Chapte 17: Servant.
Entering a school yard different from my own, my eyes scanned the area in search of someone. My sights immediately trained itself on a figure with a head of black hair and sky-blue eyes sitting on a bench under the shades of a large tree. Finding my target, I made my way towards them, my steps light.
"Hey there, Ritsuka," I greeted the boy in front of me, prompting them to turn around.
"Ah, Nii-san," Ritsuka Fujimaru, now a boisterous young man, returned with a smile.
"You know, ever thought of calling me something else? Basically everyone around here calls me that." Nearing him, I lifted the lunchbox in my hand, presenting it.
"Ah… well, I don't really know what to call you," he replied. Hands raised, the young man accepted the gift and placed it on his lap, unfurling the fabric around it.
"You can call me Shirou, or Emiya if you want," I suggested. Plopping down beside him, I watched as he picked out a sandwich from the container and took a small bite out of it.
After swallowing, he spoke, "But that just sounds wrong to me, you know? You've been like an older brother to me my whole life."
I've been quite active in his life for the past decade or so, solidifying my image as a brother-figure in his mind. So it didn't come as a surprise to see him treat me like this. That said, having been in his life for so long, I could easily spot some of his odd quirks and habits.
"Hm," I hummed, staring at his face. Suddenly, a lightbulb lit up in my head. "Alright, spill it out, what's the problem?"
"W-what do you mean?" Ritsuka stammered, briefly loosening his grip on the foodstuff.
"How can I not notice when my 'younger brother' is obviously not feeling well in some way?" I commented. Leaning back, I slung my arms behind the bench's backrest in a comfortable position, waiting for his response.
"Was it that obvious?" he asked, scratching his cheek. After I replied with a lazy "Yep", he continued, "Well, it's just that… my parents decided to move to Shibuya next week,"
Next week, huh. I'm guessing he'll be transferred to another school there instead of staying here. That's good. At least he won't get involved with any of the crazy stuff that'll happen here in just a few days.
"Okay," I calmly answered. He looked at me, a tinge of confusion swirling behind his eyes. He almost seemed… betrayed? He looked like I just kicked his pet in front of him. Was he scarred that I might be pushing him away? "What? It's just in Shibuya, we can still see each other from time to time. It's not like you're leaving the country, are you?" I said, pulling out my phone and showing it to him. He already has my phone number, so we can still talk even in far distances.
"Oh… now that you say it out loud, its kinda stupid of me for worrying. Haha," he let out a stifled laugh, his cheeks going a shade of pink. He buried another mouthful of bread into his mouth, trying to hide his embarrassment.
"When you get there, how about you put some muscle on yourself," I off-handedly mentioned.
"You mean work out? Why?" Ritsuka looked down, scanning himself from top to bottom. For a literal twelve-year-old, he was rather well-built due to all the physically taxing activities he usually partake in.
My advice may or may not come in useful in the coming years but it's better than nothing. Recalling the future events of another timeline where Marisbury Animusphere got involved, I spoke, "Keep yourself healthy, of course. You never know when a bit of strength might make the difference between being able to save someone or not from being crushed by a heavy beam."
"That's an oddly specific scenario. Is there something I should be looking out for in Shibuya?" he asked, brows raised. Shibuya wasn't that dangerous, now was it?
"You never know," I repeated, shrugging my shoulders.
"That doesn't sound ominous at all. You're not helping," he gave a scowl, which I found adorable more than anything.
Ignoring his pitiful attempts at appearing annoyed, I resumed, "Old man Tanaka might get mad at you if you don't take care of yourself."
"Probably not. He never really chastised me for my eating habits," Ritsuka returned without missing a beat. Head dipped low, he took another munch of the homemade sandwich as if to prove a point.
Speaking of the veteran, he'd unfortunately passed away a few months ago due to old age, leaving the young Ritsuka downtrodden for a few weeks. Though not much as his parents, I was there for him for the most part, doing my best to cheer him back up. Thankfully, the boy managed to recover without issue and let the past remain as such. Quite the smart cookie, isn't he?
"Are you disrespecting the dead already?" I threw a bombastic side-eye at him. "Where did the idiotic Ritsuka that I know go? Who are you!" I exclaimed, enveloping myself in a theatrical aura.
We bantered a little more, talking about various things and generally enjoying each other's company, until he was called by one of the Volley ball club members—which Ritsuka is part of. Getting off the bench, the young man waved goodbye and left to practice the sport with his friends. Left alone, I stood up and walked back home.
Upon returning to the Emiya abode, I looked over the various Bounded Fields I've erected around the house for protection, double checking if they were functioning properly. Finding nothing amiss with the wards, I went ahead and spent the rest of the day with Sakura.
