Chapter 10: Severing and Binding
Shirou floated gently in the darkness of his own mind. It looked like Rin had been right once again, he wasn't very bright. Although, that depending on one's definition of the word "bright". Much of his mind was empty and black. That being said, he could still see himself and everything here with him. A quick thought and his magic circuits revealed themselves in front of his very eyes. Some lines were crossed, some were shattered and sparks arced off another group. He could think, that was what he was doing right now, but he couldn't do anything else. There was no physical sense, no being.
It was rather concerning when he thought about it. He was trapped without any real clue what his physical body was experiencing. For all he knew, he was dead and this was what awaited the living after they expired. Shirou half expected a large screen to come down from above to begin showing him his entire life. It was far from impossible, considering something just like that had taken place a few moments ago.
Shirou had learned everything stored within his father's journal. The Grail War, the servants, the masters, the actions, the dreams and the end had been etched into his mind like the words scrawled into the journal itself. This knowledge didn't end with the War. Shirou had traced his father's journal. As in, sympathized with the creator. Every thought Kiritsugu had while he was writing had been embedded in the words. He had traced books before. Books were copied hundreds of times autonomously by machines. There was no "creator" because nobody had actually written the words. He had never traced hand-written books before and he certainly hadn't traced three entire years of material. The transfer of information had been like one of those weird dystopian films where pictures and short clips flashed in front of Shirou's forced-open eyes. Each passing second had sent shocking pain through him as his brain and body struggled to balance the flow of information and mana.
Kiritsugu's emotions, his ideas, his plans, his hypotheses and his fears were made as clear as glass. Shirou had always joked to himself about knowing the man better than he knew himself. Now he was absolutely confident in the expression. Shirou also realized how wrong he had been. He had always thought the old man had been simple and easy to read. He was actually operating on another level entirely. Through the entire War, Kiritsugu had plans for every occasion. Something else entirely was hiding in the background, however.
Kiritsugu was scared. Each step, each turn and each action he had been worried. It hadn't been for his own safety, not once had he ever considered himself through the entire War. Each thought had been of Illya and of another he frequently wrote about. Shirou had never heard the name before, but it had practically been burned into his mind after tracing the journal: Irisviel von Einzbern.
She had been his wife and the entire situation between the two was complex to say the least. They had loved one another more than Shirou could understand. Unfortunately, Irisviel - or Iri as the old man called her - had been fated to die in the Grail War. She was the Grail so there was nothing Kiritsugu could do short of keeping Avalon within her, but even that would only delay the inevitable.
That was right, Shirou knew of Avalon as well. That bright golden light set in the distance of his own mind apparently had a name. It was the relic of King Arthur, the servant known as Saber. It was also what saved him after the Great Fire and it was what healed him each time he got any cuts or bruises. Shirou had always thought his body was unnaturally good at healing. Knowing the name of the device that had fixed him up time and time again, Shirou found that he could actually summon its image within his mind. A truly gorgeous scabbard made of gleaming gold and royal blue. The scabbard was something of fascination for him before the thought of what he had learned brought his mind back on track.
Throughout the War, Kiritsugu had always thought of his family. His decisions had always been to protect them, or to at least hide them away, while he fought to grant the wish that would ultimately save them. The wish for a world without conflict where they could live together in peace.
Kiritsugu's wish was never realized. The Grail was corrupt and any wish given to it would be altered to cause the most suffering possible. A servant had been the one to inform him of the disheartening news. That same servant, Caster, had been the one to steal Saber with means unknown so he could destroy the Grail and themselves in one motion.
Speaking of Caster, whenever he was brought up, Kiritsugu's thoughts differed greatly from what he had written down. In writing, he had made himself seem ignorant of the servant and seemed to purposely leave out details others would have made sure to capture. This hadn't always been the case. In earlier entries, Kiritsugu had tried to capture everything he could and had described the servant in detail. Suddenly, after one of his dreams, the details fell off. The old man was hiding something and even though he was reading Kiritsugu's mind, Shirou couldn't fully tell what it was. His thoughts while writing were seemingly nonsense rambling over having to "keep it hidden until the time is right" and the like.
Shirou didn't know what "it" was and he was unsure on whether or not he wanted to. If Kiritsugu had decided on keeping a secret, it was probably for the better. Like his history as the Magus Killer and his heinous actions during the Grail War. His past was written in the book as well as his mind. He didn't know the full extent of his father's history, but Shirou knew enough to frighten him.
Beyond the Grail War, Shirou learned about Illya, Rin and Sakura. Illya was his sister, but she was also so much more than that. She was the first of her kind, a child born of a homunculus. A homunculus was a sort of lab experiment grown and raised by the Einzbern. These homunculi would act as the body for the forming Grail. This system was designed after the Third Grail War as the original method of using a normal chalice was deemed too dangerous. An inanimate object couldn't defend itself but a "human" could. It meant that Illya would act as the Grail for the next War. Kiritsugu guessed that even if she survived, she only had around twenty years to live and he wasn't betting on her surpassing that. Rin lost her father to his own servant and Kiritsugu had dealt the killing blow. She would also fight in the next Holy Grail War against Illya. Both were from magus families which created the War. That meant they would both be selected as masters. It was why Kiritsugu had specifically told Shirou not to reveal the contents of his journal to Rin. Rin believed the next Grail War would begin in around fifty-six years, not only six. If she knew that Illya would be a competitor, that she was training her future enemies and showing them how to kill her in combat, she would leave and never speak to either of them again.
Then he learned of Sakura, the most unfortunate of them all. She had been given away from the Tohsaka family to the Matou. It was apparently to protect her, but who in their right mind would call endless torture and abuse protection? Just thinking about it sent a pang of sorrowful rage coursing through his body. She had been Rin's sister, it was why the two seemed to be on eggshells around one another. Neither of them was willing to admit what had happened, neither was willing to do anything about their situation. Kiritsugu had tried, he had done his absolute best. He had purged the worms within the girl, he had personally watched over her but somehow the Matou head - Zouken - had tracked her down. Kiritsugu hadn't even tried to fight the worm, he had just given the girl back without a fight.
Shirou had been upset with his father over his complacency but after coming to understand his reasons, it was directed elsewhere. Kiritsugu had let the worm take Sakura because he had no way of truly killing the Matou head. Kiritsugu would endlessly fight an innumerable amount of insects and possible magecraft in a vain attempt at keeping a single girl safe. If he could even repel such a force, he would be condemned to being vigilant the rest of his life and he wouldn't be able to let her out of his sight for a moment. Rather than torture the two of them in such a way, Kiritsugu decided to take a minor loss. This way, Kiritsugu could try to devise a way to actually kill the worm-user rather than just stall him.
Every detail and experience had crammed into Shirou's brain and made him feel as if he had aged several years over the course of a few seconds. The endeavour hadn't altered his personality at least. Shirou still despised his father's methods. This hatred didn't transfer to the man himself at least. Shirou was capable of separating the "art" from the "artist" as it were. Killing innocents was the foulest act Shirou could think of, but Kiritsugu had done his best throughout the War to keep casualties to an absolute minimum. Shirou had wondered if there had been any other way, but he was operating on a limited amount of information. Perhaps the old man's choices had been the best. The old man hadn't killed anyone who wasn't involved, he hadn't even started the Great Fire so he couldn't even be blamed for those deaths either.
There was one person in the journal who sickened Shirou. She was cold, heartless and was prepared to do everything Kiritsugu hesitated on. Maiya, the same name that had been engraved on the pistols Kiritsugu had gifted him. She was important to him, she had sacrificed herself for him. The strange contradiction of heartless sociopathy and caring devotion towards his father left Shirou confused. Besides caring for his father, she was a cold assassin. He couldn't condone the actions of a contract killer, someone who felt the ends always justified the means.
