It was only then that everyone else noticed that indeed, Caster's arms were trembling. Whether it was rage, fear, or something else was anyone's guess.
If Archer had any pity for the woman, he clearly wasn't letting it show. "You focus on defensive spells. Your Noble Phantasms are creatures that you surround yourself with and do your fighting for you. At your greatest, you are fighting in the land that you exiled yourself and died in. You are not a hero. You are a girl that is constantly running away from your problems and shielding yourself from the world itself. You are so easy to read it's disgusting and the worst thing is that you don't even assume that your other has no thoughts on the matter. And you expect me to just accept the fact that you will be protecting Rin, Luvia, Illya, and Sakura in this fight against veterans and monsters like Cu Culainn, Medusa, and my father?"
Everyone there winced as if they were punched in the stomach as he spat out that last word as if it was the vilest curse he knew. The room shook as his voice seemed to bear extra weight with it. No one missed the cold rage that he had spike drastically.
"Humph. It appears regardless of what war I'm in, I have to deal with fools like this. I'm done. If Caster is the key to ensuring that things don't fall apart, then the odds of success are just as likely as a good ending in those useless notes. I actually pity the Shirou Emiya here." He didn't bother addressing anyone else in the room, turning spiritual and moving away without a care.
o. o. o.
"Nnng."
"He's waking up."
"About time. I know you and Sakura told me that he's been getting hurt a lot since the War started, but it's just annoying by this point. Seriously, he just looked at Archer and fell apart."
"I believe that Kiritsugu warned us that this might be a pattern. Still, I don't think even he expected the possibility of a reaction this severe."
Shirou grimaced as he slowly became lucid once more. His skull felt like it had been split in two, and every nerve in his body ached with a ghost-like pain that he honestly could not identify. Even more frustrating was that he didn't even have a decent idea as to why he was like this in the first place.
"Are you ok, Shirou?" He heard Saber ask from right next to him. Her smooth and calm voice helped ease his nerves just by listening to it. A minor comfort that he had someone he could trust so close. It was likely she was with him the entire time, if only to maximize Avalon's healing potential.
"My head," he managed to grunt out in some discomfort as he put one hand to the offending bodypart and the other to prop his body up.
He hissed and pulled the hand touching his head away.
The offending limb was once more covered in scale like ridges, more pronounced and erratic than before. In his haste to cradle his skull, he had ended up cutting his forehead.
"I told you he wouldn't notice until it was too late." Illya glanced at Saber, who pretended not to hear the girl and settled for shaking her head in embarrassment. Grabbing a small piece of cloth on a nearby dresser, the girl walked up to her brother and turned him to her direction so she could clean up the freshly weeping wound. Avalon could heal him, but it didn't clean what was outside the body. "You really are a handful you know that? Can you go for one day without getting hurt?"
"I'll let you know when that happens." He managed to eke out a joke while inspecting his warped limb. It took him a few moments to remember why it was like that in the first place, and half that to return it to its normal human appearance. "What, what happened?"
"What was the last thing you remembered?" Saber warily answered his question with one of her own.
"The last thing?" He echoed as if trying to remember what the meaning of her words were. Clearly his head wasn't completely cleared up yet. Looking around at his environment, he seemed to take everything in as if trying to piece together his situation. "We arrived here at Rin's place. I woke up after we got here. Rin and I talked for a bit. Then she tore me a new one because you told dad about the leylines. Then… then we all got together and started talking-"
Bzzt. Bzzt.
Shirou flinched as his cell phone went off. God he hated these things. They were convenient yes, but also a tremendous distraction if he wasn't careful. He had left his personal phone at home when he left for Illya's place, leaving him with his rarely used "work" phone, yet even now it seemed to ring only at the most annoying times.
Still, the only people that knew or access the device were less than a handful. The only time it should ring was when something was up.
It took him a few moments for him to get his arms to work well enough to get the device out of his pocket. "Hello?" He didn't notice it until then, but his throat was exceptionally dry. He'd need to get some water soon.
"I take it you can make time to talk."
"God damn it," Shirou swore, instantly recognizing the voice of the only Barthomelloi he knew. He then froze and broke out in a cold sweat as he realized he said that out loud. "Er…"
"I could care less what you think of me so long as you don't make a show of it for the world to know." Her tone didn't change in the slightest, but he knew damn well that she would hold this over his head when it suited her.
She wasn't happy. That much was obvious. The problem was that he had no bloody clue why she was so pissed and he wasn't in a good state of mind to try and figure it out.
"I'm not in reasonable condition for drawn out conversation. I don't have an abundance of time either. Why did you call me now?" He got to the point, shifting himself so that his legs went over the edge of the bed so he could sit upright.
"Why is the vampire there?"
He paused for several moments as her words were processed in his head before swearing again. "Damn it. I knew I forgot something."
"Is that a confession?" To most other people her voice didn't change in the slightest, but Shirou knew right off the bat that the woman was close to cutting him loose.
"No. No. I just forgot to consider your reaction to this mess once everyone found out he was here in the first place." He placated her, albeit with minimal effort into it. "I have no idea why Merem is in Fuyuki, or that he'd be here at all until things were well underway. He knew of the Grail War beforehand when we talked during the conjoined missions I did with the Church. But, he's never shown any interest in it in the slightest."
"Clearly, you read him wrong," she noted.
"Clearly," he agreed. She really must be pissed if she was being borderline sarcastic and didn't even notice it.
