Anya was quiet during the taxi drive, her eyes focused outside the window, though she wasn't always paying attention to what she was seeing. She'd never really been to this part of Tokyo before, so she expected to be glued to the window and take in all the details Shibuya had to offer her. But instead, she was looking into the distance, staring at nothing and everything all at the same time.
She was really doing this. She was going to participate in the Holy Grail War. It was a thought that filled Anya with both awe and dread. It was terrifying, there was no doubt about it. Anya was starkly aware of just how high the chances of her dying were.
At the same time…if she ignored the possibility of death, the idea of comparing her own magical prowess against other magi was an enticing thought. But most of all, she wanted to stick her existence in the face of the entire Mage's Association and show them just how wrong they were about her parents.
"First time in Shibuya?" the taxi driver asked, startling Anya back to reality.
"Is it that obvious?" she questioned, turning to meet his eyes in the rearview mirror, smiling slightly. It felt like she had slipped on a plastic mask to entertain her youngest brother, Denis, when he was in a bad mood. The driver, however, didn't see through her.
"Not too many folks focus more on the view than their phones these days," he chuckled. "What brings you here?"
"A job I recently applied for," Anya explained, reaching up to twirl a loose strand of hair around her finger. "First job out of school, you know?"
"I do," the taxi driver smiled at her. "You definitely won't be bored in Shibuya though, the city's practically alive all year long."
"That's good to hear," Anya agreed lightly. Worry curled in her gut as she wondered just how out of hand this war could get, just how many people would die without even knowing what was going on.
"Well, I hope you have a nice time living here, ma'am," the driver declared as he slowed the taxi down to a stop. Anya looked outside the window, finding an apartment building outside.
It was an older brick building with ivy crawling up the base and the top with simple flowerbeds on either side of the front door, giving it a humble charm. There were probably nicer buildings Anya could rent an apartment in, such as the more modern building right next door, but this fit nicely into her budget and was much easier to protect magically.
"Thank you," Anya smiled, passing over the proper payment before she stepped out of the car with her suitcase in hand.
As the taxi drove away, Anya held her suitcase in both hands and stared up at the building. She took a deep breath in, feeling the cool winter air enter her lungs before she released it in a white cloud as she breathed out.
This was it. This was the beginning of the rest of her life, however long it may be. Once she stepped through that door, she'd be revealing her existence to the Mage's Association.
She took another breath in and out.
"Are you gonna come in or turn into an icicle?"
The voice startled Anya from her thoughts and she looked down, only to meet a pair of green eyes. The person standing in the doorway had brown hair so long that it would've brushed against their ankles if it hadn't been in a ponytail. They wore a soft looking cream sweater and loose jeans with bright green socks.
"Hello?" they said, tilting their head to the side in confusion, their bright green eyes teasing.
"I-I…sorry," Anya apologized, feeling her cheeks flush red. She tightened her grip on her suitcase before she practically ran into the building. Once she was inside, she turned around to face the person who'd called out to her as they closed the door and met her gaze. "Do you…live here?"
"I'm the owner," they smiled, folding their hands in front of them. "My name is Itsuki, are you the new tenant, Tohsaka-san?"
"Yes," Anya smiled in relief, relaxing her shoulders. "It's nice to meet you…Itsuki-san?"
"Just Itsuki, yes." Itsuki nodded. They started towards the desk in the lobby, waving a hand behind them as they went. "C'mon, let me get you all situated and then I'll show you your apartment."
"Thank you," Anya said, tilting her head down in gratitude. She was one step closer to the beginning of the war.
The apartment was just as Anya expected it to be when Itsuki led her to it once the paperwork was situated. It was on the complex's second floor, the lowest floor available which served Anya fine, and had come with some very nice antique furniture. Otherwise, it was rather spartan in its decorations, considering it boasted a bedroom, bath and a kitchen on top of the living room.
It was exactly what Anya wanted.
"Thank you again, really," she said as she set her suitcase down on the cream colored couch and turned to face Itsuki. "You've really saved me."
"I think it's the other way around," Itsuki laughed, smile small and understated as they met Anya's eyes. "I don't get too many tenants, so you're doing me a large favor, truly."
"How about we call it even then?" Anya offered, extending her hand.
Itsuki just stared at her for several moments, long enough that Anya began to feel self-conscious. She knew how she looked, with her black hair falling softly down to the small of her back outside of the braid that went from her temples to the back of her head, held in place by two dark red ribbons where the ends met, her pale pink sweater which bared her shoulders, a black sleeveless halter top underneath, black pants and combat boots. Never mind the rather expensive looking ruby she wore around her neck. There was no doubt in her mind that Anya looked like a rich girl looking to see what it was like to live amongst the 'peasants'. It also didn't help that no matter how often she smiled, she still looked cold to others most of the time.
Her father often teased her that her mother's genes were too strong and Anya had only gotten away with his hazel eyes. Most days, it felt like a compliment. But some days, like today when her hand was awkwardly hanging in the air for a handshake that wouldn't come, it felt like being so much like her mother was a disadvantage.
But just as Anya was about to retract her hand, Itsuki's calloused fingers brushed against her own smoother ones. Anya looked up in surprise, only to find Itsuki smiling at her with sparkling green eyes.
"I agree," they stated. It was as simple as that and Anya felt her heart warm as she squeezed Itsuki's hand in silent gratitude.
Once their hands separated, Itsuki left the apartment with a wave and Anya found herself alone.
