Chapter 51: Restructuring
I do not own Fate/Stay Night and stuffs.
o. o. o.
When Luvia finally arrived back at the Emiya household with Caster and her unconscious sister in tow, the last thing she expected was to be assaulted as soon as she opened the door.
Thankfully, what was being attacked was her sense of smell by what appeared to be Dinner being made.
"I take it that the boy is finally up," Caster mused, trying hard not to be pleased by what she was smelling. As much as it pained her to say good things about Shirou, she could not deny that he was a talented chef.
Luvia nodded in agreement just as Rider materialized a short distance in front of them. "Hello, Rider. Since the house does not appear to be in flames like half the town, I suspect that nothing of particular worth has happened yet?"
The blindfolded woman just barely shook her head, putting the least amount of energy into the gesture. "Everything has been tame so far. Shirou is making dinner for everyone, but he appears to be bothered with a trial that will take place tomorrow morning. He will likely speak to you about it soon."
"Lord El Melloi II. So everything will be known then. Or at least, everything that needs to be known." Luvia had mixed feelings on the man that had essentially walked her and Marjatta into a near certain death. She understood why he did it, but that didn't mean she had forgiven the man for doing so.
Judging from the look on Caster's face, she shared similar feelings about the man.
"What of the girl?" Rider calmly changed subjects, speaking as few words as possible.
"What is her condition? Will she be a problem? Are there any complications at the Temple?" These questions and more were insinuated all at once without being said, and all heard as clear as day.
Even if they were under a ceasefire, there was no doubt in Luvia's mind that Rider would slit their throats in an instant if she thought it was for the best.
"She's unconscious and weak from her ordeal." Caster spoke up confidently in a tone that showed no doubt. "She will not be up for another day at least, and longer still to fully recover. Her body has been, adjusted, by my other, and I am still unsure what the full scope of these changes may result in. In any case, I doubt that she will have full control over her circuits anytime soon."
A magus that couldn't control their power was not much different than a normal human. Meaning her threat level was significantly lessened. She wasn't completely harmless, but her options were at least more limited now.
Rider nodded faintly. "Saber wished to speak to you later, Caster. She is concerned that Shirou may still be experiencing effects from the fight against Gilgamesh."
Caster's initial reaction was to decline. It wasn't simply a matter of the fact that she didn't want to be near the boy anytime soon. Rather, she simply doubted that she could do anything at this stage. While she was most likely the greatest thaumaturgical healer on the planet at the moment, her abilities still paled in comparison to the absurdly potent artifact residing in the child's body.
Avalon. That scabbard was an unreasonable piece of work, even by the standards of most Noble Phantasms.
That initial reaction passed but a moment later. Even if the war was over, nothing was ever as it seemed. Saber's reason to see her may be genuine, but she doubted that it was the only reason to seek a meeting. Like it or not, it was probably something important.
"I'll seek her out as soon as we are done tending Marjatta," Caser simply replied, hiding her thoughts. It was likely that her Master and Rider had come to the same conclusion that she had. "Has the room we specified been prepared?"
"Mmm." Rider nodded, turning her attention back to the unconscious girl in Caster's arms. Rin and Sakura had modified one of the guest rooms to ensure the girl's recovery went smoothly. It wasn't ideal, but it was clean and better than nothing.
She didn't have to say what would happen if Marjatta became a problem. While Shirou was a kind enough person to provide services to her recovery, it didn't change the fact that no one in the building wanted anymore trouble if they could help it, even if it meant causing more trouble in the process.
Some more willing than others.
"It smells wonderful inside." Luvia brushed off the unspoken ultimatum as if she didn't notice it, taking her shoes off in the entranceway. "Is our host preparing a feast?"
"Sakura thought it would be appropriate to purchase food earlier. She was, determined to include the Servants in tonight's meal." There was the faintest hint of endearment in her voice. Only people that knew her would be able to pick it up.
"And knowing Shirou, it would be an insult if he didn't utilize those resources and his kitchen after doing nothing but fighting and planning for the past few weeks." The blonde sighed. Some things never changed. "I dare say we might expect an unnecessarily extravagant feast tonight."
For once, Caster was looking forward to something involving the boy. "Sounds intriguing. I have only seen and partaken in some of the cuisine of this era. Tonight should be a welcome treat."
The neutral aura around Rider lightened slightly, as if expressing her agreement. "Most everyone is in the living room now. I will let them know you are here."
Before another word could be spoken, the Servant vanished.
"Not one for conversation, is she?" Luvia sighed.
"No. However it is clear where her loyalties are." Caster shared her Master's sentiments. "Hopefully tonight's festivities will relieve some of the stress that has accumulated."
"I'm more hopeful that nothing else occurs that will ruin our victory." Luvia yawned. She had spent the entire day with Caster at the Temple, and due to the overwhelming amount of prana still in the area, she had been unable to get a wink of sleep. As soon as everything important has taken place and she ate her fill, she was going to sleep until she was either satisfied or something had volunteered itself to take a buckshot of Fin curses to the face.
"That is a grand hope indeed, Master." Caster chuckled as she followed Luvia into the living room where everyone was gathered.
Much to her surprise, Lancer's Master was already up and about. Or rather, she was sitting on the couch in front of the television talking to Illyasviel, while the two Banshee girls that now served as her legs were playing with the remote control with interest. It was clear that the woman was exhausted and uncomfortable with so many Masters and Servants in the same room, but she seemed to be adapting well enough.
At the dinner table, Saber, Lancer, and Rider had situated themselves casually, drinking alcohol and conversing to varying degrees.
