When it's Spring (Fate/Stay Night x Prisma Illya)
- Thread starter 0th Law
- Start date
- Fantasy Modern
0th Law
The Promethean Rose
- Location
- 5 Minutes into the Future
- Pronouns
- They/Them
On the Gungnir Amalgam hand, Iri now has a very good (for her) reason to return and visit.
Illya 3
0th Law
The Promethean Rose
- Location
- 5 Minutes into the Future
- Pronouns
- They/Them
Illya lay flat on her bed, staring at the Archer Class Card as she held it above her. It was honestly very interesting, now that she had a chance to analyze it: it was as if someone had attempted to summon Servants for the sake of a Grail War without using the expertise of the Einzberns. Instead of using their Flow and Transference magecraft, supported by the Foundation that was the Greater Holy Grail, the body of Justeaze, whoever had made the Card had used theoretically similar, yet ultimately very distinct Displacement magecraft, with a Foundation that Illya could not decipher.
Somehow, though, the Card seemed to have managed to connect to the Greater Grail from whatever "Mirror World" the Cards had come from. That, of course, had allowed them to manifest their Heroic Spirits in a manner not originally intended.
But was their true purpose overwriting Mystic Codes with Noble Phantasms? Illya wasn't sure. After all, if they could displace an aspect of a Heroic Spirit onto a given item, surely-
Illya stuffed the Card into her pocket and forced Ruby underneath her pillow when she heard a light knock on her door.
"Y-yes?" She answered the knock, totally not sweating nervously.
"Mind coming down? There's some things I need to ask about." Shirou asked softly, not quite whispering, but still obviously doing what he could to avoid waking Sella and Leys.
Illya let out a breath of relief, recomposing herself. "Of course, just a second." She gave a smile, despite the fact that Shirou couldn't actually see her.
After hearing Shirou walk downstairs, Ruby extricated herself from under the pillow. "What do you think he's asking you about? Something to do with that dimensional transference thing you still won't tell me about?"
"The reason I'm not telling you about it is because you're an unreliable meddler." Illya sighed. "But yes, that is likely a significant portion of the reason. Either that, or he needs help with something magecraft-related." She slid off of her bed and, after a second of deliberation, pocketed the Archer card before opening her door.
"You don't think you'll actually need that, do you?" Ruby commented as she followed Illya out of her room.
"I'll probably meet with Rin more or less right after this." Illya slipped into a whisper, even as Ruby hid herself in Illya's hair. "Now be quiet, I don't want Shirou to find out about you."
"Why? Clearly he knows-"
"I said quiet!" Illya whisper-shouted.
"I didn't catch that, what?" Shirou asked, also whispering, from the bottom of the stairs.
"Never mind, it's nothing." Illya gave her best "older sister" smile as she walked down towards him. "So, what did you want to talk about? You can ask Onee-chan anything!"
Shirou visibly twitched, but eventually rallied. "...A couple things, actually." He said, walking alongside her to the living room. "First-" he cut himself off, grimacing. "This is honestly rather inconvenient, huh?"
Illya considered what he could've meant, before nodding. "Yeah, not only do we have to hide this sort of thing from Sella and Leys, but also our house isn't exactly large enough to do that sort of thing easily." She paused. "Why do you think Papa and Mama chose this house, of all places? It's close to a leyline juncture, sure, but surely they could've picked someplace… more substantial, right? We could've simply lived in the Einzbern Castle, even."
"They must've wanted us to live normal lives." Shirou mused, no longer exactly whispering, but still keeping his voice down. He chortled slightly, an ironic smile on his face. "I think living in a castle would interfere with that just a little."
"Well, that might've worked for you." Illya said, surprising herself slightly with the bitterness in her voice. "But my existence, my life, could never be that of a normal human's. I'm a homunculus, after all."
"But if you never found out, would it affect your life?"
"When I stop aging in a decade or two? Yes." Illya sighed. "But if they really wanted us to have normal lives, they could have stayed home. They could have been here for us."
"Well…" Shirou slumped down in his chair. "Yeah. What do you think they're even doing, anyway?"
"Honestly? I don't particularly care." Illya shook her head. "Anyway, what was it you wanted to talk about, again?"
