(AN) Somehow work hasn't killed me yet. I swear I just went out to... yeah get some milk.
I haven't read the chapter, so there maybe few mistakes here and there.
(((Finding oneself)))
Shirou leaned on one hand, staring absently outside as his mind wandered. A red canary flitted around a nearby tree, chirping insistently at a black crow perched still and unbothered. His gaze drifted back to the classroom as he caught a faint sound.
"People have been yawning a lot today," he noted.
He looked up at the board, where complex equations sprawled out in dizzying patterns. His head was already throbbing from trying to make sense of them.
"This is just a test from the Lord. I must endure… but what's the point of these strange symbols? What does sigma even mean?"
He glanced at the blonde beside him, who was muttering to herself in frustration. She looked ready to tear her braid off any second. He offered a sympathetic look, knowing he wasn't any math genius either. He wasn't terrible, but definitely not great enough to help.
Still, someone in their class was practically a math prodigy—his skills rivaled only by Tohsaka and Issei. Where was he, anyway? Shirou thought Sasuke was supposed to show Laeticia around, given it was her first day. If you could call Sasuke her "friend," that is.
Shirou's brow furrowed at the empty desk where Sasuke usually sat. The Uchiha had been absent since Shirou saw him and Tohsaka in a mysterious exchange before class started. Maybe Sasuke had actually accepted her confession, and they'd decided to skip? Then again, knowing Sasuke's personality, it seemed unlikely. If anything, it was probably something related to the Holy Grail War.
For now, though, he wished Sasuke were here to take care of Laeticia. He felt like someone familiar should help her adjust but now that he was incharge of it, Shirou let a faint sense of nostalgia wash over him as he remembered his own first encounter with Sasuke.
…
Shirou's injuries had just healed, and he'd recently returned to school. He'd offered to help carry some equipment for a track team member struggling alone. She had looked at him with surprise before gratefully accepting his assistance.
"Thanks so much, Emiya-kun! You're a lifesaver. Most of my team's busy at the track field, dealing with a crowd, and I couldn't find anyone else free."
"No problem, Miyabi. Where do you need these?"
"Over by the tree near the track!"
Nodding, he followed her, though his arm was still recovering. After placing the last box on the stack, he turned to ask if she needed any more help, but loud clapping and cheers drew his attention. He had noticed the noise earlier but had been too focused on helping Miyabi to think much of it.
Curiosity piqued, he joined the crowd gathered by the track's edge. He blinked, catching sight of a blur of raven hair flashing past. Narrowing his focus, he noticed the runner's black and grey tracksuit and the white shoes that pounded rhythmically on the track. The teen seemed like a gazelle, his strides effortless as he led the pack by a wide margin. Unlike the other runners, who were visibly struggling to keep pace, he seemed barely winded.
More gasps rose from the crowd as he surged even faster, leaving the remaining runners behind. It was as if he'd been holding back until that moment. Soon, the others started dropping out, leaving him alone to close the race in a triumphant finish.
"Whoa, he's so fast!"
"The track team should be begging him to join!"
Shirou listened to the murmurs, impressed. He hadn't seen this runner before and wondered who he was.
"Seems he even caught your attention, Emiya."
Shirou looked to his side to find Issei standing beside him, adjusting his glasses. "Can't blame you," Issei continued. "When someone like that demolishes the club members at tryouts, it's hard not to take notice. I heard the kendo club president even offered him a position, but he refused without a second thought."
Shirou chuckled. "Incredible. Who is he, anyway? I don't remember seeing him here before."
"That's Uchiha Sasuke," Issei explained. "He joined while you were out, though… he came under somewhat strange circumstances. Some rumors say he had a run-in with the cops back in Tokyo, but who knows? It could just be gossip."
"That sounds rough." Shirou felt a pang of sympathy, guessing who might have started those rumors. He hoped it wasn't true, especially for Sakura's sake.
"Yeah, it is," Issei replied. "Looks like I'll have my hands full next year if I end up running for student council president."
Shirou smiled, feeling a bit sorry for his friend. Normally, he'd make small talk with Sasuke just to offset the bad reputation, but something stopped him.
Before Shirou could wander off, Issei nudged him. "Actually, I could use a favor."
