of messing with her head. Granted, there was no better way to deal with a Servant than getting rid of its Master, however the risk versus benefit in the circumstances he put himself into where highly in his disfavor.

Who would jeopardize their own life like that for the sake of psychological warfare? It would be even crazier than the possibility that he had been telling the truth.

That was what stayed her hand. The remote possibility that he had been telling the truth.

Not about Kiritsugu. She could believe that her father loved her. She always wanted to. How many times did she dream that he would come and take her away from the cold, empty castle? She wanted to believe it to the point of desperation, but while she could buy that part, she couldn't just accept the rest.

'You are troubled,' said Berserker through their wasn't a question, so she didn't dignified it with an answer. 'Talk to me, child.'

"What do you think of him? Of what he said?" she eventually asked.

'You wish to know if he was being truthful,' said Berserker

"Yes," she admitted. After all this time, her Servant had a solid grasp of her thoughts.

'He did not move when I attacked him.'

"What does that have to do with anything? He couldn't have dodged even if he tried."

'Indeed, but he didn't even flinch. Even among my peers I can't name a single one who would remain impassable when one of my attacks narrowly missed them.'

"You like him," she accused.

'He's got guts, but that's beside the point. What matters is that no man would face me for the sake of a half baked lie that would benefit no one.'

"I'm his enemy. I told him in clear terms that I want to kill him. What kind of fool would want to save the person who wants him dead? He doesn't even know me."

'Hrrm. Consider this. If there is a woman who wishes to kill a brother she never met, couldn't it be that there is also a man that wishes to save the sister he never knew? Which one is the greater fool? The one moved by resentment, or the one driven by affection?'

And that was a question to which Illyasviel had no answer to. If Emiya Shirou was as much of a fool as she thought he was, where did that put her?

Needless to say, her thoughts found no rest anytime soon.

[br]

When Shirou came out of the forest, it was already early afternoon. His wounds had pretty much healed completely and he had cleaned the dried up blood.

He had asked Medea not to peek in the exchange through his eyes and body, she had not been happy about it. However, she did acquiesce to his wish because she too would have taken any risk for the sake of apologizing to her own brother, if the opportunity ever presented itself, and she too wouldn't have wanted someone to look over her shoulders while she did so.

Some things were just too personal that way.

He did however tell her that he was unharmed and on his way back as soon as he had cleared the immediate vicinity of the castle. There was no need to keep her worrying needlessly.

When he got there, Rider was on the main road, waiting for his return. The leather-clad Heroic Spirit looked at him from head to toe.

"How did it go?" she asked.

"She hasn't really tried to kill me, which is good."

"When you say not really, does that mean that she made a half-baked effort only?" Rider inquired.

"Eh, she had Berserker threaten me a little bit. He ruffled my clothes, that's all. Unless she wanted to scare me to death, I don't consider it actually trying to kill me."

Rider snorted, shaking her head slightly in derision.

"I don't think anyone would ever describe scuffling with Herakles in such a way."

Shirou shrugged. It's not like he had an answer to that.

"Let's go home before anything else happens," he said.

Rider offered him his helmet, stepping away from the bike to let him get in front. Which caused him to frown. Rider, relinquishing control of the bike without him insisting? That was weird.

"Nah, I'll sit behind if it's all the same to you."

"Sure. It's not a problem," she agreed, putting on her own helmet and straddling the bike.

Shirou sat behind her and put his arms around her waist. Moments later, they were speeding back towards Fuyuki.

As the bike traveled, Shirou considered Rider's behavior. Just now, they had a rather civil exchange. Just the previous day, she was giving him the cold shoulder, but today she was remarkably warm. By her standards, at least.

He had no idea what had prompted this change in attitude and he wasn't about to ask either. He knew better than to look a gift horse in the mouth. He just took it as a good sign and left it at that.

[br]

For her part, Rider was thinking of her Master as well. Her opinion of him had gone through some ups and downs as of late. She strongly objected to some of the things he had said about her. Strangely enough, not because she found them offensive. They could even be considered flattering in a roundabout way. However, his words felt like they had placed undue expectations upon her.

Expectations that she had no desire of trying to live up to.

She believed that he had spoken out of ignorance, that his kindness had been callous and spoken by someone who he might know but did not - could not - truly understand. And perhaps she was right about that.

Emiya Shirou could not see how she saw herself. He was blind to her flaws, oblivious of her sins. But the opposite was also true. She did not see the world from his eyes either, but today she had see in him traits that she was familiar with.

A brother that would protect his sister, even when that sister would unduly attempt to harm him instead. A man who walked into monster's lair for the monster's sake.

Rider couldn't say that she approved of it. Yet, in another ironic twist, she was also fond of it more than just a bit. It seemed that her Master wasn't someone whom she could just put into a box with a simple label and put his character behind her. Every time a new situation arose, his behavior forced her to reevaluate him, and perhaps even herself a little bit.

He was annoying like that, but she found that instead of resenting him she appreciated him more.

How weird.

[br]

When they arrived home, they didn't find only Caster waiting for them, but Tohsaka and Saber as well. They were sitting in the living room around the table with a serious expression on all of their faces.

"So, you are still alive and in one piece, huh," Tohsaka said upon seeing him.

"Were you expecting any different?" he asked.

"No. I got tired of you defying my expectations at every turn, so I just stopped having them altogether."

"I see. Anyway, did I forget we were supposed to meet at this time, or did something happen?"

"So, you don't know about it yet," replied Tohsaka.

"About what?"

"Last night, after our scuffle with Berserker and Lancer, the Kotomine church was burned to the ground. The priest has gone missing, presumably dead."

And that, Shirou knew, was the sound of a brand new can of worms being opened. For once he would have like that fate allowed for him to finish wrapping up one situation before cracking open a new one, but it seemed that it just wasn't his luck.

XXX

AN: It's been a while, isn't it I've had a rough time the last few months and it has impacted on my willingness and ability to write. Anyway, I'm back, hopefully for good. Next I'm going to put out a few chapters of the other stories to make up for the lost time.