Hello everyone! Here is the next chapter! As always, let me know what you guys think!
Sorry in advance for the super long chapter! Man, it was longer than even I was thinking.
Just a heads up, I purposefully don't explain the Holy Grail War. This chapter is long enough without it, and I think most people who read this story know the concept.
Here's some vocab to help if you are unfamiliar with Touken Ranbu Terms:
Touken Danshi: Sword Warriors, gods of swords created from ancient spirits and techniques given human form. They are the summons under Saniwa.
Honmaru: Also known as Citadel, a Japanese castle-like establishment where Saniwa and the Touken Danshi live.
Saniwa: A Sage and the Master of the Touken Danshi, the one who summoned them.
Tachi: A type of sword that samurai used for cavalry when on horseback. They are longer and more curved than other types of Japanese blades. (Tsurumaru, Mikazuki, Shokudaikiri, and Ichigo are Tachi)
Uchigatana: A traditional Japanese sword with a curved, single-edged blade that is similar in appearance to a katana. (Yamanbagiri and Hasebe are these types of blades)
2. Of Touken Danshi and Servants
2205, Tampere, Finland
Asuna Kivelä stood in front of a summoning circle and an altar. Her hair was pushed back, the white-blonde curls gently cascading down to her mid-back, her greenish-blue eyes intense as she stared at the altar, or more importantly, what was on it. On the altar lay a beautiful brooch of the finest silver that formed a twelve-point star with a circle encompassing all the points. Inlaid into the silver were gleaming diamonds, and at the very center was a deep blue sapphire.
She had spent a long time and a disgusting amount of money to get that brooch; the mage she had bought it from had assured her repeatedly that it belonged to the one and only King Arthur. She had been pleased when she heard that it had belonged to the King of Knights; after all, if she was going to participate in the Holy Grail War, she knew that not only did she need the strongest class of Servant but also the strongest Servant from that class which everyone had said was King Arthur. With him at her side, she'd win.
"Father, I'll make you proud." She murmured, thinking of the man who raised her and taught her about mage craft. He had perished in the last Holy Grail War, unable to fulfill their family's wish to rise back up in the ranks of Clock Tower and get in the good graces of the Mages Association.
For the past three generations, her family had been shunned and pushed out of Clock Tower because of her great-grandfather, just because he wanted to open up the magus society to outsiders. He had married her great-grandmother instead of the woman he had been engaged to marry since they were children. It was ridiculous to her that he would be pushed out for his morals and the person he wanted to marry. Magus society was truly irritating sometimes...
Before she began the summoning, she quickly took in her appearance in the antique full-body-length mirror. Her cream-colored tie-neck contrast mesh blouse was smooth and held no wrinkles, and neither did her dark blue, high-waisted mid-thigh length skirt. No stray hairs on the expensive dark blue winter wool coat with attached hood… everything was perfect. She didn't think herself vain, but it wouldn't do well to meet a Servant in untidy clothes, especially a King.
"I'm all set," She smiled softly before facing the summoning circle again, holding her hand out.
"Let silver and steel be the essence.
Let stone and the archduke of contracts be the foundation
Let silver be the color I pay tribute to
For the Ancestor, my great Master, Koskinen
Let rise a wall against the wind that shall fall
Let the four cardinal gates close.
Let the three-forked road from the crown reaching unto the Kingdom rotate.
Fill. Fill. Fill. Fill. Fill.
Repeat five times. But when each is filled, destroy it. Set."
The summoning circle started to glow a brilliant midnight blue, growing brighter and richer each time she said "fill." But when she destroyed it, the midnight blue glow changed to a brilliant silver.
"I hereby declare,
My will creates your body
And your sword creates my destiny
If you heed the Grail's call and obey my will and reason... then answer me!"
The summoning circle was glowing brightly, ruffling her blonde hair, but she didn't stop. She could feel the magic hum inside her, and through the air, so this was a summoning. It was surreal; the pressure in the room became unbearable. A hurricane of magical energy formed in the center of the circle, proof that something insanely powerful was forming in the room with her. Even the brooch was shining.
"An oath shall be sworn here!
I shall attain all virtues of all of Heaven.
I shall have dominion over all evils of all of Hell!
From the Seventh Heaven, attended to by three great words of power,
Come forth from the ring of restraints,
Protector of the Holy Balance!"
Just as she finished the ritual, something unexpected happened: the whirlwind of energy broke free from the circle, catching her in the forceful gusts of wind and lifting her off the ground, the light didn't stop, it was blinding her. "What the?!" She was forced to close her eyes as she was thrown mercilessly through the space.
She didn't know how much time had passed as she flew through the air, she just knew she was starting to fall when the magical hurricane vanished. Snapping her eyes open, she quickly closed them again when she saw that she was hovering at least a dozen feet in the air… and in the position she was in, there was no way she'd be able to land gracefully or without injury.
She let out a startled yell as she started to fall, but instead of impacting the ground, she was caught by something warm and steady. Slowly opening her eyes again, she looked into the face of her savior, her Servant. She blinked again, surprised, the face looking down at her was decidedly not male but female.
The Servant was startling beautiful with flawless light peach-toned skin, a gentle heart-shaped face, and midnight black hair that was pulled up into what looked like a loose bun with braids at the side of her head, and it was all held up together by a large dark midnight blue, satin ribbon. It was her eyes that caught Asuna's attention, though; they were large and framed by thick, dark lashes, the irises a shade of dark blue-purple with flecks of silver surrounding the pupil.
She wore a long-sleeved dark midnight blue dress that had accents of silver and black; the skirt of the dress had slits on either side of her legs, going all the way up to her hips, revealing the close-fitting black leather wrapped around her legs she and black armor covered boots. On top of her dress, the armor she wore was designed like a demi-corset and was made of gleaming dark silver metal.
The pauldron on her right shoulder was fairly normal, but the pauldron on her left shoulder was shaped like a wolf's head with sapphires as the eyes. The vambraces she wore were the same gleaming dark silver, as were the short faulds that were attached to the skirt of her dress. However, the cuisses and greaves she wore over her pants were darker, almost black, and noticeably thinner armor. The Servant also wore a dark midnight blue scarf that had a hood attached to it; the scarf was loosely wrapped around her shoulders, the ends of the scarf falling down her back. There was also a polished silver pin of a wolf's head in profile attached to the hood.