And in the kitchen, Rin, Sakura, and Shirou were cooking a whole slew of dishes. So many in fact that there was little room between where one set of ingredients and plates ended and another began.
Correction. Rin and Sakura were cooking. Shirou on the other hand, well, they didn't really have a word to describe what he was doing. He appeared to be nothing more than a blur, moving from one part of the room to the other, focusing on preparing another slew of ingredients or finishing off an appetizer or stirring something on the stove.
"… Huh." Master and Servant tilted their heads to the side in genuine fascination.
"Heheh. Yeah. That was pretty much everyone's reaction when they first saw Onii-chan like that." Illya giggled at their expressions. "I can't tell if he's trying to show off, if he's really that stressed out, or he really enjoys working himself to death right after almost getting killed."
"Judging from our connection, I believe the appropriate answer to that question is 'yes'." Saber calmly threw her two cents into the conversation with a wry smirk before drinking.
"I think you lucked out, Rider." Lancer grinned like a child. "If the kid had been moving like that last night, I don't think you'd be here with us right now."
"At least I wasn't almost bisected," Rider quietly shot back. It wasn't that she was sulking or shy. She just didn't like dealing with Lancer. He was too loud for her tastes.
"Eh? What was that? Speak a bit louder. I can't hear you." Lancer leaned forward, his voice growing as the distance between the two lessened, one hand cupping his ear.
"Lancer. Rider. Calm down. Haven't we all had enough fighting for one war?" Saber tried to play mediator between the two.
"Tch. Big words coming from the one that was nice and safe at the kid's side the entire time." Lancer turned his ire to her instead. "Would you look at the nerve of this one, Rider? Come to think of it, Saber hasn't even fought Berserker yet either. Where does she get the gall to tell us what to do?"
Rider nodded quietly, but firmly. The sudden change in focus was completely unlike her save for the small twitch on her lips that dared to betray her amusement.
"Humph. Is that all?" Saber puffed her chest out proud, not at all retreating from the accusations. "Fine. I shall give you that, but in turn, I raise you Gilgamesh."
"What is this? Are they complaining about who had it worse or making a betting pool?" Luvia wonder out loud as Lancer groaned like a child.
"Let them be, Master. It's not uncommon for warriors to banter like this. I witnessed this a good number of times when I was still in Colchis." Granted, it was more between members of the neighborhood watch and her brothers complaining about dealing with her Father's bulls or the Sleeping Dragon, but the similarities were still there.
"Ah. Luvia, Caster. You're back." Sakura broke away from the kitchen to greet the two.
She completely ignored the fact that Shirou seemingly teleported into the spot she had just occupied and continued to stir up some confection the instant she had left the room.
"How do you keep up with that?" Luvia blinked, leaning to the side to continue watch Shirou defy the laws of common sense. In her mind, referring to her host in such a base term was completely warranted.
"It's more like he just works around us." Sakura laughed, looking to the side in a way that indicated that she was overlooking a few things to help convince herself that what he was doing was normal. "So long as what we make is in line with what was planned, and we do it well, it all eventually works out in the end."
"That and we don't throw him off tempo!" Rin called from over her shoulder. "He gets real whiny whenever we do something that stops him from cooking!"
"I do not cook! I manifest culinary brilliance!" Depressing as it was to admit it, but that was probably the most motivated and energetic that Shirou had ever sounded since the war started. "Trace On!"
"… Huh." Caster repeated herself, noticing that the boy's eyes were glowing silver as he worked. Every time he jumped from one station to another, the tools in his hands disintegrated in a blink, only to be replaced by new ones the next instant. "Well, at least we know that his circuits are functioning adequately."
"Just let him be. He'll calm down eventually." Sakura sighed. "He's cool and collected when fighting and using magic, but those don't let him vent his stress properly. At the very least, he's not trying to accelerate himself."
"That's a great idea Sakura! Time Al-"
WHAM!
"Don't you dare even think about finishing that Aria, Shirou Emiya, or so help me I will kick you out of the kitchen! The fact that you own it is irrelevant!" Somehow, Rin had managed to hit Shirou's skull with a solid right hook despite how fast he was moving around the room.
It was at this point that Caster decided to purge the past thirty seconds from her mind in order to maintain what little grudging respect she had for the boy. And herself. "Sakura, was it? Where are the accommodations that have been prepared for us?"
"Right this way."
Sakura led them out into the main hallway that connected most of the guest rooms that faced the back yard. She walked to the very last room and opened the door to reveal one of the two western style bedrooms in the building, the other being the one that Zouken had momentarily occupied that Sakura was using now.
At face value, it did not appear any different than the other rooms other than the decor. Thaumaturgically though, it was completely sealed off from the outside world despite its thin Japanese walls and foundation. To be able to set a boundary field like this up in such conditions was an impressive feat in this day and age.
That being said, it clearly wasn't up to Caster's standards, as she muttered a good half a dozen lines of unpronounceable arias before she was satisfied enough to use the room.
"I'm curious." Luvia glanced at Sakura as her Servant tended to her sister. "I thought you'd be more apprehensive about seeing Marjatta. What with how your last encounter turned out."
"The war is over. I have no need to fight her now." The latter shrugged helplessly. "It is not as if I was completely innocent either. I almost fed her to Zouken's worms at the end of our fight. If she hadn't called her Servant, she would have been dead by now. As far as I'm concerned, it's all in the past now."
