Tales of you and me

by Miguel16310

Their first meeting couldn't have been more bizarre, that was true... but it was ok. After spending so many years together, as she would say: for him to fall in love with her was inevitable. "Zehi Mo nashi!" screaming at the top of her lungs, as he smiled at her with eyes full of love. His Daimyo. His Demon Archer. His beloved Lady Nobunaga.

Notes: While writing this story, I used the song "It was a very nice beautiful june" as an inspiration.

Fate Grand/Order

One-shot.

Ritsuka Fujimaru x Nobunaga Oda.

"Tales of you and me"

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-[Fragment 1: Shockingly beautiful]-

Come to think of it... our first meeting couldn't have been more bizarre...

On a beautiful day of November eight in 2017, Fujimaru Ritsuka had been resting on his personal headquarters after having been practicing magical recipes with the help of Lord El-Melloi II, quite bummed about the fact that his mentor hadn't been that nice to him... yeah, Ritsuka wasn't as good as a mage as his older sister Rurika, but he always did his best, not only now he had to save the world at the humble age of seventeen, but now he had to find a way to wake her up.

Her and the other masters, alongside the rest of the earth, were relying on him to save the future of humanity as a world... nothing too serious, for sure.

Ritsuka touched his lip repeatedly with his pencil, as he looked at the book on his desktop, closing his eyes to try and remember both the patterns he needed to draw and how much magic he needed to apply to his spells. Sure, he may have Mystic codes with preset spells to help in battle, but everyone, Doctor Romani, Mashu and Da Vinci included, agreed that he should concentrate in furthering his training as a mage. A long and heavy sigh escaped the blue-eyed man's lips.

How am I supposed to do this... ?

[WARNING! WARNING! WARNING!~]

A red light invaded his room at that exact moment, alongside a robotic voice. What... ? was that the alarm of Chaldea? did they somehow got an intruder or something? Forty-Eight almost immediately went into alert mode, adrenaline being pumped into his system. They had practiced countless times what they were to do in case something like this happened. The man quickly put on his white shirt, running out of his door while pumping mana into the three command seals on his right hand.

Mashu and Leonardo were already talking with Doctor Roman by the time he arrived. Kyrielight, Archaman and Da Vinci faced Fujimaru while trying to keep their composure. Shielder smiled at her senpai, and he smiled back at her. Yes, they had to keep appearances. Truth be told, after Okeanos and him having to be right in front of death itself by confronting Heracles, Ritsuka's sense of danger and his overall courage had been increased exponentially.

Even so... he was still the same normal fella he had always been.

"Good morning, Senpai."

The raven-haired man nodded at his friend while stopping himself right in the middle of the other two. Chaldea's temporary director however, placed his hands on both of their shoulders. As much as he loved pleasantries and all, he just couldn't believe the way these two children were behaving, the future of humanity rested on their shoulders entirely, yet they couldn't care less. What were they thinking? was there no shame on their heads?

"I think you two are acting a little too calm! Greetings are important, but for now, Intruder!"

The moment he said that, their expressions changed. Mashu gained a more serious one, just as him. Almost as if they shared the same mind, the Demi-servant and her master looked into each other's eyes. Her body covered itself into a beautiful white light, casting her amor to cover up her body, before they ran away into the hallways, being led by Roman and Da Vinci's holograms to wherever the signal came from. He had been expecting many things, any type of danger.

From servants, to skeletons, dragons, or something else. He had been fighting for almost six months by that point, and Ritsuka had already seen too much... but nothing could've prepared him for that.

"Huh... ?"

Even Romani was surprised at the sight. A small creature similar to a plushie with only one eye, black hair and uniform stood right there, waving it's arms, constantly screaming "Nobu Nobbu", the first thing that came to his head at that very moment was pokemon. Was that this thing's name? why did it looked like a child? was it an actual child? Fujimaru and his partner simply stood there.

The "Nobbu Nobbu" kept coming from it's mouth, almost like a greeting, or a dance. It didn't attacked them, it didn't move. It simply waved it's arms, so small and harmless that it could barely reach their knees. A small drop of sweat fell from Shielder's nape, Leonardo, however, appeared right in the middle of them, having replaced the orange-haired man.

"Careful you two! I've made a quick analysis, and despite it's appearance, it's offensive capabilities and magic levels are on par with a Servant!"

...

Are you serious?

He thought, turning around to face the Uomo Universale. That was his first mistake. No longer having his blue eyes on itself, the small one finally "snapped": just as Da Vinci said, she jumped with such strength the ground under it's feets cracked, like a proyectile, her shape flew right towards him, Mashu opened her eyes at the view. With that amount of speed and strength, the moment that thing collided with Senpai, his stomach would be turned into a hole.

"SENPAI! LOOK OUT!"

Her voice, filled with panic and fear, startled him. Ritsuka slowly turned around: face to face with the white, empty eyes of the smiling one. It seemed as if the world had frozen at that very moment, because once again, his brain seemed to acknowledge the fact that he was going to die. That thing's head would clash against his body, and go right through his stomach, like a human missile.

Was this... how he was going to die... ?

His eyelids closed in fear, and acceptance. Perhaps it wasn't his destiny to save the world, nor to achieve anything in life. He may have been the youngest child of two mages, but more than that, he was just Fujimaru Ritsuka. A humble 17 years old who loved art and cooking, with barely any talent to his name. He had no regrets, truly.

Well, maybe some, yes. The fact that he was unable to save his sister, the world, and see his parents one last time.

Indeed, he had given up at that very moment... but fate had something else prepared for him. Rather than the feeling of his body being hit with the body of the little creature, and his intestines being blown into pieces, he felt nothing... nothing except for the sound of gunfire, and the unmistakable smell of gunpowder.

BANG BANG BANG~

"N-NOBU?!"

Three gunshots was all it took to make him open his eyes again, out of fear. It wasn't Mashu who managed to put herself between him and the little being, but rather, a figure he had never seen before. Clad in a beautiful red cloak, a black uniform alongside an extremely extravagant hat, a woman with the prettiest, blackest hair he had ever seen had put herself between him and the "Nobbu Nobbu"; they were the exact same... no. It would be better to say that she was the original one.

Floating right at her side, three matchlock muskets had annihilated her doppelganger without any effort at all. It's body disappeared shortly after, turned into nothing but golden dust, it didn't even manage to touch the floor. Who did it, was him instead, out of shock. Right at that very moment, the world disappeared.

It was just the two of them.

The human, and it's savior with beautiful red eyes, with a color so intense one may say they were rubies.

Yes... it was a bizarre first meeting... but until that moment... I'd never met someone as beautiful as you

The lady's hand, covered by a white glove, gently moved away her hat as she turned around, revealing her face to him. Her facial features were absolutely delightful, her skin was pale, yet her cheeks had a pretty pink color in them. Slowly but surely her gaze went down to him, ensuring he was ok. Indeed, she managed to arrive just on time, to which she let out a small sigh, before smirking, clearly amused at his face.

"What's that look for, kid? did the demon ate your tongue?"

Never before... he had been so happy and flustered at the sight of a woman. But it could be also said... that he had never been so happy about being saved by one of his servants.

The Demon King of the Sixth heaven did ate his tongue and heart that day.

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It was an adventure just as bizarre as one would expect, then again? in due time, Ritsuka learned that everything that revolved around "Demon Archer" never made any sense at all, in the slightest. As long as it was related to the "Guda Guda Crew", things would be an absolute mess to deal with, but that could be said of Chaldea as a whole. It was filled with stars, bright suns, beautiful moons, all kinds of vibrant personalities, whenever any of them was in a small predicament, Ritsuka would be the first one to help.

Not because he was everyone's master... but because they were his friends, his family.

And she was the most important one of them all.

A smile appeared on the woman's face as she gently adjusted her hat. Yes, this indeed called for a night raid, neither of those servants who, apparently, were altered copies of Ushiwakamaru and Benkei, had noticed them. Kyrielight looked at her partners, slightly excited but also happy at the idea. They hadn't had the opportunity of performing such a devious action in a long time, they had been fighting against those "Mini-Nobbus" endlessly for quite a while now, and it was still just the first day.

The raven-haired boy smiled, noticing the aura surrounding Saber and Archer, as well as his Kouhai. Oh man, they were actually gonna do this, they would indeed jump, covered and protected by the moonlight, just as if they were ninjas, and surprise Musashibou Benkei and Ushiwakamaru themselves, no less! the thought made Ritsuka giggle as if he was a little boy, squeezing his fists in excitement, the three command seals shone, charging themselves by his emotions.

They were burning, like Spartacus and Leonidas said usually, just like the soul of an Spartan would.

"This feels just like Okehazama!"

Such a small statement was more than enough to catch Nobunaga's attention. One of her eyebrows raised up in both curiosity, and a small sense of pride. Did this boy knew of what had happened in 1560? were her actions really that impressive that they were recorded in history? then again, it made sense. She was a heroic spirit, one of humanity's protectors, so of course she had to be very famous for the throne of heroes to engrave her soul into it.

Even if he knew her identity already or not by that point, she decided to keep playing. Letting go off the matchlock she was holding so it could float, her right arm went straight for the man's shoulder. Yes, by this point, she liked him quite a lot. It couldn't be helped after all, he was just so funny, him and this "Mashu" girl that accompanied him, and Oda Nobunaga loved any sense of fun in her life. Which is exactly why she let out a laugh, while giving him pats.

This took him by surprise, him and the other two women of the group.

"You study hard! I'm impressed! Yes, with that battle I revealed my intention to Unify the nation! quite the massive victory, don't ya think? UWAH HAH HAH~"

She boasted and delighted herself in her own achievements back when she was alive. It was a dead giveaway of her identity, of course. Yes, Ritsuka had a small idea of her being one of his favorite childhood heroes, Oda Nobunaga herself... mainly due to the "Mini-Nobus" saying that name, and looking exactly like her. Even so... Ritsuka was still a child at heart. Yes, he was happy to become a comrade to one of the people he admired the most, of course!

But... he wished for her, for Nobbu, to say it out loud. To openly declare to the heavens she was none other than Oda Nobunaga, the Fool of Owari, Demon King of the Sixth heaven.

SWASH~

The Joyful ocassion quickly faded away the moment an arrow passed right at the side of his head, with such speed that neither of them could notice it. The master opened up his eyes in shock when a small sense of pain coursed through his skin: the projectile had ben shot with such force and speed it took part of his hair. Did... did it actually failed to kill him, or was it a warning shot?

"Who's making a Fuss over there?"

Kyrielight recognized the voice immediately from memory. Out of all the servants Chaldea had... why did it had to be him who was here? slowly but surely the figure made itself known, carrying his scarlet bow while carefully pointing it towards them. The bowman put away his hood, revealing himself. Just as they had suspected...

Arash the Archer, or at least, the copy this altered reality summoned.

Clearly, despite his easygoing attitude and the kindness that characterized him, this doppelganger had a clear aura of hostility around him. Sakura Saber quickly pulled her katana out of her sheath, while Mashu put herself at his side, ready to block any and all attacks that could come in their direction. Nobunaga, on the other hand...

Changed her expression from one of joy and delight, into an annoyed one almost instantly, her fiery red gaze met with the man's black eyes, oh he had some nerve getting in between her time of relaxation with her friends. Certainly, indeed indeed, this deserved a punishment far worse than death could grant.

"Are you insolent bunch after Lord Yoshitsune... ? you really have some nerve, but I respect your courage. I, Matsudaira Arash, the vanguard of this troop, the best archer in the Orient, will ran punishment down on you!"

The battle started without any prior warning. Arash jumped at the side, to avoid a blast coming from Nobunaga's musket, the black-haired woman quickly snapped her fingers, summoning more of her weapons. Yes, perhaps they were trapped inside a forest, but did it matter? no, it didn't. She was honestly pretty pissed about the fact that not only this Arash fella had interrupted their strategy... he attacked them, and her potential retainer, like it was no big deal.

He was done.

BANG BANG BANG~

The red shots were evaded effortlessly by the man, much to Nobu's rage. Saber made use of her speed alongside Kyrielight: they couldn't have him returning back to camp to turn this into a battle of 3v3, especially with that doppelganger of Ushiwakamaru, neither of them were quick enough to stand a chance against he noble phantasm.

"You won't get away!"

Screamed the member of the Shinsengumi, running right behind the man: both her hands squeezed the hilt of her blade, as she jumped trying to cut him into pieces. The way her body moved, as if it was a pink lightning, shocked him. The blonde lady thrusted both of her arms, expecting to penetrate skin and muscles in order to stab his heart.

However... her weapon simply bounced in his armor. Okita Souji's eyes opened up slowly at the realization, while a grin appeared on Matsudaira's face. Next thing she knew and felt, was how his leg hit the side of her head with such strength, it send her flying away right into a nearby tree, Arash took his chance, firing arrows at the woman.

Saber screamed as a reply, feeling how her shoulders got penetrated and so did her legs. Her expression of determination quickly changed into one of rage as she looked up. Slowly, protected by nothing but the shadows of the trees around them, the male walked while another three pair of arrows got crafted between his fingers.

He was going to finish her by shooting at her head, the little bastard.

"SABER-SAN!"

