Bazett cleared her throat, fixing her tie and digging her heel into the ground. I'd never expected a day where she would be hiding behind me, but I enjoyed the strange feeling all the same. The tall gates of the Emiya compound were oh-so-intimidating to her now for some reason.
"What's wrong?"
Bazett averted her gaze and answered in a faint voice, "I rejected her proposal before, and now I am here to ask for her help."
Hm, fair.
"If it sounds good enough, she won't say no-" I scratched my cheek, "-hopefully."
There really was no knowing with Rin. For one, I expected her to sock Bazett in the face when she shot her down that rudely, but Rin had handled the situation rather calmly. Still, I did know that she kept the weirdest of grudges.
"Guess I'll just beg if it comes to it."
"I don't want you-"
Shaking my head, I knocked on the door twice, firmly. There was the sound of footsteps, and then... Rin pulled open one of the doors. Her gaze flickered from Bazett to me.
Bazett nodded in greeting, "Hello."
"Oh, speak of the devil."
Rin ignored her entirely, turning to me.
"I was just about to go find you, Enji." She took my hand, "Do you think you can heal Shirou again? Pretty please?"
...What?
-
I couldn't help but deadpan at the injured teenager lying in the futon at my feet. His arms were all bandaged up, along with most of his chest. His breath was so weak I could barely hear, and I doubted the closed windows of his room were helping at all.
Sakura sat by his head, pressing a damp cloth to his forehead.
"The hell happened to him?" I asked pointedly.
I knew he was a tough little shit but...
"Well," Rin trailed off, staring off to the side like a criminal, "I... I don't think it matters-"
"Oh, I'll tell you what happened."
Archer materialised by the door. He gave Rin an amused look, then leaned against the wall with crossed arms.
"Archer, no."
"My genius of a master," He waved a hand at Rin, smirking, "Let that brash idiot convince her to take him along to fight against Caster. He even managed to lure her out of that fortified temple of hers."
If memory served, Medea was using an aged Buddhist temple as her workshop through the Holy Grail War. A workshop connected to one of the leylines underneath the city. Luring her out was the smart choice.
Rin shrank with every word.
"Then, that idiot decided projecting my noble phantasms was a good idea."
"And why did he just decide that?"
"B-Because-"
"Because my master missed the assassin sneaking up on her." Archer finished Rin's words for her, "He even tried to project your ancestor's spear from memory."
...He what?
Rin hid her face in her hands, red up to her ears, "He was just so confident about it-"
I closed my eyes, not paying attention to her.
This whole situation was fishy, mostly because of how pleased Archer looked with Shirou's injuries. Knowing him, I wasn't willing to discredit the theory that he led Shirou to that conclusion.
"Archer, where did he get the idea?"
The culprit stared at me unabashedly. A grin spread across his face. Slowly, he raised both of his hands... then, made a proper show of shrugging them.
"I am ashamed-"
He was not ashamed.
"-to admit that even I do not possess the mind to understand his reasoning."
Suddenly, he was gone. I knew by the itch on my hand that he was still around, but all of us knew he wasn't going to say much else.
Sighing, I crouched down next to Shirou.
"Rin."
Her back straightened, "Yes?"
"Did he manage it? My ancestor's spear?"
She shook her head.
I'd expected as much. Stupid as his ability was, Shirou hadn't actually seen that spear, so there was no way he was going to project it. A shame. Maybe the spear would've actually harmed Gilgamesh as a noble phantasm.
But, well, as bad as I felt, there was a silver lining here.
"I can heal him."
Rin's face lit up, "Really-"
"But, I'm going to need a favour."
"Sure. What can I do for you, Zen'in-sama?" She said sarcastically.
I took a look around the room, a tad apprehensive about Bazett's absence. Rin had been adamant she wait in the living room... but maybe her absence was also a happy coincidence.
Bazett was a good person.
She was maybe the only reason I was yet to break down over my mentor.
She made me want to be strong too.
I waited until Sakura went away to get a new set of towels, sliding the door shut behind her. Then, I took a deep breath,
"Help me defeat the King of Heroes."
"The King of Heroes is dead. Is this some kind of stupid joke?"
I didn't understand why she clenched her fists and began to frown at my words. At worst, I expected a simple and clear rejection because of the threat associated with the favour.
"He should've faded away when my father died ten years ago. That's what happens to servants who lose their masters."
I narrowed my eyes, "Then how did someone called Gilgamesh kill Shuwen?"
"That can't possibly be-"
"If I can sense servants, you can too. Tell me, do you feel the presence of a third one?"
She quieted down, seemingly in thought. I saw the realisation flash across her blue eyes before she ever spoke. She shook her head from side to side, trying to make sense of my words.
"He wants the Grail. You'll have to fight him anyway. Help me, and we can have three servants against him. Maybe, we'll even stand a chance-"
"You don't have to, though." Rin cut me off calmly. She sat down right across from me, folding her legs underneath her. There was a look of pity on her face. "You're the heir of the Zen'in. Even if the King of Heroes is still alive, you have no reason to risk everything you have, Enji."
I felt my eyes twitch.
"Don't... do that. I'm not consumed by revenge. That shithead is an inevitable problem. If he somehow wins, all of us are screwed anyway."
There was no guarantee he wasn't just going to decide to entertain himself by coming after me again.
Rin held her chin, once again in deep thought.
A good minute or two passed before she spoke again.
"Archer and Lancer might not be enough then. Gilgamesh is... well, you know already."
Instead of answering, I breathed out a sigh of relief and reached for Shirou's chest. Easily, I reversed the mechanism for Round Deer. The air glowed ephemerally for several moments. Shirou's breathing became steadier, and I knew I was done when his chest began to rise and fall calmly.
"I haven't said yes yet."
"Yet," I raised a brow. "So, you will."
Truthfully, I'd have healed him anyway.
"Tell me. Is Caster dead?"
She blinked, then gave a slight nod.
I rose to my feet and made for the door.
"I'll go tie up some loose ends too."
"You know, you didn't have to guilt-trip me. I'd have agreed anyway."
Rin huffed behind me.
-
The open corridor made me slightly envious of Shirou's home. There were too many rooms to properly count, a proper dojo somewhere inside, and a nice front and backyard too. It was the sort of home I'd only ever seen on TV or the internet across two lives.
Just as I reached out for the door, Sakura slid it aside. Her eyes widened at the sight of me. Suddenly, she gave a polite bow, clutching towels close to her chest. Her purple hair fell past her shoulders.
"Thank you... for helping senpai."
"Happy to."
Bazett sat at the kotatsu, gently cradling a bowl of tea in both hands. She tilted her head curiously when she saw me.
"Rin's in. You should head back to the hotel for a while."
Her lips thinned, "What about you?"
"I'm going to find Illyasviel."
Cu appeared beside me, "I trapped her in that castle of hers. I'll go with ya."
"You watch over Bazett."
There, I intended to summon the Saber.
When I turned to leave, Bazett was holding my wrist again.
"You... You shouldn't go alone. I approve of whatever you're planning, so please, let me come."
Her trembling lips made me fold instantly.
-
Hope you enjoyed.
Please do comment so I know how I did, whether I did bad or good. If you have any criticisms, don't hesitate to share them either, I'm eager to improve.
You can find 7 chapters ahead at patre0n.com/Bleap