Fate/Clusterfuck (Fate/Stay Night)

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1o_Fm1VegxU

[] [Illya]

Thanks to @Armoury for the beta!

---

You hated the castle, you had ever since momma died. It was cold in Germany, here in Japan it was hardly warmer. It was… too roomy, too much empty space, it was just you and the maids for the longest time, and they couldn't even slightly replace momma. At least the bed was nice and warm, it called to you like a siren, begging you to just forget about everything you had to do today and just melt away in it. What did you have to do today anyway?

Breakfast, then….

Then!

Your eyes shot open, and you jerked up in bed. The covers fell to the floor, ignored and forgotten as you leapt over the side. Today was the day! You sprint over to the rack, grabbing the fresh clothes Leysritt prepared for you. Then you were out the door, a startled gasp coming from one of the maids, you didn't check which as you ran down the hall, you pulled your clothes on as you went, hopping and jerking as you got your pants and jacket on. You have to look your best, what will he think? Will he even remember you?

You turn another corner, then almost immediately fall back onto your butt, your hands moving to your nose as sharp pain announces itself and ensures that if you weren't already awake you definitely were now. You stare up at the tall servant you ran into, the Greek was an imposing figure to say the least, far taller than you were and with the strength to match. An apologetic look flitted across the servant's face before they reached down to help you back up.

"I'm fine," you grumble. "Take me to breakfast!"

The servant nods, scooping you up in their arms before making their way down the hall towards the dining room. You lean back against them, savoring their warmth, even with your clothes on the castle was chilly, it was always chilly. Turning your head up slightly, you search their face. "Are you sure he'll be excited to see me?"

Rider looks down at you, her purple hair shifting slightly from the motion. "I believe you should try."

You nod, ignoring the worry in your gut that was in a deathmatch with the hope and excitement in your heart. Breakfast, some planning, then… trying to find your brother. You just hope Rider was right, you had… planned to kill him, but she had convinced you to give him a chance.

You just hope he will.

—

It was a hard thing to describe someone living inside your shadow. You would expect a weightlessness to it, and in truth, there was. You had taken a few seconds to process Caster literally melting into your shadow, you had wanted to ask questions, many questions in fact. But it was arguably not any weirder than anything else that had been happening to you lately.

In fact, it was rather distressing that that wasn't the weirdest thing in the last twenty-four hours of your life at all. You were a magus, even if you were third rate, by definition that meant your life was apart from other people, you had another whole half to your existence that had to be kept hidden, that, in itself, was by most definitions weird and strange. As while everyone kept part of themselves hidden, hell, your race was rather famous for the 'three faces' ideal that was rather idolized. A Magus had to be secretive to everyone, even those in on the secret to begin with.

So to find out a whole new section of that existence, in addition to the fact that your best friend was a Magus as well… was a shock, to put it bluntly. Or to put it even more bluntly, you were still not over it, but both you and her were doing your best to just not broach the topic further besides halting snippets of conversation before you both returned to talking about the weather or the like. It was incredibly awkward. But back to the point.

Having someone living in your shadow was an odd feeling. It was like… there was an extra weight tied to you as you moved. Not heavy, almost imperceptible, like a toddler pulling on your sleeve. Apparently not debilitating in the slightest, and light enough that if you weren't paying attention you might forget it was there entirely. You can sense her there, it's a faint thing, a slight warmth against your back from her presence, yet nothing more. Her magical signature was gone, and you doubt most people would notice her unless she wanted to be particularly noticed. You glance back down at your shadow, plainly visible in the afternoon light of Fuyuki.

It was… just a shadow.

"Shirou?" Sakura's voice calls out to you.

You look back, smiling towards your friend. "Sorry, I was just lost in thought, Sakura. Are you sure it's alright for you to be skipping school as well?"

Sakura nods, smiling that wonderful smile of hers. "I'll be fine Shirou, are… you still feeling alright?"

You rotate an arm, it wasn't hurt to begin with but it's a good showcase at least. "Yeah, I'm fine, I won't be if I don't get groceries."

"Wouldn't Miss Fujimura be more upset at you not being at school?" Sakura asks, one hand moving to poke at her chin.

"That is that and this is this," you reply. Frankly, with how things have been going lately Taiga can just deal with the fact that you are playing hooky today anyway. Your grades were good enough to get by on missing a day regardless. Still, an apology for Taiga was in order for later. That's, of course, if she doesn't kill you, which was always a possibility.

You let out a breath, pushing that out of your mind as you instead look ahead. Fuyuki in the afternoon on a weekday, besides the odd holiday it was something you hardly ever saw. In truth, little was different besides the notable decrease in car traffic. Those who would be driving are at their destinations already, and with school still being in session, that would remain true for quite a while. You idly reach up to squeeze your tongue, it still tickled.

"Shirou?" Sakura speaks up again.

You glance to the side to see her looking ahead, not at you as you let your tongue go again. "Yeah?"

She looks down, a blush on her cheeks. "Thanks for… earlier, not freaking out about me being a Magus."

