Fate/Clusterfuck (Fate/Stay Night)

[Erien]

[The Inferior Original and the Ballerina]

—

Your hand moves to your mouth, feeling the solid skin there. You press in against it, not even feeling teeth through it. It goes back about a quarter inch, then has stretched to its limit, revealing nothing. You lower the hand a moment later, staring at the door with Sakura's face above it. Sakura was a magus, but her talents were unknown to you. Taiga wasn't, and they were both likely in danger.

But Sakura…

Something pulled you towards Sakura. Without a word, without another thought you were running, and then you were through the threshold. The world of cubes disappeared instantly, instead, you found yourself standing in… ruins. Grecian ruins, white pillars, and ruined temples surrounded you, cracked, destroyed. With… fish swimming about them. The 'air' was replaced by water, with bubbles rising from the sandy floor beneath you. But it neither slowed you down nor affected your breathing in any way. You take a moment to process that, looking around. Before you spot Sakura, just a few feet away from your front.

Or rather, there were two Sakuras. One was the one you had known now for years, and she was hurriedly moving to step in front of and block from view a second Sakura. You only saw her for a moment, but that was enough to see rather obvious differences. She was… wearing one hell of an outfit, completely open down from her breasts to her crotch, with nothing but a little metal plate covering that. While her coat barely covered her breasts, but was long enough in the sleeves to completely cover her hands. She looks emaciated, far, far skinnier than Sakura was, but is also a good deal taller because she was wearing stilts or… prosthetics or something roughly two feet long with large protruding spikes out of the knees.

She had been in the process of turning around, and… you should not be admiring Sakura's ass, much in the same vein, you should not have been admiring her bust. But you found it very, very hard not to when she was wearing that. The second Sakura looks down at the one you knew, head tilted. Even with Sakura standing in front of her, she was easily taller, just due to her odd legs. Her hair shifted in the 'water' going well down past her knees. "So, you're the original?"

"W-what?" Sakura asks, "Who are… you?"

Sakura then looks back at you, then… screams. "Your mouth!?"

Sakura, at least, wasn't injured. Though you had no way of actually speaking to her.

"Are you alrigh-"


View: https://youtu.be/drcWXTIz7rc?list=PLs0-GZMtGnxJICogmG7NcHofRsP4S4uQu&t=15

"Too noisy!" the second Sakura barks, then jerks a leg upwards. Sakura barely gets a step toward you before her question is interrupted by a large metal spike jutting out of her neck. Blood erupts from the wound, and the spike slides back out with a wet, horrific, shwup sound. Sakura stumbles, her eyes wide, her hands twitching. Before her eyes roll back in her head and she falls forward onto the ground, her body jerking.

You scream without sound, sprinting forward. The space between you and Sakura's attacker closes in an instant, and your fist, reinforced by mana, is flying towards her head. It isn't the wisest attack, but you weren't thinking straight either. The woman with prosthetics watches you approach with a growing grin on her face.

*Crack*

Your fist crashes into the side of her face, and pain shoots up your arm. The woman… doesn't even turn her head. She continues to stare at you, open mouth, grinning, unmoved.

"I don't know you." The woman says, her eyes narrowing as she does so. "That means you aren't important."

Then her leg shoots up, faster than you can tra-

You stumble, your vision flashing. Your left-hand moves to the stump of your right as blood pours out around the jutting bone of your forearm past where your right hand and fist used to be. You watch, tripping backward as the hand falls onto the ground with a wet plop. You collide with Sakura's corpse, looking up at the woman. The skin around what used to be your mouth stretches painfully, your body begging to scream in agony and pain but nothing comes out.

Then Assassin was there, behind the duplicate, blade drawn and stabbing into the attacker's neck. Only, the blade stops, the tip pressed against the flesh, indenting it slightly, but doing little else. Assassin's eyes have a moment to open in surprise before they are locked in that position forever. The woman spins around, leg raised, and the next thing you know, Assassin is tumbling to the right, while her head goes left, separated at the neck. She catches it then, spike impaling the Assasin through the eye, she lets it slide down, observing it as blood pours down the leg. Then she tosses it at you, Assassin's head bouncing off your chest.

"I was hoping this would be more exciting." The woman complains, then turns to look at you.

You were still clutching your stump, in too much pain to rise. Your eyes locked onto the wide open, unblinking, eyes of Assassin.

"What, not going to fight? You can't defeat me, human, but you could at least try." She walks towards you, metal legs sinking into the sand. She stops, standing over you, looking down. "Or are you trying to protect that thing?" she asks, raising a sleeve towards Sakura.

Tears sting your eyes, and you start to try and get to your feet. To do something.

A swing of her leg, and you were missing one of your own. Causing you to fall back to the ground, howling without a mouth. Your vision was taken up by her now, standing over you, grinning from ear to ear.

"Oooh? You want to scream, is that it?"

She kneels, and the spike pierces the flesh where your mouth used to be. A howl of pain tears forth, and she laughs, a sleeve moving to her head as she rears her head back. "Yes! Scream! That's right! You're just a human~"

Then she turns her head back down, and pushes the knee down, slowly, your one remaining hand moves to it, grabbing it. But it's no use, you have lost too much blood already, and all you can do is feebly grab and pull as she pushes more and more weight down until the spine is pressing against the back of your throat. She pauses there, tilting her head, grinning from ear to ear as blood drips off of her. "Now, tell me, your brain or your spine?"

"... Both." She says a second later. Then jerks her leg.

A flash of pain is all you feel before it all goes dark.

—

Then you could see again, and you were screaming directly into the very bored face of the 'Sakura' who had brought you all here originally. She was leaning over you, a pointer held in her hand as she stared you down.

You jerk up, only to be halted by the pointer pressing itself against your chest and somehow holding you to the floor. You are slammed back into the ground, and then, and only then do you realize where you are. You are back in the room of blue cubes, an infinite sky above you, and just to your right is Sakura, but a jerky turn of your head shows no sign of Taiga.

"I expected more of my 'Master's' enemy," the woman says, saying the word 'master' with obvious distaste.

You ignore her, looking around for Taiga, but you see no sign of her, nor of the duplicate that had just killed you… and…

"Yes yes, do keep up." The woman above you chides. Then the point is pressed against your cheek and forcefully turns your head to look at her. "Now, if you want to keep your mouth, don't open it." She then smiles. "Okay? I was kind enough to give you your hand and leg back so at least behave."

You don't speak, you don't move. You didn't know what was going on, but you weren't in the mood to make this situation worse, either.

"Now, my 'Master' wishes to talk to you. Because she feels delightfully guilty." She continues. "And I, BB, saw fit to… help out." She draws the point across your face, then taps your mouth. "Oooh yes, I see those questions dancing around in your head, you want to ask who my master is? Ask, amuse me."

"Where's Taiga?" you ask.

BB blinks. Then grins. "Taiga? Oh, so she has that name here as well… Why do you care? You went running after Sakura, not Taiga. She doesn't matter in all of this. All that matters is you, and my master. Why she cares so much about your opinion I have no idea, but I'm such a kind 'servant', sorting all of this out."

"Where's Taiga?" you repeat.

"You're breathing her," BB replies, her face splitting open in a far too-wide grin. "She's data now, floating in the space between bits. All because you thought Sakura was more precious to you." She then looks over at Sakura, tilting her head and tapping the pointer against her cheek. "Is she spreading her legs for you?"

"What do you want!?" you shriek.