"Senpai?" she called out, gaining my attention. She then reached out, taking hold of my right hand, her expression one of deep worry. My eyes narrowed, gazing the back on my hand where a red smear had suddenly came into existence.
'So I still got picked in the end, huh.' Sakura released my hand, allowing me to inspect it closer. Even after all the changes I've done, I still got chosen as a Master. Was it Shirou Emiya's fate, perhaps? A short laugh resounded in my head.
"This is a Command Seal, right? Is the Holy Grail War starting now?" she asked, to which I affirmed with a nod. She already knew of the upcoming blood sport and my subsequent participation long ago since I decided to come clean, unable to keep it a secret from her.
Worried for my safety, she offered whatever help she could give. This is one of, if not the biggest reason why she even started utilizing the Matou Magic Crest. At first, I rejected the idea of dragging Sakura into this but later accepted her aid, all I need to do is not make her regret helping me. She was her own person who could make their own decisions, there was no need to coddle her like I usually did.
"No, not now. Maybe tomorrow or the day after that. The other Masters are probably still getting their bearings," I answered. "We'll summon our Servants tonight. We'll most likely get a Saber and a Rider if nothing goes wrong," I said with a bit of optimism, which was immediately broken by Sakura's following statement.
"Our? But… I didn't get one," she claimed, lifting her hands for me to see.
"What?" I uttered in disbelief, eyes widening. It was as she said, there was nothing on both of her hands to indicate her status as a Master.
No, no… how could this be? This shouldn't be possible. From what I could remember, a set of Command Seals should've been reserved for the founding families' descendants so they could join the next Heaven's Feel ritual, so why didn't she get one? My lips suddenly twisted into a frown as a conjecture slowly formed in my head—had another Matou fill in the spot?
"Senpai… d-did I do something wrong?" seeing my change in expression, Sakura spoke. Her posture deflated, feet curling in discomfort.
Hands waving in the air, I instantly denied it in hopes to erase her worries, "Oh no, no. You didn't do anything wrong. Please don't worry. I just need to check on something."
I reached out, giving her head a light pat. I've been doing this quite a lot lately, no thanks to the System. Well, not like it's a bad thing to do. She gave a nod, her body relaxing as she adopted a bright smile. Goodness me, she had a bad habit of pinning the blame onto herself whenever I found myself in a tight spot, something I've been trying my hardest to fix.
After reassuring my housemate, I quickly stood up and grabbed the landline phone, punching in a special set of numbers belonging to the people who looked after Shinji. After a couple rings, the other side took the call.
"Holy one, is there anything you require of us?" Shinji's current guardian, a priest of the Holy Church, answered, his voice filled with respect. Only one person knew of this number, so he already knew it was me who called.
"Is Shinji with you right now?" I inquired. Hearing a confirmation from the other side, I intoned, "I want you to check up on him, see if a Command Seal appeared on his hand or any part of his body."
Placing the phone down, he called Shinji over. After waiting for a minute or two, hearing the sounds of shuffling cloth behind the device, the other person came back, reporting his findings, "There is none, your Holiness. There are no signs of such mark appearing anywhere on him."
"I see… give me a call if it ever does, alright?" The priest responded with a firm "Understood". Trusting his words, I ended our conversation and let out a sigh, head cranked low in contemplation.
It seems I've already encountered my first problem, and it's a pretty big one. I just hope whoever took Sakura's place in the War isn't some deranged psychopath who'd endanger everyone in Fuyuki for no reason. Well, no matter. That's what the congregation is for; to stop civilians from being affected. I should focus more on summoning my own Servant.
A bit later, the pair went into the shed out back. The inside was empty, no longer a place of work, having already moved everything to the former Matou mansion earlier with the help of the Gate of Babylon.
Shirou crouched down and grasped the edge of the carpet, before carefully removing it off the ground, revealing an intricately drawn magic circle hidden underneath. Sakura remained some steps away, watching the redhead stand back up and place a hand on his chest.
He closed his eyes, calling upon Avalon's presence within him. As a golden glow broke free from his chest, he intoned the incantation for summoning a Servant, prompting the circle below to hum with mana. The summoning circle intertwined with his existence, using the Ever Distant Utopia as a catalyst to call forth a suitable hero from the Throne of Heroes. The rite continued, processing without issue.
With a final flourish, the pillar coated the entire space with light before fading into shards of magical energy. In the brilliant column's place stood a lone figure—a woman with a slim build and fair skin, her crown braided hair shining as if sprinkled with gold dust. Her attire consisted of a blue battle-dress, with the occasional lines of yellow at the edges, that is covered in beautifully crafted metallic plates, a perfect blend of practicality and baroque.
