40 rows Shrines are environmental objects found throughout the journey within the labyrinth beneath. Metacritic Game Reviews, Tainted Fate for PC, Play as a demon unwillingly summoned from the depths of hell into our world. Use your demonic abilities to.
A/N: New chapter! Many thanks to my beta, Hymn of Ragnarock, without whom this story would be a good deal less legible.
His boots clicked of the stone floor loudly as Kotomine Kirei descended into the dimly lit depths of the crypt. Originally belonging to a western line that had long since left the lands of Fuyuki, the burial ground had been repurposed to suit his needs.
The air shivered as he went lower, an almost palpable sense of pain and suffering growing stronger and stronger. He ignored it. No. Perhaps it was more correct to say that he reveled in it.
Eventually, he reached the central chamber. Originally housing the bodies of the previous owners of the stone crypt, it now held new, more useful occupants. They were laid in a semi-circle around the room, their bodies decayed beyond all recognition. Wet flesh, rotten and excreting a viscous slime heaved ever so slightly, almost invisibly, in the pale blue light that filled the room. It was a sign of life in a body that should not be alive.
The survivors of the fire of Fuyuki. Orphans who had had no home. No family. No purpose. Of course, he had given them all of those. Such was his duty as a man of the cloth.
He moved among the children, a quick glance ensuring that each of them still lived. Well, not lived per say, he thought, amused at the slip. Existed would be a more correct term.
All of them remained functional however, which was a relief. With the Grail War upon them, a continual source of prana for Gilgamesh was essential. While the Heroic Spirit had regained much of his power over the last ten years, he would likely use a great deal of it in the coming days.
One of the children twitched, an eye moving slightly to look at him, nerves that should have died a long time ago apparently still functioning against all odds. He gave it a curious look. The orb was milky white, all traces of iris and pupil gone, along with any emotion. There was nothing in that stare. Not rage, nor hate, nor even pain. It was entirely empty and thus entirely uninteresting.
'Really,' He murmured to himself in dissatisfaction. 'Can you not be more like your brother?'
It was due to Shirou that he had been forced to store the children in this crypt, as opposed to the catacombs beneath the church. While it was inconvenient, he didn't want his adoptive son to know of his 'siblings' existence.
Not yet, anyway.
He turned and left the hell that he had created behind him. Business called.
Shirou stumbled into the living room of the church and slumped onto the couch heavily. Exhaustion had taken it's toll, sapping his body of any real strength. His magic circuits were virtually empty and his body still ached whenever he moved, pain lancing through his nerves.
Gilgamesh had turned as he entered, raising an eyebrow at his dishevelled appearance. His brother seemed to have returned to Final Fantasy shortly after he'd left, judging by the fact that Cloud had found his way back to the party.
'What happened to you?' Gilgamesh asked. Shirou almost laughed at that. What hadn't happened to him? He'd fought his first battle in the Grail War, temporarily gained a new accessory in the form of a sword in his chest, and he'd met a girl who, while charming, was vaguely sociopathic. Overall, he couldn't help but think he'd had better days.
'Long night.' He responded flatly, unwilling to give a full rundown of the events of the night. He knew that he really should get to sleep but the idea of dragging himself to his bedroom was unpleasant to contemplate. In fact, he wasn't entirely sure he could pull himself up from the couch.
The Servant considered him with narrowed eyes for a moment, then shrugged, attention returning to the TV.
For a few minutes, the only sounds in the room were those produced by the game. Shirou was content to do nothing more than recline on the sofa. Assassin had reverted to spiritual form to lessen her drain on his prana, but stood nearby, ever watchful. Her remaining wounds had healed over the course of the walk back, but she'd used up a not-inconsiderable amount of prana herself manifesting that boundary field. Prana that, for the most part, he'd be supplying.
His thoughts drifted through the last few hours. While there were a great many mysteries to mull over, one stood out above all the others in the way his mind kept coming back to it: Ilya's words.
She'd said the Holy Grail wasn't what he thought it was, and that his father was aware of that. More than that though, she's said that it was because the Grail wasn't what it was supposed to be that Emiya Kiritsugu had destroyed it, levelling Fuyuki in the process. If she wasn't lying, which was a possibility, then his own father had been withholding some rather important facts from him.
'Aniki,' He started, after a moment's further thought. At the very least, asking Kotomine Kirei about it wouldn't cause any harm. 'Where's my father?'
