Kiritsugu took another drag from his smoke; the King of Knights raised a good point. Based on their personalities and their known interactions, the King of Heroes and the Decepticon warlord ought to be bitter rivals. "It wouldn't be the first time enemies joined forces against a common foe," he mused out loud. "Much less in this War. Most likely, they just want to kill us all first before having their private grudge match."
Kakashi scratched his head in consternation. "Either way, we may have to assume those two monsters are working together. And if that's the case…"
"…They'd be unstoppable," Artoria concluded warily. Archer's nigh-infinite supply of Noble Phantasms, Rider X's corruptive powers and military prowess; such a combination would haunt her nightmares. "Our only hope is to divide those two so they can't pool their efforts. Lancelot's sure to help if it means he can deal the final blow to Megatron himself."
"Sounds good," Assassin X's frown remained despite his words, "but that leaves three Servants maximum on our side, and I think it'd take two of us to bring down either one."
"According to what Waver Velvet told you, Archer didn't walk away untouched from his fight with Berserker X." His Master reminded him. "If a battle-hungry lunatic with a handicap for a Noble Phantasm could give him a hard time, it must mean he's not invincible. Are you two telling me the Man of a Thousand Techniques and King Arthur herself can't come up with a way to beat some gold-encrusted narcissist?"
On a rare occasion, his words were utterly devoid of any resentment towards Heroic Spirits. Even so, they were calculated on spur on the duo's pride. "I should be relieved you're finally showing some faith in our abilities, Master," Saber grumbled wryly. "If there were a scribe present, I'd have him record this moment for posterity." Despite her sarcasm, she felt an odd sense of accomplishment. It seemed like they were finally beginning to work as a real team.
Assassin X, too, was elated at this development despite the circumstances. He wasn't under any illusions about the relationship between Artoria and Kiritsugu, of course; this cooperation right now was definitely as far as it could go, with true friendship a pipe dream. But he'd take what he could get. Nice to know my hard work paid off… He cupped his chin. "I might have a way to counter Archer's attack… but there's still one other problem. A hulking metal one."
Kiritsugu crushed his cigarette's remains, replaying their theory about him. "Rider X is using that Reactor thing to fuel his powers. If we get rid of it, he's sure to be weaker." His index finger tapped idly against his leg while he considered the possibilities. "…It's bound to be in Fuyuki Church. Kirei Kotomine would keep it close by so he could provide for his Servant, maybe even rein him in if need be."
But Assassin X slowly shook his head. "No, that doesn't sound right. The Assassin child…" He cupped his chin. "What he said to my clone before her death was, 'Hidden in the last place… Killer would look…'"
"You're putting an awful lot of faith in an enemy's words, Assassin X." Kiritsugu warned him, but the Servant didn't seem to hear.
"Killer…" He repeated the word, gears turning inside his head. "…The Mage Killer…" He fixed his eye on his Master. "Kotomine's fixated on you, he would know of your reputation and that name. And his Servants would know, too." Assassin X's fingers threaded together in front of his masked face. "Rider X wouldn't stash his power source somewhere obvious, not when he has someone like you for an enemy. And you checked Fuyuki Church yourself."
"I was searching for Kotomine back then," the Master countered, gathering his weapons. "I might've missed a secret compartment somewhere, and if it really is there, I don't need to head in there twice." He fingered his phone, the appropriate number for the bombs in the church coming to mind easily. "Smart as he is, Megatron's arrogance would blind him to the idea anyone could figure out what he's been up to. I erase the church, depriving him of his spare power source and Kotomine of the most accessible spot to awaken the Grail."
Assassin X remained unconvinced about the plan, but someone else spoke first. "For someone who detests Heroic Spirits, you're making the same mistake we've all made in this Grail War."
Kiritsugu stiffened despite himself at that statement before turning towards the King of Knights. "And what mistake am I making exactly, Saber?" The tone in his question was just one step away from becoming a snarl.
But she didn't flinch. "You're underestimating Rider X," she stated matter-of-factly, then sighed. "Just as I have, just as Iskandar surely did when they fought. From the moment I first saw that being, I knew he was a brutal, ambitious monster. I believed this more strongly with every time I fought him or heard his voice. I thought I had the measure of him…" A cold frown had settled onto Saber's face. "I was wrong.
"It was Rider X who formed this faction of rogues that gave us such trouble these past few days. It was Rider X who orchestrated the battle at Mion River, a battle we prevented from dragging all of Fuyuki City into by the skin of our teeth. It was Rider X who killed Caster X and surely had a hand in Tokiomi Tohsaka and Lancer X's murders. And it was Rider X who played all three of us for fools and abducted Irisviel." Saber took a moment to catch her breath before finishing her point. "The Lord knows what other atrocities that monster has committed in this War, and I am still not sure the depth of his guile. Or his cruelty." Her eyes were set in a cold glare. "But what I do know is that we cannot take any chances with him."
Kiritsugu tried to find a flaw in her argument, any plausible reason to disagree with her, but nothing came to mind. "She's right, Kiritsugu." Both turned to the other Servant present. "Rider X isn't the kind of haughty, lackadaisical magus you're used to getting the better of. And from everything I've learned about that man, neither is Kirei Kotomine. They're smart, they're cunning, and worst of all, they know what you're capable of. Neither is going to let you set the pace at this final stage."
Once again, the Mage Killer's strategizing was met with irrefutable logic from his Servants. I should erase the most obvious point of strength of my enemies… But despite all of my efforts, Kotomine's seen through my tactics consistently, and Megatron's been two steps ahead of everyone else. Including me, he admitted grudgingly. Loathe though he was to admit it, it looked like Kiritsugu had grown a little too comfortable. They're both right, damnit, I can't treat this like some Sealing Designation job the Clock Tower issued me. I need a new plan.
Assassin X could practically see the hunter's synapses firing and knew it was best to keep them going. "That Reactor wouldn't be stashed just anywhere," he pointed out. "Kotomine and Rider X can't run the risk of leaving it somewhere public where an ordinary person could stumble upon it. It would be somewhere secure, a place Assassin could a regular eye on. So, leap of faith: what would be the last place you would think to look, Kiritsugu Emiya?"
He knew better than to trust a Servant of his worst enemy. …But he trusted Assassin X. "Alright, fine…" He frowned in concentration. "The last place… It wouldn't belong to Kotomine or Tohsaka or any other target… It would be somewhere I wouldn't consider relevant to my plans, somewhere I've marked as a 'safe zone…' A place I wouldn't spare a second glance at, somewhere-"
He froze, the answer smacking into his face with all the force of a hurricane. "…Somewhere right under my damn nose."
Neither Servant knew what he meant yet, but the newfound surety gleaming in those eyes was a good sign. "You know where the Reactor is, then?" Saber asked to be sure.
"I'm making a guess here," Kiritsugu said even as he personally grew surer with every second that passed, "but it's an educated one."
