This arc finally has a name, but saying it here would spoil the ending. Anyway, here's the long awaited chapter!
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Chapter 24: Dead Greenery
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-Emiya Residence, Morning-
"I'm really, really,
really sorry about last night, Dojima-san!"
Ryotaro Dojima paid the young adult teacher no mind as he ate the breakfast Nanako made; sunny-side eggs with rice. Though the bandage work Shirou did for his head had been done well and covered the top half of his head, he still suffered from a mental migraine courtesy of the sheet metal poster. And he was in no mood to address the woman that had knocked him out in the first place. He'd had enough trouble with one rookie cop back home, and all he wanted to do for Golden Week, just once, was to relax and not think about any cases.
"I promise," Taiga tried again, bowing and begging next to him. "I promise that it will never happen again!"
The other eaters present just watched awkwardly between the two adults. Taiga had come nearly at the crack of dawn when Nanako started breakfast, and had been courteous and helpful to the detective. It didn't take him long to figure out what her motive was, and subsequently ignore her.
Sakura herself came a little after Taiga, distracting herself by teaching and helping Nanako with breakfast, much to the younger girl's delight.
Shirou was worried because Taiga was on the verge of tears. That was never a good thing; if one didn't feel bad making Taiga Fujimura cry, they would regret it when she inevitably inflicted a nasty, yet harmless, prank in retaliation.
Finally, Dojima gulped down his last bite and, still without looking at her, and said, "Shirou, why don't you and the girls wait outside? We'll catch up."
Shirou was surprised by his uncle's request. He was about to inquire as to his reason but something about his tone and body language made him reconsider. "All right," he nodded, turning to his sister. "Let's go, Nanako, Sakura."
Nanako stared at her father for a moment before nodding sadly. "Okay."
Sakura said nothing, glancing worriedly between her English teacher and her senpai's uncle, but she finally bowed and left as well.
Taiga watched as they got up and left the room, almost tempted to join them. But Dojima only told them to leave, implying that he was going to talk with her without them around. She waited until she heard the front door close before begging and bowing again. "I'm really sorry about last night! Please accept my apology!"
"I will consider overlooking this as an accident," he allowed, and Taiga visibly relaxed in relief. "That being said, I can't overlook your behavior as of late."
"…eh?"
"I've noticed that you apologized for hitting me," he said slowly. "But not once did you apologize to Shirou for intending to hit him."
"Shirou never apologized to me, either!" she pouted. "He started it!"
"That's true, but last I recall, Shirou's rolled up poster
wasn't made of sheet metal." Taiga's bravado faltered at being reminded of that, and he pressed on. "What exactly would have happened if you did manage to hit him instead of me?"
"Oh, I wouldn't worry too much about
that. We've been doing kendo for years and that wasn't nearly as hard as my other strikes on him!" Taiga explained with a smile and dismissive wave.
Dojima's frown grew, and he wasn't amused. "Your personality is going to get someone killed one day, even Shirou. Especially Shirou."
Taiga huffed with a smug smile. "Ah, I'm not worried. He's a trooper, and he'd marry me before that would ever happen!"
The detective raised an eyebrow. "So you actually love him that way?"
"Eh?" Taiga blinked, before realizing what she had just said. "OH! Whoa, no! Goodness sakes, no! He's like a little brother to me! I get enough misunderstandings from Homurahara trying to set those gossipers straight!"
"You show a very distinct form of affection then," he said, and turned fully to her with a stern frown and his arms crossed. "You're very laidback and easygoing, but only when it's convenient like Shirou cooking for you. The times you do act on your own you overreact and let your emotions get the better of you. You're especially dangerous to everyone around you that that poor Satonaka girl was scared of calling you Tiger."
"WHAT DID YOU-!?" The teacher started to yell comically, but quickly forced her mouth shut. She knew that if she flew off the handle she might hurt the detective more than just a blow to the head.
"I called you by name," Dojima said evenly.
Taiga lowered her hand and glared. "You know, I'm not really happy of being painted as the villain."
"Can you blame me? You gave me a concussion and are not even remotely sorry for putting Shirou in the same position!"
"I know Shirou! You never lived with him as long as I have!"
"And
you don't share the same roof as him. You're the one who warned me about his hero complex, but you don't even monitor him every night, worried that he might get hurt or worse by becoming a vigilante?"
"Oh, so it's a bigger crime not to keep watch than be accused as an adulterer! And I suppose you'd rather him make himself useful like babysit Nanako-chan while you go policing every night?"
"Keep Nanako out of this!"
At the end of their yelling match, both adults were standing and sizing one another through their glares. The following silence allowed both adults to exhale and calm themselves over what was once a civil conversation and apology from last night.
Finally, Taiga huffed and walked out of the dining area. "Where are you going?" the detective asked.
"Outside with Shirou and the girls. At least they don't treat me like a murder suspect."
A moment of shuffling shoes on later, she slid the door shut with a little more force than necessary. Dojima just stared at the hallway she left for, and then sighed and pressed his hand to his face. "Damn it, it's not just with Nanako after all. Why does every conversation I make turn into an interrogation?"
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-Velvet Room-
As the three of them left the house, Shirou noticed at the corner of his eye a glow of stained glass velvet near his workshop shed. He quickly told them a white lie that he was going to check his shed for something and he'll back soon.
It was good because he really didn't want to worry Nanako or Sakura to see him disappear through an invisible door.
"Welcome back to the Velvet Room."
Again, Shirou found himself within the same limousine from his dreams. And again, he saw the familiar beak-nosed man and stoic woman sitting across from him. Considering that this was a place separate from the real world and one composed of thought, it didn't surprise him.
"What assistance may I offer you today?" asked Igor.
