[And found her drained, barely alive, but… hopeful]
She couldn't help you, and you wouldn't have her servant leave her side. But she was recovering.
Thanks to @Armoury for the beta!
—
Today… today you would hunt down that Monster, today you would get answers from the Church, today you would end this war. But first… before any of that, you had people you had to check up on. You had
so many to be worried about now, there was a time it was just Taiga and Medea, and far less for the later than the former. Then more, then more, then more. Ayako, Fujimaru, Illya. More and more. The city itself. It was stupid, trying to save everyone. You knew that, Medea had informed you of that more than once. You couldn't, you absolutely couldn't. There just wasn't a way with the forces you were fighting against. Brihannala, that Monster, whatever Ruler was here for. You couldn't deal with it, you
couldn't save everyone. Not Fuyuki, and possibly not even the people you cared about. The threat was too great, the forces aligned against you too strong, you still… you still had no idea how to even hurt the Monster, truly. And that Archer had mauled you until Circe had shown up. To try and save everyone was idiotic.
But you were going to save them all. It's what a hero would do. You turn your gaze towards the ceiling, looking at the golden crown molding that joined the walls to the ceiling. It was a castle straight out of a fairy tale, it even had a little princess living inside of it. If that could exist, why not a hero that could save everyone? Was that such a greedy wish? Such a stupid ideal to have? It wasn't easy, you had already failed, you had failed many times and you knew you would fail again. You weren't strong enough, you likely never would
be strong enough. But you would never stop trying either. To stop trying would make all those deaths pointless, to fall into a despair would… honestly probably lead to Ayako herself mauling you at this point. The ends of your mouth curl up slightly in a smile at the thought of that. Ayako.
That was something you hadn't seen coming, but then, what had you seen coming lately? Saving her brother was just a case of being in the right place at the right time. Now look at her, running around as a magical cat-girl.
… Some parts of this war were weirder than others admittedly. You would have liked to keep her out of harms way, much like you would have liked to keep Taiga and Sakura out of harm's way. But life had other plans for you. And Sakura was worse off than you had ever imagined. Such thoughts play through your mind as you walk through the halls towards her room. The halls were empty, but then, they always were. Unlike Raiga's mansion, which was a good deal smaller than this castle, this place was unpopulated. The size of it rather boggled the mind, considering only three people lived here. Were there more once? Was it an entire family? How many Einzberns had there been at one point? Or was it merely a show of vanity. Magus generally didn't hurt for money in any case. Generally. Your home, back when it existed, was one of the nicest in the neighborhood. Sakura's was glamorous as well. You let out a slow breath, forcing yourself calm, pushing yourself through the same sequence you would before drawing your bow as you reach for the door to Sakura's room.
Then you gently knock.
The voice heard through the door is rough and scratchy, but… curious. "Yes?"
"It's me, can I come in?" you ask.
"It's unlocked." Sakura replies.
You open the door slowly, and take in the sight of a room near identical to your own. Sakura was on the bed, the covers pulled up to her waist. She was sitting up, her back against the bedrest, looking at you. She was dressed in little more than pajamas, and not her own at that. A white frilly thing that you suspected was a spare from the maids, her eyes were sunken, her hair was tangled, her skin was pale. But she was smiling, and it was that that made you hurry across the room. You reach the edge of her bed, stopping just shy of it, an-
"Are you alright, Shirou?" Sakura asks first.
You pause at the question, you were surprised she would ask at a moment like this. But then, that was always Sakura, wasn't it? "I'm fine, tired… but fine. More importantly, how are you?"
Sakura's smile grows a touch, and her expression gains an almost impish quality. "I'm not more important Shirou, but… I'm fine." She adjusts herself on the bed for a moment, shifting her legs. "It's… better, now."
You smile, relief flooding you. "Caster… she said you would be okay, but I'm glad to hear that regardless."
Sakura nods. "I'm fine Shirou, it's… all gone now. But it will be a while before I've fully recovered." She looks you up and down for a moment, her smile fading. "Are you heading out today?"
A touch of worry has entered her tone, not panic, but worry. "We'll be heading out soon to find any trace of that monster, then to see to the servant at the church."
Sakura nods again, then presses a hand down onto the bed to try and get up.
You place a hand on her shoulder, stopping her. "Sakura, I'm not putting you into danger again."
"
Shirou." Sakura says, her tone suddenly terse.
"Sakura, you're still recovering, please… Please don't try to force this. I know you want to help, but please, recover." You smile down at her. "I'll be fine. And you'll have Archer her-"
"No." Sakura says firmly. Her eyes flitting from your hand to your face. "No. He won't be here, Shirou. He's going with you."
"Sakura I-
"
No Shirou." Sakura cuts you off. "I can't fight, I… I know that. I'm not in position to. But Archer
will be going with you. I don't care what you think about it, I'm
going to help you, even if I can't be there in person." Her voice was angry, an edge to it you had never heard. It wasn't a request.
"... Alright," you finally reply. "If you are sure."