Only… His father was an assassin like that too, wasn't he?
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"-in!" Came a shout from outside her room. The girl stirred beneath the thick blanket but otherwise remained still. Rin had decided on using one of the two westernized rooms of the Emiya household. She was more familiar with an actual bed seeing as how that was what she slept in at her own home. Futons seemed uncomfortable to her. How could anyone get a good night's rest lying on the floor?
"Rin!"
Was that her name? She was probably just imagining it. She had only been asleep for a couple hours. Who would want her in the middle of the night? She was probably just caught in that strange place between being awake and asleep.
Then the door was practically kicked down. "Rin, wake up!" In an instant, she was upright and wide-eyed, looking around with confusion. Her eyes eventually identified Kiritsugu and her brain processed the information with some delay. His face held an emotion she had never seen before and his voice was panicked. She had never seen so much emotion from the man, which was enough to terrify Rin. Something bad must have happened. Then her eyes landed on Shirou's limp form in his arms. Her drowsy state vanished in an instant as her heart sank.
Illya skidded into the room like a white bolt of lightning. "What's with all the sho- Shirou!" she gasped, watching her father lay the boy on the floor. "What happened to him?" Her eyes seemed glazed and both hands moved to her chest, gripping at her heart over the white nightgown. Rin made the first move, throwing the blanket off herself before moving to the ground beside Shirou. Illya moved as well, trying to get a better look of her brother.
"What happened to him?" Rin asked, grabbing onto his face and opening his eyelids. His eyes seemed empty and glazed over as if he were a fish that had been sitting out a little too long.
"Shirou has been using his nerves as magic circuits since he started magecraft." That was a bad start. If there had been a problem when Shirou tried to convert one of his nerves, the resulting domino effect would cripple his body and send him into a vegetative state. The entire reason converting nerve endings into circuits was so dangerous was due to the body itself. Nerves were direct connections to the entire nervous system. If the process failed and the nervous system connected to the body's magic circuits, even for a brief moment, one would fry out the other. They were just like electrical circuits without any sort of fuse to protect them. If you connected the circuits together, one would overpower the other and burn it out. "But that isn't what's hurting him right now." Rin let out a breath she hadn't known she'd had held in. "Shirou activated his magic circuits after I helped him out. He started tracing things then made a noise and fell over," Kiritsugu recalled. Illya gave her father a look that told Rin he was hiding something. The girl's ability at detecting lies from Kiritsugu was uncanny. Even Sakura, someone who could usually see straight through people, had trouble with Kiritsugu. She had claimed that it was much easier when she was younger.
If Shirou hadn't been using his circuits at all since they started training in magecraft, a sudden activation of his actual circuits might have caused his body to go into shock. It wouldn't have been so bad if he hadn't been using them at the time. "What did he trace?" Rin decided to ask. She was hoping he hadn't strained himself otherwise he might have demolished his circuits entirely.
Kiritsugu shuffled nervously, moving the boy's hair from his face with a pained expression. "A journal of mine and the house, possibly."
"A journal?" Rin asked, blinking in confusion. "Handwrittenby you?" she asked, getting a short nod. "When did you start writing it?" she asked, motioning for Illya to come closer. "Your surface healing won't work, you'll have to look deep inside to heal his body from the inside out. It won't fix him at this point but it might keep him from getting worse," Rin guided, still waiting for an answer.
"About three years ago," Kiritsugu admitted with some shame.
"Are you an idiot!?" Rin had an outburst, words spewing out of her mouth before the filter in her mind could catch them.
Kiritsugu shut his eyes, back straightening to move his body out of the way. "I didn't know of the effects it could have."
"I should have made you read Fundamentals of Magecraft," Rin mumbled with a shake of her head. She placed both hands on either side of Shirou's face and closed her eyes to try and determine how much damage had been caused. "Shirou's tracing ability looks beyond just the surface of the object. He looks beyond the material and into the creator so he can pick up on flaws only those intimately familiar with the object's construction can see. It's why he's better at reinforcement than I am. He probably had to see you each time you made an entry. That much information is way too much for anyone to handle," Rin described. If the way he twitched was any indication, the thought had never crossed his mind.
Rin sighed. "His circuits are a mess. They're bundled up and shorting out. Some of them don't even connect to anything at all. What makes it worse is that his body is still trying to use them." The girl hummed and furrowed her brow. "But…there's no damage?" she asked, seeming surprised. "Illya, have you healed anything yet?"
The albino shook her head - not that Rin could even see on account of her closed eyes. "I haven't found anything, he should be fine." She was beginning to panic more than her father. If Rin didn't handle the situation quickly, she was going to have two people breaking down due to fear. There was a reason emergency instructions told people not to panic.
"I'll do what I can to fix his circuits, but it's not as easy as it sounds. I'll need somewhere quiet to work and a lot of time." Rin removed her hands from the boy and looked to the other girl in the room. "Illya, in the shed out back is a book Shirou borrowed. It's called Operations and Analysis of Magical Circuitry, can you go grab it for me?" Rin didn't need to say it twice. After a short nod, the girl bolted out the door to retrieve the book.
"Kiritsugu, can you carry Shirou to his room? I'll put on some clothes quickly and be right there." Rin had no idea if this ailment was time sensitive or not but she wasn't prepared to make any gambles. Moving quickly while the older Emiya moved his son, Rin threw on some decent clothes over her pyjamas and moved through the open doors into Shirou's room. She was taken aback for a second at how clean and empty it was.
There were only three entire objects in the space: a futon, a desk with a small lamp and a small wardrobe. Simple things for a simple boy, she supposed. Kiritsugu had laid him on top of the futon so he could at least be comfortable. The older man was murmuring something Rin couldn't pick out. He seemed to be on the edge of a mental collapse.
"Thank you, I can take it from here."
"I'm staying," he responded before she could even finish speaking.
Rin frowned. She could tell him that she needed silence so she could concentrate and hear Shirou's breathing but was there any use? Kiritsugu was a very stubborn man like his son. Whenever either of them settled on a goal, there was no stopping them. Rin decided not to comment on the matter, moving to kneel at Shirou's side.
"I've never done this before," she admitted. "I have no idea how this is going to turn out." It probably wasn't the best thing to hear when someone's life was on the line. At least it was honest.
Rin thought she heard the sound of teeth grinding against each other. As Kiritsugu opened his mouth to speak, Illya burst through the door. "Nobody told me you were in a different room!" she complained, jogging up to hand Rin the thick book.
Rin flipped it open to a page that held a green sticky note. "Shirou borrowed this book to learn more about how magic circuits work. It also has instructions on how to repair damaged circuits and some other useful information I'll need. If Shirou thought his circuits were damaged, he might have tried to fix them by himself. Hopefully, the idiot just did some reading." Rin flipped through the pages trying to find whatever she was looking for. Her voice was a mumble as she read headers and brief passages of the material. It took a few seconds but eventually, a page on fixing circuit flow caught her attention.
Rin tapped the page twice with her index finger. "Got it." Her head lifted to Illya who was slightly panting from her run. "Illya, you'll have to wait outside. I need to listen to Shirou's breathing, not yours." Illya seemed to have a brief moment of conflict in her mind before deciding the more experienced magus was right. With her out of the room, Rin began to follow the instructions.
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Illya gently cracked the door to Shirou's room open. He was still unconscious even a whole day after the event. He was lying face up on the futon with his bare chest exposed. Rin had said it was a necessary step but Illya figured she had just wanted to see him without a shirt on. She had peeked into the door while the girl had worked that night, her hands had been all over her brother.
