[X] Plan Rest in Bed, Not the Battlefield.
Kirika tilts her head down towards the ground, and under her breath she whispers "I just… I don't wanna have some stupid campout near some giant creepy Grief Seed with a bunch of strangers who were trying to kill us just a few weeks ago. I wanna sleep in the same bed as Oriko one more time, before we all die."
You give your older sister a smile, and draw her into a hug. "We're not going to die,' you say to Kirika. "If we died, who would be there to stop Sidonia from hurting mom?"
"I know, but… I'm scared, sis. I'm scared we're not gonna be enough to stop her. She's not like Walpurgisnacht; she's smart; and most of us…" Kirika looks out at the assembly of your team and the Saints. "I'll be honest, sis, about half of these people just aren't."
"We'll get through this, Kirika," you say, once again hugging your sister. "I promise."
This is it, then. This is the best you can do. "All right, everyone, let's call it a night!" you yell out. All around you, the people who are still digging stop, some with more enthusiasm for the stop order than others. Your Quintet of familiars, in particular, are almost ecstatic about the order, throwing down their shovels and giggling to themselves; probably about their promised juice and hugs.
You swear to yourself, you aren't nearly as bad as the familiar that wears your shape.
"So, we're done now?" Kazumi asks, pulling herself and Scáthach back from their task. Behind them, Tomoe-san, Lancer, and Assassin all do the same, with Lancer and Assassin returning to their masters. "Are you… Are you sure about this, Akemi? I mean, we know there's bombs down there, now. Shouldn't we at least try to dig them up before we make camp for the night?"
"If they're as far down as your servant thinks they are, we'll be here all night if we try digging for them," you say, to which Scáthach nods her head. "It would probably be safer, given the circumstances, for us to not make camp here tonight. If Sidonia had mined the area closer to the surface, we might have been able to dig them out and make camp here safely, but I don't think that'll be possible now."
"So, where do you think we should stay now?" Asami Saki asks. "For as… Much of a non-starter as this idea of yours was, at least it made sense. Camp here, make sure Sidonia can't get to her big resource, maybe even stop her before her whole plan can go off at all; that made sense. So, do you have a better idea for where we should stay? Somewhere that'll maybe let us stick to that plan, but in a safer capacity?"
You look to your sister, who nods her head. "I think it would be best if we headed back to our own bases of operation for the night," you say. "Your base is close by, Tomoe-san, your building is close by, and my own building is close by. If we're all on alert, we can still make it in time to intercept her, but being split up means she won't be able to overrun all of us in one go if she's able to get the drop on us."
"Plus, it means we'll all get one more night with the people we care about," Kirika says. She makes her way over to Oriko, and slips an arm around her girlfriend's waist. "I don't know about any of you, but from personal experience, that's kind of a great morale boost when you're going into a life-or-death situation."
Wakaba Mirai takes Kirika's statement as an open invitation to mimic her, slipping out of her own dug hole and sliding into Asami Saki's, before mirroring Kirika's gesture by wrapping her arm around Asami Saki's waist. "Hey, sounds like a plan to me," Wakaba Mirai says. "That's the second time we've agreed on something tonight, crazy-face. I hope this doesn't become a regular thing."
Kirika sticks out her tongue at Wakaba Mirai. "Don't count on it," she replies.
"All right, you two, there's no need to fight," Asami Saki says. "Come on, we were doing so well today, too."
So that's where your two teams part ways for the night. The Pleiades Saints head back to the warehouse they call their temporary base, Hitomi follows Tomoe-san and Kyouko back to Tomoe-san's building – you don't blame her for choosing to follow one of her closest friends, when her other choices were "Go back home and be completely alone tonight and tomorrow morning", "Go with a bunch of total strangers" or "Go with you and your family, and have to chance being in the way of Oriko and Kirika as they make goo-goo eyes at each other" – and that just leaves you with one big question.
"So… Where should Einzbern-san stay for the night?"
It's Oriko that brings the question up, and Aunt Illya responds "Well, I'm going with all of you, aren't I?"
Kirika shakes her head. "Nope," she says. "Me and Oriko and Homura are going back to Homura's place, but dad's going back to Oriko's place to spend the night with mom." You can see the desire to be crass, to say something or to make a rude gesture, like you know she would do if it was just the two of you, but she keeps quiet, and instead offers Aunt Illya a hesitant "You can come back to Homura's place with us, if you don't have anywhere else to go."