"And you didn't put forth any efforts to enlist his aid when you did find out he was present?"
"Only when I knew that Gilgamesh was coming after me yesterday. Despite your thoughts on Apostles, he and I do have an amicable relationship and I needed a hold of any and all resources I could access. Until then, he came and went as he pleased without anyone keeping tabs." he replied honestly. "He's an Apostle Ancestor. I'd have to be a complete moron and have my back against the wall before asking him for help or try to lure him to do something that was to my benefit."
"But you did ask for his aid in the end," she all but growled.
"Only after he interfered in the war in one way or another at least half a dozen times. He wasn't going to stop regardless of what I did," Shirou countered, his tone getting annoyed. "I just made it so he'd do it in my favor after we talked. I couldn't afford to make another enemy or risk."
"And now?"
"Don't even try to play that game. He's the overseer of the War, what's left of it. Kirei, I could get away with the evidence I have. There's no way the Church would simply ignore the death of one of their greatest assets simply because I thought you'd be pleasantly pleased with another deader than dead Ancestor." His tone grew more irate. He wasn't in the mood to play this game with his boss after waking up.
He knew that she was testing him. Ensuring that he was on "her" side and not "Merem's". Had he replied wrong, things could have gotten real bad real fast, but then again, his choice of words wasn't exactly ideal either.
"You seem to be more confident than normal." Confident was certainly one word for it. Annoying and overzealous were others.
"I've been awake for at most a total of an hour and a half since the fight against Gilgamesh, and lucid for at best half of that," he stated dryly. "Most of which has either been spent trying to convince the rest of the people here that I'm trying to fix things, or getting used to being mostly healed from being torn apart and having holes punched through me with artifacts that transcend the vast majority of what anyone can manufacture and fabricate today. At the moment, I'm not in a position to take unreasonable requests."
"Are you able to take requests at all, boy?" There was only the slightest hint of a warning in her question. Are you still useful to me?
"I just fought the King of Heroes head on and somehow won, and am still alive. I'm doing fantastic, thanks for asking. Give me a day or two and I should be back to snuff. Luvia's Caster is a blessing with her healing mysteries, but I was hit with several Noble Phantasms with peculiar properties. I'm a bit of a patchwork job."
Saber and Illya glanced at one another. It was surprising just how a person that was honest to a fault like Shirou could mislead someone so convincingly like that.
Lorelei knew of Avalon, but she wasn't aware of its absurd healing potential when Saber was around.
"I shall take your word for it." Begrudgingly, she left the last word unsaid. "You have disappointed me. One would think that informing me of the Ancestor would be fairly important to do."
Shirou held back an annoyed sigh, not at all bothered by her ire and rolling his shoulders. "Just tell the public the truth. Merem was there 'cause he was bored without anyone noticing till things already were underway. I noticed he was here, saw an opportunity, and convinced him to help me out when things got too chaotic. I in no way asked, hinted, lured, tempted, paid, ordered, or in any way orchestrated him being here. I did on the other hand, use him to my benefit."
"… You have become quite audacious in a short period of time."
"I'm a Japanese backwoods nobody with not a hint of noble blood or proper raising in me. I killed another Ancestor two years ago, and just killed most likely the strongest Servant ever summoned. The masses would probably believe I'm a Dead Apostle Ancestor hiding under your nose at this point if we tell it right at this point." The method he described was harsh and far more violent than he liked, but it would get the point across.
On a side note, in the future, Shirou would look back at this conversation several times and just barely resist the urge to smack himself for being so loose lipped.
"But would it be enough."
His eyes narrowed. He didn't like her tone. "Meaning?"
"Lord El Melloi's trial is in three days. Your progress and achievements are notable, no doubt with his aid, but that alone is not enough to protect him," she pressed, clearly waiting to hear his reaction.
His breath caught in his throat. He, Waver, and Sirius had expected something like this to happen in the fallout, but they had at least expected the blasted war to finish before things went down. He breathed slowly and let out a slow stream of air to calm himself down. "Is that so? That's certainly quick. The Archibalds must be nervous if they don't want witnesses."
"I didn't take Edelfelt as the type to renege on her clients." Even if threatened, most professionals would rather die than give up their benefactor's information. And that was before the enforcement of the signed contracts came into place.
He held back a curse. The bitch had known that Luvia was hired to kill him from the beginning and didn't bother to tell him. She had likely expected him to kill his friend the entire time as a show of strength and to hold it over the blasted nobles' heads.
"She knew a bad deal when she saw one and gave herself an out if things got unpleasant. Sadly, she was more right than she assumed," Shirou admitted, keeping his thoughts to himself. Luvia couldn't turn down the contract, but she could bend it to her favor.
"She's more capable and observant than I thought. You have an interesting effect on others, boy." That was the closest thing to a compliment that she had said to him in a while, even if it wasn't one.
"Yeah, well, recently that effect hasn't been in demand." If even half of the people he knew still trusted him after this mess, it would be a miracle. "So where do you stand on Waver?"
"… He is guilty of many things, but the Apostle isn't one, and neither is incompetency." The woman chose her words carefully.
"The latter can't be said for his sponsors. But will it be said is the question?" Shirou already knew where this was going. "You'd think they'd know better after the last War that this isn't a game they are suited for. They certainly lost a great deal then. And this time they even raised a hand against someone on their side. Imagine what would have happened had Waver not been where he was now."
"Your attempt to appeal to me is paltry at best." Lorelei didn't sound convinced. "El-Melloi would have done the same for anyone in order to get rid of Gilgamesh."
