Illya goes to save Shirou, intending to sacrifice herself for him, but he makes the decision to destroy the Greater Grail himself. Desperate for a way for either of them to survive, Illya materializes both their souls, and throws them through the Kaleidescope, into the Illyaverse.
When it's Spring (Fate/Stay Night x Prisma Illya)
- Thread starter 0th Law
- Start date
- Fantasy Modern
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Illya 1
0th Law
The Promethean Rose
- Location
- 5 Minutes into the Future
- Pronouns
- They/Them
A little while after Shirou, Rin, and Rider left to go to Sakura, Illyasviel von Einzbern got up and put her hand on the door. She'd already taken one last look around the manor, and was ready to leave once more. After all, despite what Rin may have believed — if she really believed their deception — Shirou was almost certain to use Archer's arm, and based on his condition after creating the Jewel Sword, whatever he would do beneath Mount Enzou was certain to be the last straw.
He had already used the arm twice. Even if he didn't use it at all ever again, his life was certain to be shorter than hers, and she only had, at most, a year left.
It was as she'd told him a couple days ago: if she was alive by the end of the war, that would mean that he was dead. The inverse was also true, or at least would have been if he hadn't used the arm against Berserker. And since Emiya Shirou would not be coming back to his home, there would be nothing there for her.
"Goodbye, and… thank you." She gave a smile to the empty hallway, and stepped outside.
The air was chilly. It was a February night, after all, and Fuyuki's relatively mild winters were just that: relative. Illya sighed, and began walking.
She wasn't sure where she was going, at first. After all, if there was anything she wanted to do, it would make the most sense to go towards the center of town, rather than away from it. Of course, it was night, but that didn't mean there wasn't anything to do.
It was then that she realized that she was taking the path back to the Einzbern castle. Maybe she could take her car and go on a road trip, see what she could in the little time she had left?
But no, the reason was much different, and once she figured out what it was, she began to… well, she couldn't run effectively, but that didn't mean she couldn't ride her Storch Ritter.
When Illya finally made her way back to Mount Enzou, the effects of the battle were already obvious from the fairly regular tremors in the ground. It would probably be passed off as an earthquake to those unaware of the Grail War, realistically. At least, so long as that priest was doing his job properly.
Of course, the tremors, even with her inherited memories, did pose a challenge: her body was far from used to walking in heels, and those memories had all been from people who had worn them in adult bodies, as would only make sense for homunculi. Still, she was able to navigate down into the system of caverns that housed the Greater Grail, even while she wore the Dress of Heaven. It hadn't felt good, removing the shell that was Leysritt from the Dress, but her minder had graciously served her primary function, which…
Honestly, that didn't make it easier. It just made the whole situation feel even more twisted. But she'd gotten used to the general apathy felt by the rest of the Einzberns, so it was bearable.
As she picked her way through the rubble, she idly considered what exactly had led to each individual piece of destruction. Perhaps that melted section was the result of Excalibur, or maybe it was instead Rin's use of the Jewel Sword. That shattered stalagmite? Rider's Pegasus or the blast from one of Shirou's-
No, Shirou needed to live. She'd promised that she'd be his ally, and he had made the decision to protect those closest to him. And there were far more actual people close to him than there were to her.
She redoubled her pace, only stopping briefly to witness the final fall of Zolgen Makiri, before she reached the core. Only two people remained within the cavern: Shirou and that priest, who definitely would be unable to perform the coverup at this point. It also meant that Rider had managed to get Rin and Sakura out… while leaving Shirou here.
When Illya next saw Rider, she'd need to make a quick apology to Sakura, before giving the Servant a piece of her mind.
It was strange, that she was making plans for the future, when she fully intended to finish everything here and now. Perhaps it simply hadn't sank in yet, or maybe she wasn't ready or willing, on at least some level. It didn't matter, though. She was going to save-
She felt a spike of magical energy from Shirou, and a pillar of light erupted from the sword in his hands. The monstrosity that was Avenger was blown apart, along with a large chunk of the cavern. It seemed that had been the last straw, as the entire cave began to fall away completely, even as Shirou collapsed on the ground.
…So that was it, huh? She went to save someone, but they lost their life before she could do so. But still, because she decided to save him, she was going to die here as well, crushed by the falling mountain.
She felt a flicker of anger spark within her. No. This would not be the end.
Drawing on the power of the Dress of Heaven, she reached out and brought together the already-dispersing soul of Shirou, and, after a moment's consideration, she worked to materialize her own soul as well. But where to put them? Nothing would remain of this place but rubble. All that they were would sink into the earth.
Illya cast her senses out, looking for a lifeline, and surprisingly, she found one. A pathway, but more like a thread than anything else. The last remnant of a destabilized and rapidly-disintegrating gate. There was no way to be sure where it would lead. There was no way to ensure their survival. But she had to try.
And so, Illya cast her younger brother's soul into the Kaleidoscope, and followed soon after.
Elsewhere…
"Compact, full open! Mirror World Circuits: Maximum Engage!"
The moment the magic wand said those words, the headache Illya had started feeling the moment she touched it only redoubled. Even as her body moved through the motions of the transformation sequence without any of her own input, her mind felt like it was going to split open. It was almost like something was coming out of the stick and flowing into, no, through her brain, mixing up with whatever lay beyond.
By the time it was done, and she was presented as "Kaleido Ruby: Prisma Illya" to absolutely no one, things had… settled somewhat. She was outside, for some reason, and that scrape on her arm she'd just gotten had healed. But the real headaches had just begun.
She was Illyasviel von Einzbern, that much had remained the same. But… she was used to her current body, but she was used to a younger body. She was thirteen, but she was eighteen. Her mama and papa were alive, but didn't visit often. Both her mama and Kiritsugu were dead. Shirou was her older brother. Shirou was her younger brother. Sella and Leysritt were maids that had been with her family for a long time. Sella and Leysritt had only been assigned to Illya two years ago, and Leysritt had died so Illya could retrieve the Dress of Heaven from within her.
"Yoo-hoo! Earth to Illyasviel!"
Illya focused on that which remained constant, and that was the here and now. Namely, the fact that she was really annoyed at this suspicious and creepy magic wand. "You'd better have a good explanation for this." She scowled the stick. "Cough it up, and I'll consider not transferring your consciousness into a fire, which I will promptly extinguish."
"Woah there, I'm just as confused as you are. Normally, the contract would have been completed without any headaches or soul transformations, but when I formed it, your Circuits multiplied to a frankly absurd degree. It's not my fault!"
Illya raised an eyebrow. "I was referring to-" She cut herself off. That gem, where the wand's head met its haft, it reminded part of her of the Jewel Sword… "Ah, I see. The Kaleidoscope."
"...Well, yes, I am the Magical Kaleidostick of Love and Justice, Ruby, but what does that have to do with-"
"Everything, actually." Illya cut Ruby off. "It appears I have you to thank for helping to… well, suffice to say that you have earned the right to remain in your form for the time being. But I do still need an explanation for what exactly your purpose here is."
"Oh, that's easy." Ruby accepted the change of topic with ease. "I was getting away from an old hag of a magical girl, and-"
"Oh?" A voice from the other side of the yard cut off the Kaleidostick yet again. "Just who are you calling an old hag?"
Since the more local part of Illya didn't recognize the voice, while the other did, she decided to lean on those instincts. "Oh, it's you, Rin." She stood up and patted the dirt off her legs. "I presume this Mystic Code is yours?"
"Huh?" Rin and Ruby said in tandem, quickly earning Ruby a glare from Rin, who was the only one to continue, after turning a confused gaze back on Illya. "How do you know me?"
"It's a long story." Illya deflected. It really wouldn't do to have people questioning her current existence. "Although I suppose I should introduce myself, since I seem to have you at a disadvantage." She smiled, and gave a perfect curtsy, or at least the best she could with a skirt of less-than-ideal length. "I am Illyasviel von Einzbern. Are you the one Kischur Zelretch entrusted with this Mystic Code?"
"Ah, I understand now." Rin nodded as if that had explained everything. It actually did, really, to those aware of magic. "Yes, I was entrusted with that good-for-nothing Kaleidostick. Unfortunately, I do need it, so could you hand it over?"
Illya considered that for barely even a moment, before nodding and holding the stick out to Rin. "It's not like I have any interest in his keepsakes anyway." The ability to draw theoretically limitless energy from parallel worlds meant little when you were sustained by the energy of the land indefinitely.
"Thanks." Rin took the offered Kaleidostick. Or at least she tried. Even as Illya attempted to let go of it, her fingers wouldn't budge. "Could you let go of it, please?"
Illya sighed. "I'm trying, but I have an inkling as to why it's of no use."
Ruby chucked. "Indeed, I've already updated my master information, regardless of her will! As long as I don't allow it, it's impossible to change masAAGH!" Her smug boasting turned into a scream as Rin stopped trying to tug Ruby out of Illya's hands, and instead slammed the stick into the wall of her house, leaving a surprisingly large crater.
Well, that was just unsightly. "It's unladylike to take out your anger on someone when you get dumped." Illya shook her head. "I'm beginning to see why Ruby hates you." Hadn't she already told…? Right, different Rin. "Also, you're fixing that crater you just made."
"Don't you start!" Rin turned to yell at Illya. "I'm just going to torment her until she decides to change masters again!"
"Oh? Do you miss being a magical girl that much, Rin?" Ruby teased.
"You think I miss it!? I'd rather die than be seen like that again."
Illya chuckled as a thought entered her mind. "And yet you'd go so far to be back like that again, hm? You really are a troublesome person: your words don't match up with your actions at all."
"Why you!" A red-black orb began forming around one of Rin's fingers.
Oh, maybe that had been too far. How to… ah. "In any case, Rin, how's Sakura?" Rin began to give a response, but Illya continued over her. "When's the last time you checked up on her?"
Rin inhaled sharply. "What have you-"
"Me? Nothing. I actually quite like her, and I'm sure she'd be happy to be with her sister again." Illya grinned, seeing Rin's desperately conflicted face. Still, she really needed to resolve this situation sooner rather than later so she could check on Shirou. "I'll visit you after school tomorrow. But before you go, could you please fix this wall? I think it's load-bearing."
A couple seconds later, the tension went out of Rin. "Fine, but we're continuing this later!"
"I wouldn't have it any other way." Illya nodded as Rin used a quick spell to fix her house before rushing off. Illya chucked at how easy Rin was sometimes.