"Right." Shirou sat up, smiling self-deprecatingly. "I was worried about my arm. Or rather, his arm. When you were… doing whatever with the integration, was Archer's arm also integrated or something?"
Illya blinked. "I don't recall transporting the spiritual body of Archer's arm, nor integrating it, but…" She felt genuine fear bloom at the thought of Shirou once again ending his life through the use of that arm. She got out of her chair and rushed to his side, pulling up his left sleeve to allow her access to the area where it had once been. Shirou, thankfully, didn't object.
She laid her hands on his left arm and murmured an Alchemical aria under her breath, allowing her to sense and categorize souls. She cast her senses towards Shirou, and found… just Shirou. The singular Shirou, composed of the combination of two formerly separate, yet undeniably similar Shirous.
After checking and re-checking, she opened her eyes and let her hands fall to her sides. "He's not there. None of that Heroic Spirit was carried over in the transfer."
Shirou breathed a sigh of relief. "So it's really just that I inherited his knowledge. That's good."
Illya froze. "Yeah," she gave her best "angry Rin" smile, "all it took was using that arm enough to kill you."
Shirou grimaced. "My memories of that time are… jumbled, but one thing that I do remember clearly is that if I had known I had the option, that if I had destroyed that curse, the absolute requirement for Sakura's happiness, then I probably would have taken it. I wanted to live, even for just another day, but the end had already been determined. I had to face what was, to the best of my knowledge, the only option available at the time, and not hesitate."
"You would have taken the option, even knowing that I would die in the process?"
"No." Shirou said automatically. "I promised that I'd protect the people closest to me. You included. But…" He sighed. "Right now, I think the best way for me to do that is to live. After all," he closed his eyes, "projection, start." A moment later, an iridescent ritual knife with a zig-zagging blade appeared in his hands. Illya didn't know what exactly it was, but she could still tell it was a Noble Phantasm. "I have the means to do so safely now. But hopefully, this life will be peaceful enough that I won't need to."
"Right." Illya chuckled nervously. "Hopefully." Ignoring the fact that she was going to be fighting Servants in the very, very near future, of course.
Thankfully, Shirou didn't seem to notice. "Speaking of," he continued, "do you think you could check on some things, if possible? I'd do it myself, but I'm not exactly versed in Familiar magecraft."
Illya furrowed her brow in confusion. "Sure, I guess? If this is about the War, the Greater Grail here isn't active, nor is it accumulating mana."
"Oh." Shirou raised his eyebrows in comprehension. "Good to know. But there were other things."
"Like what?"
"If Zouken is still alive, and if Sakura smiles around other people."
Illya smiled reassuringly. She could easily see why he'd want to know those things. "Sure. I'll just-" She paused as she noticed through the Familiar she had watching the Tohsaka manor that Rin had begun to leave, walking in the direction of Homurahara. "I'll just go and set that up."
Shirou tilted his head. "Couldn't you just make them here?"
"Uh…" He had a point. How should she spin this.... "Maybe, but it'll be easier for me this way. And I was thinking of going on a walk anyway."
"You really shouldn't go out on your own at night, Illya." Shirou objected. "Especially at your age."
"Maybe, but I have magecraft now, Onii-chan." Illya winked. "If anyone tries to do something like that… well, they'll wish they didn't."
"...True." Shirou relented.
"Exactly." Illya nodded, before turning and waving. "See you in the morning!" With that, she got on her shoes and went out the door, closing it as quietly as she could.
A/N: I would have made this chapter longer, but the flow of this scene into the next would have been much more awkward without a chapter break here.
Somehow, though, the Card seemed to have managed to connect to the Greater Grail from whatever "Mirror World" the Cards had come from. That, of course, had allowed them to manifest their Heroic Spirits in a manner not originally intended.
But was their true purpose overwriting Mystic Codes with Noble Phantasms? Illya wasn't sure. After all, if they could displace an aspect of a Heroic Spirit onto a given item, surely-
Illya stuffed the Card into her pocket and forced Ruby underneath her pillow when she heard a light knock on her door.
"Y-yes?" She answered the knock, totally not sweating nervously.