Issei then called out to Sasuke, who approached them with that same indifferent gaze Shirou had noticed earlier. The raven-haired teen looked at him briefly before turning back to Issei, his expression unsettlingly vacant, almost reminiscent of Sakura's from a few months ago.
"Emiya, this is Uchiha Sasuke. He just started here a few days ago," Issei introduced. "And Sasuke, this is Emiya Shirou. He's in your class."
Shirou offered a friendly smile, only for Sasuke to nod in response. The silent acknowledgment might have put others off, but Shirou wasn't bothered by it.
Leaning closer, Issei whispered, "He's pretty new to town. Took him two hours to get here on the first day, even though his house is fifteen minutes away. He's also not great with technology—couldn't figure out the vending machines, for example. I don't think anyone's shown him around."
Shirou caught the hint and stepped forward with a welcoming smile. "Sasuke, would you like me to show you around?"
Sasuke seemed momentarily taken aback but then nodded slightly. "…If it's no trouble."
…
Back in the present, a nudge from the blonde beside him pulled Shirou out of his memories. He blinked, realizing the class was quiet, and all eyes were on him. His teacher stood at the front, waiting expectantly.
"Uh—I'm sorry, I don't know!" he blurted, standing and bowing, his cheeks reddening. Laughter rippled through the class, and the blonde beside him chuckled sympathetically.
"Shirou, I was just asking if you were alright!" The teacher laughed along with the class. "But do try to focus, alright?"
God, he wished he could skip this class, too. Maybe he should also set his bag on fire?
(((Finding oneself)))
The lost Uchiha made his way upstairs. His steps light as his hair swayed gently with the small gush of wind blowing in from outside through the large windows of the school.
The day so far had it's ups and downs. There were a few positives—one of the main ones was that he was free from the responsibility of handing over the catalyst to the Matou family because of certain fortunate circumstances and some clever response on his part to capitalize on the accident. Matou Shinji was probably going to take the brunt of that responsibility, but he didn't feel as bad towards the shorter guy considering his attitude earlier. But things weren't all hunky dory either.
If he had to mention a negative incident from today, Tohsaka Rin was somehow onto him regarding the fight from the previous night on the highway, namely the fight in which Lancer fought Ruler, which had helped him abduct her and later buy her cooperation; that is for now. Just knowledge of this was enough to paint Rin as his next target, as he was not ready to reveal his involvement yet; he wanted to keep Karna being his servant a secret as knowledge was power.
But it still irked him about some accusations Rin had against him, and the way she went about accusing him; the cause of his current headache.
He had gotten some much needed time to sort his head thanks to the earlier mishap in his class, so he had mostly stayed off the classes. One might mistakenly say he was bunking classes, but given his track record in the academics, no would dare say that out loud.
"Hey, isn't he the same one who rejected-"
"-I heard he blackmailed the poor girl-"
"-Seems he is also quite a player, seeing as he came with another girl today-"
"-I always thought he was one of us! I am so jealous!"
'Good grief', he thought at the constant whispers around him. His glare only helped to hush the chatter, but it wasn't enough to keep people quiet about it. He only wondered how far people's imagination ran behind his back.
The lunch period in the school was good, but the cafeteria was noisy. It was the same everywhere again—high-pitched giggles, whispers, accidentally or intentionally throwing their food at each other. It was a mess and he'd prefer peace over his appetite any day, but since he was dragged into a bigger mess with his life on the line, he had a fleeting thought in his mind to make his diet better than before.
Three of Yakisoba bread dangled from a plastic cover in his arms as he continued walking up stairs.
"Master, Ruler is doing something strange."
He paused in his step for a moment when the usual stoic voice he was used to suddenly spoke in his mind. His expression morphed for a split second before going back to his usual poker face and continued walking. He thought he had convinced the blonde for the time being, but to think she'd start acting rebellious that soon took him aback by surprise.
"Where?"
"On the roof."
Now he didn't need to search the whole school and her current position made things a lot easier. The pace in his steps became significantly faster now.
"I'm on my way. Distract her if necessary."
"Understood."
With a few more steps and sharp turns, he finally made it to the entrance of the roof. He pushed open the door to the rooftop, shielding his eyes from the bright sun for a moment. He blinked, refocusing his gaze and adjusting to the scene in front of him; Karna was in his black attire, his form standing behind a pillar, away from other eyes who might happen to catch sight of him from the school grounds, and Jeanne was in her old French school uniform which also had dark colors, seated on the floor with a book in front of her.
