Summary: Not everything goes in Limbo's favor. Even in the face of a Singularity he created. Two Servants get to metaphorically tell him as much.

Note: Inspired by the feelings I had when playing through the first five sections of Lostbelt 5.5, Heian-kyo. The prologue was really well done, but I can also say as the writer of this story that the Servants in my Chaldea would have a lot to say. Spoilers for up to Section 5 of Heian-kyo, of course.

The theme for this chapter is This Time by Casey Lee and Jeff Williams, from RWBY's Volume 5 soundtrack. I honestly really loved this song when it first came out, and since writing for this story, I feel it'd be a duet between Vy and Robin when it comes to their fight with Chaldea for Proper Human History. For an alternative, I'll point you to the first opening for Mobile Suit Gundam: Iron Blooded Orphans, being Raise Your Flag by Man With A Mission.

Now then — here we go. Please enjoy.

Day 49: Send-Offs

"So this upcoming Rayshift is limited, huh." Achilles tapped an angry foot against the floor of the Grail Lounge, his arms crossed over his chest as he leaned back against the wall. "That's plain bullshit to me. Especially coming from Sion." When she's been blasé enough with the life of our Princess before, rang through the other Servants' minds through their shared bond like a loud air horn. After everything the Foreign God had thrown at them, no one denied him that much.

"It's a truth we can't change nonetheless, Rider," Ereshkigal still said mournfully from her place at the center table, cup of tea in hand. Even in her black dress from her Mesopotamia Divinity, she didn't appear happy playing devil's advocate to her fellow Grailed Servant, but she was forcing herself anyway. "From Sion's analyses with Trismegistus III, the Bounded Field around this new Singularity is strong enough to limit even the strongest of Servants, us Grailed included. Only those that Limbo seemed to 'extend an invitation towards' can go." And at least it's an insensitive vampire telling us this and not another rude God who wishes to destroy and remake the world, echoed through their shared bond as an afterthought.

"Oi, don't get so down. At least the Grails still allows some of us to pass through without invites, from initial previewing," Shiki put in wryly from her own corner of the lounge, sitting down to clean her knife. With a quiet exhale, she shook her head. "The question is: which one of us will go?"

Achilles pushed himself off from the wall, opening his mouth before Skadi stopped him with a delicately raised hand at her seat in the kitchenette island of the lounge. "Without personal bias coming in, Rider," she intoned sternly, a harsh edge emerging in her normally quiet voice. "We all know you, Saber, and Archer are the strongest out of our group, but we also have to consider what Vy needs most after everything we saw together in Atlantis and Olympus."

Achilles closed his mouth almost immediately after that, eyebrows furrowing against his head from unspoken frustration as he grimaced. "Point." After a beat, he then added wryly, "Thanks, Caster."

"You're welcome, Rider," Skadi replied smoothly while pouring a cup of tea.

"The staff were saying two other Servants could tag alongside Kotarou, Danzo, and Mash, right…?" Space Ishtar put in quietly, raising a hand from her place lying in the nearby hammock to make some stars glisten against the ceiling from the movement of her arm. "So that means… only two of us, right?"

"Heian Japan sounds utterly tasteless in beauty to infect," Meltryllis put in first with an exaggerated fwish of her long purple hair, crossing her metallic prosthetic legs over the single bed in the lounge. "So on that note, I'll count myself out here."

"Typical," Shiki drawled.

"Want to dance, Assassin?" Meltryllis retorted back with a deadly smirk. "I can change my shoes."

"Try me," Shiki shot dryly.

"Alright, alright, enough of that, you two. Take it to the simulator if you want, just don't start it here." Arturia said with barely any heat, waving an arm absently in their direction. "With that in mind, previous knowledge of Japan could prove to be useful," Arturia then put in quietly over her own cup of tea across from Ereshkigal, closing her eyes in consideration. "Perhaps, if I'm right, would you be up for it, Berserker?"

"Maybe," the aptly named Berserker version of Musashi replied with a face unbecoming of the fairy theme of her swimsuit from Las Vegas or her position lounging back in her own plush chair. "Not sure if they'd be open to my set of clothes if it's the Heian Era," Musashi made extra emphasis via a wave of her arm towards her exposed skin from her summer attire, "but I'm willing to go if Vy needs me to. Assassin's also an option considering her heritage in modern day Japan."

"Not that I don't mind the shout-out, but hey. Dunno if nobles would like to see another urban myth come to life, Berserker."