Archer nods his head, and says to Aunt Illya "Kirika's got a good idea. Go with them; you'll get to spend more time with your nieces, and Rin and Sakura will be there, too, so it's not like you'll only be surrounded by people you don't know."
Aunt Illya looks excited at the prospect of spending the night with you and Kirika, but there's something holding her back. "Do you actually have enough space for all of us at your place?" she asks you. "Because I'm counting six of us, if Rin and Sakura are included; so, do you have a lot of guest rooms, or something?"
"I have a two-residence building," you say. "Tohsaka-san and Matou Sakura are occupying the upstairs residence. My room, and my parents' room, are both on the lower floor. We don't have a guest room, but I can make sure the couch is comfortable."
"I'd offer to let you stay in mom and dad's room," Kirika says. "But, me and Oriko are already gonna be staying there so we don't disturb Homura. Sorry, uh, auntie. We'll make sure there's some better accommodations for you the next time."
Archer raises an eyebrow; "And just what were you and Oriko planning on doing tonight that might 'disturb' Homura?" he asks. "I hope it was nothing more than you two being rowdy sleepers, and that you weren't planning on getting up to anything you mother and I wouldn't approve of."
Kirika says nothing. Oriko says nothing. You say "Dad, how early can you be ready to go tomorrow morning?" in an attempt to make their silence less incriminating than it already is. "We'll need you supporting Lancer and Assassin in the fight against Sigurd tomorrow."
"As early as it takes," Archer replies. "I want to make sure Minako is content and comfortable tonight so she can head off to her parents without any regrets. I'll try to make sure she's out of the mansion, if not later tonight after we've said our goodbyes, then as early as possible tomorrow morning. If I can get her on the first train heading to their station, the better."
"If it's that early, then feel free to make your way over to the apartment when you're done," you say. "That way, we're all in the same area when it's time for the attack to start."
"Do we even know when that'll be?" Aunt Illya asks. "I know Archer said November first when he was filling me in on what's going on, but… Well, it's getting pretty late already; it'll be tomorrow in Japan sooner than we're ready for. What if she goes off and we're all asleep?"
You shake your head. "I doubt that'll be the case," you say. "A year and a half ago, there was a witch named Walpurgisnacht who descended on Mitakihara, on the same date as the festival of the same name. It arrived at eight in the morning, which is when the festival would have started at midnight, in Germany." Aunt Illya nods her head, and you look to Archer to finish explaining things for you. "Archer?"
"We found numerous coded references to Bald Mountain and the Witches' Sabbath in Sidonia's research notes," Archer says. "Based on what we know, they're likely codes referencing the ritual to summon her Beast. Based on what we already know, and on the previous habit of Walpurgisnacht's Grief Seed, one of the key pieces of her plan, I'd imagine Sidonia is preparing to go off at eight in the morning tomorrow, which is when midnight on the Łysa Góra in Poland – the actual Bald Mountain, or at least the one Sidonia would be familiar with – would take place."
"I hope we're not wrong about that," you say. "But, based on what we know, that seems like the best guess for when Sidonia will commence with her plan."
So that's where you leave things for the night. You and Kirika say your goodbyes to your father, hugging him, and letting him hug you in turn. "You girls be safe now, you hear?" he asked you before leaving. "I'll see you bright and early tomorrow morning. Your mom and I love you so, very, very much."
"Stay safe, Archer."
"Love you, daddy. See you tomorrow."
A silence hangs on your breath as your company of four makes their way back to your apartment. From here, the walk back home isn't much farther than it takes you to walk from your apartment to school, and in twenty minutes you have arrived. There's no Amy to greet you at the door as you take your shoes off, so mom, no dad to welcome you home. You have your sister, and you and she look to each other for comfort as you step into your empty home.
You take the small amount of things you have with you, and are about to settle into your room for the night, when you hear a knock at the door. It's Matou Sakura. "Did you need me for something?" you ask, surprised to see her so late in the evening.
"I just wanted to give you a progress report, of sorts," Matou Sakura says. "I wasn't sure if you knew or not, but Sister, Archer, and I, managed to finish the spell around the city's leylines. It won't stop Sidonia from summoning her Beast, but once I activate it, it will shut off her ability to further spread her corruption and cut off her access to the city's leylines. Hopefully, she'll be easier to defeat from there."