"Are you alright, Master?" The Servant spoke, surprising Asuna with how smooth her voice was. "I am the Servant Saber for this Holy Grail War." She gently set Asuna on the ground, giving her an easy smile, though her dark eyes gleamed with curiosity, "Though it seems like an odd war we'll be facing together. But let's do our best."
Asuna swallowed thickly, "... are you King Arthur?" She already knew the answer.
The Servant blinked in surprise before amusement settled in her features. "No, I'm not."
Asuna hung her head, "... I see…" There was no missing the dejection in her voice. She had failed to summon the most powerful Saber... and she'd been scammed of her money...
She quickly shook her head; she could deal with all that later. First, she had to figure out where she was. It was clear that they were no longer in her workshop or Finland, judging by the weather. By the looks of it, they were in a forest, had they been transported somewhere? Did the ritual go wrong somehow? "Where are we?"
"A good question," Saber grinned, "You should also be asking when are we. We are no longer in the year 2205."
"What?!"
Himeji Honmaru, 2205
"Don't you want to leave the room, Master?" Lancer asked. It had been a few days since Inoa had met with Shinobu, and ever since then, she had refused to leave her room, nervous about meeting the rest of the warriors who resided in the Honmaru.
She was also feeling a bit salty. From what she gathered, part of her problems stemmed from them simply doing their job. She knew she shouldn't be annoyed about it, but she felt as if getting stuck in the Holy Grail War was enough, she didn't need complications.
"No, I don't." Inoa huffed. "I'd rather stay in here where it's safe."
"Nowhere is safe for you now, Master," Lancer said calmly. "Isn't it better to have allies than allow the occupants of this place to remain suspicious?"
Inoa groaned, "I don't even know what to say to them."
"I'm sure if you just be yourself, it'll all work out. Master, going into this with a bad attitude won't help anyone," Lancer said back. "And I doubt they'll hurt you, these are respectable warriors, after all."
"I'll take your word for it, but I doubt they'll be thrilled when they find out what they're up against." Iona sighed.
Lancer was about to speak, but before she could, there was a knock at their door, and Ichigo's voice filtered through the doors, "Kusanagi-san, Master has gathered the Touken Danshi residing in the Honmaru for a meeting, she would like you to attend. There's also a representative from the Time Agency here with pressing information that Master thinks you should know."
"Is it how to get home?!" Inoa asked, more excited than before.
"... I am not sure, only the Representative would have the answer," Ichigo answered.
"Then let's go!" Inoa said, jumping to her feet and slamming the door to her room open, much to Ichigo's surprise. "Where are we meeting?"
Lancer laughed at her Master's antics, "You were determined to disappear into the floor just a moment ago... oh well, if this is what it takes to get you out of the room, I won't protest. Lead the way, Hitofuri-san."
"Right," Ichigo smiled at them and started towards the meeting hall, "How has your stay here been, Kusanagi-san? I was on a survey until now, so I wasn't able to check on you, I apologize."
"It's alright," Inoa quickly reassured him, waving off his apologies, "I'm not expecting to be served or anything." She then remembered something. "... you said... that everyone will be in this meeting?"
Ichigo nodded, "I also heard from my brothers that you've avoided everyone and stayed in your room, I was hoping you got to know them when I was away."
Inoa laughed nervously, "I'm not very good with meeting new people..." It was true; she always made things awkward when she met someone new, and most of the time, they tended to pick a new conversation partner rather than stick around. "And I didn't want to interrupt the work you guys were doing."
"I'll introduce you after the meeting then," Ichigo smiled, stopping outside one of the larger buildings. "We're here." Without another word, he slid the shoji doors open, revealing a sea of unfamiliar faces that turned to look at her; Shinobu was also there with an unknown woman who was dressed in a gray pantsuit.
Inoa froze at all the eyes on her; she would have stayed rooted to the entrance of the room if Lancer hadn't sighed and ushered her in, leading her to a seat that was to the side of Shinobu.
"Here, here, Master, just sit down," Lancer said, giving the room a friendly and calm smile. "Hello, it's nice to meet everyone." She bowed politely at the group of sword warriors. "I'm Lancer, and this is my Master, Inoa-chan."
Inoa blushed. "Don't add -chan to my name without permission," she said, embarrassed. She looked around the room and smiled nervously when she noticed everyone's attention was on her again. "It's nice to meet you all officially."
"It's nice to meet you too, Missy." A beautiful man smiled at her. He had neatly styled deep blue hair that was nearly black, the left side of his bangs reaching his chin, and strange eyes. They were a deep blue, but there were yellow crescents under his pupils. "I'm Mikazuki Munechika."
"Enough with the introductions. If we all introduce ourselves, it'll take all day," another man with messy, straight grayish-brown hair and purple eyes cut in. "I want to know why she was able to meet with Master so easily."
"Now, now, Hasebe-kun, don't be rude." The man next to him spoke. Most notable about him was the eyepatch he wore, which strangely enough seemed to complement his messy black hair and visible golden eye.
"I'd like to know too! It was surprising when she came in a burst of Sakura petals!" The next one to speak had a cheerful voice and a smile on his face. He had white hair that was longer in the back and golden-yellow eyes. "I can't help but feel like she's going to bring a lot more surprises here!"
Inoa looked at them all, unable to speak. How was she supposed to explain? Beside her, Shinobu cleared her throat, and the Touken Danshi quieted, snapping back to attention at the sound.
"Inoa-san is here due to unusual circumstances; she was transported here when she summoned Lancer for the Holy Grail War." Shinobu began.
"Can I ask what that is?" Mikazuki asked, looking at Inoa and Lancer with a tranquil smile, "I would say we're all rather curious as to what Lancer is. She's a spirit, and she took on the Time Retrograde Army as if they were nothing."
"May I, Shinobu-san? I don't think Kusanagi-san's up to explaining." The Representative asked. Upon the Saniwa's nod and Inoa's relieved look, she quickly introduced herself, "Hello, I'm Rei, I'm from the Time Agency's headquarters... something unprecedented has happened, you see, the Holy Grail War is..."
The Touken Danshi listened with rapt attention as Rei explained the founding and concept of the Holy Grail War before going into detail about Masters and Servants.
"A battle to the death between seven mages?" Ichigo asked, looking worried. He glanced at Inoa, uncertain.
"I'm surprised you entered such a thing, you don't seem the type." The white-haired man said.
"It's not like I wanted to! The command seals didn't appear on my hand until I summoned Lancer," Inoa huffed. "If anyone's surprised, I am."