Perhaps the sun didn't affect servants as much as he thought it would. Though it might make sense for one of them at least, considering Lancer was literally the son of the sun God.
Karna noticed him approaching them, nodding in his direction in acknowledgement. He stood a few meters to the right of the overseer, who seemed too preoccupied with her book to even notice his presence. She was facing towards him, but her form was mostly hunched over the book she was scribbling on.
He walked towards them and bent slightly over her head to get a closer look at what she was actually doing.
Oh.
It was just math?
"You said she was doing something strange? But isn't it just math?"
"She was doing something that wasn't necessary considering her status as a ruler, so I thought it was worth informing, like you asked," the golden Lancer said, shrugging his shoulders.
Perhaps Lancer was just as bad as him in communication. No, he was perhaps even much worse.
Sighing, he looked at the Ruler who seemed privy to his existence as she seemed busy trying to understand the problem in the book in vain.
He bent down and picked the book from her hands effortlessly. The blonde was visibly stunned because of the sudden appearance of a pale hand in front of her. Sasuke didn't seem to mind her reaction as he focused on the actual math problem she was struggling with.
It was a simple one, really, and substituting the right formula would give her the answer she was searching for without making such a big mess. Was her host equally that bad at studying?
The raven-haired teen raised an eyebrow and looked down at the 'still-in-shock' ruler. "So this is what you are struggling with. What a diligent student you are, Ruler," he said, making sure to emphasize on the math problem part. He wanted to make it sound like her other problems weren't even good enough to be considered under the problem criteria.
"I- you- wha- "
Jeanne was visibly flustered as her cheeks started turning a bright shade of red. He pretended to look at the problem as she quickly got up from her position on the ground. The way she struggled to speak as if she suddenly forgot how to form sentences or what language is; it was a good distraction to how the day was so far, and he was slightly amused at her reaction.
"Ahem, can you please return the book back to me?"
He looked at her stretched hand and then at her face, that was pouting.
"I take it Laeticia is also just as bad with studies?" Sasuke quirked an eyebrow, handing the book over to her. "I can guess you heroic sprits find something like this amusing. But are you sure you will be able to solve them?" He expressed genuine concern, wondering what happened in the morning classes.
By this point Jeanne flushed another deep shade of red with the way Sasuke was speaking. She looked down and fiddled with her fingers a bit before looking back up again. "I just find these hard... If you are going to make fun of me, at least do it when I'm not around." She mumbled.
"I didn't mean it in that way. I just simply find this interesting. How you deal with things other than work, that is." The raven haired teen quickly corrected her from whatever thoughts she was having. He had once unintentionally ridiculed someone in the past over studying because at the time, he had deemed it useless, and he had come to regret it later.
Before she could open her mouth, her stomach grumbled rather loudly for the two men on the rooftop to hear. If she was not embarrassed already, now she was wishing for the ground to swallow her up.
Servants can easily stay awake for days, not eat for days and they would be still fine. But Jeanne could be a special case since she was using a human as her host and humans can't do what servants do. At all.
He held himself from smirking at her, seeing it was very different from the impression he had of her from the morning. He rummaged from the plastic bag in his hand, and bought out two of the Yakisoba bread. He would have preferred a simple tomato flavored sandwich, but he wasn't sure if they shared his same taste, so he just bought out the popular item among the students.
After throwing one at Karna, who caught it with ease, he held out another bread to Jeanne, waiting for her to take it.
"Thank you," she bowed slightly.
She seemed to get over her embarrassment, and looked hesitant as if she had more questions she wanted to ask, perhaps wanting to continue the conversation from the morning.
"I'd rather sit if we are going to do this."
He sat down without waiting for them. She seemed a bit apprehensive, examining her lunch for a good minute before she was interrupted by Sasuke's voice, "It's not poisoned if you are worried about that." He assured her before unwrapping the third one from the bag and taking a bite.
"Uh, no I was just wondering how to op- no, never mind. Thank you."
She seemed to have been confused regarding the item at hand and how to go about eating. She took back her seat from before beside him and removed the wrapper gently. Karna, on the other hand though, had already ripped the wrapper rather brutally. It is not like he can blame the 'Hero of Charity', considering the two servants were not too familiar with the Japan cuisine.