Luvia suppressed a shudder. Magi could be unsavory characters at times, but it took a special kind of twisted individual to speak of those… things, as if conversing about the weather. Yes. It was definitely best to let sleeping dogs lie, and ensure that Marjatta did the same. "Considering how I was contracted to kill Shirou, I would look foolish if I could not say the same."
Sakura's smile widened slightly, and her posture relaxed.
"Hm? What is it?"
"No. It's just, you're calling Shirou by his name again."
Luvia flinched at the statement. "I, suppose I am. It's not unwarranted. If not for him, I wouldn't have my sister back. Whatever he may be, he's still true to his word. No matter how infuriating that may be at times."
Sakura looked at Luvia with an unreadable gaze for several long and awkward moments before bowing deeply. "I'm sorry."
"I... excuse me?" The blonde was completely confused and caught off guard.
"It's partially my fault that Shirou had to keep everything a secret the way he did. If I didn't introduce him to Grandfather those years ago, Shriou wouldn't have been stuck under his gaze and would have been able to warn everyone, warn you, before things escalated the way they did."
Luvia did the first thing that came to mind. She groaned. "Haaah. Not this again. First Shirou now you. Look, Sakura. Right now, I don't want to blame anyone anymore. I'm just tired of it all. The meaningless War. The meaningless fighting. The excessive unknown agendas that everyone seemed to have. I would say that I'm partially at fault as well taking the contract to kill him, but, joke's on me, he predicted that might happen practically the day he found out I was a Master too. Meaning, I was technically more liable to get killed by the end of all of this than anyone else in the War that hadn't already gotten on Shirou's laundry list. You are not at fault. I am not at fault. Shirou's infuriated us for many reasons, but ultimately, he's not at fault either. The ones that are at fault are dead and gone. Let's just leave it at that and try to get things running as smoothly as possible from here on out, ok?"
Sakura smiled sadly. "But you still don't trust him anymore."
The words speared through her chest, but she could not deny them. Sakura's apology had been genuine, but it was not for her own sake. It had been to try and repair at least some of the relationship that Shirou and Luvia once had.
"No. It's not that. Not exactly." She shook her head.
"How so?"
Luvia sighed. "I know it's hypocritical of me, considering I took a job to kill him, even if I did intend to back out of it before writing my name on it. I know he didn't want to use me the way he did, but… as foolish as it is, I still have my pride as a Magus and as a mercenary. I walk alongside death more than most as part of the family business. The fact that I wasn't prepared or aware of any of this, let alone led through it all as if I was blindfolded is just… I'm infuriated at myself for being so pathetic. And, logical or not, I blame Shirou for being angry at myself."
Despite her declaration, Sakura just smiled understandingly. "Do you blame him because you believe he is responsible, or because he is the only one left that you can blame that isn't yourself?"
"Does it matter? Either answer merely underscores how petty I am."
"Magi are petty and shameless by default, but few ever seem to recognize or even notice it. The fact that you recognize it exemplifies just how much more self-aware and human you are than the normal magus." Sakura didn't back down. "Tokiomi Tohsaka, my father, sold me to the Matou, to Zouken, thinking that he was doing me a favor. The Einsberns lied to Illyasviel about what happened in the war, and would not listen to Kiritsugu's warnings, even after he saved humanity. If those are examples of the three great families, then you, as a representative of the Edelfelt family, have already surpassed them by means of pure common sense."
"And that matters why?"
"Because that's why Shirou thought that you were worth caring about. And now, now you should know better than most that whatever he does, it is always intended for our benefit. Never his."
Luvia's voice caught in her throat.
"You're not a bad person, Luvia. You're not a good person, but you're not a monster or a selfish fool like nearly everyone else in our world. More importantly, you are still you. You haven't thrown yourself away for pointless dreams that aren't even yours in the first place." Sakura smiled gently. "You... are you. And Shirou saw that."
She didn't know what to say to that.
Sakura decided that their conversation had gone long enough. "You look exhausted. I doubt that you got any proper rest at the Temple at all. Then again, it's unlikely anyone could willingly. Get some rest. We'll come get you when dinner's ready in a couple of hours."
Luvia watched as Sakura left the room and quietly closed the door behind her, mouth half open as if wanting to say something.
"… Hmhmhm."
Her attention was drawn to the Servant she had completely forgotten about until that moment. "What's so funny?"
Caster stifled a giggle as she continued to situate and examine Marjatta as the girl rested in her new bed. "Oh. Just marveling at the irony. You bicker frequently enough as it is with Archer's Master that it's become an expected occurrence. And yet with a few kind words, Rider's Master, her younger sister, left you speechless with but a few kind words. I just found the fact amusing."
She glared at her Servant and looked like she was going to snap at the woman before letting her body go slack. "Not now, Caster. If there was one thing that she was correct about, it is that I am so weary that I can barely think straight."
She looked down at herself. While thaumaturgy was useful at times, it did not hide the fact that she was still wearing the same attire that she had battled in last night. The stench of soot, fire, and flaming ox… everything, were still hanging around her like a second layer of clothing.
And yet, as disgusting as it sounded, she felt like she could easily fall asleep without changing or freshening up right then and there. Oh was she tempted to.
"I am going to clean myself. If I'm not back in half an hour, assume I fell asleep and am drowning in the bath."
"Is that a request to resuscitate you after the allotted time, Master? Or leave you be?"
"Hilarious," Luvia grumbled, leaving the room, the dregs of her self-control and poise bleeding out of her by the second.
The Servant chuckled as she was left alone to tend to Marjatta in peaceful silence.
"…"
"…"
"… While I wouldn't put it past you, I somehow doubt that you are here for the girl." She spoke out loud. "Quite frankly, I am unsure what such an omen bodes for the future."