She was worried about that? No, never. Even if it was meant to be kept secret… which it was, her being a Magus doesn't change how you viewed her at all. "You're my friend Sakura," you reach over to ruffle her hair a bit, causing the girl to let out a little squeak. "I would never."

Sakura lets out a hum, leaning into the hand a little before hopping forward, a bright smile on her face.

—

The store was one of the newer ones in Fuyuki. That, in itself, was probably a bad thing to say however given that in this part of town, everything was new due to the fire. But of the new things, it was one of the newest. Far from the little meat market you had stopped by to get the Wagyu for Taiga, this store was built in a decidedly more American fashion. Clothes, jewelry, food, electronics. Heck, the entire front of the store was dominated by a large display just for batteries.

You had, in truth, never been to this one before, and a small part of you was rather eager to see what they had as far as food stocks went. But before that, you and Sakura had walked over to a corner of the women's clothing section, luckily the store was rather empty besides the odd employee given the fact that it was, once again, in the latter half of a school day. After checking once more that the coast was clear you look down at your shadow. "Caster?"

Your shadow rippled, shuddering against the earth like it was a still pool of water someone had thrown a rock into. Then, rising out of it rapidly came Caster, the woman dressed in the robes you had become accustomed to seeing her wearing. She had forgone the clothes you had offered her previously, having apparently decided walking around in public wearing your clothes was beneath her, which… well, you get it. You had found them neatly folded in front of your door as you went to leave, but regardless.

Caster just stares at you, not a word escaping her as her visage is hidden from you by her hood.

"Pick out whatever you want, I can cover it." You actually could rather comfortably, some people at the school had insisted on paying you for your repair work even if you argued otherwise.

"I would emphasize again master, that I do not require things," Caster replies.

"You may not, but you should have them regardless, and I can't exactly borrow Sakura or Taiga's clothing for you." The only one that would vaguely fit would be Taiga, and for some odd reason you feel like that conversation would end in your death. Though, despite your better nature… the idea of Caster, from what little you've seen of her, in Taiga's relatively form fitting clothing is rather interesting to you.

You immediately squash that thought like a bug.

"Fine." Caster replies. "You shall just be annoying about it otherwise if I do not, master."

You smile, then look over at Sakura. "Mind helping her while I get the groceries?"

Sakura blinks in surprise, then nods. "Oh, uhm, sure!"

In truth, you couldn't say why you trusted Caster around Sakura, or why you trusted Caster in general. An after effect of the dream perhaps, but something about her… was just rather trustworthy to you. Perhaps that was just your naivety, but she hadn't run out this morning, that meant a lot… also she trusted you, for what that was worth.

Caster walks off, not waiting for Sakura, leaving the girl to catch up to her, and you watch them go for a moment before you make your way over to the food.

You had been called an idiot in the past for it, but you frankly just didn't know enough about Caster… or Medea, that gave you a reason to distrust her as of yet. Time would tell if that would change of course, but for now, as she stared at a particularly frilly dress with an unreadable expression, you don't think she's a threat to Sakura at least… and if worse comes to worst you always had your command seals.

—

You had zoned out for… you suppose a good hour, perhaps more as you wandered throughout the store. You had entered a sort of zen reserved for those that were trying to memorize the position of everything in the store. While the store was certainly more… you didn't want to say upmarket, but it was less traditional than what you normally used for sure. Not that there was much 'traditional' left in Fuyuki besides those old-timers getting hammered at Copenhagen. No, you were mesmerized due to the frankly good deals, your basket was loaded with what would normally be an entire week's worth of meals… possibly less, given you have seen how much Caster can eat. But still, you can't judge the amount being offe-

You blink, your train of thought lost as you round a corner to see a woman. Not just any woman, and not either of the women you came with. But a woman nevertheless. It was Rin, dressed in her usual attire of a red shirt with and… the usual distracting mix of tall stockings and short skirt. She was just leaving the store, several bags wrapped around her arm absolutely filled to the brim with food. A wide, confident grin on her face as she gives a cheery wave towards the cashier. You watch her go, curious as to what has her so happy. Does… she also like good deals?

Well, you suppose most people do.

Still, you wouldn't peg Tohsaka for the type to just drop by a grocery store. Tohsaka reeked of money, sometimes literally. Her choices of perfume could be… cloying at times, to say the very least. You stare after her, watching the door until she is well out of view, before you were taken from your observations by the voice of Sakura behind you. "Shirou, we're done."

You blink, then turn around.

Medea had… definitely changed her appearance, in all sorts of ways. The first thing you notice was her ears, namely that their points had been trimmed back to something more… 'human', you would have to say. Compared to Circe Caster's ears were relatively normal, if elfin. But they still stood out in a literal sense. Now, likely due to some form of magic, they didn't stand out at all.

Beyond that, she had changed in other ways. Gone was the robes, instead she was wearing an ensemble made up of a blue jacket, a white undershirt, and a pair of jeans that finished off in a pair of tight black shoes that wouldn't be out of place on an office woman. It was a smart, modern look, and going from the robes to that was whiplash. You also couldn't help but wonder how much of that she picked out, versus what Sakura picked out for her. Though you also knew better than to ask. Instead, a different statement, or question, rather, came to mind.