"I'm just saying! It's an idea!"

"Then," Skadi said gently while walking over to the center table with her own teacup, resting a comforting hand on Achilles' shoulder along the way, "should we also ask our fellow Archer to go with you? His mantle should be able to conceal your clothing if the staff can't, Berserker."

"Point!" Musashi said immediately. Then, after a single second, she lowered her hand to say, "But where is Archer, anyways?"

Achilles and Arturia exchanged looks with one another. The other Grailed sat up from their places to give the duo their own wayward glances, but before anyone could say anything, the door to the lounge slid open. All attention proceeded to go to the green Archer they were looking for as he walked in, hand on the back of his neck as No Face May King dangled from his elbow. "Hey," he mumbled, shooting Saber and Rider a glance before stepping to the side. "I had to bring in some company in regards to the upcoming Rayshift. Since they asked and all."

"Company—?" was all Berserker said before a flash of red and purple appeared in the doorway behind Robin Hood. "Oh."

"So," Da Vinci Caster tapped a pen against the top of the clipboard in her hands while giving Vy a studying glance over. "Just making sure on a personal level: Will you be alright going on this mission, mia bella?"

In the soft pink kimono dress that made up Vy's new Mystic Code for the upcoming Singularity, Vy shrugged through the long sleeves covering her arms, raising one leg behind her to stretch it rather awkwardly past the shorter skirt and yellow sash. "That's a loaded question, Da Vinci-chan, and we both know it," she replied wryly, shaking her head to rustle the half-bun she had to match the outfit. The lotus ribbon clip in her hair glowed a faint pink hue as she added, "But I'm doing my best to be? I can't exactly say 'no' when there's no one else around to take the mission for me…"

"True, that! Good job on sacrificing yourself for the greater good, Vy!"

Da Vinci Caster proceeded to shoot an angry glare at the hologram which said that, the image being of Sion who had the gall to then shrug helplessly through the transmission feed as Da Vinci Rider skated up to Vy's side to tug at her kimono sash for her bit of adjustment. "That's not exactly the answer neither me nor my younger self were looking for," Caster put in with a face, but she shook her head when walking towards the young Chaldean Master, tossing her clipboard and pen over her head to worry about later. "But that may have to suffice for now." It didn't stop Vy from squeaking aloud in surprise when Da Vinci Caster proceeded to flick Vy's forehead with a pointer finger, but it was quickly amended when the Servant pulled the girl in to press a motherly kiss to the flicked spot. "Don't push yourself, cara mia, okay? I want my favorite flower to grow up healthy and mentally sound."

Goredolf's surprised yelp at the flying clipboard be damned — Da Vinci had to say this much after everything that Vy had lost. With everything she could possibly continue to lose, in the fight that Romani and her past self had asked the young woman to take in the first place.

It was the least she could do for a flower that couldn't afford to wilt anymore than she had.

"…Oh," was all Vy could respond with once Da Vinci Caster pulled her into her arms for a hug, and her shoulders trembled through her dress. "I'm… really bad at not worrying you, Da Vinci-chan, huh?"

"Don't spell it out, Master," Da Vinci Rider chirped from her position watching the duo from over Vy's shoulder as she tightened the ribbon sash around Vy's waist with one last tug. "I think we all know that answer."

It didn't stop Vy from letting out a soft Muu of protest in Da Vinci Caster's chest as the Eternal Genius smoothed some tangles out of Vy's half-bun of hair. "In my meager line of defense, I'm trying," she mumbled, reaching up past her sleeves to clutch at some of Da Vinci's own to return the hug. "I don't want to be stuck in my own thoughts forever."

I don't want to worry all of you forever, I don't want to be a burden forever, wasn't said, but the sentiment seemed to be acknowledged nonetheless, more so if Caster's quiet sigh was any indication. She chose to ignore Rider's glance of sympathy in favor of brushing Vy's hair some more, losing herself in the faint sensation of soft silky strands drifting between her fingertips. At least hair care hadn't been forgotten this time. The pink lotus ribbon clip from Robin was securely fastened in the half-bun Vy had too. Good. Caster honestly wasn't sure what else could've been forgotten in the face of what Chaldea had fought, and what they would fight next. She honestly didn't want to know.

Not with the healing blisters on Vy's palms and the many other scars that were hidden by her kimono sleeves and stockings.