Saber's eyes fluttered open, her emerald-like eyes glinting under the fluorescent lighting, and was instantly greeted by a face nearly identical to hers. Had it not been for their differing hair colours, she would've mistaken him for a reflection. From behind the young man, Sakura covered her open mouth with her hand, a bit taken aback for the same reason. Looking closer, Saber noticed a few details that separated them other than the obvious; the redhead was taller by a few centimeters and possessed a more mature appearance compared to hers. And more importantly, his face showed a myriad of emotions unlike hers, which was shielded by a mask of impassiveness.
"I ask of you. Are you my Master?" the summoned Servant started, breaking the stillness. She kept her gaze trained on the red-haired teen's face, waiting for an answer.
"Indeed I am," Shirou affirmed with an idiotically wide smile, recognition flashing through his eyes. Raising a hand, he showed the now completed Command Seals that's fashioned like a sword, in correspondence of the class he'd summoned.
"Understood. From here on, my blade shall rest in your hands, and your fate shall rest in mine. Thus, our contract is formed," she announced. With that, their partnership has become official.
"You must be Arthur Pendragon, correct?" Shirou asked out of the blue, taking Saber by surprise. She was about to deny the claim but ultimately decided not to, choosing to respond with a silent nod. She was hoping to hide it at first but realized that Shirou could just check her identity using his ability as a Master, there was no point denying it.
Arthur Pendragon, or in this case—Artoria Pendragon, is a character that needs no introduction. She is the wielder of the one and only Excalibur, once and future King of Britain. Though history can be a little fickle at times; as queens possessed not as much power as their counterpart, she hid her true gender to rule as a king, leading to the future generations to refer to her as a man.
Unbothered by her nonverbal reply, he continued, "I'm Shirou Emiya," he then gestured to the plum-haired girl, "and she's Sakura Matou. Nice to meet you, Saber."
'Emiya…?' the name bounced around her mind for a bit, leaving a bad taste in her mouth. She grit her teeth, recalling her past experience with a man who carried the same name, Kiritsugu Emiya—her former Master during the fourth Holy Grail War. She should've won that conflict but lost because of his betrayal near the end, her chance of gaining the Holy Grail ruined. What even drove him to do that? Despite all the despicable acts he committed during the War, Kiritsugu didn't strike her as the type of person who'd do something without reason. Was this person related to that man? Will he betray her too?
"You may call me Shirou, by the way. There's no need to call me Master or any of that, my name is fine," her Master insisted, as if able to read her inner turmoil..
After a moment, she replied positively, "Then I shall call you Shirou. Yes… I think I prefer how that sounds."
With a welcoming smile, Shirou extended his hand for a shake, which she returned, finding no reason to refuse. As she gripped his hand, a sensation she was all too familiar with coursed through her entire body, for she carried the same aspect within her—the essence of a dragon. If his name wasn't confusing enough, the draconic presence he exuded made her raise her guard several folds. Letting go, she scrutinized the young man's face, a frown threatening to break her stony facade.
Her mind raced through the possibilities, but she kept her composure. Was this another one of Morgan Le Fay's sick jokes, perhaps? His draconic aura was undeniable, that's for certain. Mordred alone was bad enough; had Morgan created another homunculus using her blood? No, that couldn't be. It had been many centuries since Artoria's time; Morgan couldn't possibly still be around in the modern world.
So who was it? Merlin, perhaps? This seemed like something that jester would do for a laugh. However, she also knew that flower-obsessed wizard always had an agenda behind his actions, no matter how minuscule. Why would he interfere so far into the future? She briskly culled that train of thought. Maybe she was getting ahead of herself. Perhaps they had nothing to do with this, and it was the result of nothing more than a string of coincidences... or at least she hoped it was.
"Well, we can talk back inside the house," Shirou declared, not noticing the weird look Saber was giving him as he walked away with Sakura, who's eyes went back and forth between her face and his. Was this Servant somehow related to her senpai? Shirou was adopted after all, so the possibility is certainly there. Either way, what mattered was that he'd succeeded in calling forth Saber, arguably the most balanced class, as his Servant.
As much as she wanted to ask about his origins, Saber kept her mouth sealed for now, keeping to her solitude, and followed the two into the Emiya mansion. The pair gave her a tour of the place so she could navigate it later on her own, even telling her where some wards are located.
"Shirou, there's something I need to discuss with you," the Servant spoke up after the short tour. Gathering her wits, she began to divulge a story she quickly brewed up, "My connection with you seems to be… muddled for some reason, and I am unable to enter spirit form because of it. Though I assure you it has no negative impact on my capabilities as a Servant whatsoever."
He'll learn of this peculiarity of hers sooner or later, better to reveal it now before it becomes a problem and have their relationship be soured. A multitude of excuses floated at the back of her mind, ready to deny or reflect any sort of question Shirou would throw at her… but such scenario never occurred, much to her surprise.
