Fate/Hijacked

Chapter 3

Shirou stirred awake to the soft light of dawn filtering through the thin curtains of his room. He felt oddly torn between two sensations—his body was heavy and tired, but at the same time, there was an unfamiliar sense of satisfaction and deep warmth spreading through him. A soft breath tickled his neck, and he froze as the realization dawned upon him.

Lying beside him, nestled snugly against his side, was Lady Avalon, her silver hair splayed across the futon like moonlight against the night sky. Her arms were wrapped possessively around him, her leg tangled with his, as if she had no intention of letting go. Shirou's heart skipped a beat as the memories of the previous night flooded back to him.

"Oh, you're awake, darling," Lady Avalon purred, her voice a sleepy yet content whisper as she shifted slightly, her lips brushing against his ear. "I must say, you were simply wonderful last night." Her tone was teasing and affectionate, laden with satisfaction.

Shirou's face flushed crimson. "I-I didn't know that… um, physical mana transfers were... like that," he stammered, his mind still reeling from the surreal experience of being so close to someone, especially an ethereally beautiful woman like his Servant.

Lady Avalon giggled softly, the sound light and playful as she gently traced a finger along his chest. "Don't be so shy, my dear Shirou. You did an excellent job. My mana is fully replenished, and I'm quite satisfied… as a woman." Her words were accompanied by a sultry smile, and her eyes sparkled mischievously as she leaned in closer, clearly enjoying the effect she had on him.

Shirou swallowed hard, still too flustered to form a coherent response. "I-It's not… I mean… was it really necessary to…?"

"Hmm, necessary?" Lady Avalon tilted her head as if deep in thought, though her expression remained playful. "Well, strictly speaking, there are other ways to transfer mana… but none of them are quite as enjoyable as what we did last night." She winked at him, her tone unapologetically flirtatious.

Shirou could feel his face heating up even more, his mind scrambling for a way to change the subject. Before he could come up with anything, a sudden knock at the door made his heart leap into his throat.

"Shirou? Are you awake?" It was Taiga's voice, cheerful and entirely too close for comfort.

Shirou's eyes widened in panic as he turned to Lady Avalon. "T-Taiga's here!" he hissed under his breath, his mind racing. If Taiga saw him lying in a futon with a strange woman, there would be no end to the questions—or worse, accusations.

Lady Avalon, ever composed, merely smiled and pressed a finger to his lips. "Relax, darling. I've got this." In the blink of an eye, she slipped out of the futon with an almost magical grace, her form shimmering slightly before she disappeared from view.

The door slid open just as Taiga stepped into the room, her sharp eyes sweeping over the scene. Shirou scrambled to sit up, trying his best to appear casual despite his racing heart.

"Good morning, Taiga!" he said, a little too loudly, hoping to distract her.

Taiga narrowed her eyes suspiciously, glancing around the room. "Good morning… why do you look so flustered?" she asked, her voice dripping with suspicion.

Before Shirou could stammer out a response, Lady Avalon emerged from the nearby guest room with a bright and cheery smile. "Oh, good morning, Miss Taiga!" she said, her voice bubbly and warm. "I hope you don't mind, but I borrowed the guest room last night. Shirou was kind enough to offer me a place to stay while I'm in Fuyuki."

Taiga blinked in surprise, her suspicions momentarily forgotten as she sized up the stranger. "And… you are?"

"Ava," Lady Avalon introduced herself with a graceful bow. "An associate of Kiritsugu's former partner in work. I'm in town for some personal matters, and Shirou was kind enough to host me during my stay."

Taiga's brow furrowed as she mulled over the explanation, though her wariness began to fade as she took in Lady Avalon's peppy and pleasant demeanour. "Kiritsugu's former partner, huh? You mean Saber?"

Lady Avalon nodded, her smile never faltering. "That's right. We're connected through some old work, and I thought it'd be nice to visit Fuyuki again after all this time."

To Shirou's utter disbelief, Taiga's usual suspicion seemed to melt away. Instead, she beamed at Lady Avalon with approval. "Well, if you're a friend of Kiritsugu's, you're welcome here! Anyone who's connected to him can't be all bad!" Taiga gave Shirou a playful elbow to the side. "Looks like you're doing a good job taking care of your guests, Shirou!"

Shirou laughed nervously, his mind still racing to keep up with the events unfolding before him. He wasn't entirely sure how Lady Avalon had managed to weave such a convincing story on the fly, but it was clear that she had Taiga thoroughly charmed. Perhaps she actually had charmed her somewhat, using magic.

As Taiga bustled about the house, getting ready for her own day, Lady Avalon gave Shirou a secretive wink, clearly pleased with herself. "See, darling? Nothing to worry about. I told you I'd handle it."

The rest of the morning passed in a blur, but by the time they reached the school, Shirou had calmed down—at least until something unusual grabbed his attention. Shirou couldn't quite shake off a strange feeling. As he walked through the halls, something felt off. The air seemed heavier than usual, and there was a faint, sweet scent that clung to the atmosphere—almost like honey. It made his body feel sluggish, as though something was subtly draining his energy.

