章 995: 9
008 - Sisters of Gloom and Bright
Matou Sakura
Wakefulness comes slowly to and, with it, a series of conflicting feelings I'm in no state to process in a timely manner. Feelings of tiredness, soreness and a vague nausea are things I've grown quite used to. But I'm also feeling warm, safe and content, and those aren't things I'm used to. Especially the safety part.
No matter what, no matter when, for as long as I can remember, I've never felt safe in my sleep. Except, of course, those three precious occasions when I stayed over at Sempai's home during this last year. A futon under me instead of a mattress, the smell of a worn but well-cared home instead of rotting sweetness and wet mortar, a wooden ceiling instead of stone…
Kind of like right now, actually.
"Ah, I see you're awake." The voice of an unknown woman by my side jolts me all the way to clarity. "Please, no need to be afraid. You are amongst friends."
Friends? That idea almost makes me laugh. There's only two people in my life I'd call 'friends' and the unknown woman is neither. "Who…"
"I'm afraid I can't disclose my name freely, but may call me Caster until Master deems otherwise."
A cold shiver runs down my spine at those words. I'm not so drowsy that I'd fail to make sense of the implications.
Caster. Master.
A Servant.
There's a Servant at Senpai's home.
There's a Servant sitting by my side at Senpai's home when the last thing I remember is talking with him in private, and being asked…
"Do you trust him, girl?" Caster's voice asks knowingly, as if reading my mind. "He won't be able to help, if you don't."
Connecting the dots isn't particularly hard. It was Caster who knocked me out. Caster is Senpai's Servant. Senpai is a participant in the Holy Grail War. A war I'm also a part of, in spite of myself. A war where there can only be a survivor. We are now enemies.
And yet…
"I trust Senpai." I say before finally gathering the courage to look up and fix the Servant with my best glare and daring her to laugh at me. "But that doesn't mean I trust you."
'Caster' is an older woman of inhuman beauty. Sharp features and high cheekbones that hold no imperfections. Long, silky blue hair, point-ended ears and lilac eyes. The very picture of elven royalty. I know I'm not particularly beautiful, but the contrast burns. With this woman by his side, how would Senpai ever look at me?
"Oh, you have spunk, girl. I like that." If the older woman is offended by my words, she hides it well. "I can't do much about trust, but look into yourself. Don't you feel something… missing?"
Still expecting a trap but without any better option, I turn my meager magecraft skills inwards, feeling myself as Caster suggested. Indeed, there's something missing. I feel… empty, but in a good way. Relieved. As if finally getting rid of something that was there but shouldn't, stretching my body beyond what's comfortable.
It only takes me an instant to realize that exactly is missing. No day passes where I don't wish for this very situation to become reality, after all. The Crest Worms infesting my body are gone. Not only that, the special one, buried deep within my heart. The one who couldn't be removed without killing me…
"... Jii-sama!?" It's more a cry of surprise than an actual call, but it goes unanswered all the same. The monster who calls himself my grandfather isn't here to torment me anymore! "But that's Impossible!"
"I weaved my spells and delved the mysteries of our craft before the Capitoline Wolf found the roman brats, girl." Caster retorts, smugly fixing a lock of hair behind her ear. "Don't pretend to tell me what's possible or impossible."
"I'm… free?" Saying it out loud actually takes a lot out of me, as if that would make the dream end. "But why?"
"Master wanted you free and clean, and so it was." Caster answers, carelessly examining her nails. "Do you need another reason?"
"But I don't, I am…" It makes no sense. What's his angle? "We are enemies."
Caster arches a brow in amusement, and I realize I've said too much. Jii-san's Book of the False Attendment means Shinji is Rider's Master for all intents and purposes. I feel like kicking myself for the slip of the tongue. Except… Amusement isn't surprise. Caster already knew, somehow.
"How did you…?"
"I can't claim the merit. Vexing as it is, that maggot knew what he was doing with his little mystic code." She admits with studied carelessness. It's obvious it does bother her. "But Master has a way of knowing things he really shouldn't. He's the one who told me a lot about you. That's why I might've… overstated a bit how long you'd be under. Just so we could have a nice chat in private."