BB blinks, then looks back at you, the smile fading. "My. Master. Wants. To. Talk. To. You. Do try and keep up, you silly human."

"And who is that?"

She presses the pointer against her palm and collapses it, then keeps going, closing her hands together. Then she splits them apart again, revealing the point to be missing, instead, it is replaced by a yearbook photo of…

"Tohsaka?"

"Tohsaka Rin~," BB says. "Correct, and a hundred points to you. I came here as I only wished to meet Sakura. But Rin, silly little Rin feels so bad about her part in all of this, oh she stays up every night crying." BB moves a fist to the corner of her eye, twisting it to mimic wiping away a tear. "So, I thought I would complete two goals at once, aren't I kind?"

Then you felt it, a tickling at the back of your mind. A familiar presence, the link between you and Caster. You don't acknowledge it, continuing to stare at BB as she monologues. "I let my…" BB pauses. "Well, I let the others have some fun as well. Now, here's how this is going to work. You are going to follow my directions, meet my Master, and I juuuust might think about giving you Taiga back." BB says.

The tone of her face as she finishes her offer was sweet, the smile was anything but. It was cruel and mocking.

"Or, you can just stay here until I'm bored of playing~," BB says. "So, what will it be?"

Rin had two servants then, or BB was lying. Either was entirely possible, as you were either in an illusion or something more. You couldn't tell, frankly, it was rather hard to think straight at the moment in any case. All you knew was that Taiga was missing, this thing was claiming to represent Rin, and you had no idea where Assassin was.

Caster was here, at least, what that meant you didn't know. But you were at a disadvantage, that much you knew. But then, how was that different than any other day in this nightmare of a war?

BB leans down, her face a foot from your own. She searched your face for a few moments, looking you over as you lay on the ground. "Do try and think faster. I was kind enough to bring you back after Melt had her fun." She then stands up again. "Or don't, it doesn't matter. I got what I came here for. What my 'Master' wants, well." BB rolls her eyes. "After trapping me in that awful phone, after what she did to me, she should be counting her blessings."

You-

—

[] [Call Medea]
Dear little Shirou was going to try and take control of the situation, or break out, how very desperate.

[] [Stall for Time]
Ah yes, the most patient man in the world waiting for someone else to do something. That would certainly be different at least.

[] [Agree]
Good boy, follow my commands and the pain stops~

—

Did you think I was going to be a meme lord and Melt was going to be a waifu?


View: https://i.imgur.com/PQQd4MB.jpeg

This war, these people.

They are toys.

A broken doll, a shattered mirror looking offering a reflection that isn't there, and a burned toy soldier attempting to save the day. How very…

Pitiful.

—

Thanks to @Armoury for the beta!

 

[Erien]

View: https://youtu.be/FeYk8sjPYQk

[Agree]

Thanks to @Armoury for the beta!

—

"Fine, I'll speak to Rin." You say. "Give Taiga back."

BB tilts her head and her eyes widen, showing just about all of the whites. "Do you think you are in any position to make requests?"

You push against the ground. "Give Taiga ba-"

—

Then you were back, standing in Taiga's room as you had been just a short time ago. Only now, Sakura was in your arms, and the room was crowded. Medea and Circe, Fujimaru, Shielder, Archer and Ayako were in the room. And you only have a single, solitary moment to process this, and the fact that Sakura was still unconscious and in your arms before Medea has fully taken up your frame of view. She barely has a moment to open her mouth before Ayako is there.

"Master/Shirou are you okay!?"

You ignore both of them, turning to instead look to where the phone on the floor is buzzing. You stare at it for a moment, processing everything that was happening. Then offer Sakura to Archer who takes her with a look of surprise, consternation, and worry. You ignore Medea and Ayako, both peppering you with questions, and instead you kneel, stripping the phone from the brick, then flip it open. The screen displays… a tiny little version of BB, holding a sign above her head that has an address in Downtown Fuyuki written on it. Then the image switches, showing a little graphic of a tiger with a red 'X' over it.

Then the address comes back, the little BB waving the sign around.

"We're going after Rin," you say, not getting up, not looking away from the phone.

"Tohsaka... Why?" Ayako asks.

You grab the phone, staring at it for a moment, then you slip it into your pocket and stand. The entire group was staring at you, most now with expressions of concern or confusion. Or in the case of Circe, nothing readable at all. Assassin was gone as well, you note, probably trapped… in there. "Because she's kidnapped Taiga," Archer bristles, but says nothing, glancing down at Sakura a second later. "Her servant is in the phone… or was using it, I don't know. At the moment I don't care. But she's holding Taiga hostage until we meet Rin."

You then look at Fujimaru. "Do you know BB? Do you know what she's capable of?"

Fujimaru blinks, "wh-"

"Yes or no."

Fujimaru hesitates for a moment, then nods her head. "I do."

"Then I'm-"

"Not going." A new voice speaks up, it's male, aged, and has all the weight of a slammed door.

The servants and the masters part, to reveal Raiga standing on the threshold of Taiga's room. He looks as he always done, aged, slightly hunched, and holding his cane. But there was something else now, a weight to his presence he only hinted at before, his weight, near blind eyes were staring directly at you now, any trace of humor or familial joviality gone.

"Emiya, please explain where my granddaughter has gone."

"She's been kidnapped by another mas-"

"Rin Tohsaka, yes," Raiga says cutting you off. "It was a rhetorical question. Give me the address."

"Third street, across from the hospital. Suite 430." You reply. "I'm going after her."

"Oh?" Raiga asks, tilting his head ever so slightly. "And do what, Mr. Emiya?"

"Talk to her, she did this just so she could talk to me."

Raiga enters the room, his cane tapping against the floor with a soft little tap tap tick. It's the only sound emitted as he does so. He comes to a stop a foot away from you, then he looks up. "Perhaps things have changed since I was a younger man. When I had my youth, if I wished to speak to someone, I would send them a letter. Or, approach them at their place of work." He looks to the window, to the brick, and then to you once more. "It seems things have changed, but then, the Tohsaka family has always been a bold one."

He walks over to the window, looking out into the morning light. "That is why they are nearly extinct." He takes a few moments, letting silence fill the room. "You will chase after this 'monster' of yours, fetch Illya, she's in the garden. Keep to your plans Mr. Emiya. I shall handle my own."

"Brave, but foolish. A magus and their servant are nothing to scoff at." Circe comments.

Raiga looks up slightly, then turns around. His face was like that of a stone carving, it showed no emotion at all. "If every Magus could simply do whatever they wished, there would be a lot more of them." Then he smiles, very thinly. "I know of her actions near the forest, and now she does this."

"What will you do?" you ask.

Raiga's smile fades. "I will be making some calls, and then the issue will be resolved in the manner as is customary."

"But what about Taiga-" you start.

"I shall retrieve her," Raiga replies. "And you, will go about the task you assigned for yourself."

You stare back at the man, "BB, the servant, she didn't imply Rin knew about this."

"And if one of my men were to commit a fault without me knowing, do you believe I would be free from blame?" Raiga asks. "Or are you simply hoping you can settle this with words," Raiga shakes his head. "No, Mr. Emiya. We are well beyond words now, this 'war' as the Magus call it has grown out of control. But it isn't a war. They can hide in their workshops, they can hide in that church. I shall show them a war."

"There's no guarantee that you'll be able to get Taiga back without me talking to her." You reply.