Despite their differences, the King of Knights trusted her Master's hunting instincts. "Then we'll let you deal with neutralizing that device." She traded a nod with Assassin X before turning towards the sky. "It's far too early to act. Even Megatron wouldn't risk striking in broad daylight with few targets remaining, scattered and no Assassins to keep track of us. It's better to wait for nightfall before engaging." She met Kiritsugu's gaze. "So, let us handle Rider X and Archer. The surest way to vanquish a Servant is through another Servant."
"But depriving him of his power source wouldn't hurt our odds," Assassin X added. "You still need to face Kotomine, of course. Oh, if only you could be in two places at once…"
Kiritsugu rolled his eyes so as to keep his smile sealed away. "Yes, if only."
Amusement twinkled briefly in that damnable eye, then Assassin X returned to business. "Use my hounds however you see fit, I'll refrain from summoning any tonight. You'll need their support probably more than we do." Kiritsugu had no objections to that; their tracking prowess aside, he could think of another use for them. Or rather, their jaws… But he'd have to wait for now, too. If Megatron lost access to the Reactor this early, he'd move to reclaim it or prepare himself otherwise. Still, it wouldn't hurt to prepare and confirm his theory about its whereabouts.
He got somewhat stiffly to his feet; he'd been sitting around a bit too much. But before he'd leave, he had one final comment. "You know, for a pair who want me to be their comrade, you both spend a lot of time questioning my decisions."
King Arthur turned to him first. "You do the same with us, though truth be told, Kiritsugu Emiya, the only reason I'd consider you a comrade is because of this one here." She thumbed to her partner, drawing a small smirk from Kiritsugu. Touché.
Kakashi Hatake chuckled, too, before adding his own piece. "It's because I consider you both my comrades that I question your decisions. It's a package deal."
Thus, the Servants took off, leaving behind their Master as he walked down the steps shaking his head in what might've been fondness. Always has to have the last word… What a handful of a Servant I summoned.
-15:25:37
Kirei Kotomine paid little mind to his surroundings, even if the smell didn't make it easy. A small price to pay, though, considering his Servant's assurances of privacy had proven true: The underground space Caster and Ryuunosuke Uryuu had used to hide and pursue their perverted "art." While Caster's death meant this was no longer his territory, blood and scorch marks stained the ground everywhere, a sign of Rider's team stumbling upon the place.
No wonder Megatron had chosen it as a fallback position; that ragtag group "serving" Waver Velvet had the only one to discover the area aside from the Hassan's. But Velvet's Servants and Kirei's intended Servant were gone, the boy himself was incapable of fighting in the War any longer, and courtesy of Megatron's planning ahead, no one else knew this place even existed. The only ones who might've thought to look here were Tokiomi's team and father Risei, and well… Kirei couldn't help but smile. He'd nipped those leaks in the bud himself.
As he walked across the area idly listening to the water rushing inside the large tank in the center, his mind drifted back to that eerily blissful moment when he had put the Azoth Dagger through his teacher's heart. He pulled out the weapon and inspected his reflection in its cleaned blade; even now, a grin played along Kirei's lips just by recollecting his cruel sin.
But the stabbing had only been the lesser evil in comparison to what came next. The priest still wasn't quite sure how he triggered the Dark Energon inside him to invade Tokiomi's body. The process of channeling it into the dagger and directing it into the other body all seemed so… instinctive. Kirei put away his gift to inspect his arm, and his Magic Circuits lit up violet before disappearing again. No actual thought, just like walking or even breathing.
With the Dark Energon, Kirei had assumed control over Tokiomi's entire body. Including his Command Seals. Oh, the rush that traveled back to him when he made Lancer X attack her newfound friends… He admittedly got a little carried away in his euphoria, hence his accidental expending the last Seal to make Lancer X commit suicide. That feeling, well…
Tokiomi's body "imploded," for want of a better term, seconds afterwards. Dark Energon was a force of destruction and clearly hard to control. Kirei could now feel an innate drive to taint, to destroy every second of every day. He could've reanimated Tokiomi's corpse like Megatron would for more games, but he decided against it. Better to temper oneself, after all. Restraint was a fundamental principle for men of the faith. Besides, Kirei decided he as his student owed the Tohsaka patriarch not to disgrace him posthumously as well.
All that was left was to establish a contract with Gilgamesh, thus making them Master and Servant, and vacate the manor to return here. A cleared throat drew the Executor from his musings. He turned to see his original Servant standing near something glowing red. "How much longer do you intend to wait?" Rider X asked with a nod downwards.
"I believe it's been long enough," Kirei answered as he walked over, a slight haste in his steps. It surprised him how much restraint the titan at his side showed, in a way. He made no further effort to antagonize Archer, and with all the precautions he'd made, Megatron probably didn't need a Master anymore. Yet still he stayed, even if solely for his own amusement. Kirei had learned by now he couldn't order Rider X around like other Masters with their Servants. Not if he wanted to keep his head. It was like with Archer. A sailor could not control the wind, but he could dexterously control his boat using the sail. Rules of nature.
And steering his boat through the twin storms had brought Kirei Kotomine to the finale of the Holy Grail War with two top-notch Servants, only two other Masters and three Servants left to eliminate, and he'd even acquired the key to the Grail itself as well as a guarantee for his confrontation with Kiritsugu Emiya.
The Einzbern homunculus lay sprawled inside a crimson Magic Circle Kirei drew up to sustain her with leftover mana. She had drifted in and out of consciousness ever since he'd collected her in the prior night from the Darkened Assassin. Kirei had briefly wondered if the mannequin he gave in exchange would've sufficed to fool Emiya's team, but it worked as he and Rider X had planned. He could tell with a glance that this "woman's" time was short, but he couldn't let her disappear just yet. She was needed to bring about the Holy Grail.
More importantly, he wanted to speak with her.
"Woman." The harsh word struck against Irisviel's ears, rousing her from her slumber. She tried to open her eyes with more effort than ever before in her life. "Do you hear me, woman?" That same voice, one dangerously familiar to her, reverberated against her mind as she pushed herself to awaken.
When she did, she was greeted with a sight that nearly made her wish she hadn't bothered. "Kirei Kotomine…" Irisviel whispered glaring weakly at the man before her, then her glare traveled to the being looming over him, whose very sight made her tremble. "Megatron…"
Rider X leered down at the sweating, shivering construct. "How wonderful that we all know each other," he purred, "Irisviel von Einzbern." He'd taken the effort to learn as much as possible about this "vessel" to his prize. He cast a hand at their surroundings. "Apologies for the lack of ambience, but we wouldn't want your husband's Servants barging in to interrupt our little meeting."
"Caster hid here once, and Kiritsugu Emiya doesn't even know of its existence." Irisviel watched Kotomine saunter over to a chair by the circle and sit down. "Heaven's Feel will soon be complete. It's I shall stand beside the winner of the Servants and see the Einzbern family's wish realized."
Megatron shot his Master an amused look; he knew Kirei was just being playful with him by not stating a name. It was obvious who would be the last Servant standing.
"You'll… forgive me… if I don't… applaud." He turned back to see the doll glaring at them both; an impressive feat considering her frailty.