Gilgamesh shrugged, not turning away from the screen. 'Out. Somewhere. Is it important?' The Servant shook his head. 'Actually, don't tell me. I don't care.'
Shirou frowned. He'd been hoping that his father would have returned by now. Despite his exhaustion, the questions burning in his mind were making it hard to even think of getting any rest. A notion occurred to him at that. Wouldn't asking Gilgamesh be nearly as good? After all, it had been the Grail that had granted the Heroic Spirit a true physical body. His brother was quite possibly the only person in the world who'd come into actual contact with the great device.
'Aniki,' He said again, leaning forward from the sofa. His muscles complained at the movement but he ignored the jolts of pain. 'What is the Grail?'
Gilgamesh paused at that. Quite literally, considering that he actually paused the game. 'Didn't Kotomine tell you this a half-dozen times? You've pestered me over it often enough as well.'
'Well, yes.' Shirou admitted, unsure of what to say next. Saying that he'd was doubting his father over the word of someone who was essentially a complete stranger was a little… weird. Eventually, he continued. 'It's just that a Master I met tonight seemed to think that there was something more to it.'
'So you did get into a fight then?' Gilgamesh asked, turning round. 'I thought as much.'
Shirou shook his head. 'It was a different Master that I fought. We were interrupted by a second, a girl called Ilya.'
'Is that so?' Gilgamesh asked, sounding amused. 'And then she decided to sit down and have a chat?'
'Something like that.' Shirou replied with a shrug. 'She told me that the Holy Grail isn't what I think it is, and that I should ask my father about it.'
For a moment, the Heroic Spirit was silent. Then he spoke up. 'I'll tell you this, pointless as it is; The Holy Grail does exactly what it's said to do. It grants a wish, no matter how absurd or impossible. I don't know what this 'Ilya' was planning to do by telling you this, but there's no point thinking about it.'
Shirou hesitated. His brother was hiding something. It was painfully obvious. He wasn't directly lying, but information was definitely being omitted. That was worrying on several levels. If there was something that Gilgamesh wasn't telling him, then that all but confirmed that Ilya had been telling the truth about his father concealing information from him. And information about the Holy Grail at that. Given that he was currently engaged in a War for that very artifact, he couldn't help but be intensely curious as to what kind of knowledge merited this degree of secrecy.
Gilgamesh turned back to the TV screen, signaling that the conversation was over. Shirou watched his back for a few seconds, the temptation to confront him clashing with both sheer exhaustion and the fact that it would be ultimately pointless. If the Heroic Spirit didn't want to tell him something, then there wasn't a force on earth that would make him. Not even gratuitous numbers of spoilers.
He sighed, pulling himself from the sofa. Frankly, he was too tired to deal with any of this. Tomorrow, once his father got back from whatever business was keeping him, they'd talk. He moved towards the door, his steps a tad unsteady, when Gilgamesh called out.
'Brat.' Shirou swivelled round and the Servant continued. 'Out of interest, what Servants did the Master's you meet have?'
'The first, Bazett, had Lancer. Ilya has Saber.' Shirou replied. The golden king went still at that, a strange expression crossing his face.
'Really now?' Gilgamesh murmured quietly. Shirou frowned. Gilgamesh's reaction was odd by any standard, but it was especially strange for his bombastic brother. He waited for a moment longer, but the Heroic Spirit said nothing more, apparently deep in thought. Yet another strange event to take into account.
He turned to leave once more, and from behind him came the vaguely mournful sound of the Final Fantasy Seven world theme. He snorted in amusement. It appeared that not even whatever had put that strange expression on his brother's face could distract him from his gaming time for long. Then again very little could.
Making his way along the corridor, he opened the door to his room and stumbled in. The sight of his bed, so warm and comfortable, drained every ounce of his remaining energy and he fell heavily onto it. Lying there, face pressed into it's downy softness, he groaned as the tension left his body. This might be bad, he thought tiredly. I don't think I can move.
'Shirou.' He turned his head with great effort, the side of his face still pressed heavily against the covers. Assassin had taken physical form again, and stood there, watching him. She had slipped back into his T-shirt, a few sizes too big for her. He really had to see about getting her something else to wear.
'Yes, Assassin?' He asked blearily, his exhaustion seeping into his voice.
'…Could you… move over a little?'
It took a few seconds for what she'd said to sink in. 'Oh.' He hesitated. 'You're not going to be in your spiritual form then?'