Pouting, she nudged the door open wider with her hip. In her hands was a tray holding tea, water and some snack-type foods. Rin had recommended it all, saying he would feel drained upon waking up. Yesterday she had done the same, leaving the tray in case he awoke.
Settling the tray down off to his side, Illya stood and looked over her brother. It was odd to see him so fragile and defenceless when he was usually so strong. He took beatings from a man twice his size but always got back up even when he was more bruise than boy. When Rin punched him, or even when she hit him with a shot from Zelle or Storch Ritter, he always picked himself up regardless of his wounds. She had personally watched him continue fighting with a broken arm as if the injury didn't even bother him.
She admired his stubbornness and actually tried to emulate it in her competition with Rin. Illya tried her best to replicate every spell Rin could perform. The only thing she couldn't emulate were spells she couldn't actually see. Magecraft that never actualized anything, like reinforcement, projection and the spells Rin had used to fix Shirou the other night. It had taken some time to find a healing spell that she could learn. Most spells worked through touch, but the spell Illya had learned healed a zone in front of her hands. It could be used to heal internal injuries through touch but the focus was primarily on exterior wounds.
Sighing, the homunculus turned to leave the room. As she reached the door she thought she heard a shuffle from behind. Her heart rate jumped in surprise as she turned to see if Shirou was awake. The expression faltered as she realized her ears were just playing tricks on her.
Nothing had moved, he was still out of it.
Then there was an unmistakable grunt. "Shirou!" In a blur, she slid to his side and peered down at his face. He hadn't moved but his eyes were open and they looked around the room in confusion. She was so happy he had woken up that she had wrapped her arms around him in a hug without even thinking.
"What happened? Illya?" he asked quietly with a scratchy throat.
"You hurt yourself you big dummy, everyone was so worried about you because we thought you were going to die or that you weren't going to wake up." She reached up to move a strand of hair from her face, smiling warmly at her stupid brother. She noticed that he hadn't moved, that he hadn't even tried to reciprocate the embrace she had offered. His face scrunched up and his body seemed to stiffen as if every muscle had activated at once.
"I-I can't feel anything."
The colour and happiness drained from Illya's face. "What do you mean?" she asked, grabbing onto his hand and lifting it slightly. She gently tried tossing his hand, watching it rise and fall back onto her own like a limp noodle.
"Did you touch me? My hand moved but I didn't move it." His hand lifted higher out of her grasp without warning. He brought it in front of his face while Illya breathed a sigh of relief. For a moment there, she'd been worried he'd turned into a vegetable.
Illya turned her head and shouted towards the door for her father. She turned back towards Shirou and adjusted the hair hanging over his face affectionately. "You strained yourself and ended up almost putting yourself into a coma. Rin thought you wouldn't wake up for weeks." She had been able to explain it better after her excitement died down some.
Her brother grunted, sitting up on his elbows very slowly. He was moving like a robot and it took him two tries to position his elbows in a spot that supported his weight. "It's a real wonder then." Illya was confused by what he meant by that.
Kiritsugu peeked in from the door, face splitting into a warm smile. "You're alright, I'm so glad. How are you feeling?" he asked, expression holding while his son returned a look of apprehension. It was as if it was the first time Shirou had ever met him.
Realizing that something was asked of him, Shirou looked down at himself and tested his legs by lifting them one after another. "My entire body is numb, I can't feel anything. I guess I really did a number on myself this time." The boy rolled over onto his front and carefully pushed himself onto his feet with the help of Illya. He wobbled then seemed to balance himself. "I don't know if I should use my circuits anymore," he mumbled. He tried to take a step forward, but all sense of balance went out the window and he collapsed right onto Illya.
Making a surprised noise as he fell, the small girl pushed out her arms to try and stop him before being crushed on the floor. Sprawled out underneath him, she wheezed as the air was forced from her lungs. "H-heavy!" Illya whined. Shirou struggled to get off her, frantically apologizing as he did.
Kiritsugu held a soft smile as he watched. "Shirou, you don't have to give up your magecraft yet. Tohsaka said you should be fine to use your circuits whenever you want. You just had a slight short after activating your circuits because of their disuse. It shouldn't happen again." He took a step back from the door. "If you're looking for someone to thank, thank the Tohsaka girl."
With that, he left the two siblings alone. Illya was eventually freed from Shirou who started looking down at himself as if for the first time. Illya sat back on her legs as she watched him examine his limbs and body. He pinched the back of his hand and poked at his own chest. After a while, she spoke up. "You were only out of it for two days, not two years."
He looked up at his sister with confusion, face softening into something almost like sadness. "Right, I should just get over this. It's just strange…"
Illya blinked in surprise. "What's gotten into you, big brother?" she asked, shuffling closer to him to examine his face better. She didn't want him lying to her and the easiest way to find out if he was was by reading his face. Every thought was written on it, plain as day.
The two locked eyes and shared a moment of silence. Why was there such a resounding sense of sadness in his eyes? "It's nothing, just thinking about some things."
"You can't use that excuse every time to get past my lie detection." Illya pouted, crossing her arms defiantly over her chest.
Shirou chuckled, glancing at the floor before back up into her crimson eyes. "Do you think homunculi can still be princesses?"
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It took a good week before Shirou fully regained feeling through his entire body. He had been able to walk around and go to school but he had been banned from the kitchen after his first attempt at cooking. Because he couldn't really feel what he was grabbing, he had cut himself three times trying to finish the first dish. Illya had gotten tired of healing the wounds and had called Sakura over to take over the kitchen duties for a while.
The girl had been more than happy and had actually elected to stay in the house while Shirou got better. She cooked, cleaned and even tried to bathe him. Shirou quickly shot the last prospect down with some embarrassment. Just because his sense of touch didn't work didn't mean he would drown in a bathtub or that he couldn't clean himself, or the house for that matter.
Unable to cook and being forced out of housekeeping, Shirou actually felt guilty and anxious. He'd had no idea how much household chores relaxed him until he couldn't do them anymore.
Training still happened every two days, although Shirou's training was strictly limited to magecraft. With his circuits functioning properly, spells came to him a little easier. He was nowhere near the level of Illya or Rin but he could at least cast simple ease-of-life spells. Making flame or water in his hand was no longer a herculean task. An area he improved greatly in was reinforcement. With mana so easy to access now, he outclassed Rin greatly.
When he had shown her a pipe he'd reinforced to be harder than titanium, she had smiled. It wasn't a friendly congratulatory smile, but something rueful and full of evil. A sickening feeling of dread washed over him whenever she looked like that. He just knew that she would do something evil whenever that damned smile came around.
Shirou was right. After claiming he had been holding out on her, she sent him to fight wolves with only the clothes on his back and a rolled up newspaper for a weapon. At least it was summer so he wouldn't freeze in the cold. And with his newfound skills, he wouldn't be defenceless and hungry.
Wolf was very tough meat, both to cook and eat.
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Shirou creaked open the door to the shed. Looking behind himself to ensure he wasn't being followed, he stepped in and closed the door behind him.
He couldn't sleep again. It wasn't because of the usual nightmares but something else. Since he learned the name behind the golden glow in the back of his mind, it had been calling to him. Like Illya whenever he tried to relax, it jumped into his face and tried to make him do something.