"But your father participated in the Ninth Holy Grail War, didn't he?" Rei asked. "I looked you up before coming here. It's not unheard of for direct descendants of a previous Master to be chosen to participate in the next Holy Grail War, there are also records of completely random people being chosen, so even if you hadn't wanted to participate, it's no surprise the Grail marked you as a Master."
"I see, I see," Mikazuki nodded, turning to Lancer, "So based on the rules of this war, you must have been a hero who used the spear."
Lancer nodded, smiling back. "Yup. I specialized in using a spear when I was alive," The lie rolled easily off the Servant's tongue.
It probably was better that they thought she was a legendary hero than a divine spear... Inoa thought, glancing at her Servant. She then switched her attention to Rei. "More importantly, is there a way for us to return home? Do you know why we were transported here?"
Rei looked regretful and nervous, "There is no way to send you back to where you came from. It seems that the Tenth Holy Grail War is destined to happen throughout time."
Lancer looked thoughtful, "Not even going to try? With your mission to preserve history, I thought you'd never risk Servants fighting in a time when the Holy Grail War wasn't established."
"We've tried, you two aren't the first Master and Servant pair to fall into a Honmaru, the first fell into the Bitchū Honmaru of 2205," Rei admitted.
"And you weren't able to send them back to normal, present-day 2205?" Inoa asked, stunned. Part of her wanted to talk to this other master, but she bit her tongue. Chances were, if another Master knew where she was, she'd bring her Servant to fight Lancer.
"The Saniwa at Bitchū tried to send them to the Time Agency headquarters, but foreign magic interfered with the transportation, they were sent somewhere in feudal Japan, but as of right now, I can't tell you the year or location since we lost track of them... not only that but the Bitchū Honmaru was destroyed shortly after." Rei looked down at her lap, fists clenched. "We were able to recover some footage..."
She tapped on a tablet, and a holographic screen blinked into existence, and Inoa winced, the images the screen showed weren't pretty; the courtyard of the Bitchũ Honmaru was in ruins, and the Touken Danshi on screen all looked beaten to different degrees, their clothes soaked in blood. On the other hand, the two figures they were surrounding looked pristine, covered in black cloaks that hid their features.
Inoa felt ice form in the pit of her stomach at the two cloaked figures. She didn't know why, but she knew those two were bad news. Even through a screen, they radiated malice and bloodlust.
"We don't care if you interfere, I encourage it, the more people I get to kill, the more excited I get," A woman's voice floated from the screen, cold and calculating, "But trying to send them back to Fuyuki City isn't allowed."
"It's a shame," Her companion spoke up, it was a lot warmer than the female's, "But we'll make this Honmaru an example to the Time Agency, they'll think twice before sending Master back to Fuyuki."
In response to his words, the Touken Danshi charged. The woman smiled, a magic circle forming at her feet as the ground broke under her. There was a flash of light, and when it dissipated, Inoa blinked at the empty courtyard, all traces of life had vanished like there had never been anyone there.
There was dead silence in the room until Rei finally spoke, sounding uncomfortable, "That was all the footage we could retrieve. Those two broke through the protective barrier and dispatched the Touken Danshi in Bitchū."
"How is that possible?!" Hasebe demanded, looking unnerved, "Against all of us... are you saying that these Servants are that much stronger?"
"It depends on the Servant," Lancer spoke up, looking at him, "I'm certain you are on equal footing with a few. But I think what we just saw was a noble phantasm being used."
"A noble phantasm?" Ichigo asked.
"It's a Servant's trump card," Iona explained, surprising him by speaking up, though she kept her eyes solely on her lap. "In a sense, it's the core of their legend, the ultimate mystery, the power that makes them who they are. For example, Lancer's spear is her noble phantasm, but she can only fully activate it if she calls out the spear's true name."
"Oh, and what is your spear's true name?" Mikazuki asked.
"I can't tell you that." Lancer said, "There's a reason I'm having you call me Lancer. Our classes hide our identities; our noble phantasms have the potential to reveal them once released."
Rei nodded, "Once a Servant's true identity is revealed, that could put them at a disadvantage, for example, if they died by poison, they'd be more susceptible to that in battle. Other Servants can take advantage of it."
"Oh, so you have to keep your identity secret as long as possible." The one with the eye patch nodded in understanding.
"So, what do we do now, Master?" Mikazuki asked, the same smile on his face. "I doubt we can leave things as they are, especially since our enemies have attacked us directly."
Shinobu sighed. "With things how they are, we have no choice but to wait and see how the Holy Grail War unfolds; we do not know where the enemy resides, I can only guess that some Servants have joined forces with the Historical Revisionist. That's why those Servants attacked the Bitchū Honmaru." She then looked at Inoa, a gentle look on her face. "We'll also be aiding Inoa-san, of course."
"Huh?!" Inoa straightened up, face blushing red when all eyes switched to her again. "What am I supposed to do?" She asked nervously.
"Well, I think we must find the other Servants, don't you think, Master?" Lancer asked, an excited smile on her face. "Despite the circumstances, I'm excited! You don't get the chance to fight legendary warriors very often!"
Inoa looked at Lancer in disbelief, "I don't want to fight in a blood bath!" It felt like she was a broken record at this point, but Lancer just waved away her concerns.
"No matter where you are, other Masters will find you, isn't it better to jump right in than wait to be killed? Besides, I'm strong; I won't go down easy." She reassured.
"I don't know if I should be worried about your confidence or not," Inoa sighed, she looked around at the group and added reluctantly, "But it looks like we have no other choice." She gave her Servant a small smile, "I'll be counting on you, Lancer."
Shinobu looked at the teen and smiled. "Thank you," She then looked at the gathered Touken Danshi, "Then we should act immediately, Inoa-san. The Eiroku incident in 1565 has to be addressed."
"Now?!" Inoa looked like she was about to faint, and Lancer laughed at the expression on her face. She wasn't ready for this!
"Yes! That's what I like, let's jump right into it, Master!" She exclaimed.
"You're far too excited," Inoa muttered, shoulders sagged in defeat.
Shinobu laughed softly, "I'll send a unit of my Touken with you so you'll at least have assistance." She looked at her gathered Touken, already having chosen the ones she would send.
"Shokudaikiri Mitsutada, Heshikiri Hasebe, Yamanbagiri Kunihiro, Mikazuki Munechika, Tsurumaru Kuninaga, and Ichigo Hitofuri as Captain, you six will go with them. You leave in thirty minutes, dismissed."