Sakura stares at you, then relaxes, her shoulder slumping, her breath slow. She falls back against the bed a bit, her head resting against the wood. Her eyes close for a moment, before they open, almost lethargically to focus on you. "Thank you." Her head then turns slowly to look out the window towards the garden, the snow is beginning to melt away now, the January snows fading. Greenery is showing through, evergreens and hedges that don't die away giving the scene even more of a fairytale air. "It's been a long week." She finally says, her voice quiet.
"It has, a very… very… long week." You agree. "Sometimes I wake up and wonder if things were back to normal and it was all a dream."
Sakura nods, but doesn't turn her head to look at you. "I… don't want it to be a dream."
"Sakura?"
Her head tilts down, looking at the bed. "It's… selfish of me, I know. People have gotten hurt, but…" She shakes her head. "It's better. It's
better."
You move onto the bed and your hands wrap around her shoulders and pull her against you. She struggles for a moment, but only for a moment, letting out a long and shuddering breath as she presses her head against your chest. "It's alright, Sakura."
"No," Sakura replies. "No it isn't Shirou. I can't be greedy."
"Why not?"
"Because it's not right… people have gotten hurt Shirou, people will be hurt, and I don't deser-"
You tighten your grip, causing the girl in your arms to gasp. "Sakura, you stayed with me even when you found out I was a Magus. You've helped me, you deserve whatever you want. We… can't bring people back."
Sakura says nothing for several moments, then slowly turns her head, looking up at me. Her expression is one of curiosity. "Shirou, you are… dating… Ayako?"
"I am."
"And you are in a… relationship with Caster?"
You pause, thinking about that for a moment. "Yes."
Sakura nods, her chin digging into your chest. She stares up at your face, then, without another word, she snakes a hand around the back of your head and pulls you down, her lips meeting yours. She holds you there, it isn't the desperation of yesterday, it's chaste, gentle, and it only lasts a second before she pulls away, her eyes lidded but meeting your own. "Shirou, come back, okay?"
"I will, Sakura."
She gently releases you, and watches you leave in silence. You give her one more look, then smile.
She smiles back.
—
You pause outside the door, taking in a deep breath, then look at a mirror across the hall.
… Why exactly you, you wonder? You don't consider yourself particularly attractive. That makes four now. Five, technically, if you count Ruby. Which you don't, and frankly the fact you hadn't seen it for a bit was making you rather nervous. But still, you didn't get it. But it also wasn't important, what was, was breakfast before you headed out. With that in mind, you set off.
—
You weren't sure which of the maids had provided you a quick bite to eat, they were both glaring at you these days. But you didn't much care either: food, at the moment, was food. So you stood in the entrance hall, waiting for everyone else, idly munching on a bit of sausage. Mordred was standing just beside you, blankly staring out the window and muttering 'Arthur' from time to time, so you at least knew the world was still turning, always a question these days whether that was happening. Caster was in your shadow, precisely why you had no idea, but she was in your shadow. While Circe was… somewhere you were sure. Frankly you were afraid to find out at times.
"Morning," a voice calls from down the hall, and you turn your head to see Fujimaru and Shielder approach. The former was decked out in… what you could only describe as an orange and white jumpsuit of sorts, while Shielder was wearing her usual black armor. Behind them, following along with his hands behind his back was a man you hadn't seen before. But going by the fact that… well, you
hadn't seen him before, and that he was moving in lockstep with Shielder gave you the impression he was a servant. He was dressed in black, black boots, black pants, and a black shirt with an open neck. His hair was brown and matted, with blue eyes that met your own as a small smile settled on his face. It seemed rather natural, and… beyond that, nothing else really stood out about him. A silver cylinder was on his waist, but beyond that he wasn't carrying anything else you could see, and you found yourself staring at him for several moments, a tingle of recollection brushing against your mind, before your desire to be polite overrides it.
"Good morning," you reply. "Did you sleep well?"
"As well as I normally do," Fujimaru replies in a tired sort of voice you recognize rather well. "Everything alright on your end?"
"As good as it can be," you reply.
Your eyes meet, and the edge of her mouth curls up in a smirk. "As good as it can be." Fujimaru repeats. She moves to stand beside you, leaning against one of the pillars that line the entrance hall before closing her eyes. "It's going to be nasty today."
"Probably," you agree.
"You might not survive."
"Decent possibility," you reply, taking another bite of toast.
"... Fair enough," Fujimaru says after a few seconds.
"My master places about as much worth on his own life as Hades would an individual gem." Medea says, rising out of your shadow. Without a word you offer the other piece of toast behind your back, and the servant takes it.
Jogging feet, and your head turns to see Ayako lightly running down the hall. In her hands was Ruby, the top half of it wrapped in… gauze so that not a single bit of the gem was visible. Ayako was wearing her normal street clothes, from where she got them you had no idea, but then… "Something… wrong?" you ask.
Ayako comes to a stop just next to you, placing her hands on her knees for a moment to catch her breath before standing up and flashing you a brilliant smile. "Nope, everything's fine now."