"It's rather tasty, quite different from how I imagined it." Jeanne expressed her opinion, a smile now on her lips.
Sasuke looked towards the other male, which Karna had noticed. "I don't need to eat anything as such, Master. It is wasted on me-" He paused for a moment, seeming like reflecting on something. "I mean to say it is pretty decent, though I prefer things much spicier. Thank you regardless."
The trio sat in silence for a while longer. Some time passed as they ate, with Karna occasionally asking a couple questions regarding a few of the appliances he had found at school, and Sasuke answered him to the best of his ability considering he was still bad with technology.
"Sasuke," Jeanne, who had surprisingly stayed to observe, finally opened her mouth. "Looking at you like this, it is very easy to see you were a normal high school student. Your life also doesn't seem that bad, and I was not able to find any mage related equipment at the doctor's house either. In that case, what is your wish for the Holy Grail if you win this war? I want you to answer me honestly if you can."
Along with Sasuke, Jeanne seemed managed to get hold of Karna's attention as well. Though the white-haired servant would never ask such a question, no matter how curious he was, perhaps because he simply placed a master's orders of priority to all.
Sasuke would be lying if he said the question did not surprise him because he did not expect the blonde to ask him anything at all after the disagreement they had this morning. So, he thought about what to answer or if he should stay quiet and ignore the question. But he did not see any cause for concern with answering, and if it would help both Ruler and Lancer to come to trust him a bit more, some truth can't hurt.
"A purpose."
"...A purpose?"
From the corner of his view, he could see Jeanne with her mouth agape slightly. She closed her mouth before opening it again to try to get a follow up question before the raven haired teen cut her off, "To put it more simply, I just want to find myself again. To find out who I am supposed to be, and what I am supposed to do. Even after this holy grail war."
Apparently, his answer wasn't what she imagined his goal to be, and he couldn't blame her either for thinking like that considering what she saw of him so far. Perhaps both she and Lancer thought he had some grand goals like world destruction or some unlimited power kind of wish.
"... I see," Ruler answered after some delay, busy with her thoughts of the time being. Apparently, she had placed a great deal of importance on what he was going to wish for. Lancer did not seem to be surprised though, as if he knew all along what his goal was. It was probably due to one of his passive skills, which was honestly a bit unnerving to say.
It was also possible that Ruler thought of him as a depressed teenager who just babbled something to look cool and did not want to explain himself to her or to anyone. It was his problem, his memories, his constant dreams, and the same 'hate me' voice repeated in his head. Truth was he himself didn't have answers to tell them.
He gave both the servants a glance to take in their expressions before finishing his lunch. The atmosphere seemed a bit too heavy to his liking, and despite his reluctance, he felt to leave on a pleasant note to dispel both the servant's minds from what he had divulged earlier about his wish.
"If you want, I can help you with that problem later." Sasuke said, hoped it served as a good distraction at his attempt to change the topic at hand. And just to rile her up further to drive the distraction home, "Don't get me wrong. It's really amusing to see you struggle, but if you keep focusing on that more than necessary, I'm afraid your attention will be diverted from the other matters." He said with his usual deadpanned expression and voice.
"I would never do something like that and thank you for the offer. I could really use some extra help," Jeanne said with a small smile and confidence while Sasuke could only nod at her eagerness to solve math problems. "But it's only while the school is going on. Please don't expect bonus favors from me for helping me with these problems."
Seemed he was successful at the topic at hand, though he felt Lancer knew what he exactly tried to do.
"Not that I expected any, of course."
Oh well, there goes his plan F down the drain.
(((Finding oneself)))
A few hours passed, and the sun began to set. Amber clouds stretched across the sky, and warm red rays filtered into the library. His charcoal-black eyes scanned the stack of books on the empty table in front of him before he let out a sigh.
The raven-haired teen had already finished one book beside him, King Arthur and His Knights of the Round Table. History always fascinated him—brutal yet endlessly intriguing. Living in modern society made it difficult to grasp the mindsets of historical figures. The moral compass had changed so drastically over time, making it hard to judge past actions by present standards.
He thought back to Shirou's servant, the platinum-blonde warrior who fought so valiantly against the berserker. Who would have guessed that the legendary King Arthur was a woman? History had always portrayed the king as a man, but facts were easy to distort over centuries. History records events, yet it remains fluid, shifting like sand in the wind. King Arthur, now reimagined as Saber in this war, embodied that transformation.