Inoa looked around the room; it seemed that all the Touken who had spoken up were coming with her, well, except for one. Was it the one in the tattered white cloak and blue pinstripe jacket?
Lancer laughed, "Let's get ready, Master, no time to hide, right?" She grabbed Inoa and dragged her out of the meeting room.
"I wasn't planning on hiding," Inoa complained, but she allowed Lancer to drag her out.
Kyo, Japan, 1565
"I feel a bit sick," Inoa muttered as she wandered through the streets of Kyo with Lancer. She'd need to get used to the Honmaru's method of traveling through time. They had been here almost a full day, and still, she felt a bit light-headed from the form of transportation.
"It was fun, wasn't it?" Lancer laughed happily.
"You're just excited about everything, aren't you?" Inoa asked, Lancer was looking around in wonder.
"Life's too short to be uncertain, Master!" Lancer said, "Besides, I've always wanted to live like humans, after all, Lord Izanagi and Lady Izanami created them. Man, I'd like to live and die like one, a normal one, that is. "
"Is that your wish? To live a life like a human?" Inoa asked.
Lancer nodded, "If I were to have one, yes, I'd like to be reincarnated as a human and live a simple life. Maybe on a farm?"
Inoa looked thoughtful, "Most people want to live with as much wealth as possible, but knowing you, I guess what you say makes sense."
"Hey!" Tsurumaru, the white-haired sword, waved at them from where he was waiting with the others, "Were you able to find a Master or Servant?"
Lancer shook her head, "There have been no reports of anyone acting odd or out of place."
"Which is a bit odd, isn't it? Our group stands out." Inoa said, taking in the Touken Danshi with her. "But no one seems to notice. No wonder a Master and Servant can freely roam."
"The Servant may be in spirit form," Lancer said. "And who knows, maybe the Master put on a disguise."
"You can't just sense if someone is a Master?" Hasebe asked annoyed, out of the six with them, he seemed the most displeased with the situation but the most eager to accomplish their task for his Master. "At this rate, we'll never find them."
"Calm down, Hasebe-kun," Shokudaikiri held up his hands placatingly, "No one ever said this would be easy. And we're not used to dealing with Heroic Spirits or mages; we don't know what to look for."
"Are there any signs of someone being a mage?" Yamanbagiri spoke up, looking at her from under his hood.
"I'm sure there are, but I would be no help in tracking them, after my parents died, I stopped most practices of magecraft," Inoa said apologetically. "And if they're a talented mage, they may be able to completely cloak their mana." Inoa sighed.
"But even if a Servant was in spirit form, I'd be able to sense them," Lancer argued. "Unless it's Assassin that appeared here, then we may be out of luck with their presence concealment skill."
Both Inoa and Lancer sighed, clearly discouraged.
Ichigo gave them an encouraging smile, "Don't look so glum, we'll have to find them eventually. Wasn't part of the reason you came to draw them out?" He then looked at the small fox resting on his shoulder, a kudagitsune. "Konnosuke, any words from the Citadel? No one has tried to attack, right?"
That had been a big concern for the Touken, that if Inoa left, the Himeji Honmaru would be attacked like the Bitchū Honmaru by those cloaked figures. It made it hard to leave, but they needed to follow the Master's orders.
Konnosuke shook his head, "From the last report, everything is as it should be. No one is attacking. It may be, as we speculated, the enemy only attacked the Bitchū Honmaru because they were trying to send a Master and Servant back to the correct time."
"How messed up," Inoa muttered.
"If I may cut in," Mikazuki spoke up, his eyes on the forest that surrounded the city. "If the Master was randomly dropped here, and they were worried about blending in, do you think they could be in the forest?"
Inoa followed his gaze to the vast forest and sighed, it was a possibility, especially if they were cautious. "Then let's go, we're losing daylight, aren't we? We've searched this entire town."
"Hey! Who put you in charge?" Hasebe demanded.
"She's right; we shouldn't waste any more time here if there's no one here," Ichigo cut in, and he turned to Inoa. "Lead the way, Kusanagi-san."
"Eh? Me?" When he nodded his head, she sighed, "S-sure." She muttered.
Ichigo smiled, "You should have more confidence in yourself, Kusanagi-san. I think you're doing a great job so far."
"I've caused trouble for all of you." Inoa protested as the group started to walk. "And I've done nothing but complain; I don't think that's a great job at all."
"But you're here, aren't you?" Shokudaikiri asked, falling into step on her other side, "If you had pushed not to come, Master would have understood. You may not think it, but you're brave for coming when you were scared."
"I-I guess... but I'm not a mage. If there's a skilled Master with a Servant, I'd be no help..." Inoa said if she had known this would happen, she would have continued her studies in her family's magecraft somehow.
"We'll help out if needed," Yamanbagiri mumbled from somewhere behind her.
"Though we aren't accustomed to fighting mages. Anything we should know?" Mikazuki asked.
"Be on your guard," Inoa said, "Mages are cold-blooded killers who will do anything to get what they want, that's how the Holy Grail War started in the first place. And you don't know what spells they'll throw at you."
"That's it?" Hasebe asked.
"That's all the warning I can give without knowing what the magus specializes in," Inoa said back. "We'll just have to wait and find out."
"Are you comfortable, Master?" Saber asked, looking over at Asuna. They had made the shed they had landed in front of their temporary residence.
"I am, thank you, Saber," Asuna said. After she had been able to get a proper read on her Servant's parameters, she had been pleased; Saber may not be King Arthur but was probably on par with him, which had surprised her.
She just wished her Servant was more elegant, especially with the prestige that went with her name.
But still... if she managed to get back home to the present time, she'd hunt that mage who sold her the brooch down and get her money back, forcefully if she had to. Getting swindled didn't sit well with her.
"What are you thinking about, Master? You have a scary look on your face," Saber smiled.
"It's nothing." Asuna huffed.
"If you don't want to be swindled, Master, you should do better research." Saber laughed.
Asuna blushed at that, "Why you-! Can you read my mind?"
Saber laughed again, "I cannot, but you had the same face when you told me about the brooch. It was an easy guess to see what you were thinking about."
Asuna sighed again. Saber was right, but she had been desperate when she bought the brooch. "Can you sense any Servants nearby, Saber?"
"I cannot. Can you Master?" Saber asked.