"But that isn't the case now is it? He did it for me, and in turn, for you. More so, he did it in spite of a family that they and I both dedicated ourselves to. A family that has disappointed and embarrassed itself multiple times this past decade. We both know Waver did it because he knew what was at stake better than anyone, even me. Do you really want to let go of such a promising asset because he went around the orders of a family that did the same to you?"
"What I want and what is are two completely different things." She was beginning to lose her patience.
"Much like the Archibalds." He shot back, his tone mirroring hers. "They are under your domain, yet they still blatantly raise their hands against another under your care. In one stupid motion, they have snubbed those directly above and below them and somehow expected that they'd walk away clean. They have lost, Barthomelloi. Regardless of whether I am successful here or not, they will hang by the noose that they have woven for themselves. The only difference your choice will make will be how far and how hard they will be cast. Sacrificing Waver to ensure that a failing family keeps face is pointless."
The line was silent for several long moments. "… It seems as if you've finally learned how to growl, dog."
"No. It's just the first time you've been around to hear me when I do." His voice was just as deadly quiet as hers.
"And if the Archibalds somehow survive the following days and continue to be a problem?" For me?
"Then they may come across a series of inconvenient events soon afterwards. Tragic, devastating accidents that no one could have predicted or prepared for that could happen to anyone. Accidents that may or may not undo generations of work and effort in a single moment."
Illya couldn't help but feel intimidated watching her brother. She had only heard of Lorelei Barthomelloi in passing, but even she knew that it was normally suicide to speak to the woman so harshly. Yet here Shirou was, matching her threats with his own.
Her kind and patient older brother had seemingly reached the end of his saint-like patience to reveal the cold wrath that was forged underneath.
Saber had similar feelings. True she had seen Shirou angry before when Assassin was revealed, but it was still a thing to behold. The phrase, "Do not poke the sleeping Dragon" came to mind. Still… she couldn't help that the source for his irritation was stemming from something else.
"… I expect your next report soon. Before the Vampire's." The phone cut off ominously.
Shirou clicked his tongue in annoyance and turned his off. "That woman."
"I can see why you are so wary of magi if they are like her," Saber spoke up. "Archibald, they were the ones that Summoned Lancer in the previous War."
"Kiritsugu killed him if I recall from the reports." Illya frowned and thought about the name.
"Ignoble methods were used, both against Master and Servant. I cannot say that the Master was one that I would follow, but neither one of them deserved to be put down the way they did." Saber admitted before turning an eye to Shirou. "I hope you won't use similar methods if you do intend to pursue the rest of the kin."
"That depends on them." Shirou matched her look with unwavering eyes. "It's best to put magi down fast so that they can't use spells, let alone find out what happened in the first place."
Saber didn't say anything for what felt like minutes. "… So long as you don't purposefully draw out their pain like your father did."
He sighed and shook his head. His everything was killing him, and getting worked up only made it all worse. "If I do have to put down someone, I just do it and get it over with. There are more important things to do than grandstand and dwell over someone that should have died earlier for everyone's sake. It's pointless to talk to someone you're going to kill in a few seconds if you aren't getting info. Nothing comes out of it."
Illya and Saber looked at one another warily. He had said those words so nonchalantly that he might as well have been talking about homework.
"Will this Queen of the Clocktower be a problem?" Saber inquired. She had dealt with individuals like Barthomelloi before, and it rarely turned out well if there was tension in the air.
"She's a person with significant power in our world, and officially, she's my direct superior." He really didn't want to talk about her now. "Honestly, she scares me to death, and she's not incompetent, but she's also too used to getting what she wants. Right now… it can go either way with her. She's a terrifying enemy with the resources she has, but she's also a boss that you don't want to deal with frequently. Normally I don't mind going with her orders, but she can't seem to get it into her head that this is my War, not hers. If she keeps on pushing like this I might do something I'll regret later."
"I'll be sure to take over for you when the time comes." Saber nodded understandingly. Politics was her specialty as King.
"Really, what is with you and scary older women Onii-chan?" Illya attempted to joke. "People are going to think you're a masochist at this rate."
"You're one to talk." He glared at his older sister that had attacked him with the Bastard of Zeus the first time we met.
"Oh?" The homunculus smiled dangerously, causing him to break into a cold sweat. Rule number one of women, never talk about their age. "What are you implying, O-Nii-Chan?"
"That my adorable little sister has the tongue of a dirty old man." He managed to keep his face straight as the girl appeared to choke on nothing. "My poor innocent ears. As if they aren't punished enough by Rin. Clearly the Einzbern didn't raise you as a proper young lady. No wonder dad didn't want you to stay there."
"Now now you two. That's enough." Saber chided, falling easily into the role of the mature adult. "We will have plenty of time to practice proper decorum once we deal with more important matters."
"Yes." The siblings gave up without a fight far too easily.
She had trouble not smiling in amusement for only a few moments before she allowed the weight of the situation to fall into place. "We have to get back to what really matters. Shirou, you really don't remember what happened before you passed out?"
Shirou frowned and palmed the side of his head. "We were all together in the living room. I remember us about to talk about everything. I wasn't going to hide anything anymore. It was too dangerous for that. We started talking, and then…?!"
"And then you saw Archer." Illya inspected her brother very carefully. He didn't seem to be completely gone this time, but it was clear that whatever Shirou had momentarily forgotten still had a strong impact on him seeing as his eyes were dilated and his mind was elsewhere.