"And here I was, thinking I'd gotten a nice and pure young girl as my master." Ruby lamented. "Do you think you could tone down the creepiness?"
Right, she had been acting more like her older self rather than her current self. "I'll try." Illya scratched the back of her head, chuckling nervously.
He had already used the arm twice. Even if he didn't use it at all ever again, his life was certain to be shorter than hers, and she only had, at most, a year left.
It was as she'd told him a couple days ago: if she was alive by the end of the war, that would mean that he was dead. The inverse was also true, or at least would have been if he hadn't used the arm against Berserker. And since Emiya Shirou would not be coming back to his home, there would be nothing there for her.
"Goodbye, and… thank you." She gave a smile to the empty hallway, and stepped outside.
The air was chilly. It was a February night, after all, and Fuyuki's relatively mild winters were just that: relative. Illya sighed, and began walking.
She wasn't sure where she was going, at first. After all, if there was anything she wanted to do, it would make the most sense to go towards the center of town, rather than away from it. Of course, it was night, but that didn't mean there wasn't anything to do.
It was then that she realized that she was taking the path back to the Einzbern castle. Maybe she could take her car and go on a road trip, see what she could in the little time she had left?
But no, the reason was much different, and once she figured out what it was, she began to… well, she couldn't run effectively, but that didn't mean she couldn't ride her Storch Ritter.
==*==
When Illya finally made her way back to Mount Enzou, the effects of the battle were already obvious from the fairly regular tremors in the ground. It would probably be passed off as an earthquake to those unaware of the Grail War, realistically. At least, so long as that priest was doing his job properly.
Of course, the tremors, even with her inherited memories, did pose a challenge: her body was far from used to walking in heels, and those memories had all been from people who had worn them in adult bodies, as would only make sense for homunculi. Still, she was able to navigate down into the system of caverns that housed the Greater Grail, even while she wore the Dress of Heaven. It hadn't felt good, removing the shell that was Leysritt from the Dress, but her minder had graciously served her primary function, which…
Honestly, that didn't make it easier. It just made the whole situation feel even more twisted. But she'd gotten used to the general apathy felt by the rest of the Einzberns, so it was bearable.
As she picked her way through the rubble, she idly considered what exactly had led to each individual piece of destruction. Perhaps that melted section was the result of Excalibur, or maybe it was instead Rin's use of the Jewel Sword. That shattered stalagmite? Rider's Pegasus or the blast from one of Shirou's-
No, Shirou needed to live. She'd promised that she'd be his ally, and he had made the decision to protect those closest to him. And there were far more actual people close to him than there were to her.
She redoubled her pace, only stopping briefly to witness the final fall of Zolgen Makiri, before she reached the core. Only two people remained within the cavern: Shirou and that priest, who definitely would be unable to perform the coverup at this point. It also meant that Rider had managed to get Rin and Sakura out… while leaving Shirou here.
When Illya next saw Rider, she'd need to make a quick apology to Sakura, before giving the Servant a piece of her mind.
It was strange, that she was making plans for the future, when she fully intended to finish everything here and now. Perhaps it simply hadn't sank in yet, or maybe she wasn't ready or willing, on at least some level. It didn't matter, though. She was going to save-
She felt a spike of magical energy from Shirou, and a pillar of light erupted from the sword in his hands. The monstrosity that was Avenger was blown apart, along with a large chunk of the cavern. It seemed that had been the last straw, as the entire cave began to fall away completely, even as Shirou collapsed on the ground.
…So that was it, huh? She went to save someone, but they lost their life before she could do so. But still, because she decided to save him, she was going to die here as well, crushed by the falling mountain.
She felt a flicker of anger spark within her. No. This would not be the end.
Drawing on the power of the Dress of Heaven, she reached out and brought together the already-dispersing soul of Shirou, and, after a moment's consideration, she worked to materialize her own soul as well. But where to put them? Nothing would remain of this place but rubble. All that they were would sink into the earth.
Illya cast her senses out, looking for a lifeline, and surprisingly, she found one. A pathway, but more like a thread than anything else. The last remnant of a destabilized and rapidly-disintegrating gate. There was no way to be sure where it would lead. There was no way to ensure their survival. But she had to try.
And so, Illya cast her younger brother's soul into the Kaleidoscope, and followed soon after.
==*==
Elsewhere…
"Compact, full open! Mirror World Circuits: Maximum Engage!"
The moment the magic wand said those words, the headache Illya had started feeling the moment she touched it only redoubled. Even as her body moved through the motions of the transformation sequence without any of her own input, her mind felt like it was going to split open. It was almost like something was coming out of the stick and flowing into, no, through her brain, mixing up with whatever lay beyond.
By the time it was done, and she was presented as "Kaleido Ruby: Prisma Illya" to absolutely no one, things had… settled somewhat. She was outside, for some reason, and that scrape on her arm she'd just gotten had healed. But the real headaches had just begun.
She was Illyasviel von Einzbern, that much had remained the same. But… she was used to her current body, but she was used to a younger body. She was thirteen, but she was eighteen. Her mama and papa were alive, but didn't visit often. Both her mama and Kiritsugu were dead. Shirou was her older brother. Shirou was her younger brother. Sella and Leysritt were maids that had been with her family for a long time. Sella and Leysritt had only been assigned to Illya two years ago, and Leysritt had died so Illya could retrieve the Dress of Heaven from within her.
"Yoo-hoo! Earth to Illyasviel!"
Illya focused on that which remained constant, and that was the here and now. Namely, the fact that she was really annoyed at this suspicious and creepy magic wand. "You'd better have a good explanation for this." She scowled the stick. "Cough it up, and I'll consider not transferring your consciousness into a fire, which I will promptly extinguish."
"Woah there, I'm just as confused as you are. Normally, the contract would have been completed without any headaches or soul transformations, but when I formed it, your Circuits multiplied to a frankly absurd degree. It's not my fault!"
Illya raised an eyebrow. "I was referring to-" She cut herself off. That gem, where the wand's head met its haft, it reminded part of her of the Jewel Sword… "Ah, I see. The Kaleidoscope."
"...Well, yes, I am the Magical Kaleidostick of Love and Justice, Ruby, but what does that have to do with-"
"Everything, actually." Illya cut Ruby off. "It appears I have you to thank for helping to… well, suffice to say that you have earned the right to remain in your form for the time being. But I do still need an explanation for what exactly your purpose here is."
"Oh, that's easy." Ruby accepted the change of topic with ease. "I was getting away from an old hag of a magical girl, and-"
"Oh?" A voice from the other side of the yard cut off the Kaleidostick yet again. "Just who are you calling an old hag?"
Since the more local part of Illya didn't recognize the voice, while the other did, she decided to lean on those instincts. "Oh, it's you, Rin." She stood up and patted the dirt off her legs. "I presume this Mystic Code is yours?"
"Huh?" Rin and Ruby said in tandem, quickly earning Ruby a glare from Rin, who was the only one to continue, after turning a confused gaze back on Illya. "How do you know me?"
"It's a long story." Illya deflected. It really wouldn't do to have people questioning her current existence. "Although I suppose I should introduce myself, since I seem to have you at a disadvantage." She smiled, and gave a perfect curtsy, or at least the best she could with a skirt of less-than-ideal length. "I am Illyasviel von Einzbern. Are you the one Kischur Zelretch entrusted with this Mystic Code?"
"Ah, I understand now." Rin nodded as if that had explained everything. It actually did, really, to those aware of magic. "Yes, I was entrusted with that good-for-nothing Kaleidostick. Unfortunately, I do need it, so could you hand it over?"
Illya considered that for barely even a moment, before nodding and holding the stick out to Rin. "It's not like I have any interest in his keepsakes anyway." The ability to draw theoretically limitless energy from parallel worlds meant little when you were sustained by the energy of the land indefinitely.
"Thanks." Rin took the offered Kaleidostick. Or at least she tried. Even as Illya attempted to let go of it, her fingers wouldn't budge. "Could you let go of it, please?"
Illya sighed. "I'm trying, but I have an inkling as to why it's of no use."
Ruby chucked. "Indeed, I've already updated my master information, regardless of her will! As long as I don't allow it, it's impossible to change masAAGH!" Her smug boasting turned into a scream as Rin stopped trying to tug Ruby out of Illya's hands, and instead slammed the stick into the wall of her house, leaving a surprisingly large crater.
Well, that was just unsightly. "It's unladylike to take out your anger on someone when you get dumped." Illya shook her head. "I'm beginning to see why Ruby hates you." Hadn't she already told…? Right, different Rin. "Also, you're fixing that crater you just made."
"Don't you start!" Rin turned to yell at Illya. "I'm just going to torment her until she decides to change masters again!"
"Oh? Do you miss being a magical girl that much, Rin?" Ruby teased.
"You think I miss it!? I'd rather die than be seen like that again."
Illya chuckled as a thought entered her mind. "And yet you'd go so far to be back like that again, hm? You really are a troublesome person: your words don't match up with your actions at all."
"Why you!" A red-black orb began forming around one of Rin's fingers.
Oh, maybe that had been too far. How to… ah. "In any case, Rin, how's Sakura?" Rin began to give a response, but Illya continued over her. "When's the last time you checked up on her?"
Rin inhaled sharply. "What have you-"
"Me? Nothing. I actually quite like her, and I'm sure she'd be happy to be with her sister again." Illya grinned, seeing Rin's desperately conflicted face. Still, she really needed to resolve this situation sooner rather than later so she could check on Shirou. "I'll visit you after school tomorrow. But before you go, could you please fix this wall? I think it's load-bearing."
A couple seconds later, the tension went out of Rin. "Fine, but we're continuing this later!"
"I wouldn't have it any other way." Illya nodded as Rin used a quick spell to fix her house before rushing off. Illya chucked at how easy Rin was sometimes.
"And here I was, thinking I'd gotten a nice and pure young girl as my master." Ruby lamented. "Do you think you could tone down the creepiness?"
Right, she had been acting more like her older self rather than her current self. "I'll try." Illya scratched the back of her head, chuckling nervously.