Kirei remained as amused as his Servant. "You don't seem fond of me. Is our victory truly so despicable in your eyes?"
Irisviel for her part hadn't been fully aware of what she was saying until she said it, but she didn't regret it for a second. "You ask me that… after so much of… Megatron's evil?" She wheezed, consciously drawing in as energy as she could from the Magic Circle, an act assisted by Kakashi's lessons. "I would never let a creature like him see the Grail, let alone claim it." Her voice grew stronger as she spoke. "And there is only one man I'd entrust it to without hesitation, and he is most certainly not you, Executor."
The Master's brow furrowed at this proclamation, but the Servant knelt down to her level with a scoff. "Such devotion of a puppet for a man your family hired to carry out their dirty work. How exactly is Kiritsugu Emiya a better choice for the Grail?"
Irisviel couldn't stop herself from trembling in this familiar's presence. He terrified her on an instinctive level. Yet she still met those bloodred orbs with her own. "For you, Megatron, the Grail is just a means of finding more worlds to conquer. You'd sooner destroy everything than protect something. A creature like you has no business reaching such power."
"Power belongs to those who take it," Rider X chuckled. "And your precious Kiritsugu may have the stomach to kill his way to the Grail, but neither he nor his flunkies are any match for me. I held the advantage since my first steps in this world, and I've only grown stronger."
"You have it backwards," Irisviel laughed right back in his face, a tiny, wavering sound that still carried all of her conviction. "Even at your strongest, you can't hold a candle to Saber or Assassin X, let alone both of them. And your resolve could never match Kiritsugu's."
Kirei Kotomine was puzzled by the resolve and belief the homunculus conveyed. Even at her weakest, she had such faith in the familiars and Kiritsugu Emiya? Was she really a homunculus or an actual woman? It was hard to tell the difference this close to her. "Why do you even care?" He got up from his chair, drawing those eyes to his approaching form. "Your purpose is to complete the ceremony your ancestor began. Who gets the Grail in the end shouldn't matter to you, should it?"
"How could you understand? You don't even have a wish for it."
The retort took him aback, though he kept his features straight. Rider X seemed to be amused as the woman continued. "You're both just empty souls looking for something to fill your voids. How could either of you win against those who fight for the sake of others?" What she said shook Kirei even more, then he stiffened as she focused on him. "Kiritsugu Emiya has already figured you out, Kirei Kotomine. He considers you his worst enemy, he'll do everything to tear you down." She smirked. "Maybe you'll brace yourself better than your Servant."
Kirei could only smile at that promise. "In that case, thank you. I'm happy to hear this." He turned away from the woman, his prior doubts fading away. "Kiritsugu Emiya is precisely the man I thought him to be."
Irisviel read his visible relief, and a rare nasty thought came to her. "What a joke." He stopped at her scoff. "You really don't have the first clue about him. There's no chance of you comprehending him."
"What did you say?" Megatron watched on amused at the back and forth. He hadn't expected their little damsel to show such strength with one foot in her coffin. Besides, this argument may do Kirei a little good.
"Kiritsugu can see through you, but the opposite is a fantasy," Irisviel declared. She knew these were her final moments as a living being, and damn her if she didn't spend them defending her comrades and her love. "You have nothing like what he carries in his heart."
Kirei closed the distance between them again, his façade cracking. "Is this how you judge me?" His right hand had seized her throat before he knew it, and he didn't care. "It's true, I am an empty man. There's nothing inside me. But how are that man and I different?!" His anger grew as his grip tightened. "He's spent his entire life chasing one battlefield after another, taking no reward from them. He killed and killed, disregarding common sense and gaining absolutely nothing! If he's no lost soul, then what is he?!"
You already know the answer, a dark voice in the back of his mind said. Deny it if you wish, but you've heard the truth of Kiritsugu Emiya from Kiritsugu Emiya himself. No, thatcouldn't be the answer, the fallen priest scolded himself. He simply couldn't be mistaken. He glared at the choking woman-
A large hand pulled him away from her. "She can't answer you very well through a crushed windpipe, Kirei," Rider X drawled behind him. The Master shifted to return his cold stare even as the woman sucked breaths into her lungs coughing. The gleam in those red optics looked nearly as disappointed as he felt, but Rider X simply looked down at their captive. "Well, let's hear it, little Einzbern. What wish does Kiritsugu Emiya have for the Holy Grail? What prayer that you put above all others would he make upon that wish-granting prize?"
Irisviel gasped for breath even as she knew her time was just about up. If her body didn't fail her, these two would surely end her life just because they could. "Very well…" For some reason, though, she didn't feel an ounce of fear at either outcome. "I'll tell you both:
"Kiritsugu Emiya wishes for humanity to be saved. He wants all war and bloodshed to end, a world of everlasting peace."
Kirei Kotomine kneeled before the Magic Circle, still as a statue, eyes opened as wide as possible. What broke the silence in the chamber came not from him but his Servant. "Well, there you have it," Megatron, lord of the Decepticons, terror of Cybertron, laughed. "Such is the deepest desire of your nemesis, Master. The naïve fantasy of a misguided killer, no better than that of his minions!"
Irisviel glared up at the titan shaking with laughter. "I won't forgive anyone who mocks my comrades' dreams," she warned him, actually making him stop for a moment. "Neither of you believe in anything, and that's the difference between you. They have faith; you don't."
"I have faith in myself," Rider X shot back, "and I've found that is more than enough for dealing with those like your 'comrades'." He barked another laugh as he lifted her frail body up from the circle. "My, what a loyal pet you are to that group of fools. You believe they actually care for you beyond the prize locked away in your soul?"
Irisviel gripped feebly the larger, stronger arm as she glared back. "Saber… Assassin X… They don't know. Kiritsugu… never told them… what my… purpose was… in this War. They only knew I was a homunculus… yet they treated me as a person… as a friend." She forced herself to face this monster. "I know them to be my comrades… and my prayers are as much with them as they are with Kiritsugu!"
The Servant of the Mount had the perfect counter to this when Kirei finally found his voice. "Then you waste your prayers on idiocy." The priest had gotten to his feet and now gave him a meaningful look. Rider X rolled his optics but relented, unceremoniously dropping the woman to the floor. She landed with a whimper while Kirei continued. "Conflict is a fundamental part of humanity," he eyed Rider X before amending, "of all life. Eliminating it is tantamount to eliminating humans. The goal Kiritsugu Emiya seeks…" He scoffed. "It doesn't even be considered an ideal, it's merely a childish fantasy!"
"Th-that's why… he can only… hope for… miracle…" He stared down in shock.
Irisviel tried to push her broken body up again even as she kept speaking. "He's sacrificed… so much for this… time after time… he had to… lose the ones he… loved… for the sake… of his dreams."
There was no longer any way for Kirei Kotomine to deny the nature of the man Kiritsugu Emiya. He'd hoped it'd all be some trick, a lie to conceal the same void he felt inside himself, but with each word this homunculus uttered… every time she rose to defend this man's ideals… "…He's been doing this all his life?"