'I could do so, if you'd prefer.' She replied. While she seemed as stoic as ever, he couldn't help but feel that she seemed slightly hurt. He shook his head.
'No, it's fine. Just give me a second.' He still wasn't entirely comfortable with the idea of an invisible spectral entity watching over him while he slept anyway. Putting up with a little additional drain wouldn't be too bad, not if he didn't have to deal with his Origin poking his subconscious over the presence of a non-corporeal being. Focusing, he summoned the little remaining energy in his body and pulled himself up slowly. He moved off the bed, footsteps heavy as they hit the ground. Reaching the cupboard, he pulled out the futon he'd put away that very morning. Something he was regretting now, given that he'd have to set it up again.
'Shirou.' Assassin said, voice quiet. 'What are you doing?'
'I'm just setting up the futon.' He said, waving the blanket at her.
'…Why?'
He sighed. 'Because I need somewhere to sleep.'
'…Why not here?'
He turned. Assassin had crawled into the bed and pulled the covers up to her face. Her eyes peered over the cover at him, and she patted the spot next to her with a slim hand. Oh, now that's just not fair. He thought, willpower crumbling. How am I supposed to say no to that?
The idea of sleeping in a bed was tempting enough anyway. He'd never quite gotten used to sleeping on a futon, probably because he'd never had much need to sleep in one. And it wasn't as if they were going to do anything either…
A memory rose through his mind at that, one of Assassin giving him a brilliant smile, her entire face lit up by a simple upturning of the lips. He fought down a wave of embarrassment.
'You don't want to?' She asked, pale blue eyes fixed on him. He folded. That firm, yet ever so slightly plaintive gaze broke what little remained of his will and resistance instantly.
'Why not?' He replied, slipping into the empty space. The bed hadn't really been intended for two people, but it was still large enough for both of them to be relatively comfortable. He was relieved to see that Assassin seemed to have some notion of personal space, and had moved to the opposite end. Exhausted to the point of near death or not, getting to sleep with her all but attached to him would have been nigh impossible.
Assassin lay there, waiting patiently for her Master's breath to take on the slow, even tones of sleep. She was happy, almost excessively so. It was an odd feeling and one that she'd rarely had before. And the cause of it was no more than a foot away.
He'd said that he wouldn't abandon her. A smile stamped itself on her face at the memory and she blushed lightly. When he said it, she found that she honestly believed it.
Still, there were still some concerns that had to be dealt with. Shirou had almost died today, both at the hands of the enemy Master and those of Lancer. She gave a low snarl at the thought. She'd kill that bitch with her own hands. No-one hurt her Master like that. No-one. Maria wouldn't even give her the chance to scream before it reduced her to bloody chunks. The fact that it would take Lancer out of the War was just a bonus. She hadn't forgotten that blow he'd dealt to Shirou. The damage it had dealt to his ribs had been heavy, no matter how he'd tried to hide it. Perhaps she should kill his Master in front of him? Judging by the way he'd tried to save her, he seemed to care for her.
And then there was Ilya and Saber. While she didn't have any particular grudge against them, the fact remained that they were enemies in the War. While Saber might be a near invincible foe, the pale haired Master most certainly wasn't. Still, Shirou's idea of leaving them be for now was a good one. As long as they didn't kill Bazett before she did.
Or Rin.
Her face darkened at the thought of the girl. Before they'd fought Bazett and Lancer, she'd been considering killing the other magus tonight. That wasn't an option anymore . Shirou was too vulnerable to be left alone right now, what with his wounds and effectively empty prana reserves. They'd need to be defensive until they were back at full strength. Regretful, but there were good points to it too. For one thing, it meant she could simply relax for the night.
Shirou seem to have finally fallen into a deep sleep, so she twisted round, wrapping her arms around him. He stirred for a second but didn't wake. She moved in towards him until her face was barely a few centimetres from his.
Yes, leaving Rin be for now certainly had its advantages.
The heavy footsteps of the priest alerted Gilgamesh to his presence long before he saw him. He gave a sneer at the sound. It was nothing more than an affectation. Kotomine Kirei was capable of moving like a damn cat when he wanted to. He just liked the gravity the heavy footfalls added to his presence.
'Has Shirou returned?' The priest asked as he opened the door.