Shirou 1
0th Law
The Promethean Rose
- Location
- 5 Minutes into the Future
- Pronouns
- They/Them
Shirou slowly opened his eyes, blinking away the tears that had been streaming down the sides of his face. He was in the antechamber and changing room of the Einzbern-Emiya family's bathroom, and going by the fact that his only garment was the towel wrapped around his waist, he'd been just about to take a bath himself. However, the last thing he remembered…
Swords invading every part of his body, turning flesh into steel. His brain ceasing to function as it's pierced a thousand times over. The sword of the sun, swung. A small glimmer of hope, burnt out, alongside a promise that could not be kept.
"I'm sorry, Sakura." He whispered. "We won't be able to see the cherry blossoms together."
"You know, there's still a chance for that, Shirou." A kind voice came from behind him. He yelped in shock, turning around to see Illya, leaning on the antechamber's door. She was dressed in a ruffled lilac button-up shirt and a maroon skirt — not something that she wore as a participant in the Holy Grail War, meaning that she was an Illya that grew up as his younger sister. How did he know that? "Not the same Sakura, true, but she'll be Sakura nonetheless."
It was at that moment that he connected the facts of his state of dress and her presence in his head, and rushed to cover himself up fully. "Why are you in here!?" He didn't yell the question, but he definitely conveyed his shock. "A girl shouldn't-"
Illya merely sighed in response. "Get your mind out of the gutter, okay? There's things you need to know, and it's better if you know them sooner rather than later. This just happens to be the most convenient juncture for that talk."
So just like the other times Rin and Illya had been tuning him to make sure his arm stayed under control, huh? Not like he was particularly fond of the experience, but… he let out his breath. "Fine."
"So, as you should be able to tell, we're in another world, or from another perspective, your soul has been merged with that of an Emiya Shirou from another world." Illya seemed to enter an equivalent of Tohsaka's lecturing pose, which honestly looked more adorable than anything else, given her size. "I took the liberty of tuning the consciousness transfer and healing your head once I had the chance, so it should have been easier for you to acclimate than me. You clearly have one set of memories, but to confirm the other's presence…" Illya slipped into German. "Can you understand this?"
"Yes." Shirou responded, automatically using the same language. That was right, he'd grown up in a bilingual household in this life, although due to his relatively later start, he was generally worse than Illya at German. "But how did I get here? How did you get here too?" Huh, he'd slipped back into Japanese, instead of continuing in the same language.
Illya gave him a critical look. "Because of your little stunt with that sword, this was the only way that either of us had a chance of survival. We're lucky that the Jewel Sword's effect didn't completely fade, otherwise both of us would have already died."
Wait… "But why were you at risk too? Did the blast reach the house, or something?"
"No, I was in the cavern, trying to save you. If you'd just waited a little longer, you could have been back with Sakura!"
Illya was making no effort to conceal her anger, but frankly, Shirou was angry too. Sure, he was happy that both of them had managed to make it out, but the anger took precedent right now. "But I already was the one who would be sacrificed! Why would you put yourself at risk in order to try and undo what had already been decided?"
"Your life matters more than mine!"
"Idiot, of course it doesn't. You deserved-"
"Shirou?" Sella's voice called from the other side of the door. "What's going on in there?"
"Uhhh… nothing!" Shirou denied. "Just… uh, arguing with myself."
"Well, finish up soon, okay? You've been in there for a bit."
"Got it!" How long had he been in here, anyway?
Illya sighed. "We'll continue this later. You'll need to make your bath quick." With that, she summoned a silver wire from her hair and rode it up out the window.
Shirou clicked his tongue in annoyance, but took a quick bath anyways, stewing in his frustration the whole time.
When his time came, Shirou stood and walked up to the line, placing his feet in the proper position.
Judging the concept of creation.
He straightened his posture, ensuring his balance was ideal.
Hypothesizing the basic structure.
Turning his gaze, he stared down the range at the targets.
Duplicating the composition material.
Finally, he raised his bow above his head, an arrow in his right hand, ready to be drawn.
Imitating the skill of its making.
He drew his hands down and apart, drawing the bow as a consequence of the action, and allowing his mind to become one with the arrow.
Sympathizing with the experience of its growth.
He reached full draw, with the bow perfectly positioned, uniting his self with the target.
Reproducing the accumulated years.
Releasing the string, the arrow that had become his self flew towards the target, striking the center with its usual accuracy.
Excelling every manufacturing process.
Shirou eventually lowered the bow, preparing to fire the next arrow. As he finished and returned to the bench, he considered the Heroic Spirit that he had been given the arm of. The Heroic Spirit whose gift saved him, but killed him in the end.
Archer really was an archer, huh?
He'd thought that Archer was a Blacksmith Hero, who was most notable for his ability to create weapons, an ability that had manifested as the Projection magecraft of his Noble Phantasm. But that wasn't really the case, was it? The process of creating swords used by Archer wasn't something related to smithing at all: to project a weapon was to fire an arrow.
It made sense, he supposed: he had always likened Kyuudou to his magecraft. It was meditation, a path to reach a result, as opposed to a specific technique. It followed naturally that the Emiya Shirou who had become a heroic spirit would use such a method to actualize his magecraft. He had made himself transparent, becoming one with the Projection he would create.
"Oi, Emiya." Somebody nudged Shirou with an elbow. Turning his head, Shirou saw that it was Shinji. "You're being more distant than usual. It wouldn't do if the club's Vice Captain was slacking off, huh?"
Shinji.
They'd been friends at one point. Still were here, in fact. But… while Shirou used to simply accept that he and Shinji were on different wavelengths, now he realized that he simply couldn't comprehend Shinji. An older brother had to protect their younger sister, and even if his motives were somehow pure, Shinji had proven to be the sort of person who would hold a knife to his sister's throat and abuse her not just physically, but also-
Shirou scowled, brutally suppressing that particular thought and forcing back the bile in his throat. He'd been an older brother for most of his life, or rather most of one of his lives, and thinking about any of that in the context of Illya…
Well, it was a miracle that he'd managed to not vomit, to put it lightly.
"What's that look for, Emiya?" Shinji asked, reminding Shirou that he actually was talking to someone.
"Oh, uh… don't worry about it." Shirou forced a smile.
Shinji gave a pained scowl, but didn't press further.
Shirou shook his head, and glanced up at the people currently at the range, among whom was Sakura.
Sakura.
So many things came to mind when he looked at her, but the most prominent was, perhaps unsurprisingly, that one week that they'd been together. Properly together, that is. It had been fraught with constant danger, but the moments they'd spent together…
No. Looking at her like that now was doing her a disservice. They certainly weren't together, and while he knew for sure that his feelings had survived the trip, so to speak, he didn't know that this version of her would return those feelings. More than that, what he needed to focus on what really mattered: saving her. Anything else could come later.
…But did she need saving here? Yes, she was with the Matou, not the Tohsaka, but that could be a result of her being born into the Matou instead. Likewise, it was entirely possible that Zouken had died without… passing on his Crest, so to speak. If that was the case, then any attempts to save Sakura would ultimately be pointless.
What would be the most reliable way of determining whether or not that was necessary? According to Tohsaka, Sakura hadn't smiled in front of people other than him. From what he could recall, she hadn't smiled in front of him at first either.
Her happiness…
Shirou thought back to when she first joined the Archery club. He hadn't been paying as close attention to her, beyond what just made sense in his role as Vice Captain, as well as a friend of her older brother. Because of that, he really wasn't able to guess at whether or not Sakura found happiness in those days. From what he could tell, she was generally happy now, but he couldn't be sure if that was a consequence of his or anyone else's presence or not.
Shirou let out a little sigh. That whole train of thought wasn't productive. Rather, what he needed to do was consider the worst case sce-
No, the worst case scenario was that Zouken had managed to consume her soul and inhabit her body while somehow maintaining Sakura's form. That was untenable, something that Shirou couldn't save her from, no matter how hard he tried.
The second worst case scenario, then. Or at least, the second worst case scenario that he could imagine. Honestly, that simply was what had happened during the 5th Grail War: Zouken alive, well, and active, with Sakura as a host for Crest Worms created from fragments of the Angra Mainyu that was in the Holy Grail.
Except that didn't fit with the facts of this world, from what he knew. The Fuyuki Fire hadn't occurred, which meant that the 4th Grail War also had potentially not occurred. Even if it had, there wasn't any news of freak gas leaks or serial killers going around, meaning that if the Grail War was still going on — it probably was, to some extent, given that the Founding Families were still present — it hadn't begun yet.
Still, even if it hadn't begun, what Shirou could — should — do to save Sakura, if she did need saving, hadn't changed. He'd need to Project Rule Breaker once more. At least in theory, its ability to nullify any magecraft, contract, or magical being should be able to destroy the Crest Worms inside Sakura. That was part of why he'd used it last time, after all, beyond simply separating her from Angra Mainyu.
But would he be able to use Projection like he had again? He didn't have Archer's arm anymore, as far as he could tell. He certainly wasn't getting the periodic urge to cut it off, or overwhelming dread at its presence, or the sense of Archer's reality marble which he needed to suppress lest his body get impaled from the outside and inside. Yet at the same time, he clearly remembered the process Archer had used to Project.
He could start by reciting the first line of Archer's aria, declare that he was the bone of his sword, and use that to try and focus on the magecraft Archer had used. But it was entirely possible that doing so would simply arm that time bomb in his brain once more.
Honestly, the best thing for him to do was to consult with Illya about the whole thing. If nothing else, it'd make it so that she wouldn't kill him for going ahead and trying to Project a Noble Phantasm without any idea if it'd actually be safe or not. He was still somewhat mad at her, and he could tell that she was mad too, but he figured that both of them knew that state of affairs couldn't last forever. Talking about things would undoubtedly be the first step towards reconciliation.
Confident in his short-term plan, Shirou did his best to actually focus on his duties as Archery Vice Captain.
He was in homeroom when he found out, and he almost fell out of his chair in shock: Tohsaka had transferred back to Homuharaha, alongside some foreign woman he didn't recognize. It was ominous, and it certainly meant something. What it was, he wasn't sure yet, but if he had to guess, it had something to do with the Holy Grail War.
Swords invading every part of his body, turning flesh into steel. His brain ceasing to function as it's pierced a thousand times over. The sword of the sun, swung. A small glimmer of hope, burnt out, alongside a promise that could not be kept.
"I'm sorry, Sakura." He whispered. "We won't be able to see the cherry blossoms together."
