View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a-wNNKXN0Hc
[Call Medea]
Something is odd about this, she turned around too quickly. You tried to improve her mood, but this?
Thanks to @Armoury for the beta!
His favorite character is Spishtar!
—
"I love you Shirou, you don't deserve someone as filthy as me…" She leans back, hands moving to her jacket. She grinds herself against you, crotch rubbing against crotch. "I'm sorry."
The first thing that crossed your mind, to your shame, is that you weren't exactly against this. You had never looked at Sakura in a romantic light -to be honest, until a week prior you hadn't looked at anyone in a romantic light. You didn't frankly deserve that kind of attention- but Sakura is genuinely attractive, and her rubbing herself against you is proving to be a suitable distraction for the higher brain functions. In another time, in another place, you probably would have simply gone along with it. But the scent of iron remained, and this is happening far too quickly.
Your hands move to her shoulders and push her back. Sakura's eyes widen in alarm, panic, and then shame in that order. She opens her mouth to speak, to apologize likely. But you were shouting before she could. "Medea!"
Then your Caster is there, and her sudden appearance is likely the only thing that saves your life at that moment. Sakura stumbles back, her face covering her hands, then-
*BANG*
Spheres of black…
nothing filled the room, spikes of liquid shadow erupting from them and detonating. The floor erupts into shattered masonry with each hit, and the scent is stronger than ever. Medea's hand is outstretched, a shimmering shield of purple separating the two of you from the rest of the room. The lights in the room dim unnaturally, and the shadows grow larger and begin to twist and writhe impossibly around you. Sakura meanwhile, is screaming, her head shaking from side to side as she continues to stumble back.
Then another figure is there. Archer is beside Sakura, wrapping his arms around her and pulling her into his chest. Then Caster is moving, clearing the space between you and Sakura in an instant, her hand pressing against Sakura's temple, and in the blink of an eye Sakura becomes a limp puppet in Archer's arms.
And then… it is over. No more exploding spheres, the shadows were normal, and the only oddity left is a strong scent of iron and ozone in the air. You stood up slowly, staring at the scene in front of you, then
jerk as a hand lands on your shoulder. Your head shoots to the side, to see Circe standing there, a frown on her face.
"Shirou," Medea says, turning your attention back. "What happened here?"
You don't get the chance, as another voice speaks up. A voice you hadn't heard much the past few days, and one now filled with grief and anger. "It's the worms."
"... Pardon?" Medea says, slowly, carefully. Staring at Archer.
Archer gently lowers Sakura onto the ground, and he stares at her in mute silence for several moments, standing a silent vigil as the girl breathes easily. Then he looks up at your servant, his expression carefully neutral.
"My master…" Archer begins, then pauses. He looks down at Sakura again, then slowly lowers himself into a crouch. "A gift from her grandfather… to prepare her to be a vessel for himself. She is infested with his familiars, they leech her magical energy, using her, molding her. When she doesn't have enough, or when he desires it to be so… she…"
He shakes his head. "I thought I had gotten him, I thought I had done enough."
"What are you talking about?! What's wrong with Sakura!?" you shout, you had crossed the room without even thinking about it.
Circe brushes past you without a word, crouching over the girl.
"Zouken." Archer says simply, turning his attention to you. "He is a… vile bastard. He has been preparing Sakura to be a host for his soul."
"You knew this and didn't do anything about it?" you ask in disbelief.
"I
tried, I
killed Zouken's physical body, and I thought Shinji is going to bleed to death, but he made it to Kirei first."
"Kirei? That priest? What does he have to do with any of this?"
Archer opens his mouth like he wants to say something, pauses for a few moments. "He gave Shinji a servant so that he could fight in the grail war." He finally says.
"Oh my…" Circe says quietly. "I'm quite impressed," she continues, her hand hovering over Sakura's prone form. "Skill, but absolutely no morality."
Medea gives Archer one more look of curiosity, and annoyance, before making her way over to Sakura herself, mimicking Circe's action. Her eyes widen, then narrow, a look of anger on her face.
"Can you help her?" you ask.
"There are familiars coursing through ninety percent of her body, and she is so magically starved it's a miracle she's alive." Medea says clinically. "That's not counting the organ damage."
"Can you help her?" You ask again, more forcefully.
"Yes," Medea says after another moment. "But it would take time, and it would strengthen another master, even if it is one you are fond of." Medea then turns her head towards you, smiling thinly. "But I also know you wish to save her… and I would not let this stand regardless, I shall resolv-"
"
We, shall resolve this issue. And then have a chat with her servant, my dear pupil." Circe says. The witch's' orange eyes narrow onto Archer. "I know you as you should be, but not as you are now. You are not who you are meant to be, are you? A man, then a puppet, now a guardian. But not, perhaps, the one this war expected."
Archer says nothing, he simply meets her gaze.
"Shirou, leave. This will be unpleasant." Medea says.