You hear a grunting from Ruby, and you glance down to see it wiggling in her grip.
Well then.
You look back up to see Ayako staring, open-mouthed at Fujimaru. No, not Fujimaru, the man standing behind her. She stares at him, attempting to catch flies, then leans in close to you. "Is… is that who I think it is?" she whispers.
"The man…? I don't know him."
Ayako gains a rather scandalized look. "Shirou, come on, seriously, right there. That's Luke Skywalker. Why is Luke Skywalker here?"
You look at Fujimaru. "I would assume he was summoned… is he famous or something?"
Both of the human women present turn to look at you with skeptical expressions, and you have the distinct impression you've said something wrong again. You are used to that now at least however, so you simply return to eating your toast.
"SHIROU!" a voice calls out a few minutes later, nothing much happened in the intervening time besides the fact that Ayako had become transfixed by the sight of this 'Luke'. You turn your head to see Illya.
She wasn't there a moment ago, nor did she run. She's just there now, sitting in the arms of her servant who rather quickly sets her down onto the ground so that the girl can wrap her arms around you.
"Good morning, Illya."
Her head tilts back, red eyes searching your face like it held all the secrets of the universe. Then she grinned from ear to ear. "Are we leaving?"
"Indeed, we need to find any trace of that Monster first, then we're off to the Church to deal with that other servant… if she's even there."
Illya nods. "I'm ready!"
You smile. "I'm sure you are."
—
Archer, Rider, Shielder, Berserker, Fujimaru's new Saber, Medea and Circe. That, along with yourself, Illya, Ayako and Fujimaru made for a rather sizable force. And yet… It had helped little in tracking down the beast. Though signs of it were everywhere. You stood atop a skyscraper, Medea on your right, Circe on your left. Everyone else was gradually filtering in as well. Rider had done the most of the work, when she had begun her search… to say you couldn't see her was putting it lightly. The woman was the wind. But regardless. Nothing. You see its effects. A series of 'gas leaks' all over the city, collapsed buildings, destroyed roads, the remains of smoldering fires. East, South, North and West. Without any sense of rhyme or reason. But it wasn't present at any of them it would seem.
How many people had died, you wonder? While you sat around dealing with other issues. How many innocents?
A hand placed against your shoulder, and you glance back to see Caster shaking her head. No, she was right. There wasn't a point focusing on it. What could be changed now? All you could do was prevent it from happening again. Prevent
any of it from happening again. There wasn't going to be another Fuyuki fire. There wasn't going to be anymore Rin's, there wasn't going to be anymore dead priests, women in stores, screaming children and crashing cars. There wouldn't be any more. You were going to kill that Monster. You would do it with your own hands if you had to.
"To the church, then." You say simply.
—
You had only been to the church once before… and that was not a night you'd easily forget. The damage was repaired now. The rivets that had been driven into the earth are gone, there was… no sign anything had ever occurred at all. It was noon, and finally starting to warm up a bit. Snow glistened, melting on the roof, and you had to admit the building was rather pretty. But another part of it, another part of it was-
"Well this place is fucking ominous." Ayako mutters.
That. The whole thing had a strange air to it, and the scent of magic and… blood, strong in the air. You take a step forward, your shoes crunching in the frozen grass. The church stood alone on the hill, nobody was here, nobody was around. You had landed on the front lawn with little fanfare, nobody was there to greet you, nobody was seemingly watching you. The servants were on alert… but there was nothing. The church stood alone, like a watchtower, and you take another step forw-
View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UTcPaBt_pFA
A hand on your chest, your body hurtling back. Medea wrapped around you. The scent of ozone, a flash of heat. A crater erupting where your foot had been only a moment ago. Shouts fill the air, Ayako and Illya. And your gaze snaps up to the roof, where a woman was now standing.
… Brihannala. Black hair shifted in the breeze, she stared down at you all impassively, a silver and gold bow held in her hand. Then, she drew it back-
Just as the doors to the church burst open, and the Monster charges out, howling and roaring. Your head snaps down to it, transfixed, with only enough time to parse that before you are yanked again, an arrow shrieking by and bifurcating a tree.
"Master." Medea says tersely,
Right. Just two servants that had repeatedly mauled you. Neither you knew anything about except they were hideously powerful. A monster that terrified you, was inhumane, alien, and seemingly unkillable. And a woman who had nearly murdered you if not for the intervention of Circe. It was a terrible duo.
… But you were far less alone than you ever had been.
—
Present.
Ayako empowered by Ruby.
Fujimaru, Shadow Servants along with Shielder and Saber.
Archer, separate from Sakura.
Illya, with Medusa.
Shirou, with Mordred, Medea, and Circe.
Facing them is Cu Chulainn and Brihannala.
One command seal remains for Mordred, two for Medea.
—
[] [Focus on Brihannala]
Overwhelm the archer, we have numbers.
[] [Focus on the Monster]
Take out the Monster, now. We have power here.
[] [Split]
Half and half, we can't afford to leave a servant unattended.
[] [Write-in]
All of the above votes are valid for write-in additions.