The Demi-servant acted quickly the moment she saw her friend in danger. Ritsuka pointed his open palm towards Mashu, enhancing both her speed and strength parameters in order for her to overcome the distance as quickly as she could. Raising her shield with both of her arms, the Chaldean thrusted her entire body and weight right against his. Arash got forced to discard his proyectiles, now using his shoulder and weapon as a way to step himself.

The earth under his legs sank while his expression changed into one of anger. This lady had a lot of strength, he noted. The purple-eyed woman punched her shield, sending it away alongside Archer's body. Ritsuka on the other hand, ran alongside Demon Archer to the tree where the blonde had been left out. Despite her strength as a Servant, and their brief exchange of blows... that guy's strength and skill with the bow truly left her in the dust.

Literally speaking.

"Jeez, Man-slayer. He got you good, didn't he?~"

She asked with a small tease, adjusting her hat with the right as she gently waved her left, breaking all the arrows so she could be pulled from them. A small groan of pain escaped from the Japanese Swordwomen's mouth as she fell on the man's arms, her beautiful cloth had been ruined. Ritsuka put her against the trunk, while her beautiful grey eyes looked straight into his blue gaze.

She seemed sad and in shame, of course... this was his second impression of her fighting skill, yet that man made a fool of herself. Her expression, in turn, only increased the weight of Ritsuka's guilt. This was his fault, he should've told them about his skin before they jumped straight into combat.

"I'm sorry, Sakura Saber-san... this is my fault. I should've told you about Arash-san's "Robust Health" skill before you engaged him. But I can still fix this. Don't worry."

Pointing his right hand to her face, the boy closed his eyelids as magic coursed through his magic circuits. The lessons and words of Lord El-Melloi echoeing in his head more than ever, they needed him. Saber needed him. A small smile appeared on Archer's lips as she saw her companion being bathed by a green light, slowly but surely, the four holes closed. The blonde stood up, grabbing her blade shortly after. He did it, he did it, he saved her!

While the japanese lady indeed thanked him, who openly pat his back repeatedly was the Demon King herself.

"Alright, alright. Good job with that one, kid. Now let's go save your bestie; that guy's getting on my nerves."

What happened next... felt like a dream, and also made him feel like a schoolgirl. Obviously, as a servant, she possessed far more strength than that of a human. The black-haired daimyo carried him as if he was a princess, before jumping into one of her muskets as if it was a broom. Nobunaga let out a small laugh, speeding up towards the battle while their partner simply ran, clearly annoyed at the fact that she couldn't get a free ride.

There they were.

"NOW, MAN-SLAYER! TOGETHER!"

Her eyelids squinted slightly, her entire spirit core pumped revenge and adrenaline into her saint graph. Both Nobunaga and Okita jumped at the same time, Mashu had sensed both her master and new friends getting closer some time ago, which is why she tried to not attack anymore, but rather keep Arash occupied by being on the defensive. The Persian hero turned around raising his bow to meet once again with the woman's blade, shadows covered her face, only allowing her eyes to be seen.

A small sound of annoyance escaped his lips, he wasn't intimidated, not by a long shot. Okita's body disappeared just as quickly as she arrived, re-appearing next to him trying to claim his head. Arash quickly crafted three arrows on his left hand to work as temporary shields, blocking the attack and pulling the string of his bow.

From behind, the Fool of Owari laughed while her left hand raised, pointing her finger in his direction: a shower of bullets rain down to counter his own. Ritsuka opened his eyes in disbelief at both the speed Arash's arms moved: crafting more arrows and firing them while Demon Archer simply kept laughing.

BANG BANG BANG BANG

Neither could harm the other, and it spoke volumes for each of them. A small drop of sweat fell from the man's nape, he was hoping either lord Yoshitsune or Sessai would come to his aid after hearing the sounds of the battle going on, but so far, luck wasn't on his side. What was with this servant? was she really an archer or something else?

"What kind of Servant are you, woman?!"

He asked, keeping his entire attention at the hundreds of bullets she was shooting in his direction. The Demon King of the Sixth Heaven tilted her head at the question, oh, what a poorly choice of words he made. Then again? she absolutely, absolutely, absolutely loved all kinds of theatrics, she could tell, despite him being a great hero just like her, he was starting to feel fear.

And that realization sent waves of joy through her soul, that felt just as good as the sound of her weapons shooting endlessly, or the magic that mage from Chaldea was pouring into her system.

"I'm a Demon Archer. Nothing less. MAN-SLAYER! MASHU!"

That was his last mistake. Nobunaga stopped firing just at the perfect moment for the other two women to jump at him. The Archer male closed his mouth as tightly as he could out of rage, they tricked him. Both the blonde and pink-haired prepared themselves to crush him under the combined might of their weapons. His only chance to escape was to try and raise up his bow to protect himself, his skin wouldn't be able to overcome the strength of that shield and sword combined.

Nobunaga, however, simply waved her head from left to right, oh, such a pity... to be so predictable. A hero of legend, about to be humiliated by the greatest daimyo to have ever walked on earth.

"Pathetic..."

BANG BANG BANG~

The bullets penetrated his skin with no effort whatsoever, as Arash opened up his eyes in shock when he felt his elbows being blown into pieces, both of his arms fell limp, soon enough, Okita's arms did as well, her blade slashing cleanly through his neck while the lower part of Shielder's weapon crushed his right shoulder entirely, managing to incrust itself on his body, the precious red liquid escaped the man's mouth.

Soon enough, the woman clad in a red cape jumped to end up face to face with him, musket in hand. This time, it was covered by a red aura, just as her beautiful blood-colored eyes. What hit him wasn't a bullet this last time, no. A red blast escaped through the cannon, right in front of Fujimaru Ritsuka's eyes, who's mouth was open in disbelief.

Arash had been one of his closest friends, and one of Chaldea's strongest servants so far these last months. Yet... this woman, whoever she was, absolutely destroyed him and his skin without any effort. The blast came with such strength that it perforated his body, leaving a hole right where his heart should be.

There was nothing left. Mashu's expression changed into one of slight sadness as her shield came out of the man's body, while Sakura's blade let go off his other shoulder as well.

"There we go... what do you think of that, huh? not bad for our first team work."

"Eh?"

That wasn't the answer she was expecting. Demon Archer put her arms under her armpits at the question, despite her small size, her presence was still as menacing and imposing as one would expect from a servant, but at the very least her and Sakura Saber were still friendly and somewhat kind of nice... outside of combat, that is. The black-haired girl slowly walked up towards him, the fact that they shared the same height made him feel somewhat flustered as well.

Damn this fool, she fought for him and put a show of her strength to please him, and protect their allies... and all he could say was "Eh?" what kind of a man was he? were he one of her retainers back in the day, she would've executed him for not pleasing her demands for a proper praise of her abilities.

Nobunaga stood in silence, looking straight at Ritsuka's confused expression, while the blonde swordswoman and the Chaldean walked to them.

"I think... Demon Archer-san wants you to praise her, Senpai."

Oh

So... the great and almighty Oda Nobunaga herself... wanted to be praised by a commoner like him? jesus christ, for the love of buddha, saying that out loud made it seem like a joke. Was she really that bored, or was he really that fun to mess with? regardless, he would do his very best, if that's what she wanted. Having a slight blush on his face, his chest came out, the blonde rose an eyebrow.

They looked like a pair of idiots. Especially after him doing such pose just so he could say some words of encouragement to that idiot Archer over there. Then again? she looked like a fool herself. Having her arms crossed as a way to represent the dignity she should have, this couldn't be more ridiculous even if they tried to.

"Well, I think-"

"Not yet... it's not... OVER YET!"

The loud, angry voice of the enemy they thought recently defeated stopped him in his tracks. Arash stood up, despite having both of his arms shot, one of them entirely separated from his chest thanks to the pinkette's shield and the other one basically sliced in half due to Okita's sword... he was still alive. Even after Nobunaga destroyed his heart, he was still alive.

The woman pointed her musket at him one last time, Ritsuka's view got protected by Mashu's frame, who had her shield at the ready in case he wished to shot at them. But no... not in this state. He could barely raise his bow... but that was more than enough. Arash's body slowly started to be covered in a golden light, one might've thought he was dematerializing, but it was far from the truth. Both Forty-eight and his Demi-servant knew exactly what he was doing.

"I will show you... THIS ATTACK HAS ALL MY BODY AND SOUL POURED INTO IT!"

The tone of his voice was filled with determination and conviction. Even if he just had one arm, he could just pull the string of his weapon with his mouth. The Daimyo put her finger on the trigger, ready to shot as her partner from another world prepared herself to jump and decapitate him in one fell swoop.

They both would answer to his desire to give his all until the very end, with their own resolves... or would've, if their living friends didn't put in between them.

"Demon Archer-sama! Sakura Saber-san! We need to run! he's going to use his noble phantasm!"

Nobunaga rose an eyebrow at his exclamation, while Souji ended up sheathing her sword. That was no joke indeed, but how bad could it be? the female with purple eyes seemed to read both of their minds, because she pointed at the sky. It was a stroke of luck that it was night time because it allowed all four of them a clear view... of the massive meteor that was forming above their heads.

Oh... shit

Nobu was quick enough to react after realizing the terrible situation they were in. Of course, she cursed under her breath. She should've blown his head off after taking care of his heart, he didn't had any ability to return from the dead, more than likely it was the skill of "Independent action" that all Archers possessed, her included, that allowed him to keep himself alive enough to use his trump card in a last ditch effort to protect the other two.

Ritsuka had no time to realize what was happening when his black-haired friend grabbed his hand with overwhelming strength, snapping her fingers to summon nor one but three of her trusty muskets. By this point, Mashu and Saber knew what she was trying to say.

"GET IN! WE NEED TO LEAVE THIS INSTANT!"

Just as she said that, the other two imitated her. Ritsuka blushed at the fact that his Lord held him so close to her chest, it wasn't big but it wasn't small at all either. Was she doing this on purpose... ? or was she just so concentrated on keeping him safe that she didn't mind in the slightest? regardless, Nobunaga didn't hesitate. The three weapons flew at top speed, flying as far as they could from the forest, just as Arash's body disappeared.

It was a race against time.

What would be faster, was the question... Arash's noble phantasm... or Lady Nobunaga's muskets?

"What kind of Noble phantasm summons a meteor from the freaking sky?!"

Yelled out the red-eyed girl, a drop of sweat falling from her forehead. She could feel it, the indescribable amount of mana being poured into the skies thanks to his command. He was truly an amazing guy, to think about taking them down with him... such an indomitable spirit, it almost made her want to laugh. She would've, if she didn't had to save other three people right now.

The swordwomen, who's arms were crossed, let out a small "hmph" at her question. Yes, summoning a meteor wasn't that common of a Noble Phantasm, but her stupid "Three line formation" and the ability to summon hundreds of thousands of flying Matchlock Muskets weren't either. She was just being a stupid hypocrite, and a fool, like always.

"Arash-san Stella has a range of two thousand five hundred kilometers! if we're able to get further away, we should be safe!"

Spoke the Demi-servant, such thing was what finally caused her to burst out laughing. Ritsuka looked up at Nobu's laughing face, taking a good look at her features. The loud sound of her voice, how her lips moved, how her cheeks contorted as her jaw had a slight movement, and the way the wind was blowing past her beautiful black mane. Everything about her seemed so... divine, to the point he couldn't believe he was being held by someone so beautiful.

Someone so... majestic.

"Well then, moment of truth! hold on tight everyone! and you, Master! whatever you do, don't let me go!"

She didn't have to tell him twice. All three of them flew past the doppelgangers of Ushiwakamaru and Benkei, seemingly, neither of the two managed to notice the light coming from the skies. The air was already starting to heat up, a shiver ran down their spines. God damn it, was it already falling so far?

The sound of the wind being crushed as the ball of power slowly but surely got closer to the earth, made it almost sound like an atomic bomb.

Then... it happened.

"[SUTERA]!"

The earth roared as the light swallowed everything in it's path. The ground shattered, the trees were lifted into the skies, and all Ritsuka could see before his gaze turned into black, were the arms of the Demon King of the Sixth heaven embracing him as she did nothing but curse, over, and over, and over again.

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I had a nostalgic dream that night, after almost being killed for the eleventh time since the Grand Order started.

The sun was burning particularly brightly that day, he noted, which is why he had been drinking from his bottle of water on repeated ocassions through the entire day. Ritsuka Fujimaru Emiya Tohsaka let out an annoyed sigh as his small hand went to his forehead, trying to wipe away some of the sweat coursing through his skin, it was useless.

He should've brought not just one, but two. Recess period ended about thirty or so seconds ago, right now, every single one of his classmates were going back into the classroom, preparing themselves to their next history lesson. Rurika's frame greeted him from afar, before smirking happily at the fact that in her right hand, rested a small ice cream, it's leftovers that is.

She was taunting him... that baka... !

Nee-sama... you... !

His tongue came out as his arms crossed, as if he needed it! just because he spent his lunch money on chocolates instead of something cold to fight this heat, didn't meant he would've wanted anything else instead. Rurika of course didn't believed him a thing, still... she simply sat down on her desk, pulling out her textbook... now it was time for them all to face a child's worst enemy.