The high school student had only meant to see if this room was really the same, but it would be awkward to leave now that his host was offering. "You said you offer fusion?"
"Quite. And you now currently hold three Personas within the space of your heart. At your current level, I can fuse two of them together with the Normal Spread, or all three with the Triangle Spread. Just a forewarning that any Persona used in fusion will be lost momentarily." As if sensing Shirou's concern and denial, Igor held his hand up. "As such, you can turn to Margaret, who can recall any and all Persona you have since found on your journey. Naturally, her tome can also register Personas created through fusion as well."
"Would they be the same Personas I call on now?"
"But of course," The long-nosed master smiled. "While there are indefinite numbers of Pixies and Eligors based on what humans perceive of them, the ones currently in your own mind are imprinted as
you see them. That also means you cannot have multiples of the same named Persona as it would be redundant to summon your exact copy."
Shirou exhaled the breath he didn't know he had been holding. While it was weird to feel… attached, to the Personas in his heart, they've been a great help in his journey and dreams thus far. It wouldn't feel right to toss any of them aside, no matter the justification. "Is there any benefit to this?"
"The most apparent is that the fused Personas create a stronger one… bar some exceptions. Secondly, Personas created through fusion will inherit some skills of those used to create it. If you manage this properly, it is possible to give your new Personas skills that they could not learn on their own. That being said, there are some Personas that cannot inherit skills no matter how hard you try, like a magic-inclined Pixie unable to use fire or physical skills. It is part of a characteristic, if you will.
"But the most important thing you should know, nay, accept, is that one's Persona is fueled through the power of one's soul, and in turn, one's connections with others. In other words-"
"Social Links," the magus bitterly finished.
Igor nodded. "As you have probably noticed, Personas grow stronger through battle experience. But if your fused Persona is resonant to the same Arcana as a Social Link you have made, it will receive a considerable burst of power instantly." He then chuckled. "Why, depending on the situation, your Persona's level may grow further than your own."
Shirou said nothing, but wasn't insulted by the fact that his Personas might be stronger than him. He had already accepted it since he first summoned Izanagi. "What do I have to do?"
"Simply will out the cards you wish to use and hand them to me. I will handle the rest."
With his magecraft steps, it was simple to do so as two cards manifested to Igor's beckoning hand. Though he felt hesitant, almost expecting an argument from his Personas for being used this way. Both Izanagi and Eligor stayed quiet, almost humble and willing to follow his decision as they left his subconscious.
For some reason they had reminded Shirou of himself, and he didn't like it one bit.
Igor stared at the cards once before closing his eyes. He flashed his hand over them once, arranging them side by side on the face side. He waved the same hand over them again, flipping them to their Persona images, and binding them in a single blue prana line. The table they were set on also started to glow with intricate lines of a summoning circle, and an aurora of red lights flashed along the rim even as the cards started to hover.
Shirou didn't know how or why, but as he followed the cards flying higher, it seemed like the ceiling of the Velvet Room didn't exist anymore. At the height of the now starry-like night sky above them, the Izanagi and Eligor cards merged together, leaving a flash of light in their wake.
In their place was a green horse-sized quadruped, resembling a dog with wing-like ears. Its tongue, dangling from the side of its panting mouth, was only a fraction to the length and limpness of its tail. The dog-like Persona, upon seeing Shirou, gave a sharp bark before introducing itself. "I am the great Cu Sith. In my greatness, I have come to serve."
…redundancy aside, the fusion went better than expected. A flash later, the Persona resumed card form before spinning sideways slowly and sinking into his body. Shirou was about ready to scan his Persona when Margaret spoke, "Would you like to see what the Compendium has to say about Cu Sith?"
He almost rejected the offer, but thought better of it since the book was a means to bring back his other Personas… or so they claimed. He might learn more about his Personas outside of magecraft and regular research material as well, so he nodded.
Margaret rose from her seat with book still at hand, marched over, and promptly sat next to the now flustered teen and opened it on both their laps. For her part, the assistant didn't look the least bit embarrassed or angry, but rather confused at his reaction. "What?"
"W-well, isn't this rather close?" he reasoned weakly.
"How else would you plan to read the Compendium?" she asked back.
Shirou could think of many answers about how this was wrong, but after what he had said to Satonaka the other day, he reconsidered. Concerning the entity that was Margaret, she might either not care… or make him regret it with something far worse than a slap to the head.
The first thing he noticed was that the book was large and mostly empty. He wasn't sure if it even had an end if it consisted of so many different kinds of Personas. She didn't have to look far though as the first few pages consisted of the ones he already knew and had. Each Persona had two pages dedicated to it; the rightmost page was similar to how he read them with Structural Analysis the other day, complete with theoretical charts of new skills at higher levels. The leftmost page included a short blurb of their history, origins, and noteworthy feats or traits. Izanagi, Pixie, and Eligor he all knew based on the folklore he'd taken up studying, but Cu Sith he only recalled as the name of another fairy.
As it turns out, Cu Sith of the Sun Arcana was a dog fairy from Scotland who doubled as a transporter and watchdog. He was also one of the fey that villagers feared as they locked their doors and homes to make sure it didn't steal their women. Statistic-wise, it was geared towards strength and speed even though it knew magic spells. Garu and Rakukaja he was familiar with, but not Pulinpa, supposedly able to confuse the target. It also knew Cleave and Agi, which he assumed came from the root Personas.
He was starting to see the benefits of having Igor and Margaret help him on this murder case.
"Anything else?" Margaret asked, after several minutes of reading Cu Sith's pages.
"I would like to call back Izanagi and Eligor, if that's all right."
"Certainly. That will be 6,347 yen total."
Well, that sounded reasona- wait. "What."
"I will need 6,347 yen if you wish to reclaim Izanagi and Eligor. We only take exact change."