Assassin didn't respond from the other side of the room.
"While she is past the worst of her ordeal, Marjatta does require further treatment. It would go faster if I did not have any distractions or superfluous contamination in the room." Caster sighed, feeling as if she was talking to herself.
"… You should have felt it by now."
Ah. So that was what he was here for. The faint but irregular power in the air over the city. "Hoh? I am surprised that you noticed it as well. I was going to bring it up after dinner. I must admit, I didn't detect it myself until I was travelling back. The amount of power that my counterpart had accumulated and contaminated had admittedly dulled my senses from exposure. I only noticed recently due to my Master requesting the most security my mysteries could provide on our return trip."
"Lancer claims it's been here for a few days. He felt something not related to the Grail in the air," Assassin provided.
"That doesn't surprise me." Caster looked up as if seeing something through the walls in front of her. "There is little that the wind does not carry ahead of the source. Especially if it originates from the sea."
"The sea?" For once, Assassin sounded like he had an emotion.
"Is it that hard to believe? I may be a descendant from Lord Helios, and my summons may breathe flame, but the entirety of my life has always been accompanied by the coast where land meets water. Be it hero or monster, the sea and winds will always have their ways to foretell the coming of those beyond the blue horizon. There are not many Heroic Spirits that are able to read those subtle signs as well as I."
Kiritsugu didn't say anything. Instead he turned to the door.
"Are you going to ask the boy?"
He stopped.
"Whatever this new force is, it's not related to the Grail. Not directly at least." Caster elaborated. "Even so, I would not be surprised if the boy knew something that we did not. Be it nature, habit or fate, we can't deny that he tends to have a pull for irregularities like this," Caster mused. "Of course, judging from everyone's behavior, he still is not aware that you are here."
A faint click was heard. Barely audible, but loud enough to deafen those that could hear it.
"Behave yourself, Assassin. I was merely verifying my suspicions." Caster did not seem at all worried about the unspoken threat of ending up like her counterpart. She was more interested in just how Marjatta's strained body was still somehow intact. The child's bodily and spiritual assets had been pressed to their limits and then some, yet she would still be capable of her normal basic functions soon enough. "Somehow I doubt you would have wished for me to aimlessly bring you up in conversation by accident."
"… This stays between the Servants. We can't risk stressing the Masters further." Assassin all but ordered.
"Save for the boy, no doubt. You will hear no arguments from me. You are not the only one that can see that they are all due for some respite. Then again, the boy is, once more, the exception. Should he know something, it would be best to know sooner than later, to avoid any potential missteps."
Caster paused, as if just remembering something. "Of course, there is nothing adverse about some simple preemptive reconnaissance in case the child is in fact innocent of our suspicions, though I have doubts you will find much. To stain the town's air passively, the source must be in an adequate position. It is not at the coast, but further to sea. Unless you have the means to properly conduct an investigation in open waters without detection, I would not risk anything invasive just yet."
She waited for an answer, but none came. Assassin was not there.
A bitter laugh escaped her lips. "Then again, you are that boy's father. Those infuriating habits of his must have come from somewhere in the first place."
Personally, she wouldn't doubt that Assassin had been looking for a reason to leave the property.
It would have been torture to keep himself hidden once the boy had finished cooking tonight's feast.
o. o. o.
"Yo. How you holding up, Master?"
Bazett jumped, her nerves on full alert as Lancer materialized almost right next to her. "Lancer!"
"Calm down. It's just me." He waved off her alarm before handing her a beer. "Looks like you could use a little something to take the edge off."
The woman glared at her Servant before wordlessly snatching the can from his hand, opening it, and downing half of the contents in a single go.
"Yeah. Saw that coming."
"Shut up." She drank too quickly, resulting in a short session of coughing before she managed to calm herself.
"Not making fun of you. I've felt like shit before too, you know."
"You've been mind controlled for almost a week and almost helped destroy the world?"
"Nope. You ever kill your kid with your own hands?" Lancer asked without a hint of heat or scorn.
The Enforcer froze, stunned by what her closest ally had implied and what he meant. She was acting like a child, and it took Lancer of all people to point it out to her. "… Sorry."
"No worries, Master. You've been through hell and only just now are getting used to not being stuck in shit again. You're not the first or the last that's gonna go through it. Sucks, but that's how it is. No use moaning about it now. Not when the kid's making a feast for us."
Trapped but not trapped. That disgusting witch. To think that the Servant would have used her mangled and abandoned legs to control her like that?
She had been aware of everything she did, every controversial action that went against her very nature, yet simultaneously her mind could not seem to make that jump between "this is not something I would and want to do" and "do not do this".
She had fought Shirou. She had chased after Rin. She had told Caster secrets. She had handed over control of Lancer to Caster. She had learned about what Caster was doing.
She had been a liability.
And now her beer was empty.
"Here." Lancer was holding up another can in front of her. "Last one though. Any more and it would kill your tongue for later. Pretty sure you would murder me if I let you do that."
"Shut up." Her body moved automatically, and she was drinking before she knew it.
"Making a real good impression for the kids you know." He nodded to the two Banshee girls that were talking with Illya just a short distance away. It only took a few moments to realize that the children always made sure to have their mother in their peripheral vision at all times.
She paused with a grimace. Kids. Legs. Banshees. Daughters? There were so many words to describe their relationship that were true, but so many of them just didn't fit together.
"Hey. Don't tell me you're still angry about me getting them for you."
"Yes. No. It's… I don't know, ok? My head's still in a fog and…" She made to take another sip of her drink when Lancer caught her hand.