"Mind coming down? There's some things I need to ask about." Shirou asked softly, not quite whispering, but still obviously doing what he could to avoid waking Sella and Leys.
Illya let out a breath of relief, recomposing herself. "Of course, just a second." She gave a smile, despite the fact that Shirou couldn't actually see her.
After hearing Shirou walk downstairs, Ruby extricated herself from under the pillow. "What do you think he's asking you about? Something to do with that dimensional transference thing you still won't tell me about?"
"The reason I'm not telling you about it is because you're an unreliable meddler." Illya sighed. "But yes, that is likely a significant portion of the reason. Either that, or he needs help with something magecraft-related." She slid off of her bed and, after a second of deliberation, pocketed the Archer card before opening her door.
"You don't think you'll actually need that, do you?" Ruby commented as she followed Illya out of her room.
"I'll probably meet with Rin more or less right after this." Illya slipped into a whisper, even as Ruby hid herself in Illya's hair. "Now be quiet, I don't want Shirou to find out about you."
"Why? Clearly he knows-"
"I said quiet!" Illya whisper-shouted.
"I didn't catch that, what?" Shirou asked, also whispering, from the bottom of the stairs.
"Never mind, it's nothing." Illya gave her best "older sister" smile as she walked down towards him. "So, what did you want to talk about? You can ask Onee-chan anything!"
Shirou visibly twitched, but eventually rallied. "...A couple things, actually." He said, walking alongside her to the living room. "First-" he cut himself off, grimacing. "This is honestly rather inconvenient, huh?"
Illya considered what he could've meant, before nodding. "Yeah, not only do we have to hide this sort of thing from Sella and Leys, but also our house isn't exactly large enough to do that sort of thing easily." She paused. "Why do you think Papa and Mama chose this house, of all places? It's close to a leyline juncture, sure, but surely they could've picked someplace… more substantial, right? We could've simply lived in the Einzbern Castle, even."
"They must've wanted us to live normal lives." Shirou mused, no longer exactly whispering, but still keeping his voice down. He chortled slightly, an ironic smile on his face. "I think living in a castle would interfere with that just a little."
"Well, that might've worked for you." Illya said, surprising herself slightly with the bitterness in her voice. "But my existence, my life, could never be that of a normal human's. I'm a homunculus, after all."
"But if you never found out, would it affect your life?"
"When I stop aging in a decade or two? Yes." Illya sighed. "But if they really wanted us to have normal lives, they could have stayed home. They could have been here for us."
"Well…" Shirou slumped down in his chair. "Yeah. What do you think they're even doing, anyway?"
"Honestly? I don't particularly care." Illya shook her head. "Anyway, what was it you wanted to talk about, again?"
"Right." Shirou sat up, smiling self-deprecatingly. "I was worried about my arm. Or rather, his arm. When you were… doing whatever with the integration, was Archer's arm also integrated or something?"
Illya blinked. "I don't recall transporting the spiritual body of Archer's arm, nor integrating it, but…" She felt genuine fear bloom at the thought of Shirou once again ending his life through the use of that arm. She got out of her chair and rushed to his side, pulling up his left sleeve to allow her access to the area where it had once been. Shirou, thankfully, didn't object.
She laid her hands on his left arm and murmured an Alchemical aria under her breath, allowing her to sense and categorize souls. She cast her senses towards Shirou, and found… just Shirou. The singular Shirou, composed of the combination of two formerly separate, yet undeniably similar Shirous.
After checking and re-checking, she opened her eyes and let her hands fall to her sides. "He's not there. None of that Heroic Spirit was carried over in the transfer."
Shirou breathed a sigh of relief. "So it's really just that I inherited his knowledge. That's good."
Illya froze. "Yeah," she gave her best "angry Rin" smile, "all it took was using that arm enough to kill you."
Shirou grimaced. "My memories of that time are… jumbled, but one thing that I do remember clearly is that if I had known I had the option, that if I had destroyed that curse, the absolute requirement for Sakura's happiness, then I probably would have taken it. I wanted to live, even for just another day, but the end had already been determined. I had to face what was, to the best of my knowledge, the only option available at the time, and not hesitate."
"You would have taken the option, even knowing that I would die in the process?"
