Fate/Clusterfuck (Fate/Stay Night)

View: https://youtu.be/GHlDyBYH9NY

Thanks to @Armoury for the beta!

—

*Ritsuka POV*

"Is everything ready Mash?"

Shielder nods, placing the shield down gently against the ground. "Master, the connection between us and Chaldea is still faulty… you'll need to summon a new servant entirely."

Fujimaru frowns, but only slightly. "Not a surprise, did they handle BB?"

Mash nods. "Martha says she has her… but we're only going to have the energy to summon one servant."

Fujimaru stares at the circle on the ground, then shrugs her shoulders. Her arm ached, it always did in the cold, the metal plating in there acting up in the weather. "Wouldn't be the first time." It wasn't just her arm; her leg ached, her back ached. She was a mishmash series of flesh stitched together by the hopes and prayers of humanity. Which was darkly amusing to her, seeing as she had already killed millions of humans. No, not killed. 'Erased', that was the proper, pleasant parlance that Da Vinci always insisted on using. Erased. At least this one wouldn't have to be. This wasn't a lostbelt.

Not yet, anyway. But it had the potential to be one. The first such 'almost' she had encountered, and she was still getting her bearings. Seeing the basis for Muramasa was a surprise, finding out he was a bit more rash… even more so. And that was far from the only strange thing here. But she tried not to dwell on it. Not more than she needed to tactically. After all, It wouldn't last. It never did. She stared down at the circle for a moment, then lifted her hand, a moment later, the room filled with the familiar golden light. Then… it was gone, Fujimaru had long since stopped being impressed by the summoning system, not after the first dozen… but as the magic faded away, and the man in the center of the circle stood there. She froze, then slowly, ever so slowly. She smiled.

"Fuck yeah."

"Master?" Mash asks, looking between the man and her master.

Her smiled became wider, becoming a grin. "The greatest hero that ever was."

The man in black shook his head slowly. "I merely do what is right."

Mash blinked, looking at the records. She has, up to this point, never heard of this servant… but he… rather reminded her of MHX Alter. Though his hair was awful.

—

"You shall be training with my dear Medea for now," Circe says, her wings stretching out beside her. "She made it rather clear she wished to instruct you in the ways of magical combat, as she found your skills… let us say, she found them less than what she wished they would be at this point."

"I'm far from being a good Magus."

Circe smiles. "More, and less. But then, you never really had a chance, and so far away from your specialty as well." Reaching forward, she taps you on the nose. "But that's just one of many things that makes you interesting. Now boy, go find her, she's in the temple. It shall be a particularly busy day tomorrow and you still have dinner and a bath to look forward to."

"Is she goi-"

"To kill you? No, but she might get rather close. Now go boy, I have my own task to perform."

"Dare I ask what that is?"

Circe smiles impishly. "You may dare all you wish."

"Then what are you doing?"

"Preparing dinner."

—

The path leading up to the temple is just as 'dead' as the rest of the island. The grainfields have been overtaken by weeds and trees. The buildings have collapsed or disappeared entirely, and a heavy air of… decay laid over everything. Not burnt, not destroyed. But left to nature. The fences were gone, the statuary was missing or ruined beyond recognition. Nature was taking the island back over, and there was something rather depressing about that. The temple was hardly better, overgrown in moss and vine, the statues and frescos colorless and sunbleached white. The statue of Hekate remained unmarred, though knowing Circe that was likely due to direct intervention. That did little for the fountain out front however, now little more than a broken, moss-covered bowl more alike to a series of boulders than anything decorative. You stare at it for several moments, recalling the memory of a far smaller Medea praying in front of it, then turn your head to see the far older Medea pointing her staff at you and firing a laser directly at your che-

You dive to the side, yelping as beams of piercing purple light slam into the stone. Carving a rivet deep into them and setting moss and fallen leaves aflame. The fire catches quickly, spearing all over the 'plateau' that makes up the front entra-

"Crap!" you shout, ducking as more beams erupt from the tip of her staff, carving through trees, what remains of the statuary, and the air just above your head as you duck and weave around the beams of light that are so close they seem to be deliberately narrowly missing you. Whether that made the situation better or worse you weren't entirely sure, either way. "Caster!?"

"You must be ready for combat at any point!" Medea barks.