History.

The blue-eyed kid let out an annoyed sigh. He despised history with burning passion, this was going to suck ten million percent. No more than two minutes after everyone took a seat, an extremely old man with grey hair walked in, carrying a portfolio filled to the brim with his material. Mr Akamatsu, he who was in charge of telling them everything about Japan from it's very conception until the present day. He wasn't a bad guy in the slightest, no no no.

Ritsuka wasn't saying that.

It's just... he hated anything that required for him to think. He always prefered the art class or to practice his writing. Anything related to memory wasn't his forte, so he struggled every single time. At the very least he aimed to have a decent score, unlike his older twin sister who prefered to excel at everything she could. Total opposites indeed.

The old man's lips curved into a smile as he put on his glasses, before bowing respectfully to his students as a way to greet them, coughing shortly after to clear his throat.

"Good morning, children. Hope the day is going well for all of you despite this heat. I promise you that what we're going to study from now on is going to pick your interest. Could any of you tell me... who are the "Three great unifiers" that restored the central government of Japan?"

As always, he had no idea. Ritsuka rested his small head against his left hand while his right already started writing exactly what had told. A small kid with blue hair rose his hand, as he fixed his glasses, trembling lips, obviously becoming the center of attention. No matter, he had to do this, now or never... not like it was a big deal.

"They were Toyotomi Hideyoshi, Tokugawa Leyasu who's the founder of the Tokugawa Shogunate... a-and their lord... "

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.

"Senpai... Senpai! please wake up!"

Mashu's voice brought him back to reality, screaming his name with despair at the thought of losing him. Forty-eight's eyes slowly opened up, noticing how all three women were looking at him. Sakura Saber rested her hand on her blade while Kyrielight's arms held him close, her expression changed into one of relief when her amethyst-colored gaze met his own.

Slowly, his arm went to his head. It felt as if his entire brain had been turned into a pulp. Just how big was the crash? how long had he been unconscious? he could still feel the heat on his face, it had been years since the last time he thought about his childhood, let alone his history lessons.

"I'm ok... I'm ok... thank you Mashu... "

Spoke the teen, nodding at his friend as he slowly stood up to take a look at the destruction Arash's last attack left. A massive crater, having completely wiped out everything in it's path, the green field now turned into a desertic wasteland, no life would ever return to it no matter how much time passed. Nobunaga, he noticed, had her arms crossed with her gaze fixated into the zone.

The wind blowed, waving her long, beautiful black hair and her red cape with it.

If it wasn't for her, they would've all died. Ritsuka's lips curved into a smile as he slowly walked up towards her, ending up at her side, trying to find the words to properly thank her for saving their lives, but for some reason, it wasn't as easy as usual. Luckily, the silence wasn't as awkward as one would think.

Still...

"Demon Archer-sama... I... "

He couldn't continue. Not because he had nothing else to say... but because... Nobbu herself interrupted him. At first it was just a small chuckle, but then it turned into a vigorous laugh. Sakura Saber raised her eyebrows, clearly weirded, while Mashu tilted her head to the left at the sight. The black-haired lady extended her arms to the side, her face now looking up at the sky.

"UWAHAHAHAH~ Absolutely beautiful, beautiful indeed! Look at all the destruction that guy caused! Arash was his name, yes? HA HA HA HA!~ Zehi Mo Nashi!~"

His eyelids opened up slightly. "It can't be helped"?... those were, if his memory wasn't wrong, her last words before dying. Ritsuka's companions and himself kept looking at the woman's glorious back, as she just kept enjoying herself, admiring the absolute destruction the Archer left, under the pale moonlight.

From a certain point of view... perhaps she was right.

He couldn't help falling in love with her after seeing her laughing with all her heart, finding beauty in something as simple as the aftermath of a meteor destroying an entire forest.

.

---

.

No matter how brief our first adventure was, lasting no more than two days... I had a blast with you.

The sound of waves crashing against the sand relaxed him greatly. Ritsuka inhaled long and slowly, enjoying the feeling of his lungs being filled to the brim with the air that was so precious to him. These small moments where nothing bad was happening were his favorites. They had defeated the doppelgangers of Emiya, Medea and Cú Chulainn around fifteen minutes ago, so they took the chance and decided to have an impromptu picnic, considering they were in a small beach.

It made him feel like a normal guy with no other responsibility other than living life as best as he could, and...

Crunch~

Demon Archer's mouth closed itself on the delicious sandwich with chicken and mayonnaise the Shielder had packed on a small box, the meat had a delicious taste, covered in seasonings thanks to Emiya, Boudica and Tamamo cat themselves, that was meant to be their lunch for the next two days, despite being a heroic spirit, it didn't change the fact that Okita and her still loved eating.

Plus, it had such a spicy taste... it felt like her tongue was on fire, just like her soul.

"This is very good. Yes, yes. Very good indeed! The gastronomy of Chaldea seems really tasty!"

Okita let out a small laugh, and so did Mashu and Ritsuka at the sight. It was both adorable and interesting how the moods of Demon Archer-sama seemed to change at random. All that time she'd been acting cold, bloody and cool, but now she was behaving like a humble, nice and very approachable girl, even going as far as to remove her hat to leave her beautiful black hair be fee. Mashu opened her eyes a little bit, noticing how the blonde swordwoman was coughing a little bit.

Most likely the Tuberculosis from her past life acting up again.

"O-Okita-san! please, drink this! I brought some hot chocolate!"

Spoke the pinkette, as a small cup filled with the delicious, precious warm liquid got offered to the Shinsengumi swordwoman. The blonde smiled slightly while muttering "thank you" under her breath, she wasted no time in drinking it, under everyone's gaze. Nobbu gave another bite to her sandwich, as she heard her friend breathe in and out constantly, trying to calm herself down.

Surprisingly, it worked, as expected. Drinking something warm like tea or soup always managed to alleviate her illness back when she was alive, even as a Servant, that fact didn't change.

Fujimaru smiled slightly at the kind and caring interaction both women had, the entire aura surrounding them felt... comfy, as if they had been friends for a good couple of years by this point, and he loved it. The Fool of Owari opened her eyelids slightly, taking a good look at the Master's face, and then her red, blood-colored eyes went down to his hand.

The design of his command spells, irradiating mana alongside his entire being. Mentally, she was already evaluating all their experiences so far. He was first and foremost, kind. Maybe too kind, and extremely naïve, to the point the first thing that came to her mind was the modern term known as "Goody-two-shoes", save the world... ? that was clearly a massive ambition. Perhaps one big enough to destroy himself in the process, and it made Nobunaga frown at the thought.

She was first and foremost a conqueror, the one who unified all of Japan by force.

Certainly... in a way, that's what Ritsuka was doing. He was going to piece together all of history by force, going against anyone who stood in his way.

Even if he died doing so.

"Kuh... fuh... UWAH HAH HAH HAH HAH HAH HAH~"

She couldn't help it. She just couldn't. Just like it happened after Arash's Stella blew up the entire area they were in, barely surviving, Oda Nobunaga exploded into laughing as her own realization, not giving a damn about the faces Kyrielight, Fujimaru and Souji made. The human tilted his head to the left, as a small drop of sweat descended from his left cheek as his eyes perfectly reflected Demon Archer's face. Oh boy, oh boy, what a fool he was!

To think he would decide to sacrifice everything that made him "Himself" for the sake of others! for the sake of walking this path of carnage and selflessness that could only end up in his own destruction, straight to hell!

How could she not admire that?

"ALRIGHT! It's decided! I've certainly made my decision! Listen human, listen well!"

Shouted the black-haired beauty, as her finger pointed towards him. Ritsuka almost jumped, thinking she would shoot him death, but no. His cute reaction increased the size of her smile, as the member of the Shinsengumi squinted her eyelids and Shielder opened up her mouth, Nobunaga stood up, walking towards the boy.

At that very moment, her hand grabbed his right, admiring the command seals imprinted on his skin, before looking up, ending up pointing her thumb towards her chest. For Fujimaru, this was all too sudden for his weak heart, but she couldn't care less.

This was their moment to shine together.

"I am the Demon Archer Nobunaga, the Demon King of the Sixth Heaven! I will allow you to be my Master from now on!"

Dropping such a bomb as her true name without a care in the world nor any preparation whatsoever was shocking, to say the least. Yes, by that moment both him and Mashu knew who she was based solely on the "Mini-Nobbus" and of course, her knowledge of the battle of Okehazama. But still… for her to reveal her true name, just like that?

Alongside those words… those words, she was basically giving him all the trust he could ask for, and more. Nobunaga Oda showcased him her beautiful white teeth in a smile that, in his mind, spoke volumes about how much she seemed to like his useless self, alongside the way of how he commanded all of them in battle.

"I hope we get along well, Fujimaru Ritsuka."

Then she extended her hand out, clearly wishing for a handshake. Now it was his turn to take a good luck at the grey glove covering her skin, and the black sleeve of her uniform. A red tint slowly, but surely made itself present on the man's face, as his heart started to beat in excitement. He had done it, he managed to get into the Daimyo's good graces purely out of luck, still not understanding how… but happy about the fact that indeed, not only Chaldea gained another ally…

But he managed to meet one of Japan's most important figures as well.

That day, in a pocket-dimension based solely of Oda Nobunaga's memories and greatest enemies, not an alliance, but a bond was forged, witnessed only by Mashu Kyrielight, Okita Souji, and the beautiful blue sea. The waves kept crashing against the sand, almost as if they celebrated the moment their hands touched each other, Ritsuka Fujimaru nodded slightly at Demon Archer's words, before smiling at her in the exact same way, showing her his teeth.

"Yeah… it's pleasure to meet you, Nobbu!"

To say those words, actually, took more courage than you could've imagined. I knew it at that very moment, as your hand squeezed mine… that I had completely fallen for you.

.

---

.

-[Fragment 2: Walking the same path]-

To say that after that adventure, Nobbu became one of Chaldea's most dependable and strongest allies would be a severe understatement. Even after many other heroic spirits with incredible power joined in their ranks such as Arjuna, Karna, Artoria Pendragon Lancer Alter, and even Cú Chulainn alter and his mistress, Medb…

Nobbu was both strong and smart enough on the battlefield to command her own platoon when necessary. One never knew what could happen, which is why the "strategists" more often than not split themselves from Ritsuka's side in the simulator and made "wars" against their own to both train their minds, and the servants they commanded.

Even so… Nobbu always went into the battlefield with him, going as far as to give him one of her matchlocks, stuck to him like a shadow, ready to kill anything or anyone that thought of him as a weakness. A small laugh escaped Ritsuka's lips as his right hand caressed his shoulder, still slightly stiff after training with both Scathach and Li Shuwen that day.

Despite being February 14th, he had no time to rest at all. He received quite a lot of chocolate that day, but… honestly? Despite him feeling happy when Mashu and others gave him a small prize for his efforts and natural kindness, it wasn't exactly what he was expecting, since the moment he opened his eyes that morning…

His first thought was her.

That was our first Valentine's day together… and when I was going to bed that night, I really thought you had forgotten me… I should've known better…

Perhaps he wasn't that important after all. A disappointed sigh escaped his lips, just as she would usually say…

"Zehi mo nashi…"

He muttered, pressing the keypads of his door wishing to get into his room. The password had been changed into being his birthday. The door went up, and while he expected to be greeted by nothing but darkness… Ritsuka's mouth opened in shock when he noticed how instead, two red candles rested in the middle of the room, with a small plate in between.

On it, a skull… made out of chocolate.

"Huh… ?"

The moment he muttered anything at all, the door closed behind him… and then he saw her. Resting on a small throne made out of stone, or what seemed to be stone, the naked body of his closest ally greeted him with her head resting against her knuckles, part of her beautiful black hair fell, perfectly covering her nipples so they couldn't be seen.

Her legs were crossed as well, not allowing him to peek into the sacred treasure that was her genitalia.

He felt like he could have a heart-attack at that very moment, the expression he made alongside the step he took were absolutely cute in her eyes. Nobunaga let out a small chuckle as her beautiful, pink lips curved themselves into a smile. She had been preparing herself and learning in secret all about this festivity, solely to make him and him alone happy.

So far… ? he was exceeding her expectations.

"Good evening, Ritsuka… and Happy Valentine's day. You've been working very hard lately, so I decided to give you a special reward. Accept it with gratitude."

She spoke, using quite the serious and deep tone, it wasn't her usually cheerful, happy and kind childish voice that she used on their daily life, no. This was her "formal" Daimyo-like voice, that she probably used whenever she wanted to make a point. In this case, her point was her affection. Demon Archer's hand extended itself with her open palm towards the table, as her master slowly walked up towards it.

This allowed him to admire the brownish construction, the smell of cacao quickly invaded his nose, he had eaten plenty of chocolate by that point, so one would've thought he was more than satisfied… yet he forgot all about that the moment he admired the beautifully crafted chocolate his partner made for him.

The brunette couldn't help but smile, as her scarlet eyes shone in the darkness, filled with joy as she kept admiring his baffled expression. It should be illegal to be that cute at the age of 18, she would certainly have to execute him one of these days for his insolence, yes, yes.

"I had this skull chocolate custom made. Well? Pretty badass, right? Do you love it? You love it, don't you… ?"