"Senpai… knew? Then why did he…?" Invite me into his home, help me study, tease and joke and treat me like a normal person? Why not just kill me and leave me in a ditch somewhere I can't get in the way of his plans?
"Master has no intention of fighting for the Grail. He just wants to do away with the whole thing before it explodes in someone's face." At this point, Caster turns towards her, waggling her eyebrows suggestively. "And maybe get a harem for his troubles."
"A hare–" I can feel the blush all the way to the roots of my hair soon as the words register. I protest in reflex, covering my face with my hands. "What are you even saying!"
"Why so scandalized, girl?" The hussy asks without a hint of shame. "Don't tell me you have never entertained the thought of riding his virile member while making out with that cutie of a sister of his? I can guarantee, her lips taste as sweet as they look."
Words fail me, it's all I can do to reach for the futon cover and bury my head underneath. I can only feel grateful there's no longer crest worms in my body to grow restless at my arousal, because I can feel my nether lips grow hotter and wetter at the mental image.
"Or maybe you'd prefer to be the meat of a sibling sandwich?" She continues her musings. "I'm pretty sure you can talk Haku into wearing a strapon for some sweet double action…"
"Please shut up!" I finally manage to squeak out. "I don't and I'm not..."
"Search your feelings, you know it's true."
"I'm tainted! Spoiled!" I protest, not even thinking about what I'm doing anymore. "I don't deserve that!"
Suddenly, the teasing stops. There's no witty retort or amused answer to my words, Caster simply shuts up. Warily, I peek beyond my cover, only to see the woman has grown totally serious, and is looking straight into my eyes.
"You are no monster, nor has your worth been harmed. You are a victim." She declares somberly, a calm passion hidden in her words and behind her eyes that has me listening intently in spite of myself. "Fallen from grace into the mud by no fault of your own and kicked while you were down until all hope was destroyed. There's nothing to be ashamed of, and it's about time someone helps you stand back up."
There's something in her voice, in her choice of words, that fills me with awe. It takes me a bit to realize what it is. She knows what she's talking about. She understands. For the first time, I wonder about her real identity. Who is this legendary witch, and why does she speak like that?
"So what do you say, girl?" As suddenly as it appeared, the heavy mood disappears and she's the same teasing woman from the start once more. "Master is aiming straight for the harem ending, but he's going to need all the help he can get."
And with that, the blush and stammer are back. In my defence, that's a very bold and straightforward proposal. Caster waits patiently while I work through my flustered excuses, nodding with a knowing smile every time I cut off my own protest halfway, trying and failing to form a rejection based on something beyond 'I want him for myself alone'.
"Aren't old people all supposed to be prudes?" I finally complain in a dismayed voice.
"I hail from what you call Ancient Greece, girl." She chuckles amusedly. "You modern people are all prudes from where I'm standing."
"That's not something I can accept just like that!" Delaying the inevitable is still better than accepting defeat, and maybe if I ignore the proposal for long enough, it'll become irrelevant. "I need time to think it over."
"You do that girl. The surgery took a lot out of you." Caster's smile softens. "Take it easy and recover, and give some thought to my words, will you?"
Still, it's with a smile that I fall back asleep. Maybe, even a wretch like me can hope…
Tohsaka Rin
"Tohsaka-sensei!" The door of the rooftop slams open, giving way to an overly cheerful idiot with a death wish. "I've come to bargain!"
I pocket back the gem I barely held back from shooting at him. Am I acting a bit twitchy? Maybe. But there's another Master in the school, and I can't afford to take risks until I'm sure there isn't an Assassin prowling around the grounds. Scratch that, I can't afford to take risks period.
'Master?' Archer's question comes through our bond, tension clear in her voice.
'Stay put, he's not a threat.' There's the mental equivalent to a nod and the tension relaxes.
Calm and obedient, who would've expected that from Attila the Hun? If nothing else, I lucked out with my Servant's disposition. I focus back on my problem student, who is still standing at the door smiling like a loon.
"Emiya-kun." I greet with my best polite smile. "Did you just imply I'm some sort of primordial inter-dimensional entity who wields apocalyptic levels of supernatural power and is the ruler of the Dark Dimension?"