"I noticed, thank you!" you shout back. Diving again as more beams of lance carve through the 'cover' you have chosen to hide behind.

"Fight me!"

"Why would I fight my own servan-"

You pause, glancing down at the glowing circle you had stepped into without realizing. At once snapping chains wrap around your body, then slam you against the ground. A flash of light, and a flash of pain. And then you settle on the ground, letting out a single groan. The chains squeeze you, threatening to crush you, but not quite. Just enough that the threat is there without actually committing to any form of master-murder. You shift your eyes to your servant as she begins to walk towards you, her staff held lazily in her hands. "Finally, you betray me." you grouse.

"If I were to betray you, master," Medea says, coming to a stop just beside me, the butt of her staff hitting the ground with a light tap. "You would be dead already. As it is now you merely disappoint me."

You attempt to wiggle in the chains, but even that is impossible. So you settle for petulantly staring up at your 'servant'. "My apologies for being a disappointment Caster, but I'm hardly a Magus to begin wi-"

The chains dissipate. "Save the excuses for the day you die. Rise." Medea says firmly.

You stand unsteadily.

Medea looks you up and down for a moment, then lets out a slow, controlled breath. "You must be ready."

You stretch your limbs, "I thought you didn't want me fighting."

"There are many things in this world I don't want, and I have rarely been granted that desire. Now, we shall begin again, I shall give you a ten second headstart."

You blink, "cast-"

"Eight seconds."

You begin to run.

—

You turn the staff over in your hands. It was a complete and perfect replica of the one Medea held in every way. Indeed, to an untrained eye, you suspect nobody would even be able to tell that it wasn't the original. But it was weaker… it was more fragile, you could tell just from holding it. And holding it was less than pleasant besides. Calling it forth had caused an awful ache to pass through you, something that was only now dissipating a few seconds later.

Medea was staring down at the staff, her eyes wide. Then, without a word she takes it from you, hoisting it up and placing it next to the real one. Her eyes shift from one to the other, back and forth, and she bounces the new one in her hand a few times, the gold catching in what little light is cast upon the island. "Your abilities have changed." Medea says quietly.

"In what way?" you ask.

Medea shifts the staff in her hand, looking it over. "I would explain, if I understood them myself." She hands it back to me slowly, and I take it into my hands. It is a heavy thing, despite how easily she swung it around. But then, you suppose that simply came with practice. "I suspect Circe knows," Medea continues.

You set the staff gently against the wall of the temple, then turn to look at it. It was full of holes now, far more than there had been just a half hour prior. A sheen of sweat stuck to you, but it was quickly fading away with the cool wind that blew over the island. You turn your head towards the beach, where Circe had been just some time ago. You haven't seen her since.

"Master, a question."

"Ask." You say simply, turning your head back to Caster.

Caster looks to you for a moment, then to the landscape beyond. Her breath misting in the cold air. She, unlike you, didn't smell of sweat. She smelled of lavender, lavender mixed with the scent of her magic you had yet to identify fully. "If we acquire the grail, will you use it to wish people bac-"

"No." you answer bluntly and quickly.

"Truly?"

You shake your head. "I already told you I didn't get into this war for the grail, and if using it requires so many people to die… I wouldn't even want to use it. Let the Magus keep it."

"Then what do you plan on doing with it?"

You turn your head to the starless sky. "Assuming we win? Let you do with it as you wish, I don't want it." You then look at Medea. "Is there anything you want from it?"

Medea opens her mouth to speak, then closes it. Silence passing between the two of you for nearly a minute, then. "I did, when this all started. But no longer. I no longer desire a wish from that thing." Medea sidles closer, then places her hand gently against your shoulder. She shakes her head slowly, her eyes meeting your own. "When this all started, I wished… for another try, of the life I had once lived. Now…" Medea lets out a wistful sigh, and you watch her silently as the wind plays with her hair. She reaches up to stop it, pushing it back behind her back, then she smiles. Very gently. "I have seen the efforts that Magus of this time go to claim something so simple as a wish… I would have no part of it."

"I'm surprised you would have wanted to go back to begin with," you reply. "Nothing I saw there was pleasant."

"It wasn't," Medea admits. "But it was still my life, and I wanted to try and fix it, to do it again. A fool's wish."