She shook her head, "I can't believe we were dropped in the past. What the hell is going on? How are we supposed to find Servants like this?"
"I'm certain one will show up," Saber leaned back against the tree she was sitting against. "We just have to wait. Why else would we be thrown here?"
"I hate waiting," Asuna muttered, she had always been a person of action, but the fact that they couldn't act bothered her. She stood up from the root she'd been sitting on abruptly with a huff.
"Where are you going, Master?" Saber asked, looking at her curiously.
"For a walk. I'm going to go crazy if I do nothing but sit all day." Asuna said, making her way toward a trail she had spotted before. "You don't have to come with me."
"Of course I do, it'll be dark soon," Saber said, getting up, too. "You don't know what beasts roam this forest at night, so it's better to be safe than sorry. But, if you want to feel like you're walking alone, I'll remain in spirit form." Dematerializing as she spoke.
"Do as you please." Asuna sighed, heading to the trail. For the longest time, she took in the scenery around her; the leaves were starting to change color, and the air had a sense of freshness to it. It wasn't like home, but it was still beautiful.
"Hey, Saber, I forgot to ask," Asuna began, blushing at the realization. "What's your wish for the Grail?"
"I don't have one; there's nothing I want that I didn't have in life," Saber's voice floated through the air, though she remained in spirit form. "Nor is there anything in my past I wish to correct, not anything that I want, that I didn't have in life. Even with how everything ended, I died satisfied."
"Really?" Asuna asked, that wasn't the answer she was expecting, especially with how Saber's life ended. "You don't want to change anything?"
"Really. I put my fate in the future. To forcefully change anything would be to spit on the sacrifices made by my knights and people. They deserve more than that. What about you, Master? What's your wish?" Saber asked.
"My family dropped from the good graces of the Mages Association and Clock Tower three generations ago. My only wish is to regain my family's proper place in magus society." Asuna said determinedly.
She heard Saber snort and laugh, "That's it?"
"Why are you laughing?!" Asuna demanded, "It is my duty as the Kivelä family heir to restore our honor and rightful place, just as my father tried to in the previous war."
"Tell me, Master, is it something you want to do? Or something you feel obligated to do?" Saber asked.
"They are the same," Asuna replied firmly.
"I see," Saber said, sounding thoughtful, which Asuna wasn't sure she liked, but she left it at that.
She walked in silence for the next few minutes, but the scenery didn't feel the same. She wished that Saber understood her duty to her family; she should have, right? After all, Saber had been a-
"Master, you should watch where you're stepping," Saber cautioned from somewhere to her right.
"Hmm?" Asuna looked up, but Saber's warning had come too late. She stepped to the edge of the trail, only feeling the loose rock crumble under her foot before she fell.
She let out a yelp as she fell off the side of the trail, letting out a grunt when she landed on something soft and warm. Of course, Saber would have caught her again, but it would have been better if her Servant had pulled her back before she even got the chance to fall.
A startled laugh caused Asuna to flinch, it was decidedly male, "Man... you surprised me, falling on me like that. Are you okay, Miss?"
Slowly, pushed herself up, she blushed when she realized that she was right and the person she had fallen on was male; he was dressed completely in white and had white hair and mysterious golden eyes.
"You must be surprised too, Miss," The man smiled cheerfully at her, "You're staring, is there something on my face?"
Blushing like mad, Asuna quickly moved off him. She watched silently as he stood up, wiping the dirt off his pristine white clothes, he looked rather noble and wore something she thought a samurai of older times would. The sleeves of his jacket were also long and looked like wings.
She studied him a bit more, her eyes widening, "... What are you?" He wasn't a human, but he wasn't a Servant or homunculus either.
He blinked back at her, golden eyes curious. "This is surprising." He let out a chuckle, taking a step closer to her. "Looking closer at you, you don't look like you belong here."
"Tsurumaru!" She jumped at another male voice and looked around to see five other men making their way over to them; they all looked like warriors, samurai, but some of them seemed to have a modern flair, one was dressed in a suit under his armor while another had on a blue pinstripe jacket.
"Oh my, who is this?" One of the warriors asked, he was dressed in a rich blue robe and had strange eyes, blue with yellow crescents under the pupils.
The man, Tsurumaru, smiled, "I think I found who we're looking for. She fell on me."
"Fell on you?" The one in the suit and an eyepatch asked.
"Yup." Tsurumaru nodded, smile still firmly in place, "It surprised me alright."
"Master, enemy Servant nearby." Saber suddenly warned, only for her to hear. "None of these men are human."
"Do you think I don't know that?!" Asuna demanded, speaking directly to Saber, she didn't think it would be good to speak aloud around these men. "And why the hell haven't you done anything?!"
"It's always best to observe a situation before acting master," Saber laughed. "Besides, it was fun watching you drool over Whitey over there."
"I wasn't drooling!" Asuna snapped aloud before slapping her hand over her mouth when she drew all the men's attention. That's when two more people decided to join the group, but these two were notably different.
Her eyes widened when she saw a young woman hurry through the woods. A girl dressed in modern clothes and a Servant with a spear followed after her. Lancer, huh?
The teen's eyes widened when she saw her, too, "You found the Master." There was a mix of terror and relief in her voice.
"What?" Asuna looked between the Master and Lancer, backing away from the group, eyes defensive. "You want to fight?"
Before anyone could answer, Asuna let out a yelp when she suddenly found herself swept off her feet and flying through the trees, the wind pushing against her face. "What is this all of a sudden?!"
"You just challenged them to a fight, and we were at a disadvantage," Saber explained, she had partially materialized, her physical form flickering as she carried Asuna, jumping from tree to tree. "I figured an open space would be better if we were gonna fight multiple opponents."
"Hey! Wait up!" Asuna glanced back to see Tsurumaru and his group chasing them.
Eventually, they reached an open field where Saber set Asuna down, fully materializing a moment later, a beautiful gold-and-silver broadsword with a gold cross guard and red handle now in her hands.
The group stopped at the other side of the field, studying Saber with various degrees of interest.
"The Saber-class Servant?" Lancer pushed her way to the front of the group, her gold spear resting against her shoulder.
Saber smiled back, "This isn't how I imagined my first battle would go."
"Wait!" The Master pushed her way forward, the man with blue hair following closely behind her. "We don't want to fight! Don't you think this is strange? That we've been transported through time?"