"Nor is there guarantee your presence will bring her back," Raiga replies. "I am no Magus Mr. Emiya, and every day I wake up thankful for that. But I have my ways and methods." He then walks to the door and pauses at the threshold. "If you interfere, I will remove you from this house. Go about your task Mr. Emiya, and leave me to mine." Then he closes the door behind himself.

"Shi… Shirou, is he about to kill Rin?" Ayako asks slowly.

"Yes." You reply curtly.

"You can't let him do tha-"

"And why can't I?" you ask, snapping your head to Ayako.

Your girlfriend lurches back.

"She isn't our classmate anymore, she's killing people, and her servant butchered Sakura and took Taiga." You look to Sakura. "I found her in there, and a servant punched a hole through her throat and she bled to death right next to me, I don't even know if she's okay."

You step towards the door yourself, and Caster places a hand on your shoulder. "Are you… alright, master?"

"No," you reply. You wanted to go after Taiga, you wanted to save her. But should you? Raiga said he was handling it, and you didn't much want to talk to Rin. The only reason you'd go is for Taiga. You didn't care about Tohsaka these days, not after everything that had happened. You didn't care about any Magus except those you closely knew.

But… that monster was also on the loose, and Raiga had made his warning to you clear.

You step forward, brushing off Medea's hand. Only for another to grab you by the shoulder and turn you.

It was Archer.

The tan man was looking down at you with an expression you didn't care to decipher. "What do you plan on doing?"

If you leave the monster, if you don't chase it down. More people were going to die. If you did, Rin was likely going to die. Only one of those you cared about at the moment, but it wasn't the one that had Taiga involved. You didn't know what to do. You wanted to do both. You didn't have control of the situation. You didn't have control of anythi-

Another hand is placed on your shoulder.

"First rule of Kyudo?"

You pause, then draw in a deep breath. "Breath." You then turn your head to look at Ayako.

"You can't just let him kill Rin," Ayako says.

"And why can't he? She has harmed him, and now hurts his family." Caster replies.

"Either decision is a valid one," Circe says. "It would seem that man can handle himself, but every moment that monster is about… well…"

You glance at Fujimaru, and she raises her hands. "I… don't know?" Shielder also looked mostly confused.

"Just be certain of whatever you are about to do," Archer says. "There's no going back."

… Is that ever even an option? To try and guarantee Taiga's safety, and potentially save Rin's life. Or save many.

You hate this war.

—

Sorry for the shorter chapter, but this changes some things rather drastically going forward. This vote is more complicated than it seems.

[] [Go after Rin]
You were going to get to the bottom of her actions, you were going to get Taiga back. You didn't give a damn about what Raiga wanted. To be honest, you didn't care what Rin wanted either.

[] [Go after The Monster]
You were going with your original plan, you were going to deal with that monster before more lives were lost, and you were going to end this war.

---

Please vote if you enjoy the chapter!

 

[Erien]

[X] [Go after The Monster]

Edit: Fugg

Click to shrink...

Sorry, the players decided to go with Rin.

And you know, it's worth mentioning.

I wonder how many people thought this vote wasn't important?

Fate/Clusterfuck (Fate/Stay Night) Mature - Fantasy - Modern

Next chapter will be by the tenth, in the meantime. What's your favorite route? Yes this does change things. [] [Fate] [] [Unlimited Blade Works] [] [Heaven's Feel] ---

forums.sufficientvelocity.com

 

[Erien]

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J-KVm-nKo5E


[Go after Rin]
You were going to get to the bottom of her actions, you were going to get Taiga back. You didn't give a damn about what Raiga wanted. To be honest, you didn't care what Rin wanted either.

Damn the torpedoes, full steam ahead. So begins the end of the Fuyuki arc.

Thanks to @Armoury for the beta!

—

You don't even have to think about it, it's not a question to you. The monster is still rampaging, it is still hurting people. But Rin has taken Taiga. There were no other options, there is no alternative, no backup plan. You were going to get her back. Raiga could do whatever he wanted, you were doing this. "We're going after Rin, we're getting my sister back."

"And… what are you going to do to Rin?" Ayako asks.

"Keeping her alive is the easiest way to protect Taiga, and she… or her servant, is currently holding Taiga hostage." You look at your girlfriend. "I won't kill her unless I have to, beyond that, I can't promise anything."
"If… if you have to!? What kinda thought process is that?! You can't just get her killed!" Ayako half shouts, half screeches.

"You're thinking like a human," you reply deliberately quietly… and tiredly for that matter. "You can't, not here."

"You're a human!" Ayako says, grabbing your shoulders. "Did you change when I wasn't looking!?"

You stare at her, you wonder… Do you look like Kiritsugu at the moment? "I'm a Magus, and so is Rin. We are separate from humanity, and most Magus as a whole care little for them. Rin has already killed at least one innocent person, endangered many, and is now putting Taiga at risk. Taiga isn't a Magus, she got involved in this when she saved," you raise a finger to point at the comatose Sakura. "Her life, Sakura, who is currently comatose because of Rin's servant's actions." You lower the hand. "She attacked me in broad daylight, she caused someone to be killed. She has hurt others. She isn't human, she's a Magus, and I have to treat her as such. She's no different than Shinji was."

"You… you can't really mean that?"

"Why can't I?" you ask. "You'd be fighting her if she threatened your family. You…" You stare at Ayako for several moments, saying nothing. "You can't save everyone."

"He's not wrong," Caster says, and you look at her. Medea is… Medea is looking at you with genuine pity in her eyes, more emotion than she ever bothered to show publicly before beyond anger and worry.

You sigh again, this is just wasting time. "Ayako, can you stay here and look after Sakur-"

"No." Ayako hisses. "Rin's my childhood friend, and I'm going, and you'd have to fight to stop me."

"Fine." You really didn't feel like arguing at the moment.

—

You almost made it outside when you heard his voice. "Mr. Emiya, are you going after that monster of yours?"

You pause at the threshold, then turn your head to look at Raiga standing by the doors to his office. Sakura is still out of it, having been deposited in her room by Archer who is now looking over her. That 'only' left you with Medea, Circe, Illya, Rider, Ayako, Fujimaru and Shielder. Illya for her part is rather excited about all of this, Fujimaru has said little, and Shielder seemed to be in a perpetual state of 'determined nervousness'.

"No, I'm going after Taiga," you reply. Staring up at the man who for many years you had considered a second father.

He is staring down at you, flanked by two of his men on the upper balcony. "I do believe Mr. Emiya, we just had a conversation about that. I've had clients of mine on standby now for the past week, and they are already in position."

"My apologies, I'm sure they are quite expensive, and… you've been very kind to me over the years Raiga. But you aren't my father, and you cannot give me orders. My father died when I was very young, both of them did." You shake your head. "I'm not going to lose my sister too, not while I'm still capable of fighting for her."

"If you do this, you won't ever be welcome back in this house. You understand this boy?"

You smile, genuinely. "You have been very kind to me Mr. Fujimura, and I only hope someday I can repay you. But… this is something I have to do."

You see the corner of Raiga's lip twitch slightly upwards, then he turns and walks back into his office. You watch him go, then you are gone as well, possibly for the last time.
—

It is… a hotel highrise, one of those fancy ones that have marble lobbies and more fountains than necessary. It isn't much taller than the buildings around it, but then, in this part of Fuyuki, all the buildings were quite tall regardless. You have been walking towards the entrance when you felt a brush against your shoulder, and heard Medea speaking in your ear even though you couldn't see her. "Master, someone has put a perception filter over the entrance… non-magi would ignore the building."