"Such is the essence of utter devotion, Kirei." Megatron's humor disappeared for a brief moment. "Sacrificing to achieve your goals."
"Yes…" Irisviel von Einzbern uttered her final words. "Kiritsugu's… far too kind. He can't help… himself… from loving others… despite knowing… he'll lose them…"
"…I understand." Kirei closed his eyes before bowing his head towards his mentor. "My apologies, Rider X. I had misjudged my opponent from the start. I thought he and I were similar…" His fists clenched at his sides. "But I was just projecting my own feelings onto a man who has thrown away every pleasure and meaningful thing in his life, all for the sake of a fool's dream."
Megatron stared down at the one had called him to this world… and patted his shoulder. "We all run the risk of misjudging those around us, Kirei. I was no different when I thought my worst enemy to be my trusted brother." He leaned towards his Master. "But do not despair. Even if he is not the man you wished him to be, Kiritsugu Emiya remains your nemesis. So, tell me, what new truth have you reached?"
Kirei Kotomine considered the question, the parallels between Megatron and Optimus Prime and him and Kiritsugu Emiya. It didn't take him long to reach his verdict. "I understand who Kiritsugu Emiya is… and my reason to fight."
Rider X watched raptly as a predator's twisted smile stretched across Kirei's face. "My place in this Grail War… has never been about the Holy Grail. I don't care about my wish. But…" He turned his attention to the frozen woman. "Kiritsugu Emiya… I will tear your ideals asunder by destroying any hope of you reaching the Grail you have sought so desperately."
He turned back towards his Servant and was met with a smile equal to his own. "Good answer, my boy," Megtron chuckled through those shark-like teeth of his. "Well then, I must do my part and eradicate the Servants following that fool, no? And what better place to begin tearing down his hopes…" His gaze traveled to their prey. "Than right here, right now?"
Irisviel shivered as a primal fear washed over her, wishing her imminent death would come a little sooner. "Your first attempt with Tokiomi was exquisite, if a little flawed, but no matter." Servant and Master loomed over her trembling form. "You know what they say, Kirei…" Energy of an ominous violet crackled in their eyes and around their hands.
"Practice makes perfect."
-10:01:56
Sakura wandered about her grandparents' home, a part of her busily convincing herself that this was indeed hergrandparents' home. Not… Zouken's. She shivered at that… man's name as a shadow drifted over her mind. Kariya and Aoi had tired to reassure her that she was home for good, and he would never bother her again, but… Believing it wasn't easy. Not yet.
The rest of the day had been quiet at the Zenjou house. The joy of the lost daughter's return had been counterbalanced by the news of the Tohsaka patriarch's death, and it showed. The adults were alternately seeking solace or fussing over the girls, and Sakura had excused herself from the latter via her mother; much as she was relieved to call Aoi Tohsaka "mother" again, she needed some time to breathe and think.
Hence her route taking her to the backyard, only when she opened the door, she found it was already occupied.
Rin turned towards the sliding sound from where she sat, her downcast eyes instantly widening at seeing her sister. "S-Sakura!" She hopped fueled by guilt to her feet and stepped towards the visitor. "You shouldn't be alo- um, I mean- I…"
Despite the gloomy atmosphere, Sakura couldn't help but grin a little at her sister's words tripping over each other. Same old Big Sister…
Big Sister cleared her throat and made a new attempt. "What brings you out here? Do you want us to spend time together? I-I mean, I don't want to bother you if you don't…"
Internally, Rin was screaming at herself. Come on, is one year all it takes to make you forget how to talk to Sakura?! She's your sister, darn it!
Yeah, she is, A cold voice shot back. So, why did you stop thinking of her as your sister one year long?
B-Because… Father told me she wasn't… And with that, the girl's heartache doubled.
"N-no, it's okay, Big Sister." Sakura's voice cut through the argument inside her head, and for that, Rin wanted to cuddle her little sister until she squeaked. "I came out here for a little fresh air, but um, I-I don't mind… spending time… with you…" She twiddled her fingers and glanced up at the birds chirping among the evening sky, her cheeks red as apples.
As she closed the distance, Rin managed to shove her snuggle urge down into the back of her head along with the voice's accusations. That allowed her to offer Sakura her hand with a little smile of her own. "Sure…"
The sisters moved out into the yard, but before they could sit down, a set of uneven footsteps caught their attention. Both saw Uncle Kariya lean out of the open door and visibly relax when he saw them. "Hey, girls," he waved to them with a hasty smile, "there you are. I was wondering where you'd gotten to." They smiled back at him as he limped over. "You two catching up?"
"…Not exactly," Rin mumbled. She then quickly waved her hands at the two. "D-don't get me wrong, I'm really, really happy Sakura's back and for good, too, it's just… there's just… a lot going on, and… and…" Her voice wavered, and her eyes fell to the grass.
A hand rubbed her hair. "It's okay," Kariya assured her, his smile fading but the warmth still there. "Neither your mother nor I expect you to be doing jumping jacks after… what we told you about… your father."
Rin nodded shakily at that, trying to stay strong even as her vision turned blurry. N-No, a magus doesn't let emotions get the better of them, she berated herself. Always elegant, that's our way, right? …Father? "I-I don't know what to feel…" The heir of the Tohsaka name had to let some of it, though, or she figured she'd burst. "I'm happy you're back, Sakura, really… But… Father… I thought… He was going to win the War, h-he was going to… come back."
Kariya Matou tugged his hood a little tighter around his head as a cold wind whipped through. "I'm sure he planned on it… He wanted to come back to you, Rin, and you too, Sakura. He… he wanted what was best for both of you." Rin nodded dully, Father's visit yesterday playing in her head. He had been so cool back then, so strong… and shehad been with him. Rin remembered staring at their backs as they headed off to win for their family.
A pang shot through Rin's heart at the image of another one she'd lost. "Jade… she… She promised…" She wiped her eyes furiously with the back of her hand. A Tohsaka didn't let their emotions run rampant, and she would have to be head of the family one day; sure, Sakura was back, but she was still Rin's little sister. Rin needed to protect her.
Kariya knelt down to her level, his ravaged limbs whimpering in protest, and placed his hand on her shoulder. "Jade was… a loyal friend to your father. Right to the very end." He tried to assure her, sadly recalling the green-clad noble warrior woman. "She helped us get Sakura back …and whatever happened to your father, Rin, I'm positive it wasn't her fault. Jade would've done anything for your family."
Rin absorbed her uncle's words, then looked up to him with a teary smile. She wanted to believe him. She could believe that Jade aided Father and Kariya in bringing Sakura back home, and she wanted to imagine that Jade stood by Father's side, fighting tooth and claw to protect him until her last breath… and then living anyway so they could both come back.
Her smile crumbled as soon as Kariya looked away. …Why, Jade?