"From past experience, I've found that it's better for everyone to drink after you manage to sort your words out, not before."
She didn't know what surprised her more, the fact that he was giving her sound advice, or that he was telling her not to drink for once.
"Haah." She sagged in her seat, looking at the nubs that remained of her original legs. "I remember it all. The orders. The fighting. The confusion. But… the girls remember it too."
"Yeah, as far as earliest memories go, you could have done better." Lancer's words were sharp, even if they were intended to lighten up the mood.
"Relying on their voices to keep me sane and lucid probably didn't help."
"Owch."
"It had been touch and go for a while." She didn't want to remember it, but there had been a few points where Caster had almost given to her impulse and tried to turn the girls into mystic codes. She didn't know what the Servant had in mind for them, but it wouldn't have been good.
The only reason why she didn't was because the Servant couldn't risk exposing her unstable pseudo Lesser Grail with the reality altering properties of two adolescent Banshees screaming in a unique harmony that disrupted the local timespace and natural rules of causality.
It had actually been her idea, albeit, it was more of a desperate impulsive gamble. Taking the bitch out with them if she pushed her luck. Thankfully, the kids had a surprisingly large range. They could actually reach one side of the Temple from the other with their lungs if they worked together.
In hindsight, it probably was for the best that she didn't know setting off all that power would have more or less destroyed the entire city.
"Looks like it." Lancer leaned back, giving her a lazy stare. "Doubt you're interested in going back into the field anytime soon."
Bazett looked down at the can that she was cradling with two hands, shaking slightly nonstop. "It doesn't matter whether or not I'm interested. Right now I'm little more than a liability."
"Hoh?" The Servant looked at her with some interest, but decided to keep his words to himself.
"Nee-san."
The pair were interrupted from their conversation by Shirou, oddly enough, holding a bowl of soup in his hands.
"Shirou."
The teen smiled at her kindly. "I thought that you were trying to distance yourself from the old man's habits. You know how bad drinking on an empty stomach is."
A sullen look and puffed out cheeks were her instant response. "Shut up. Can you blame me after what happened?"
"When I have something better for you in my hands? Yes." He slowly exchanged the drink in her hand with a small bowl filled with a clear broth soup.
"Cocky brat." Despite her words, Bazett couldn't help but smile. This kid was more like a doting mother than an annoying brother at times. Only he cooked way better.
"I've earned the right." Shirou put her drink on the small guest table in front of her before donning a worried look. "How are you holding up?"
"First Lancer, now you. Am I that pathetic looking right now?" She groaned.
"Yes." Lancer answered immediately without remorse.
Shirou shook his head. "You can relax Bazett-nee. The War's put on indefinite hold. We're not going to be doing any fighting anytime soon…"
"Shirou, you've saved my life, and I love you like family, but if you don't get to the bad news that you clearly don't want to talk about fast I'm going to break this bowl of soup with your face." Bazett frowned.
"Get to it, kid. That looks like good soup. It would be a shame if it went to waste." Lancer added his two cents.
The boy sighed. "Waver-nii helped me out in his own way in all of this, despite his orders from the Archibalds. His aid to the Edelfelts with their preparations for the War was in line with my plans. The Clocktower, and more importantly, the Archibalds found out. His trial's taking place from our perspective at ten tomorrow morning. We're being asked to participate as potential witnesses or accomplices."
To her credit, Bazett's initial reaction was merely to look at him in genuine surprise for several seconds before groaning and leaning back in her seat. "Shirou, did you really have to take away the beer before telling me that?"
"Yes."
"Geez. Who knew the monster from last night was such a wet blanket?" Lancer chuckled.
"Nee-san. You know, you can always order him not to eat with us." Shirou offered.
"Now you're just playing dirty."
"I'm sorry. All the hits to the head must be impairing my memory. Were you there last night? My cooking is only for those that participated during the fight."
"Oho. Those are dangerous words to throw around, kid."
"Boys, shut up or at least one of you is getting a Gae Bolg by the time I'm done with my soup." Bazett cradled her meal, trying to ignore the war of words happening over her head. Likewise, neither one of them noticed the small, amused smile on her lips.
"Fine." Both pouted at the same time before giving one another a wary look.
"She threaten you with humiliating bodily harm often?" Lancer probed.
"They all do, but most tend to hold back enough so that I can do chores for them later." Shirou shrugged.
The Servant ignored the stares they were getting. "Should have seen that coming. You do realize that more than one of the girls here want to talk to you in private, right?"
"Yeah, but making the celebratory dinner is going to take a lot of time to set up."
Lancer paused. "Wait, are you actually saying that a teenage powerhouse like you is passing up-"
"YES! HE WOULD! STOP TALKING LANCER!" More than half of the females in the building shouted in annoyance and frustration.
Looking around in complete disbelief, he turned back to his host completely bewildered. "Holy shit, kid. I knew you were nuts, but this is going into the realm of insanity."
"I have no idea what you're talking about."
It was only because Lancer was the sole individual looking directly at the teen that he saw the small twitch of amusement on his lips.
Oh. He was going to have to reevaluate his impression on the kid. Cocky little shit's not as oblivious as everyone thought. Still messed up, but not oblivious.
"Funny. Hilarious even." Lancer played along with a wry grin. "Are you sure you're still all there? I saw that kick Rider landed on you. By all rights, your skull should have either been crushed or caved in."
"Don't remind me. Just thinking about it is enough to give me a headache." The teen muttered before giving a small smile and briefly reverting the state of his injury from Gilgamesh, covering nearly a third of his head in a metallic scale mesh. "Thankfully, she hit my good side, so the damage wasn't too terrible."