"I know, cara mia," Caster whispered finally into Vy's brown hair, a melancholic smile on her face once she reluctantly stepped back to let the younger woman go. "I know you're trying, and I want you to know I'm proud of you, okay? Don't lose track of that with all the thoughts you've been having without me around." Da Vinci Rider proceeded to skate around Vy to join her older self's side with a smaller smile to match, and Caster shrugged her shoulders. "If you do, I can at least try to invent a mental neon sign to yell it out in your brain so that you won't forget."

Vy proceeded to flush a bright scarlet. "Th-That might be a bit much," she stammered, lowering her gaze to the floor. "But…" a smile of her own tugged at her lips as Caster and Rider watched. "Thankie."

Caster opened her mouth, a line of thought on her tongue in response to Vy's heartfelt statement when it disappeared as quickly as it came with the loud hiss of the main entrance door to the Command Room. Glancing past the silent figures of Kotarou and Danzo revealed telling silhouettes of green and red in the doorway. Rider caught sight of them at the same time Caster did, sending her a look of pure glee before skating around to pretend to do some more adjustments to the Rayshift coffins to catch Vy's attention as the silhouettes walked into the light, and it took a single second for the red one to approach Vy's back.

"Little riceball~! May we come with~?"

No one but Vy ended up screaming, but Robin Hood still shook his head as Saber Musashi squeed in return (something along the lines of an "Aw shucks, it's okay, Vy, it's just me!"), reaching over with both arms to take Vy into an affectionately tight hug from behind. "Before you say anything, I told you sneaking up on her was a bad idea," Robin said with no bite, giving Vy a wry smile once she got a chance to peek out past Musashi's kimono as the Saber continued to snuggle her. Tucking his arms into his own long sleeves, he then addressed Vy in a softer voice of, "Hey, little sparrow."

"B-Big Robin…? Shii-chan…?" Vy squirmed from her place being smothered by the Japanese Servant, and a few twists of her head resulted in her glasses slipping down her nose. "Wait, there's more kimonos and this is… Saber Shii-chan?"

"Right you are, little riceball!" the named Saber cooed, pressing her cheek into the top of Vy's hair. "I asked your Archer Green — oops, excuse me," Musashi coughed once Robin pointedly elbowed her in the waist from behind, "Robin, yep, during his kimono fitting if I could take one of the two open Servant slots in the upcoming Rayshift! Plus…" Musashi's voice then lowered to an apologetic timbre of her usual tone, bellying affection and regret all at once as she added, "I hurt you enough back in Shimosa and Olympus, Master. Least I could do is try to amend that while taking down a clown who's been plaguing your nightmares for too long."

Vy flushed again, her mouth opening and closing in shock. After a moment of hesitation, she turned her head towards Robin in a wordless attempt at a question. In response, the green Archer merely shrugged in his new green kimono, tugging at the matching emerald scarf around his neck. "Raikou caught me," he supplied first, tugging at the scarf more to cover his mouth. "Said I should look more the part of a Japanese guard if I would be going with you. The other Grailed already agreed on me going along with the motley Rayshift crew, but it was Berserker who decided on Saber Musashi joining me." With a half-smile, he then took a few steps forward to place a gentle palm against the top of Vy's head, bending over some to press his forehead to her own. "It's still up to you if you want us to go with you in the end, Vy. And for what it's worth, I'd be happy to go if you're willing to have me. Same thing with Musashi."

Vy leaned into the touch, exhaling shakily from pent-up unspoken emotion. She shut her eyes, letting out a soft Phew noise, before nodding vigorously. "I-I… I wouldn't say no…" she breathed, eventually looking up at both Musashi and Robin with tears dotting the corners of her glasses. "Thankie, Big Robin, Shii-chan. I… I would love to have you both on board." With a sniffle, Vy raised a hand to rub at her eyes and nose, her kimono sleeve falling back to expose the bandages wrapped around her knuckles and half of her palm. "Th-Thankie…"

"Senpai…" Mash murmured from her own corner of the Command Room.

"Aw," Musashi cooed, walking close as soon as Robin reached over with both arms to initiate a hug, placing a hand on Vy's shoulders too as she leaned down to bump her cheek against the top of the young woman's head. "Don't cry when we haven't even left home base, little riceball. There's nothing to cry about."