Sakura watched her sister trying so hard not to cry even while tears of her own gathered. She blinked them away to find her rescuer glancing worriedly between the two, like he didn't know who needed to be comforted more. A tiny sound drew the girl's attention to the house, along with something tingling inside her, and she asked, "Uncle Kariya, can you check up on Mother, please? I… I think someone ought to be with her, too." She put on a smile and tried to keep her voice steady. "Don't worry, we'll be okay together."
Kariya almost seemed shocked with how he looked down at her, but he nodded and smiled back. "Okay, but don't be out too long, you hear?" He hugged her and Rin before getting up with a little wince. The action made his hood slip back a bit, and Sakura's throat clenched at what she saw underneath, but he kept his lighthearted tone. "It's supposed to be a warm night, but you know how the weather changes around here. Holler if you need anything."
"W-we will," Rin spoke up, waving with Sakura as the family friend slipped back into the house. Then they were alone again.
And this time, there was no uncle to help fill the silence. Neither sister found anything to say despite both wracking their brains. Each both hoped they'd make the first move, but at the same time, part of them hoped the other would, and it revolved into an ever-growing spiral-
"I-I'm sorry."
Rin's mouth stayed open even though no sounds came out. Sakura fidgeted again. "Rin, I remember how much… you looked up to Father… Now I come back… and he didn't… I'm sorry if…" She sniffled slightly, her hands moving to cover her face. "…this is all my fault-"
Hands grabbed hers and pulled them down, allowing her to see Rin's tearful but determined look. "D-don't you dare say that, Sakura," she scolded her gently, still gripping her hands. "Father's d-death isn't your fault. I know that, Mother and Uncle Kariya know that, and Father would tell you the same… i-if he could." Rin shook her head to get the last tears away. What would Jade say to her…? "I'm the one who has to say sorry. You're back, Sakura, you're feeling like this, and I'm not being a good sister. But we're family no matter what."
Sakura blinked, tears falling from her eyes, before she nodded slowly. "I… I'll remember that, Big Sister. It's just… after I was taken away…" She felt Rin's hands squeeze her fingers. "I didn't think… I'd ever hear you say that to me."
"I know…" Guilt nagged at the back of Rin's skull. "Father said I shouldn't… He told me that you were with the Matou family…" She squeezed Sakura's hands again before letting them go. "But that was then, and this is now. I know that sounds cheap, but…" More worry came to her; how was Sakura staying so calm? "Um… What happened to you? Over here?"
Sakura frowned for the first time since her arrival. "I… I'm not sure." Her gaze dipped to the ground. "I know I was brought to the Matou manor… and I lived there… but every time I try to recall something like details, I…" She sighed as he looked back up to Rin, frustration wrinkling her young brow. "I can't remember. It's like a thought in the back of my head that's always just… out of reach. And Uncle Kariya told me I've lost my Magic Circuits-"
"You've what?!"
Sakura jumped back a little from her sister's outburst, waiting warily for any follow-up. "Oh, yeah…" When all that came was an incredulous stare, she went on. "H-he said Father took a look at me last night… after they… got me back… b-before he…" Both girls' breath hitched in the same instant. It was Sakura who found her voice first. "All in all, I'm drawing a blank."
She'd slept through most of last night, too, so her memories even there were still a little foggy. There was one thing, though, the young girl remembered with almost perfect clarity:
A smiling old face full of wrinkles and framed with gray (or white…?) hair… and the kindest blue eyes she had ever seen. Sakura didn't know who the man was, but for some reason, that face, that smile, made her feel better every time it came to mind.
They took her Magic Circuits?
Rin was aghast and horrified. Father had once told her that Sakura had just as much potential for magecraft as she did, and now this? This is horrible! How can Sakura do magecraft without Magic Circuits? She… she isn't a magus anymore…
The next Tohsaka head nodded fiercely to herself. So what, she's still my sister. How dare the Matou's steal her magic?! She wouldn't forgive this, and she wasn't going to let her guard down again. Jade wasn't here anymore, so someone had to look out for Sakura. And Rin knew exactly who. "Sakura," she grabbed her sister by her shoulders, startling her, "you're my sister, no matter who says otherwise, and from here on out, I won't let anything happen to you." She made a magus' vow then and there. "I'll always have your back."
Sakura blinked a couple of times. This first day as a Tohsaka again had been nothing like what she'd expected. …Rin… Peering into those blue-green eyes, though, seeing the sincerity that burned in them… Yes, she was a Tohsaka, again.
She reached up to grip her sister's hands. "And I'll always be there for you, Big Sister. Magic or no magic, I promise to help you any way I can."
Rin grinned back, proud of her sister and herself; they'd make Father proud together. Then she focused instinctively on Sakura's dark hair, something thin and red dancing in front of her eye. Her eyes widened as she held it gently between two fingers. "Your ribbon… you kept it?" Silly little thing, the symbol of a promise she'd made without thinking…
Sakura smiled. "Why wouldn't I…? My Big Sister gave it to me." She then bit her thumb., mumbling, "Um… I can't… pay you back yet…"
Rin snorted despite herself and hugged Sakura so tightly she released a tiny squeak. "We'll worry about that later…" she reassured. "You have years and years to pay. With interest…"
Sakura Tohsaka giggled into her sister's ear while squeezing her back.
Aoi Tohsaka smiled through her tears from her spot by the window. An irrational fear had been clutching her heart since breaking the news to Rin this morning, a worry that Rin wouldn't accept this or Sakura would resent her treatment; fully justifiable in the latter's case. But here in the living room, watching the sisters embrace and laugh with one another, she felt lightened of at least one weight. Sadly, the other one only grew heavier in turn. I wish you could see them together, Tokiomi, she lamented to herself. Our girls…
She turned at a sound and found Kariya standing in the doorway. "Sakura sent me in here," he mumbled with that shy grin of his, "she wanted me to see how you're… holding up."
Aoi sniffled a little as she glanced out the window again. "She always did have a sixth sense for when Rin or I felt down." She sighed at the sight of Sakura tickling her sister's sides to break her hug, Rin breaking into giggles, then the mother returned to her guest. "I'm doing… as well as I can, I suppose. What about you, Kariya?"
"I'm fine," Kariya scratched the back of his hood, avoiding her gaze. God, she looked beautiful as ever even in mourning. Here he was, in the family house of the woman of his dreams, with Sakura and Rin playing outside and Tokiomi nowhere in sight. For good, even. This was practically his dream come true… but it tasted so bitter now. Isn't this what you wanted, idiot?
Aoi however was scrutinizing him carefully. She beckoned to him with a finger. "Kariya, come over here." He made to protest when she smiled thinly and added, "Please." Despite the last word, her tone was in "Finance Mode," the one that brokered no argument or compromise. Kariya had seen more than one banker crumble underneath it in their youth, and he knew better than to try and make a break for it. Wouldn't get far on this leg anyway…
He shuffled over feeling like a chastened boy before his teacher. Aoi flicked back his hood and frowned sadly at what she saw. "Yeah, I know…" he sighed. "Not exactly Japanese supermodel material. Using my family's magecraft comes with," he gestured to his face, "a price."