The boy was hesitant to obey the Arthurian scabbard. It was almost as if the artifact wanted to be removed. Like it didn't fit inside him and it needed to be with someone else. Kiritsugu had supposedly transferred it to him during the Great Fire to keep him alive. From what Kiritsugu had written down, Saber would be nearly invincible were she to take hold of it again. With her energy feeding the scabbard, its regenerative properties were bolstered tenfold. Gashes, broken bones and even mutilated limbs restored themselves to full functionality within seconds. Without her energy, scrapes and cuts healed within hours rather than instantly. Even though Avalon was telling him to remove it from his body, something else was telling him to keep it there with matching intensity. Shirou felt like he was in the midst of a tug-of-war.
When he pictured the scabbard in his mind, it was almost like he could actually hold it within his hands. Shirou considered how he could appease both sides. How could he simultaneously actualize Avalon while keeping the relic within his own body?
In her teachings, Rin had spoken briefly about "projection" magecraft. It used fundamentals and properties from reinforcement magecraft in a more advanced way. When she had gone over it, she claimed it to be entirely ineffective and useless as a field of magecraft. Shirou had actually agreed were her on the matter after she explained herself.
Projection magecraft was similar to using a photocopier. Using mana, a second copy of an original item was created. Usually, the item was inferior in some way and it typically dematerialized within minutes or even seconds.
But a minute was all Shirou and Avalon wanted. The former wanted to hold the beautiful scabbard in his own hands while the latter wanted to be realized within the world once more. Kiritsugu had written that Avalon was a relic of the "Fae". Whoever they were, would Shirou be able to reproduce it properly? Before he could even consider projecting a powerful artifact like Avalon, he would need to work on his aria and try projecting simple things. If he wasn't careful using magecraft, he might have a repeat of that night with Kiritsugu's journal.
Kneeling on the cold stone floor of the shed, Shirou picked up a simple pipe. There was a surprising abundance of pipe around here. Shirou had no idea where it came from, but he imagined Kiritsugu had something to do with it.
Holding the pipe in one hand, he closed his eyes. Just like his father had taught him, Shirou imagined the hammer of a gun coming down to strike the firing pin. His circuits came alive as the gunpowder of an imaginary bullet went off. "Trace on."
The wireframe of the pipe popped into his mind. Since his circuits had activated, designs of traced objects came to him much faster. One step done, onto the second. "Examining composite material." From the bottom to the top, the wireframe filled with metal and became a real object he could realize.
Shirou stopped before moving forward with the projection part of things. The still image of the pipe rested in the background of his mind. This didn't sound right. How could he replicate something if all he did was find out what it was made of? He wouldn't be able to capture Avalon's beauty if he just filled a mould with whatever he believed it was made of. He had to go back further. He had to figure out precisely what its make-up was, find every conceivable flaw and see it from the creator's point of view. If he could do that, why couldn't he also try to replicate an object's experience to match the age and weathering?
Wiping the design from his mind, he began anew. He would need to add lines to his aria and he might have to reword what he already had. Examining made it sound as if he really understood the makeup material when in reality, he was just guessing. Speaking in that manner, the design was completed and nothing could be done to increase its quality.
Closing his eyes and concentrating again, Shirou took deep breaths. "Determining the concept of creation." Without warning, green sparks exploded from the pipe as if it were a downed power line. Dropping the pipe with a loud clatter, Shirou looked between the item and his smoking hand.
"Guess this is why Rin is so mad whenever Illya casts her spells so easily," he mumbled, complaining to himself in the dark space. This was going to be a great big game of trial and error to see which words would grant the desired effect. Maybe determining was too absolute. Maybe he had to work in hypotheticals…
That was it!
Shirou gripped the pipe tightly with renewed vigour. "Hypothesizing the concept of creation."
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The sound of a door sliding closed was followed by a girl calling out to the house. Rin had come by after school again for dinner and training. Mostly dinner.
Moving into the kitchen where she imagined everyone would be, the girl pulled out an old-looking book. "I found something in my father's library. It's an old book from the Clock Tower about magic training I've never read yet." Illya and Kiritsugu were playing a card game that included a wooden board and pegs while Shirou was in his usual spot: the kitchen.
"You haven't read all your father's books yet?" Kiritsugu asked casually, playing a five of spades before moving a coloured peg two spaces in the board.
Rin huffed, opening the book and skimming through the first few pages. "Of course not. He had thousands of books and I've been busy with school, training and teaching." She turned a couple more pages, skipping the unnecessary introduction stuff. "Besides, I've been experimenting with some of the spells I've read and gotten some neat results." Looking up, she watched both Illya and Shirou shudder.
"Don't remind me," they said in unison, getting a laugh from their father.
"Anyway, this book was on teaching magecraft to others so I left it on the backburner for a while." The girl shrugged, finding something interesting.
"You figured training two novice mages by yourself without any sort of guidance was the best decision," Kiritsugu laid out blandly, exposing how flawed that idea was.
Rin's eye twitched. "I think I've done a good job so far. I don't think anyone has any complaints," the girl toted confidently.
Shirou made a noise and raised one hand but after catching the glare Rin gave him he quickly shut his mouth.
"That's what I thought." She nodded to herself, humble as ever. "Anyway, it says here the first step in training mages should be to evaluate their origin and element. That way you can discern what field of magecraft they would best be suited for."
Rin hadn't done that, in fact, she had completely forgotten. Come to think of it, she didn't even know her own origin and element. That was probably because she had neglected this book and never learned the spell. That and her father had been so busy with the War that he hasn't even begun to train her before his death. He had helped her out when she got stuck but he never sat down and taught her directly like she had done with Shirou and Illya. In that sense they were lucky.
Illya and Shirou were looking at her with accusing eyes. "Hey!" she shouted suddenly. "I was busy, it's not my fault." With a huff, the Tohsaka crossed both arms over her chest and looked in another direction.
"Well, nothing we can do about it now. Can you see what all our elements and origins are?" Shirou asked, wiping his hands on a towel as he looked up from his place in the kitchen.
Rin looked sheepish. "Well… no," she admitted while a few strange glances were cast her way. What was the point of revealing a missed step if she had no way of correcting it? At least she had an excuse. "I can figure out elements pretty easy but the book never spoke of a process to figure out origins. From what I read, it's a rather complex process too." The older man snorted before playing the last card in his hand, an ace of hearts, and moving his coloured peg two spaces forward.
Rin eyed him suspiciously. "What's so funny?" she asked, leaning forward onto the table. Kiritsugu had been hiding things from her ever since that first day he came to see her. She really should have asked more questions when he was being fully honest with her.
He hummed questioningly, spreading the four cards he played out so he could count his points for the hand. "I just found it amusing that the book claimed origin deciphering to be difficult."
Rin narrowed her eyes. "You know the incantation, don't you?" While he moved to move his peg nine spaces forward, Rin did her best to try analyzing his face and body. She couldn't get a single signal from him.
"Yes he does, he's trying not to say anything so I can't catch him lying," Illya called him out, moving her peg twelve spaces. She smiled wide as her father gave her a scowl.
The old magus sighed and shook his head lightly. "No, not exactly." He paused as his hands idly swept up the cards on the table. He looked over his shoulders as if there was someone watching him from behind. "Rin, you know of my father, correct?" She blanched. Norikata Emiya, the sealing designate who single-handedly converted an entire island into flesh-hungry ghouls.
Rin had done her own research long ago in an attempt at learning more about the Magus Killer. She hadn't found much concrete evidence, but her family name allowed access into records of some of the unimportant sealing designates. Everything beyond who Norikata Emiya was was expunged and classified, but the location of his discovery lead Rin to investigate the area and its rumours. Supposedly Alimango Island was cursed. Years back, the priest disrupted the spirits of the area and all of the inhabitants became crazed cannibals. It was why the entire area was avoided by everyone as the curse still condemns the island to this day. It didn't take a genius to guess that these cannibals were vampiric ghouls.