"You know, there's still a chance for that, Shirou." A kind voice came from behind him. He yelped in shock, turning around to see Illya, leaning on the antechamber's door. She was dressed in a ruffled lilac button-up shirt and a maroon skirt — not something that she wore as a participant in the Holy Grail War, meaning that she was an Illya that grew up as his younger sister. How did he know that? "Not the same Sakura, true, but she'll be Sakura nonetheless."
It was at that moment that he connected the facts of his state of dress and her presence in his head, and rushed to cover himself up fully. "Why are you in here!?" He didn't yell the question, but he definitely conveyed his shock. "A girl shouldn't-"
Illya merely sighed in response. "Get your mind out of the gutter, okay? There's things you need to know, and it's better if you know them sooner rather than later. This just happens to be the most convenient juncture for that talk."
So just like the other times Rin and Illya had been tuning him to make sure his arm stayed under control, huh? Not like he was particularly fond of the experience, but… he let out his breath. "Fine."
"So, as you should be able to tell, we're in another world, or from another perspective, your soul has been merged with that of an Emiya Shirou from another world." Illya seemed to enter an equivalent of Tohsaka's lecturing pose, which honestly looked more adorable than anything else, given her size. "I took the liberty of tuning the consciousness transfer and healing your head once I had the chance, so it should have been easier for you to acclimate than me. You clearly have one set of memories, but to confirm the other's presence…" Illya slipped into German. "Can you understand this?"
"Yes." Shirou responded, automatically using the same language. That was right, he'd grown up in a bilingual household in this life, although due to his relatively later start, he was generally worse than Illya at German. "But how did I get here? How did you get here too?" Huh, he'd slipped back into Japanese, instead of continuing in the same language.
Illya gave him a critical look. "Because of your little stunt with that sword, this was the only way that either of us had a chance of survival. We're lucky that the Jewel Sword's effect didn't completely fade, otherwise both of us would have already died."
Wait… "But why were you at risk too? Did the blast reach the house, or something?"
"No, I was in the cavern, trying to save you. If you'd just waited a little longer, you could have been back with Sakura!"
Illya was making no effort to conceal her anger, but frankly, Shirou was angry too. Sure, he was happy that both of them had managed to make it out, but the anger took precedent right now. "But I already was the one who would be sacrificed! Why would you put yourself at risk in order to try and undo what had already been decided?"
"Your life matters more than mine!"
"Idiot, of course it doesn't. You deserved-"
"Shirou?" Sella's voice called from the other side of the door. "What's going on in there?"
"Uhhh… nothing!" Shirou denied. "Just… uh, arguing with myself."
"Well, finish up soon, okay? You've been in there for a bit."
"Got it!" How long had he been in here, anyway?
Illya sighed. "We'll continue this later. You'll need to make your bath quick." With that, she summoned a silver wire from her hair and rode it up out the window.
Shirou clicked his tongue in annoyance, but took a quick bath anyways, stewing in his frustration the whole time.
==*==
When his time came, Shirou stood and walked up to the line, placing his feet in the proper position.
Judging the concept of creation.
He straightened his posture, ensuring his balance was ideal.
Hypothesizing the basic structure.
Turning his gaze, he stared down the range at the targets.
Duplicating the composition material.
Finally, he raised his bow above his head, an arrow in his right hand, ready to be drawn.
Imitating the skill of its making.
He drew his hands down and apart, drawing the bow as a consequence of the action, and allowing his mind to become one with the arrow.
Sympathizing with the experience of its growth.
He reached full draw, with the bow perfectly positioned, uniting his self with the target.
Reproducing the accumulated years.
Releasing the string, the arrow that had become his self flew towards the target, striking the center with its usual accuracy.
Excelling every manufacturing process.
Shirou eventually lowered the bow, preparing to fire the next arrow. As he finished and returned to the bench, he considered the Heroic Spirit that he had been given the arm of. The Heroic Spirit whose gift saved him, but killed him in the end.
Archer really was an archer, huh?
He'd thought that Archer was a Blacksmith Hero, who was most notable for his ability to create weapons, an ability that had manifested as the Projection magecraft of his Noble Phantasm. But that wasn't really the case, was it? The process of creating swords used by Archer wasn't something related to smithing at all: to project a weapon was to fire an arrow.
It made sense, he supposed: he had always likened Kyuudou to his magecraft. It was meditation, a path to reach a result, as opposed to a specific technique. It followed naturally that the Emiya Shirou who had become a heroic spirit would use such a method to actualize his magecraft. He had made himself transparent, becoming one with the Projection he would create.
"Oi, Emiya." Somebody nudged Shirou with an elbow. Turning his head, Shirou saw that it was Shinji. "You're being more distant than usual. It wouldn't do if the club's Vice Captain was slacking off, huh?"
Shinji.
They'd been friends at one point. Still were here, in fact. But… while Shirou used to simply accept that he and Shinji were on different wavelengths, now he realized that he simply couldn't comprehend Shinji. An older brother had to protect their younger sister, and even if his motives were somehow pure, Shinji had proven to be the sort of person who would hold a knife to his sister's throat and abuse her not just physically, but also-
Shirou scowled, brutally suppressing that particular thought and forcing back the bile in his throat. He'd been an older brother for most of his life, or rather most of one of his lives, and thinking about any of that in the context of Illya…
Well, it was a miracle that he'd managed to not vomit, to put it lightly.
"What's that look for, Emiya?" Shinji asked, reminding Shirou that he actually was talking to someone.
"Oh, uh… don't worry about it." Shirou forced a smile.
Shinji gave a pained scowl, but didn't press further.
Shirou shook his head, and glanced up at the people currently at the range, among whom was Sakura.
Sakura.
So many things came to mind when he looked at her, but the most prominent was, perhaps unsurprisingly, that one week that they'd been together. Properly together, that is. It had been fraught with constant danger, but the moments they'd spent together…
No. Looking at her like that now was doing her a disservice. They certainly weren't together, and while he knew for sure that his feelings had survived the trip, so to speak, he didn't know that this version of her would return those feelings. More than that, what he needed to focus on what really mattered: saving her. Anything else could come later.
…But did she need saving here? Yes, she was with the Matou, not the Tohsaka, but that could be a result of her being born into the Matou instead. Likewise, it was entirely possible that Zouken had died without… passing on his Crest, so to speak. If that was the case, then any attempts to save Sakura would ultimately be pointless.
What would be the most reliable way of determining whether or not that was necessary? According to Tohsaka, Sakura hadn't smiled in front of people other than him. From what he could recall, she hadn't smiled in front of him at first either.
Her happiness…
Shirou thought back to when she first joined the Archery club. He hadn't been paying as close attention to her, beyond what just made sense in his role as Vice Captain, as well as a friend of her older brother. Because of that, he really wasn't able to guess at whether or not Sakura found happiness in those days. From what he could tell, she was generally happy now, but he couldn't be sure if that was a consequence of his or anyone else's presence or not.
Shirou let out a little sigh. That whole train of thought wasn't productive. Rather, what he needed to do was consider the worst case sce-
No, the worst case scenario was that Zouken had managed to consume her soul and inhabit her body while somehow maintaining Sakura's form. That was untenable, something that Shirou couldn't save her from, no matter how hard he tried.
The second worst case scenario, then. Or at least, the second worst case scenario that he could imagine. Honestly, that simply was what had happened during the 5th Grail War: Zouken alive, well, and active, with Sakura as a host for Crest Worms created from fragments of the Angra Mainyu that was in the Holy Grail.
Except that didn't fit with the facts of this world, from what he knew. The Fuyuki Fire hadn't occurred, which meant that the 4th Grail War also had potentially not occurred. Even if it had, there wasn't any news of freak gas leaks or serial killers going around, meaning that if the Grail War was still going on — it probably was, to some extent, given that the Founding Families were still present — it hadn't begun yet.
Still, even if it hadn't begun, what Shirou could — should — do to save Sakura, if she did need saving, hadn't changed. He'd need to Project Rule Breaker once more. At least in theory, its ability to nullify any magecraft, contract, or magical being should be able to destroy the Crest Worms inside Sakura. That was part of why he'd used it last time, after all, beyond simply separating her from Angra Mainyu.
But would he be able to use Projection like he had again? He didn't have Archer's arm anymore, as far as he could tell. He certainly wasn't getting the periodic urge to cut it off, or overwhelming dread at its presence, or the sense of Archer's reality marble which he needed to suppress lest his body get impaled from the outside and inside. Yet at the same time, he clearly remembered the process Archer had used to Project.
He could start by reciting the first line of Archer's aria, declare that he was the bone of his sword, and use that to try and focus on the magecraft Archer had used. But it was entirely possible that doing so would simply arm that time bomb in his brain once more.
Honestly, the best thing for him to do was to consult with Illya about the whole thing. If nothing else, it'd make it so that she wouldn't kill him for going ahead and trying to Project a Noble Phantasm without any idea if it'd actually be safe or not. He was still somewhat mad at her, and he could tell that she was mad too, but he figured that both of them knew that state of affairs couldn't last forever. Talking about things would undoubtedly be the first step towards reconciliation.
Confident in his short-term plan, Shirou did his best to actually focus on his duties as Archery Vice Captain.
==*==
He was in homeroom when he found out, and he almost fell out of his chair in shock: Tohsaka had transferred back to Homuharaha, alongside some foreign woman he didn't recognize. It was ominous, and it certainly meant something. What it was, he wasn't sure yet, but if he had to guess, it had something to do with the Holy Grail War.
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we'll watch your carrier with great interest
Illya 2
0th Law
The Promethean Rose
- Location
- 5 Minutes into the Future
- Pronouns
- They/Them
Illya slumped forward in her desk the moment Fujimura-sensei officially began their lunch break. "I'm tired." She groaned.
Mimi, who was beginning to push her desk to be touching those of the other members of their friend group, looked over with concern. "Are you sure you got enough sleep last night? You looked somewhat out of it, even during class."
"Ehhh…" Illya waved a hand around, still not picking her head up off the desk. "I probably didn't. Not something that could really be helped, though. No way around it."
"Really?" Nanaki raised an eyebrow. "Are you sure you weren't staying up late, watching magical girl anime again?"
Now that got Illya to pick up her head. "I was not!" She pouted.
"What were you doing, then?" Mimi asked.
"Do you want the long version or the short version?" Honestly, Illya wasn't sure if she actually should give them the long version, but she could just hypnotize them to forget it after the fact. Of course, she didn't want to do that, as they were her friends, but… No, she obviously should just not give the real long version. Or perhaps they wouldn't actually believe it if she told them? Eh, she'd cross that bridge when she got to it.