"Of course I do," Asuna glared back, looking around them, "I also find it strange that you're with that group. What are they? They aren't Servants."
"We are Touken Danshi; we are the manifested hearts of swords." The man with the crescent eyes explained, "I am Mikazuki Munechika, they call me that for the patterns on my blade."
"Tsurumaru Kuninaga," The man Asuna fell on introduced himself too, the smile never leaving his face as he waved at her. "Are we going to fight?" He had his sword resting across his shoulders, but he looked ready to unsheathe it at any given moment.
"Manifested heart of a sword? I have no clue what that means!" Asuna protested. She glanced at Saber and nodded.
"We'll explain if you give us a chance," The blue-haired man spoke, noticing Saber shift on her feet.
"How about you explain if you can beat me?" Saber smiled and launched herself at Lancer, her sword clashing with Lancer's golden spear, sending sparks flying through the air. The white-haired Servant barely reacted in time, being pushed back a few inches by Saber's strike.
"Not bad," Saber grinned, she broke the lock between their weapons and slashed out at Lancer again, forcing her to jump to the side and trailing after her through the clearing. The sound of their weapons clashing fills the otherwise silent air.
Lancer parried another one of Saber's strikes and swung low, the tip of her spear aiming to graze Saber's side. Saber flipped over the spear, slashing out with her sword towards Lancer's throat as she did so; however, the white-haired Servant dodged at the last second, but not fast enough, receiving a shallow cut to the base of her neck.
"Not bad yourself," Lancer quickly checked the wound, glad that it wasn't too deep. "I wasn't expecting you to attack while upside down. But you won't put me down that easily." She blocked Saber's next strike before relaxing her stance, leaping back and causing Saber to stumble forward at the sudden lack of force against her blade.
Lancer then lunged forward again, trying to take advantage of Saber's shock. The point of her spear was aimed at Saber's chest, aiming to knock the wind out of the black-haired Servant and get a chance to explain their situation, but Saber did something that Lancer didn't expect. She dove forward, allowing gravity to bring her down instead of trying to catch herself like Lancer thought she would. As she fell towards the ground, Saber twisted, her sword arm swinging out as she fell, the blade of her sword swinging for Lancer's legs.
Lancer was forced to jump into the air to avoid Saber's strike and, at the same time, leave her unbelievably exposed since the tip of her spear flew harmlessly over Saber's body, and Saber was now directly under the shaft of her spear.
Saber rolled onto the ground before quickly pushing herself back up, her body only inches away from Lancer's and too near for Lancer to properly counter with her spear still thrust out. Saber met Lancer's stunned topaz-colored eyes before viciously swinging her sword toward Lancer's abdomen; Lancer would have been gutted then and there if Mikazuki wasn't suddenly there, blocking Saber's sword with his tachi.
"Tch," Saber leaped away from the Servant and unknown warrior, her dark eyes narrowed, "You're intervening in a battle between Servants?" She pointed her sword at him as she spoke, displeased by the turn of events.
She glanced around her and suddenly found herself surrounded by the five remaining warriors, Lancer's Master, standing safely a few feet away.
"Lancer is our ally," Mikazuki said smoothly, "It makes sense to intervene when we're needed most."
"Hm," The sword in Saber's hand glowed brilliantly before disappearing in a burst of mana to be replaced with a different sword, this one was a black Falchion with intricate gold trimming. "It doesn't matter if it's one or seven, I can still take you on."
Lancer's eyes widened at the change of weapon, "Changing swords? Isn't that cheating?"
Saber laughed, "I'm the Saber-class Servant; there's no rule that says I can't have more than one," Saber said, rushing her nearest opponent, who happened to be the cloaked warrior; the Falchion clashed against his blade.
"We just want to talk," He ground out, their weapons locked, each of them pushing against the other to gain leverage.
"I told you, if you could beat me, I'd have my Master listen, wouldn't I?" Saber asked, with one hand still holding the handle of the Falchion and pressing down on the cloaked warrior, Saber held her other hand out, summoning a rapier with a white handle and white ribbon to her free hand and thrusting at his chest, hoping to impale the man.
Unfortunately, he dodged, and Saber was forced to jump back when the warrior in purple tried to slash her from the front, she bent backward to dodge his strike while simultaneously kicking him in the chest, the arm with the falchion swinging up to parry Lancer's next attack, the blade of her sword clashing with the tip of Lancer's spear.
Saber held the Falchion and rapier in her hands before charging again, leaping up into the air and spinning her body as she did so, adding extra force to her strike when the Falchion clashed against Tsurumaru's sword, causing the white-haired warrior to stumble slightly despite their size difference. With her blade still locked against his, she spun to the side on her toes, avoiding the eyepatch warrior strike and causing the two allies to collide with each other.
"Amazing… she's making it look like nothing…" Inoa said from behind Ichigo. The blue-haired tachi wasn't joining the fight like others; he was standing protectively in front of her, ready to defend himself in case Saber decided to attack her directly.
"It's a bit worrying," Ichigo said nervously, his eyes never leaving the fight. Saber moved elegantly despite being cornered; there was overwhelming confidence and strength in each of her strikes; the black-haired Servant wielded two swords with ease; she would block and slash with the Falchion and quickly thrust out with the rapier with remarkable speed and accuracy. "It's also like she's…"
"Dancing," Mikazuki, too, was watching the fight instead of helping; he let out a soft laugh when Saber somersaulted through the air, her foot connecting with Yamanbagiri's chin, sending him stumbling back against Hasebe. "She's extremely flexible, too. One can't help but admire such strength and elegance."
"Stop admiring her and help Jiji!" Yamanbagiri called to him, growling in frustration when he just laughed.
"I'm just an old geezer, it's only natural to let the youngsters let off some steam," Mikazuki said.
Saber laughed too as she charged at Lancer, forcing her to block before suddenly closing the distance with an unexpected burst of speed and appearing at Lancer's side after feigning another strike with the rapier; she tried to slice Lancer's wide open, but she spun out of the way, unable to do anything but dodge since her spear was too close to her body.
"Strongest class indeed," Lancer looked pleased about the challenge, the sound of metal against metal once again filling the air as she parried Saber's strikes one after the other; first the rapier, then the Falchion, she didn't let herself get too comfortable though, since she didn't know when the other Servant would change blades. "And not only that... you're faster than I would expect a Saber to be. Maybe faster than me."