"No." Shirou said automatically. "I promised that I'd protect the people closest to me. You included. But…" He sighed. "Right now, I think the best way for me to do that is to live. After all," he closed his eyes, "projection, start." A moment later, an iridescent ritual knife with a zig-zagging blade appeared in his hands. Illya didn't know what exactly it was, but she could still tell it was a Noble Phantasm. "I have the means to do so safely now. But hopefully, this life will be peaceful enough that I won't need to."
"Right." Illya chuckled nervously. "Hopefully." Ignoring the fact that she was going to be fighting Servants in the very, very near future, of course.
Thankfully, Shirou didn't seem to notice. "Speaking of," he continued, "do you think you could check on some things, if possible? I'd do it myself, but I'm not exactly versed in Familiar magecraft."
Illya furrowed her brow in confusion. "Sure, I guess? If this is about the War, the Greater Grail here isn't active, nor is it accumulating mana."
"Oh." Shirou raised his eyebrows in comprehension. "Good to know. But there were other things."
"Like what?"
"If Zouken is still alive, and if Sakura smiles around other people."
Illya smiled reassuringly. She could easily see why he'd want to know those things. "Sure. I'll just-" She paused as she noticed through the Familiar she had watching the Tohsaka manor that Rin had begun to leave, walking in the direction of Homurahara. "I'll just go and set that up."
Shirou tilted his head. "Couldn't you just make them here?"
"Uh…" He had a point. How should she spin this.... "Maybe, but it'll be easier for me this way. And I was thinking of going on a walk anyway."
"You really shouldn't go out on your own at night, Illya." Shirou objected. "Especially at your age."
"Maybe, but I have magecraft now, Onii-chan." Illya winked. "If anyone tries to do something like that… well, they'll wish they didn't."
"...True." Shirou relented.
"Exactly." Illya nodded, before turning and waving. "See you in the morning!" With that, she got on her shoes and went out the door, closing it as quietly as she could.
A/N: I would have made this chapter longer, but the flow of this scene into the next would have been much more awkward without a chapter break here.
Miho Chan
One with too many ideas
- Location
- Hummelstown
- Pronouns
- She/Her
It's a very well done conversation between two people that have recently found out their family and are trying to make it work, while at the same time also having memories and personalities blending in that have been family for ages and love each other deeply (platonically)
Illya 4
0th Law
The Promethean Rose
- Location
- 5 Minutes into the Future
- Pronouns
- They/Them
Illya walked through the streets of Miyama, letting the cool springtime night air wash over and around her. She wasn't exactly alone, but close to it, especially considering her companion's current silence. Speaking of which…
"What, no comment on… that whole interaction?" Illya glanced at Ruby, who was currently floating around next to her.
"Well, I certainly have thoughts on it, but comments? Not really." Ruby shook herself in an approximation of shaking her head. "I don't know that much about what you two have been through, but I can tell that it's not something my input would be appreciated with. Even I respect those sorts of boundaries."
"You do?" Illya turned her head fully to look at Ruby, doubtful.
"Well… it's also because there's not really any humor or enjoyment I'd be able to derive from this situation." Ruby elaborated. "Way too serious and heavy. Magical Girls should only get into that sort of thing in their later episodes, you know? You haven't even had your first fight as one yet, so it's far too early." Ruby huffed in mock-exasperation.
"Now that, that makes more sense." Illya nodded.
A silence fell between them after that. Illya didn't feel like she had anything of note to say, and she figured Ruby didn't either. Eventually, she decided that she may as well make those familiars to check on Sakura and Zouken. Better sooner rather than later, after all.
Two strands of hair pulled from her head became a pair of Storch Ritter — Stork Knights, which began to fly off in the direction of the Matou manor. Yet through their eyes from above, Illya noticed a familiar head of red hair belonging to someone who was clearly following her, while keeping some distance.
Shirou. Illya sighed. Honestly, she really should have seen that coming, what with Emiya Shirou being Emiya Shirou. As for how she could deal with the situation…
"Say, Ruby, do you also provide flight capabilities?" It was a staple of the magical girl genre, after all, and that seemed to generally be the determinant for Ruby, for some reason.