"He was a very wise man. Foolish, but wise," Kiritsugu shuffled the compiled deck of cards and set them down in the center of the table. "In order to conduct his experiments, the knowledge of a subject's origin was required to ensure they were compatible. I was his first test subject, an experiment to see if his design had worked." He leaned back on his legs and gently placed his hands on the table. "Following certain events, I had to leave my home without my father. Deciding to take something with me as a childish memento, I took the device on my way out and haven't looked back since." He leaned forward again, picking up the cards and dealing six to himself and his daughter.
"Do you still have the device?" Rin asked, interest piqued.
He nodded slowly. "It's been with me ever since. It's in one of the hidden pockets of my coat. Unfortunately, the old man could never perfect it. It has conditions which need to be met, two to be specific." Casually, the Magus Killer picked up his hand and looked at the cards, shuffling them around between his fingers with a squint. "The first is that both the caster and the subject must be willing to reveal themselves to the other, it has to be spoken as a verbal contract. The second is that both involved must activate their circuits so the soul and body can communicate." The man placed two face-down cards in front of him and Illya reached to place two of her own on the pile.
"Is it dangerous? Have you ever used it before?" Rin asked, leaning so far forward that she was on her knees.
"I've used it, yes. Although I can't really say if it's dangerous or not. Sealing designates aren't really concerned with safety when it comes to their experiments as you might know. The times I've used it have gone well but there's no telling if it's entirely safe." Illya continued leaning over the table to cut the deck about halfway. Kiritsugu flipped the top card of the lower portion to reveal a three of clubs. "Potential side effects or dangerous might occur with each use, or it may only affect users outside the Emiya bloodline."
"Then you can use it to see our origins. Since you're most compatible with your father, you're the least likely to experience something adverse." Rin commented, leaning back in her seat.
Kiritsugu shook his head. "I refuse. Although unlikely, it's possible for the one being examined to see the memories of the one using the device. I'd like to avoid risking something like that as much as possible." His voice was a tad colder than it had been. Before, he had just been explaining something as he played a game, but this comment was focused.
Rin pouted. "Then I guess I have no choice but to use it myself, I assume you plan on letting me use this device?"
He nodded, watching his daughter play an eight of diamonds. Without skipping a beat, he laid down a seven of clubs and moved his peg two spaces. Just as quickly, the albino played a six of spades and moved her own peg three spaces, sticking out her tongue teasingly. Rin didn't know how to play the game, but she was under the assumption Illya was winning by her actions alone. Kiritsugu hardly seemed to mind, turning his head towards the kitchen to call out. "Shirou, if you wouldn't mind could you please get my coat from my room?"
A short noise revealed his son's acknowledgement. Within a few seconds, the boy jogged from the kitchen out the dining room door. "I can't tell you what to expect, everyone experiences things differently and each viewing produces different results."
"So someone else has used this thing before?" Rin took away from his words. Kiritsugu played a five and smiled as his daughter looked at him in shock. He moved his peg four spaces and chuckled as Illya placed her head sadly on the table.
"One person, yes. It was mostly to verify what my father had seen." As Kiritsugu finished speaking, his son returned with a thick black coat in his hand. Carefully, Shirou settled it beside his father before returning to the kitchen. The older man reached into a pocket to withdraw an old, crusty looking glove. It was in all shades from light tan to black. Crafted from mismatched patches of leather poorly sewn together several times over. Holes were cut out on the pads of each finger, edges wrapped with a thinner material that was also crudely sewn onto the leather. It looked as if it was a few minutes away from crumbling into dust.
"That's the almighty device?" Rin laughed shortly, getting a sideways glance from the older man.
"If the Clock Tower knew this existed, we wouldn't be having this conversation. With how difficult it is to discover someone's origin, they'd hunt me down endlessly to try and recover this alone. I'd be a sealing designate just like my father." Kiritsugu pointed out, stretching to gently place the old glove on the table in front of Rin.
The Tohsaka magus picked it up and looked it over carefully. It seemed like any other glove she had seen in her life, although much older and in a greater state of distress.
"Can we see Daddy's origin and element?" Illya asked, raising her head finally to look up to her father. Kiritsugu had put down his cards and seemed… nervous. As if he was uncomfortable with the prospect.
"I'll have to pass. I already know my origin and element and we wouldn't want to risk hurting Tohsaka." The man looked at the young magus with a strange gaze that told her his flimsy excuse was best left untouched. It seemed everyone else in the room noticed this as well since nobody brought it up any further.
"Well, I guess I'll start with myself." Rin turned the glove over, verifying that it was for the right hand.
"Hey, Rin." Illya suddenly distracted her just as she was about to slip the glove on. "You use German for a lot of your spells, right?" Rin nodded, a lot of her spells did use German in one way or another. Whether it was broken and nonsensical was a different matter altogether. "If magecraft is in German or Latin, how come when I speak German I don't cast fireballs?"
Rin blinked slowly a few times, looking into innocent, naive crimson eyes. Kiritsugu snorted before laughing and Shirou quickly followed. Illya looked between them in confusion. "What's so funny?" she asked, pouting as she felt like the butt of a joke.
Rin didn't laugh at all, but an involuntary smile did come across her face. She held her composure pretty well until she imagined all of Germany flinging balls of fire around like a bad fantasy movie.
Once everyone had calmed down some, Rin actually answered the question. "Magecraft could be cast in any language, but that's not up to the decision of the master. I taught you that magecraft is all about visualization and actualization. What that means is, you have to visualize the spell in your mind and actualize it with your magic circuits. The words magi use vary with each person. Illya, you're a special case in that you can copy a magus' spell exactly using the same process and words. Other magi have to find their own way of speaking and casting to actualize the spell. Take Shirou for example, he needs to speak an aria before he can begin reinforcement while Kiritsugu and I can do it without speaking a word."
"Dinner's ready!" Shirou called, bringing out the first few plates of steaming food.
… … …
Thankfully, Taiga didn't show up for dinner so they didn't have to wait for her to leave to begin casting magecraft. Following some of the guidelines in her book, Rin lit magically-infused candles she had brought along for the element-deciphering portion of things. She also slipped the glove onto her right hand, careful not to bend her fingers too much in the off chance that she blew out the stitching.
"So I can make sure I got it right, I'll examine myself first," Rin explained, holding one hand, the ungloved left, to the center of her chest. The young magus closed her eyes and recited a three-count aria she had remembered from the book used to discern elements. As she finished speaking, her eyes opened and began flickering around as if she were reading pages from an invisible book. It took a few moments but eventually, she spoke with minor exertion. "My elements are…fire, earth, water, wind and ether."
The two children didn't seem phased but Kiritsugu's eyes opened rather wide. "You're an Average One, skilled in all elements of magecraft. It's a very rare trait highly sought by the Mage's Association." Kiritsugu explained the rarity to his children who quickly changed from confused to awed.
Changing hands from the left to the right, she placed her fingertips against her chest and suddenly… nothing happened. Scrunching her face in confusion, she looked to Kiritsugu for help. "I've never tried it on myself. As odd as it sounds, try speaking a verbal contract with yourself. Use your name and state your plans, then respond to it."
Rin looked down at herself, feeling silly already. "I, Rin Tohsaka, request permission to view the origin of you, Rin Tohsaka." She frowned, feeling ridiculous. Suddenly, the glove began to glow a sickly blue. Confidence returning, Rin spoke the response to herself. "I, Rin Tohsaka, permit Rin Tohsaka to view my origin." All that confidence left her body after speaking that absolute butchery of wordplay aloud.