"The short version, clearly." Tatsuko asserted. "You're going to need to eat, at least."
So she wouldn't have to hypnotize her friends. Illya sighed in relief, before providing the short version. "I was checking up on… a lot of things." Specifically, after her argument with Shirou, she'd created a couple familiars, and proceeded to send them to investigate key locations and leyline intersections, particularly the cave beneath Mount Enzou, for any hints on the status of the Grail War.
While they were traveling, Illya had begun to work on tuning her own consciousness' integration, so as to make everything operate smoothly and avoid further headaches. That had been… an interesting experience, mostly because she'd discovered another soul caught up in the mix. It was definitely part of herself, given that it was the source of a significant portion of the Circuits that had come from the more local part of her soul were actually from that other soul. However, she couldn't properly communicate with it or even analyze it, as it was locked behind a wall she couldn't quite pierce.
Now, she could probably create a Familiar with it, using it as both the mind and soul, but since it was a legitimate soul that was part of her, she'd want to either figure out a way to make contact, or at the very least provide a more… suitable vessel.
"That's pretty vague." Suzuka commented.
"It is the short version." Illya shrugged, before pulling out her lunch. "To be honest, the long version would simply take far too much time, and you'd be better off not hearing all the details."
"Are you okay, at least?" Mimi's concern hadn't faded, it seemed.
"Of course." Illya responded immediately. "Honestly, all things considered, I'm better off as a result… aside from all the time it took."
"How long?"
"A couple hours or so, but it feels like years." Which was true, from a certain point of view.
With any luck, whatever Rin was dealing with would be much more… tame than the Holy Grail War. But even if it wasn't, she was a magical girl now, apparently. Now that made things actually exciting.
Illya waited by the gate of Homuharaha Academy's High School, tacitly ignoring most of the people who looked questioningly at her. She'd done this before, of course, but that was just when she was waiting for Shirou to be done with the Archery Club for the day, which generally meant that she got here later in the day, thus avoiding the large clumps of people in the "go home club," so to speak.
Of course, it wouldn't be so bad if Ruby wasn't constantly giving "encouragement."
"Yes, yes! Gaze upon my Master's cuteness." The Kaleidostick chanted just quietly enough to only be heard by Illya. "That's right, the cuteness possessed by a girl in her second year of middle school far outstrips even someone in their first year of high school!"
While Illya couldn't exactly use her hands to punish Ruby or even complain verbally without being seen as incredibly odd, to put it lightly, she did deliberately lean into the part of her briefcase that Ruby was hiding in.
"Violence will not stop justice!" Ruby declared, prompting Illya to lean even harder. "And cuteness is-"
Regrettably, Illya would not find out what cuteness was that day, as Ruby's voice became inexplicably muffled by a large amount of silver thread that had somehow appeared in Illya's briefcase.
Illya only had to wait a couple more moments before she was finally able to spot Rin, wearing her trademark red jacket even though Fuyuki was well into spring already. Illya then got Rin's attention in the only sensible way: by flaring her circuits in a way that would be extremely noticeable to any actual mage. Naturally, Rin immediately looked over and met Illya's eyes. Some blonde with her hair in drills also looked over, but Illya paid her no mind.
"Shall we?" Illya proposed after Rin made her way over to her.
Rin's eyes narrowed dangerously. "Yes. We have a lot to talk about."
"I'm sure we do." Illya nodded, and began to walk alongside Rin. Privately, she wondered if that had meant that Rin had found out about Sakura's situation. Although, knowing Rin, that wasn't very likely.
Eventually, after walking in silence for around half an hour, they made their way to a park. It wasn't one that had been in the other Fuyuki, but that wasn't surprising, all things considered: the ending of the Fourth Grail War had left scars on that Fuyuki, scars that weren't present here.
"So," Rin turned to face Illya, sitting on a park bench, "why did you threaten Sakura?" Her expression was cold and hard, meaning that Illya was dealing with her in "proper mage" mode.
"I didn't." Illya sighed, sitting down next to Rin. "I really did think you should check up on her, but since you evidently did and still didn't notice the situation, I suppose it's pointless."
Rin's eyes narrowed. "What situation?"
"Ask her yourself." Normally, Illya would've been a little more patient with Rin, but… well, this whole topic hit a little too close to home, especially with both sets of her memories.
"But you do know what it is?"
Illya sighed. "I'm around 90% certain, at least." She tilted her head, musing. "It wouldn't make sense for that to have changed, given the circumstances."
"Changed? What circumstances are you talking about?" Rin's expression had largely softened, it seemed, now becoming more confused than anything.
Oh, Rin had noticed that. How to deflect… ah.
"That's a secret." Illya said, putting on her cutesiest expression and winking.
"And that is why she's a much better Magical Girl than you, Rin." Ruby declared, floating out of Illya's briefcase and "sitting" on the bench between the two of them. "She knows how to use her cuteness!"
While Rin sputtered at the comment, Illya merely tilted her head in acknowledgement. It was true, after all. "I suppose that's as good of a segue as any." Illya changed the topic. "What do you need Ruby for, exactly? Unless it's just another thing Kischur Zelretch entrusted to the Tohsaka, I suppose."
Rin sat, quietly.
"Rin?"
"Some… things that will remain unspecified occurred, and instead of the previous person on my current assignment, I was assigned to it as a consequence. Alongside that, or perhaps because of those things that I'm not talking about, I was given Ruby as well."
And Illya thought she was being vague. "What assignment?"
Strangely, that seemed to get Rin out of her reminiscence. "How familiar are you with Heroic Spirits?"
"Intimately." Illya answered immediately. Not many people could claim to have held a Servant's soul inside their body, after all.
"Good, that makes things easier." Rin stretched her arms, sighing a little in relief. "Somehow, Servant-carrying Cards were summoned to or manifested on a 'Mirror World,' and are causing distortions and errors in Fuyuki's leylines. Not only that, but they also have a chance to slip out into our World. That's how we know about them." With that, Rin pulled a card out of her pocket and handed it over to Illya.
Taking it, Illya glanced at the face: Archer. Delving further with her senses, she did notice a Heroic Spirit within, and it was simultaneously very familiar and very… off. But that was a secondary concern.
Illya looked back at Rin. "So this was an assassination attempt?"
"What?"
"You were sent to fight Servants." Illya emphasized. "Honestly Rin, While I'm sure that Mystic Code can provide enough Magical Energy via the Kaleidoscope for you to stand up to a Noble Phantasm, Servants are far more than just their trump cards." She flicked a lock of hair back behind her head. "Neither you or I would last a minute against even an average one, outside of extreme extenuating circumstances. I can certainly emit enough Magical Energy to counter a Noble Phantasm even without the Second Magic, but physically, I'm not strong, fast, or durable enough to actually fight on par with one."
"And that's where I come in!" Ruby interjected. "Yes, one of my primary functions is to access limitless Magical Energy and limited dimensional transport, but I also can provide A-Ranked Physical Protection, Magical Barriers, Accelerated Healing, and Strength Reinforcement at all times! But that's not all: through the Kaleidoscope, my master can use a vast array of skills both mundane and mystical that are possessed by any alternate version of themselves."
Illya blinked.
"And those Cards aren't just for show, either." Rin added. "They themselves can be used to overwrite powerful Mystic Codes like that good-for-nothing wand with a Heroic Spirit's armaments."
"Huh." That was not what Illya had expected. Ruby wasn't completely useless after all, it seemed. "Do you know which Archer this is?" She had a hunch, but….
Rin merely shook her head. "When Included, the card just makes an incredibly strong bow. It doesn't come with arrows and I'm fairly confident it's not a Noble Phantasm either."
"And what about the Servant itself? Actually, why wouldn't we just summon the Servants from their cards?"
"The report said that the Archer Servant fought both in melee and at range, summoning swords both to use as swords and to fire as projectiles from his bow." Rin summarized. "And the Servants themselves are evidently degraded somehow: beyond fighting and defending their territory, they don't seem to possess a will. It's unclear if manifesting them is possible, and even if it was, it would be a dangerous proposition."
"So it is him…" Illya thought about how best to approach the issue. Servants were the highest class of familiars, but one without a will, even if she was able to manifest it from a Card, would effectively require that she pilot it manually. Needless to say, while that was very achievable, it wasn't exactly something she was keen on.
But if she were to provide a will in some other way…
Illya stood up. "For the Tohsaka, I suppose that is the case." She turned to look back at Rin. "The best way to fight a Servant is to use another Servant, and I am probably the most qualified person in this generation to work with Heroic Spirits. You don't mind if I 'borrow' Archer, right?" Of course, she'd do so even if Rin did mind, but she didn't need to know that.
"Be my guest." Rin gave her assent, standing up as well. "It's not terribly useful to me now anyway."
"Then I will be taking my leave: I probably need to meet up with Shirou, after all. When and where will we meet up to deal with this Servant Card?"
"You know Emiya?" Rin exclaimed, completely ignoring Illya's question.
"We are siblings, Rin." Illya sighed. "Honestly, to think that my future sister-in-law could be so dense…" Truly, teasing Rin was one of the greatest pastimes she'd ever discovered.
"Huh!?" Rin's face turned a bright red. "B-but I only just got back to Fuyuki! How would he…"
Illya blinked. Now that was just sad. "Who said that your future brother-in-law was interested in you?" She shook her head. "Don't bother telling me where and when. Just go, and I'll figure it out. Come along, Ruby."
"You got it!" The Kaleidostick saluted with a wing, before floating up to Illya and hiding in her hair. As she walked away from Rin, she created a familiar to keep an eye on the currently-sputtering girl. After all, it wouldn't do if Illya wasn't watching when Rin went to the meeting place.
Mimi, who was beginning to push her desk to be touching those of the other members of their friend group, looked over with concern. "Are you sure you got enough sleep last night? You looked somewhat out of it, even during class."
"Ehhh…" Illya waved a hand around, still not picking her head up off the desk. "I probably didn't. Not something that could really be helped, though. No way around it."
"Really?" Nanaki raised an eyebrow. "Are you sure you weren't staying up late, watching magical girl anime again?"
Now that got Illya to pick up her head. "I was not!" She pouted.
"What were you doing, then?" Mimi asked.