'He's sleeping, along with the rat.' Gilgamesh replied, pausing the game once more. As much as it irked to be forced to leave the world of Final Fantasy 7 behind once again, there was some business that needed to be discussed. 'He was involved in a fight as well. Some woman. Bezet or some such foolishness.'
Kotomine smirked. 'Bazett. It appears that she couldn't turn down the chance to save her idol after all. How very predictable.'
'She gave the brat quite a beating too.' Gilgamesh continued. 'He was trying to hide it, but it looks like he's nursing a few broken ribs at the least.'
'If that's all he received from a confrontation with Bazett, then he's rather lucky.' Kotomine said, his smirk growing ever wider. 'While her naiveté is a thing of wonder, her skills are quite formidable.'
'Hmph.' Gilgamesh snorted. 'Formidable or not, the brat has spent the last decade in the presence of the King. Some woman from your Association is nothing more than a pest.'
'Oh?' Kotomine responded, an eyebrow raising. 'Is that some brotherly pride leaking through, Gilgamesh?'
'Hardly.' Gilgamesh replied sharply. 'I'd merely be disappointed if he died fighting against a mere commoner.'
Kotomine's smirk now all but covered his face. 'Of course.'
Gilgamesh gave him a glare, but Kotomine remained as unaffected as ever. The man's utter lack of fear or concern was simultaneously admirable and annoying. If he hadn't been willing to put up with Kotomine's more aggravating traits though, he would have killed the man long ago.
And the priest wasn't completely incorrect in this case. While he didn't have anything as soft or weak as concern for Shirou's wellbeing, he had to admit he'd grown used to seeing the brat around. More than that, he'd had a hand in the development of Shirou's magecraft himself. If the brat was slain by some mongrel, it would reflect badly on the name of the King of Heroes, something that would not be allowed.
'More importantly, it appears that some fool who can't keep their mouth shut has been telling him things he shouldn't know. The Einzbern girl.' He said, irritation staining his voice. 'He was asking me about the Grail. He seems to believe that there is something more to it than what he has been led to believe.'
Kotomine's eyes narrowed slightly at that. 'So he has met with the scion of the Einzbern. That was fast.' He paused, considering. 'I am surprised that she felt the need to so much as hint at the Grail's true nature.'
'And they've summoned Saber.' Gilgamesh continued, his voice growing excited. In truth, his meeting with the King of Knights had been one of the greatest reasons for his ten year wait. And given the fact that this was the Einzbern family, there was only one 'Saber' they were likely to summon. He gave a vicious grin at the memory of that silver knight, so very pure and idealistic. 'It appears that they know only one trick.'
'But that it convenient for you, is it not?' Kotomine inquired. 'Had they called another, you would likely have never seen her again.'
'True enough.' Gilgamesh grudgingly admitted. 'Even the most uninspired and stubborn can serve a purpose occasionally.'
'Do you intend to announce your presence to her now?'
Gilgamesh considered the question. Tempting as it was, it would serve little purpose. Until the Holy Grail was nearly ready and she could be given a physical body, the only thing revealing himself to Saber would do was aggravate her. Not that seeing her face scrunched up in anger wasn't amusing, but the action as a whole was horribly inefficient.
'No, not yet.' He replied. 'I'll leave her to do as she wishes for a while longer. I've endured ten years. Another week is nothing.'
If Kotomine had any opinion on his decision, it didn't show on his face. The priest merely nodded. 'Very well. I myself will be leaving for a few days. It would be best if Shirou and I did not meet for a time.'
'Oh?' Gilgamesh sneered slightly. 'Determined to avoid your talk with the brat?'
'Were Shirou to ask me, I would answer. Thus, it would be best if he never had the chance to ask. ' Kotomine responded, moving towards the door. 'But if he knew that the Grail was tainted, then there is no telling what actions he might take. At the very least, he would inform Rin, and I know very well what her reaction would be.'
Gilgamesh snorted at that. The idea that the actions of a single, lowborn woman, and one barely out of childhood at that, could prove of any consequence was ludicrous. The no doubt more pressing concern for the priest was that Shirou might simply refuse to wish upon the Grail upon discovering the truth. The brat was inquisitiveness incarnate, but no fool. He would understand the implications of wishing upon a curse so very great and the destruction it would cause.
'Do as you want.' He said, just as the priest moved to leave the door he'd so recently entered. 'My only concern right now is Saber.'
Kotomine said nothing in response and left the room silently, footsteps silent compared to the heavy tread he'd entered with. Gilgamesh snorted once again and turned back to his long neglected game.