"Now activate your magic circuits and send mana into the glove." Kiritsugu guided, watching with some interest. Doing as ordered, Rin twitched like she had just been jolted by electricity. A short stabbing pain shot into her core but that seemed to connect herself to… well, herself. Although this was deeper than the inside of her own mind for certain. Her eyes began flickering once again, sifting through information and trying to discern what she was looking for. Suddenly, her eyes locked in place.
"My origin is…" she squinted as if trying to see something blurred in the distance. Her eyes were clouded and seemed to look through the wall ahead almost as if she were trying to focus on something which wasn't really there. "Balance?" she asked herself. "An imaginary element, huh."
Giving her head a shake, she lifted the gloved hand from her chest and motioned for one of the two other children to come closer. Illya moved faster than Shirou, kneeling in front of Rin with a bright smile. The process repeated in much the same way. A simple left-hand element divination before the two spoke their verbal contract to begin the process of finding her origin. The contract was identical to the one Rin had spoken, only with the names changed where they ought to be. When they were finished constructing their contracts and activated their circuits, Rin placed her hand on the albino's chest. She winced and made a slight noise of pain but seemed to relax shortly after.
Rin took considerably longer to find whatever she was looking for. Two entire minutes passed as the Tohsaka seemed to sift through whatever it was she was being given. Throughout her time looking, the Tohsaka gave small shakes of her head and hums of frustration. At the end, she gave a short nod and a noise of triumph. She had found what she had been searching for.
"Your element is ether and your origin is 'wish'," Rin declared confidently, removing her hand to point at Shirou. Illya skittled away to her original position before looking at her hands. She seemed unsure of what to do with this information.
Shirou settled in front of Rin and shuffled nervously. This was way too personal for his liking and he couldn't stop his cheeks from turning pink. "I think I can find your element using the glove alone. When I looked within myself, it was like I was trying to find my way through a dark maze. Illya had been a cold, dense fog that seemed to go on forever. Along the way, signals and hints seemed to clue me into the elements." She paused, looking at the glove. "It would be a good test to see how much this glove can really tell about someone. We'll check with this and I'll try to guess your element before I figure it out for real with the spell, alright?"
Shirou nodded complacently, likely not understanding a single word she had just said. Just like the last two times, the contract was made without issue. With the glove glowing that strange blue shade, Rin and Shirou activated their circuits and the Tohsaka touched the glove to his chest. As soon as she did, the girl flinched greatly before recoiling her hand as if she had been bitten or struck. The force of her involuntary motion actually sent her off balance and she landed flat on her back. All eyes landed on Shirou in a mix of confusion and surprise. Rin stared at him in bewilderment as if he had just punched her in the face for no reason. She seemed scared, mortified even.
Rin slowly looked at her hand, trying to see if she was hurt in any way. With her mouth agape, she turned the appendage over three times, almost unbelieving that she hadn't been hurt. Unable to see blood, she eventually decided she was alright. "Your element and origin are the same. They're both sword."
… … …
… … …
… … ...
Rin lifted both arms in a cross above her head, gritting her teeth in preparation for the incoming blow. There was a loud boom as the shockwave from the impact blasted through the area. Her right leg wobbled but through sheer stubborn will, she forced the limb to hold firm.
Every day he seemed to be growing stronger and if he kept this up, she would be unable to block even a single one of his attacks. Over the last year, she'd actually had to focus on dodging his strikes rather than taking them head on like she was used to. Rin had made that mistake once and received a nasty bruise that spread across her entire torso.
The pressure eased off her arms and reflexively, Rin lowered and repositioned her forearms to make a wall covering her face and front. Just as expected, another powerful blow impacted her front and sent her slid back through the grass. With practiced ease, Rin spaced her legs to keep herself from falling over backwards when her heels eventually dug in to stop her abruptly. She let out a controlled, albeit shaky, breath.
Peeking from behind her arms she saw bright orange hair and burning eyes. Smoke actually wisped off the shinai in his hands. When did she start dropping off in these spars? When had Shirou gotten so ruthless?
Maybe she shouldn't have made him fight wolves when they were younger.
Gritting her teeth, Rin reached into her coat pocket to withdraw two sapphire gemstones. The jewels themselves were shaped to look like miniature blades. The angles cut into the gem dispersed the sunlight into a beautiful rainbow array.
There was no time to use the power stored in these gems in a spell, Shirou would re-engage in a moment. She would have to settle for an uncontrolled release of mana. Such a technique was powerful but undirected. Due to its unpredictability, Rin couldn't be sure whether or not the attack would kill him or just stun him.
Either way, it would give her time to prepare an actual spell, if he could even attack after that. Flinging the two miniature blades forward, Rin sent an activating burst of mana into each. Shirou had already been moving forward and her planned trajectory landed the gems right at his feet.
There was a bright flash then a colossal explosion which tore up the ground and sent chunks of dirt and grass in every direction. A piece of turf actually struck her in the face.
Shirou was getting better at projecting gems for her, his last batch hadn't been anywhere near this powerful. A couple years back she had wondered if the boy could project anything if it were technically a weapon. It took an incredible amount of money from her estate, but she managed to get a gem fashioned in the shape of a sword so Shirou could have a good base for projections. He could have altered a normal gemstone but that would both decrease its longevity in the world as well as its overall quality. The fake jewels were decent enough but they were nowhere near the level of the originals. Their capacity was decreased and the spells they released were a little more than a full letter grade worse.
The explosive release of energy boiled the very air and made a large smoky steam cloud that concealed the area around her opponent. Nothing was stirring inside, he must at least be wounded from an attack like that.
"Hmph. If you couldn't survive such an attack then you shouldn't have tried to…fight?" Rin trailed off, all coherent thought sending itself out the hypothetical window. Shirou was completely fine. Smoke and steam were rolling off his shoulders and his face had a touch of soot but he was in pristine condition otherwise.
The orange haired boy wiped his cheek before straightening and rolling one shoulder. There was a strange coat on his shoulders that was heavily burnt and gouged. Just as soon as she had seen it, the coat vanished in an array of golden sparks. He had projected Kiritsugu's coat so quickly? Rin hadn't even seen him speak his aria, he couldn't have grown that proficient with projection.
"You ruined my oven, Tohsaka." Rin winced. When Shirou used her last name like that, she knew she was in trouble. "You're supposed to put the pizza straight the rack, not the pizza and a plastic cutting board!" he shouted, snapping into a stance with his demolished shinai. While he had survived the blast, his weapon certainly hadn't. Cinders smouldered on the end that had blown off, producing swirling smoke. Carelessly, he cast the leftover hilt to the ground before repositioning his hands back in front as if he had never dropped the weapon in the first place. Before Rin's very eyes, an actual sword formed within his hands.
Not a blunt stick designed for friendly duels but an actual sharp, gleaming blade. "You don't plan on hitting me with that, do you?" Rin asked, paling two shades as she considered what might happen if he did.
Shirou nodded ominously. "You disgraced my kitchen, now you must pay."
Rin really would have paid the price too if it hadn't been for something large, fast and blue flying out of nowhere to knock the weapon out of Shirou's hands. Just as fast as it had been removed, Shirou summoned another.
But then that weapon was also blasted away. Expecting this one, Rin traced the projectile back to her saviour. Blue wires in the vague shape of a gun pointed at the deranged boy. Further, in the distance, a girl in pink sprinted towards them.
"Are you two stupid or what?" she shouted, reaching up to pluck hairs from her head. "I'm pretty sure everyone from school heard you two fighting!"
Throwing her hand forward, the two hairs she plucked turned a bright blue. They weaved through the air and wrapped around Shirou's limbs before tightening together and holding him in place.