Saber huffed, the rapier and Falchion disappearing to be replaced by a red-gold scimitar. "If I was faster, you'd be dead."
She charged at Lancer again, the red-gold scimitar slicing against the pole of Lancer's spear before Lancer thrust the spear out, aiming to spear through Saber's side, though the black-haired Servant blocked the attack with her gauntlet, leaving a large scratch mark on the dark silver metal.
"Finish her already, Saber!" Asuna called from where she was standing, looking annoyed that Saber hadn't been able to hit any vitals on the other Servant.
"I'd like to see you do better!" Saber shot back, leaping away when Shokudaikiri and Hasebe tried to slash at her at the same time. "I have my hands tied."
She was about to charge again when a shocked gasp stopped her, glancing to the side, her eyes widened when she saw three Japanese children looking in awe at the battle, their innocent dark eyes wide with awe and terror. "Well… that's unfortunate." She straightened and turned her head to Asuna, who was looking at the children with horror. "Master? Shall I get rid of the witnesses?" Her face and voice were neutral, but there was a calculating look in her dark blue eyes as she watched her Master, waiting for her orders.
"What?" Yamanbagiri looked dumbfounded by the mere suggestion of killing innocents… and the way Saber had casually suggested it….
"The first rule of the modern magus is to kill all non-mages who witness their craft," Inoa said bitterly, equally horrified that they had an audience. She looked at the children, silently begging them to run, but they seemed frozen with terror at the scene before them.
Asuna frowned at her Servant, "Don't suggest something so disgusting again, Saber, a memory spell should be enough, I've always hated that rule."
There was a beat of silence as Saber absorbed her Master's words, a pleased smile appearing on her face, "... I see, thank you, Master." Saber was glad; she had always hated senseless killing, and she would never be able to stand by a Master who struck out against innocent civilians.
Inoa stared at the other Master in surprise; a mage was supposed to be a cold-blooded killer; if it had been anyone else, they would have killed those children without hesitation, slowly, she smiled slightly, maybe they would be able to ally with this person after all.
"Now then," Saber refocused on Lancer, her grip tightening on the scimitar, "Where-" She suddenly tensed and glared at an unknown source before rushing towards Asuna.
"Saber? Wha-?" Asuna let out a shocked cry, falling to the ground when Saber's blade clashed with the large, jagged sword of a black-cloaked figure a few centimeters from where her head had been. She growled in frustration; she was getting tired of being taken by surprise.
"You should follow the rules of your society," A cold male voice floated through the clearing, and before anyone could react, there was an explosion of blood from the children, all three being cut apart in a matter of seconds. Another cloaked male was revealed behind them, his katana dripping in blood.
"What?!" Hasebe stared in horror at the bloodied bodies of the children, their bodies needlessly torn apart by the cloaked man's strikes.
"Tch," Saber broke the deadlock she had with the larger cloaked figure, the scimitar flashed white before she slashed at him, forcing him back with a burst of mana. "That was unnecessary." Her voice was colder as she glared at her opponent.
The force of her attack ripped the man's cloak away, revealing a man who seemed more muscle than flesh or bone; he towered over her, and he had wild black hair, pale brown skin, and glowing crimson eyes; he dressed simply in black leather armor that left his arms bare.
"That's…" Lancer looked stunned at seeing the man suddenly looking pale.
"What is it, Lancer?" Inoa asked, she'd never seen her Servant taken aback.
"That's the Berserker from the previous war!" Lancer said, her eyes wide. But he looks different...
"Oh?" Saber looked at Lancer, curious, "Are you certain? What about the other one?"
"I'm certain, Saber," Lancer said, readying her spear to attack, she glanced at the Touken Danshi, "And these cloaks… if Servants from the previous war are around, I think it's safe to say that they were the ones who destroyed the Bitchū Honmaru."
"That should be impossible!" Asuna said.
"This war is odd… so I suppose anything is possible, right Berserker?!" Saber demanded, with a burst of mana, she charged at the larger Servant, switching her scimitar for a white-gold longsword that had a sapphire and aquamarines encrusted in the guard. Her blade slammed down against the Berserker's with surprising force, the ground cracked and indented under where Berserker stood.
"Saber… so you were holding back after all," Lancer smiled slightly at the display. She turned, ready to fight the other cloaked Servant, but he had disappeared, and she couldn't sense him at all. Presence concealment? So, was he Assassin?
Lancer turned her focus back to the battle between Saber and this... wrong Berserker; she hadn't been the one to defeat him in the last war, so she never found out his true name, but he was stronger than she remembered. She also remembered him having darker skin and gold eyes; why had his appearance changed?
She watched as Saber's blade clashed again and again with the Dark Berserker. Saber flipped over Dark Berserker's blade as he aimed for her waist, slashing down at him just like she had Lancer.
As she came down, Saber slammed her foot down on the edge of Berserker's sword, crushing it into the ground as her sword swung out, intent on slicing off Dark Berserker's head.
Before she could, Dark Berserker forcefully pulled his sword free from the ground, despite Saber's full weight being on the blade, sending rocks flying and causing Saber to become unbalanced.
Dark Berserker took advantage of Saber's surprise, his large, jagged sword whipping out and across before Saber could regain her balance. Saber had barely blocked in time, but the force of the attack was still enough to send her flying across the clearing and through the trunk of a tree.
"Saber!" Asuna stared at the area where her Servant landed in complete shock. Looking angry, she reached into her pocket and pulled out bars of metal, throwing them above the Dark Berserker's head. "Ketju. Sitoa ja tiivistää." She muttered a spell, and the bars of steel exploded over Dark Berserker, transforming into giant, thick chains that wrapped around him, forcing him to the ground.
Asuna smirked, thinking she'd have time to run and check on Saber, but as she neared the edge of the forest, Tsurumaru suddenly tackled her, "Get down!" He pulled her against his chest and pulled her out of the way of the oncoming katana, but he wasn't fast enough to fully dodge, the blade slicing across his arm, staining his once pristine white jacket red.
"Assassin again?" Lancer looked around, but any hint of a katana or Assassin's presence was gone just as quickly as it came; did he truly intend to let the Dark Berserker fight alone?
"Man... while I like to be covered in blood, I'd rather it not be mine..." Tsurumaru sighed, looking at his injury before focusing on Asuna, who he still kept close in case Assassin tried to attack again.
"You..." Asuna looked at him in surprise. "Why did you do that?"
Tsurumaru looked surprised at her question, "Because you were in danger, and it's my job to protect humans."