As if he'd known beforehand, Shirou did not ask further and took her to a room with Sakura, giving her a set of apparels for her to wear as her Servant gear would draw too much attention if he decided to go outside. Thankful that he didn't push the issue, she graciously accepted. With but a mental command, her battle gear scattered into motes of blue light, letting her bare figure be seen by the world. Shirou quickly turned around, eyes shut closed, while Sakura sprung up and covered her with a blanket in a panic.
"S-Saber-san, what are you doing!" Sakura exclaimed, her face slightly tinted red.
"My armour is woven with magical energy, allowing me to call upon it anytime," she explained, shifting her arms under the fabric.
"But-but you shouldn't do that. It's not good to s-strip all of the sudden!" the young woman countered, shuffling the cloth around Saber to cover more of her skin.
"Why? Is it not a more efficient way of disrobing? Or has the people of today thought of something better?" the blonde retorted.
"That's not the point, Saber. Don't just go buck naked when there's a guy right in front of you," Shirou casually said, his back still turned towards the pair of women.
"Why does that matter? I am but a mere tool for this War, your worries are unfounded," she expressed her confusion by titlting her head, unable to find the problem. She never viewed herself as an individual, putting her duties first before anything else.
"Yeah—no. Don't think of yourself like that," Shirou interjected, sounding a bit agitated for some reason. As for why, Artoria could not figure out the reason. "Sakura, can you please help dress her up? I'll be at the kitchen to prepare dinner," he said before leaving the room.
"Yes!" the aforementioned girl responded, grabbing the clothes on the desk for Saber to use.
After the whole debacle, Saber and Sakura went out of the room and gathered in the living room connected to the kitchen, where Shirou could be seen plating some food. Hearing their arrival, he turned to look at his Servant. The blonde now sported a muted blouse that wrapped around her petite figure, paired with a teal skirt that fell just below her knees and black tights that enveloped her legs.
Truth be told, wearing such feminine clothing was an odd feeling for Saber. Throughout her life, she went the effort to disguise herself as a man to serve her kingdom as its king, so she never truly got to experience what it felt like to dress up like this.
"Well, dinner's up," Shirou said as he emergered from the kitchen, an assortment of foodstuff in hand. Sakura went ahead and helped him set down the items onto the table, finishing the preparations.
"Saber? What's the matter? Come here, sit down and join us," the Master called her over, motioning to the seat across from him.
"I am fine, Shirou. Servants only need a steady flow of magical energy to maintain our existence," she voiced out, refusing the tantalizing aroma that wafted across the room with everything she had.
"But you can still eat, right?" he said. Saber confirmed his assumption, prompting the young man to try even harder to convince her to join them. "Then you should eat. There's plenty enough food for everyone and a half."
"There's really no need," she shook her head once again.
"Oh come on... please?" he pleaded, putting on his best puppy-eyes. At this, Saber gave up convincing him and sat down, her figure shrouded with dignity, which steadily broke as she started wolfing down on her share.
It started with a single bite, then another, and another, until there was nothing left on her plate, leading her to ask for more with an stone-cold yet flushing face. Shirou adopted a grin, appearing victorious.
Sakura on the other hand let out a soft giggle as she watched an entire steak disappear into Saber's stomach, leaving not a parcel of meat behind. Shirou's food had that kind of effect on people, one bitefull is all it takes to hook them in.
Meanwhile, as the trio indulged themselves in a feast, a girl with snow-white hair and amber eyes sat on a bench on the other side of the city, swaying her legs out of boredom. She turned her head, looking inside an arcade place where a dozen or so people were huddled over one machine. Two people sat before the device, their hands whipping across the controls in quick succession. On the screen were two characters locked in a duel, which quickly ended in a one-sided slaughter.
"Another win for me! Who's next, huh!?" The victor, a well endowed woman with long violet hair and unimaginable beauty, shouted challenge. This was her twentieth win streak in less than half an hour, leading to a sizable crowd to form around her, impressed by her skill.
"Haah," the little albino sighed. The woman she was inspecting was encased with divine energy, something she was greatly intimate with, having lived her whole life surrounded by it. She pulled her gaze down, checking the back of her hand to find a Command Seal vaguely shaped like a chariot. Rubbing the symbol, she spoke, her tone one of fatigue, "The Lord seems to like picking weirdos to bless."
First a man with a weird obsession with swords and helping people, now a woman who's first instincts is to enact unfiltered violence on everything. She just hoped it didn't get worse than that.
Suddenly, her tiredness dissipated as soon as she spotted a small shiba inu playing with a black cat by the public park. As she continued to watch, a sense of foreboding arose. From above, she noticed a few birds silently posted on the powerlines. She didn't know why, but it felt like they were keenly aware of everyone around, scanning the people as they went about their day. Meh, it was probably her imagination.
END.
A/N: I'm currently going through some things, so I might not write for a while.