"Rin's doing?" you ask.

"Possibly."

You nod your head, then keep walking. The only people around you now are Ayako, Illya, and Fujimaru, the rest are invisible, having slipped into spirit form so as to not draw attention. Mordred, for her part, was staying back at the mansion for now… too much of a loose cannon. Ayako draws gazes regardless due to what she is wearing, but there is only so much you can do there. You press on the glass and step through, into the…

"What…" You start.

"Someone's been busy~" Illya says in a singsong voice, head peeking around your hip to gaze into the interior.

White pillars, black marble floor, no less than two fountains and a bar. It is the picture of glamor and wealth that made up much of downtown Fuyuki. It is also, you note, filled with sprawled about, unmoving people. None of them were in unnatural positions, those on chairs and sofas were merely slumped to the side, the rest were… just fallen to the floor. Bags, suitcases and clothes lay strewn about, and the air is rich with the scent of spilt coffee. Only three people are standing, and all three of them are standing next to the elevator… and all three of them are staring at you as you enter.

The first man, farther to the left of the elevator is a man, tall, wearing a leather jacket and jeans. He has slicked black brown hair, sunglasses, and his face is covered in jagged scars. To his left is… a woman with shoulder length red hair, red eyes looked at you curiously through clear glasses, she is wearing little more than a simple white shirt and orange jacket and pants. All are smoking except the last, and the last one is the closest.

And it's…

It's…

"Mr. Souichirou?" you ask.

Kuzuki was a tall man, stern, and didn't talk much outside of class. But he was kind enough, though you knew him little. He is a teacher at Homurahara Academy, though not one you interacted with all that often.

"Mr. Emiya." Kuzuki responds with a small nod of his head. He opens his mouth again to speak, only to pause, his eyes quickly shifting to something over shoulder.

"Miss Mitsuzuri, what… are you wearing?"

"I… I don't want to talk about it." Ayako replies.

Kuzuki stares at Ayako for several moments, his expression not changing… you've never seen it change no matter the circumstance. Then he looks to Illya, to Fujimaru, and then to you. It isn't curiosity in his gaze in the slightest.

"Why are you here?"

"I'm here to talk to Rin," you say, then take a step forward. "Did you…" You look around at the people, they were all breathing, but none were really moving. "Hurt these people?"

The scarred man by the elevator blows out a long stream of smoke from his cigarette, it doesn't hang like normal smoke should, it falls down to the ground like a heavy gas before disappearing. "Just sleeping. We're only here for the girl."

You keep your gaze focused on Kuzuki, he is the only one you know here. "Rin is holding Taiga hostage, and we have no guarantee of getting her back without me talking to her first. She did all this so she could speak to me."

"That so?" the scarred man asks. "Could have just sent a letter."

The woman, who this entire time has been staring at you and only you. Lowers the cigarette from her mouth and idly flicks her finger against the end of it, sending ash down onto the polished floor. Her other hand moves, revealing a small suitcase. "You're Shirou Emiya right?"

You nod your head.

"Son of Kiritsugu Emiya?"

"Adopted." You reply. "Why?"

The scarred man lifts his sunglasses, staring at you with squinted, blue eyes. "Huh," then he lowers them again, taking another drag from his cigarette. "I was wanting to finish this cigarette anyway, go on ahead."

"Those are not our orders." Souichirou says, looking back. It isn't accusatory, or even questioning, just a simple statement of fact.

"Isn't our orders to stop him either," the scarred-man replies. "Besides, he's an Emiya, they're all fucking batshit."

You want to question him on that, and the woman, but you don't have time for that at the moment. Any second you waste, is possibly a second where Taiga's life is in danger. So instead you merely nod your head and step past your teacher, making your way to the elevator. The woman continues to stare at you as you wait for it to come down, then gives what you… assume to be a friendly wave as your assembled mass gets onto it and rides to the upper floors.

"Shirou… who were they?" Ayako asks.

"No idea," you reply honestly, watching the numbers tick by on the elevator. "I'm just happy we got here before they got to Rin. Caster… is Souichirou a mage?"

"Not that I could tell," Caster's voice replies. "The other two were though."

"One smelt of death and decay," Circe's voice replies from elsewhere. "The other smelled like nothing but tobacco."

"Well, hopefully they stay willing to wait," you say, then step through the doors of the elevator as they open again on the 40th floor. Rin has the penthouse suite, she's the only door on the floor. You walk across the short hallway, reach the door, and without a moment's pause you rap your knuckles on it.

There's silence for several moments, then a shuffling, then it opens to reveal…

Rin, surprisingly, you expected to see her Saber, or a magic spell. But instead it's Rin, a Rin who looks… remarkably more tired than you had ever seen her. She was covered in cuts and scrapes hastily bandaged, her eyes had deep purple bags, and she looked absolutely miserable.

For a brief moment you nearly reached out to her, to ask her what was wrong, but your purpose takes over. "Rin. You wanted to talk?"

She blinks, once, twice, then her eyes widen rather dramatically. "Wait… Shirou!? How…" She blinks again, then straightens up. "What are you talking about?"

You reach into your pocket and produce the phone.

Rin's eyes flit to it, her expression of dignified confusion turning into regular confusion quickly. "How'd… how did you get that?" then she looks past you, her eyes widening further. "Ayako… why are… what are you wearing!?"

You feel more than see Ayako dip behind you to hide. "It was thrown through my window, where I met BB, where she kidnapped Taiga and made Sakura comatose."

Rin's eyes flit back to you, and… she still looks confused. "Taiga? Wait, who's BB?"

"Your servant has kidnapped Taiga, are you saying this isn't your doing?" you ask.

"I have no idea what you're talking about!" Rin half shouts, half growls. "You just came here out of nowhere with… who the heck are all these people?!"

"Backup," you reply simply. "In case."

"In case what?" Rin asks, crossing her arms. "I'm not going to just… attack you."

"So that attack on the edge of town was just how you say hello then? An innocent person died Rin."

"You think I wanted to!? I was trying to deal with your servant, and it's your servant that destroyed my house!" Rin screeches. "I can't help people getting in the way of all this!"

You open your mouth to retort, then you hear it, a familiar jingle.

—


View: https://youtu.be/MlPJTn04YSs

—

You're back in that odd… cubed… place. Though this time you're standing. It's the same room you appeared in originally, only this time… Fujimaru is standing right beside you with Shielder, and Rin is right in front of you, in the exact same position she had been a moment before.

A laugh without mirth sounds out over the area, and you look up to see BB floating in the air roughly the size of a building. One hand was propping up her chin, the other was holding a noose, a noose wrapped around the neck of a doll that roughly looked like Taiga.

"Hello Rin~" BB greets with a singsong tone.

Rin looks around in confusion for several moments before jerking around to look at BB. "Shirou, where is thi-"
"He had nothing to do with this," BB says, now standing just in front of Rin with a flash of light. BB then tilts her head, raising a finger to poke her lip, the other now swinging the Taiga doll around by the noose in a wide circle. "Well, I suppose he did. I asked him to come by and speak to you, and he was a very good boy who promised he would."

"Who… who are you?" Rin asks.

"BB," the Sakura-look-alike replies. "Or your phone… oh, what did you call it? Ah yes. 'Artificial Assistant' was what you called me. You were much too stupid to realize you were talking to a servant I suppose."