You shake your head. "I don't know if I'd call it foolish…" you say quietly. "I wanted to go back, more than once. To see if I could save anyone there, or prevent it from happening entirely." You smile, a small, bitter thing. "But that was impossible, and by the time such a thing became possible… with that grail, I wouldn't."

"Why?"

"Because it has already happened, if I change it. Then what? Would I cease to exist?" You reply. "I am who I am because of that fire," you look up again. "I won't pretend that I'm…" You close your eyes. "I know I'm not healthy, but I am who I am. I wouldn't change that, and that leaves what… being a hero? I don't need a wish for that either. That's something I'll earn for myself. But if you still want a wish, I'll help you get it."

A hand gently cups your cheek, and you turn just in time to see Medea closing the distance between the two of you. Her lips meet your own, impossibly soft and gentle. She tilts her head slightly, her ears twitching. A moment later you let your eyes close, letting out a soft breath as she pushes you back against the temple wall. She separates a short eternity later, and you open your eyes just in time to see her close again, her hands pressing against your shoulders now, her lips meeting yours again, and again, and again. She molds herself against you, all decorum and dignity, all that she usually carries, lost as she tries to make it so not even a gap of air exists between your bodies. She finally separates a minute later, her forehead pressed against your own, her breath hot and heavy.

"Shirou I-"

"Am very horny, yes," Circe says gleefully.

You and Medea both turn your heads to see Circe staring down at you both from up the stairs, she's sitting on her haunches, hands on her cheeks, a bright smile on your face. "Not that I particularly mind my dear pupil, but dinner will be ready soon. Plus the boy needs a bath."

"Circe."

"That is my name, yes."

"Wasn't… dinner meant to be first?" you ask.

Circe's eyes flit to you. "Time is… merely a concept here, and in any case, I do believe you need the bath more, for multiple reasons."

—

Incense and lilac. Along with the sound of gently running water. That was what I had walked into. A vibrant, golden light washes over everything from an unknown source near the ceiling. It played off of smooth and well carved white stone that made up the interior bath of the temple. It was a place you hadn't even seen, and unlike the rest of the place it was seemingly in… perfect condition. The bath itself went for many yards, and was feet deep. More a pool than anything else.

Then your nose twisted, as the scent of flowers was now far stronger. Not unpleasant, but so sudden and powerful that it nearly made you want to sneeze. It was mixed with other things now, other flowers, and what distinctly smelled like grapes. The water was crystal clear, and steaming with heat. Flowers floated across the top of it, along with several bottles of…

… That was soap from your house.

You stare down at the bottles for a moment, then disrobe and slip into the bath. Letting out a soft sigh as you allow yourself to relax. Too many quick showers lately, too many thoughts clouding your mind. You lean back against the stone, letting out a soft breath. You wonder what time it is back at the castle, there were no clocks here…

"I did mean it when I said it was a concept boy, relax as you wish. Time moves as I will it."

You nod minutely, relaxing furth-

You open your eyes to see a grinning Circe step into the bath. Her wings were gone, as was everything else. And you watch her lithe figure disappear into the water, the witch letting out a sigh before leaning back against the wall of the 'bath'. Her leg stretched above the water, perfect peach flesh glinting in the golden light. To think, she had tried to make herself more attractive, she already is.

Circe smiles, as if reading your thoughts, then her eyes shift past you to something else. The sound of soft feet draws your attention, and your breath halts as you see Medea enter the bath. Far more slowly, far more awkwardly than Circe did. She wasn't covering herself, but there was pink to her cheeks, and she was making a definite effort not to meet your eyes as she sat down in the water a few feet away.

Circe, for her part, giggles. "You attempted to seduce him in the most blunt fashion possible just a short time after meeting him. And now you play the bashful lady of Artemis?"

Medea snaps her head to look at Circe, her eyes narrow. Then, she turns her gaze to you. There is something different to her look now, something… far more human, you would almost say. Her hair drags along in the water as she moves closer to you, and your breath hitches as she hesitates for only a moment, then presses herself against you once more, her hands grabbing at your sides before shifting south as-

—

[To be Continued]

At least… the witch lewds will be. Let me know what you think of the chapter. For now, however. We have a bit more side content.

[] [Illya]

[] [Sakura]

[] [Taiga]

[] [Ruby]