It seemed he had a week or so to finish Final Fantasy 7. A trivial task for the King.
Lancer gave a dissatisfied click of the tongue as he examined the bed one more time. He'd carved runes of healing and purification into the wood of the bed and while they were certainly having an effect, it wasn't quick enough for his liking. Bazett was still sweating frantically, tossing and turning in her fever-sleep. Her hands gripped at her wounds, and if he hadn't bandaged them tightly, she'd probably have torn them open again.
He was also annoyed at himself. His Master's condition was at least partially his fault. If he'd used Gae Bolg near the beginning at the fight, it would have ended then and there. He could have returned, helped Bazett finish off the kid and then gone and had a drink. But he'd let overconfidence, the assumption that he could easily best the Servant Assassin, lead him into a bad situation.
And that was the most aggravating part. He couldn't remember how Assassin had matched him. Whenever he tried, his mind simply refused to focus on the matter and his thoughts slipped away form his grasp. He couldn't even remember what she bloody looked like. Had he been affected by a magecraft without noticing? Or did Assassin possess a Noble Phantasm capable of manipulating memories? He shook his head in frustration. Thinking about it was pointless.
In the end he'd been forced into a situation where the best possible result was death for all involved. Using his lance might have killed the Master instantly, but Assassin would likely have taken the chance to slay either himself or Bazett. And if either of them died, the other was as good as dead too. Hell, even the increased prana drain Bazett would suffer from him using Gae Bolg's true power might have been enough to finish her off in her weakened state.
In the end, only luck had saved him. That other Servant's attack had proven to be a more than suitable distraction to escape.
No, he decided. If they met again, he had no intentions of underestimating the two. Decision made, he sat cross-legged on the ground and took up a silent vigil. Once Bazett woke up (And she would. He'd make sure of that), they had plans to make.
A rematch being fairly high on the list.
Shirou blinked as he awoke, the light of day piercing his eyes almost painfully. To both his relief and disappointment, there'd been no further dreams last night. While he would have loved another clue to Assassin's identity, an uninterrupted sleep had its own charms… His thoughts back-pedalled. Wait a second, daylight?
Sure enough, a bright stream of light was breaking through a gap in the curtains, telling him that it far past the normal time that he got up at. He groaned. At this point, it wasn't a question of whether he'd be late to school or not but whether there was any point going. He gave a sigh and moved to sit up, only to find a weight holding him down.
The memories of last night came rushing back. He sighed again.
Taking a deep breath, he pulled the covers back. As expected, Assassin's arm was placed firmly atop his torso, her face a few centimetres from his shoulder. She appeared to still be sleeping, her face quiet and composed. Then again, she was very nearly always quiet and composed, so that didn't mean much.
Almost as if she sensed his awakening, her eyes opened, those crystalline blue eyes peering upwards into his. His heart sped up a little at her straightforward gaze.
'Morning.' He said, forcing his voice to be calm. While it was still a little shocking to have a semi-clothed girl sleeping right next to him, he didn't feel nearly as surprised as he had last time. Probably because it wasn't completely out of the blue this time. But hey, an improvement was still an improvement, right?
'Good morning.' Assassin replied, nodding slightly. 'Do you feel better?'
Shirou stopped, annoyed at himself. He'd been put so off balance from waking up late and finding Assassin once again attached to him that he'd forgotten to check on his own condition. He focused. His prana reserves were still low, but he could probably manage to put his ribs back together and have a little left over. Something that was definitely necessary, as while Assassin's arm had very carefully avoided touching his broken bones, they still ached.
'A little. I'll patch myself up in a second.' He responded, pulling himself up. To his relief, Assassin released him with no complaints.
A few minutes later, his ribs blessedly back in their proper place, he leisurely made his way through to the kitchen. At this point, there was no real purpose in going to school. By the time he got there the day would be more than halfway gone. More than that though, he had a few things he wanted to investigate now that his head was less dazed with exhaustion and it would be a little difficult to do so at school.
He poured some milk into a bowl of cereal, then took a bite, chewing thoughtfully. At the forefont of this thoughts were three issues. First, the fact that his father and Gilgamesh was hiding information on the Grail from him. It was quite possible that they had good reasons for doing it, but he still wanted to know. On this matter, they didn't have a right to hide things from him.