Shirou turned to the assistant in wide-eyed horror. He then looked back to her and Igor, both of which had no change in expression since this statement was made. It wasn't the fact that the money was unreasonable to pay, but the fact that he had to pay
at all. The contract he had agreed to only specified that he would take responsibility for his actions; not this. "You're joking," he said in denial.
Margaret gave a playful smile. "You are correct. You do not need to pay me."
Again, the magus was floored. One minute he was being told he had to pay, and the next he wasn't? Igor and Margaret both found his reaction amusing and their soft chuckles filled the space of the limousine.
All he could do was blush and look indignant until it passed over.
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-Fuyuki Bridge, Afternoon-
With all his Personas plus Cu Sith in him, Shirou quickly returned to Nanako and Sakura just before the adults came out as well. Taiga had a passive-aggressive attitude towards Dojima that all but implied an argument of some sort but the children didn't bother prying as to what happened between them.
Though it did worry him about how off Taiga was acting today. She usually bounced back to being upbeat and energetic but she kept staring at him with an unreadable expression. The tension was too much for him so as they walked across the bridge, he finally asked her "Is something wrong, Fuji-nee?"
Taiga nodded. No "Don't worry", no laughing or anything else overly animated, just a nod. She didn't even bother looking at him when addressed. Was she really okay, or did he do something to offend her? He knew he didn't call her by her nickname… so maybe she was upset about what happened last night?
"If it's about the poster, I apologize," he amended. "I appreciate the thought, but I shouldn't have acted like that just because I didn't like it."
A typical Taiga Fujimura response would have to smile proudly and boast about being in the right. Instead what came out of her mouth was a weak "It's alright."
Unable to come up with a reply or follow-up, Shirou kept silent as they continued their walk. Instead, he took the time to appreciate the large red bridge connecting Miyami with Shinto. Even though it would have been faster to get across by train or bus, Nanako loved walking across the bridge the first time enough that she wanted to see it again. Dojima and Sakura stayed close to her to make sure that she didn't fall into the Mion River below, but they were amused by her enthusiasm about what is generally a bridge no-one liked to use.
"Shirou," Taiga finally spoke. "Have I been a good guardian to you?"
Shirou blinked, unsure of what she meant. "Fuji-nee?"
"Have I been a good guardian?" she asked again. "All I do is eat and sleep while you do all the cooking and cleaning. Even Sakura does more housework there than me and she has her own family to take care of, too.
I'm supposed to be the responsible one, not the other way around."
He knew that much to be true. He had taken up the responsibilities of managing the housework all by himself, mostly because he was the only one who had learned how to cook. Even if Sakura didn't help him, he found it a relaxing, humane break from work and magecraft, so he was thankful for it.
"I know that," he smiled. "But I don't mind. It's never a dull moment at the house whenever you're around, and I'm more than happy to take care of you."
She seemed to cheer up at his encouragement, but it passed and she glared at him. "Shirou…"
"I know, I know," he said reflexively. "I shouldn't always help people, but you're family and I trust you. Besides, you've helped me plenty of times before."
"Like when?"
"Like whenever Dad left on his trips and you would watch over me while he was gone." He directed his gaze to the Dojimas. "And last Christmas, you took the time to find my uncle and sister. Just because I don't always need your help doesn't mean that you're not helpful when I do."
"Do you mean that?"
He turned to her, still smiling to ease her doubt and concerns. "Of course I do. There's a reason I still call you Fuji-nee."
Her face glanced down and flushed unexpectedly. "I-I appreciate that, but do you think-"
He waited for her to finish, but whatever she wanted to say, she decided not to bring it up. It was probably a good thing because they had reached the end of the bridge connecting to Shinto, and Nanako all but demanded they hurry to see the Verde shopping mall.
Everything else that followed that day happened with little fanfare. After searching through the toy section, Nanako picked out a stuffed platypus and an electronic hand-mirror from "Magical Detective Love Line". She mentioned to her brother how it was her other favorite show to watch, and that they could watch it together.
After wandering the mall a while longer, they settled down to eat at the food court, and talked. Shirou kept the topics simple with the hangouts with his new friends while Nanako brought up how she was doing in school. Everyone else politely listened, feeling no need to distract them other than with questions. Dojima was on break, and Fuji-nee was acting more like her childish self, so it wasn't surprising that they wouldn't bring up their own jobs.
But whenever Shirou or Nanako asked Sakura a question about school or archery, she would make a quick comment before nodding it off and asking her own. She had always been quiet, but he never thought much about it since she all but lived at his house for a year cooking and cleaning. It only occurred to him how little he really knew about her outside of the house, and how little she even shared about herself.
The five of them finished with their lunches and visited one last store for the day; the grocery section, much to Taiga's delight, so tonight everyone could have (in his teacher's words) a genuine Shirou Emiya class™ dinner. With the ingredients at hand, on top of Nanako's new toys, they arrived at the bus stop and waited for the next trip to return home.
"Seems silly to buy all this food after we just ate," Dojima said, lifting his bag for emphasis.
"Nonsense!" Taiga scolded. "It'll be our first real meal in weeks, and you two deserved to be spoiled through your stomachs! Especially you, Nanako-chan."
"Okay!"
"I'm just saying I don't think we can eat everything that's planned for right away, if that was the plan."
"There's still plenty of Greenery Day left to enjoy. I was thinking of passing the time doing some Kendo matches with you and Shirou."
"Pass," the detective scoffed. "My head's still splitting here, and I just want to take it easy before going to bed early tonight. We leave tomorrow, after all."
Like lightning, a scowling Taiga swatted his forehead with a slap; a gentle comparison to her kendo strike last night, but it still hurt. It took him a few moments to realize how down both Sakura and Nanako were.