You give Matou Sakura an affirmative "Good," for her trouble. "Are you, Tohsaka-san, and Medusa ready for tomorrow?" you ask. "What about Twardowski's Mirror? Is that safe?" If Matou Sakura won't destroy that accursed book, she can at least do everything in her power to keep it out of Sidonia's hands.
"As safe as Sister and I can make it,' Matou Sakura replies. She turns to look at Kirika, before your sister is able to get comfortable for the night with Oriko, and adds "I also brought Rider. She had something she wanted to say to your sister, didn't she?"
"Huh?" Matou Sakura's words take Kirika by surprise. "Your Rider had something she wanted to say to me?"
Medusa appears at her master's side, and gives a brief, but polite bow for Kirika. "I did,' Medusa says. "The other day, when you said that I looked cool… I really appreciated those words, daughter of Archer. Few have ever given compliment to my appearance, so hearing you say those words to me made me feel good."
"No problem, "Kirika says. "Just tell me where you do your clothes shopping and I'll say it as many times as you'd like. "Cause seriously girl, your sense of fashion fucking rocks."
Medusa's blush is almost hidden by her thick glasses, and by the strands of pale violet hair which cover her face as she bows again. "Thank you again for the compliment," she says. "But… I do not believe you could buy my outfit in a store. It was… A dress I wore in my youth, that, as you could see, did not entirely grow with me."
"Still fucking cool," Kirika says. "Just… Kinda sucks I can't buy anything similar."
"Dearest, what about that jacket your parents bought you?" Oriko asks, gently poking at the exposed arm under Kirika's detached sleeve. "The one you're wearing right now?"
"Oh! Yeah!" Kirika exclaims, as though she had complexly forgotten about the jacket she was wearing. "No, I'm super-glad mom and dad bought me this jacket. But, like, imagine if I could also have this, but as a dress? Wouldn't that be so cool?"
"If you want, I'll do some shopping and see if I can find something similar online," Aunt Illya offers. "I don't mind, if it's for my adorable niece."
"Don't encourage her," you say to Aunt Illya. "Not that Kirika wouldn't appreciate the offer, but mom already doesn't like it when people stare at Kirika for her… Fashion sense." You lean in, close enough so that only Aunt Illya can hear you, and you say "Besides, Kirika doesn't even wear dresses. If you really want to buy her a nice article of clothing, buy her a normal-looking dress shirt and a nice skirt. Black, orange, and pink are her preferred colours."
Right beside you, Aunt Illya whispers back, "Got it."
"Master, I felt the presence of an unfamiliar servant-" Berserker appears behind his master, wearing the dark suit that's usually characteristic of his time at Oriko's mansion. He stops himself, mid-sentence, and you wonder why, until you see what has caught his eye. "Excuse me, miss," he says to Matou Sakura. "I have not had the chance to get this close a look at you before, but… That hair, those eyes… Are you perhaps the young girl who lived at the Matou mansion some many years ago?"
It's as if you can hear Matou Sakura's heart stop inside her chest. "I… Yes," she says. "That was me. Are you…" She struggles to force the words from her throat. "Are you… Were you Uncle Kariya's servant?"
Berserker bows his head. "Matou Kariya was my previous master, that is correct," he says. You've only ever seen Berserker kneel for Oriko and Kirika before, but he kneels for Matou Sakura, and says "I give you my sincerest apologies, young Matou. Your uncle tried his best to win the Grail; the fault lay with me. Had I been a better servant for my master back then, you would not have been forced to endure so many long years of torment in that vile house."
You can see many mixed emotions on both Kirika and Matou Sakura's faces. For Kirika, the reason is obvious; you recall her mentioning how, in those earliest days, her servant would torment her with horrific nightmares, and his Mad Enhancement made him a terror and a horrible drain on her to command. Finding out that the woman who's been living in the room above you was the niece of her servant's former master must have come as a shock to her. But you can't imagine what Matou Sakura is feeling right now.
"No, that's fine," Matou Sakura says. "Berserker, was it?" Both Kirika and Berserker nod their heads. "I'm sure you also tried your best, Berserker. You must have had a wish that you wanted to achieve just as strongly as my uncle did. If anything, the fault lay with grandfather for forcing you into a class he knew would be difficult for Uncle Kariya to control." Matou Sakura shakes her head, and gestures for Berserker to rise. "Apologising now does not undo what I had to go through living in that house, and I can't accept your apology. Because you aren't the one at fault. Everything that happened to me in that house, is the fault of my grandfather, my brother, and of my father, Tokiomi Tohsaka."