While he struggled, Illya got closer before trying to speak. "Shirou, calm down. So what if Rin ruined your oven because she was impatient and stupid."
Rin nodded. "Yeah wh- Hey!" Realizing what had just been said, Rin stamped her foot. Just whose side was she on here?
"It doesn't mean you should kill her, doesn't that go against your stupid code or whatever?" she asked, plodding over in front of him. With a hop, she flicked his forehead and glowered up at him while he flexed and struggled against his bindings. Since the base material for Illya's magecraft was just her hair, its overall durability was actually quite low. It would have been much stronger if the medium were steel cabling. Rin had experimented with the girl and found that Engel Note could use any diameter of cable, it just required more mana and had higher upkeep.
Shirou closed his eyes and took a slow deep breath. He pulled his body in tight and the wires around him responded accordingly. As he reached the apex of his breath he flexed outward and shattered the strings binding him.
"Shirou!" Illya shouted with frustration spread across her features. "She's going to buy you a new oven!"
Shirou's entire demeanour changed like a light switch. He stood naturally, face split into a bubbling smile with his eyes closed warmly. "In that case, she can live. Knowing Rin, the oven she'll get to replace the broken one will be the best on the market." Without another word, he turned and walked towards his house.
Rin paled, absolutely speechless as she watched the boy stride off carelessly. That was all it took to calm him down? Wait a minute, she was expected to replace that old thing? With something that was the best on the market? Rin's fiery gaze landed on the back of Illya's head. Right now the albino was trying to look as small as possible.
"Where am I supposed to get the money to buy a top of the line oven?" Rin shouted hysterically. Shirou would be expecting a multi-thousand-dollar appliance now, all thanks to his sister. Her estate was drained after funding Shirou's jewel project. Since she didn't work, that low amount wasn't moving either. Rin had always wondered if Illya's red eyes were an indication of a demonic background.
Storming up, the Tohsaka grabbed the little devil around the shoulders and lifted her off the ground. "Why would you tell him that? You've only made it worse!" she shouted, shaking the albino back and forth violently.
"It was the only way to calm him down! Besides, if you get him something nice he'll like you more!" Illya tried to bargain. She didn't understand what the Tohsaka had said next, but Rin definitely shouted it loud enough to cause permanent hearing damage.
… … …
… … …
"I'm home!" Shirou shouted into the house. Kiritsugu's voice greeted him from within, likely the dining room. Taiga's voice followed, as did the background noise of the television. Shirou slipped out of his shoes and dropped his schoolbag off as well.
Like Rin, he had finished the homework for the next few weeks in advance. Unless Fuji-nee piled more on top of the already hefty pile, he wouldn't have to worry. School had never been too difficult for him, especially after having to learn such advanced concepts like magecraft so early in his life. He was doing math in his personal magecraft studies that were more complex and convoluted than anything high school could offer. Since Illya never had to study the fundamentals of magecraft, she hadn't learned anything that technical. Kiritsugu had homeschooled her when she was younger but even the old man's education could only go so far.
She was still a bright girl so it didn't take her too long to understand the material. Illya's only fault was in her incredible laziness. She frequently put off doing homework then scrambled to complete it the day before it was due, asking Shirou and Rin for help or to copy their answers. The latter never usually worked considering she was ahead of them in the next year.
Thinking about school, he remembered the book Rin had given him a year ago. He actually forgot to read it with everything going on. In their first year of high school, the two magi had a competition with a friendly wager. Whoever finished the year with higher marks could choose to have something given to them by the loser.
While they were setting up the bet, Rin had stood uncomfortably close to him, staring up with stars in her eyes the entire time. Shirou had no idea what her plan was, but he decided to go along with it if it would make her happy.
At the end of their first year, Rin passed with perfect grades, a solid one-hundred percent across the board. She had shoved the paper in his face while looking so pleased with herself.
Shirou almost regretted showing her his own report card. Like her, he had perfect scores across the board, only one subject differed. The one hundred and one percent in English meant he had beaten her by one entire percent. Since they were in separate class groups, they had different teachers for different courses. Shirou had Fuji-nee for English and she had given him a bonus mark for an especially well-written paper.
Rin had deflated like a balloon. It was like a year-long plan had been destroyed in front of her very eyes. Well, it had. She wouldn't be able to get whatever she had wanted from him, so Shirou could see why she would be upset.
Shirou had never really wanted anything from Rin so in the end, he decided on taking a book he frequently borrowed from her on projection magic. After handing her loss over, they made a similar bet for the current year. Shirou had the feeling Rin was already winning. If he were honest, he was scared of what she was going to ask for.
Thinking about their wager brought a little smile to his face until he remembered the current state of affairs. She had ruined his oven because she couldn't wait for him to get home from his part-time job. Not only had she invaded his kitchen, but she had also ruined one of the most important appliances in one move. He had really wanted to hurt her when he found out.
Illya's words suddenly hit him like a brick. "...doesn't that go against your stupid code or whatever?"
A frown spread across his face. He didn't know of any code he abided by. He just did what he felt was right. If he felt that punishing Tohsaka was right or if he felt that throwing himself in harm's way for one reason or another was the right decision, he would do it. Kiritsugu's training would cross his mind as he did, but that wouldn't be enough to stop him. The old man had taught him that sacrifices were sometimes required to get the best outcome but Shirou secretly refused to believe it. There was always a way to save someone. Failure only meant that he hadn't tried hard enough.
Avalon suddenly brightened within his mind as if it were responding to his thoughts. Sometimes Shirou wondered if the scabbard was actually alive. Whenever he thought of heroes, regret or failure, it seemed to trigger something that made the relic respond.
Shirou slid the door to the dining room open, being greeted by the sight of Kiritsugu trying to watch TV while Fuji-nee watched over his shoulder. He didn't have a measuring tape on hand but there was likely only two inches separating the two.
Raising his eyebrows, the boy looked between the two. "You're here early, Fuji-nee." He was actually about to ask how she had gotten there so quickly but he remembered his little battle with Rin. Those ten extra minutes would have been enough for his teacher to speed home.
"Kiritsugu asked me to come by," she mumbled autonomously, eyes flickering between the man himself and the show playing on TV.
To say it was uncomfortable when Fuji-nee got like this was an understatement. During New Years last year, she had consumed an extraordinary amount of alcohol and tried to kiss the old man at the end of the countdown. She hadn't remembered doing it, but everyone else certainly had.
Shirou wanted to say something to her about the situation but why should he try to control the wishes of others? "What's the occasion?" he decided on asking instead. Shirou settled into his familiar position at the front right side of the table. Kiritsugu and Shirou had both govern up their positions at the head of the table to Illya, who switched around between either side.
Kiritsugu turned from the TV then. "I thought it would be nice to have everyone over again. I've invited the Rin, her mother, Sakura and that new friend of yours, Shinji."
Shirou blank-faced the old man. Why would he invite Shinji? Shirou had been friends with the boy for a good year but even as a friend Shirou could see that the Matou didn't play well with others. "You just wanted to have another big meal."
He laughed suddenly. "Guess I'm easy to read. I've taken the liberty to gather what you'll need." He motioned with his head towards the kitchen.
Something clicked in Shirou's mind. "But Rin ruined the oven on Monday, I won't be able to cook anyth-"
Kiritsugu raised one hand and his son fell silent. "Arrangements have already been made. I've contacted a store in the Shinto area and ordered what they claim to be the best oven money can buy."