Aoi placed a finger against the scars on his left side and shook his head. "Good God, what did you have to endure, Kariya?" Her eyes widened in sudden horror. "Did… Sakura-?"
Kariya gently took her hand away. "She's free of that. Took her Magic Circuits in the process, but my… friend was very thorough and c-caring with her." Calling Gandalf his Servant wasn't right, not when that wizard had guided him consistently through this whole mess. Aoi opened her mouth again, but Kariya stopped. "Don't ask me that, Aoi. Because if you ask me… I'm going to tell you." A tear fell from his eye. "So please… don't ask me."
Aoi nodded silently; that alone was answer enough, and they both knew it. "All of this… for the Tohsaka family…" She shifted away from him, but not towards the window again. Seeing her girls would make her feel happy, and she didn't deserve to feel happy right now. "T-then what can you t-tell me… a-about Tokiomi's death?"
Kariya sighed, swatting away a mental voice yelling about Tokiomi of course being at the front of her mind. This was no time for jealousy. "I… didn't see it happen myself. I told you, Tokiomi invited us all into his house after we rescued Sakura," he moved over to the center of the room, "then he left us downstairs while heading up to do some paperwork, I think," he gestured first to the ceiling, then the tea set by the table, "Jade served us tea when all of a sudden the Servants got cautious, Jade was ordered to attack out of nowhere, said she thought something had happened to Tokiomi, then she…" He drew his thumb across his throat. "…Literally."
Aoi covered her mouth with her hands, gasping at the image. Guilt flared up in her, too, at how little she'd considered the Heroic Spirit who had saved both of her daughters at separate points and praised so much by Tokiomi. To imagine Jade taking her own life… There's no way I can tell Rin this. She'd already broken Rin's heart enough, but that?
Kariya nodded like he'd read her thoughts. "Then Rider X," he snarled the name, "a monster of a rogue Servant, came down the steps bragging of how he killed Tokiomi, and then…" He swallowed. "And then… Gandalf-" He swayed at his spot, prompting Aoi to hastily guide him over to the couch (something his younger self would've been ecstatic over). "…My other Servant got us out of there… and brought us here…" Kariya sighed. "That's all I know."
The Tohsaka mother nodded. "Thank you. I… I can't imagine what it was like, seeing all of this first-hand…" She squeezed his shoulders. "But thank you… for helping Tokiomi and Sakura and… and bringing her home…" Aoi had so much more to say, but her words kept stumbling over each other trying to get out. "And… I'm so sorry about… your friend…" Tokiomi had told her that Servants were familiars, sentient tools to be wielded at their Masters' discretion. But the respect and gratitude with which he had last spoken of Jade… The tangible grief Kariya radiatedover losing this "Gandalf" …Why'd we lose so much?
She began to cry, and the lump in Kariya's stomach only grew. What was he thinking? Was he really some scumbag who'd try his luck with his lifelong crush who'd become a widow only twenty-four hours ago? No… He looked away in isn't what I wanted. He'd jumped into this goddamn Grail War to get Sakura out of Zouken's clutches, make Tokiomi pay, and maybe win Aoi as a bonus. Now here he was, sitting beside Aoi mourning the loss of her husband while her daughters tried to mend their bond in the backyard. Not like this…
Then a horribly familiar agony shot up his spine, so abrupt and striking Kariya had no time to brace himself. He hunched over, a groan escaping him before he could stop it and drawing a tearful Aoi's attention. "Kariya? Wh-what's wrong?" She promptly scooted over to his side.
Any other time, and Kariya Matou would've been delighted at Aoi's touch. But he couldn't savor it, he couldn't answer her increasingly worried pleas, he couldn't do anything but fixate on the rummaging inside his body. "T-the Worms…" He gasped in horror. Oh, hell… Gandalf had only erased the Crest Worms inside Sakura's body. Those infesting Kariya had kept quiet ever since Zouken's defeat, and in all the drama at Tokiomi's house, he'd completely forgotten about them.
But the little bastards clearly hadn't forgotten about him. Zouken… He's still alive, Kariya realized, anger mixing with his terror and pain. He's alive and has given his pets in me the go-ahead to eat me alive! And now there was no benevolent wizard to cow them into submission.
"M-my family's magic…" He wheezed out to Aoi; coward that he was, he couldn't explain to her the truth of the Matou "Magic Crest," not without revealing what precisely Sakura had been forced to endure because of their mistakes. "It's… consuming… me…" There was one thing Kariya had no choice but to admit as he coughed blood. "I-I'm running out of time…"
Aoi's heart, beaten and strained as it had been through this day, outright shattered in her chest. First her daughter, then her husband, her family's protector, and now her oldest friend? How much more was this Grail War going to take from her family?!
For the Matou outcast, it felt like the perfect ending to his tragic comedy of a life: Crumbling away in his lost love's arms with nothing to his name but failure and loss. I wish I had never made that deal with Zouken, Kariya lamented bitterly through the pain. I wish I'd never gotten Sakura mixed up in all this mess… I wish none of this had happened. He sat there weeping while the woman of his dreams looked on helplessly…
"So do all who live to see such times," an elderly voice rumbled inside his mind, "But that is not for them to decide." Kariya Matou slowly lifted his head in shock, wondering if the Crest Worms had finally driven him mad.
For it seemed as though Gandalf was leaning over him, wearing that same old wise smile as he eased his team's burdens. "All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given to us." The Master blinked, and the Servant was gone again. No, he wasn't actually here.
Just his memory… Aoi felt a trembling against her arms and frowned in concern. "K-Kariya? Why are you laughing now?"
He patted her arms as his chuckles died down, a twinkle in his eye. "Don't worry, I'm not going crazy just yet, Aoi. I just remembered something a friend of mine once said."
Kariya drew in a breath; the damned Worms were still on the warpath, but he'd endured their pain before, and he could do it again for a little while. That's right… He'd known from the beginning he likely wouldn't survive the end of this War. But he had taken on Zouken's abuse all the same, just so Sakura might be spared. And he had succeeded, maybe not the way he'd wanted, but she was with her family again. That was damn sure worth it.
And as he turned over his right hand to see one final Command Seal still there, Kariya Matou knew Gandalf was right. Even when he's gone, he's still propping me right back up. For that, the Gray Pilgrim's Master owed him everything. So, the least he could do was honor Lancelot's wishes for bringing justice to his killer, just as the knight had implored of him.
He pushed himself to his feet, body screaming in protest. "Kariya, wait!" Kariya powered through the pain even as Aoi tried to stop him. "Y-you're in no shape to walk, and I know what you're thinking!" She blocked his way. "This War has already taken enough from us. Don't go throwing your last minutes away, too!" She put on her sternest, most pleading faces that Kariya could've normally never resisted.
"I'm sorry, Aoi. I really am." But not this time. "This has to end, and I'm going to put my last minutes to the best use I can think of," Kariya assured his friend. "Keeping them safe." Turning Megatron into scrap metal wasn't just for Gandalf. It was for Tokiomi, for Jade, and to make sure that metal son of a bitch could never, ever pose a threat to this family again.