"Do you want the long version or the short version?" Honestly, Illya wasn't sure if she actually should give them the long version, but she could just hypnotize them to forget it after the fact. Of course, she didn't want to do that, as they were her friends, but… No, she obviously should just not give the real long version. Or perhaps they wouldn't actually believe it if she told them? Eh, she'd cross that bridge when she got to it.
"The short version, clearly." Tatsuko asserted. "You're going to need to eat, at least."
So she wouldn't have to hypnotize her friends. Illya sighed in relief, before providing the short version. "I was checking up on… a lot of things." Specifically, after her argument with Shirou, she'd created a couple familiars, and proceeded to send them to investigate key locations and leyline intersections, particularly the cave beneath Mount Enzou, for any hints on the status of the Grail War.
While they were traveling, Illya had begun to work on tuning her own consciousness' integration, so as to make everything operate smoothly and avoid further headaches. That had been… an interesting experience, mostly because she'd discovered another soul caught up in the mix. It was definitely part of herself, given that it was the source of a significant portion of the Circuits that had come from the more local part of her soul were actually from that other soul. However, she couldn't properly communicate with it or even analyze it, as it was locked behind a wall she couldn't quite pierce.
Now, she could probably create a Familiar with it, using it as both the mind and soul, but since it was a legitimate soul that was part of her, she'd want to either figure out a way to make contact, or at the very least provide a more… suitable vessel.
"That's pretty vague." Suzuka commented.
"It is the short version." Illya shrugged, before pulling out her lunch. "To be honest, the long version would simply take far too much time, and you'd be better off not hearing all the details."
"Are you okay, at least?" Mimi's concern hadn't faded, it seemed.
"Of course." Illya responded immediately. "Honestly, all things considered, I'm better off as a result… aside from all the time it took."
"How long?"
"A couple hours or so, but it feels like years." Which was true, from a certain point of view.
With any luck, whatever Rin was dealing with would be much more… tame than the Holy Grail War. But even if it wasn't, she was a magical girl now, apparently. Now that made things actually exciting.
==*==
Illya waited by the gate of Homuharaha Academy's High School, tacitly ignoring most of the people who looked questioningly at her. She'd done this before, of course, but that was just when she was waiting for Shirou to be done with the Archery Club for the day, which generally meant that she got here later in the day, thus avoiding the large clumps of people in the "go home club," so to speak.
Of course, it wouldn't be so bad if Ruby wasn't constantly giving "encouragement."
"Yes, yes! Gaze upon my Master's cuteness." The Kaleidostick chanted just quietly enough to only be heard by Illya. "That's right, the cuteness possessed by a girl in her second year of middle school far outstrips even someone in their first year of high school!"
While Illya couldn't exactly use her hands to punish Ruby or even complain verbally without being seen as incredibly odd, to put it lightly, she did deliberately lean into the part of her briefcase that Ruby was hiding in.
"Violence will not stop justice!" Ruby declared, prompting Illya to lean even harder. "And cuteness is-"
Regrettably, Illya would not find out what cuteness was that day, as Ruby's voice became inexplicably muffled by a large amount of silver thread that had somehow appeared in Illya's briefcase.
Illya only had to wait a couple more moments before she was finally able to spot Rin, wearing her trademark red jacket even though Fuyuki was well into spring already. Illya then got Rin's attention in the only sensible way: by flaring her circuits in a way that would be extremely noticeable to any actual mage. Naturally, Rin immediately looked over and met Illya's eyes. Some blonde with her hair in drills also looked over, but Illya paid her no mind.
"Shall we?" Illya proposed after Rin made her way over to her.
Rin's eyes narrowed dangerously. "Yes. We have a lot to talk about."
"I'm sure we do." Illya nodded, and began to walk alongside Rin. Privately, she wondered if that had meant that Rin had found out about Sakura's situation. Although, knowing Rin, that wasn't very likely.
Eventually, after walking in silence for around half an hour, they made their way to a park. It wasn't one that had been in the other Fuyuki, but that wasn't surprising, all things considered: the ending of the Fourth Grail War had left scars on that Fuyuki, scars that weren't present here.
"So," Rin turned to face Illya, sitting on a park bench, "why did you threaten Sakura?" Her expression was cold and hard, meaning that Illya was dealing with her in "proper mage" mode.
"I didn't." Illya sighed, sitting down next to Rin. "I really did think you should check up on her, but since you evidently did and still didn't notice the situation, I suppose it's pointless."
Rin's eyes narrowed. "What situation?"
"Ask her yourself." Normally, Illya would've been a little more patient with Rin, but… well, this whole topic hit a little too close to home, especially with both sets of her memories.
"But you do know what it is?"
Illya sighed. "I'm around 90% certain, at least." She tilted her head, musing. "It wouldn't make sense for that to have changed, given the circumstances."
"Changed? What circumstances are you talking about?" Rin's expression had largely softened, it seemed, now becoming more confused than anything.
Oh, Rin had noticed that. How to deflect… ah.
"That's a secret." Illya said, putting on her cutesiest expression and winking.
"And that is why she's a much better Magical Girl than you, Rin." Ruby declared, floating out of Illya's briefcase and "sitting" on the bench between the two of them. "She knows how to use her cuteness!"
While Rin sputtered at the comment, Illya merely tilted her head in acknowledgement. It was true, after all. "I suppose that's as good of a segue as any." Illya changed the topic. "What do you need Ruby for, exactly? Unless it's just another thing Kischur Zelretch entrusted to the Tohsaka, I suppose."
Rin sat, quietly.
"Rin?"
"Some… things that will remain unspecified occurred, and instead of the previous person on my current assignment, I was assigned to it as a consequence. Alongside that, or perhaps because of those things that I'm not talking about, I was given Ruby as well."
And Illya thought she was being vague. "What assignment?"
Strangely, that seemed to get Rin out of her reminiscence. "How familiar are you with Heroic Spirits?"
"Intimately." Illya answered immediately. Not many people could claim to have held a Servant's soul inside their body, after all.
"Good, that makes things easier." Rin stretched her arms, sighing a little in relief. "Somehow, Servant-carrying Cards were summoned to or manifested on a 'Mirror World,' and are causing distortions and errors in Fuyuki's leylines. Not only that, but they also have a chance to slip out into our World. That's how we know about them." With that, Rin pulled a card out of her pocket and handed it over to Illya.
Taking it, Illya glanced at the face: Archer. Delving further with her senses, she did notice a Heroic Spirit within, and it was simultaneously very familiar and very… off. But that was a secondary concern.
Illya looked back at Rin. "So this was an assassination attempt?"
"What?"
"You were sent to fight Servants." Illya emphasized. "Honestly Rin, While I'm sure that Mystic Code can provide enough Magical Energy via the Kaleidoscope for you to stand up to a Noble Phantasm, Servants are far more than just their trump cards." She flicked a lock of hair back behind her head. "Neither you or I would last a minute against even an average one, outside of extreme extenuating circumstances. I can certainly emit enough Magical Energy to counter a Noble Phantasm even without the Second Magic, but physically, I'm not strong, fast, or durable enough to actually fight on par with one."
"And that's where I come in!" Ruby interjected. "Yes, one of my primary functions is to access limitless Magical Energy and limited dimensional transport, but I also can provide A-Ranked Physical Protection, Magical Barriers, Accelerated Healing, and Strength Reinforcement at all times! But that's not all: through the Kaleidoscope, my master can use a vast array of skills both mundane and mystical that are possessed by any alternate version of themselves."
Illya blinked.
"And those Cards aren't just for show, either." Rin added. "They themselves can be used to overwrite powerful Mystic Codes like that good-for-nothing wand with a Heroic Spirit's armaments."
"Huh." That was not what Illya had expected. Ruby wasn't completely useless after all, it seemed. "Do you know which Archer this is?" She had a hunch, but….
Rin merely shook her head. "When Included, the card just makes an incredibly strong bow. It doesn't come with arrows and I'm fairly confident it's not a Noble Phantasm either."
"And what about the Servant itself? Actually, why wouldn't we just summon the Servants from their cards?"
"The report said that the Archer Servant fought both in melee and at range, summoning swords both to use as swords and to fire as projectiles from his bow." Rin summarized. "And the Servants themselves are evidently degraded somehow: beyond fighting and defending their territory, they don't seem to possess a will. It's unclear if manifesting them is possible, and even if it was, it would be a dangerous proposition."
"So it is him…" Illya thought about how best to approach the issue. Servants were the highest class of familiars, but one without a will, even if she was able to manifest it from a Card, would effectively require that she pilot it manually. Needless to say, while that was very achievable, it wasn't exactly something she was keen on.
But if she were to provide a will in some other way…
Illya stood up. "For the Tohsaka, I suppose that is the case." She turned to look back at Rin. "The best way to fight a Servant is to use another Servant, and I am probably the most qualified person in this generation to work with Heroic Spirits. You don't mind if I 'borrow' Archer, right?" Of course, she'd do so even if Rin did mind, but she didn't need to know that.
"Be my guest." Rin gave her assent, standing up as well. "It's not terribly useful to me now anyway."
"Then I will be taking my leave: I probably need to meet up with Shirou, after all. When and where will we meet up to deal with this Servant Card?"
"You know Emiya?" Rin exclaimed, completely ignoring Illya's question.
"We are siblings, Rin." Illya sighed. "Honestly, to think that my future sister-in-law could be so dense…" Truly, teasing Rin was one of the greatest pastimes she'd ever discovered.
"Huh!?" Rin's face turned a bright red. "B-but I only just got back to Fuyuki! How would he…"
Illya blinked. Now that was just sad. "Who said that your future brother-in-law was interested in you?" She shook her head. "Don't bother telling me where and when. Just go, and I'll figure it out. Come along, Ruby."
"You got it!" The Kaleidostick saluted with a wing, before floating up to Illya and hiding in her hair. As she walked away from Rin, she created a familiar to keep an eye on the currently-sputtering girl. After all, it wouldn't do if Illya wasn't watching when Rin went to the meeting place.
Ilya: "So this is how you murder a tsundere."
- Location
- Academy City
- Pronouns
- They
Ilya: Honestly, to think that my future sister-in-law could be so dense…
Rin: So that's why you were so interested in Sakura!
Rin: So that's why you were so interested in Sakura!
Collision of high density objects.
The gravitational field attracts everything around them
0th Law
The Promethean Rose
- Location
- 5 Minutes into the Future
- Pronouns
- They/Them
Eh, they both have nothing on the real densest object in Fuyuki.