She continued, teasing him. Of course he did, Ritsuka sat in the chair she had prepared for him, looking even closer… it even had eye sockets, despite these being empty. It wasn't a threat in the slightest of course, it was a genuine question, but the tone of her voice seemed so… deep and sensual that it made it seem as if she was about to explode.

From a certain point of view one could say that was actually the case. Nobunaga couldn't help but laugh, as she slowly stood up from her chair. Forty-eight's mouth opened even more as he saw her beautiful figure, covered only by her red cape, slowly make it's way towards him. He could see them, her boobs, bouncing with each step, despite the black hairlocks keeping the pink buttons hidden away.

"Wahahahaha~ well, aren't you downright adorable… ? come on, I'll cut it up for you myself."

No more than twenty seconds after she said that, the chocolate got split in half, each side of the skull falling into their direction. Ritsuka didn't knew when or how it happened, but he could already guess it was a product of Nobbu's swordsmanship. A small "thank you" escaped his lips, making her smile. Then he grabbed his part of the candy between his fingers, taking it closer to his mouth.

His heart was beating extremely fast, not only due to Nobbu being literally naked right in front of him, but also at the thought of the taste. The Daimyo mimicked his movements almost perfectly, to the point their mouths closed at the same time. The delicacy melted into his tongue almost instantly… indeed, it was chocolate.

And it was…

"Delicious… "

A simple answer, to a simple matter, just as Nobbu expected out of a commoner like him. Bite after bite, they both kept eating the gift she made for him in unison, enjoying the silent meal with nothing but the darkness and those two lights. Ritsuka could barely distinguish Nobunaga amidst all that darkness.

But he could still see well enough to know she was smiling.

"Mm… as I expected, having chocolate with you makes it taste even better. Now, I expect you to work even harder from here on"

Said Demon Archer out of nowhere, giving her own creation another small bite. Fujimaru's lips curved themselves into a smile. Yes, this was both a treat, a gift and also an order from his partner, from his friend… from the person he loved, and there was no way he would refuse. Truth be told, he was kind of excited and happy at the same time, she had gone as far as to design and learn how to make chocolate, just for him.

She prepared this small scenario with him in mind. How could he not feel his insides tingling out of joy? Ritsuka couldn't help it, he just couldn't. Zehi Mo nashi indeed!

"T-thank you, Nobbu. I was honestly… kind of sad, thinking you had forgotten about me today, but… I'm happy to be proven wrong. I truly am! You're very important to me, so… this mean a lot to me"

He spoke, nodding in her direction as his eyes looked at the last bits of chocolate left in his palm. Admiring them closely, this chocolate, this skull, it embodied everything Nobbu felt for him. All her feelings, her trust, her friendship, every battle they shared and moment they spent together since they met last year…

That's what that skull represented.

He couldn't help but drag it closer to his chest, where his heart was, and then giggle. Perhaps he seemed like a dummy at that very moment, but he couldn't care less. The Fool of Owari opened her eyes in disbelief, her brain slowly tried to register and make sense of what she had just heard. This idiot… how could he be this cute, this naïve, this… nice? It made him seem like a treasure, or a sun.

And if there was something Oda Nobunaga loved… were treasures.

"I didn't expect you to be so devoted… It seems that I've underestimated you."

Next thing he knew, the table disappeared, and so did the candles above it. The Master let out a small scream of shock when a hand pushed him with enough force for his body to hit the bed. The mattress squeaked under him, feeling the weight: Fujimaru raised his body in surprise, what the heck was that?

His heart skipped a beat as now, the beautiful, small yet strong shape of Archer rested above him, not letting him stand up. The cape still covered her body, but he couldn't say the same for her hair. He had a full view of her nipples, and her naked figure after his eyes got accustomed to the darkness.

Nobunaga knew exactly what she was doing, because she pressed her naked lower half against his hip, searching for his crotch.

"W-wha-wha-wha-wha—"

He couldn't speak. Despite him being a healthy young man in his early eighteen's, he had never seen a naked woman so close to himself. Nobunaga was practically ready to ride him just like a horse. The girl with red-eyes laughed once again, her left arm extending itself towards his face. Ritsuka finally stopped trembling the moment her hand made contact with his chin: her skin was so soft and warm.

The Daimyo's fingers caressed his cheek with her thumb, yes. She had decided… this would be the night were she'll break the barriers herself. Regardless of him having the courage to not do it, she wouldn't lose the opportunity to declare her feelings towards this idiot of a master she had.

"What's wrong… ? come closer, the night is long… "

Then she grabbed his chin, using her index finger and her thumb. Despite her body being covered by shadows, he could still see them perfectly; that beautiful pair of ruby-colored eyes, that had captivated him the moment she saved his life back in November. Nobbu let out a small laugh, her face slowly getting closer and closer to his.

He knew what she wanted… and what would happen.

"Let's… talk"

And Ritsuka didn't do anything to stop her, the moment her lips clashed against his own, she took his first kiss with no effort at all. Just as Oda Nobunaga ordered, all they would do that night was talk…

Using their bodies.

.

---

.

Things were never the same after that day. They were already close, yet… something changed. There wasn't a need for words, weirdly enough. By the time they were done, they had never said those three words that, while being so simple, carried so much meaning. No one seemed to notice at first, but it was for the better.

Ritsuka kept being Ritsuka. Nobbu kept being Nobbu, and that was that. Even if now she held his hand more often during battle exercises, the Demon King of the Sixth heaven was a master at keeping their relationship hidden from everyone's view, almost as good as she was at a ruler.

And then… June arrived. With it, the Sixth singularity.

The realm of Camelot.

CLASH

One thing led to another, and eventually… Chaldea ended up facing against Gawain inside of the Holy City. Despite him not wanting to separate himself from her, Nobbu was adamant that he, Mashu and the rest should leave at once, having to take out Mordred on their own in order to reach the throne room where Artoria was, most likely, waiting for them.

Her blade, albeit small, carried enough force to clash against Excalibur Galatine with no effort whatsoever. The blonde knight gritted his teeth while a vein popped up in his forehead, knowing full well he needed to kill this woman and assist his king at once. They had done so much and sacrificed way too much for all to end up like this, at the hands of these nobodies.

"Why… why don't you just die already, woman?!"

He shouted at the top of his lungs, his entire right arm starting to shine with the power of the sun. Despite this being his element, somehow, Nobbu was going toe to toe with him, something that he couldn't comprehend in the slightest. The black-haired Daimyo had her face covered by shadows, nothing but two red dots remaining as she received the entire hit from Saber's body, the man quickly grabbed the woman's leg, hitting her against the floor as if she was a ragdoll.

Nobbu's mouth opened as she felt her ribs and back breaking, Gawain took the opportunity to bathe Excalibur Galatine in the power of the sun, quickly hitting her with it wanting to split her in two. However, his weapon got stopped by four muskets that worked as a shield, as Archer quickly rolled on the floor, standing up on her legs shortly after.

The man growled, trying to crush them to continue his assault, yet he was too slow. The Japanese woman simply pointed her open palm at him, before crushing it.

BANG BANG BANG BANG

It made no sense to him. How? How were simple bullets able to pierce through his body, how were simple bullets able to hurt him to this degree? She had been strong enough to even go as far as to deflect Sir Tristan's attacks the entire time, Gawain's body covered itself in the beautiful light of the Father Star, healing every single one of his wounds while it acted like a shield.

Rather than demoralize her… it just made her laugh.

"Why, you say… ? because… they're counting on me. He is counting on me. Listen to me, o gracious Knight of the Sun"

The beautiful land that Artoria Pendragon Lancer, the Lion King herself had crafted was burning due to the multiple battles that were happening everywhere. Even if Ozymandias had been turned into nothing but ashes, Chaldea kept going forward, stronger than ever. Yes, this wasn't Japan, and yes, she wasn't like Vlad Tepes, able to turn any land into her territory… but that didn't change the fact that at her core…

"I am Oda Nobunaga! Demon king of the sixth heaven! And you will not see the end of this day!"

And this the red shower happened. Gawain let out a roar as he jumped to meet up with the woman, deflecting any and all her shots as she jumped into one of her flying guns. Nobbu started to fly through Camelot while the brother of Gareth jumped using the buildings themselves as platforms to follow her.

"YOU WILL NOT ESCAPE FROM ME!"

Yelled out the blonde swordsman; the moment his body landed in one of the buildings of his king's sacred land, it exploded into pieces as he jumped to continue his pursuit, Nobunaga couldn't help but let out a laugh at the sight, this guy was truly something else, but she honestly couldn't care less.

Even so, she couldn't be picky nor an idiot with her attacks. This bastard of a knight had the sun on his side for eternity, one or two good strikes and she would be dead. What would happen then? Nobukatsu's sister asked to herself, as she jumped in mid-air, spinning just in time to avoid a slash from the Round Table knight.

Gareth's brother had an expression of rage and frustration, waving his sword left and right letting out multiple slashes of fire from his blade, trying to hit the Archer servant as her speed started to increase, Nobunaga managed to take a turn just in time for a slash to hit a nearby building, completely destroying it.

Death

Is what would happen. This monster would go after Master and the others, he would overwhelm them alongside that son of a bitch Agravain and that whore Artoria Pendragon, and Ritsuka would die. As powerful as Mashu Kyrielight was, her and Bedivere alone wouldn't be able to defend Fujimaru against three monsters. Her only duty was to keep Gawain here, and destroy him at any cost while they killed the Lion King.

That much…

Was a promise.

"GOT YOU!"

Nobu's eyes opened the moment she saw the Saber class servant literally coming out of nowhere, Galatine raised to the heavens, bathed in fire and the sunlight as his body clashed against hers. How? When? The woman pulled out her blade and casted multiple muskets to try and protect herself as much as she could from the strike, growling.

"YOU BASTAAAAAAAARD!"

Shouted the Demon King, even if the wood-made weapons were somehow managing to soften up the hit, it wasn't working full well as one would expect. Excalibur Galatine was a beast, and so was its wielder. Gawain's full body kept falling as the fiery blade broke the weapons, making contact with the woman, the fiery aura made them both look like a small meteorite.

"Die!"

He growled, trying to cut her small body in two, but she wasn't going down. No, not like this, not like this. Nobunaga felt her skin starting to burn alongside her clothes, her muscle, her spirit origin, but even so, even so she wasn't going to die like a piece of trash in this godforsaken kingdom, she still hadn't united the world by force, she still hadn't saved the world yet.

She still hadn't—

BOOOOOOOOOM

.

---

.

Right at the top of the castle, at the same time the sister of Oda Nobukatsu fought for her life, same could be said for Shielder, Humanity's last master, and the only one who could bring any sort of peace and close to the woman standing right in front of them. Artoria Pendragon, Lancer Class, the Lion King of the Sixth Singularity.

She barely had any scratch on her body, meanwhile Ritsuka felt as if his magic circuits were burning, melting. He wanted to puke, he needed to puke. For how long had they been fighting? He thought the worst had gone by the moment they dealt with Mordred and the Hassans split themselves to finish off Lord Tristan, but compared to everything they had gone through so far…

This was a nightmare.

His uniform was sticking to his skin, his breathing was heavy, and his head hurt. But even so, his desire to live pushed him forward. The Blue-eyed Magus squeezed his fist, looking at the blonde woman in front of him who tilted her head to the left slightly, the aura coming from the sacred spear seemed to increase, was she getting annoyed?

No. She was preparing herself to unleash Rhongomyniad a fourth time. And then… he heard it. He felt it.

His eyes widened, as his face turned downwards to the earth, where the empty city was.

"Nobu…"

"SENPAI! LOOK OUT!"

Mashu's voice forced him to focus his gaze to Lancer once again, as her body teleported itself into the heavens to fall like a shooting star. As Bedivere's arm started to shine as well in order to attack her once Kyrielight casted Lord Camelot, the child of Rin Tohsaka and Shirou Emiya couldn't help but squeeze his fist. He needed to remain calm, they had gone way too far for him to die here, for her to die.

It was the duty of a Master… no, of a Retainer to have faith in his lord.

"Just leave it to me. As long as I live, no harm will come to you, Fujimaru Ritsuka"

.

---

.

The Knight let out a sigh as his hulking figure towered above the girl's small frame, his legs having crushed her ribs as his blade sank itself into her shoulder. He was sure he had dealt lethal damage to her existence even without the need of piercing her spirit core, so it was ok. Right now, his place was at his king's side.

More than likely the human mage had reached her if those blinding lights he had seen were any indication. Gawain waved Galatine to the left for a brief moment, causing all the blood it was soaked in to go away, and then he started to walk towards the stairs that would take him towards the castle.

If it wasn't for…

"Oi… you bastard…"

Gawain was a trained knight. "Knight of the sun". "White Knight of the Round table". Unmatched under the sun. His sword Galatine said to be the sister of his King's Excalibur. As such, no one but sir Lancelot and the king himself should be able to stand to his might and put him in his place… and even then, now he had been blessed with the holy grail.

He should be invincible indeed. But even so… instincts now told him… to be afraid.