She might've been able to stop him, the way he was nearly doubled over and in visible agony. But one look at his beaten eyes and the resolve within, and she nearly began to cry all over again. Another loss… "Hey," Kariya brushed her cheek, "it's okay. I… I've got no regrets about this. Just… promise me, Aoi. Promise me that Sakura and Rin will play together, cry together, and grow up together. If you do that, then… it'll be enough for me."
Aoi Tohsaka sighed at herself; what had happened to Sakura was just as much her fault as it was Tokiomi's. If she had fought him, if she had tried to find another way instead of being so passive… Not again She straightened and pushed through her tremors. "I promise, Kariya."
Satisfied, the Master slipped past her, noting he wouldn't see her again and burning her resolute face into his mind. Then he stopped, making Aoi blink through her tears. "Oh yeah, um…" Kariya pulled out a loosely bound stack of papers from his hoodie pocket. "This is, uh, a child's story… I've had… for a while…" He held it towards her with a blush.
Aoi slowly accepted the rumpled papers, her eyes widening at the handwriting. "Kariya… did you come up with this…?"
"S-sort of…" Kariya scratched his head, his cheeks aflame. "It's uh, a little something… I'd been working on… for the last couple of days… It's not a good story, but…" His eyes shifted to out the window while she skimmed his work. "I-I'd really appreciate it if Sakura… a-and Rin, too… if they're still… into this kind of thing." He sighed and reached out. "F-forget it-"
Aoi then leaned over and planted a gentle kiss on his right cheek.
Kariya's mouth hung open as she pulled away, the broken man worrying for a moment that the Worms' antics had wrecked his jaw's nerves. Her giggles made him clamp it shut; good, still functional. Aoi glanced back at the story and read aloud its repeatedly changed title: "The Little Hobbit and Her Garden." She smiled tearfully. "I think they'll love it."
Limp be damned, Kariya felt like he was walking on air straight through the house. He didn't dare say goodbye to the girls; a coward like him couldn't bear facing them for the last time.
Outside, Sir Lancelot materialized beside his Master as soon as he stepped off of the front yard, helmet in his hands. At a nod, he donned the sleek headgear, darkness swirling around his body anew. Kariya Matou looked back at the house in finality, then rolled his shoulders.
"Let's go avenge our friend."
-08:06:24
Gilgamesh, King of Heroes, Servant Archer formerly of Tokiomi Tohsaka, now Kirei Kotomine as of twenty-seven hours ago, stifled a yawn as he lounged atop a building in Shinto. He'd enjoyed a lengthy nap to pass the time until nightfall; the bustling of the humans in this paltry city had long since lost what little appeal drawing his eye. Now he was refreshed and ready to bring down the curtain on this lengthy farce.
Lengthy but unexpectedly diverting, he noted to himself, absentmindedly tracing the scar he glared at in a glass's reflection. There were stronger remedies in Archer's treasury than what he'd used up till now, any one of them certainly potent enough to erase this unsightly blemish. But at this point, Archer had grown used to glaring at it. It made for an odd trophy.
"Kenpachi…" He bared his teeth in a half-smirk, half-snarl. Merely thinking of that deranged bloodthirsty dog was enough to make his parting gift ache, yet Gilgamesh chose to wear it as a badge of pride. Even such a ferocious beast from another garden had fallen to the King's power. And Archer's chest swelled at the memory of slaying Iskandar shortly afterwards, depriving the upstart of a complete victory.
As it should be, he noted right before a flare shot up into the sky, followed swiftly by another. Archer's eyes narrowed at the display. According to his new Master, these flares were of a magical brand, only visible to those attuned to the supernatural. Launching them was to signal the Holy Grail War's completion and celebrate the victor.
Naturally, shooting them off while more than one Master and Servant (or maybe in this case, two Servants) were roaming about would be perceived as a blatant taunt. Well done, Kirei.
His new choice of Master had been coming along splendidly, though it irked Archer a little that not all of Kirei's development could be attributed to him. No, that wretched upstart had played his own part with glee in opening the priest's mind and heart to his inner truth. Archer didn't like sharing things at the best of times; truthfully, he wouldn't have been bothered too much if one of the "heroes" had put an end to his darkness before this stage.
Oh well, Gilgamesh sauntered along the rooftop, golden armor ringing with each step, something to look forward to myself. And you deserve every last shred of agony I have in store for you, Megatron. Especially after what you did last night-
He paused at the increased fury of his musings and sighed. Gandalf the Gray… even dead, he continued to draw unexpected reactions from the King of Heroes. Though it shamed him to admit this, Archer had been secretly, minutely, relieved the upstart had killed the wizard. He mightn't have had the heart to do it himself. But that was no reason to let the upstart go unpunished. The mad dog stemming from this world and ever-radiant, doomed Saber would surely wish to see to that themselves, but…
Well, Archer had already acted enough unlike himself. His thoughts drifted as he walked…
-24:11:18
The Zenjou family's home had remained untouched thus far in the Grail War, and one Servant was very much invested in keeping it that way. Berserker stood in silent, vigilant spirit form before the front yard, arms crossed and senses on high alert for even the tiniest threat. He somehow found the willpower to keep his Mad Enhancement shut off despite the hole in his heart, or perhaps because of it. Failure of a knight or not, Lancelot refused to let his friend's sacrifice be in vain.
Inside the house, Sakura Tohsaka continued to sleep through the night, wrapped inside her true mother's arms as both lay in the same bed. She had woken up just briefly enough to prove she still remembered the names of her loved ones, but it appeared her energy was still lacking; no sooner was she in pajamas did Sakura slip back into dreamland.
Snoring slightly in a chair by the bed was her uncle. Aoi had been elated and heartbroken like never before in her life at everything Kariya had told her, and so she had quietly wept herself to sleep, refusing to let her daughter out of her sight for even a second. Thankfully, she was able to recognize these same emotions inside her old friend's story, as well as the truth, and she couldn't find it in her to make him leave. Kariya's grief abated just a little at seeing Aoi curled around Sakura again, add his fatigue, and he too was out almost instantly.
Hence none of the bedroom's occupants awakening to see a new presence materialize inside the room.
Archer quickly crossed the distance to the bed and loomed over its occupants, adjusting his invisibility cap in the process. The fact that Berserker hadn't charged him in a foolish frenzy was clear proof the dark treasure was functioning as advertised, leaving him with all the free time to examine the young girl sleeping before him. For so much death and anguish to be brought about by such a little thing… He thought. For him to sacrifice himself…
A pained mumble snapped him out of his thoughts, and it was a testament to the King's kindness that he did not kill the mutilated mongrel for that. Archer scoffed at the battered form before him; touching though his worries were, they were surplus at this stage. Kirei's attention had shifted fully to that pale meat puppet the upstart had absconded with, and the only other Master left. Megatron on the other hand seemed perfectly happy to let Berserker come to him. The only problem with that plan was if Gilgamesh eradicated him first. A sorely tempting idea after what he had done to Olórin.