"Uh, sorry," he mustered. "Didn't mean to kill the mood there."
"It's all right," Nanako smiled, suddenly happy again. "We can visit next year and maybe during the other holidays too. Right, Shirou-nii?"
"Of course," he replied. Though he was happy to see Nanako bounce back, he saw that Sakura looked less optimistic. She even avoided eye contact with him. He would have questioned this but what Nanako said next threw him off a loop.
"Wow! Look dad, there's a pretty park over there!"
A park? But the only one in Shinto was- "Wait, Nanako!"
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-Fuyuki Central Park-
Nanako remembered the fun days when her mother was still alive, and most of them came from the Samegawa River they used to play by. She wanted to make new memories so her mom up in Heaven would be happy, and to make her dad, brother and sisters happy too.
From a distance, there was a huge open field of grass and trees within walking distance from the metal buildings. At first she wondered where the other kids were, or why everyone else didn't notice it. Surely a park would have been popular for kids her age during Golden Week.
But just as she passed the bench looking out upon it, she stopped and stared. The park looked pretty from a distance, but it was hollow and empty up close. The trees and grass looked dead. The wind was scarce yet cold. It was desolate and unwelcoming, and it reminded her of the day she lost her mother.
It reminded her of Death.
Her dad and the others quickly arrived behind her, feeling just as subdued by the atmosphere. Ryotaro, also his first time seeing the park up close, nearly gapped. "What in the world…?"
"Fuyuki Central Park," Taiga explained somberly, with her usual energy absent. "Ten years ago this was the site for the Civic Center during the renovation project. The building burned down before they opened it though, along with everything else in the area."
"It's kind of a shame," Shirou added. "All these years and they don't even add grass or tiles to it. They just put a park here and left it to be forgotten."
Dojima stared at him, in sudden understanding. "Your stepfather, Kiritsugu… he found you here."
"He saved me here," he corrected.
A pregnant pause followed, and each of the five lone people in the park mulled over the aftermath of the Fuyuki Fire. A city rebuilt, but with surprisingly bright buildings. A park made over the center of the fire, left forgotten. The only known survivor, speaking casually over the event but couldn't hide the tension in his clenched fists.
"Dad," said Nanako. "I don't want to be here anymore."
"Yeah, it's getting late anyway," Ryotaro smiled. "Let's see if the bus has come by yet."
The Dojimas turned and hurried out of the park, not even sparing a second glance as the girls followed. Shirou remained rooted on his spot. He had thought he had put the nightmares of the fire behind him, but the fight with Shadow Yukiko all but proved him otherwise. Even now he could see faint images of that hell that once took place in this park that wasn't a park.
In his heart, he knew he would have rushed in to help anyone he could no matter the danger. He would have most likely died in vain if he had tried helping someone in the fire, but things were different now. He was stronger now, and although he knew he still had a long way to go, his goal was closer now to being realized.
He wasn't going to let good people die without cause again. He wanted nothing more than to make sure that everyone was safe and happy, and he now had the means to do it. He had friends at arms with the same power to do so, and their reward was Yukiko Amagi alive and well. And soon, the rest of Inaba will be safe too once they find the man responsible for Yamano and Konishi.
"Shirou! We're going to leave without you if you don't hurry!"
Smiling at his guardian's joke, the magus turned to follow them back to the bus stop. However, he didn't make more than a few steps before feeling something… off.
Cautiously he turned back to the park, but saw nothing. The park had always given everyone an unwelcome sense of foreboding. But this time was different, as if something was waking up. He just couldn't tell what, let alone see through the fog starting to build up.
Wait, fog?
Instinctively Shirou reached for his glasses in his pants' pocket. He had made it a personal habit to always carry them every day in case the team needed to go back into the TV. In hindsight, there shouldn't be any reason for him to bring his glasses to Fuyuki on what was supposed to be a break from fighting, but magi and sorcerers alike were trained to be paranoid and ready.
At first, he thought he didn't see anything different, but the change was subtle. Where he thought he saw fog before was really a swirling of blood-red mist, which was strangely familiar to him. He briefly lifted the glasses from his eyes, making sure what he saw wasn't filtered through Teddie's makeshift lenses.
A sense of dread filled him when he saw a black tendril rise up from the void. Another tendril also sprouted, and they grew in size as they slithered further out from the ground. In the span of half a minute, the swirling black mass molded into something humane but wavy like a ghost.
"Yomotsu-Shikome," the God Persona... gasped?
Though Shirou couldn't blame his alter-ego, for as the ghost-monster turned to him, he also felt frazzled. The body seemed to be consisted entirely of hair, parted slightly around the arms and legs, but bound together to make something clearly feminine. She wore a white triangle-shaped cloth across her forehead with some kind of writing on it, but his attention was drawn somewhere else. The helmet covering her face, showing puckered lips, clenched teeth, and a glowing blue eye as if it had cracked wider.
And if that wasn't enough, a hand suddenly emerged from below, pulling the rest of its body up much like a zombie would. The limb was as pale as bone, humane and itched with tattoos of the same writing on Yomotsu-Shikome's frock. The head came into view (or rather a triangle cone covering the head with markings over the face) as well as metal shoulder guards and what appeared to be red earrings just under the cone. It tucked its other arm until a spade-like spear with red-ringed flags was thrust high in the air. It was then set down flat end first to help pivot the rest of the body up, equally lean and pale with only purple cloth over its chest and groin.
This demon also had a name.
"Yomotsu-Ikusa."
A sense of fear overwhelmed him, not unlike the Ghoul, or believing Yosuke had died. Not just for his safety, but for his family, blissfully unaware of the demons of Yomi. A part of him hoped that this was just a bad dream, some sort of trick due to the trauma from facing Shadows several weeks ago, but he knew this was real. He knew the danger was real.