He turned his attention back to the book in his hands, reading about a remarkable figure: Jeanne d'Arc, a peasant girl who claimed to follow divine guidance and later led the French army to a pivotal victory at Orleans. But in the end, her own people betrayed her, convicting her and burning her publicly as a heretic.
It was another tragic example of the harsh treatment people endured in those days. Jeanne, wronged and only recognized as a saint two centuries later, seemed to harbor no anger for those who had so quickly labeled her a witch. If he had been in her place, or even close to her in life, he was sure his wish would have been one of vengeance.
Even now, thinking about it stirred an unknown rage deep within him, simmering beneath his calm facade. It wasn't pity for Ruler that fueled his anger but rather a haunting familiarity that tugged at memories from his own past.
He sighed, realizing the futility of deciphering his emotions without all the pieces. Refocusing on the task at hand, Sasuke felt a tinge of disappointment at not finding any books solely dedicated to Karna's story. Yet, from the scant information about the Hero of Charity, he noticed a common thread: every hero he'd encountered had been betrayed or mistreated in some way.
A glance at the clock showed only ten minutes left before the school day ended. Right on cue, whispers filled the library, students murmuring his and Tohsaka's names together repeatedly. Curious about the gossip, he looked up and locked eyes with the pigtailed girl, who was already watching him. The room had erupted into noise, with no one caring about the library's usual rule of silence.
The rumor mill buzzed: talk of the most popular students supposedly confessing to each other spread like wildfire. Gossip was something he'd never understood; it was pointless, fueled by baseless speculation and petty interest. Yet everyone seemed delighted to feed the rumor.
The librarian quickly hushed the crowd, reducing the chatter to faint whispers. Sasuke glanced at the clock again and subtly observed Rin, who sat at a table a few feet away, seemingly engrossed in a book. Given their confrontation earlier that morning, he doubted she was here by chance.
He tried to return his attention to his own book, but focus evaded him. An unsettling feeling crept over him, one he knew all too well—he was being watched. She knew he was aware of her gaze, and that realization made his brows furrow.
The loud, piercing sound of the final bell broke his reverie, and students rushed to leave. The librarian, amidst shouting for them to avoid pushing, hurried over to Sasuke. "Here," she said, placing the library keys on his table. "I figured you'd stay a while. Don't forget to lock up before you leave, okay?"
Sasuke nodded, draping his right arm casually over the chair beside him. According to library rules, the last student out was responsible for closing up. As the librarian gathered her belongings, she turned to him once more. "Both of you, be careful, and head home before it gets too late," she advised, alluding to the recent string of murders in the area. She then hurried out.
Just as she left, he noticed a rune etched above the doorframe. Tohsaka must have placed it there. He guessed it was some kind of deterrent field, perhaps designed to make others avoid the area, to alter memories, or even to trap him inside. Without a thorough grasp of magecraft, speculating on its purpose seemed pointless and potentially distracting in a fight.
The library fell silent. Only Sasuke and Rin remained, both ignoring the other's presence. He could still hear students' chatter outside, a reminder they weren't entirely alone, though the school was gradually emptying.
One minute.
Two minutes.
Five.
Ten.
Thirty.
He lost track of time, remaining in the same position since the others had left. The only sound was the occasional turn of pages from Rin's direction. An uncomfortable tension filled the air, a suffocating pressure he could no longer ignore. His nails drummed against the chair he was gripping; he needed to act before he lost the advantage in this confined space.
Sensing Tohsaka's muscles tense, as if preparing to make a move, he reacted instantly. With a swift, fluid motion, he lifted the chair beside him and flung it toward her without hesitation.
The moment stretched into slow motion as he watched. The chair hurtled toward her, and for a brief instant, surprise flickered in her eyes. But she went through with her own attack, raising her hand with her thumb and pointer extended as though it were second nature.
In the next fraction of a second, the chair exploded into splinters, scattering around them. Amid the burst of wood fragments, he caught sight of her, poised and ready, arm aimed for another strike the moment an opportunity arose.
And so it began.
(AN) Next chapter hopefully within next month.
Hope y'all and your family are safe. Heading out for milk again... see ya.