I really hope this illya is still going to be good friend(yuri shiping) with miyu.
Also I really want to see this illya thought on the fact that both her parents are alive not abandon her she lives a normal life with shirou still as her brother that everything that she wish and dreams/fantasies about are now fulfilled
Also I really want to see this illya thought on the fact that both her parents are alive not abandon her she lives a normal life with shirou still as her brother that everything that she wish and dreams/fantasies about are now fulfilled
Probably less shipping, more friending, since this Ilya is mentally an adult, even if an adult that spent all her time largely isolated from socialization and definitely enjoys indulging her inner child.
Might be less bumpy early on though. Early canon Ilya was kinda derpy and Miyu felt she should stay away from combat.
Might be less bumpy early on though. Early canon Ilya was kinda derpy and Miyu felt she should stay away from combat.
0th Law
The Promethean Rose
- Location
- 5 Minutes into the Future
- Pronouns
- They/Them
It's a bit more complicated than that. Namely, her brain is closer to 13 than 18. She's still Illyaverse Illya, after all.
0th Law
The Promethean Rose
- Location
- 5 Minutes into the Future
- Pronouns
- They/Them
It has come to my attention that I was incorrect when I thought that Shirou didn't know Archer's identity. As such, I have revised Chapter 2 to reflect the actual state of affairs. I also demoted Shirou to Vice Captain, because Ayako is more suited to the actual Captaincy.
Shirou 2
0th Law
The Promethean Rose
- Location
- 5 Minutes into the Future
- Pronouns
- They/Them
Classes felt longer than usual today.
While Shirou was normally very capable of focusing on coursework and the like during school, he felt distinctly incapable of any such focus. His numerous concerns about the present state of things, how he would save Sakura, and more mundane worries, like how he'd interact with his mom and dad when they eventually got home, were all distracting him from the lecture.
It would honestly be easier if next time was one of those times when Irisviel was the only one who visited: while being the only guy in a household with four girls was never easy in and of itself, it certainly was better than having to worry about reassessing the sum of his interactions with his dad in light of new information.
And so, as he threw himself into archery for the second time that day, his thoughts drifted back towards the "home front" more than anything else. How he'd patch things up with Illya, how he'd wrest control of the kitchen from Sella, what he'd make for dinner… honestly, it was mostly fairly domestic concerns.
There was also the matter of, hopefully, bringing Sakura to meet the rest of his family, but that was not something… he wanted to make sure she was safe first, before even considering a relationship.
That said, he wouldn't object to cooking alongside her again. Sella would never let him help cook alongside her, and if he let her cook alongside him, she'd just try to seize control of the kitchen, leaving absolutely nothing for him to do. Sakura, meanwhile, had always worked well alongside him, and he alongside her. They were partners, after all.
But what would he make today, assuming he managed to get the kitchen? Illya didn't like fish, of course, but that was what sauces were for. He'd be preparing food for four people, and for the most part, unlike Saber-
Stop it. Don't let those memories return.
He'd be preparing food for four people, and he was used to the portion sizes everyone in the household would be needing. There was no need to consider that particular train of thought any more.
"What are you thinking about, Senpai?" A familiar voice asked from behind him.
"Oh, just what I'm going to be making for dinner." Shirou turned slightly and paused his walk, letting Sakura catch up with him so they could walk alongside one another. It was a natural movement, a habit developed from doing something similar time and time again… in that other world, anyway. But Sakura fell in with that motion readily, which was honestly something of a relief to him.
"Is that all?" She asked as he began walking again, this time next to her. "You seemed worried at Archery practice."
Well, he had recently been thinking about Sab-
You'll never be forgiven.
"Yeah." He gave her a smile that definitely wasn't an attempt to desperately cover something up, ignoring the memory of warmth, and the lingering regret that accompanied it. "How did I seem worried?"
"Well, I was watching you the entire time you were shooting-" Sakura began, but cut herself off when Shirou looked at her, an askance expression on his face. "You're just very addictive to watch, okay?"
Shirou averted his eyes almost immediately, hoping Sakura wouldn't see the blush forming on his face. "W-what exactly do you mean by that?" He felt the strange urge to call her a fool, but he managed to hold it back, somehow.
"Well, your stance is beautiful. Synchronized, with no wasted movements, now more than ever."
"W-well, that's…" Shirou desperately tried to think of a response to that, but thought of nothing.
"And the more bothered you are, the more focused you are on archery." Sakura continued. "Would you mind telling me what's on your mind?"
Shirou opened his mouth, paused for a moment, then let his breath out in a sigh. "I want to." He said, reaching out to hold Sakura's pinky finger with his own. "I want to reach the point where we share all our worries with each other, where we can be real partners in every way. But right now, there's a couple things in the way, and a lot to discuss. But I will tell you, hopefully sooner rather than later."
He felt Sakura stop, and when he turned around, he saw a practically luminescent blush on her face. Oops.
"Guess that was a bit too forward, huh?" He gave a nervous chuckle, letting go of her finger. "Sorry about-"
"No, no, it's fine!" Sakura said. "It's just I didn't expect it, y'know? You're usually much… less attentive."
"That's fair." He conceded. "Although I was being truthful about dinner. Do you have any ideas?"
Sakura shrugged. "I'm honestly not much of a cook myself. I'm only passable with Western food, and can't really do Japanese that well at all."
"Ah." Another difference, it seemed.
It honestly hit harder than he wanted to admit. It was as if one of the premises of their relationship-
Shirou shook his head. That just was another reason to get closer, to do more with this world's Sakura. "I could teach you, if you like. I like to think I'm a pretty good chef, myself." The smile he gave was somewhat forced, yes, but only somewhat.
Sakura let out a small laugh. "I think I might just take you up on that."
When they reached the gates, he, out of habit from both worlds, started off to the left, while Sakura began walking to the right. When they noticed the directions the other was taking, however, they both paused and turned around.
"Right, you live more on the southern end of Miyama." Shirou said, recalling not only from the more recent memories he had of the Matou manor (when he'd investigated and found Shinji's decapitated corpse), but also from the times he remembered going over there with Shinji, both in this world and the other.
"Yeah, I… do." Sakura replied, somehow even more awkwardly than he had.
They both stood there silently, watching each other from opposite ends of the gate. Shirou's recent offer, alongside Sakura's acceptance, hung in the air between them. They hadn't set a date or time, so it wasn't clear if it would be today, but Shirou wanted it to begin as soon as possible. He got the impression that Sakura also wanted to, but he wasn't sure if her schedule would allow for that.
"Ah…" He trailed off, trying to be the one to begin, but no actual words came out.
That, of course, was when yet another person saw fit to inject themselves into the situation.
"Honestly," Illya lamented, walking up to the two of them, "are all humans this hopeless, or is it just the ones that I know?"
Even as Shirou felt a brief sense of offense, Sakura spoke up in recognition. "Ah, you're Shirou's younger sister, right?"
"I tend to consider myself the older one, but yes." Illya confirmed, before dropping into a curtsy. "I am Illyasviel von Einzbern. You are Matou Sakura, yes?"
"Wait, how are you the older one?" Shirou interrupted. "You're thirteen, four years younger than me."
"Oh… I think you know." Illya smiled. And Shirou did know, but he still disagreed with the reasoning. "And as the older sister, I'm saying that you should feel free to invite Sakura home. If you won't, then I will."
"Well," Sakura chuckled, "I suppose you need to listen to your older sister then, Shirou."
This was his life now, wasn't it?
"I'm home!" Shirou announced as he walked inside, followed shortly afterwards by Sakura and Illya.
"Welcome ba-" Sella moved to greet them, but cut herself when she saw Sakura.
Shirou felt his heart sink, consumed by an overwhelming sense of dread.
Sella rounded on him. "Why didn't you tell me you were bringing a girl home, Shirou? I'm going to need to prepare something completely different to what I planned!"
"Ah- Sella, that's not necessary." Shirou's objections fell on deaf ears as the maid sprung into action, rapidly checking through the cupboards to review what ingredients she had on hand.
"And then I'm going to need to tell the Madame about this, of course." Sella continued, her words managing to intensify Shirou's dread to unprecedented levels. "Not only will she be excited to hear about it, but she'll also…" Sellaquieted down at the end of that last sentence, muttering… something under her breath.
"What was that last thing?" Shirou, naturally, asked.
"Nope! Nothing for you to be concerned or worried about. It's not going to be relevant anyways."
"Anyway," began Shirou, "you really don't need to do any of that. I already have a dinner plan in mind, and we definitely don't want to interrupt any of Mom's important business, right?"
"Please, you can't be the one to prepare dinner, you're currently the second most important person here! And I have standing orders to report any developments along this front to the Madame."
"Wait, really!?" Why was Mom so-
Well, this was Irisviel they were talking about, Shirou supposed. In all honesty, this didn't even make the top ten in terms of the stranger things she was wont to do.
"Of course! Anyway, you kids don't need to keep standing in the entrance, come on in."
"Regardless, I invited her so I could show her my cooking!" Shirou once again raised his objections, regarding what was, in all honesty, the more pressing and important matter to him.
"Well. you can show her your cooking some other day. Right now, the two of you take the seats of honor." Sella, predictably, refused to budge. Instead, she began to take out the ingredients she likely expected to need, while simultaneously doing math on a notepad… for some reason.
Shirou was at a loss. Was there really know way to-
"You know, Shirou," Illya spoke up, "I could probably intervene on your behalf, if you want." She was smiling, in that mischievous way she sometimes did.
…But it was a chance to get what he wanted, if nothing else. "What's the catch?"
Illya's smile only grew. "Oh, nothing much. Realistically, it'll just set some things in stone."
"...Okay." While he was undoubtedly worried, he still trusted Illya. She wouldn't do anything too bad.
"Sella," Illya raised her voice, "cooking is Shirou's love language."
The maid in question froze, a dish of cinnamon still in her hand.
She blinked. Shirou swallowed.
"Well, that changes everything, doesn't it!" Sella quickly began to put back all the ingredients she'd taken out… even the ones she knew Shirou would be using. "You can be the one to fix dinner, I'll tell the Madame about all of this."
Shirou, for his part, remained frozen, even after she rushed out of the room.
"So, is this your way of asking me out?" Sakura teased from behind him.
There was no way he was surviving the week, was there?