"You went completely catatonic, lost control over your powers, and crawl up into a ball saying 'It was me' over and over again until Rin calmed you down and you passed out. You scratched her pretty badly, but thankfully Caster was able to heal her soon afterwards," Saber added while mentally checking her connection with Shirou to ensure that he wasn't about to give them a repeat performance.
Shirou didn't respond immediately. He was too busy reigning in his breathing as he used his lungs to full capacity. "You… both of you knew… the letters…"
"We expected," Saber corrected him. "There was no way to ensure that Rin summoned him in the end. I didn't have confirmation until Rider came back from her first fight against Assassin with him. She could tell that Archer was you as well and came to me about it. Given how you reacted, it probably was for the best that we held this off until now."
"I didn't encounter Archer until today." Illya shrugged. "But considering how much of a mess this whole War has been, I put the odds of him not being summoned at pretty low. Saber confirmed it when we had some time to talk in private."
"Shirou, you never reacted this poorly to Archer in Kiritsugu's notes," Saber continued warily. "Headaches and arguments yes, but you didn't break down, not from brief eye contact. What happened?"
"I… I saw him. I saw him and I saw everything. And… I understood. I'm an idiot. I'm such an idiot." His answer was slowly dissolving into the familiar gibberish that he had been spouting before he had passed out. One hand was grabbing the side of his head, the other his knee, both hands clenching as if he was in extreme agony.
"What do you mean by that? No one could figure out what you were talking about." Illya frowned, yanking the hand on his leg with her two and holding it tightly as if doing so would do the same for his attention as well. "Please, Shirou. What's wrong?"
Sharp silver eyes stared vaguely into crimson blood eyes, as if trying to see that they were there in the first place. "He's wrong. He shouldn't exist."
o. o. o.
This is the story of a boy.
"What the hell was that?" Rin snapped as she wrenched open the door to the veranda that was outside her parent's room. She may be owner of the house, but she had never felt comfortable moving into the master bedroom.
A boy that loved his father.
In the far corner of the small patio, Archer stood with his arms crossed, looking at Fuyuki. "You're going to have to be more specific Rin. Today's been a whole mess of events that can qualify as "that"."
A father that had made too many mistakes in his life, and committed many crimes, all for the sake of saving as many lives as possible.
"Caster! Shirou! You! Pick one!" She snapped. "I thought you were going to tone down your annoying habits now that us getting along actually matters!"
All because of his childish wish to be a hero.
"I was pretty clear on Caster. I don't feel like repeating myself on that bit." He didn't look at her.
"There were a dozen different and better ways you could have approached it!" she snarled. She had barely managed to get a few words in with Luvia before she and Caster absconded to another part of the house to talk in private. She knew that Luvia didn't hold it against her, but at the same time it was clear that the blonde felt that she should have done a better job controlling Archer.
The boy loved the man as his father and his savior, even if they weren't related. The man loved the boy as his son, even though he was responsible for the boy being broken in the first place.
"And how many of them would have gotten the point across in time? Time that we don't know the duration of, let alone have, and still need to address other problems?" he countered. "If the Witch is half as competent as we think, she's probably already thought of it as well. I just beat her to the punch."
"Yeah, emphasis on punch! Now we don't know if she's too numb to be of use! You practically just saved Caster the effort of breaking her herself!"
But. One day. Something changed.
"Clearly I overestimated her capabilities as a Heroic Spirit."
"You overestima-?" Rin blinked bewildered, completely astonished by what he was saying. On the verge of exploding into swearing or tearing her Servant a new one verbally, she took in a deep breath and forced herself to calm down and think. "Shirou… what's wrong?"
The Servant didn't bother to answer her question.
A couple of years after they had started to live with one another, the man started to look at the boy differently.
"You're not like this. Not you, or my Shirou. You're not mean for the sake of hurting others. You two are different, but I know enough. You push people away because you developed a fatalist personality. I get it. You're a Servant. You feel as if there's no point in getting close to people when you're summoned. Keeping yourself at arm's distance is your way of protecting us from emotional pain when you do have to go. But this, this was different. You tore into Caster as if you had a grudge against her."
Whether it was on purpose or by instinct, the man would involuntarily flinch every time he saw the boy.
His only response was to grimace, fighting against the command from earlier to answer her question.
"Your actions were always for my benefit in some way too, even the deplorable ones," she continued. "When you nearly killed Luvia, you were acting in accordance to the War itself. Three enemy Servants at once in your Reality Marble was just too good of an opportunity to pass up, even if you knew Luvia in a past life. Even then, the people you were about to kill had no major effect on the outcome if the war was as twisted as you remembered. Only Saber, Illyasviel, Sakura, and Gilgamesh had that significance."
The man still loved his son. There was no question about that, but there was something else there now. The man never noticed his change in behavior, but the boy did.
"And you," he ground out, still not turning to her direction. "You had a habit of being stuck fixing everyone's problems despite how much you complained."
"Well of course I did. After all that's happened I feel like I'm the only sane person left here!" she snapped before regaining composure. "You're not a bad person, Shirou, but even I am having trouble keeping up with all of this. My version passed out just by looking at you, and not even an hour later you are practically tearing apart what little stability the rest of us have. Please, what's going on?"
The boy didn't say anything at first. The man was teaching him dangerous things about a dangerous world. A world that the man had less than kind things to say about. He had assumed his father was merely scared and worried about him.