Secondly, there was the fact that he'd healed from more than a foot of steel embedding itself into his chest. While it hadn't struck his heart, or any instantly fatal areas, it had still been a mortal blow, one that he wasn't sure he could have healed before it killed him, even if he hadn't blacked out. And yet here he was, a little battered but mostly intact. That meant that either someone had saved him, or there was something he wasn't aware of affecting his body. And it was unlikely that anyone could have healed him to that extent without Bazett noticing, given that he'd been only a few feet from her.
The third issue was actually something that he should have known from some time ago. In fact, it had only sprung to mind last night, during supper with Ilya.
He glanced up at the Servant opposite him. She'd made her own bowl of cereal and was munching away with every sign of contentment. Ah. Except it was her second bowl. He stared. How had she even done that? He'd started eating first and he was barely halfway through his!
He shook his head, dismissing the thought. There was a more important matter than his Servant's eating habits, potentially financially ruinous as they were. It was a fairly simple, yet staggeringly important question.
'Assassin.' He called out. The white haired Servant stopped, spoon in mouth, gaze focused on him. 'What do you want from the Grail?'
There was a pause and then Assassin slowly chewed the mouthful, as if buying time to think. Eventually, she swallowed the cereal and looked at him carefully.
'A family.'
Shirou's mind went blank. How exactly was he supposed to respond to that? Where could he even begin? The memory of his dream, the night after he'd summoned her, forced its way to the surface of it's thoughts. An image of a child, comforted by her mother and father, tears becoming laughter, stood out vividly.
'I see.' He couldn't think of anything else to say. Even that seemed like too much. But a thought, stubborn and harsh, stayed in his mind. A wish like that…
How would the Grail even grant it?
Would it create a family from nothing, here and now? Change the past so that Assassin was never abandoned by her parents in that city? Even then, it didn't mean that she'd be happy. And what did a family even mean? Gilgamesh and Kotomine were his family, though there was no blood relation between any of them.
'Assassin,' He said slowly. Talking about this felt wrong. Like poking a sore spot, just because you couldn't stop yourself. 'What is a family to you?'
Assassin stopped, a bemused expression crossing her face. Silence reigned across the room for a full minute as the Servant fell deeper and deeper into thought. The minute became two, and then three. Shirou didn't know what to say. He didn't even know if he should say anything.
Eventually, almost painfully slowly, Assassin looked up at him. Her expression was confused, as if she'd found something she couldn't quite comprehend. It was painful to watch, and he couldn't help but regret that he'd brought it up. Her mouth opened, her words hesitant.
'I don't know.'
Rin threw the door to roof open, glaring around the open area. He wasn't here either. She gritted her teeth. Why did he have to take a day off today, of all days? School was the only place that they could easily meet up now. The streets weren't safe to casually traverse anymore.
'My, that's a disappointed look on your face.' Rider said cheerfully from behind her. 'Are you that upset that Shirou isn't here for the date?'
'Shut up.' Rin grated out. The Heroic Spirit had apparently taken the fact that they were in school, where she couldn't be open with her magic, as a carte blanche to tease her incessantly. Even so, her hand rose slightly, the bandages wrapped around her command seals visible.
Rider clicked her tongue. 'Now, now, Master. Calm down. What if someone were to come through the door, just as you used a command seal on me? Wouldn't that be terrible?'
Her teeth now on the verge of beginning to crack, Rin lowered her hand. When we… get back… kill her… painfully… win Grail War… by myself… The thought was surprisingly calming, and she unclenched her teeth.
'Alright, fine. I'm annoyed that Shirou's not here,' She said, the admission almost choking her. 'But only because I was planning to talk to him about our plans for the Grail War.'
'You're very confident that he'd agree to join you.' Rider noted. 'I guess I've been underestimating how close you two are.'
Rin kept her mouth shut. It was a foreign experience for her, but it seemed that everything she said around the red-haired Servant just seemed to dig herself deeper. Besides, truth be told, she was getting a little worried.
This was the Holy Grail War after all, and when a Master suddenly disappeared, there weren't many options as to what had happened to them. They'd either gone to ground, or met an opponent they couldn't stand against. She bit her lip. While the most likely option was the former, a small, persistent voice in her head just wouldn't shut up. Shirou's the type who doesn't know caution. He'd challenge another master just for the experience. He'd vanish without a trace…
She shook her head, dismissing the thought. It wasn't worth considering. Shirou would be fine. Still, she needed to talk to him. Now that she had a Servant, they had to resolve what they'd be doing for the War, and whether they'd be working together or… not.