"I'd rather stay."
"Shirou," this time it's Circe. "We'll take care of this, but please. I would suggest you check on Ayako while we work." She smiles sweetly. "We shall take care of your friend. I swear upon my honor as a witch."
"She'll be fine, Shirou," Medea says, a deep frown on her face as she continues to look over Sakura. "This is… personal." She then looks to you, and gives you a gentle, calming, and… pleading smile.
"... Alright."
You linger for a moment longer, then step back out of the room, closing the door behind you and letting out a long, lingering breath. Your mind is racing, flitting from one thought to the next. Zouken? Shinji?
Archer? There is something wrong with Sakura and you didn't even know, you couldn't even help. But your servants could, that is something at least. It is…
something.
Your hand moves to your head, to rub at it or… something, but it misses, you stare at it, watching it shake. No…
no. Ayako, where's Ayako. Something to distract you, someone who needs you. Too many people need you, but you would help them all.
You begin to walk, you stumble at first, but then you walk.
—
Finding Ayako isn't particularly difficult, mostly because of all the shouting.
The hallway shook around you as the sound of a magical detonation echoed, followed closely by the cry of "Motherfucker!". You pause before a door, a few seconds after the shaking has stopped, and then open it slowly. It reveals a large expansive room that in any other context would be a ballroom. With a large expansive domed ceiling, right red carpet, and plenty of decorations around the edges. But where one might expect tables, chairs, or a place for a band. There instead were numerous training dummies out and about and racks full of weapons filling the space. Also holes. Fresh, smoking holes in the carpet, revealing expensive, damaged marble.
Ayako is just a few feet away, laying on the carpet in her magical girl… cat… outfit… thing. She is panting, Ruby held loosely in her right hand as she stared unblinking and unfocused at the ceiling above her. The room around her is demolished, training dummies in pieces, the floor partially on
fire, and Ayako herself looked to be sweating enough that you might need to take her to the hospital. Distantly, a door across the room opened, and you glanced up to see Leysritt walking in with a mop… and a hammer.
You aren't sure if Leysritt is planning to use the hammer on Ayako, and you don't particularly care to find out either. Bending down, you scoop up Ayako into your arms, she was skinny, but fairly toned all around, but then, so where you. Her eyes flit to you, narrowing slightly, but she seems too tired to speak, and without a word between the two of you you carry her out of the room and towards your own.
…
It's only as you close the door to your room that you realize what this looks like. But also you don't particularly care. You are also doing your best not to notice that Ruby has slowly slid itself out of Ayako's grip and has been climbing up your shirt to rest on your shoulder. You also choose to not notice the fact that it was nuzzling you.
You deposit Ayako onto the recliner just next to the overly-fancy bed, and then sit on the bed in question, staring at your girlfriend. "Are you alright?"
Ayako lazily moves her eyes to you, then she glares. You are seeing that a lot these days. "No, I'm far from fucking alright. I'm trying to learn magic from a talking plastic sti-"
"Birch." Ruby interrupts
"Dog park." Ayako says, shifting her glare to it for a moment. Then she sighs, "and I'm trying to survive all this shit. I just want to leave town and take my parents and brother… and you before you get yourself killed."
You sigh. "I can't leave, but if you want to protect your family I wouldn't object."
"Yeah, you can't fucking leave." Ayako says, raising her hands to the heavens before letting them fall lazily down to her sides across the arms of the recliner. "Because
you have to save everyone else. Why? The fuck do you even owe them?"
"... Everything Ayako, I owe them everything." You reply quietly.
The glare fades, replaced instead by a look of confusion and concern. "What?"
You smile. It isn't a happy smile. "I have to help them Ayako, everyone. In this city, my servant, Circe,
you. Everyone. They are all worth saving."
"Yeah, I get wanting to help people. But why
you Shirou?"
—
Time for Ayako to learn the backstory.
[] ["Because my life is worth nothing."]
I should have died in the fire, but I didn't by a quirk of luck. The boy I was, the family I had. They are all gone. My parents survived, but I'm not that person anymore, I'm not even a person at all. My life has no meaning, only in what I can do for others. Don't pity me, it's something I accepted a long time ago. As long as I can help others, even a third-rate magus like myself… well, even my life has meaning. To make up for those who lost their lives. I'll save everyone.
[] ["Because someone has to."]
This war is chaos, the previous one was as well. Nobody helps, nobody seemingly wants to help. The servant summoned to do so seems powerless and distant. If nobody else will, I will. I will protect my loved ones. I can't save everyone, but I can save enough. I will always prioritize you all over the masses, but I won't abandon them either.
[] ["Because I simply want to."]
I don't need a reason to be a hero, a hero simply is. Perhaps that's crazy, perhaps that's foolish. It will certainly destroy me someday. But everyone I can help… it's worth it, it's always worth it. I don't need a reason. I will save those dear to me, and I will kill anyone who threatens them.