Rin recoils, taking several steps back. "You were…"

"Yes." BB replies, teleporting behind Rin and leaning close to her ear.

Rin yelps and leaps forward, spinning around to face the grinning BB.

"You asked me so many questions when you found I could respond, but you never questioned that. Too stupid to realize that little niggling voice suggesting you seek the aid of that Church NPC wasn't your own in your dreams, too stupid to realize that Shirou hasn't been hunting you." BB laughs, and she laughs hard and ugly, hands wrapping around her stomach as pure joy erupts from her. "You thought I was some form of 'assistant'! You're stupid in every universe."

"BB." Fujimaru says, "Stand down."

The laughter ceases like someone flipped a switch, and BB looks at Fujimaru with a perfectly flat expression. No, that wasn't entirely true, her mouth showed nothing, her eyes showed everything. Pure, raw, disgust. "Master master master… I simply came along so I could meet the original 'me', and frankly, I'm disappointed. Aren't I due some recompense for that, and besides." Her eyes flit to Rin, and the smile returns. "An opportunity to torture Tohsaka… why that's just too good to give up."

"But now." Her pointer stick appears in her hand, "for the point of all of this." She points to Rin. "Dear Tohsaka has been in such tears lately, oh she cries every night, wailing and sobbing, lamenting the life of a Magus." BB rolls her eyes. "And she was so proud until cute widdle Shirou said he was gonna kill her."

BB snorts, then looks at you. "She didn't even hesitate when the priest said what was going to happen to her servant, she just wanted power so she could get back at you for your servant destroying her dinky little house." She raises a hand. "Mind and free will of that servant gone," she snaps her fingers. "Just like that."

Then BB is gone, and she reappears, floating over the landscape again. "So, I thought I'd make her feel aaaaall better by summoning her precious little Shirou so he could talk to her, and now he has. Of course," BB looks down at Rin with an unkind grin. "He didn't do this for you, he did this because I have Taiga in my possession." BB holds out a hand, dangling the Taiga doll. "Now, you two are free to talk as much as you want but… well. I've found I'm not overly fond of Shirou, but I'm fond of you Rin even less. So my offer is simple."

BB's eyes then flick to you. "If you want Taiga back?"

—


View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3xB7Fw96NQI

—

"Then just kill Rin!" BB says with glee. "End her life, and you can have your precious Taiga back. I'm bored of her, she's far too stupid." Then you hear her voice whisper in your ear. "And… don't think about your servants, they are currently busy dealing with her Saber." An image flashes in front of you, Rin's apartment on fire, Medea and Circe casting spells at a figure dressed in black, then it's gone.

You turn around to see BB standing there, hands on her hips. "It's a nice double deal isn't it? You kill her, no more servant, your friends are safe." Then she's gone again, appearing in the sky once more, and you slowly turn your head to look at Rin.

…

She is looking at you, and gone was the fierce, determined girl you have known, gone was the school idol. She looks… scared. "S-Shirou?"

—

[] [Kill Rin]

[] [Refuse]

[] [Write-in]

 

[Erien]

[X] Command seal to summon Mordred
-[X] Ask Fujimaru what BB's weaknesses are

Vote locked.

 

[Erien]

Also, since I've received notes about it.

There will be significant downtime between the HGW and the GHGW. Sauron is coming, but he's scouting. So plenty of time for training, character 'sidequests' and the like.

Yes that means more Medea content. Quest doesn't end with Sauron gone anyway, there'll be quite a few post quest chapters and then epilogue.

 

[Erien]

Q&A this Sunday at 1200 EST.

It'll be necessary.

Join the Erien's Writings Discord Server!

Check out the Erien's Writings community on Discord - hang out with 86 other members and enjoy free voice and text chat.

discord.gg

 

[Erien]

View: https://youtu.be/LHTtYkHqJqY?si=VX-eJIjnhtx9P6UD

[X] Command seal to summon Mordred
-[X] Ask Fujimaru what BB's weaknesses are

Thanks to @Armoury for the beta!

One command seal for Mordred remains.

—

"S-Shirou?"

Time slows, yet your breath quickens all the same. What was the correct course of action here? To save Taiga, there was nothing you wouldn't do, up to and including trading your life for hers. She had also taken care of you after Kiritsugu died, and she was the closest thing you had left to family. To that end, what was Rin? Nothing, she was nothing to you. Someone you used to admire, but now… now that is gone. You would trade her life for Taiga's without a second thought. But, she was apparently ignorant of all of this. That excused nothing, but you weren't going to kill her out of hand, especially not on the orders of a creature like this.

You look at Rin, staring at the girl you used to admire. She was beautiful, that was about the only thing she had left going for her. Then you look at BB, the servant staring back at you from her perch above, a very smug look on her face.

"Not all of them," you reply. 'Mordred, to me.'

The second group of command seals on your wrist lights up, then all but one remaining mark for Mordred remains. The swordswoman appears just in front of you, hunched, bleeding as always, with a blank expression. She turns her head slowly, taking in the scene around her. And I turn my attention to Fujimaru.

"How do we deal with BB?"

Fujimaru begins to speak.

"Oh, just talk about me like I'm not even here, why don't ya!?" but BB shouts before she can, her voice booming across the landscape.

Then a loud crash sounds out as a blur flies by you with enough speed to whip your jacket back. The Sakura lookalike that had 'killed' Sakura just earlier was back, and had slammed spiked-feet first into Mash's shield. The servant's feet drag across the hollow ground, and she twists the weapon, causing the clone to quite literally pirouette away like a ballerina.

"You don't think you have any power here? Do you?"

Mash blocks again, the shield a blur as she snaps it from place to place to block and parry the blows.

"This is my realm!"

Mordred grunts, and you look to the Berserker to see a faint grin starting to form on her face.

"I gave you a simple task, why do you even care if Rin lives?"

"I don't," you reply.

Rin starts, you ignore her.

"But I'm not going to kill anyone just because you tell me to. I just want Taiga back. You have no right to be doing this."

BB arches a brow, looking between you and Mordred. "What exactly do you expect to do then, you can't defeat me."

You close your eyes for a few moments, you let out a breath. Controlled, slow, just like archery. Then you open them once more, glaring at BB. "No, but I can try."

BB is then in front of you, hand on her hips, a mildly annoyed expression on her face. Not a face of challenge, not even a face of anger. Just mild annoyance, like someone had left a door slightly ajar when they left the room. Then she smiles, it isn't exactly much better. "Well, you won't win, but this could at least be vaguely entertaining." Then she looks Mordred up and down clinically, hand on her chin. "The walking corpse won't be much of a challenge howe-"

Mash goes flying past the two of you, the shield nearly clipping BB as she sails off. The alternate Sakura skating after her a split second later. Fujimaru is by your side a moment after that, panting, and glaring at BB.

"So, answer my previous question?" you ask, tilting your head towards Fujimaru but not looking away from BB.

"None." Fujimaru replies solemnly.

"Aren't I just perfect?" BB asks in a singsong voice.

Then Mordred moves, sword moving up in a wide cut right to left. BB smiles.

Then catches it. The blade slaps against her palm then moves no further, her fingers closing around the edge of the blade and squeezing, causing the shriek of metal to fill the air as her thin fingers cause the metal to dent.

"BB, stop this!" Fujimaru shouts.

BB rolls her eyes, then flings the blade, and by extension Mordred over her shoulder. "Oh, is my ex-master giving me orders?"

"Ex-master?" Fujimaru asks.