Even at his weakest, even with the shadow of death enveloping him, the wizard had not begged for rescue or aid. No, his only worries had been for the three he'd stayed to shield…
Archer had sworn to him he would not help or hinder him, and he had kept his word. …Much as he wished otherwise. The King's decrees were absolute. He himself would not go back on his decisions, for doing so would undermine his authority. He did not second-guess himself, ever. But to say he was satisfied with their outcome or that he never regretted the consequences… Well, there had been a reason he didn't witness Olórin's death personally.
Or that of Lancer X, come to think of it. Archer had never particularly cared for the inferior cur selected to be his partner by fate, or for her fraternizing with the fool who would've betrayed them both once the War was won. Tokiomi hadn't deserved her loyalty… yet Jade had stayed true to herself and their bond right up to when it got herself killed. Nicely done, Kirei. A pity his development came at Jade's expense, but no growth comes without sacrifice.
He suppressed a sigh, wondering why he bothered lingering on this whole unpleasantness. There was still plenty of pleasurable things to distract himself with, yet here he was, perched over an ordinary little girl. He began to dematerialize… and stopped to stare at her again.
Ordinary? Nothing had been "ordinary" about this Holy Grail War, and Archer had the scar to prove it. Seeing it every time he looked into a mirror irked and excited him in the same breath. Truly, these otherworldly dogs had done much to shake up what he'd believed to be a mediocre affair. And something told him Olórin had done a little more prior to his end.
Gilgamesh hummed to himself as he pondered on what he knew of that infuriatingly fascinating being. You told me you had been neither human nor god in life… a manifestation of a higher power in service of good. And as a Heroic Spirit… you retained some measure of your true power… in the form of your Noble Phantasm. He withdrew from his treasury a sheet of dark scrying glass, a useful trinket for finding that which did not wish to be found. What exactly did you do with this one, Gray Pilgrim? Did you… bequeath her this power?
Archer's eyes narrowed as they scrutinized her through the glass. Yes… despite outward appearances, something magical did linger inside this young soul. Oh, those silly Magic Circuits the dogs of today used to bungle through their Thaumaturgy were gone, but this was something else. A glimmer or a vestige, like a seed that could blossom into a flower never before seen in his garden. And Archer needed little of his genius to realize who'd planted it.
Was this a result of the miracle the wizard cast to rinse the girl's soul clean of the filth killing her? Most definitely, but had Olórin planned this? Was the girl's salvation part of a greater strategy, perhaps to seize the Grail or claim dominion over this world itself?
Gilgamesh nearly laughed at his own fatuity. No, no… Such thoughts did not fit the character of Gandalf the Gray, a being wise enough to know the punishment for that sort of treachery… and far too kind to twist a little girl's fate like that. Even if he had stooped so low, he wouldn't have been so desperate in confronting the upstart, the King of Heroes surmised.
And the resolve to put his life on the line to delay Rider X couldn't have been false.
Still, this begged the question of what would happen to the life Olórin had saved. She was certainly not meant for a mundane existence anymore. Archer doubted her blossoming would occur during his remaining time in this era; with only four other Servants left, the end of this "War" was imminent. It couldn't happen quickly enough in his opinion, but with something unprecedented like this piquing his curiosity…
He scowled. Come to think of it, this girl was perhaps in even greater danger than before. Tokiomi might've spared her out of fatherly sentiment, but he was merely one of many buffoons fancying themselves today's sorcerers. They would take longer than the King and surely make a mess in the process, but they were sure to realize something was… irregular about the girl. And in their ridiculous attempts to comprehend the miracle which had saved her, they'd tear her to shreds, mind, body and soul. Picturing this made Archer's blood boil.
No. Such an act would be no less scatological than tearing down an Urukian shelter. He would not have that.
He raised his hand, and the Gate of Babylon opened just wide enough to deposit a small ceramic jar into it. Removing the stopper revealed a clear salve, a little heirloom from Babylon itself. The parents among his subjects used to mix blessed herbs and juices together and apply it to their children while uttering prayers of protection right before bedtime.
Gilgamesh let the nostalgia wash over him for a second or too, then he dipped a single finger into the jar, withdrawing a dollop of the cream. The next step was kneeling down to beside the bed where the girl lay slumbering. The King of Heroes hesitated, his finger hovering over her, then he closed his eyes for a moment and brushed aside any second thoughts. He'd never been one to doubt his own actions, why start now?
Thus, he pressed his finger against the girl's forehead and began drawing a symbol of ancient Babylonian as lightly as possible; for one, her waking up and causing a ruckus would be tiresome; for another, this ward required a gentle touch. Archer was no mage, but with this salve, he could at least ensure no present-day mongrel would detect this girl's potential.
Once the ward was complete, he leaned away to study this girl. Was it odd for him to go to such lengths for a young soul, one much like so many who trod across his garden nowadays? Well… that wasn't entirely accurate. Her soul was clearly unique, touched as it was by foreign blessing. Still, one might've expected Archer to see her killed for this, to purge the contaminant lest it infest his garden further.
He would have done so in a heartbeat when he had first arrived in this repugnant era. But… the Archer then had yet to meet the source behind this curious nature dwelling inside the girl. He had yet to encounter intruders from other gardens, some of whom managed to surprise or tickle him. He scoffed to himself upon remembering his "partner," a weak, self-righteous wench… unwaveringly loyal to a man unworthy of it. A virtue such as that, misplaced though it had been… did deserve some token of the King's respect. A single gift to their partnership.
And his actions were to settle another debt as well, one to a being who had stood wise, noble and steadfast against the darkness right up to the point of his leaving this world. A being unlike any Gilgamesh had encountered before in his glorious life… save for one other.
He crossed his arms, fingers squeezing his biceps at recalling the moment he'd sensed the wizard's demise. Yet another reason to kill the upstart, and oh how he waited for when the other two mongrels were gone, leaving only him, his bride to be, and a metallic swine to be slaughtered. Ah, he could picture the wedding now… As the resulting image began to warm his core, the King of Heroes made to vacate the premises. There were preparations to undertake to make it reality.
Before he left, though, he spared the girl one final solemn gaze. "Wherever you are now, Olórin," he whispered, "be it in the Throne of Heroes, this Holy Grail the mongrels are scrambling for, or back on Middle-Earth, with your god or your fellowship…" he studied her sleeping form, "or elsewhere…
"Rest assured, your legacy on this world shall be protected. So swears Gilgamesh, its King."
Archer opened his eyes again blinked at the descending sparkles of light. Sometimes, it perplexed him how swift thoughts could travel through one's mind; long though his recollection may've been, no more than two seconds of real time had passed. Well, there was little use in reminiscing at this point anyways. He'd paid his due to those fallen. Now was the time to finish this game he'd begun with the upstart.
A game that would end with him standing above all, as befitted the King of Heroes.
The Heroic Spirits were of different times and contrasting ideals, but as they readied their weapons and converged for the impending clash, they all knew one thing:
One outcome or another, this would be the final night of the Fourth Holy Grail War.