Archer shifted on his feet, uncomfortable with the topic and looking for the right words to say. "I'm not supposed to be here."
But the man wouldn't stop, and he never noticed. Even as the boy got better with his studies, the flinching and scared look in his eyes persisted.
"Meaning?" She knew there was more to his words than what most would assume.
It persisted until the day he died at the young age of thirty two. His son barely a teenager.
"I'm an impossibility here. More so than normal. Your Shirou has no chance of becoming me," he elaborated. "He… Inherited something different from Kiritsugu. He's fundamentally different. Not just in history, but in his soul as well. We are the same person, but at the same time vastly different. A contorted reflection at best. I'm more akin in nature to the Princess, or Sasaki Kojiro. The fact that I'm here in the first place shouldn't be feasible."
The boy had never asked why his father acted like that. He had just assumed. But it still hurt… no. It was worse than that.
"And that bothers you?"
The boy really just wanted to see that look on his father's face one last time. That look of unparalleled joy that had been there when they first met. When the man had pulled him out of hell itself, both of them barely alive. Both of them saved by the other.
"No. It doesn-ngh. It shouldn't." He flinched as his body reacted to the unconscious lie.
That look of redemption. That look of genuine peace and salvation.
"Meaning?"
He hid himself away for days. Eating and sleeping the smallest amount possible. He had few friends, and his teachers, people that he considered as good as family, didn't know what to do.
Archer didn't look away from the setting sun. "Jealousy, would be the best word to put it, though that isn't completely accurate. Anger. Frustration. And a slew of other emotions that I thought I only had aimed for my own younger self. I don't know how, but Kiritsugu somehow is a Heroic Spirit. He's been on the throne itself this entire time and I didn't know. There was no need for me to carry his worthless dream. Shirou Emiya is competent and accident prone, but has no hope of becoming me. Illyasviel is on the way to living a long and happy life if everything turns out well, as will Sakura. Gilgamesh and Kirei are dealt with. And once Caster is finished, you'll all have your futures open to you."
It was the girl next door, his older sister figure that finally got to him.
"You mean to say that seeing us being successful and happy bothers you?"
She didn't know anything. No, that wasn't entirely correct. She knew more than she put on, but she didn't know everything. She didn't know about magic. About just how dark the unknown side of the world really was. About the dangers the boy would be put in due to his father's name.
But she knew the man had been dangerous. She knew he had been a killer, one of the best. One that everyone had feared. She didn't care. All she saw and wanted to remember was the kind man that loved his son and had almost burned down the house that one time trying to cook.
He snorted. "I've been summoned in worlds like that countless times. Worlds where you and Shirou Emiya fall in love. Worlds where Sakura is cured. Worlds where Saber realizes her mistake in time. Worlds where Shirou Emiya is actually competent and not a fool. Worlds where Kiritsugu lived long enough to be a part of the Fifth War. Worlds where Illya lives a long happy life. Worlds where I'm not found out. Worlds where I am early on, and people get over it. Hell, sometimes I've even been summoned in the Fourth War. More than a few have caught me off guard and were even interesting, but none actually got to me. Not like this."
She barged into his room with the grace of a raging bull, took one look at him, and held him close like a sister would.
What was she supposed to feel to a response like that? Sorrow? Pity? Frustration? Anger? Any and all of the answers that most people would display would probably only piss Archer off even more than he already was. Instead she remained impassive despite how much it hurt to do so. "How so?"
"My being here, in this world, is excessive. Pointless. Cruel in that it's almost as if I was summoned to this world in particular to see that everything I've done before and after my death was meaningless in the end. The more I witness, the more I just want this all to be over with so I don't have to deal with it anymore, but I'm honestly concerned that what I've learned will drive the original to new degrees of insanity once he finds out."
It took some prodding, but the boy finally told her. How the man looked at him. How the boy only wanted to see the man be happy again. How he missed his father and didn't want to disappoint him.
Rin didn't know what to say about that. What Archer said didn't excuse his earlier actions and words, but it certainly explained his recent poor mood.
"The more I see the Princess, the more I see myself. Another excessive individual that has no real purpose in being here. Not this world, and certainly not this War. Her wish is pointless and selfish. She is powerful in her own right, but she simply coasts by without taking any action of her own and prefers to follow orders. She feels entitled to be angry at me for what I've done when we were originally supposed to be at war and killing one another." He spat to the side. "What a pointless fool. She would have gotten along well with my younger self."
She didn't know why the man acted the way he did, but she had suspicions. That people the man angered earlier in life would be after the boy sooner or later. That the man was worried for the boy's life. That he was scared.
"So you unconsciously made her an outlet for your frustration, just as she has for you," she summarized with a hint of annoyance. "That's not ironic or childish at all."
"I wasn't lying or stretching the truth. She needs to come to her own or the Witch will make her falter at a critical time. I'm fine hanging again if that's what it takes, but I pledged to protect and bring you victory. As messed up as that situation is, I still intend to do just that." He looked at the setting sun with an unreadable expression. He wasn't denying his actions, but he wasn't excusing them either. "It's about the only decent thing in this world I can do at this point."
The boy didn't understand. The man was a hero. He took down the bad guys. Why couldn't people see that? He did bad things yes, but that was so that more people could live. It couldn't be that hard to figure out.
She felt her heart get stabbed through at his words. Archer wasn't her Shirou, but he was still someone that was… that had been close to her. She had never seen someone so given up on themselves before, as if their life didn't matter in the slightest. His words carried a restrained frustration and resignation, as if what he was experiencing was just only a bit worse than the standard that he was used to.