…Actually, why had Kischur Zelretch made Ruby, anyway? When did he make her, for that matter? Was her obsession with magical girls something that had been inbuilt from the start, or was it a more recent development? If it was the former, was that the result of Ruby having been created after the genre had taken off, or had she been made before that, with the knowledge of the genre coming from the known ability of the Second Magic to effectively travel through time? Regardless of which it was, why would Kischur Zelretch have made her that way? From the memories of Justeaze that Illya had accessed, he never seemed that whimsical at all…
After dwelling in that rabbit hole for probably longer than she should have, Illya shook her head and focused on Ruby's response.
"Right you are!" Ruby confirmed. "Although flight is more-"
She was cut off when Illya grabbed her by the rim and ducked into a nearby alley. "Transform me!"
What followed was an excruciatingly lengthy, yet unfortunately entirely expected transformation sequence, the sort that Illya had seen probably hundreds of times by this point, only she was the one doing the transforming this time, as opposed to an anime character, and she could tell that time was neither stopped nor slowed down. Ruby's constant comments didn't help either.
Thankfully, Shirou was following from far enough away that he didn't come across her, and after a solid minute, Illya was both transformed and could actually move autonomously. Not willing to waste another second fighting with Ruby, she looked up, crouched down, and jumped.
And then she was flying.
"Wow, I didn't think you'd manage it on your first try!" Ruby's praise was grating as ever. "It took quite a while for Rin to figure out how to fly."
"While Rin may be a 'first rate genius' as far as mages go, she's still just a human." Illya pointed out. Levitating above northern Miyama's suburbs, she checked on the familiar she had watching Rin, confirmed the direction she was going in, and started flying southwest towards Homurahara. "Also, can we skip the transformation sequence next time? Especially if it's actually an urgent situation."
"But you're a magical girl." Ruby complained. "You need a transformation sequence at least once an episode!"
"I hope the studio has a good enough budget that all that stock footage isn't necessary." Illya sighed, playing along with the joke. "How about… once a season?"
"Even with a budget surplus, saving some every episode lets us reallocate time and money to other things, like improving the quality of the rest of the episode, or, more importantly, merchandising and promotions!"
"That can't possibly be more important than quality and effective pacing." Illya deadpanned.
"You'd be surprised!" Ruby asserted. "After all, those are what really make money for these shows."
"But if the show itself is terrible, then nobody will buy the merchandise."
Ruby shook her "head," tut-tutting. "There is always a market for cuteness, and you're cute enough that your merchandise is going to be very popular in quite a number of demographics."
Illya's eye twitched slightly, but she quickly thought up a counter. "I have the capacity for a number of impressions beyond mere cuteness. I believe you described me as 'creepy' at one point, yes?"
Ruby recoiled. "You wouldn't-"
"I would." Illya stated plainly, before issuing her ultimatum. "Reduce the frequency of transformation sequences to, say, once a month, or else I will need to take… drastic measures. Do you understand?"
"I-" Ruby visibly tried to think of counterarguments, which was strange given the fact that she was just a wand, but regardless, she ultimately relented, slumping down. "Fine, you win."
"It's amusing you thought that you had a chance." Illya commented, before noticing that they were approaching the school. "In any case…" She rotated so that she was upright instead of prone in the air, and drifted downwards, landing as gracefully as she could.
As it turned out, her most graceful landing was… not very graceful at all: she'd neglected to slow down her lateral motion enough, so she skidded slightly across the ground, forcing her to turn around in order to more effectively stop herself without slipping.
"You may want to work on your landings in the future." Ruby suggested.
"I know what I did wrong there. I won't make that mistake again." Illya stood up straight, brushing herself off. "As long as nobody saw that, I-"
"Saw what?" Rin's voice came out of nowhere.
Illya nearly jumped in surprise, but she was able to school her reaction. After all, she'd known Rin was heading in this direction. And honestly, it was a good thing that she'd arrived before Rin, evidently.
"Nothing important." Illya said nonchalantly, turning around to see Rin in casual clothes – not her typical red sweater, but rather a white hoodie – walking through the school's gates. "So, do you know anything about this Servant before I fight it? Additionally, Ruby will be the one taking me to this 'mirror world,' correct?"
"I don't know why you're assuming that I won't be involved." Rin objected. "I'm more informed about this topic than you are."