While Shirou was normally very capable of focusing on coursework and the like during school, he felt distinctly incapable of any such focus. His numerous concerns about the present state of things, how he would save Sakura, and more mundane worries, like how he'd interact with his mom and dad when they eventually got home, were all distracting him from the lecture.
It would honestly be easier if next time was one of those times when Irisviel was the only one who visited: while being the only guy in a household with four girls was never easy in and of itself, it certainly was better than having to worry about reassessing the sum of his interactions with his dad in light of new information.
And so, as he threw himself into archery for the second time that day, his thoughts drifted back towards the "home front" more than anything else. How he'd patch things up with Illya, how he'd wrest control of the kitchen from Sella, what he'd make for dinner… honestly, it was mostly fairly domestic concerns.
There was also the matter of, hopefully, bringing Sakura to meet the rest of his family, but that was not something… he wanted to make sure she was safe first, before even considering a relationship.
That said, he wouldn't object to cooking alongside her again. Sella would never let him help cook alongside her, and if he let her cook alongside him, she'd just try to seize control of the kitchen, leaving absolutely nothing for him to do. Sakura, meanwhile, had always worked well alongside him, and he alongside her. They were partners, after all.
But what would he make today, assuming he managed to get the kitchen? Illya didn't like fish, of course, but that was what sauces were for. He'd be preparing food for four people, and for the most part, unlike Saber-
Stop it. Don't let those memories return.
He'd be preparing food for four people, and he was used to the portion sizes everyone in the household would be needing. There was no need to consider that particular train of thought any more.
"What are you thinking about, Senpai?" A familiar voice asked from behind him.
"Oh, just what I'm going to be making for dinner." Shirou turned slightly and paused his walk, letting Sakura catch up with him so they could walk alongside one another. It was a natural movement, a habit developed from doing something similar time and time again… in that other world, anyway. But Sakura fell in with that motion readily, which was honestly something of a relief to him.
"Is that all?" She asked as he began walking again, this time next to her. "You seemed worried at Archery practice."
Well, he had recently been thinking about Sab-
You'll never be forgiven.
"Yeah." He gave her a smile that definitely wasn't an attempt to desperately cover something up, ignoring the memory of warmth, and the lingering regret that accompanied it. "How did I seem worried?"
"Well, I was watching you the entire time you were shooting-" Sakura began, but cut herself off when Shirou looked at her, an askance expression on his face. "You're just very addictive to watch, okay?"
Shirou averted his eyes almost immediately, hoping Sakura wouldn't see the blush forming on his face. "W-what exactly do you mean by that?" He felt the strange urge to call her a fool, but he managed to hold it back, somehow.
"Well, your stance is beautiful. Synchronized, with no wasted movements, now more than ever."
"W-well, that's…" Shirou desperately tried to think of a response to that, but thought of nothing.
"And the more bothered you are, the more focused you are on archery." Sakura continued. "Would you mind telling me what's on your mind?"
Shirou opened his mouth, paused for a moment, then let his breath out in a sigh. "I want to." He said, reaching out to hold Sakura's pinky finger with his own. "I want to reach the point where we share all our worries with each other, where we can be real partners in every way. But right now, there's a couple things in the way, and a lot to discuss. But I will tell you, hopefully sooner rather than later."
He felt Sakura stop, and when he turned around, he saw a practically luminescent blush on her face. Oops.
"Guess that was a bit too forward, huh?" He gave a nervous chuckle, letting go of her finger. "Sorry about-"
"No, no, it's fine!" Sakura said. "It's just I didn't expect it, y'know? You're usually much… less attentive."
"That's fair." He conceded. "Although I was being truthful about dinner. Do you have any ideas?"
Sakura shrugged. "I'm honestly not much of a cook myself. I'm only passable with Western food, and can't really do Japanese that well at all."
"Ah." Another difference, it seemed.
It honestly hit harder than he wanted to admit. It was as if one of the premises of their relationship-
Shirou shook his head. That just was another reason to get closer, to do more with this world's Sakura. "I could teach you, if you like. I like to think I'm a pretty good chef, myself." The smile he gave was somewhat forced, yes, but only somewhat.
Sakura let out a small laugh. "I think I might just take you up on that."
When they reached the gates, he, out of habit from both worlds, started off to the left, while Sakura began walking to the right. When they noticed the directions the other was taking, however, they both paused and turned around.
"Right, you live more on the southern end of Miyama." Shirou said, recalling not only from the more recent memories he had of the Matou manor (when he'd investigated and found Shinji's decapitated corpse), but also from the times he remembered going over there with Shinji, both in this world and the other.
"Yeah, I… do." Sakura replied, somehow even more awkwardly than he had.
They both stood there silently, watching each other from opposite ends of the gate. Shirou's recent offer, alongside Sakura's acceptance, hung in the air between them. They hadn't set a date or time, so it wasn't clear if it would be today, but Shirou wanted it to begin as soon as possible. He got the impression that Sakura also wanted to, but he wasn't sure if her schedule would allow for that.
"Ah…" He trailed off, trying to be the one to begin, but no actual words came out.
That, of course, was when yet another person saw fit to inject themselves into the situation.
"Honestly," Illya lamented, walking up to the two of them, "are all humans this hopeless, or is it just the ones that I know?"
Even as Shirou felt a brief sense of offense, Sakura spoke up in recognition. "Ah, you're Shirou's younger sister, right?"
"I tend to consider myself the older one, but yes." Illya confirmed, before dropping into a curtsy. "I am Illyasviel von Einzbern. You are Matou Sakura, yes?"
"Wait, how are you the older one?" Shirou interrupted. "You're thirteen, four years younger than me."
"Oh… I think you know." Illya smiled. And Shirou did know, but he still disagreed with the reasoning. "And as the older sister, I'm saying that you should feel free to invite Sakura home. If you won't, then I will."
"Well," Sakura chuckled, "I suppose you need to listen to your older sister then, Shirou."
This was his life now, wasn't it?
==*==
"I'm home!" Shirou announced as he walked inside, followed shortly afterwards by Sakura and Illya.
"Welcome ba-" Sella moved to greet them, but cut herself when she saw Sakura.
Shirou felt his heart sink, consumed by an overwhelming sense of dread.
Sella rounded on him. "Why didn't you tell me you were bringing a girl home, Shirou? I'm going to need to prepare something completely different to what I planned!"
"Ah- Sella, that's not necessary." Shirou's objections fell on deaf ears as the maid sprung into action, rapidly checking through the cupboards to review what ingredients she had on hand.
"And then I'm going to need to tell the Madame about this, of course." Sella continued, her words managing to intensify Shirou's dread to unprecedented levels. "Not only will she be excited to hear about it, but she'll also…" Sellaquieted down at the end of that last sentence, muttering… something under her breath.
"What was that last thing?" Shirou, naturally, asked.
"Nope! Nothing for you to be concerned or worried about. It's not going to be relevant anyways."
"Anyway," began Shirou, "you really don't need to do any of that. I already have a dinner plan in mind, and we definitely don't want to interrupt any of Mom's important business, right?"
"Please, you can't be the one to prepare dinner, you're currently the second most important person here! And I have standing orders to report any developments along this front to the Madame."
"Wait, really!?" Why was Mom so-
Well, this was Irisviel they were talking about, Shirou supposed. In all honesty, this didn't even make the top ten in terms of the stranger things she was wont to do.
"Of course! Anyway, you kids don't need to keep standing in the entrance, come on in."
"Regardless, I invited her so I could show her my cooking!" Shirou once again raised his objections, regarding what was, in all honesty, the more pressing and important matter to him.
"Well. you can show her your cooking some other day. Right now, the two of you take the seats of honor." Sella, predictably, refused to budge. Instead, she began to take out the ingredients she likely expected to need, while simultaneously doing math on a notepad… for some reason.
Shirou was at a loss. Was there really know way to-
"You know, Shirou," Illya spoke up, "I could probably intervene on your behalf, if you want." She was smiling, in that mischievous way she sometimes did.
…But it was a chance to get what he wanted, if nothing else. "What's the catch?"
Illya's smile only grew. "Oh, nothing much. Realistically, it'll just set some things in stone."
"...Okay." While he was undoubtedly worried, he still trusted Illya. She wouldn't do anything too bad.
"Sella," Illya raised her voice, "cooking is Shirou's love language."
The maid in question froze, a dish of cinnamon still in her hand.
She blinked. Shirou swallowed.
"Well, that changes everything, doesn't it!" Sella quickly began to put back all the ingredients she'd taken out… even the ones she knew Shirou would be using. "You can be the one to fix dinner, I'll tell the Madame about all of this."
Shirou, for his part, remained frozen, even after she rushed out of the room.
"So, is this your way of asking me out?" Sakura teased from behind him.
There was no way he was surviving the week, was there?
Now now Shiro, you can't die from mortification... much as you might want to.
He will if he ever hears Irisviel's talk with the girls.Now now Shiro, you can't die from mortification... much as you might want to.
Well, this Sakura clearly is free from Zolgen. Look at how cheery she is!
The diabetes is overwhelming.
Mizu
Software Developer
- Location
- Victoria, Australia
I'm actually not sure what the situation is with Sakura in Illyaverse, thinking on it. She probably still got the Fate Zero treatment from Zouken, as it happens before the 4th war begins, but anything else is a bit uncertain.
This is pretty fun so far, seeing the FSN duo interact with the alternative cast from Prism Illya.
This is pretty fun so far, seeing the FSN duo interact with the alternative cast from Prism Illya.
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0th Law
The Promethean Rose
- Location
- 5 Minutes into the Future
- Pronouns
- They/Them
It doesn't help that she only appears for a grand total of 9 panels. 2wei 14.5 was quite literally my only reference for her.
Considering the Grail is gone and Zouken would never accept that, I think he got dealt with at the same time when the Grail was dismantled. As such she and Shinji would have grown up as normal siblings, raised by their father and uncle. Hence why she can be so carefree in this world.
Of course not even that could save her from see Shirou trying to high-jump. He is her conceptional weakness after all. No Sakura is safe from Shirou stealing her heart, Miyu's brother proved that.
0th Law
The Promethean Rose
- Location
- 5 Minutes into the Future
- Pronouns
- They/Them
Ah, but Miyuverse Sakura's heart was stolen by Shinji. (I'm not sorry)
That's just evil! XD But I am interested on how you tackle Sakura and the Emiya family when the parents come home. That will be a level of drama and comedy all wrapped in one.