As the small frame of that woman clad in black clothes, his cloak already shattered started to stand up from the floor, almost like a demon; one could clearly see the massive wound in her chest, and part of her bones exposed alongside the blood coming out of her shoulder, it was a miracle her arm was still in place. Nobu's face was covered in shadows… and the only thing one could see among that hair as black as the starless night…

Was that demonic-like red gaze, staring down at him as if…

As if a Skeleton of a thousand arms was coming out of the gates of hell.

"Where do you think you're going… ?"

Something changed. Gawain's grip on Galatine tightened as the skies seemed to turn red, a vortex of black/reddish magic surrounded the Daimyo who's arm she shouldn't be able to utilize moved to grab her sword, while the other one summoned one of her muskets. A drop of sweat fell from the knight's nape.

A reality marble… ?! no— what is this?!

His body disappeared in a single moment, he had to finish her, he had to cut her head now. Nobu's body contorted to the side unnaturally as she evaded Gawain's strike, he barely managed to take part of her hair with him. The blonde turned around instantly, wanting to hammer down his blade straight into Oda's chest.

Until her blade extended to the left: summoning nine muskets right at his side at blank point, forcing him to use his body to block the rain of bullets. A vein appeared on his forehead; Gareth's brother was now using his weapon and his other arm to counter all the attacks in his direction, but something changed, something felt different.

This Archer…

Nobunaga disappeared from the floor with such speed it cracked underneath her feet. Her speed after all, was one of her greatest strengths alongside her endurance, even if she might not be as fast as Okita Souji, she wasn't a turtle in the slightest. The Daimyo appeared right in the air in front of Saber, his rage-filled face clashed with the pitch-black void that was her face.

Her hand extended towards him, casting another set of guns ready to fire just as he coated his blade in fire, preparing himself to unleash a massive wave that would turn her, and everything behind her into nothing but ashes. Rather than be scared, however, the small little woman seemed to… smile.

Almost as if a demon was staring back at him, daring him to try and make his move.

"O FLAME! DESTROY!"

He shouted at the top of his lungs, waving his sword towards Nobunaga's direction as more and more muskets seemed to appear behind her very being; from the shadow casted by her frame, to even behind her arms and legs like a pocket dimension, as if they weren't being summoned from scratch, but simply pulled off from behind her like a pocket. Was she… improving? Was it possible for a servant like her to improve during battle?

Questions that he discarded immediately. Waving his sword two-handed to the left, the Round table Servant let out a roar as a massive burst of flame erupted from his blade towards the woman, Nobunaga extended her arms to the side as she saw the orange tide engulfing everything in front of her, this feeling, this feeling, she was losing herself, she was losing herself in the combat, the adrenaline, the hate, the excitement, the pain—

"HAHAHAHAHAHAH!"

The madness.

A red tide got summoned simply due to how much weapons she was shooting. Both attacks clashed in the middle of the city, causing it to start tremble, Gawain couldn't believe it. How much? How much mana was this woman using? How much weapons were aiming straight at him at the same time to be able to counter-attack a literal fire tsunami casted from his blade? His blade pointed towards his attack, channeling the sunlight.

His eyes looked upwards, to the once, beautiful blue sky… now tainted a crimson red.

What kind of servant is she?

He needed to step up his game. Coating his blade in a second wave of fire, the man hammered it down after extending his sword drastically, wanting to split open the clash of magic happening right before his eyes. Nobunaga jumped immediately into one of her muskets, flying away in order to avoid the descending slash just on time, of course, he didn't lose sight of her. In her path, the daimyo was summoning even more and more guns, trying to surround him from all sides and shoot him to death.

"STOP STRUGGLING AND DIE ALREADY!"

He yelled at, before grabbing his blade in an inversed way; sinking its tip into the floor to channel more of his magic; an unfinished pattern was forcibly casted into it, a half-assed version of his noble phantasm he planned to use as a way to get rid of all the weapons surrounding him before they could fire—

But he was too slow.

BANG BANG BANG BANG BANG

They all shot straight at him, forcing him to close his eyes as his armor started to crack more and more. The bullets hit him completely; from his head to his feet, and they kept going, the red shower of death continued, and even then the Knight prevailed. He wouldn't fall, he couldn't, he had to slay this demon at any cost.

"HRAAAAAGH!"

Nobunaga's mouth opened in delight as she started to ascend to the heavens, going even above the clouds in an effort to avoid being hit by the fire; the more the battle continued, the more evident it was that Gawain wasn't caring at all about the fact that he was destroying his King's land. She saw how the earth busted open, as if it a volcano had been erupting right underneath Artoria's kingdom.

Such an idiot…

The Daimyo fell from the sky with blade in hand, starting to shoot the musket she was carrying while she casted more and more, her mind was already starting to lose itself the less blood she had, but somehow, her body, her spirit, she felt more determined and alive than ever before… she still hadn't she still hadn't she still hadn't—

By the time he stopped, he was sure that almost eighty percent of Camelot had been reduced to ashes, if not more. His face turned upwards, sensing how his opponent was diving in his direction to clash with him at full speed and full force. Sending wave after wave of fire after her would be useless, she would just move her body and avoid them… therefore, his only alternative was to meet her blade with his own.

Gawain's grip on Galatine increased its strength as he repelled the bullets, he already formulated a plan, he would clash blades with Nobunaga and push upwards, either cutting her in two, or if she managed to repel it, throwing her into the floor and then finishing her.

"Come on… come on… I'm right… "

Muttered Gareth's brother, still repelling the barrage of bullets Oda kept shooting at him. He could hear her, maniacally laughing as her blade seemed to channel the very little fire-control she had, in a poor effort to fight back against Galatine. This brat really believed she could compare herself with the power of the Sun? she was nothing but a firefly trying to defeat an Exploding supernova. Closer, closer, her aiming became more precise, yet he repelled it all regardless.

Clink clink it sounded, bang bang roared the red skies as the bloody shape of Oda Nobunaga, Fool of Owari, Humanity's protector in service of Chaldea finally was face to face with Gawain. Her fiery red gaze and cackling silhouette clashed swords just in the nick of time against the Round Table's knight.

"HERE!"

He shouted, the moment the metal sounded and her Heshiriki clashed against Galatine, Gawain's eyelids squinted in victory, preparing himself to push her body right into the ground to try and either cut her body in two, or just decapitate her head… but as if it was in slow motion, he saw it… the white void that was her smile— it… laughed.

Clack

"What— ?!"

"Heh"

Right behind her popped an entire platoon of muskets, and then the blonde realized it. While she was falling, she was using her own body as a way to cover up the long, long line of weapons she was casting while dragging them behind her back like a train, Nobunaga being the head of it and each musket following close behind her as a way to hide them from his view.

He was so focused on her body… he didn't even notice them.

"YOU—!"

"[Sanzen sekai]"

What came next… could only be described as a red sea. The woman who tried to unify all of Japan by force disappeared at the very last second before her own Noble Phantasm managed to hit her, as the foundations that made the realm of Camelot started to tremble, over three-thousand arquebuses all pointing towards the man who fought with the sun itself and the floor beneath him.

The skies and now earth itself were bleeding in red as Gawain felt how his body started to receive every single shot from all sides, the ground broke, his body carrying with itself a blessing, a "Mystery" no matter how weak it was, was still a mystery. He was the child of Morgan Le Fae, the incarnation of all mystery in Britain, and what's more, he was a Servant. All things that made him the perfect target for Nobunaga's armory.

His screams of pain as even then he tried to fight back and cast his noble phantasm couldn't be silenced by the red bullets, yet it only seemed to enrage their master, for the speed of their shooting increased even more. He tried to, he really tried to extend his arm to reach Galatine and trigger his noble phantasm in response, but he couldn't. Not when slowly but surely his arms were being torn apart, his muscles, his bones, everything was being destroyed by the merciless assault as the black-haired female watched floating from the heavens, like a demon looking down at an ant.

"HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"

She couldn't fight it, she really couldn't. The Demon Archer, like a concertmaster waved her hands in total control of his fate, his destiny. Darkness devoured and swallowed the sun itself, until… it all stopped. Nobu laughed no more, and the tremors that "Three Line Formation" were causing stopped, alongside the rain of bullets. The Daimyo landed gracefully on the floor, with her gaze fixated on where the body of Gawain rested.

It disappeared into a cloud of golden dust, as the blue sky and yellow sun came back to shine brightly one last time, Oda Nobunaga let out a sigh of relief. Her chest, her body, everything hurt… but she was still here. She was still alive, victorious, despite everything, despite the hardships, she always, always prevailed.

Because that was her duty as his Lord… and because she still hadn't told him her feelings. She wouldn't die… ever. Not until she had the strength to mutter those three words, one day, he would know.

They all would.

She stumbled and struggled to stand, the Daimyo let out a small groan; extending her almost severed arm to a nearby wall to try and use it as a support. Would she vanish? Would she disappear and scatter in the wind like the Knight of the Sun, and all servants?... it would be fine, even if she vanished, she would be re-summoned back in Chaldea, wouldn't she? She would see him again, he would be there to meet her and she would be there to see him, that was their—

"NOBBUUUUU!"

There he was. Even in the middle of such an important fight, the fool, that idiot, her idiot of a Retainer/Master found the time to be an even bigger idiot, and an even bigger fool than her. Archer's blood-covered eyes looked upwards as his figure appeared, screaming her name while he ran outside the palace, completely exhausted, battered and with an expression of pure horror after taking a good look at her.

Gosh, it couldn't be helped.

Nobunaga let out a small laugh as her lips contorted into a bright smile, her small body fell into the arms of the man who summoned her after taking no more than two steps. Ritsuka embraced his Lord as tightly as he could, but tenderly, not caring at all about the fact that doing it would stain his uniform with blood… well, more than what it already had. She did it. She won, and they did as well.

"I… won… Ritsuka… are you… happy?"

She asked to the beautiful blue sky, looking upwards. The battle between Mashu Kyrielight, Bedivere, her Master and the Lion King was still going on… or so she had thought. Apparently, their fights ended at the same time, if not by a short margin. The black-haired man caressed her back, nodding eagerly at her question. Yes, yes he was. He was proud, he was happy, and terrified at seeing her.

She almost… lost an entire arm, for the love of god. How could she smile so brightly in a moment like that?

"Hey… Master… "

The moment he looked down at her… she raised her feet.

Chu~

His heart already beating with adrenaline almost suffered an attack at that very moment. Despite her popping his Cherry a long time ago by that point, she always found a way to take him by surprise. Nobu's lips had a taste to them that, somehow, always reminded him of roses, coupled with the fact that they were covered in blood, made it all the more… sexier, in a bizarre way.

Archer's superior strength pulled his body into her embrace, Forty-eight closed his eyes eventually, fighting back against her tongue as his hands sank themselves on her black hair, performing an extremely basic Mana transfer, yet one that they both enjoyed regardless. He needed it, she needed it, they both needed it. Not only the kiss, but to feel each other's presence.

Their aura.

To reaffirm… that they were there indeed.

The moment the kiss broke, Nobbu's arm finally started to heal itself as she felt her spirit origin and body stabilize themselves, she let go. Nobukatsu's sister laughed a little bit, clearly amused at the baffled, dumb expression her love was making. The "seriousness" of her mood still hadn't been washed away, to which she took the chance to wipe off her blood from his lips, to make sure Mashu wouldn't suspect anything.

Their relationship, after all, was still a secret.

"So?... Are you proud of the servant you've summoned so far, Fujimaru Ritsuka?"

How could he not was the real question she should've asked instead. The Chaldean man got pulled out of his stupor when he saw her cloak materialize to cover up her wounded body. Just like back then, when she asked him if the demon ate his tongue. He had grown accustomed to it, in the end… his Lord was just that impressive.

"Of course… of course I am… Demon Archer-sama."

.

---

.

-[Fragment 3: One last dance]-

They both went through a lot of things together in the spawn of one year. Then again, she was one of his best servants, what else was to expect about the one and only Demon King of the Sixth heaven? 2019 was a year filled with revelations and adventures, to the point Ritsuka couldn't help but look at it with nostalgia.

First there was the small meeting with Chacha, Nobukatsu, Okita's leader, Toshizo Hijikata, and how he ended up "betraying" the Shinsengumi to ally himself with her, no matter how much it pained him to see Okita sad, that was it… of course, dealing with Chacha, her castle, Hijikata and that stupid demon pilar that pretended to be her husband.

It was so cute to know she indeed had a soft spot for her brother despite all their history, and damn it all, Nobu acting like an "Auntie" to Chacha was a sight he could never, ever get tired of. Who could've guessed the almighty Fool of Owari could be so freaking cute, doting, protecting and caring when she put her mind into it?

But what truly shocked him and made him laugh the most that day, was what she said the moment the small brown-haired Berserker appeared for the first time, moments before she made her triumphal entrance and pledged alliance to Chaldea to save earth.

"Ah! Now Chacha's here too. Yep, yep. Just like me, she's a cutie. I shall give her a tour of Chaldea. And you, Master, can lead the way and show ME around!"

Really? Was his beloved conqueror really that much of a dummy? After spending almost two entire years on Chaldea, she still couldn't differentiate where the freaking cafeteria was or how to get to the command room on her own without ending on the storage rooms? It was absolutely ridiculous, but…

"It can't be helped, can't it?"