"The fuck?" Lancer and Bazett gaped at the same time, completely unprepared for the reveal.
"Language," Saber chided from another part of the room, ignoring Rider's equally stunned expression. "There are children present."
"Let's just say that I didn't make it out of the fight against Gilgamesh in one piece. And the recovery process resulted in some, side effects."
Bazett knew bullshit when she heard it. Especially when it came from Shirou. The looks that some of the people shot their way while trying to be discrete didn't help. "I'm assuming that's the official story."
"It's what happened," Shirou casually brushed off her accusation.
The young woman groaned, seeing none of his usual tells. Wonderful. He was telling the truth, but not the whole truth, because knowing how things have been so far, and Shirou's luck, the whole truth would get them all into deep trouble. "Fine. Fine. I get it. That's what happened. Just, shut up and let me enjoy my soup before you give me another reason to dump it on your head."
"As you wish." The young chef bowed deep in an almost mocking way. "I'll get the tray out for everyone else's appetizers in just a moment."
"Appetizers," Lancer snorted, more in disbelief than anything. "This kid really is going all out. If I didn't see him fight, I'd think his goal was to be restaurant owner."
"Quiet. Soup." His Master ignored him for the warm bowl in her hands. She pretended to not notice the look he shot her as she began to eat. The soup took priority. The soup made everything bad go away.
"Aaaah. Mama really likes it." The young Banshee with yellow hair swooned.
"Mmm. It must be really good." Her red haired sister nodded.
"Of course it is. Onii-chan's cooking is really good. He even makes waffles," Illya stated proudly.
"Waffles?" The two girls tilted their heads to the side curiously. Obviously, being only a few days old, they were not familiar with the food.
"Waffles." Illya nodded. "I'll get him to make some tomorrow for us. I'm his adorable sister, so he'll do anything I say."
"I can still hear you, Illya!" Shirou shouted from the kitchen.
"That doesn't make what I said any less true!" She held her ground.
"Waah. Uncle Shirou really is a good person." The blonde girl cheered. "I thought he was scary when I first saw him, but he's really nice! Just like you Auntie Illya!"
"Hey! What's that supposed to… wait." The Homunculus paused as her mind caught up to what was just said. "Did, did you just call me 'auntie'?"
"Mmm." The red haired girl nodded, clearly not seeing what was wrong, even as everyone else in hearing distance was holding back various expressions of amusement. "Uncle Shirou is like a brother to mama. So if you're his sister, then you're like Mama's sister, so you're also our-"
"Sister." Illya cut them off with a vacant smile on her face that was somewhat concerning. In a way, it was even more ominous than the one she had given Shirou when they first came across one another just a few weeks ago. Unhinged even.
"But," The blonde was confused and about to say something, but the eldest of the three interrupted her with a hand on each of the Banshee sisters' shoulders.
"I am not your aunt. I am your big sister. I am big sis Illya. Not Auntie Illya. Am I clear?"
"Mama. I'm scared." The blonde was starting to cry, this time out of fear rather than instinct.
"Illyasviel. Stop bullying my legs," Bazett absently chided while drinking her soup. "If you're that cranky, wait until after dinner."
"Mamaaa." The redhead also began to cry at this point.
"Illya, let them go or no waffles." Shirou came from the kitchen with a tray filled with small bowls of soup for everyone.
Her hands retracted instantly, but the puffed out cheeks indicated it was under duress.
Lancer looked around at everyone in the room with a dead stare, all going about as if nothing was odd or out of place.
Cu Culaiin has been in tons of victory parties during his life. Roudy drunken brawls. Somber noble gatherings. Fancy awards. Angry crowds that were displeased with the results. Funerals. Riots. Marriages. Hell, he's even been to a couple of child births.
But even so, he's never seen an after war gathering that was so… mundane.
It was so bewildering that he didn't know if he was horrifically smashed or still under the Witch's spell.
So caught up in his thoughts, Lancer didn't consciously notice accepting the bowl of soup and absently eating some of it.
… Oh.
… So that's why.
Lancer looked around at everyone in the vicinity with a hint of betrayal as they moved towards the tray that Shirou had delivered. "Are my Master and I the only ones that haven't been in this place since the War started?"
Looks of confusion scattered around as everyone turned to look at one another with curiosity.
"I've been here a couple of times." Illya mused.
"The same, but then again, I also have Archer." Rin shrugged, ignoring the look that Shirou gave her.
"I've spent most of the War here. Rider was here before she was captured." Sakura informed everyone from the kitchen.
"Hm?" Caster walked into the room, confused. "Is something amiss?"
"I believe that Lancer is curious as to who has already partaken in some of Shirou's hospitality since the war has started." Saber filled her in.
"Oh. Yes, my Master and I have also been guests here some number of times," the Princess confessed without a moment's hesitation.
Doing the math in his head, Lancer realized that the only ones that remained was Assassin, the Witch, and himself.
He coldly turned to his Bazett. "My evaluation of you as a decent person and a capable Master has just taken a serious hit."
"Shut up and eat, you big baby. The soup's getting cold," She shot him down instantly without even bothering to look at him.
The sad thing was, Lancer couldn't find a reasonable argument against her order.
o. o. o.
Taiga hummed joyfully as she walked down the street.
She didn't appear at all bothered by the chaos that shook the town last night if the care free smile on her face was any indication.
She was not worried at all that something might be amiss from her lax posture and irregular walking method. She didn't seem to have a care in the world if the jaunty tune could be heard.