During lunch break, Shirou's phone buzzed, and an irate message from Rin appeared on his screen. It read simply: Come to the rooftop. Now.

Sighing, Shirou knew he couldn't avoid it. He headed to the roof, unsure of what awaited him but fully prepared for whatever angry tirade Rin had in store.

"Shirou!" Rin's voice rang out across the rooftop, her tone unmistakably irate. She marched up to him, her arms crossed over her chest, her expression thunderous. "Do you have any idea how much trouble you caused last night?!"

Shirou winced, immediately on the defensive. "What do you mean? I—"

"You abandoned me and Archer to deal with Berserker by ourselves!" Rin snapped, her eyes blazing with anger. "We could've been killed!"

Shirou's mind raced, trying to make sense of the accusation. "But I didn't mean to! It was—"

"Your Servant decided to bail on us without warning!" Rin continued, cutting him off. "Do you know how hard it is to fight off Berserker without backup?!"

Shirou hung his head, guilt weighing heavily on him. "I'm sorry, Rin. I didn't know she was going to do that..."

Rin let out an exasperated sigh, rubbing her temples in frustration. "You're lucky Archer's as skilled as he is. Thanks to the buff that crazy Servant of yours gave him, he managed to hold his own against Berserker long enough for us to escape."

Shirou's eyes widened in surprise. "Buff?"

Rin nodded, though her irritation hadn't fully dissipated. "Yeah. That so-called 'Succubus Ridge' skill of hers actually worked. Archer's defence and stamina were increased enough to let us slip away, but it doesn't change the fact that we were abandoned!"

Shirou scratched the back of his head awkwardly, still not entirely sure how to respond. "I... I'll talk to her about it," he promised, though he wasn't entirely sure how much control he had over Lady Avalon's decisions.

Rin narrowed her eyes, clearly not done with him yet. "Don't think this means we're friends. After today, I'll be considering you my enemy, understand? There's only room for one victor in the Holy Grail War, and I won't hesitate to take you out if I have to."

Shirou nodded, understanding the gravity of her words. "I get it. But I'm not backing down either."

"Good," Rin said, her voice sharp but grudgingly respectful. "At least you've got some backbone."

Things escalated quickly after Rin's warning. The day after their conversation, Shirou found himself ambushed by Rin during lunch break, away from prying eyes. She wasn't holding back either, firing a series of Gandr shots directly at him with the intent to force him to surrender his Command Seals.

"Just give up, Shirou! You don't stand a chance in this war!" Rin shouted, her eyes fierce as she unleashed another volley of magical projectiles.

Shirou gritted his teeth, barely dodging each blast as he reinforced his legs with magecraft, boosting his speed. "I won't give up! I have to protect people, Rin!"

Despite her superior magic, Shirou's determination and quick thinking allowed him to evade her attacks long enough to bring them to a standstill. Panting, he managed to speak. "I don't want to fight you. Can't we just stop this?"

Rin glared at him but finally lowered her arm. "You're too stubborn for your own good, you know that?"

Before Rin could say anything else, a strange sensation swept over them. The air seemed to grow heavier, thicker, as if something malevolent had taken hold of the school. Students around the school began collapsing to the ground, unconscious, their faces drained of colour.

Rin's eyes widened in horror. "A bounded field... and not just any bounded field—I can feel my mana getting drained, and I can't call on Archer!"

Shirou's heart felt like it was pounding in his ears. "What's going on? All my senses feel like they're on fire."

"It's a powerful bounded field designed to drain the life force of everyone inside!" Rin explained hurriedly, already scanning the area for the source. "It's deadly to humans. If we don't disable it soon, everyone in the school could die!"

Without hesitation, Rin grabbed Shirou's arm. "We have to find the Master responsible for this and stop them. I don't care what happened last night—right now, we're working together!"

Shirou nodded, his expression serious as he followed her. "Right. Let's go!"

Omake

Throne of Heroes: Artoria's Wrath, Part 3

Back in the Throne of Heroes, Artoria Pendragon seethed with unchecked fury, pacing back and forth like a caged lioness. "Now she's gotten intimate with him!" she fumed, her hands clenched into fists. "And she's manipulated Taiga into happily accepting her into Shirou's house?! That's my home! My Master! How is she so good at manipulating everyone around her?!"

The invisible wind around her whipped into a frenzy as her frustration reached its peak. "That stupid Succubus Merlin is making a complete mockery of everything! She's supposed to be helping Shirou become a better person, a stronger magus—not flirting with him and seducing him at every turn!"

Her eyes burned with jealousy as she envisioned Lady Avalon cuddling up to Shirou. "If she's going to stay in that house, she should at least take her job seriously!"

Artoria let out an exasperated groan, slumping against the wall of the ethereal throne room. "I swear, if I ever get my hands on that woman…"

Somewhere in the distance, the original Merlin chuckled. "Ah, the chaos just keeps on coming. Kudos, my alternate self."