"Run."
"Wh-what?" While thankful that Izanagi was snapping him out of his trance, something about his tone indicated he had every right to be afraid, which was unsettling.
The hairy hag hissed and coiled slightly back, as if emulating a snake. The warrior crouched back on his bare feet, ready to sprint.
"For thine sake, RUN!"
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Sakura hated magecraft. She hated the "training" she would be put through, and felt nothing short of miserable having to cope with the… side effects. She could understand why her uncle Kariya tried to break away from it, but in the end he disobeyed grandfather and had died for it. For what little peace he had away from the life of the Matou, she envied him.
She had also believed that she could never get that nice, nurturing normal life she knew only fleetingly as… before being a Matou magus. Fujimura-sensei was so much an older sister to her, even though she already had one, and Shirou-senpai's good-intended nature always warmed her heart. It was living with them every day that she could cope and believe there was still hope beyond what she had lived through the last ten years.
But then Sensei went and found Senpai's extended family. At first she was happy for him, as she would give anything to be back with her old family, but when Sensei all but forced him to leave for the school year just to spend time with them, she felt less sure. It has barely been a month since his extended leave and she felt like she was regressing back to the ten years of training before meeting them.
Sakura still managed, if only because she still had meals with Fujimura-sensei whenever possible, and she had taken up Archery to pass the time. True, Shinji was there too, but Mitsuzuri-senpai had been accommodating with her since she joined, and often told her some Shirou-centric stories to cheer her up when she needed it.
And then she met Nanako-chan and her father. She had been more than a tad jealous seeing how easily the young girl latched on to Senpai as an older brother figure, almost convinced she was being denied of her very few joys in the world. But Nanako was impressionable. She made no secret that she wanted to spend time with her as well, if only because she learned from Senpai as a cook. And yet she praised her for learning, and spoke earnestly for his dreams. Sakura was jealous still, but now only because the young girl had the courage she never did when she was her age.
She loved hearing Nanako-chan and Senpai talk about Inaba during lunch. The sights, the stores, even the little adventures they each had there, and felt overjoyed that they both wanted to include her in sharing stories. Overjoyed… and frightened. For as much as she appreciated the gesture, she had nothing interesting to tell, at least that was normal.
If anyone learned of her true side, her dark secret, her
magecraft, they would hate her. Senpai wouldn't want to be with her anymore, and neither would Nanako-chan.
She just wanted to end the day and not worry about anything else, and only bask in the rest of the pleasant day being with a normal, loving family, even if she would
pretend being a part of it.
But the thing about magecraft is that it tends to come up at the most inappropriate times… and seems to have it out for ruining her sense of peace.
Sakura had only looked back to Senpai out of curiosity, wondering if the park's significance still bothered him. But just as she also questioned why he was pulling out a pair of glasses (perhaps he was near-sighted?) she felt
something happen from deeper in the park. While her training in magecraft wasn't complete, to say the least, she knew an anomaly when she felt one. In fact, she felt two, and she knew the feeling of pure aggression radiating from them.
They were radiating towards her Senpai.
Perhaps he could sense it too. Perhaps it was the glasses or… something else entirely. But he suddenly turned and ran, leaving the food he thoughtfully picked out for their dinner, hurrying to save himself. The invisible monsters followed like a wolf hunting its meal.
Senpai didn't stop, and ran past his guardian, uncle and cousin (rather his sister) without even a word edgewise. This wasn't missed by anyone. "Big bro?"
Sensei was insulted, took a few steps forward, facing
directly behind him, and yelled. "Oi, Shirou! What's the big idea just bolting-!"
Before she knew it, Sakura and ran behind her teacher and yanked her back as hard and quickly as she could. "Sensei!"
Her timing was close; the unknown forces of aggression had passed over the spot Sensei had just been standing in. She could not see it clearly, but she knew they had every intention of striking Taiga Fujimura for standing in the way. The sound of steel cutting through the air was as unmistakable as the grazing slash marks across her green dress and shirt.
No one knew what to say or how to react. They only stared at Taiga before turning back to the still fleeing Shirou cross the bridge on foot. Sakura herself was not sure what to do, concerning the safety of her senpai. For once she wished she knew real magecraft and had the means to help him.
Dojima finally broke away from staring at his runaway nephew and kneeled towards Taiga. "Can you stand?" he asked her.
With a searching hand she grabbed his and allowed herself to be pulled up. Her eyes were still fixated on the red haired student she loved as a brother. Her expression was surprisingly calm and blank, leaving Sakura wondering what exactly she is thinking right now.
"Big bro…" Nanako squeaked fearfully. "He's not in danger… is he?"
"Either he is in trouble," Taiga said slowly before marching forward. "Or he's
going to be."
Sakura blinked. She had never heard her teacher speak so confidently and authoritative before. "Fujimura-sensei?"
"The rest of you go wait at the house," she said. Then she turned and flashed a smirk and wink. "I'll go drag his sorry ass back home after I'm done with him."
And just like that, she ran off for the bridge walkway. Sakura was both enamored of her brave abandon to save senpai, but at the same time was worried for her. They were both in danger of something beyond them, beyond
her, and they needed help.
Her first thought was her… to find Tohsaka. But even if she could find her, it still didn't mean that the Second Owner would be willing to help on the whims of the Matou. That only left-
"'Go wait at home'?!" Dojima repeated with a scowl. "The nerve of her! He's our family too, damn it!" With a disgruntled shove in his pocket, he pulled out his cellphone and hastily dialed a number.
"What are you doing dad?" asked his daughter.
"Calling the city's police department," he answered. "I don't know what's going on, but something tells me that this is too serious to let a lone teacher handle."