All that was on her mind was checking up on Shirou and mooching a meal off of him. Her adorable little brother had a habit of going overboard with his cooking whenever he finished with a big project or needed to vent some excess stress, so tonight's dinner should be absolutely divine.
So care free was the woman that it was nothing short of astounding that she heard a metallic click from a nearby alleyway between two buildings across the street.
Even more astounding was the fact that, upon hearing said out of the place sound, the woman instantly turned towards it, hand reaching behind her back with practiced ease.
A man half hidden in the shadows seemed to materialize from nothing. He didn't say anything, and his clothing hid much of his features, but it was obvious that he was there for her.
"Can I help you?" Her voice held a familiar playfulness to it, but there was a new edge and foundation that betrayed just how serious she was taking things.
"Ashes of a corpse," the man stated ominously, not bothering to acknowledge her question.
This time, there was none of her normal aloofness. Pale face. Stiff posture. Whatever she had expected had not been that.
The man didn't seem to like her reaction, and slowly retreated back into the shadows.
"W-wait!" Taiga nearly shouted in alarm, but didn't dare chase after him. "Ashes in a forge."
He stopped, but still didn't approach her. "A corrupted assistant."
"A pen of slaughtered chickens."
The stranger nodded. Instead of melting into the darkness like before, he simply walked backwards to hide from public sight.
Taking the cue, Taiga followed him quickly, looking around to see if there was anyone else there. Both stopped halfway down the alleyway.
"How do you know Kiritsugu?" At no point did her hands stray from whatever she was hiding on her person. The only person that she was aware of that knew that chain of codes was her dead neighbor, so it was the only logical conclusion she could come to.
Despite it being midafternoon and there being plenty of light outside, she was completely unable to determine any unique physical characteristics about him other than his heavy coat, suit and tie. It was annoying and frustrating, but she didn't say anything about it. Yet.
"We... share similar goals." The stranger chose his words purposefully. "You are a resource, as am I."
"Then why have I not seen you before?" She frowned, her hand slowly going for her waist.
"The same reason why you have not exposed yourself to Shirou. Or the others for that matter." His voice was ominously toneless, and yet masked in a way that she could not recognize. Ironically, it was that seemingly emotionless manner of speaking that seemed to trigger a sense of déjà vu in her more than his voice ever could.
It couldn't be. "Then I'm guessing that our tasks now match up?"
"Possibly." The man was frustratingly evasive. If he was affected or amused by Taiga's annoyed expression, he didn't show it. "Shirou's completed his task on the mountain. The War has been put on indefinite hiatus."
"About time," she huffed. "I don't know how much more of this I could stand before cracking. Watching over him is fine and all, but any more of this and half the town was liable to go up in flames at the rate things were going."
Eight years.
Eight years of training.
Eight years of studying.
Eight years of casually listening in on conversations, making copies of books, of monitoring the town using her grandfather's men…
Eight years of keeping an eye out for Magi.
Eight years of quietly taking out anyone that even dared to try and lay a finger on her little brother.
Two weeks of seemingly meandering through a secret war, gently guiding people where they needed to go…
The final hidden card of Kiritsugu Emiya. A piece on the board that no one knew about. Not even Shirou.
"Does he suspect you?"
"No. If you know him as well as I do, then you'd know that he's dense as can be when it comes to the people he's close to." She sighed. The boy was too trusting. He scanned his home regularly for bugs, but the poor child never once thought to check her for a recording device whenever he hit her with a sleep spell after she barged in on his meetings. She didn't know literally everything, but she knew enough to put the pieces together. "It's for the best. I don't want him to see me as anything other than his adorable older sister. I've gotten close to the girls too."
"Any complications?"
"You mean other than half of the town by the temple being blown to kingdom come by legendary warriors from the past?"
"I mean anything that isn't obvious." There was not a hint of amusement or annoyance in his voice.
The woman pouted, clearly expecting to get some sort of reaction from him. "No. The number of magi that have tried to sneak into the city or spy on Shirou's home dropped to nothing six months ago. No doubt because of the War's announcement. The only extra magically inclined people here should be part of the cleanup crew. My boys have been busy trying to help with repairing and minimizing the damages all over town, but that's family policy. We would have done that regardless…"
"What is it?"
"Nothing. It's just, there's been a few new faces that popped out of nowhere recently that helped with the first responders. Mostly military. JSDF and some US troops from Okinawa. They seem legit and are helping out. I'm getting names, ranks, and squads, but getting so many guys like that here so quickly without notification from the government is odd. Normally the mayor would be informed about the moving of so many men, but even he was surprised by their appearance. We didn't even get this sort of treatment during the fiasco ten years ago. I suspected them at first as well, but they don't trigger any of the devices I have that ID magi, so I assumed they were good."
Judging from the fact that the shadowed man didn't immediately say anything, she had just told him something useful.
"I'll tell the boys to keep an eye on them."
"No. They will already be on alert. Let them play their roles. Keep to cursory observation." Her offer was shot down. "Any activity by the coast?"
"The coast?" She blinked in confusion. "No. Nothing's wrong there. Everything's been focused on the mountain lately. After the curfew went up for the city, the activity there slowed to a crawl. Even the local gangs have been more careful with their dealings, not wanting to get caught up in whatever was setting everything on fire."
"Hmmm." The quiet man let out an uncharacteristic hum of annoyance.
"What's wrong? I thought you said the War ended last night."
"… It did."
It took a few moments for his words to sink in, only to make the woman swear as a result. "Shit. Don't tell me there's something else here. The town's barely holding itself together."