It was almost as if he had once again given up on himself, and more than anything was annoyed by the repeated action.
"Even if that means working with the Shirou here?" She weakly followed up, knowing that there were probably better things to say.
She explained that people were stupid and saw and said what they wanted to see and say, even if it wasn't true. It was the reason why his father reasoned that he had to go to such lengths in the first place, and completely ignored what the world saw as the norm.
Surprisingly, the Servant snorted in bitter amusement at the question.
"What? What's so funny? You're not going to try to kill him are you? You said it yourself. He can't be you." She gained more power in her voice, fueled by confusion.
The boy was probably the only person left that knew what his father was like deep down. What the man really felt. What his motivations were. How much he truly hurt in the end.
"No. Sorry. It's just, when we saw one another, we recognized and registered the other as "Shirou Emiya" instantly. The bleeding effect mentioned in the notes is more prominent for us since I didn't lose my memories and he's actually competent. There's less information that's being exchanged at a higher rate, and it works both ways. I actually learned a few things earlier, which doesn't happen often. He's smarter than he looks… or maybe I really am that foolish." Archer shook his head and smiled dryly.
"I'm going to have to say the answer to that question is yes."
As time went on, and the boy learned more of his father's actions, he understood the man more intricately. Motivations, thoughts, actions. Everything fell in line with what he already knew. Nothing was contradictory.
He shook his head. Even as a teen Rin's dry wit was something else. "Cute. Anyways, it's how I know he won't be me in this world, no matter what happens. How he's fundamentally different, and why I think your question is so ironic is almost criminal."
"Ironic?" She honestly was drawing a blank at this moment.
The man did not leave his dreams with his son when he died. He had left his regrets, and genuinely believed his action was a blessing. However, unknown to the man, the boy had decided to undertake something else that day.
Archer turned to her and gave his master a look of pity. "Rin, I have no intention of killing Shirou Emiya here. However, you seem have made a small oversight. In Kiritsugu's notes, in the other worlds, Shirou Emiya would instinctively clash with me on instinct. Their natures were incompatible with mine to the point of rejection."
Rin swallowed, not liking where this was going. "I thought you said that you didn't know why he reacted so poorly to you."
He shook his head. "I don't know why, that is the truth. I've never seen a reaction like his before so I can't say for certain what is exactly, but I do have an idea that would at least point you in the right direction. I said it before, what drives Shirou Emiya completely clashes with what drives me, but there are other factors that makes our interaction even worse. Your Shirou won't reject me like the others…
Taiga looked at Shirou dead in the eyes with tears streaming down her cheeks, a small sad smile unlike the normal wild ones she normally wore graced her features.
"Remember him Shirou. His hopes. His dreams. His mistakes. His goals. Remember everything and use it as a guide. That's the best thing you can do for yourself and him."
"… He will deny me. My actions. My words. My reasoning. My history. Right down to the fact that I exist at all."
"Remember the true Kiritsugu Emiya, because if what you said is right, I don't think anyone else can, or will."
o. o. o.
"You've certainly been busy as of late."
"Not as much as it appears, but more than enough to stave off the boredom."
Despite the city being on lockdown, the four star restaurant that the two were eating in was open for business. The lights were on. The waiters, waitresses, and chefs were at the ready, and fresh food was being prepared.
The entire building was filled with men and women eating and conversing with one another. Some in modern military uniforms. Others garbed in clothes that had not been seen in public for centuries. Even more barely wore anything outside of ragged cloths and furs that maintained their decency. Weapons and tools of war never further than arm's reach from anyone.
Yet even so, an effort was made to ensure that the table in the middle of the main room was a certain distance from all the others. A table where two mismatched individuals in particular sat and behaved as if they were the only ones there.
On one side sat a diminutive boy that appeared in his early teens in clean church garb.
On the other, a handsome tan man from the Mediterranean in his early thirties in a clean and pressed black Naval uniform, a hat sitting on the table to his side.
Had the air not been heavy with blood and power, a normal passerby might have even assumed that the meeting was normal for them, and not a conversation between monsters.
"So you say." Fina smirked, picking up a glass of wine and swirling it casually. "Japan… such an exotic country. Great food. Wonderful culture, truly. Rarely touched by those annoyances in Europe, and I tip my hat to that alone."
"Shame you've had little reason to visit since World War Two." Merem nodded as he sampled his own glass. He didn't bother checking for poison. It wasn't Fina's style.
"I could say the same to you. Until Louvre, you supposedly haven't visited these parts in over a century."
"I've popped by every now and then for a chore or curiosity or two. The Church keeps me busy." Merem shrugged, as if the Seventh's words didn't mean anything. "This country does have its own trinkets worth collecting after all."
"Heh. Yes, I almost forgot about that hobby of yours. I hear that you managed to get hold of that Mace that Louvre was bragging about before he died." Fina laughed in good nature.
"It's certainly a piece. Pity it was found by Louvre in the first place." The older vampire focused more on the sushi and sashimi that had been delivered to their table, and with some preparation, used the chopsticks to pick one up, dip it in some soy sauce, and put it in his mouth. "I swear, I'll never get the hang of these things."
"Trust me, I know the feeling." The younger grinned, managing his own sample with as much effort. "The boys say that it's like holding two pens at once, but that just made it more confusing."
"I bet." Merem focused on his next sample. "Although, if you pay attention, you do notice the lack of metal aftertaste that you get if you used normal metal utensils."