"I-I can't help it!" Vy squeaked out past another sniffle, the next scrub of her face revealing telling remnants of tears on her fists as she pulled her hands back to try reciprocating the affection both Servants were directing her way. "There were so many things that could've happened, a lot of things that… that could've gone wrong, so for — for you two to say you want to be with me, even after all that, it… it means a lot. It means so, so much to me, I don't know if what I'm saying is even enough." No one could miss how Vy choked on the last parts of that sentence, like it was taking all of her oxygen to say the words out loud without whimpering. "So thankie…" A little noise caught between a laugh and a sob left her throat as Vy leaned into both sets of arms, a happy pink flushing her cheeks. "Thankie… thankie so much… I love you both lots…"

Musashi glanced over Vy's head to meet Robin's eye, and the Archer grinned back. "We love you too, little sparrow," Robin said softly, leaning down to press a warm kiss to the crown of her hair. "And we mean it."

Looking around revealed both Da Vincis having finally dropped their apprehension to smile in return, both resembling the famous Mona Lisa they painted in life along the way, matched only by Sion's hologram having disappeared from view. It was then interrupted by Rider Da Vinci clapping her hands to get everyone's attention, earning another surprised squeal from the only Master in the room as the Servants slowly parted to re-establish personal space.

"Well then!" Rider said with a cheerier voice, sparkles glittering in her blue eyes. "Are we all set, Vy?"

No one but Robin and Musashi noticed Vy reaching over to take their hands in both of hers to squeeze from the shadows, but familiar determination shined in her eyes past her glasses once she said in a loud voice, "Yeah. We are, Rider." With a toss of her head in their direction, the pink lotus in Vy's hair glowed as she grinned. "Let's go kick a clown's ass to hell."

One bright flash of light later, Vy slowly opened her eyes as her sandals touched gravel, rubbing at one eye with her sleeve for extra measure. "Did… did the Rayshift work?" She glanced around, taking in the dilapidated wooden buildings and the dark night sky above with a frown. "Where is this place?" A lump surfaced in her throat as she raised her head and took in the bright white moon. "Mash? Kotarou? Danzo?" She gulped. "Shii-chan? Big Robin?"

I'm not alone here… right?

Her heart leapt up into her mouth without meaning to once she could hear footsteps and a mix of voices.

"Yes, Master!" Danzo.

"I'm here, little riceball!" Shii-chan…

"Alive and accounted for, little sparrow," was the last answering drawl, and a small smoke cloud made of gravel was all that was left before Vy could see a hint of green, and she reached out to grab it before she could lose it.

Big Robin's here. The thought rang out at the same time her pulse began to relax with the idea of safety, and she squeezed what was in her grip tightly. I'm okay, I'm okay, I'm okay. Big Robin's here.

Robin merely gave her a half-fond, half-exasperated smile once she did, the green thing turning out to be the hem of one of his kimono sleeves as he met her gaze with the smoke settling. "I told you before, little sparrow. I'd always be with you, remember?" he said in a tone barely toeing a joke, the silver ring around his middle finger glowing in the moonlight as he reached up to catch her hand in his, letting his sleeve go in the meantime. "You don't have to be so scared." With a soft chuckle, he intertwined their fingers together, bringing her hand up to kiss her knuckles through the bandages covering them. The pink flower jewel from the ring he gave her seemed to glow against his lips from the vantage of her middle finger as he smiled at her. "I'll make sure to keep any big bad wolves away."

"F-Forgive me for being scared anyway," Vy smiled gratefully through the flush on her cheeks, turning her head towards Musashi and Danzo who had then chosen the moment to appear at her other side. "So that's four of us."

"Yep!" Musashi beamed, blue eyes glinting with joy as she rested a hand against one of her katana pommels. "That's something!"

"Which is better than no one at all at Master's side," Danzo added, two mechanical fingers pointed in the air as she closed her eyes. "I just finished scanning our surroundings, and can confirm that our Rayshift to the Heian period capital was successful."

Despite the news, Robin still didn't let go of Vy's hand, choosing to lower their intertwined fingers to tuck them into one of his kimono pockets as he raised an eyebrow at the mechanical ninja. "But lemme guess — there's a catch, Danzo?"

"Robin," Musashi put in scoldingly, a hand on her hip. "We had a good mood going on!"