'Come on, Rider.' She said, heading back down the stairs. 'This is pointless. We'll just go to the church later.'
'Of course, Master.' Rider replied, her invisible form falling into line behind Rin. 'You can't let the man skip out on a date. It's terrible form. Only the lady is allowed to do that.'
Rin turned, a vitriolic comment poised on the tip of her tongue, when the air froze.
She stumbled, a bizarre feeling running through her body, as if a plug had been pulled and something was draining from her. No, she realized. That was exactly what was happening. Her prana was being forcibly removed from her body.
Instantly, she set her circuits to work. Her od, the internal source of power all possessed, began to circulate around her body, washing away the foreign prana leeching away at her. It took a moment, but eventually, the alien influence was removed. She took a deep breath.
That had been surprisingly difficult. The attack hadn't been a true 'spell', so much as it had been a manipulation of her circuits through pure prana, something that she normally wouldn't have even needed to actively resist. Her circuits should have rejected it from the start. But it had been incredibly well done. So well done, in fact, that she doubted any magus she knew of would have been capable of it.
'Are you alright, Master?' Rider asked, taking on a physical form next to her. Rin nodded.
'I'm fine.' She replied. 'You?'
'Not even a scratch, Master.' Rider replied, giving a stretch. 'Magecraft like that isn't even capable of affecting Servants.'
'Lucky you.' Rin groused. 'Could you tell where it came from then? I was a little distracted.'
Rider shrugged. 'I'm not a magus. Tracking that would have been impossible.' She paused, considering. 'I don't think that it was aimed specifically at us though. It seemed a more general attack than anything else.'
'What do you mean-' Rin stopped, her question answered by the sight that greeted her as she left the stairwell. All along the corridor, students had collapsed, seemingly where they stood. Books, food and drink lay on the floor, having fallen from their owners' hands.
'That's what I meant.' Rider said glibly.
Rin crouched down next to one of the students, a younger girl whom she vaguely recognised as being one of the girls that she'd been talking to just yesterday, when Shirou had come to talk. She gave a sigh of relief as she felt the girl's pulse, weak as it was. She pulled a gem out of her pocket, preparing to transfer some prana, then hesitated. Even if she drained every jewel in her possession, it might not be enough to awaken every single student in the school. Furthermore, the extent of the drain they'd suffered didn't seem to be immediately life-threatening. With some bed rest, they'd probably be fine. Calling a hospital would be a more efficient means of healing them.
Next to her, Rider gave the scene another look, then shook her head. 'What a mess.'
For probably the first time since she'd summoned the red-haired Servant, Rin found herself agreeing wholeheartedly with her.
Shirou glared at the small vial of blood in his hand, analysing it once more. It was perfectly healthy, perfectly normal, and unchanged from the last time he'd checked it. That last point was the most aggravating part. He sighed, placing the vial down onto a rack, next to a large plant.
He didn't know exactly what he'd been expecting. Foreign prana, traces of an unusual substance, new circuits… Anything that could explain the impossibly fast regeneration that he'd exhibited last night. And yet he'd found nothing, whether he analysed his blood through magic, or more mundane measures, such as a microscope. He'd even cut out a few thin strips of flesh from the newly healed wound, to similar effect. That was to say, none at all.
That meant one of either two things. Either someone had healed him from a distance through unknown means, a feat he would have considered impossible, or he simply wasn't capable of recognising whatever what was inside him. He frowned. Neither option was particularly attractive.
There was third option, but it was even worse than the other two. That he was completely wrong with the previous two trains of thought, and the source was something else entirely. If that was the case, then he had no idea where to even begin looking for a new answer.
He shook his head. No, leaving it be seemed kinda… silly. What kind of idiot would simply accept that he had a mysterious healing ability, and then leave it to chance to determine if he ever found out it's source or not?
Even so, he was reaching the end of his current abilities. His Analysis magecraft wasn't quite perfect yet, but he should have been able to pick up something. He gave a frustrated growl. He couldn't even ask his father for help. Kotomine Kirei hadn't returned last night, and had left no message explaining his absence, or how to contact him if necessary. It was quite possible that he was doing something involved with the Holy Grail War, but his seeming disappearance was more than a trifle annoying.
He supposed he could talk to Rin about it. In terms of pure magecraft, she vastly surpassed him. It was quite possible that he was simply missing something obvious, or that the answer could be found in one of the numerous arcane texts in her house. Yeah, he thought. That's probably the easiest way.