"Wait!" cried Sakura. "I know it's hard, but can you just trust Fujimura-sensei? She's a five-dan in kendo and expert Archery instructor, and most of all, can do anything when she puts her mind to it! She brought you and Senpai together, and she can find Senpai just as easily!"
Seconds passed in what seems like minutes between the three of them. Finally, with a resigned sigh, Dojima-san tucked his phone away. "Dammit, I hope you're right."
As did Sakura, for as convincing as her argument was, she had a hard time believing herself. If this was the normal sense of danger like a mugging or kidnapping, then of course Taiga Fujimura would come out on top. But running in headfirst against a wraith? She'd be lucky to come back alive, let alone with Senpai. But she didn't let these worries betray her, for the Dojima's sake.
The purple haired girl then noticed Nanako, facing the bridge with her hands cupped and eyes closed. "What's wrong, Nanako-chan?"
"Nothing's wrong. I'm praying to God that he can keep Shirou-nii and Taiga-nee safe. I just hope he can hear me."
Sakura smiled at the opportunity. "I think I know just the place to help."
<><><>
-Miyama Town Streets-
The moment Izanagi barked the order to run, Shirou made a break for the bridge. Luckily, no one else was using the bridge so he could focus on reinforcing his legs to run faster. It wasn't enough to deter his pursuers away, but it helped to keep the gap between them.
He wanted to go back and check on Fuji-nee; he had seen Shikome and Ikusa strike her with their hair and spear respectively as if she were an obstacle, but his Personas all countered his sense of heroics for self-preservation. Furthermore, the further he was away from people, the safer they would be from the demons' line of fire.
He wasn't sure why they were after him specifically, but it was a small blessing enough that he could direct their attention away from Fuji-nee and the others.
When Shirou arrived back in Miyama Town, he mentally mapped his way through the least crowded routes while working his way further west. If he could reach the forest at the end of the city, he could fight them off without endangering anyone. It was too far to go directly west, so if he could work his way southwest…
And whenever there
were people walking in the streets he took, he made a conscious effort to run around them by the road, or shove them roughly aside. It was rude and uncalled for, and he could hear them yell at him for doing this, but it was a better alternative than letting them die from invisible wraiths.
As he made a sharp turn by a corner, he took a quick look over his shoulder. As expected, Yomotsu-Shikome and Yomotsu-Ikusa were still chasing him with intent to kill. The hag's hair moved wildly as her ghostly form floated towards him, while the warrior's long strides were not unlike a tribesman crossing fields for big game hunts. Neither of them showed signs of slowing down.
At least it was only the two.
He could only move forward, but only had a few seconds to decide when to turn or not, and hope there wasn't anyone there. But the forest at the end of town grew closer, and through the thick of the woods would be a chance to properly fight back. Just a little further-
"SHIROOOOOOOU! Where are you?"
His mind blanked, and his step faltered. The magus almost completely tumbled down to the road, but recovered before Shikome or Ikusa could close in. That voice…
"When I get my hands on you, you're going to wish I had my Tora-shinai you love so much to curse about! And maybe then I'll use it to beat you up too!"
Yep, that was Fuji-nee all right. The relief of knowing she was all right was hindered by the fact that she was looking for him. At least from the sound of things she didn't know where he was, and he hoped to keep it that way.
Just a little further...!
<><><>
"Dammit Shirou this isn't funny! You made Nanako-chan cry, you jerk!"
It was probably a stretch of the truth, but Shirou always had a weakness for sad young girls. It was a hero thing.
Eventually Taiga gave up trying to call for him and kept searching through the streets. She swore she saw the red-haired teen head down towards the south end of Miyama, but it was never a straight line or pattern. It was almost like he was trying to get away from something, or someone.
A part of her considered calling up her dad and the boys to rally up a search party, but she would rather avoid telling the Inaba detective as long as possible and avoid more bad blood between them. Besides, she wanted to prove to him that she was
responsible, and that she did
care for him.
She'd show how worried he made them all… by beating it into that oblivious head of his!
"Honestly, it's bad enough seeing you and Sakura-chan pretend that there's nothing going on," she ranted to herself, scowling with each deliberate step down the road. "But now you got yourself a big ego because you're someone's new big brother. Well, you were
my little brother for years and you don't sound too proud of it now!"
What made that girl so special anyway? She was precariously cute, sure, and so mature, and maybe it had to do with her worshiping his hero dream, but…
…okay, that's actually a lot. But Taiga still rejected the notion of being the
weird one. All she wanted to do was make him less lonely. Was that so much to ask?
Taiga's mood soured from her quick introspection, and she had stopped at a crosswalk somewhere south to the immigrant residence complexes. The odds of finding that idiot now were slim at best, and something in her gut told her that she needed to find him before something happened. If only she had a-
Ah…
Aaah…
"AAAAAH-CHOO!"
A loud sneeze erupted from her nose and mouth, stimulated by some tickling in the former. The teacher rubbed her nose, focusing on what was the pesky bug that had fluttered up to her while she wasn't looking.
Taiga blinked. Fluttering stationary in front of her was something like a small moth or butterfly. What was especially odd was the fact that it was colored completely blue and released sparkles with each wing flap. She had seen it before, just before last Christmas when looking for Shirou's family information.
"You? How did-wait, HEY! Come back!"
Almost as expected, the butterfly flew away in a leading but urging manner. Again Taiga had this feeling that following the blue butterfly was important. Like how it landed on the one file she had been looking for.
Of course, if she were to
catch the bug, she might be able to force some answers out.
She didn't notice the streets she ran through, the people she had passed, or even how there were suddenly trees in the way. She didn't care, because she was on the hunt for a blue bug that just flittered ahead like a taunting lure.
No one made a fool out of Taiga Fujimura and got away with it. She might have been thankful for the butterfly's help before, but if its only idea of help is to lead people on wild goose chases, then something was about to give.