"But I'm your enemy," Asuna said like it was the most obvious thing in the world.
"But you don't have to be," Shokudaikiri said, smiling down at her, and that's when Asuna noticed just how close she was to the other Master and the Touken.
"Tsurumaru, was it?" Saber made her way back to the clearing. She looked a bit bruised, and the wolf-head pauldron on her left shoulder was shattered, but otherwise, she was somehow unscratched. "I thank you for protecting my Master."
After a glance at her Master to make sure she was truly uninjured, Saber focused back on Dark Berserker, once again changing her sword, but this time it felt different; the sword itself was a black and silver longsword with runes in the center, but most striking was the cross guard, it was the head of a wolf in profile on one side and a crescent moon on the other, the handle was a deep dark silver and the pummel was a twelve-pointed star.
"Round two, you displaced Berserker," Saber grinned, eyes flashing silver, there was also something else, the hint of something feral flickering across her face just before she launched herself at the massive Servant who had freed himself from Asuna's chains.
The ground shook as the two Servants clashed, nothing but the sounds of their blades meeting, filling the air. Though Inoa did note that the Touken Danshi had taken a formation that surrounded her and Asuna, protecting them from another unexpected attack by Dark Assassin, the other Master still seemed surprised that they would want to protect her. The surprise turned to anger soon enough when she saw that her Servant was starting to be pushed back again.
"Lancer!" Asuna was mad and frustrated, mostly because she couldn't do much to support her Servant. "Are you going to just stand there and watch Saber fight alone?"
"Oh?" Lancer raised a brow and glanced back at Asuna, amusement dancing in her eyes. "Why would I help? Weren't you the one insisting we were enemies?"
Asuna blushed, stumbling over her words, "Hey! She went easy on you!"
Lancer simply smiled, "Rest assured, I was also holding back. My allies, as well. If I had been serious, you would have lost your Saber long ago."
"Hey! I heard that!" Saber was in the process of ducking her head so as not to be decapitated by Dark Berserker's large sword but somehow found time to yell back at Lancer, an amused grin on her face. "We'll have a rematch when I'm done with this guy!" Saber was dodging the mass of muscle, but she was starting to slow down, it was only a matter of time before she reached her limits, especially since she was hurt.
"What do you want then?" Asuna asked, looking at Lancer. She was getting desperate. She didn't want Saber to lose.
"An alliance," Lancer stated simply, the smile never leaving her face, stunning both Masters and surprising the Touken. "And for you to listen to our explanation of the situation."
"H-hey! You can't offer an alliance without Master's permission!" Hasebe protested, annoyance and frustration dancing in his eyes.
"Wasn't that the ideal scenario?" Ichigo asked, he looked at Asuna hopefully. "Lancer and Inoa have Master's full permission to form this alliance."
Mikazuki also laughed lightly, "Indeed, though this is certainly unexpected timing."
Asuna seemed to be struggling with her words; everything suddenly seemed too much. It also didn't help that Inoa's eyes were set on her face, hope mixing with her fear.
"Do we have an alliance?" Lancer asked, her voice sing-song as she watched Saber fend off another of Dark Berserker's attacks, his sword smashing the ground next to her feet.
"F-fine! You have an alliance!" Asuna said, cheeks red. "Saber! Don't you dare lose to him!"
"Of course, I won't," Saber called back, breaking through Dark Berserker's defenses and slashing him across the chest, leaving a shallow cut. "Have a bit more fate, Master." She smiled back at them before she was forced to dodge again.
"That's the spirit, Saber!" Lancer chuckled and readied her spear.
The way Lancer called her name sent a buzzing sensation through Saber's limbs like every nerve in her body had been struck by lightning; she knew what that meant; following her instincts, Saber jumped up just as Lancer lunged forward in a burst of mana, the tip of her spear shining with a golden light as she thrust the sharp point into Dark Berserker's chest, the unexpected move and burst of pressurized mana sent him skidding back.
Dark Berserker growled, moving to slam his blade down on Lancer's head when Saber appeared behind him, slashing into his back and causing him to stumble.
"They're… in sync?" Inoa whispered in awe, unable to think how that was possible. Was fighting each other once enough for them to sync their movements?
It was true, as Lancer struck out with her spear, Saber leaped over it, trying to slash through Dark Berserker's neck while he was distracted by Lancer.
"They're heroic spirits," Asuna mused, staring at this dangerous spectacle with her eyes wide open. "It shouldn't be surprising that they can read each other after one battle. Saber also has high-ranking instincts."
"Brilliant, brilliant!" Mikazuki said cheerfully, his eyes never leaving the fight. "Who would have thought we'd get to enjoy a show like this?"
"This isn't a show, Jiji," Yamanbagiri muttered, though he was as captivated by the show as his fellow sword.
"Man, I wanna join in on the fun." Tsurumaru mused, rubbing at his chin.
"Please don't," Ichigo said nervously, knowing that the other tachi would jump into the fray given the chance. "We don't need you making things more complicated."
"That would certainly surprise them," Tsurumaru grinned.
"We've had enough surprises for one day, Tsuru-san." Shokudaikiri sighed before focusing back on the battle.
Saber and Lancer seemingly had Dark Berserker cornered; many shallow cuts littered his body, and he looked the closest to annoyed he'd been since the battle started.
The two Servants charged simultaneously, striking him across the chest from different directions, their weapons releasing bursts of mana in gold and white light. The two waves of energy crossed each other, like a giant 'X' on Berserker's chest, a gush of blood exploding from the mad Servant's chest a moment after. Dark Berserker fell to his knees, seemingly defeated.
"They got him!" Asuna cheered.
A disembodied sigh caused her to freeze, right, Assassin was still here, "Berserker, stop fooling around. I've collected the data we needed."
At Assassin's voice, the red-eyed Servant roared, suddenly back on his feet and releasing a terrifyingly huge amount of magical power. Not only were both attacking Servants pushed back by the destructive wave, but the ground was destroyed, sending large chunks of rocks flying everywhere as a thick magical hurricane formed around the mad Servant.
Without a final roar, the hurricane of energy exploded out, and all Inoa and Asuna could do was scream as they were swept up into the magical current.
And that's chapter two! As always, let me know what you think in the reviews!
OC Created by:
Asuna Kivelä - Master of Saber - SpiritOfArt
Saber - Master: Asuna - True Name: ? - EirelynLeger