"I-It's fine, Lady Musashi. Lord Robin is right." Danzo shook her head in spite of Musashi's input, wilting only a little at Robin's question as she lowered her fingers. "Yes. The catch is I… I haven't seen Lady Mash or Lord Kotarou anywhere since we arrived." Her shoulders heaved to let what appeared to be some steam out of the vents at her collar past her scarf, yellow eyes forlorn. "Nor can I sense their magical energy signals. I also cannot find any signs of their presence, such as footprints in Lady Mash's case or shinobi ciphers in Lord Kotarou's. This is truly baffling." With a few loud beeps from one of Danzo's arms, the Assassin then shook her head again, grimacing. "From my pre-installed map data, I can confirm we are in an abandoned area of Heian-kyo's southwestern district. However, given Lady Mash and Lord Kotarou's absence, and the fact that I am unable to contact Novum Chaldea…"

Oh no. Vy gulped, instinctively squeezing Robin's hand a bit tighter. "Does that mean we're the only ones who—"

"It's not entirely surprising," Robin put in with the same calm voice, making Vy look up at him just as he rubbed the back of his neck with his free hand from frustration. "Knowing Limbo and his sadistic ideas of humor, he had a role in this. Picking out who he'd want to have in his fun little 'show,' Rayshift and comms included. But—"

"Me and Archer are still here," Musashi finished, her gaze narrowing in the opposite direction of their conversation, the previous smile she had now completely gone from her face. "And even though I wasn't Grailed, the Berserker version of me was, so I can assume that connection let me stay if I wasn't already hellbent on giving Limbo another hard lesson. Goes to show how powerful Holy Grails are in the end." Biting one side of her lip, Musashi reached over with one hand to gently pat Vy's head, keeping her other hand on the pommels of her swords. "So if it's alright to say, little riceball, we'll have to make do with what we've got."

So it's the same. I'm just not alone this time.

"...Aye aye, Shii-chan. Just do what we gotta do, like always." Vy took a deep breath, squeezing Robin's hand one more time before looking up at Danzo. "Danzo? If it's alright with you, could you scan the surroundings as we go to find more locals to help us? If Mash and Kotarou are here with us, in that slight chance that they are, I'd like to find them before someone else does." Shutting her eyes, Vy felt the intense need to apologize to Da Vinci, Achilles, and Arturia back home as she reached into her pocket to pull out her extendable bo staff. Try not to push myself, try not to push myself… "We can't stand around forever."

Danzo blinked before giving Vy a small smile, getting to one knee to bow her head. "Understood!" Standing up quickly, she raised two fingers to her chest. "Then let us get moving and begin our search for our teammates as well as others who could help us, such as Lady Raikou and Lord Kintoki. As for our comms interference, if I can find the Bounded Field's edge, or perhaps a seam, I should be able to reestablish contact."

"What if I tried to cut everything I see?" Musashi added in a higher-pitched voice than normal, betraying her cold expression as she retracted her palm from Vy's head. If Vy didn't know any better, it was as if Musashi was trying to add levity to the dark night around them as she continued in a lighter tone, "That should open up something!"

"No, Musashi," Robin drawled immediately with a shake of his head. "Too risky."

"Aw! It was a thought!"

"Maybe later, Shii-chan." Vy inhaled softly, looking up at her favorite Archer while squeezing his hand. "Let's just go, Big Robin?"

The Yew Bow materialized on Robin's arm past his kimono sleeve just as Musashi unsheathed one of her katanas to angrily point at the nearby bushes. "Once we get rid of the incoming spiders, little sparrow," he murmured, tossing his head in Danzo's direction as he squeezed Vy's hand back. "They've been spying on us."

"With… with great magical energy," Danzo added, her yellow eyes going wide as blades emerged from her forearms. "How did I— Get behind us, Master!"

Vy shut her eyes. She could hear the chittering of growls that shouldn't come from living animals, and she extended her bo staff. I'm sorry, Achi, Art-san, Da Vinci-chan. "Once I help you, Danzo," she said, shaking her head. "I hate cockroaches and spiders who spy, and I'm not going to let you fight with Robin and Shii-chan alone."

"…Understood, milady." Danzo took a breath while taking a battle stance. "Your orders?"

The first of what looked like a crowd of large tsuchigumo demons stepped out from the darkness of the bushes and surrounding foliage with a loud opening screech, and Vy let go of Robin's hand. Her bandages dug into the healing blisters on her palms, but she didn't care as she took her bo staff in both hands to squeeze. "Foreign enemy battle routine, set!"

Vy felt herself exhale in relief when Robin, Musashi, and Danzo all cried out, "EXECUTE!" back as they leapt forward into the fray. Maybe for once, this time, they could wipe that sickly smile off of Limbo's face.

It was a nice thought to have with the first demon's head being cut off by Musashi's blade, dark black blood gushing out like a stream from the decapitated body against the moonlight overhead.