Taiga steeled herself, pushing herself faster and faster as if participating in a race. A race to beat the bell to school, or rather hurrying to start homeroom after the bell has rung. A surge of dust kicked out from behind her heels, and her dress fanned just as wide with each step.
Right now, she was a human jet coaster, like the students always gossiped; a jet coaster aiming for a blue butterfly.
She could see the butterfly ahead making more frequent turns as if sensing its impending doom. Taiga smirked predatorily, as it was only a matter of time before her natural speed enabled her to catch up. She just had to keep pushing forward. She had to catch it and maybe use it to find Shirou.
For Shirou. The idiot helper who everyone took for granted.
For Shirou. The accepting sibling of anyone into his extended family.
For Shirou. The proud stepson of Kiritsugu Emiya who she promised that she would take care of.
For Shirou. For Shirou. Forshirouforshirouforshirouforshirouforshirouforsh irou
"HOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOA!" Taiga screamed, feeling the tiger within her radiate its awesome power!
Just as her prey was about to turn away, she leaped high in the air with a speed that quickly closed the gap. With the goal within reach, she managed to pivot in the butterfly's direction, lean down and clap both hands over the butterfly in a satisfying clasp-
"Gotcha!"
CRASH!
…
right before she blanked out due to momentum carrying her shoulder first into a tree.
<><><>
-Fuyuki Church-
Nanako almost cheered up instantly seeing the church up close. Structural-wise, it was more of a wide building than a large one, with the tallest part focused on the center. It looked exactly like a church would, with an open column entrance and a cross-rod situated on top of the building. It wasn't a big church, but due to being built on top of a hill, it gives an overwhelming feeling to visitors as if God himself constructed it.
Sakura didn't quite like the place anymore. She recalled coming up a few times as a child, but that was when she still had a family. It was… painful, to think back to those days. She thought less of the priest in charge there now. Part of it was because of his relationship with her old family, while another part was simply because he made her uncomfortable. But she didn't know who else to turn to.
Inside was just as impressive, with a large, bright chapel welcoming enough for anyone to come to service. There was already a man inside when they had arrived, standing with his back to them with a small bible at hand. With a flourish, he closed the book, set it aside and turned to greet them. His eyes, parted by his remarkably thin nose, were as dull brown as his wavy hair. His tall figure was complimented by his subtle muscles and strong, confident posture. A dark blue robe draped his shoulders and body, opened enough to show his matching black shirt, pants, and gold rosary over his chest.
"It has been a while Sakura," the man smiled. "To what do I owe the pleasure?"
Sakura frowned, trying to surpress the uneasy feeling under the man's gaze. "Father Kotomine," she bowed slightly in respect. "What I seek is for… a personal matter."
"All actions committed by man are a form of personal interest, even if done out of altruism," he coldly replied. "Any favor asked here is deemed fair and equal to every other, so please speak of what troubles you."
"It's Shirou-nii," Nanako spoke to the priest, surprising Sakura. "He's run away and I'm worried he might not come back."
Kotomine knelt on one knee so he could properly see the young girl. His expression was neutral, as if holding himself back in what to tell her. "Your brother has run away, you say? A shame, for that means he may have abandoned his duties for more… primal urges."
"It's not like that," Dojima frowned at the implication. "It was more like he was… spooked."
"Spooked? Perhaps I misunderstand the situation. Tell me, child. Why has young Shirou run away?"
"They saw something they shouldn't have," said Sakura, before they said anything else. "Please, they're his family so…"
The Dojima's turned to her with confused, almost worried stares. Kotomine's own face didn't change, as he allowed a small curt nod. "I understand. Rest assured, child. Your brother will be safe
after a night's rest."
Nanako gasped lightly as the power of Kotomine's eyes and voice echoed in her head. The poor girl lost consciousness right away and fell into his open arms.
"Nanako?!" Dojima gasped, before confronting the priest. "What did you do to my daughter?!"
"She is merely resting, just as you will soon be," he answered, rising up to make eye contact with him. "
There is nothing wrong, so sleep well."
A similar reaction happened to Dojima, failing to reach for his gun in time. This time, Sakura caught him as he slumped to the side and passed out. Together Sakura and Kotomine placed the sleeping Dojima's side by side on one of the empty rows of seats.
Father Kotomine turned to Sakura with a teasing smile. "Using me as a means to hypnotize two bystanders? You're quite similar to Rin when it comes to manipulation." Sakura flinched, though whether he noticed or not, he resumed unperturbed. "But it shouldn't be much of a surprise, because you're-"
"I didn't come here to be compared to Tohsaka-senpai," she snapped quickly, while her bangs covered her lowered face.
"Yes, I suppose not," the priest allowed. "You could have confronted her personally if needed. But since you have come all this way to seek my guidance instead, what troubles you?"
"We were near the park when it happened," she explained, this time making eye contact. "Two anomalies came from the park grounds and chased Senpai. I'm not sure, but I believe he was able to see them while I had only just sensed them."
Kotomine frowned in thought. "I suppose I can't fault a Matou's skill in magecraft compared to a Tohsaka's, but Rin would have given me a concise report on more than just conjecture." Sakura fought back a mixed feeling of anger and sadness before he added, "Of course, she would do so with a condescending remark towards my profession. She has always been troublesome like that."
The purple haired girl felt calmer, but wasn't sure how to feel about Kotomine and Tohsaka-senpai's relationship. Sakura knew that the former was the latter's guardian, but there seems to be a bit of tension between them, even after ten years since… her father died.
"I assure you they were real," she spoke again. "Fujimura-sensei was also there, and the anomalies almost killed her when chasing after Senpai when she stood in their way."
"Fujimura? I believe Rin mentioned her once before. Where is she now?"