BB waves her hand dismissively. "Our contract was boring, this is a new grail war, new rules. I voided it and got a new one."

"How is that even possible!?" Fujimaru shouts.

BB smiles, then looks at the still unmoving Rin Tohsaka. "Terms and conditions." She turns her head back, only for the smirk to drop and BB to leap back as a shadowy figure darts out of Fujimaru's hand to take a swipe at BB. The figure is indistinct, but female, and is seemingly fighting with their fists.

"Arthur!"

BB darts to the side as Mordred's sword goes crashing down against the ground. It bounces against the see-through surface, and the swordswoman spins around, carving towards BB's legs. The Sakura lookalike stops the blade with her heels, then twists and kicks the Berserker away. Another fist flies towards BB's head, and she stabs her wands forward, a blast of magical energy erupting from it and causing the 'servant' to dissipate, only for BB to be forced to take a step to the side as another shadow goes tearing by her, narrowly missing. This one is masculine and tall, with giant… wheels in each hand.

Disantly the clang of metal upon metal sounds out as Mash does her best to keep the other… thing busy. And you are standing there, taking it all in. No longer. The bow forms in your hand with a thought, the arrow appears with another.

BB laughs, grasping the shadowy man's head between her hand and crushing it. Then she leaps over a wide swing from Mordred. "I'm not your daddy, little girl!"

Mordred roars in rage.

*Thwip*

The arrow sails towards the back of BB's head. It hits, then… glances off, falling to the ground with a clatter. BB looks back at you, then smiles. "I'm sorry, were you doing something there?"

"GANDR!"

A bolt of energy slaps against BB's face, and she turns to stare at her 'Master'. Rin was standing just a few feet away, having moved in the chaos. She had her right arm up and her hand was pointed like a gun, and she was glaring at BB.

"GANDR!"

"GANDR!"

More bolts of light, each successively larger, all hitting BB but doing nothing. "Should I feign being hurt for your entertainment master?" BB asks, smiling.

"GANDR!"

The bolt hits, and still… does nothing.

"ARTHUR!"

Then BB goes flying as Mordred's sword slams into her side. The servant tumbles, rolling across the landscape before she recovers, one, and only one arm planted against the ground, the other was laying just a foot in front of you, leaking little 'blocks' like those the floor and landscape was made of instead of blood.

Mordred follows, sword dragging along the ground before it swings once more at BB. BB jerks out of the way of another shadowy figure, this one a woman in a veil with an odd, foursided blade. Then her remaining arms snaps up, catching Mordred's blade once more… only now it's a struggle, her arm shaking.

"I'm your Master right!? Even if I don't have command seals, I'm your source of mana!"

BB stares at Rin, then… smiles. "Oh, very good! Ten points to you, but what is it about Magus and always shouting out their plan?" BB then looks at you, "not bad, I think I like you more now… but this game is over."

Rin shouts in alarm, and you jerk your head back to see… a new figure has appeared behind her now. It's Sakura… but not. She was monstrous, standing atop a pair of gargantuan golden claws and with a body shaded like that of an ancient clay goddess. She had the claws around Rin's waist, points digging into her.

You start to move, but by then it's already too late. The points sink, then the claws tear apart, a terrified, pain-filled scream echoing across the alien landscape before Rin falls silent, two halves of her, uneven, bloody, broken fall to the ground… and all the while BB laughs joyously.

"Stupid, stupid Magus! So very egotistical!" BB lets go of Mordred's blade, and it crashes down onto her, cutting her in half from the right shoulder down, but she remains standing, motes of 'data' floating out of her as she grins with half a face at Fujimaru. "Oh, don't look like that master, it's just another Magus."

She then takes an impossible step forward, and her body reforms itself. She pays little attention to the shouting Mordred behind her as she moves.

"BB…" Fujimaru says, but nothing else.

BB rolls her eyes. "Oh please. She may look like Ishtar but she's nowhere near that useful. But regardless, I'm going back now, I got what I wanted, and, frankly…" She looks at the bloody, ruined remains of Rin with a sneer. "I'm not even sure it was worth the effort."

Then she raises her hand, and snaps her fingers.

—

You are back in the apartment, or, more accurately, what remained of it. Half the walls around you are gone, replaced by sparking wires and running pipes. The smell of acrid smoke and blood filled the air. The first figure you saw was Circe, she was kneeling just a few feet away, bloody, cradling an equally bloody, and barely conscious Ayako, the wand held limply in your girlfriend's hands.

Rider is the next, she's a few rooms over, panting but otherwise seemingly unharmed, with Illya standing behind her, looking at you curiously. Medea… Medea you couldn't see, at least not from the cursory, immediate glance gained when you reappeared. Then a weight hits you, and you shift, grunting as Taiga rolls off of your shoulder and into your arms. You stare down at her, silent, confused. She was breathing softly… and uninjured. Assassin appears a second later, crumpled on the ground, equally asleep or unconscious as Taiga was.

Then you hear the clatter of metal, and you turn your head slightly to see Mordred staring down Rin's servant… the black swordswoman was caked in blood, dust, and drywall. She was also transparent, and rapidly becoming more transparent with each passing second. She turned her head to look at you, but whether your eyes met you can't say. That mask shows nothing, and it was the last thing to go before she was completely gone.

—


View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gBRxxinuUO4

—

A loud electronic spark sounds, along with the smell of burnt plastic, and you jerk your head back towards the ground where a familiar phone was sparking and aflame on the ground. You stare at it, saying nothing, feeling less. BB was gone, Rin was gone.

"Master!" Mash calls out. "Communication is back open with Chaldea!"

Excited chatter fills the background, you don't pay any attention to it, still staring down at the phone. There was no body to bury. It's… it's what Rin deserved, she played her part in this war as a Magus, and made her choices. She may have been influenced, but her decisions were her own. You weren't even the one to kill her, she was killed by forces she didn't understand, it was one of the most common ways for a Magus to die. It wasn't your fault. It wasn't your fault Ayako's closest friend was dead. It wasn't your fault. She killed someone, maybe more you didn't see. You couldn't save her, but you can't save everyone. It's not your fault. It's not like you could plan for BB.

It's not your fault. You had to save Taiga.

It's not your fault. You had to protect the people of this city.

It's not your fault, you didn't reach out to her earlier.

…

Your fist goes through the wall, punching clear through some metal piping. It returns a moment later, smoking, but completely unmarred. You were a Magus. You were a monster. You weren't human like Ayako was, you were something apart, separate. You were alien, you couldn't treat other humans like they treated each other. You couldn't treat Magus like people either. It's not just your fault.

You didn't know how Rin was raised, you didn't know she was a Magus until a few days ago. How could you? You weren't even aware there were other Magus in the city. Sakura, Shinji, now Rin. The blame for the deaths couldn't rest on you, you wanted to be a hero. You wanted to save people just as you yourself were saved. It was your ideal, your purpose. It was the only reason you were alive.

It's…

It's…

It's entirely your fault, isn't it?

"Master, you okay?" Mordred asks.

You tighten your grip on Taiga, then you turn, and make your way to the stairs, saying nothing. Voices called out to you, some concerned, some confused. You couldn't understand them, not for the screaming of Rin in your ears.

Then, a hand stopped you.

—

[] [Ayako]

[] [Medea]


—

Anyone celebrating Rin's death will be thread-banned. I understand ignoring Rin started as just a meme, but I try to write these characters as real people. Rin isn't exactly a comfort character to me, but regardless, within this story she had her own life and goals. She played a bad hand, and has died for it. However, celebrating the death of a seventeen year old girl in over her head is beyond disgusting and will not be tolerated.