He brushed it off, and that was it. But summer… oh, summer. No matter how much Ishtar looked like his Mother, as Gilgamesh would often call her, she was still the same useless goddess. That personality was almost 60 to 80% the Mesopotamian goddess, he was sure of it, Ritsuka knew what his own Mom was capable of, and causing a disaster of such proportions wasn't something that reminded him of the one and only Rin Tohsaka.

But… he had a blast all the way, the entire time, supporting his Demon King alongside Mashu the entire time, her and Mysterious Heroine X, through every single valley, the entire time, no matter what came their way. Penthesilea, Artemis, or even being trapped inside Medb's prison. Ritsuka was happy, because Nobu was happy.

And what's more… she truly had talent for Rock. That guitar of hers and the way she lighted up the freaking surface drove him insane, the water sticking to her jacket or her shirt, and how her third ascension lighted up her raven-colored hair into a blazing red like the skies whenever she used her noble phantasm—

As shameful as it was to admit it, he spent the entire summer devouring her with his gaze, and Nobbu knew she was driving him insane. It stroked her pride, massaged her ego, inflated it to an unfathomable degree. It made her fight even harder, because ever since that Valentine's day where they became one, she had been wanting to repeat the wonders of Mana transfer again.

That night at the prison… she told him how she felt… kind of.

.

---

.

CLINK CLINK CLANK CLANK

The entire room was sweaty, and how could it not be? All the racers, Mashu and Ritsuka themselves now were doing their best to try and make tunnels underneath Medb's prison endlessly, and had been at it for around half a day, and they were still too far from finishing if what Enkidu had said was anything to go by.

But that also was an issue for Humanity's last master… not only he was surrounded by beautiful women, but now they were sweating as if they were under the freaking sun. It reminded him way too much of his first summer on the deserted island with Tamamo, Mashu, Mordred, Scathach and the others. Now they were in here with him, with their swimsuits on, wildly moving their bodies just so they could have a chance to escape.

That's precisely why he was resting against a rock drinking some water, his hands hurt, and they hurt him a lot. That was… until a small flick of fingers on his head made him look up, just as he had expected, she was clad in sweat, her black hair stuck to her forehead, and her breathing was heavy, but even so… Nobukatsu's older sister refused to back down from work, not until they were free from this hell.

Not until she won this race and beat the crap out of that pink-haired skank for trapping her in this hole, she wouldn't rest… but her current actions were motivated by something else, not by her desire for victory, but rather… her own heartache and that weird, sting feeling invading her right now.

"Hey… Ritsuka… can I sit with you a little?"

She asked, slightly with a bit of shame and embarrassment. As time went on, the "masculine" boastful personality Nobunaga had prevailed, yes, of course, it was part of her, but also her feminine charm, the realization of her being a woman and him a man made itself present as well. The Demon King of the Sixth heaven became more… lady-like, even if just a little bit, after sharing and spending so much time together.

Truth was… she felt a little bit inferior, after seeing how he sometimes gazed towards Mashu, or the other women with big breasts such as Raikou, Sanzang, Scheherazade, Frankenstein... Nobu's breasts weren't small in the slightest, but she wasn't tall nor anything of the sort. The Black-haired took off her hat.

He knew her. He knew her way too much to know something was bothering her and a lot, and he disliked the idea. Her eyes weren't as bright and energetic as they were meant to be. Nobu was… depressed.

"Of course. I would love to, Nobu. What's… what's wrong? Are you tired? Would you like some water?"

He asked, offering his bottle to the now Berserker class woman, who gently rejected it. They couldn't tell what time it was but clearly it wasn't daytime. He was getting sleepy, and they had been at it for a good while by this point, the communications with Chaldea were cut-off completely, and if it wasn't for mini-Ishtar, they wouldn't be aware of their current situation.

Now this was… kinda hard and awkward. To talk about her feelings and insecurities wasn't something Nobu was accustomed to do, but what else was to it? It was just talking. Openly telling him how she felt and… wait for him to response. Everyone was still working, Mashu included, but the moment anyone came back from digging their tunnel, would see how close they were, alone, and rumors would spread like wildfire.

Even so… to heck with it. She was the god-damn Demon King of the Sixth heaven.

He was, and would listen to her one way or another. It was part of her new nature as a Berserker, after all, now she had Madness Enhancement C.

"Master. Ritsuka. We need to talk."

Spoke the Daimyo, using a stern serious tone that took him by surprise, at first she was acting in a very cute and adorable way, but now she seemed so… imposing. Not cheerful as in a "Nobu way" but in a "Listen to me" mood that shocked him. Fujimaru looked around, Gorgon was sleeping and the rest of the racers were still digging tunnels, Mashu herself included who decided to keep going, so that left the two of them alone for a moment.

In all honesty? He liked the idea.

"Yes? What's wrong? Do you need mana? I don't mind sharing some blood if—"

"No, that's not it, Ritsuka. I'm fine— just… this place. What's your take on it? What's your take on all of us?"

The red-eyed girl spoke, waving her hand around herself for a while, causing the Master to raise his eyebrow. Well, he had never been arrested in his entire life, neither his older sister. He was a decent person, so for his first experience in a prison it wasn't… that bad. He wasn't alone and received food from time to time, but he missed the exterior, the wind, and the sense of freedom, something he couldn't experience even when they got out from time to time during the day when Medb gave them permission to.

Ritsuka missed the sun. He missed Chaldea, and the water… and the excitement of… everything. The outside.

Master would've replied his Servant's question had he not looked into her eyes once again, and then it hit him. The way Nobu was looking at him, how a small drop of sweat fell from her forehead without her giving a damn, those two big, shiny, dark rubies she had as eyes reflected him perfectly… but there was something else behind her gaze.

A sort of… light, a shine he recognized instantly. Ever since their first Valentine together, ever since she claimed him as hers, and he claimed her as his, something inside Lady Oda Nobunaga changed for the better. She seemed prettier, happier, brighter, her laugh was louder, she fought harder, her defense was sturdier, and her strategics on the battlefield surpassed those of Caesar and Leonidas combined.

She was changing and improving as the days went on… because he motivated her. He knew at that instant, that she was looking for his approval. For his support. Her heart, her womanly heart needed to be reassured by the man she loved to continue, to know he only cared about her, that he needed no one else, that— that he only…

She was truly… an air-headed idiot.

His arms took the woman by surprise. Had they been truly alone, he would've taken her lips as well, but he couldn't. Not with everyone present, not with Mashu being so close, first he needed to reunite the courage and bravery to formally and openly reject her feelings, despite everything they had gone through together, his heart already belonged to another. She would always be his friend, his Kohai, yes…

But Nobu was…

"Don't be a bigger Fool than that you already are… Just because I'm staring at other women… there's only one person in this godforsaken place who shines brighter than the sun"

He muttered, low enough to make sure nobody could hear him. Her head rested on his shoulder as his hands gently went up and down, caressing the silk-like black mane she had. The former Archer-class servant opened her eyelids as a red tint spread across her face. Ritsuka's embrace, so warm, so tight, she could almost feel his chest pounding, hear his heartbeat. This was also hard for him, but it was what she needed.

And a good Retainer always pleased his Lord.

"I can't be helped, Nobu… because I love you, and only you."

There it was. What she was looking for. What she loved and adored oh, so desperately. Nobunaga had tasted victory in many occasions, but never, ever before had she triumphed on the battlefield of love, until meeting this man. It was a war against many women who, desperately, wanted to take her Retainer away from her, and she couldn't have it. So far, her fiercest rival was the pinkette herself, Mashu Kyrielight… and of course… those who were more developed than her.

But hearing him talk to her like this, the way he held her… the way she made his heart beat so fiercely out of shame and excitement, and how much he made her experience emotionally, how her own spirit origin seemed ticklish at the thought of them being together…

It made her feel… so good.

"Kuh… Uwahahahaha~ you fool~… You better prepare yourself, Master… Ritsuka."

Her behavior changed completely after the emotional "recharge" he proportioned. Fujimaru saw as his beloved secret girlfriend stood up, grabbing the pickaxe she had discarded, now her spirit and strength reinvigorated upon hearing his declaration of love, he made her happy, he reassured her, he called her beautiful, he made her feel special, all things she needed. Before he noticed it, Nobu smiled at him, allowing him to witness her beautiful, perfectly white teeth.

A smile only she could produce.

"When I win this race… I will rock your world. UWAH HAH HAH HAH HAH HAH~"

He heard her laugh. That was the end of their interaction as Berserker decided to simply pick her pickaxe again, carrying against her shoulder as her lips kissed his cheek one last time, and then she went off straight towards the tunnel her partner was digging. She had a race to win, after all.

Ritsuka blushed as he saw the object of his admiration walk away, allowing him to see her beautiful back, her small frame, her long, black mane and those legs disappear into the darkness without a trace, with an expression of pure shock and awe. Was she… serious? She was going to "rock him" after her victory?

If anything… he was already as hard as a rock after that promise.

He had something to look up to now, that much was a fact. The entire rest of the race he just kept smiling, cheering and shouting her name at the top of his lungs, that was his duty as her Retainer after all, to always be there to support his Lord.

His Lady Nobunaga.

.

---

.

That was everything for 2019 for both of them. She kept her promise; Nobu and Mysterious Racer X won the Ishtar cup indeed, and after spending all the prize money on merchandise for her concert no one but him attended to like always, she received a scolding from the entire Guda Guda crew until sunrise…

Only then she fulfilled her end of the deal, and rocked his world for almost two days nonstop except for eating and sleeping briefly, before she kept going at it. Ritsuka felt his cheeks blush when he remembered his brief yet passionate time with his lord. Archer was indeed the Demon King of the Sixth Heaven, alright, but she was also the god-forsaken Demon lord of the carnal hell as well.

Maybe it was love, maybe it was because it was her but he could never get enough of her unyielding passion and the way she looked at him, caressed him, despite her small frame, when it came to lovemaking, Oda Nobunaga was an absolute beast. The fact that she wanted to be cuddled and held by him after the deed was done, every. single. time. Just made her cuter and adorable.

Moreover… all the good things came to an end, and in this case, he felt his heart shatter into a thousand pieces no more than two years later on 2021, a lot of time having passed since the Lostbelts started by that point, and this wouldn't be their first "dance" together.

The incident they all referred to as… "Guda Guda Final Honnoji" where they met Nagao Kagetora, and his beloved split into all her possibilities across the endless timelines of the infinite multiverse. From her male counterpart, to Kaiser, and even her Berserker form…

Until it all came down to the final battle with that stupid priest and the god he made, Makuzu.

.

---

.

"[There, we're finally back online! Hey Ritsuka, you ok in there?]"

The moment Ryouma, Izo and Oryou left the communications with Chaldea finally returned, and with it, the faces of Sion and Da Vinci themselves. A bright smile immediately appeared on Mashu's face, and his own as well. They hadn't been able to talk for quite a while now, after everything that happened, they needed to hear what they had gone through, what's more—

Then Ritsuka stopped after looking at Sion's darkened expression. Something wasn't right, he felt it. He knew it. Discreetly, his eyes darted from the purple-haired woman towards the Rider class servant, not even Da Vinci herself seemed to be happy. What the heck was going on? Things couldn't be that bad, couldn't they?

"[I'm afraid this is not the good news it may seem to be. The Singularity in that simulation is going berserk; the way things are going, the virtual pseudo-spiritrons in that box could end up growing so large that they clash with the real world, causing a massive explosion, and that would be the end of us. Perhaps the Wandering Sea may survive, but not the Chaldea base.]"

A shiver ran down his spine at the thought. The Atlas Institute student was clearly afraid of her own statement. Mashu was the one who ended up voicing his thoughts, because this clearly didn't made any sense. How? Why? What? After everything they went through… what else did they had to do to come back home safe and sound?

"B-But how is that possible? I thought Maxwell's demon and the Holy Grail that were causing this singularity were gone!"

"[I'm afraid it's not that simple. It looks like those weren't the only things that created and sustained this singularity. From what I've been able to piece together, it's because a major abnormality took place in 1582]"

And then it clicked. Like so many times it did, his mind rationalized instantly what she was referring to… and his heart sank at the depth of his stomach. Ritsuka was afraid. Ritsuka had an horrible taste in his mouth, Ritsuka knew something wasn't ok… and now he knew what it was. Even if he didn't want to admit it.

After all… that was the year when Honnoji went up in flames.

"Is that so… ? So, you're saying that for this singularity to go away, I have to disappear with it… right?~"

It felt as if his heart had been pierced by a blade the moment he saw Da Vinci nodding. The fact that Nobu was smiling wholeheartedly, amused at the idea of perishing and ceasing to be a heroic spirit at this very moment, made it all even more painful. Kyrielight's eyes widened at the idea, while Hijikata simply scoffed, while he had grown to accept Nobu as part of this so called "Guda Guda crew", he couldn't care less.

They were Heroic spirits, shadows of the past, fighting against Singularities and Lostbelts to protect Human History and Pan-human history. There was nothing more to it, if she had to disappear into oblivion for eternity to protect their world, so be it. Okita, on the other hand, was more heart-broken than her own captain.