He'd have to be careful about that though. Assassin had made her dislike of his childhood friend quite clear. Still, she probably wouldn't attack her right in front of him. Probably.
Truth be told, Assassin had been acting strangely since their talk in the kitchen. Increasingly, he was regretting asking her about her wish. It hadn't served any real, strictly necessary purpose, and it seemed to have unsettled the Servant a fair bit.
He gave a quiet sigh. He wanted to help her, but honestly, he couldn't help but feel that he'd just make things worse. His poking into places that he didn't have any real right to investigate had been the cause of the maudlin air Assassin was projecting after all. He doubted that doing it more would help.
He focused himself, turning his attention back to the vial of blood and the strips of skin on the worktop before him. Even if he couldn't help Assassin right now, simply moping about it wouldn't help anybody. Better to take another crack at the problem he could possibly solve.
Assassin stood behind her Master silently, mind in turmoil.
'What is a family to you?'
It was such a simple question, and yet she found she couldn't answer it. What was a family?
She remembered seeing those children, laughing happily with their parents, showered with affection. She'd wanted that care. She'd hated the mother who denied her that. And yet her mother had been family, at least in the strictest sense. You didn't hate family, did you?
And there'd been families that hurt each other too. Fathers who'd hit their wives and children, mothers who'd sent their children off to work, even when they could barely walk. Children who'd ran from that, risking their lives on the street rather than stay another moment with their 'family'.
It occurred to her that, quite simply, she had no idea what her wish entailed.
Strangely, the thought wasn't that shocking. She wondered why. She'd based her life around the desire for vengeance, and the desire to have a family after all. Having one of the supports of her entire existence ripped away should have been traumatic, devastating. And yet it wasn't. Why?
It took only a moment for her to reach the answer.
All the positive traits she'd ever associated with a 'family', hadn't she already found someone who would give them to her unconditionally? Someone who would care for her, comfort her, hold her, never ever, ever, ever, ever, ever abandon her. Hadn't Shirou given her all that already? Even in the short time she'd known him?
She didn't know what a family was. But she knew that Shirou cared for her. That he made her happy. Wasn't that enough?
Of course it was. More than enough.
Her mind calmed as things fell into clarity. She simply had to protect Shirou from anyone who would try to separate them, whether by force or other means. It was simple. Easy.
And once they reached the Grail, she would make a wish. And she and Shirou would be together. Forever. He would wake up beside her, and feed her, and talk to her, and love her, and care for her. Forever.
She smiled at the thought.
-End-
This article needs additional citations for. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed.Find sources: – ( January 2019) is a 2011–2012 anime series based on the prequel light novels to 's,. The novels are written by, who is also known as the writer for the anime, and illustrated by, co-founder and main artist of.Set ten years before the events of Fate/stay night, the anime tells the story of the Fourth Holy Grail War, a secret magical tournament held in Fuyuki City, Japan where seven magicians known as Masters summon Servants, reincarnations of legendary souls and heroes from all across time, where they fight in a deadly where the winner obtains the, a magical legendary chalice capable of granting wishes. Its characters include both younger versions of characters in Fate/stay night, their parents and relatives, and original characters. Fate/Zero 's main protagonist, Kiritsugu Emiya, the foster father of Fate/stay night 's protagonist, is known as a merciless mage killer who joins the tournament on behalf of his wife's family, the Einzberns.The anime is jointly produced by, Seikaisha,. It is also directed by Ei Aoki; produced by Atsuhiro Iwakami; music by; character design by Atsushi Ikariya and Tomonori Sudou; and art, 3D, and photography directions by Koji Eto, Kōjirō Shishido, and Yuichi Terao respectively. The anime premiered on, Tochigi TV, and, with the first season airing from October 1 to December 24, 2011 and later dates on,.
The second season aired from April 7 to June 23, 2012. In the first season, the opening theme song was 'Oath Sign' by and the ending theme was 'Memoria' by Eir Aoi. In the second season, the opening theme song was 'to the beginning' by and the ending theme is 'Sora wa Takaku Kaze wa Utau' ( 空は高く風は歌う, lit. 'Up on the Sky, the Wind Sings'). The song 'Manten' ( 满天, lit. 'The Whole Sky') by Kalafina was used as a special ending theme song in episodes 18 and 19.
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