Shirou had often wondered where all the money Kiritsugu had come from. But with his history, did he really want to? A month back the old man had brought him to a hidden armoury. A secret place underneath a seemingly normal house in the Shinto area. Weaponry Shirou had never even knew existed lined the walls. Rather than notice all that wasthere, he had noticed two things that weren't. Two spots in the wall were empty and several cases labelled as high explosives were in a similar state. Shirou had traced a handful of the weapons. With all the components that made up firearms, it was rather taxing. Some of the weapons were conceptual weapons. As in, weapons specially imbued with magic so that they could actualize a concept. An example was a crossbow which fired arrows that could destroy weaker magic.
Even with all the information learned from his father's journal, Shirou had no idea what sort of tactics the old man used against other magi. Kiritsugu was inept in magecraft beyond runes but he had easily taken out the majority of competitors in the War. He must have had some tricks up his sleeve.
The father and son exchanged glances. The older of the two offered a wink. There was something else of importance taking place today. Unfortunately, the boy had no idea what it might be. "Then i suppose I'll get cooking in a little bit," Shirou decided, rising off his knees. "I'm going to get washed up and change out of my uniform."
"Hey, Shirou!" Taiga called as he turned to leave. When Shirou faced the older woman, she smiled. "How is Neko holding up?" Neko, also known as Otoko Hotaruzuka, was a high school friend of Taiga's. The two had been inseparable before, during and after graduating. After school, Taiga had moved on in search of a teaching career while Neko had decided to take over the bar her father had started just south of Shirou's house. The Copenhagen wasn't a very popular place but it had its regular customers. Shirou had started working a part-time job there halfway through last year after Taiga recommended it. Kiritsugu had pointed out that they didn't need the money, but Shirou had made a rebuttal. The job would give him a schedule to follow which meant additional discipline and structure. Kiritsugu hadn't argued much after that, deciding his son knew what he was getting into.
"Neko is doing well, she told me to tell you to stop by for a visit once in a while." Shirou nodded, scratching the back of his neck. Neko had told him to do that four days ago - he had just forgotten about it until Taiga reminded him.
"That's good, did Illya stay for running club today?" Slowly, Taiga placed both her hands on the table and looked up at the orange-haired boy with a warm smile.
Shirou shook his head. "No, she had made plans to go to Rin's house so she couldn't stay after school. If Rin's been invited for dinner I expect they'll show up around dark.
… … …
"Let's get down to business," Illya began, slamming her hands down on the Rin's bed to make a loud whump. "You and I both know Shirou." She pointed at Rin who held a look of determination. "We both know that he's about as quick as road tar in the middle of winter when it comes to anything about girls."
The Tohsaka nodded strongly, determination turning into an expression of aggravation. "He's absolutely clueless, a big stupid idiot."
"Mh-hm. You'd think with how sharp he is in school that he'd pick up a few signals from you." Illya nodded wisely, standing on the bed and placing one hand under her chin as if this was a topic of grave importance. "We need to figure out something that will get his attention and let him know you're serious."
Illya was trying very hard to keep herself from smiling. If her plan worked, tonight would be entertaining. Kiritsugu had been preparing this dinner two weeks ago and Illya had leapt at the opportunity as soon as she got word. Daddy was going to gather all Shirou's friends so he could make another fabulous meal. The first week, Illya had visited Sakura's house and told her almost the exact same thing she was telling Rin. With some less-than-subtle hinting, Illya suggested a makeover and entire personality shift. She had spent the entire evening trying to get Sakura to be more forward and direct and it had worked, albeit only slightly. The girl was very persistent on staying locked inside her shell.
Rin would be much easier to manipulate. She trusted Illya and was more suggestable. Due to their time training together, Illya had gotten close to Rin like a sister. They both enjoyed learning new magecraft and they both liked training alongside Shirou. Over time, Illya had watched Sakura and Rin, carefully concocting a plan that was years in the making. Rin and Sakura seemed to be willing to put aside their inhibitions when it came to Shirou. The two were chasing Shirou like dogs and cars. Illya had tested the two and determined that they were entirely willing to forgo decency if that was what it came down to. Illya gossiped with them individually and found the two were trying and failing to hide the fact they were head over heels.
Tonight her master plan would come together and Shirou would be put in his most embarrassing situation yet. She wouldn't be surprised if the girls tried to kill each other after discovering they were both looking for the same thing. Sakura could see Rin's attraction, but Rin was blind to Sakura just like Shirou himself.
"What if I just tell him in private?" Rin asked with a shrug. It was the most sensible option of course, but Illya wasn't looking for sensible. She was trying to make Rin do something outrageous, something funny.
Illya shook her head hysterically. Alabaster hair flung wildly in every direction, inadvertently hitting the other girl in the face. "No, no, no that won't work at all. Shirou is so thick he'd probably still be unclear."
Rin hummed, taking a downcast expression. "You're right, he's pretty slow. This all happened because he ruined my plans last year."
Illya shook her head again. "That wouldn't have worked either. If you had won and asked him for a kiss like you planned, he wouldn't have understood why. He would have thought you were crazy." Illya suddenly stood and moved off Rin's bed. She stepped over towards the wardrobe and threw open the doors casually to look within.
"You think?" Rin seemed unsure, this was perfect for Illya's plans.
"Absolutely. I think what you're going to need is a makeover. Shirou's only ever seen you with twintails, what if you just let your hair down naturally? I don't think I've ever seen you let it loose and neither has he." Illya pulled out pieces of clothing, looking them over before deciding whether they were good or not.
"What's wrong with my hair?" Rin asked, her defensive nature peeking through. One hand reached up to grab a fabric hair tie, feeling it out with her delicate fingers.
Illya snorted, keeping her back to the younger magus. "Well, you're not a little girl anymore. It's cute and easy, but sometimes changing things up is for the best." Illya had made a pile of clothes she liked and clothes that weren't going to cut it. Rin began to speak a syllable but Illya quickly interjected. "Have you forgotten the entire point is to surprise Shirou and make him fawn over you from the first glance?"
The reminder seemed to placate her for now. Illya stopped and blinked several times upon encountering a risque two-piece red bikini. "Do you own anything that isn't red? At least you're prepared for when you ask Shirou to go to the beach," Illya mumbled, tossing the article to the discard pile. There were only two more pieces left to go through.
"I like red," Rin stated with a hushed, embarrassed tone. "I don't judge you on all your pink outfits!" the magus suddenly snapped back. Illya took a second to look down at herself. From her wrists to her hips she was clad in a soft velour blouse. Flowing from the hips was a modest white skirt that went below the knees. To tie the outfit together she wore pink flats with cute white bows.
Whipping around with the ferocity of a wild animal, Illya pointed accusingly towards the younger magus. "There's nothing wrong with pink! I'll have you know Shirou likes the colour pink," the homunculus stated defiantly. The diminutive girl stood as tall as she could, lifting her chin and crossing her arms to achieve a pompous stance. "I've gotten several compliments about my choice in wardrobe. I haven't heard Shirou or any of the boys from your class call you cute before."
Rin's face changed to take on the appearance of a ripe tomato. "I-I don't want him to a-anyway," she stammered out, looking to the side to try concealing her face.
"Liar, liar, you're blushing just from thinking about it!" Illya giggled. She deepened her voice and tried to imitate her brother. "Oh Rin, I can't believe how beautiful you look tonight, you're the cutest girl I've ever seen!"
The younger magus tried to curl up into herself, hands clenching at her lap uncomfortably. The entire sight served only to make Illya laugh harder. "If you tell anyone I'll kill you," Rin managed to get out, obviously trying to make her mind leave her body.
"Even if you could, which you can't, I wouldn't tell anyone anyway." Illya's laughter settled down and she returned to sorting clothes. Now she was going through the pile of possible outfits a second time to weed out some of the lesser options.