"Guess that means this is goodbye then. But hey, don't worry about it. Seeing as I'm an amalgamation of many possible Nobunagas, all linked to this singularity… I figured a long time ago there was no way I could last much longer"

No… no… nonononono

Stop it. Stop it. Stop it. Stop it. Master Forty-eight step forward, his body no longer caring nor registering the heat around them, not how everything was burning into ashes. She couldn't do this, not after so many years. Not after so many experiences, so many battles, how? Why? The scarlet eyes of Avenger rested on her beloved's face, and her expression changed from one of happiness, to seriousness.

The poor bastard… her poor bastard of a lover.

She knew him like the back of her hand after so long. The way he was moving his fingers in a futile attempt to calm himself down, or how his breathing became heavier. Weren't those the first symptoms of a panic attack? More than likely, yeah. Even if he hadn't asked it, she knew what he wanted to say. If she disappeared, what would happen to her spirit origin? Registered on the Briefcase?

The Demon Archer that got summoned into this timeline alongside Sakura Saber, all the way back in 2017 was also a part of her, or better said: after killing the original Demon King Nobunaga, Demon Archer Nobunaga became the red-haired Avenger herself. The answer was simple… and painful to accept.

She would go as well.

"Hey… don't look at me with those watery eyes. I already died at Honnoji once. Historically speaking… I'm pretty much required to disappear here. If I stayed alive, this place would just turn into one of those… Hm… what were they called again… ?"

As she started to meditate, no longer caring about what everyone could think or say, the tall woman extended her hand to reach out the human's face, taking him by surprise. Ritsuka blushed as the hand of his Lord pulled him straight into her bosom, they had formally announced their relationship some time after Okita Alter and Ryouma joined their ranks, after all. The black-haired male opened his eyes as he looked upwards, while Nobu was still lost in her own thoughts, she kept looking at him.

That aura… her fiery gaze… it was the same. The same, the same gallant figure he saw protecting him from the mini-nobbus. The same beautiful figure that he fell in love with, all it took was just one gaze.

One gaze, and his fate was sealed…

As the sapphire-colored eyes looked upwards to her rubies, she finally snapped her fingers. There it was, there it was! His beautiful expression filled to the brim with love and sadness helped her mind remember the word.

"Oh, right! Losbelts. This place would totally turn into a Lostbelt… No, wait, I've got it! In this case, it'd probably be a Nobbelt! HAHAHAHAHAHA!"

How could she laugh at a moment like this? How could she be so… easygoing about the fact that their story together would end up right here, right now? After everything they went through together since their fateful encounter in 2017, she just… she was ready to let him go like it was nothing? It hurt. It hurt.

It. Hurt.

"What's so funny?! Don't you get it!? if you disappear now, you'll never get to see Master again!"

Hearing Sakura Saber, her so called rival openly talk about her relationship like it wasn't such a big deal was what sealed it. Nobbu's arms squeezed him even tighter around her chest, the Shinsengumi member completely unaware of what her words had caused. The way the fingers of the now grown-up Demon King caressed their Master's neck, so lovingly and slowly, so… possessively.

Nor the way her aura seemed to become more dense and heavier.

As if she could… ever… understand what she was going through right now.

"For that matter, where do you get off acting like a big shot who doesn't care if she dies all of a sudden!? Where's the dumb Nobbu who'd be flailing around, screaming about not wanting to die at a time like this? WHAT'S WRONG WITH YOU?!"

As her screams continued to be shot at with an intensity similar to that of a curse, Okita Souji managed to touch the hearts and pull the strings of not only Nobunaga the Demon King, but also Hijikata himself, Da Vinci, Sion and Mashu. The red-haired Avenger had her face covered by shadows, casted precisely by the now long bangs covering her forehead, and one of her eyes.

Okita… no, Sakura saber really was getting on her nerves. Speaking as if she was still the same, or as if she knew anything about the inner works of her heart. As if she knew anything about who Oda Nobunaga was at the bottom of her core, who she once was during the Holy Grail war, and who she was after all this time in Chaldea, both were her… but she lacked perspective.

She lacked her mindset, or her thought process… either that, or she didn't wanted to understand her.

Truth be told, Nobbu was dying to turn the Saber Class Servant into ashes right there and there… and she would've, had it not been for the fact that she felt the body in her arms moving, looking upwards to hell as hell looked down to the heavenly gaze of a simpleton from 21st century who only dreamed of living.

Her rage subsided and withered away at that very moment… and she remembered the reason as to why she was fighting, why she had been fighting for so long, and why she was willing to disappear into the void to never come back.

Him.

That's why she just… laughed. Just like she always did, because this outcome, this fate, the split of their paths… couldn't be helped nor avoided.

"...Hahahahahaha! Sorry, sorry. I just never expected to hear anything like that from you of all people, Okita. I guess the Chaldea version of me must have really felt at home there. But I am not my Chaldean self anymore."

That last statement came out of her mouth dropped with the power of a bomb. It was cold. Cruel. And devoid of any sort of consideration for the feelings of her friends, partners… and of course, him. But it was necessary to make her point across. They needed to go, and they needed to leave her behind.

Wasn't he accustomed to losing people after all these years? She shouldn't be that much of a difference.

Okita accepted it. Hijikata accepted it. Oryou and Ryouma accepted it. As Nobunaga stepped back after letting him go, stablishing distance between Kyrielight, Fujimaru and the holograms of Da Vinci and Sion, wanting to stay here with Mitsuhide, Mori and Shibata. What else could be said… ? nothing he did could make Nobunaga come back with him to Chaldea.

Not only would he be endangering the whole world and pan-human history as a whole… but he also would be endangering Chaldea and everyone else.

"Lady Nobunaga… Nobbu, I— "

He muttered, as his body slowly started to disappear alongside Mashu. They were being transported back to their world, leaving this one to crumble into nothing forever. Avenger raised her eyebrows, eagerly awaiting for him to finish speaking. Whatever he wanted to say, she would listen to…

And Ritsuka knew… his lord would keep her promise, despite everything, protecting him like she always had… after all, he was still waiting for her to mutter those words he had been wanting to hear ever since that night.

"I'LL BE WAITING FOR YOU!"

…

Pfft…

He always, always, always found a way to make her laugh. What was that? Wasn't this the perfect time to announce to Mashu, Leonardo and Sion now that they were listening, that they were an item? Heck, even that asshole Mitsuhide and Shibata were here too alongside Nagayoshi, if anything, it was more surprising that Ritsuka still didn't had the balls and courage to openly declare his feelings for her.

But it was ok. She loved him because of that.

She always did… and always would.

"HAHAHAHAHA~ Oh yeah! Don't think you're getting rid of me that easily! Prepare yourself, Fujimaru Ritsuka! The next time we meet, I'll be coming for your world!"

That was all they could do. All they would do, as Master and Servant; Retainer and Lord reached out their hands for each other. Nobbu's fingers intertwined with Ritsuka for just a brief moment, and he cherished every single second of it… until she was gone. The last thing he ever saw, he ever should've seen about her…

Was that smile. And those beautiful, beautiful demonic-like rubies gazing down on him.

.

---

.

One week. It just took one week for all her dramatism and what-not to go away. Yes, he had to admit he was freaking sad the entire duration or her absence, and so was Okita. The servants, Mashu especially, could all tell he wasn't being "himself" fully after Nobunaga went straight to hell.

Seven days of mourning were still way too little to say goodbye to the woman he fell in love with, to the person that had been with him since the very beginning alongside Shielder herself of course. They knew that, and… more than likely… Mashu had finally, finally figured out his heart belonged to the black-haired Archer.

That was… until she simply came out of nowhere causing a ruckus like she usually did, "a la Nobbu style". That was the type of woman Oda Nobunaga was. The Fool of Owari. Demon Archer. The one and only unifier of Japan.

His Lord.

And as she always said… as her hands interlocked with his once again, Fuijmaru Ritsuka looked down at the beautiful, red eyes of his better-half once again, while Mori kept fighting against Hijikata, causing a mess on the entire cafeteria and Mashu prepared lunch, for him, all that was important was her presence.

I just can't help… but fall in love with you…

.

---

.

His fate had already been sealed a long time ago, he realized when looking at the same scarlet-colored eyes the next Valentine's day. First thing he realized after opening his eyes, was that his room in the Wandering Sea had been turned into an exact replica of Honnoji… or was it hell itself? No matter.

This was what the Demon King and her lack of knowledge in cooking caused. She opened up a portal to another dimension or something of the sort… right in his freaking bedroom, while trying to use his stove to cook some chocolate.

Being Naked.

"Heh heh heh heh… ~ truly… these kind of things doesn't suit myself at all… don't you agree, Master of Chaldea?"

Her presence, imposing and towering like always. Her face, stoic and devoid of all emotion just like how it used to happen with her "smaller" black-haired self whenever she got into that exact same mood. Yes, Nobbu nowadays was way more expressive and kinder, she had always been, but same could not be said about her Demon King counterpart. She fully embraced everything that made her the "Demon King of the Sixth Heaven", everything about the unifier of all of Japan, and a woman who fought in the Warring States Period.

She was a true demon indeed, despite her appearance, name and voice.

Even after so many months, he still couldn't get a grasp on how to behave around her. The red-haired beauty tilted her head to the left slightly, holding back her urges to chuckle at the view of her beloved. The poor thing, was she really that intimidating when compared to her younger, childish self?

"S-s-so… what happened to that chocolate you were cooking… Mao-sama?"

His trembling voice asked, as the ashes and the wind moved her hair and cloak slightly, allowing him to take a very… very good look at the porcelain-like, perfect white skin of the Daimyo and what she was hiding underneath the red fabric. Avenger didn't seem to care that much about the fact though, she had all of her Original self's memories, Ritsuka shouldn't be ashamed, it was flesh after all.

What's more, he had already made love to her countless of times.

"Hm… Ah… I suppose only a handful survived. Oh, I know. You. come closer."

She demanded, taking him by surprise as the fire around the pair seemed to burn even brighter and hotter than before. Closer? Closer? Ritsuka wasn't short in the slightest, he was after all 172 cm, but Nobbu was eight centimeters taller than him. So… compared to her, he was a midget. He couldn't help but comply.

Two steps. Just two, no more, no less. It angered the Demon King, was he mocking her? Laughing at her, even? That couldn't be. Despite not being her childish self, she was still the proud enemy of Buddha, and all mysticism.

"Closer… a little closer, Ritsuka…"

The tone of her voice was softening, threatening and… inviting. Almost like the song of a siren, taking him straight into the jaws of death. The Chaldean let out a small sigh, noticing how his breathing became heavier the closer he got to his Lord. Eventually, Nobunaga raised her right arm to embrace him, pulling him towards her against his will.

"G-gkh… !"

The feeling of warm flesh hitting his face as the blood went straight to his cheeks made him feel defenseless and hopeless. Oda made sure that his face rested against her breasts, breasts so big they rivalled those of Minamoto no Raikou and the Ruler of Camelot. Ritsuka felt how Nobbu's cape closed around them both, as she looked down at his face.

How… peculiar…

She could never get bored of his reactions. As his her right hand continued to caress his back and keep him imprisoned near her, the Avenger lifted her left arm; holding between her fingers the small yet simple and sweet shape of a chocolate-made square. As his body trembled against her naked, soft skin, his eyes darted from her face to her hand, shamelessly trying to hide the fact that he had a tent in his pants, rubbing it against her lower belly due to the closeness.

Nobunaga, of course, couldn't give less a shit even if she tried.

"Now open your mouth… I will hand-feed it to you."

She spoke, slowly moving it towards his direction with the movements of a snake. Ritsuka's eyelids trembled as his jaw opened up, obediently like a puppy… and it was only then that Nobunaga stopped. Like it had happened many times before, the shadows casted by her own hair devoured her face, leaving no trail behind of what should be the face of a woman in her late thirties.

This human…

He was so trusting of her, the fool. The braindead fool of a Master she had… the braindead fool of a lover she had. He knew no better, but… as the fires grew closer and closer to the pair, Nobbu's bloody eyes focused more and more on him. Such manliness on the battlefield, an indomitable spirit, her memories were true indeed, she had seen it time and time again, her and so many others… yet his heart, just as strong, was just as soft and bland.

Precisely because he trusted her, and those he loved. Ritsuka melted like the chocolate in her stove, whenever he was in her arms or the arms of her black-haired counterpart, because of love. He thought she was of no danger to him… she never had been. And those lips… those lips of his…

They made her heart beat with power and desire.

"These lips of yours… They're so…"

A shiver ran down Forty-eight's spine as he heard her voice, opening his eyelids to feel the thumb of the Daimyo pressing itself against the corner of his lips, before traveling across them with a long, and heavy sigh. Her breath hit his face with full power, was she… was that a moan… ? Unbeknownst to him, Avenger was admiring the human she was holding between her arms as if he was a treasure.

His blue eyes, so filled with care and love, with warmness… was everything she needed to make a choice.

The way he stared at her… it was unique.

"I've changed my mind… I've decided to devour you instead"

As the last remains of the chocolate she had lovingly crafted turned into ashes by her own hands, now the body of Ritsuka Fujimaru was held by Demon King Nobunaga's two hands: them resting against his face, her thumbs now pressed themselves against his cheeks, touching them with such care and delicacy she seemed to be treating him like a kitty.