 

[Erien]

Was summoning Mordred something locked in/was gonna happen no matter what or could we have somehow influenced things to summon another servant?

Click to shrink...

The entire premise of the quest was summoning Mordred from the start.

If we have chosen Bazzet on the very first vote instead of Medea, how different things would have been/what would have been some of the plot points that would happen?

Click to shrink...

You'd be dealing with Kotomine within three chapters, things devolve from there. He would try and confirm the kill.

How would Caren have played out? And how many strokes would it have given Kirei?

Click to shrink...

Caren would have... actually involved you heading to the Clocktower super early on. As she was doing an investigation there.

What were you expecting to do with Rin and Saber?

Click to shrink...

Eventually form a very tenuous alliance.

Are we going to get to see any more greek servants? (could even be in a dream sequence) Mo was simultaneously one of the most exciting reveals, but also a bit disappointing for me considering I'd be missing my favorite berserker

Click to shrink...

Yeah, there's a Grecian in the clocktower.

Has there been any Vote that totally took you by surprise the direction it went? Like totally didn't saw it coming that we went with that? Aside from the "avoid Rin" of course.

Click to shrink...

Kissing Ayako surprised me to distract Ruby.

This has probably been mentioned in the thread, but Annatar is the reason Chaldea is here, right? Like he's basically causing a singularity rn

Click to shrink...

Yes.

Do we have to keep Ritsuka and her shield alive in order to not, like, doom humanity?

Click to shrink...

Would not suggest letting her die!

question with all the subplots and plots we haven't seen yet due to choices...what idea STARTED this entire.quest concept

Click to shrink...

"What if Shirou summoned Berserker Mordred."

what were your expectations with introducing Circe?

Click to shrink...

Less story focus honestly, more dream nonsense. The readers really liked her surprisingly.

don't underestimate witch-lovers in the medea-route

Click to shrink...

Buddy, the Medea route was added as I was editing the first chapter to post on SV. Literally fifteen or so minutes before I posted.

Hey Erien, why did you consider Fujimaru summoning Jaguarman as metagaming?

Click to shrink...

Because the readers were having Shirou suggest she do it and he has no concept for Jaguarman existing. And if they were suggesting she do it the voters have no control over people that aren't Shirou.

Does Shirou even know about the concept of Noble Phantasms?

Click to shrink...

Shirou doesn't know what those are!

so Shirou needs to fight Gilgamesh and not die to the sword swarm

Click to shrink...

Gilgamesh is not, and will remain not part of, this grail war.

We're waiting for the final showdown against Eldritch!Cu.
Assassin Lamont Cranston, aka 'The Shadow'.

Click to shrink...

Nah Clocktower's Assassin is the most dangerous figure in the holy grail war act ually
No I will not say who it is
No I'm not kidding

So Circe was added because Medea was added?

Click to shrink...

Yeah. Thought it'd fit.

Seaweed was always meant to job.

Click to shrink...

His servant was Fritz Haber for those curious. Because I thought it'd be suitably horrible.

oh, huh, so he was able to get a servant outside of the holy grail war?

Click to shrink...

Shinji was 'gifted' a servant. How, well, you'll need to find out.

So, is Sauron gonna come to Fuyuki or is Fuyuki coming to Sauron?

Click to shrink...

The former, chasing dear Ophelia.

Do we know who the Clock Tower's Berserker is?

Click to shrink...

You've seen em, it's who Luvia summoned. You don't know who or what they are though.

Wait. Since Rin is now gone, does that mean Second Owner rights now transfer to Sakura?

Click to shrink...

Sure, but Rin's workshop doesn't exist.

The party is going to have confront Lancer again, correct? That's not something readers can expect Ruler to have dealt with?

Click to shrink...

Yep, they will Old George is overwhelmed.

Will Chaldea be able to summon anymore servants now that they've made contact or are we sticking to Mash + shadow servants?

Click to shrink...

I mainly try to just use shadow servants. It's how they work for the most part.

How likely do you think it is that Ayako survives the War?

Click to shrink...

... Eh.

Are you considering any of the potential love interests bisexual? I know you had that Rider/Ayako comm with a "very non-canon. probably."

Click to shrink...

Mata Hari most definitely
Rider sure

---

Thanks for coming ya'll!

 

[Erien]

[Medea]

Thanks to @Armoury for the beta!

—

Caster's hand clamps down onto your shoulder, and then you are gone. In an instant, you disappear from Rin's apartment, and reappear back in the mansion. It's… Raiga's office. The man turned his head to look at you, unsurprised or shocked, though as he saw Taiga in your arms the phone in his hand loosened ever so slightly. You stare at the man for a moment, then kneel down, placing Taiga gently onto the floor. "She's just sleeping," you say slowly, quietly. Then rise. "I… managed to save her." The words ring hollow in your ears, did you? Did you really. "Thank you for everything up to this point, it was…"

Taiga begins to stir on the ground, and the words fade away. For there was nothing you could say, nothing you could really do to make this right. Taiga had been given to you, on a fickle whim, you hadn't saved her. You hadn't saved anybody, not Sakura, not Taiga, not…

Then you're gone again.

—


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

—

Gone was Raiga's mansion, gone was Fuyuki. Gone was everything and everyone you had ever known. You were somewhere else now, far away in a place that may not even truly exist. But you knew it well. A temple sat in front of you, rotten and fallen, the statue of Hecate in front crumpled and the pools empty and dry. The roof had collapsed, filling the inside with debris. This wasn't the damage of battle, or desecration, but simple neglect. This place was forgotten and abandoned, whether that was caused by Circe leaving, or the Temple, as you saw it, was simply another illusion you couldn't say.

You couldn't say much of anything these days, little made sense anymore. It had all gone out of control, but then, was it ever? From that first moment you found Medea at the park, were you in control of the situation? Was anyone? It's just madness and chaos. But… that doesn't matter, what you think about it doesn't matter. You turn your head to look at Medea, the witch has her hood down, causing her blue hair to shift in the breeze.

"Why did you bring me here? We… we have things we need to be doing." You sigh. "We need to check on Sakura, we need to see if BB is truly gone. We… we have to find a place to sta-"

The hand on your shoulder grips tighter, almost painful, but not quite. "Shirou, speak to me."

You stare at her. "A master is dead, that leaves… at most two? One? We have to figure out what we're going to d-"

Her other hand clamps down on your other shoulder, and her face moves to be a bare inch from your own.

"Don't hide your pain, don't hide from me. I am the witch of betrayal, there is nothing you are feeling that I haven't."

It was a simple statement on her part, an affirmation. Not even a strong one. But it hit you like a sledgehammer regardless. "Why?" you ask quietly. "Why did all of this have to happen?" tears began to emerge. "Why? Why all of this? Why here? Why Fuyuki? Why do we have to destroy this city again? When I was a child… this whole city burned to the ground, now it's happening again for what, greed? A wish? If a wish can only be granted by all these deaths then it's worthless."

"Men and women have fought their entire lives for something as simple as a wish," Medea replies quietly. "In my time, heroes were granted many, and they changed the world."