"You're more informed about Servants than I am?" Illya laughed a little. "I highly doubt that. More relevantly, you're ultimately just a human. While I'm sure your Magecraft has a chance of harming Servants without Magic Resistance, you're still… vulnerable. Even if you spectate, I wouldn't be fully able to guarantee your safety."
One of Rin's eyes twitched. "You're talking a big game for such a little brat. Which one of us was sent on the mission? Which one of us is a prospective apprentice of the Second Magician?"
Illya sighed. "Rin, this isn't a game. You might think that you're prepared, think that you're ready, but you don't know what it's like when Servants fight. If you follow me, there's a very real chance that you'll die. There's a very real chance that I'll die, even, but you're far less protected than I am."
"That's…" Rin grimaced. "That's fair."
"It honestly might be better for Rin to come along, if only as insurance." Ruby pointed out. "If something happens to you, Master, the responsibility to save you might fall to Rin."
"And you'd let her use you in that instance?" Illya asked.
"For the sake of defending cuteness, I am willing to work with that old hag again. Temporarily, anyway."
"Why you!" Rin made to grab at Ruby, but Illya swiftly moved the wand out of her reach.
"Focus, both of you." Illya admonished both of them. "Ruby, you're the one doing the dimensional transport, right?"
"That I am!" The wand saluted. "Shall I-"
"Not yet." Illya cut her off. "Rin, do we know anything about this Servant's class or identity?"
"Identity? No." Rin shook her head, calming herself down. "But if classes don't repeat, then this Servant can't be an Archer or Lancer."
Illya tilted her head. "So then where's the Lancer card?"
"With any luck, at the bottom of the river." Rin crossed her arms, a sour expression gracing her face.
"I'm sorry?"
"It's a long story, don't worry about it." Rin blew her off.
"Rin, this is important." Illya pressed.
"But it's not important right now." Rin persisted. "We can deal with this Servant now, and once we're done here, you can go collect the Lancer card from-"
"Plotting an attack on me?" A new voice, this one leagues more irritating than Rin's, came from the direction of the gate. "I'd expect nothing less from a barbarian like you, Tohsaka Rin!"
Illya and Rin both turned to look at the speaker, a woman in a very expensive looking blue dress, with blonde hair styled in excessively elaborate ringlets. She looked around Rin's age, while next to her…
Illya's mind ground to a halt. Next to the walking stereotype was an incredibly cute girl that seemed to be around her own age, with glossy and adorably styled black hair, and deep, amber eyes that, for some reason, looked incredibly familiar…
I was going to also include the first battle in this chapter, but this incredibly good stopping point came up, and I wanted to get a chapter out before Shirou Day was over. Speaking of...
Swords.
"What, no comment on… that whole interaction?" Illya glanced at Ruby, who was currently floating around next to her.
"Well, I certainly have thoughts on it, but comments? Not really." Ruby shook herself in an approximation of shaking her head. "I don't know that much about what you two have been through, but I can tell that it's not something my input would be appreciated with. Even I respect those sorts of boundaries."
"You do?" Illya turned her head fully to look at Ruby, doubtful.
"Well… it's also because there's not really any humor or enjoyment I'd be able to derive from this situation." Ruby elaborated. "Way too serious and heavy. Magical Girls should only get into that sort of thing in their later episodes, you know? You haven't even had your first fight as one yet, so it's far too early." Ruby huffed in mock-exasperation.
"Now that, that makes more sense." Illya nodded.
A silence fell between them after that. Illya didn't feel like she had anything of note to say, and she figured Ruby didn't either. Eventually, she decided that she may as well make those familiars to check on Sakura and Zouken. Better sooner rather than later, after all.
Two strands of hair pulled from her head became a pair of Storch Ritter — Stork Knights, which began to fly off in the direction of the Matou manor. Yet through their eyes from above, Illya noticed a familiar head of red hair belonging to someone who was clearly following her, while keeping some distance.
Shirou. Illya sighed. Honestly, she really should have seen that coming, what with Emiya Shirou being Emiya Shirou. As for how she could deal with the situation…
"Say, Ruby, do you also provide flight capabilities?" It was a staple of the magical girl genre, after all, and that seemed to generally be the determinant for Ruby, for some reason.