"Did you… already pay for that?" you ask, staring at the clothes.

Sakura nods, and you turn your head to see that she is carrying several bags filled with clothes and… feminine products of the sort you have precious little knowledge of. It appeared that despite her complaints otherwise, Caster had no shortage of choices. Or Sakura got stubborn and forced some onto her. Despite her rather shy nature at times she had a rather nasty habit of a stubborn streak.

"I need to to pick up some things for myself and… well, uhm." Sakura moves to brush some hair away from her face. "I wanted to thank you for today."

"You didn't need to do that," you counter.

Sakura nods again, looking away from you. "But I wanted to."

"... Fair enough." You look over at Caster, not quite sure what to say, if she even wants you to say something. She's just kind of staring at you. You aren't even sure if she has blinked in the past thirty seconds.

You decide to say nothing, lifting up your basket. "I have the food, so we can checkout."

—

Night had begun to earnestly fall once you had started to head back home. The day had passed quickly, more quickly than you expect. But then, you had gotten up rather late. Nights in Fuyuki at least were always pretty, though the amount of foot traffic was preciously little given how colds the evenings had gotten. Sakura for her part had scooted closer to you as you walked, nearly pressing her shoulder against your own in order to stay warm, while Caster walked along without issue.

… At least she wasn't in your shadow this time around, though she had also said little ever since you left the store, and by little she only said 'are we returning to the home,' then nodded when you informed her as such.

The woman didn't talk much, but nobody at the moment was talking regardless, just enjoying the silence of the evening. With luck, any luck at all, the night would be quiet, Sakura had indeed shown no desire to head back to your home, though with your luck Taiga was waiting back at the house to kill you. Frankly, for once, you couldn't blame her. Though you were also rather annoyed at her yourself for the fact that she left you with an injured woman to take care of.

… Even if her wounds had closed on their own.

You both were likely going to start yelling at each ot-



View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qXLRKSulqNk


CRASH

Your thoughts were interrupted by a sound roughly congruent with that of a train crashing a parking lot. A crash sounds out to your right, and you jerk your head to see an alley, it went down about fifteen feet before disappearing off to the right. From it you heard the sound of crashing and breaking metal, and the sound of something scraping off of the ground. Like someone was dragging a metal pipe or the like.

To your side you could see Caster tense, and her robes appeared over the clothes she had procured earlier. Her hand shot out to block both you and Sakura, her eyes locked onto the alley.

Then there was a scream, a feminine one at that, that sounded for but a few moments before there was the sound of a wet squelch. You didn't bother to see if anyone else around you was reacting, or if there was even anyone else on the street. You were already running. You shoved Caster's hand out of the way as you sprinted across the street, ignoring traffic as you made your way down the alley. Your hand shot out to grab the corner, then you swung yourself around to see-

To see…


View: https://i.imgur.com/qTUhBzg.jpg

A monster.

It was a man, you think. But his form was wrong, and shifting more and more the more you looked upon it. He had short blue hair, sometimes black. And there were remnants of what appeared to be a blue bodysuit on him. Jutting out of the fragments, pushing them out of the way, was flesh, it jutted, shifted, moved unnaturally as if something else was alive inside his very skin and trying to push its way out. It bulged outwards, and it stared. Eyes dotted his back, his neck, the sides of his face. Red eyes, bloodshot, looking out wildly in all directions without rhyme or reason.

In his right hand was a wicked looking red spear, but it was in a grip more fitting to that of a baseball bat than to one accustomed to wielding a spear. The tip of it dragged along the ground as it walked, sending up sparks and making the sound scraping noise you heard earlier. Bits of blood and gore dripped off of the man, some bright red and fresh, others bits, greyer bits of flesh look like they had been there for quite some time. He was also not paying attention to you, despite the numerous eyes all over his body he was fully focused on what was in front of him, that being…

Minori?

He was a member of the track team, and was a guy you didn't interact much with. But you did know him, and he was laying on the ground just ahead of the man, bleeding onto the ground. You start to move forward, before a hand grabs onto your shoulder and yanks you back. You flail for a moment, before the figure slams you back against the wall and cups your mouth.

You find yourself staring at Caster, the woman's eyes boring into your own. "Master, we must flee. This servant is beyond us."

That's another servant? It barely even looks human. But regardless. You struggle against the hand resting over your mouth. And Caster gets the hint and removes it a second later. "It's a classmate of mine, we have to help!" you hiss out.

Caster shakes her head. "I do not have the mana as of yet master to deal with such a threat."

You stare into her eyes, then glance over at Sakura standing just nearby, fright clear as day on her face.

—

[] [You have to rescue Minori]

If Caster can't defeat the creature, then she can get Sakura out of here while you rescue Minori.

[] [We have to rescue Minori]

Working together, you should be able to get Minori out of here, it puts Caster and Sakura in danger however.

[] [Take Caster's advice]

Not an option.

[] [Write-in]