"We don't know what it is or its goals are. Only that it's here and originated from the sea. For all we know, it might just be passing by."
"Fat chance of that knowing our luck."
His silence was damning.
"Is there anything else I need to know? Government conspiracy? Aliens? Oh. Maybe there really is a dragon living in the river." If there ever was a time to abuse Shirou's cooking and gorge herself to forget her worries, now was it.
It took a few moments for the man to break his silence. "… I would advise against visiting the household tomorrow. Waver Velvet is under prosecution for his actions in England, and those participating in the War are the leading witnesses and accomplices."
"What?" The woman stood ramrod straight in alarm.
"Shirou is not one to disregard a situation like this. There is nothing you can do for either of them regardless. Rather, if you try anything now, you'll just make it worse."
"Tch. So it's just the same as usual then. Stick to the background and pretend that I'm clueless about everything."
There was an uncomfortable silence between the two. "… You've done well. It was unlikely that Shirou would have been able to gather the other Masters to his side without significant issues had you not helped."
Illya. Luvia. Both girls had been guided in one way or another to Shirou by her hand one way or another over the course of the past two weeks. From an outside perspective, it may have appeared to be simple convenience or luck, but in reality, it was anything but.
"Says you. That kid should have been born in a manga. He's a total girl magnet. Clueless dolt has a harem and doesn't even know it. The girls would have been gathered to him eventually regardless of what I did."
"Don't underestimate how spiteful magi can be. Even children can be monsters in this world. The fact that most of the participants in the Grail war are teenagers at the oldest should be enough proof."
"I'm not. Doesn't mean I have to like it. I am a teacher after all. I'm supposed to take care of kids. Not kill them." She was not ignorant of her hypocrisy. She could only turn a necessary blind eye to it every now and then.
"The world is unfair. We would not be here otherwise." His tone was dark and unyielding, accepting no further excuses.
She glared at him with blank hazel brown eyes. Her pupils were contracted to the point of barely non-existent, symptoms of countless hypnotic suggestions being placed on her almost ten years ago. Habits and skills that she had been coerced to consciously and unconsciously learn and adapt over the years in order to circumvent the standard practices of magi.
In normal practice, the method it was used to cultivate and raise ideal servants when familiars and constructs were not options. The rules and restrictions imposed on the subjects were harsher on the psyche, ensnaring their minds to become little more than slaves if they survived the conditioning sane. Fortunately, it was rarely used, as most deemed it inefficient in general, preferring competent assistants or familiars to assist their work. If the subject had any talent in thaumaturgy, no matter how small, the chances of them breaking free of the compulsions and doing something undesirable was a very real risk.
However, should the subject willingly accept compulsions that were less restricting in nature, and use them to their advantage, then they could technically be used as a rather efficient training and habit developing tool.
Of course, there were some negative side effects. Erratic personalities were not uncommon as a result. Shortened attention span. Easily excitable and emotional mood swings…
… All already perfectly normal for one Taiga Fujimura.
Another sacrifice for the sake of the world.
There was an awkward and cold silence between the two. The temperature dropping with every passing second.
"Is there anything you wish to ask?" he asked quietly, some of the imposing weight in his voice seemed to recede, an indication that at the very least, he too did not want to talk about something that would only make things worse.
It was clear that there was something on the tip of her tongue, but for once, Taiga seemed to be unsure if she should say it or not.
Before she could say it however, a third voice spoke up.
"Is there a problem?"
From the edge of the alleyway, Soichirou Kizuki walked into view without a sound, his posture and breathing beyond perfect as always.
"Kizuki-sensei?" Taiga blinked in surprise, not expecting him to appear so suddenly, before cursing at her moment of distraction and turned around again. She half expected the man to be gone in that moment of confusion, but surprisingly he was still there.
"None. Just discussing current events." If he was surprised by the newcomer's appearance, he didn't show it. Nor was he worried about being found out.
"Those at the temple are recovering from last night. There are no casualties. Nothing appears to be permanent," the teacher reported as easily as breathing. He knew that it was not close to the top of things to be worried about, but it was something he felt compelled to inform them of regardless. "Fujimura-sensei."
It was a greeting, rather than a question. He was not at all perplexed as to why she was in such a suspicious situation.
After all, she was the person that had convinced him in the end to give into Shirou's request for a sparring partner.
"I… how long are you going to stay?" It was clear that she wanted to ask something else, but she settled for a question that was just as revealing and damning.
There was an uncomfortable silence for several long moments before Kiritsugu Emiya took a few steps forward. It was a meaningless gesture in most circumstances, but the small change in location somehow enabled the two humans to see the man uninhibited now, instead of being half concealed by the darkness.
"As long as needed." His tone didn't change, and even his face seemed as impassive as Kizuki's at first glance, but his dull eyes betrayed the slightest hint of insecurity with his answer.
Taiga frowned and shook her head. "That's bullshit. After all that's happened, Shirou and Illya are grown up. They have each other and everyone else here. They don't need you now and you know it."
Assassin frowned. It wasn't often that Taiga spoke harshly to anyone, much less to him.
"How-e-ver!" she continued, pointing at him accusingly. "That doesn't mean that leaving without doing anything won't have consequences. I don't care what insane hocus pocus magic made things so that you're here, but I know for a fact that if you just vanish without a word, you'll do more damage to those two than you could ever do with a gun. Or a knife. Or the ridiculous amount of bombs you somehow carry with you."
That was an understatement, but her point was still valid. "… I'm a Servant, Taiga. A glorified copy at best. You know I'm not really-"