Shirō was deep in the middle of a well-earned, blissful slumber, the kind that only came after days of nonstop stress, blood loss, and existential crises. For once, her body wasn't screaming in pain, and the warmth of the futon made her feel like she could sleep forever.
Which was exactly why the universe decided to ruin it.
A sharp impact slammed against her stomach, knocking the air out of her lungs and jolting her awake in the most disgraceful, undignified manner possible. She gasped, flailed, and promptly rolled off the futon, hitting the wooden floor with a loud thud.
Her first thought? Illya. That little menace.
Except it wasn't.
As her blurry vision adjusted, she found herself staring up at the all-too-familiar sight of a smug, red-clad bastard standing over her with his arms crossed.
"Archer?!" she wheezed, clutching her stomach.
He barely blinked. "You're awake."
"No shit I'm awake! What the hell was that for?!" Shirō pushed herself up, glaring daggers at him.
Archer shrugged like he hadn't just committed an act of violence against a sleeping person. "Important stuff."
"Important stuff? You couldn't have just—oh, I don't know—woken me up like a normal person?!"
"Nope," Archer said, completely unapologetic. "Besides, neither of us is normal."
Shirō groaned, rubbing her face. Why did I have to share a house with this guy?
"Fine," she grumbled. "What's the 'important stuff'?"
Archer finally showed a hint of actual seriousness. "Illya appeared."
That got Shirō's full attention.
"She's waiting for you at Ryūdō Temple."
Silence.
Then—
"Crap."
Again? Was this her life now? Almost dying, waking up, and immediately having to deal with Illya trying to murder her?
"And Rin is stalling her," Archer added, as if this situation wasn't already bad enough.
Shirō's head snapped up. "Tohsaka is doing what?!"
"Stalling," Archer repeated dryly. "Which means she's probably running out of time. So unless you want her to die, we should get moving."
Shirō was already scrambling to her feet. "Damn it—why didn't you start with that?!"
Without another word, Archer dematerialized, leaving Shirō to rush toward the door, half-dressed, hair a mess, and stomach still sore from the wake-up call from hell.
She barely had time to grab Excalibur before bolting out the door.
[—(/-\)—]
Rin gritted her teeth as she barely dodged another hail of crystalline shards, each one slicing through the air with lethal precision.
Illya was playing with her.
The girl stood in the center of the temple courtyard, her expression one of pure amusement as she flicked her wrist, sending another wave of icy projectiles toward Rin like it was nothing more than a game.
"Come on, Tohsaka," Illya giggled, eyes gleaming with excitement. "You're supposed to be the heir of the prestigious Tohsaka family, right? Why don't you show me what you can do?"
Rin clicked her tongue. Damn brat. She was throwing everything she had, but Illya's magic was on an entirely different level. The sheer volume of mana she was throwing around was absurd—far beyond what a human magus should be capable of.
Rin barely had time to set up another defensive spell before a massive block of ice exploded in front of her, sending shards flying. She shielded herself just in time, but the sheer force of the attack sent her stumbling back.
Illya pouted, putting a finger to her lips in mock concern. "Oh dear, is that all? I was hoping for a little more of a challenge."
"Shut up," Rin growled, wiping a thin line of blood from her cheek. Damn it. Where the hell is Shirō?
Illya giggled again, raising her hand. Magic pulsed around her, gathering into a glowing, swirling mass of energy. She's not even using a formal chant. She's just brute-forcing it.
Rin cursed under her breath. If I don't do something soon, I'm dead.