"Alright…" she whispered under her breath, turning back around to face her suitcase. "First things first."
Anya stepped over to the couch and unzipped her suitcase. Instead of going for her clothes to begin unpacking them, she laid her fingers against the top, allowing just a bit of her magic to bleed out from her fingertips. After a moment, a pocket that had not previous been there materialized. Moving quickly, Anya removed a small handful of green emeralds before removing the pocket from existence, sealing it away from sight.
She cradled the emeralds in her hands, staring down at them as she took a deep breath in and out. Then without a word, Anya got to work.
She hid each emerald in several parts of the apartment, hiding them all so that they were out of sight should anyone come inside. God forbid Itsuki ever saw them and wondered what the hell Anya was doing living here if she could afford to decorate with actual emeralds without a care.
Besides, Anya actually couldn't afford to decorate with these jewels without a care. Each one had to be placed strategically, otherwise the whole thing would fall apart.
Once the final emerald was laid to rest, taped to the bottom of the couch, Anya stood in the middle of the apartment and admired her handiwork for a moment. Then she frowned and evened her stance.
This part…this was the part she had to get right.
"Начинать.
Гербом, который я ношу, и своим именем, я заявляю, что эту землю я должен защищать. Внутри этого круга ни мне, ни мне не причинится никакого вреда, и все, кто войдет на это поле, отдадут мне свое имя. Так и будет."
For just the briefest of moments, the apartment flashed emerald green as every jewel lit up and Anya felt the magical energy leave her in order to power them. She could feel the Bounded Field as it formed, encapsulating the entire apartment, the balcony and even a bit of the hallway.
It wasn't the strongest or largest Bounded Field that could be made, but Anya felt confident that it would hold decently well. With a tired but satisfied smile, she collapsed onto the couch next to her suitcase.
She'd start unpacking soon, for now she needed a rest.
And of course, that was the moment her cell phone rang. Anya didn't even have to glance at the caller ID to know who it was. She only dug it out of her back pocket and answered it.
"Yes, Taro?" she asked.
"Don't 'yes, Taro?' me!" the boy on the other end yelled. Anya chuckled, already picturing the irritated scowl that marred her oldest brother's face. "While didn't you tell us you were leaving, neechan?!"
"Because you'd either stop me or insist on coming with me, neither of which was an option," Anya explained, glancing down at her nails as she explained. She'd made her voice sound as bored as possible, intent on discouraging Taro from trying anything. Himari was probably by his side, listening, and if the two got it in their head that Anya wanted them there, they'd be on the next ride out faster than their parents could yell their names. "I'll be fine, Taro."
"You promise you'll come home?" Taro demanded.
Anya fell silent, knowing she couldn't answer that. After all, even though their mother came back from her Holy Grail War, their grandfather hadn't come back from his. And everyone knew that there were no guarantees in any war, least of all a magical one.
"Promise you'll try!" Himari's voice faintly yelled through the receiver and Anya smiled. Trust her sister to be the voice of reason in the middle of this mess.
"I promise to do my best," Anya swore. And knowing Taro would most likely tell her to swear it on her magic, she quickly spoke up again. "Listen, I'd love to talk to you guys, but I have to unpack and get ready for tonight. I'll talk to you later, I love you, tell Mom, Dad, and Denis I love them too. I'll call you again soon."
"Neechan-!"
Anya hung up without any regrets and laid back against the couch with a long sigh.
This was really it then. For now, she'd unpack her belongings and make the apartment feel more like home.
But tonight, at exactly midnight, she would be summoning a Servant for the Sixth Holy Grail War.
The thought caused the breath in her chest to freeze for a moment, torn between excitement and fear. But there was time for that later.
For now, Anya had some unpacking to do. With a huff of air, she pushed herself to her feet and began to work.
After all, she only had one shot.
Hello everyone, it's been a while, but the new chapter is finally here! I hope you are all excited, even if this is a short chapter with only Anya in it. I wanted to have this chapter before I posted the cast list though, just to get a bit into Anya's head, since the prologue is entirely from Rin's POV. I hope the wait was worth it, because I am so very excited to reveal to you all the cast I have chosen. And trust me, this was a very difficult decision to make, there were so many good options, but I think the cast I chose is gonna work best with this little fic of mine.
Full disclosure, the Servants will not have their names revealed until they're discovered in the story, so feel free to start guessing once they start showing up!
Anyway, I've kept you all in suspense for long enough. I am pleased to show you all, finally, the cast I chose!
Masters
1. Tohsaka Anya - WolfieRed23
2. Edward Silversmith - alucard deathsinger
3. Charlemagne Carolingian XXVIII - renren-writes
4. Matthias Estridsen - Elements08
5. Beretta - Epifanio Therion
6. Aaron Solonea Nikas - NSPunny
7. Yamada Hanako - NSPunny
Servants
1. Saber - TenaciousTurtleDuck
2. Archer - Antex-TheLegedaryZoroark
3. Lancer - Singofffan
4. Rider - Bluestar076
5. Caster - Comrade's Lament
6. Assassin - wanted911
7. Berserker - Wander Lost in Nightmares
I hope everyone is excited to follow this journey with me! Updates will definitely be slow as I have yet to pair up the Servants with the Masters, but I hope it won't take TOO long. Thanks to CandleFire45 for helping me decide the cast and The Servant of Evil for helping me with the lore I didn't understand or remember! This chapter is solely here thanks to the two of you!
In any case, I hope you all enjoyed! I'll see you again soon! Bye!