That… what did she—

Oh… oh no—

There were multiple ways a servant could feed on a Magus to replenish their mana. Sexual intercourse, blood, sweat and semen were the most common ones. Ritsuka usually did that, he extracted blood out of himself regularly in the infirmary for his friends to drink and always be powered up in case they were needed, after all, the reactors of Chaldea and now, the ones in the Wandering Sea, weren't perfect nor infallible.

But there was another way… the only way in which a Servant could fully consume a magus, a human, or in this case, their own master… the most purest, rawest source of mana available was…

The soul.

What would happen, he asked to himself as he saw the pink, perfect lips of the tall lady change into a smile. Her fingers squeezed his face even harder, making sure to leave no way for him to escape, like a wolf preparing himself to consume its prey, what would be of him? Would he cease to exist? Would he become a part of Nobbu?

"We… we mustn't… "

The Master replied, amusing the female. As if he could do anything to avoid it. She had already made her mind about it, she would eat and assimilate him. His soul would become a part of her spirit origin, a part of her saint graph, because truth be told… she was her younger self as much as that black-haired brat was hers.

And Nobbu had been feeling her heart "empty" for a very, very, very long time.

"Hey now… don't panic. If you're truly my Master, you must carry yourself in a calm and composed manner at all times… Hmmm~ Good… just like that… now hold still"

For some reason, he started to feel tired. Ritsuka tried to fight back, he really tried to. Part of him was scared, terrified even, as his mind tried to come up with answers as to what would be of him. What would be of him if she indeed fulfilled her purpose? Nobbu's body was warm. The fiery scenery around the two seemed to finally start to consume what little left of his room was, alongside the rest of the Wandering Sea, Chaldea and the Bleached earth.

Only them both.

No one would come to his rescue. No one would save him from this fate. No one would rescue him… as he felt the urge to hold her body even closer to his, to hide from everything into her endless cleavage and never separate from her, the darkness started to eat away his consciousness. Nobunaga, on the other hand, licked her lips.

This was going to be… a true feast.

"Hehe… come… fall into my grasp and become one with me… my dear, fragile human child…"

.

---

.

As her lips gently took a sip from her goblet, the black-haired, younger counterpart of the Demon King rested her body against a sofa, being inside the room of her adult self, way more decorated in a "hellish" fashion than her own room. It was the afternoon of Valentine's day, and Ritsuka more than likely was already fulfilling his duties as a master, receiving friendship chocolates and confessions from other women that liked him.

Nobbu had been the first to give him her gift, and a kiss, of course… but things could've ended up way worse had she not woken up at the very last second to prevent a tragedy from happening. Clearly though… her older self wasn't happy at all, quite the contrary. The Red-haired beauty, while being naked on her throne and smoking her cigar through her cigarette holder, the aura around her was menacing.

This child… she really, really got on her nerves.

They'd been silently playing Xiangqi for the last couple of hours, so far, they were still tie in. As she breathed out, Nobunaga looked downwards at Nobbu, both of them having the same expression of defiance in their eyes. Although one was being threatened, the other refused to give in.

"Hm… I have to say, you've really spent a lot of time beating around the bush… You sure made a big fuss just to give him some dried persimmons"

Her tone was condescending, almost as if she wanted to laugh. But Demon King Nobunaga never laughed to mock her rivals or enemies, no. She laughed whenever she was humiliating and stomping, but never to provoke. Her words however did had an effect on her younger self, causing Nobbu's face to drown in darkness, as two red dots looked back like a mad dog, ready to attack.

How dared she… at least she tried and indeed gave Ritsuka a gift for this special day. Something way better than trying to devour his soul and assimilate him as if she was any kind of traitorous bastard, couldn't she consider the effects of her actions? His death would be the end of the whole world, of all of humanity, and the victory of the Alien god and the leftover Crypters.

That couldn't be allowed, after all, Nobunaga genuinely didn't wanted for humanity to go extinct. They still had a duty to fulfill.

"Quiet… I don't want to hear that from you."

She snarled back, while one of her arquebuses started to manifest right under her chin. Just one movement, one and the entire head of her older self would be blown into nothing but mush. The naked, older woman seemed to smile as the same happened right behind Nobbu, her gun being the four-mounted cannon she crafted and allowed her and their male self, Kippoushi, to use. A stalemate, essentially. Who would pull the trigger faster? Would it be the more experienced, older and colder adult that she never was? Or would it be her younger self?

Eventually… it was Nobbu who ended up breaking the silence, smiling as the mood became even heavier.

"Perhaps… we really should assimilate him"

… Her gaze turned red. For the first time, the Demon King's lips started to move, morph and change into a wicked smile. One devoid of all contemplation, hope, light and anything of the sort. She was a monster. A demon. Formerly "Demon Archer" now "Demon Avenger", they both knew what they wanted. They were the same woman, after all, and with each passing day, her hunger and the void in her heart grew wider and wider, more animalistic, less rational, and her craving was getting harder and harder to control.

It wasn't a question.

"… It will come to pass… sooner or later"

She spoke, and Nobukatsu's sister couldn't help but smile. When the time came, once everything was resolved, once this world was saved and they made sure humanity's destiny was to continue until the end of time, their greatest wish, their greatest desire… would be fulfilled.

Ritsuka Fujimaru, the man they… the man she loved from the bottom of her heart, would become a part of her, whether he liked it or not. And she would relish every second of the process, consuming a soul for a Servant could be either very quick… or very slow. And they both had every single intention of relishing it when the moment came.

All she needed… was patience.

.

---

.

-[Epilogue: You and I, Me and You]-

"Relax… my darling… it will be over soon"

Was the last thing he heard, and then… there was nothing. No paradise, nor hell. Just darkness. Ritsuka always expected for his soul to be either left in charge of Eresh, for it to wander straight into Avalon, the Enma-Tei or shit, even the Valkyries or the throne of heroes for all the achievements he had during his life and time as Master of Chaldea, but instead… there was the void.

He lived a long, long life for human standards though… he died at the age of 98, having the joy of becoming a great grandfather, even if he couldn't see the children of his grandchildren grow into adults, he was more than content about it.

That… and the fact that he died with the woman he loved. If his fate was to spent eternally in this dark, endless place… it wouldn't be that bad.

"Wake up… Ritsuka… I'm talking to you… Oi"

That was until he felt it. A warmness in his chest. A familiar voice calling out to him. And the sense of… peace. First, he moved his fingers, one by one, until he closed his fist. Then his nose, slightly annoyed at the thought, almost holding back a sneeze. And lastly, his eyelids. Loneliness slowly but surely became a concept foreign to him.

How warm… how soft… how… familiar…

He thought, unable to contain the smile that appeared on his face. To open his eyes was a task as laborious as one would expect, but he fought against it nonetheless. Only then he realized… he had been dreaming. Either that, or he had been trapped into his own subconscious. What greeted him was the familiar green fabric of his wife's pajamas, and of course, her chest.

He felt like a young man again, shortly after retiring of his life and duties as a Master… and there she was. In all her glory post-reincarnation, back in her youth, in her prime, his Lord… his Archer-sama… his wife…

"Nobbu… ?"

To hear and see her again was like a dream. Memories came flooding back to him; their fight ended. Their struggles ended. The War against the Lostbelts and the Alien God ended, and Ritsuka was truly, truly free to follow the life he wanted. Just one of all the grails Chaldea had was used to reincarnate the one and only Oda Nobunaga, as a marriage proposal.

And they spent the rest of their lives living in Fuyuki after his sister woke up from her capsule. Suffice to say… Nobbu knew nothing about the art of the kitchen, so her getting accustomed to baking and cooking in the Bakery of his dreams was a total struggle for more than ten years, but after the eleventh one, she finally got the grasp of it, and ended up spending the rest of their days in peace.

That was… until she decided to fulfill her promise.

"Yes, its me Ritsuka… I've been waiting for you to wake up for a couple of decades… you really know how to make a woman wait"

She ate his soul. Even after having been reincarnated into a human woman, Oda Nobunaga was still once a servant. As such… on the last day of their mortal lives, she took him into her. What he couldn't understand was... what was going on? His body lifted up from their bed, noticing immediately how this wasn't their room at the second floor of their home. The windows and overall interior were Japanese designed, yes…

But it was ancient. Extremely ancient.

Nobunaga Fujimaru also stood up from the Futon she was in, her arm wrapped itself around her husband's shoulder, pulling him into her left breasts. Ritsuka hug her back; as the Daimyo raised one of her fingers, causing the door to open up, revealing the outside. It was an endless field, with mountains and a small lake, he could even hear some animals.

It reminded him of a painting… or the inner world of Koyanskaya, the Sanctuary of Tunguska.

"Nobbu? What… is this place?"

The former Chaldean asked, hand in hand with his wife, before they sat at a nearby bench. Still trying to get accustomed to his young body again, many of his senses that had been dulled with the passage of time as he grew older had returned, his keen hearing, the lack of pain in his legs or body, and of course, how his hands didn't tremble anymore. He had been reversed back to his early 20s, when the Lostbelts were first starting.

The red-haired girl laughed a little bit, clad in a beautiful red kimono as Ritsuka himself was wearing a black one, her master… her husband… her darling would always be the same idiot he had always been, but that was one of the reasons as to why she loved him so dearly. They were the same kind of person, as she once stated, humans, servants, masters and mages… nothing mattered anymore.

"This is… my inner world. Or, well… what it turned into after living a life of peacefulness at your side, Ritsuka. Before, as a Servant… this place used to be Honnoji, eternally in flames, as you would expect: my spirit origin transformed into that of an Avenger after the incident with Echigo's God of War and the War against my other selves."

Explained the Demon King, slowly but surely as her speech went on, the pieces were starting to fall into place. Her inner world… this essentially meant this place was Lady Nobunaga's soul, she seemed to notice, know what he was thinking. As her hand extended to reach for his skin, a blush spread across his face. Having lived half of his life with the black-haired woman, who slowly morphed into her grown, adult red-haired self as time went on… despite that, he still couldn't get accustomed to her beauty.

To her sexy, seducing aura.

If this was her soul… then—

"Yes. This is what happens when a Soul is consumed by a servant, my dear, beloved former Master. You're a part of me. You've been assimilated into the Demon King of the Sixth heaven. You can feel proud of it."

She blatantly spoke, one of her hands pulling him closer to her. The scenery was beautiful, and she kind of wanted to go out for a walking. This world was made with her own feelings and desires, the once Tyrant and Conqueror of Japan now turned into a dead, fallen woman in love who got married and died peacefully in her bed one night, minutes after her husband passed away. That's how Oda Nobunaga—

How Fujimaru Nobunaga spent her second life on earth. Learning how to bake. How to cook. How to make bread. How to make cakes. How to be a mother. How to change diapers. How to protect her children. How to be a grandmother.

And she wouldn't change any of it.

"So… does this mean—"

"That we'll be together forever? Yes. Perhaps someone else may summon me in another world, but as for me, the one who had been with you ever since you were seventeen years old… I shall remain in this domain for the rest of eternity, and even after the world ends, we'll still be here. Beyond death."

They both already were dead anyway. The blue-eyed man sighed upon hearing it, before his hand closed around hers. She could morph into her black-haired self if he wanted to, now that she was nothing but a spirit, same as him. So this was his final destination. To become one with the woman he loved in the day of his passing. His fight was truly, truly over.

Ritsuka pondered though… what would be of his world? Of his earth? Of his lineage? He was sure Rurika imparted the teachings of the Tohsaka and Emiya lineage on her own children just as he did, but whatever the fate had in store for the rest of their descendants, it wasn't his concern, not anymore. He would never know… but not all questions needed an answer.

Nobbu's hand squeezed his palm even tighter, as the birds sang and the flowers bloomed. The man who married the Demon King of the Sixth heaven looked up at his wife, admiring her beautiful, calm, majestic elegant expression. There were many things he wanted to do, to talk about, and to enjoy.

If this was Nobbu's soul, perhaps there could be many places based on what she experienced on her first life in the Warring States Period, and on her second life as his wife. It was interesting, and even then… if there was nothing beyond the horizon, he would honestly be fine with it… simply because his Demon King was here.

His Fool of Owari. His… and his alone.

"Nobbu?"

"Yes, darling?"

At the end of it all… he simply smiled. He smiled, as he accommodated himself to look straight into the eyes of the woman he spent a lifetime with. Red and Blue. The Daimyo and the Chaldean. The Wife and her Husband. The Lord and her Retainer. Just like he did all those decades ago when he offered her the holy grail to regain a physical body, he muttered those words he had grown accustomed to say in a daily basis.

And now, would continue to repeat until the end of time.

"I love you"

He spoke, causing his wife to laugh. Boastful. Happy. Joyful. Her heart was filled, filled and warm. Not empty anymore, not with him being there with her, not with his soul accompanying her eternally in this vast, beautiful and endless world of roses and animals singing. Who could've thought… this is how her existence would end up after all the evil things she did on her first life?

Her, a mother. Her, a grandmother. Her, a wife. Her, a protector of humanity… her… a woman in love.

"Zehi Mo Nashi! I love you too, Ritsuka!"

The end.