…Actually, why had Kischur Zelretch made Ruby, anyway? When did he make her, for that matter? Was her obsession with magical girls something that had been inbuilt from the start, or was it a more recent development? If it was the former, was that the result of Ruby having been created after the genre had taken off, or had she been made before that, with the knowledge of the genre coming from the known ability of the Second Magic to effectively travel through time? Regardless of which it was, why would Kischur Zelretch have made her that way? From the memories of Justeaze that Illya had accessed, he never seemed that whimsical at all…
After dwelling in that rabbit hole for probably longer than she should have, Illya shook her head and focused on Ruby's response.
"Right you are!" Ruby confirmed. "Although flight is more-"
She was cut off when Illya grabbed her by the rim and ducked into a nearby alley. "Transform me!"
What followed was an excruciatingly lengthy, yet unfortunately entirely expected transformation sequence, the sort that Illya had seen probably hundreds of times by this point, only she was the one doing the transforming this time, as opposed to an anime character, and she could tell that time was neither stopped nor slowed down. Ruby's constant comments didn't help either.
Thankfully, Shirou was following from far enough away that he didn't come across her, and after a solid minute, Illya was both transformed and could actually move autonomously. Not willing to waste another second fighting with Ruby, she looked up, crouched down, and jumped.
And then she was flying.
"Wow, I didn't think you'd manage it on your first try!" Ruby's praise was grating as ever. "It took quite a while for Rin to figure out how to fly."
"While Rin may be a 'first rate genius' as far as mages go, she's still just a human." Illya pointed out. Levitating above northern Miyama's suburbs, she checked on the familiar she had watching Rin, confirmed the direction she was going in, and started flying southwest towards Homurahara. "Also, can we skip the transformation sequence next time? Especially if it's actually an urgent situation."
"But you're a magical girl." Ruby complained. "You need a transformation sequence at least once an episode!"
"I hope the studio has a good enough budget that all that stock footage isn't necessary." Illya sighed, playing along with the joke. "How about… once a season?"
"Even with a budget surplus, saving some every episode lets us reallocate time and money to other things, like improving the quality of the rest of the episode, or, more importantly, merchandising and promotions!"
"That can't possibly be more important than quality and effective pacing." Illya deadpanned.
"You'd be surprised!" Ruby asserted. "After all, those are what really make money for these shows."
"But if the show itself is terrible, then nobody will buy the merchandise."
Ruby shook her "head," tut-tutting. "There is always a market for cuteness, and you're cute enough that your merchandise is going to be very popular in quite a number of demographics."
Illya's eye twitched slightly, but she quickly thought up a counter. "I have the capacity for a number of impressions beyond mere cuteness. I believe you described me as 'creepy' at one point, yes?"
Ruby recoiled. "You wouldn't-"
"I would." Illya stated plainly, before issuing her ultimatum. "Reduce the frequency of transformation sequences to, say, once a month, or else I will need to take… drastic measures. Do you understand?"
"I-" Ruby visibly tried to think of counterarguments, which was strange given the fact that she was just a wand, but regardless, she ultimately relented, slumping down. "Fine, you win."
"It's amusing you thought that you had a chance." Illya commented, before noticing that they were approaching the school. "In any case…" She rotated so that she was upright instead of prone in the air, and drifted downwards, landing as gracefully as she could.
As it turned out, her most graceful landing was… not very graceful at all: she'd neglected to slow down her lateral motion enough, so she skidded slightly across the ground, forcing her to turn around in order to more effectively stop herself without slipping.
"You may want to work on your landings in the future." Ruby suggested.
"I know what I did wrong there. I won't make that mistake again." Illya stood up straight, brushing herself off. "As long as nobody saw that, I-"
"Saw what?" Rin's voice came out of nowhere.
Illya nearly jumped in surprise, but she was able to school her reaction. After all, she'd known Rin was heading in this direction. And honestly, it was a good thing that she'd arrived before Rin, evidently.
"Nothing important." Illya said nonchalantly, turning around to see Rin in casual clothes – not her typical red sweater, but rather a white hoodie – walking through the school's gates. "So, do you know anything about this Servant before I fight it? Additionally, Ruby will be the one taking me to this 'mirror world,' correct?"