"That's what everyone's been telling me. I agree, but half the time I'm more worried about getting the blasted food in my mouth to begin with." Fina focused on his rice next. Thankfully, it was clumping together nicely so he didn't have to try too hard to get a good amount. "So your thoughts? I know the kitchen isn't mine, but the crew is, as usual."
"I'm not that particular to Asian cuisine, but it is decent. It's only to be expected that you are capable of preparing sea food." He pretended to play ignorant as to where this conversation was going, but he still had to put some effort into not rolling his eyes.
"Decent eh? I'm guessing the Magus Killer's good at more than just picking off weaklings after all."
"It's more of a stress relieving activity for him." Merem didn't deny it.
"Heheh. No kidding?" The Seventh Apostle Ancestor reached down and took out several plain looking manila envelopes, each with a paperclip on top that revealed a picture. On top was a headshot of Shirou. "Shirou Emiya, aka, the Second Magus Killer and the Queen's Silver Dog. Seventeen years old. Senior at Fuyuki High School. Adopted by Kiritsugu Emiya, the first Magus Killer, ten years ago shortly after the Fourth Grail War."
"I do hope you went through the proper channels getting those. As arbiter, I am obligated to tell everyone of you if you try to stick your head into things." Merem didn't look up from his plate, completely disinterested with the looks he was getting.
"Public records and common knowledge. I told you I'd keep my hands out of your little show and I meant it." Fina waved off the threat was just as much enthusiasm. "Really, I'm more surprised that the Magi in Europe don't know what he looks like yet. It wasn't that hard to find all this out."
This time he did roll his eyes before getting another roll into his mouth. "We're in Japan and magi tend to completely ignore mundane record keepers unless they are trying to cover the existence of thaumaturgy in the first place. They tend to be incredibly pigheaded at the worst times, though you probably know that better than I."
The wry grin slightly faltered on the Captain's face. "You know, your relationship with the boy isn't exactly a secret. Some are even wondering why that's the case."
"You're really asking me why I'm keeping an eye on Barthomelloi's pet project? A Japanese boy of no background that killed Louvre and was almost instantly claimed by the Queen herself?" Merem rose a skeptical eyebrow. "Even if I didn't do it myself, the Church would have almost certainly sent someone to do it eventually."
"And what did you find out?"
"That he'll skewer anyone that screws with his kitchen. Brat had the nerve to say he'd cut me down if he even thought he heard a rat near it. He damn well meant it too," he mumbled in annoyance and decided to stall for time by drinking some more wine.
"Snrk. Hahahaha! You're serious?! A boy not even two decades old threatened to kill you if he thought that he needed an exterminator, knowing full well who and what you are?! Hahahaha! My god that brat has the biggest pair I've seen in years!" Whatever decorum and manners that had been drilled into the Vampire had been lost as he laughed from the bottom of his lungs, not once hiding his mirth.
Merem remained quiet as his fellow Ancestor laughed with abandon at his expense, pretending to ignore the looks the two got from the peculiar crowd around them.
"Hah. Ah, I haven't laughed like that in a while. What in the world is Barthomelloi thinking having a fool like that directly under her thumb?" Fina finally managed to calm down and shake his head before taking a look at Shirou's picture once more with an interesting glint in his eye. "Then again, he is quite a tasty looking lad. Red hair and Japanese. That's not something you'd see every day."
"I wouldn't." Merem was again focused on the sushi. "At least, not now. He's the Master of Saber, and they get along and work together far better than most Masters and Servants. It would be far too much of an ordeal getting to him as he is now."
"Saber? Feh, that's not surprising. A Hero of Swords for the Sword Magic user." The man calmed down a bit and relaxed in his chair. He reached forward with a pair of chopsticks before giving up and just picking up another roll with his fingers and tossing it into his mouth. "… Will they be a problem? If the War is on hold, then that means that the Servants will be here for some time."
"Only if we are." Merem shrugged. "They don't seem to particularly care about any worldly events or making changes. Instead they just want things to stabilize and make sense again. Given who the Masters are, that shouldn't come as a surprise."
"The boy could rat us out to Barthomelloi."
"He could. But then again, you aren't part of White Wing's clique, and from what I've heard, she's rather intrigued by our latest member."
"A neutral party. Do you think I'm a fool Solomon? Your relationship with the boy isn't a secret. It's hard to be neutral in such a situation." The Pirate leered at his guest.
"He's a friend, but he's still alive and human and weak. He has potential, most certainly, but not enough to survive should either one of us become dissatisfied with our arrangement." Merem played with a new roll of sushi, pushing it back and forth on his plate like a child. "I want what you are offering. You want information. He can be our paper shield. Should he die, I would be in trouble with my superiors and you would get the ire of the Queen herself. It should keep us, civil, for the time being. Besides, it's not like you'd be in any danger of actually dying."
Fina snorted in bitter amusement. "Civil he says. Telling me to keep my calm in a city filled with Heroic Spirits."
"All the more reason not to do anything stupid." Merem looked up and frowned. "Like interacting with anyone that has a relationship with the Masters or asking peculiar questions."
"Calm down. You know I don't touch women if I can help it. Now if only Riza would get that hint." The accused looked away bored, biting into a piece of sashimi.
"The boy is just as protective over few he considers close as he is his kitchen. No, more so." he warned. "He's weak, but sickeningly versatile."
"Will he be a problem?" The Pirate probed.