"She… chased after Senpai."
"The one who is being chased by wraiths that had also attempted to kill her," he said slowly as if making a lecture. "And yet you did nothing to stop her."
The purpled haired girl flinched and looked down. "I-it just happened so fast, and Fujimura-sensei's not the type of person to be reasoned with once she decides something.."
"Understandable. And I suppose you wish me to save these doomed souls from whatever spirit haunts them."
"Yes, please."
The priest and high school girl exchanged glances. A few moments passed, and then he said "I'm quite surprised that, given the severity of the situation, that you didn't go to Rin first."
Sakura's face twitched into a frown, but she didn't break her gaze this time. "You know why I can't."
Kotomine smiled. "Indeed. Magi often spend more time killing one another for their secrets rather than seeking help or shelter. Very well, I shall endeavor in the rescue of this young Shirou and your teacher."
Sakura bowed her head one more time in gratitude. "Thank you, Father."
<><><>
-?-
"Oooooh, it feels like I got hit by a truck," Taiga groaned as she stirred. The ground felt… flatter, and smoother than she expected of the forest, but she quickly realized she wasn't outside anymore.
The first thing she checked was her hands. No butterfly. Bummer. But at least it wasn't dead… unless it turned into sparkles of light or something. Before she could ponder it more, she stood up and started really noticing her surroundings since the start of her chase.
She found herself standing in a wide-open room, built like a dojo. The wooden floors were polished clean and new, with white marking lines for both the outline perimeter and what appeared to be a fighting ring for Kendo.
It was so surreal, and yet so familiar. It looked almost like the Emiya Dojo to her slight shock, but there were two key differences. First, the lights from the windows kept cycling to bands of orange and black like a revolving picture. Second, there was a sign set up by the shrine, scribbled in kanji. Curious, Taiga stepped out of the dojo ring to see the sign and squinted.
"Taiga… Dojo?" she read, and then blinked. "Wait, this looks like
my handwriting!"
Suddenly, a swift blow struck the back of her head. "OW!" She flinched and dropped to one knee to stop from falling down to the floor.
She saw behind her a fully dressed kendōka with her tiger-striped shinai extended out. Taiga could tell the kendoka was female because aside from the men over her head, she only wore a white ki top over a pair of blue hakama showing off a bit of her figure. And yet… there was a faint blue aura surrounding her. Was that killing intent?!
"Foul! No stepping outside the ring during a match!"
"Foul?" Taiga blinked. "Match-wait, what are you talking abou-"
Another blow struck her, this time forcibly pushing her down to the ground flat.
"Foul! Speaking back against your opponent is prohibited until the match is decided!"
"No… it…" she groaned, but the offending weapon, a bamboo sword, still pressed her down to the point of breaking her ribs.
"Feels good, doesn't it?" The attacker taunted. Her voice sounded familiar, but was probably using some half-assed sound modifier in her helmet to sound more ominous.
"To be able to go all out on the fresh meat, and show off just how awesome you are? To strike fear into their hearts before going for the kill? The twerps at the club, the officials at tournaments… they're all afraid of you, and you relish in that."
Despite the pain and the cryptic words, Taiga cracked a smirk. "For someone that was going off about fouls, you sure like to hear yourself talk."
"QUIET YOU! DOUBLE FOUL!"
Just as planned, the kendoka raised her shinai for a powerful overhead strike. Taiga used this opportunity to roll to the side when it fell, the shinai smashed down hard enough to break the wooden floor.
She quickly drew a spare shinai resting in a sword rack, taking position at the opposite end of the ring where the kendoka stood. "All right miss trigger happy. If you want a match so badly, I'll give you one. HIYAAAAA!"
She swung her weapon with ferocious abandon, intending to strike back against her enemy. But the kendoka recovered quickly and started meeting Taiga's lightning-fast strikes with her own quick parries. All five of her strikes were blocked, which stunned Taiga. This had never happened before.
"It must be a thrill," the kendoka said again, her next swing so hard it pushed Taiga back a few feet.
"For the first time you might actually have a challenge. Of course, you would never know that if you actually took things seriously."
"I happen to be taking my kidnapping and preemptive murder
very seriously," the English teacher snapped and repositioned her guard.
"I can see that. On the surface, you enjoy the simple things of life, but whenever the status quo of your enjoyment is threatened, you attack. You're very much like a sleeping tiger in that regard."
Taiga stiffened. Her hands clenched white around the hilt of her shinai. Hitting her in the back and insulting her kendo bloodlust was one thing, but this?! "Oh, you did
not just call me-!"
"Tiger Fujimura," she said deliberately.
"The Tiger of Fuyuki, wearing her favorite Tiger-striped shirt, who eats like a Tiger, who sleeps like a Tiger, and who roars like an angry-"
Each uttering of Tiger struck her like a needle injecting her with pure rage. Finally, she reached her boiling point as she roared according to her namesake. "HYOOOOOOAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA AAA!!!!"
She stomped forward with enough force to crack the wood under her. Then with both hands, she dug her shinai below and swung it up to strike the kendoka's helmet. "YOU HAVE NO RIGHT TO SAY THAT NAME TO MY FAAAAAAAACE!"
CRACK!
In an instant, her rage was gone. In its place, she was rooted in shock as she registered how casually her opponent swung her sword across. Yet it was that action that managed to not only stop her attack, but cut the bamboo in two.
"I have every right to say that name."
The kendoka's spare hand shot for Taiga's torn dress and lifted her off the ground. For the first time, Taiga could see her opponent's face, and what she saw scared her more than how strong she carried herself.
"Because we share the same face."
Behind the bars and breathing gap of the men, she saw her own facial features, only with glowing gold eyes and a calm scowl that held controlled anger.
"And that's my name, too, bitch."