"I don't know why you're assuming that I won't be involved." Rin objected. "I'm more informed about this topic than you are."
"You're more informed about Servants than I am?" Illya laughed a little. "I highly doubt that. More relevantly, you're ultimately just a human. While I'm sure your Magecraft has a chance of harming Servants without Magic Resistance, you're still… vulnerable. Even if you spectate, I wouldn't be fully able to guarantee your safety."
One of Rin's eyes twitched. "You're talking a big game for such a little brat. Which one of us was sent on the mission? Which one of us is a prospective apprentice of the Second Magician?"
Illya sighed. "Rin, this isn't a game. You might think that you're prepared, think that you're ready, but you don't know what it's like when Servants fight. If you follow me, there's a very real chance that you'll die. There's a very real chance that I'll die, even, but you're far less protected than I am."
"That's…" Rin grimaced. "That's fair."
"It honestly might be better for Rin to come along, if only as insurance." Ruby pointed out. "If something happens to you, Master, the responsibility to save you might fall to Rin."
"And you'd let her use you in that instance?" Illya asked.
"For the sake of defending cuteness, I am willing to work with that old hag again. Temporarily, anyway."
"Why you!" Rin made to grab at Ruby, but Illya swiftly moved the wand out of her reach.
"Focus, both of you." Illya admonished both of them. "Ruby, you're the one doing the dimensional transport, right?"
"That I am!" The wand saluted. "Shall I-"
"Not yet." Illya cut her off. "Rin, do we know anything about this Servant's class or identity?"
"Identity? No." Rin shook her head, calming herself down. "But if classes don't repeat, then this Servant can't be an Archer or Lancer."
Illya tilted her head. "So then where's the Lancer card?"
"With any luck, at the bottom of the river." Rin crossed her arms, a sour expression gracing her face.
"I'm sorry?"
"It's a long story, don't worry about it." Rin blew her off.
"Rin, this is important." Illya pressed.
"But it's not important right now." Rin persisted. "We can deal with this Servant now, and once we're done here, you can go collect the Lancer card from-"
"Plotting an attack on me?" A new voice, this one leagues more irritating than Rin's, came from the direction of the gate. "I'd expect nothing less from a barbarian like you, Tohsaka Rin!"
Illya and Rin both turned to look at the speaker, a woman in a very expensive looking blue dress, with blonde hair styled in excessively elaborate ringlets. She looked around Rin's age, while next to her…
Illya's mind ground to a halt. Next to the walking stereotype was an incredibly cute girl that seemed to be around her own age, with glossy and adorably styled black hair, and deep, amber eyes that, for some reason, looked incredibly familiar…
I was going to also include the first battle in this chapter, but this incredibly good stopping point came up, and I wanted to get a chapter out before Shirou Day was over. Speaking of...
Swords.
xbox432
Lover of Editing
On one hand, it's nice to see that this Illya has the same... taste... in girls as canon Prisma Illya.
On the other hand. The fact that Miyu's eyes look familiar to her? Is that just because they are the same color as Shirou's or is this because of dimensional memory shenanigans?
0th Law
The Promethean Rose
- Location
- 5 Minutes into the Future
- Pronouns
- They/Them
It's because they're pretty much identical to Shirou's eyes.
xbox432
Lover of Editing
Ah, gotcha. It always was interesting how similar their eyes were despite not being blood related. Curious to see how things play out between all the siblings once they've all met in this timeline.
0th Law
The Promethean Rose
- Location
- 5 Minutes into the Future
- Pronouns
- They/Them
...Have you read 3rei or seen Oath Under Snow? Because, they kinda are blood related, because that's what Miyu wished for.
xbox432
Lover of Editing
Nope to both, interesting to know however. Ah Shirou, he went from being an only child who's only responsibility was to feed a wild tiger, to now having two "little" sisters to look after. Fortunately, he's mature enough to handle the task! He'll only have to stab a few people to keep them safe, he swears!
...Man I just realized... If Bazette tries the same shit here as she did in canon, she's gonna be in for one hell of a surprise. Not just from Illya, but from Shiro going into Big Brother Mode.