"No more than any other competent magical assassin. Only difference is that he has a Servant at his beck and call. So long as you keep them in sight they aren't that dangerous. Just don't do anything for the time being. The Servants will be gone eventually once this whole Grail matter is settled. Shouldn't be too hard for you to deal with."
"Ugh. Assassins. I hate Assassins. What a pitiful lot they are. Why can't they develop and train themselves to fight up front instead of stewing in the shadows all the blasted time?" He spat out the word like it left a bitter aftertaste in his mouth.
"That's funny coming from you. Aren't most of the lot you steal these days more or less Assassins? Excuse me, saboteurs?" Merem glanced to one table where several tan men in modern military garb were eating while clearly keeping an eye on the central table. "I recognize those badges. They're Mossad Special Forces. Spies and demolitions experts for Israel. I heard you were spending a good deal of time in the Mediterranean recently."
"It's not a big secret. Not with how badly the United States are fudging things up. That sea is a buffet for me now. They actually managed to convince the world that Saddam was responsible for the WTC attacks. Hah. As if. I don't know who's the real monkey, the President or the people that actually believe him. It's almost depressing how stupid humanity is getting these days." Fina brushed off the accusation whimsically before turning to his men and lifted his wine in a half greeting half toast, which was matched moments later. "Jews can't fight, my ass. That lot there took forever to find and take down. They were pleasantly skilled and stubborn for a bunch of humans."
Merem held his tongue. Backstabbing, double dealing, bribes, and hypocrisy were aplenty in the Apostle Ancestors. He technically was no different, working for the Church and all. Complaining about it wouldn't bring him anything. "I don't know how on earth you can stand being in the Middle Eastern waters and sun for so long. Sumire is one thing but you…"
"I have a ship. I have shade. Sunlight can't get past several layers of metal, plaster, wood, plastic, whatever I'm using at the time." Fina finished the last bit of sashimi without hesitation. "Think of it like our clothes. We can fall apart from the inside out, but the threads we wear were made by some poor old lady in Vietnam and sold at a local thrift store haven't changed at all."
"Convenient." He meant it too. Fina was one of the few Apostle Ancestors, let alone Apostles in general, that could operate to a great degree during the day, albeit not directly in person.
"Mmm." The Pirate wiped his mouth with a napkin. "Solomon, why are we beating around the bush like this? We are both here. We both want what the other has. Why not conduct the deal now?"
"Because we don't trust one another. Even if fighting in or near the city is the last thing we want, it doesn't ensure that we won't try something," Merem replied simply and honestly. "There's no guarantee that what I speak will be the truth, nor that you won't attempt to retrieve or sabotage my payment. A capable neutral party is needed for something like this."
"You've said that you wanted the boy involved." The Seventh frowned, looking at Shirou's profile.
"And his Servant as muscle. Just to keep things in order."
"I'll remind you again. Emiya reports to Barthomelloi. You're essentially exposing your disciple to one of the biggest threats we have. You're selling out your new project as it is, but even we wouldn't carelessly throw our kind out to be hunted by that mad bitch."
"Is this the first time you've done this before? He'll overseethe exchange. Arranging it so that he can't determine the contents is beyond simple." Merem looked at Fina as if he was an idiot.
"And if he finds a way around your precautions?"
The shorter of the two shrugged as if it wasn't his problem. "Well then I'll end up with more at risk than you, unless there's something you aren't telling me."
Fina leered at Merem with an unreadable expression that clearly expressed his determination to find out what Meremwas not telling him. "… Every time we meet, I am reminded that you are so much like my lady it's terrifying."
A scowl marred the older Vampire's face for the briefest of moments. "Please do not compare me to that impostor you serve. It is painful enough that I am willingly going through with this deal of hers."
The Pirate's lips twitched in amusement, as if enjoying the reaction he got. With a flamboyant swing and a tilt of his back, he downed the rest of the wine in his glass. "Then I suppose it would be best that we conclude tonight's event. You no doubt have responsibilities to attend to, and I must find someone to teach my men how to make more raw fish meals to make my time out on the sea more bearable and less monotonous."
"I suppose you are right." Merem finished his drink as well before pushing his seat back and standing up on his one leg. "Thank you for the meal."
Not once did either Vampire seem to take notice that all of the people enjoying their dinners around them just moments ago stop at once and get up with the Pirate.
The two left first. One walking with perfect posture, the other hopping almost comically with a completely neutral face.
They exited the doorway and the world exposed them to a sight that seemed to belong to a science fiction novel.
Hovering over the seaside restaurant was Merem's King of the Sky. A titan that seemed to hover in the air effortlessly with tentacles swaying about without care.
But it was not the only oddity.
All around the building, monstrous creatures that either did not officially exist, or only did so in mythological stories were resting about the building with their human handlers. Pegasi and Griffins with saddles and bridles. Seahorses of equal sizes and equipment by the docks. Men and women of all ages, times, and nationalities armed with all sorts of tools having abandoned their dinner for their armaments as the two Vampires walked outside.
And in the distance, a small fleet of ships sat silently, as mixed and diverse as the people in and around the building. The flagship itself, an old Spanish Galleon, surrounded by a hazy mist and its sails hoisted, just beyond its escort.
Fina-Blood Svelton was said to sail a pirate ship. That was true. What wasn't said was that he commanded and orchestrated a fleet of ships and an ever growing army that accompanied said Pirate Ship.
All marching and sailing forward in a grand show of might.
In a grand Parade.