Medusa places a hand onto her master's shoulder, and holds it there as Matou Sakura leans into that hand as though it's all she has left. "They cannot hurt you anymore, master," she says. "You are free." Medusa nods her head towards Berserker, and asks "So you are the servant of the previous Matou master?" to which Berserker nods his own head in response. "You have my gratitude. Even if your efforts failed, the fact that you and your previous master fought to save Sakura from that place is more than enough. I look forward to working alongside you tomorrow."
Your eyes wander to Kirika, who is standing there, still staring, not really sure what to make of what's going on in front of her. You wouldn't mind staring, either, but that's when you feel your phone vibrating. "Hello?"
"Homura, sweetie, why didn't you and Kirika come back with Archer?"
It's your mom. "Excuse me," you say, grabbing Kirika and excusing the two of you into the living room. "It's mom. We need to take this." You drag Kirika out with you, and as soon as it's just the two of you, you put your mom on speaker. "Hi mom," you say, and which Kirika also says. "Um, well, we wanted to be as close as we could be to where the action is going to be tomorrow," you say; "And, uh, we wanted to make sure you and dad-"
"We wanted to stay out of the way so dad could make you feel good without having to worry about keeping us awake from the noise,' Kirika says, finishing your thoughts with much less diplomacy involved.
"Don't be crass, Kirika." The response comes from Archer, not Minako.
"I appreciate the, uh, thoughtfulness, pumpkin," Minako says. "But, I wanted to get to see you and Homura one last time before all this. I miss you both already."
"We miss you too, mom," you say. "Really, I would have liked going back to the mansion and getting to see you one more time, but… We needed to be close to the action tomorrow. Archer can catch up with us after you two are… Finished, and he's seen you off safely to your parents'."
"Plus, think of it like this." A surprisingly mature statement follows from Kirika's mouth. "If we don't stay the night with you and dad, then that's me and Homura saying that we're confident we'll get through this, and see you again." You can see Kirika holding back some mist in her eyes, and she adds "We love you, mommy. We'll see you real soon, okay?"
"I love you too, pumpkin. You and Homura. Stay safe, okay? I don't- I don't want to lose either of my girls tomorrow."
"You won't," Archer says to Minako. "I'm going to do everything in my power to make sure all three of us come back safe and in one piece tomorrow. Oriko too; and everyone else, if I can manage it."
You hear the sound of Minako kissing Archer, followed by your mom saying "I love you girls. I wish I'd gotten to see you again before you went off… Doing something so dangerous, only a year and a half after having to do something else like this… I don't want to lose you. I'm scared; I'm scared that something'll happen tomorrow that'll hurt our family… I don't know if could live with myself if something happened tomorrow… Please come back safe, girls, Archer. I love you both, so, so much."
"It's going to be okay, mom," Mirika says. "We'll finish things up nice and early tomorrow, and then me, Homura, and dad will meet you at grandma and grandpa's place, and we'll all do something special together as a family. It'll be real nice, I promise."
"Mhm." You nod your head, even though you know your parents can't see you. "I have to believe that Kirika's telling the truth," you say. "We're all going to get through tomorrow safely, mom, I promise."
"I love you girls so much," Minako says. "Big hugs and kisses from me and your father. I… I'll see you two tomorrow. Stay safe. I love you."
"I love you too, mom."
"Bye, mommy. We'll see you tomorrow."
With that, Minako hangs up, and you imagine Archer will be spending more time comforting her, and getting her to believe that everything will be okay, than he will doing anything of the sort with her. "So… That's tomorrow," you say to Kirika. "Let's just hope that we can make it, and that Sidonia doesn't turn us into liars."
"I'll kill her if she tries," Kirika says. "She's already done more than enough to hurt my family. I won't let her do any more." Kirika pulls you in close, and wraps her arms around you in a warm and powerful hug. "We'll get through tomorrow, sis," she says. "We made a promise to mom that we'd stay safe. So we gotta."
"Right," you say, letting your arms find their place at Kirika's side as you reciprocate her hug. "We made a promise to mom. So we have to keep it."
[ ] Wat do?