"Heroes?" you smile bitterly. "I always wanted to be a hero, my father… my adoptive father saved me from the fire, he pulled me out of it. I had been wandering alone, looking for my family, my home, anyone I knew. But he saved me. He didn't have to, but he saved me." You look away from her, towards the temple. "I had never seen someone as happy as he was, and I never saw him that happy again. So many people died that day, I wanted to pay it back, I have tried to pay it back, to protect people." You try to smile as Kiritsugu did, but you can barely move the muscles in your face. "And I've failed, again, and again, and again. Whether it's the monster, whether it's Brihanalla, whether it's BB. People keep getting caught up in the madness of Magus."

You then look back at Medea, tears flowing freely now. "I just want to protect people. I just… want my life to have meaning, I survived when so many others died, so I want to pay that back. But I haven't been able to save anyone, even when I tried to save Rin… I was powerless. I don't want a wish, I never did. I just want to help… is… is that truly a bad thing? Is there a reason I can't?"

Medea's arms clamp around your back and pull you against her. Her hands shoot to your head, pressing you against her shoulder as she hugs you. "No, Shirou. No it isn't."

You blink in surprise from Medea of all people hugging you, then, unbidden, you wrap your arms around her in return and sob into her robes. It isn't a noble thing, it isn't manly, it isn't heroic. But her arms wrapped around your back are the only thing keeping you standing as you cry your grief on the deserted isle.

You remove yourself an indeterminate time later, but don't pull away. Medea looks you over, then smiles, producing a small piece of cloth to wipe at your face. "You are foolish, incredibly foolish.

"You rescued a witch in the park, gave her the run of your home, and are attempting to do naught but save lives in a war. You are an idiot, and your dream, as you have put it, is foolish as well." She smiles, it's a sweet, gentle smile. "You are a far better man than the heroes of my time. They were foolish, but of a different sort. Greedy, egotistical." She then moves her hands to cup your cheeks. "I understand your grief regarding Rin, I do not understand what she meant to you, but I know you would not kill her. It isn't who you are."

"Shinji."

"Shinji was actively harming people and was unrepentant about it." Medea replies. "I could hear everything going on master, we all could. BB was gloating and Rin was… Rin wasn't innocent, but she made her choices."

"No," you reply. "Someone made them for her."

"Master, she had a wicked advisor, but she remained in the war of her own volition, you still attempted to save her." Medea straightens up a bit, her hands moving off of your face. "Shirou, you're kind, too kind for all of this. You didn't deserve to be caught up in this war."

"Nobody did, and I'm a Magus. I should be able to do something. But I just lose, again and again."

"Shirou, if knowing magic could solve all the ills of the world I would not be as you see me now, my story wouldn't have ended as it did. You are still alive, you still have your future, and I will fight to protect it. Even if you are foolish."

"Why?"

"Because I love you."

—


View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZKCCs9DNEJs

—

Her words are quiet, gentle, as if afraid to disturb the still air of the island. But they hit you like a hammerblow regardless. Medea is smiling again, it's a sweet smile, colored by tears of her own. "I adore you Shirou, I truly do. You have been so very kind to me, and I just want to get you through this. But you cannot blame this on yourself, you cannot take this war upon your shoulders. It isn't your fault, it isn't your burden to bear."

You say nothing, simply staring at her.

Medea continues. "If not me, then Circe, if not Circe, then Ayako. You aren't alone, this war isn't just you, if you attempt to take it all upon yourself I will hex you and believe me this witch knows a nasty hex or two." She leans forward, pressing her forehead against your own. "But do not lose your kindness Shirou, don't let this war break you. You saved me, I would have died. Please do not forget that. If nothing else, you saved me."

…

"Thank you, Medea." For many things, you… you loved her as well, as much as you did Ayako and Circe.

Medea smiles. "I know." As if reading your thoughts. Then she leans forward, placing her lips against your own once more. She cups the side of your face, and as the world faded away, as she teleported the two of you once more.

… You felt at peace.

—

For a few seconds.

Then someone crashes into you.. You fall back to the ground, pain shooting through you as you crash onto the snow-covered cobblestone that leads up to Illya's Castle. Why, or how Caster teleported you there you have no idea, but you'll just go ahead and blame Circe. At the moment however, you couldn't really focus on that. You could really only focus on the pain, and the view of Ayako, in a magical girl outfit, hovering above you, looking absolutely furious and panicked. "Where the fuck did you go!?"

"Ar…thur?" Mordred's voice groans out, and you glance to the side to see Berserker wandering over.

You shake your head, "It's fine, Mordred."

Berserker blinks, then turns to look at the castle instead.

You turn your head back to Ayako. "I delivered Taiga to Raiga. She's fine, he's fine. I wasn't going to take any chances." It was a lie, but then, it was also something you would have wanted to begin with.

"Good, glad she's okay. We're leaving, alright? We're leaving Fuyuki."

"... Why?" you ask.

"Why!?" Ayako shrieks. "Rin is dead, Shinji is dead. And you ask why!? I don't want any more of that."

You close your eyes, calming yourself. One conversation to the next. "No. I can't, not while I can still help people here."

"Bullshit, let the servants and the other magic people handle it. I don't want to see any of my other friends die. You're just a teenager Shirou, we both are, what are we even doing here?!"

"Our best! That's all we can do!" You shout back, losing yourself. "You think I want this either!?"

"Enough!" a voice breaks between the two of you, and you both turn your heads to see Sakura. "Ayako, if we don't stop this… everyone in Fuyuki will die. This isn't what I was told about either. We can run, but whoever remains here, whoever wins… they'll have a wish granted. Would you let whoever is still fighting us have that?"

Sakura is one octave below shrieking and is so close your ears are ringing. She's furious, far more furious than you've ever seen her before. "Run, run if you want. I'm helping Shirou. He's the… he's the only one left I can."

Tears begin to pour down her face, and Ayako stares at her for a moment before she shuffles off of you and stomps off. Sakura stares after her, then moves to sit next to you on the cold ground. "Shirou, are you?"

You nod your head. "I'm fine, just processing."

Sakura says nothing for several long moments, then looks at the castle. "Illya… Illya has agreed to let us stay here. Which is good, there's nowhere else. Rin how… how did she… die?"

Sakura knew Rin, though you would hardly call them friends. But Sakura worried about everyone, she always did. "Quickly," you lie. "Painlessly, BB simply… got rid of her."

Sakura stares at you for several seconds, then nods and stands. She walks off to the castle, a stumble to her step that she quickly rights before she disappears inside. You roll your head, staring into the sky for a few moments, then push yourself up and move inside yourself. Sella blocked your way almost immediately, dragging you off to a 'prepared' room Illya had set aside for you. Medea and Circe you note were both missing, though the command seals were still there. And you had seen no sign of Fujimaru or Shielder either. You were admittedly having trouble focusing regardless. Too much was happening all at once.

The room was much like Illya's, only white instead of pink. And you found yourself staring at a mirror for a good long while. You had lost weight, and… stress you suppose. Stress was turning the tips of your hair slightly white. You stare at your own reflection, looking at the man within. You wonder if Kiritsugu would have been proud of you. You didn't honestly know, you had at least saved Medea if no-one else.

That counted for something, right?

Then there was a knock at the door.

—

[] [It's Archer]
Weapon training. Reality Marble. A different future.

[] [It's Circe and Medea]
Magic training. The Age of Gods. The Sixth Magic.

[] [It's Fujimaru]
Servant training. The Shadows. A Holy Grail.

—

I'm sorry for the shorter length on this one, I'm in the middle of a hurricane and just discovered a hole in my roof today. Been a mite distracted and panicked.