"That's an oddly specific question, sensei." He answers cheerfully, walking into the rooftop without a hint of worry. "Whatever might you be talking about?"
I aggressively refuse to comment, while mentally cursing Mitsuruzi's strangely contagious obsession with western manga. I may or may not enjoy reading about Dr. Strange's adventures, but there's no way my pride as a magus would allow me to admit it. Assuming it was true in the first place, which nobody can prove.
"Anyway, is there anything you wanted with me, Emiya-kun?"
"Oh, yeah." He scratches his cheek sheepishly in a way that I've long since learnt to associate with ruined expensive materials, places burnt down and other business that 'looked like a good idea at the time'. "I wanted to let you know that I won't be able to attend your lessons this month."
"I… see." I draw my answer while feeling that there's something odd going on.
Emiya-kun has never missed a lesson before in the two years we've known each other. Reschedule some from time to time, yes. Missing one, never. And now he suddenly wants to skip a full month?
(Disappointing as it is) This is actually good news. Not having to figure out excuses to avoid him for the duration of the War will be a boon for me and– Wait a minute!
"Yeah, sorry for the short notice." He continues, interrupting my train of thought right before it can get somewhere. "But I'd like to renegotiate the tithe."
I feel my body go stiff at those words. "Renegotiate the tithe."
"Yeah, since a good part of it was due to your lessons and I won't be having them, you know?"
He can't do that! I've spent most of my money in Archer's summoning ritual! If I don't get his tithe today, I'll be eating instant ramen the whole month!
"I see, that's reasonable." I start, desperately grasping for an excuse to keep my (golden goose) main source of income from slipping through my fingers. "Of course, you'd still owe me the part originally meant to compensate for your presence in my territory."
"Of course, of course! I'd owe that alright." He cheerfully agrees, using conditional tense. Why is he using conditional tense? "But Masters have every right to stay in Fuyuki during the duration of the War."
The second bomb drops, and I feel like somebody has hit me with a sledgehammer in the head. He's a Master. Of course he's a Master. He's an incredibly talented (and handsome) magus who lives in the same city the ritual takes place on and just so happens to have ties to a previous War Master. It was a no brainer and I have no excuse for not seeing it coming.
"You are a Master." The words escape my lips without prompt while I'm busy kicking myself for being utterly blind.
'Master?' The tension is back in Archer's voice, and this time it's accompanied by a slight but steady drain of prana. She's tensing her bow. 'There's another Servant here.'
'No… not yet, Archer. Remain steady.' I force myself to focus back on the problem at hand, scrambling for a convincing reason to stay Archer's hand. 'We can't risk a fight on school grounds. Let's listen to what he has to say first.'
"That I am, I thought it would be unfair to keep quiet." He answers carelessly. "That with you being a Master too."
"Figured that out, didn't you?" I arch a brow, my face a perfect picture of control as I curse internally, of course he did. "I guess you're not your average random participant."
"Kiritsugu worked for the Einzbern for ten years, I know a bit more than what's common knowledge." He nods. "The founding families always have a spot in the war, and you're the last Tohsaka."
"I… see." As I recover from the consecutive shocks, my mind starts working on a way to salvage this. I really don't want to have to kill my own pupil, but that's what's going to happen if I don't figure out some other option. "That's stupidly noble of you, Emiya-kun. Giving up an advantage like that."
"It didn't feel right to stab you in the back like that, Tohsaka-sensei." My heart doesn't flutter when he calls me 'sensei' with that stupid(ly handsome) smile of his. Like it never does. "I may be a good magecraft user, but I make for a lousy magus."
"Good? Decent at best." I snark on reflex, still not having a good answer to my quandary. Maybe an alliance? But how to frame it? Can I even trust him with something so important? This is the son of the Magus Killer, after all. I have no idea how ruthless he'll become under pressure. "Will that be all, Emiya-kun?"
"Actually, now that the big reveal is out of the way… Saber, if you would?"
There's a burst of golden light beside him, which is immediately answered by a similar burst behind me. I don't need to feel the increased drain on my prana to know that Archer has acted on her own to answer a perceived threat.
Frustrating that she'd reveal herself needlessly, but understandable in this situation. It's not like anyone will see her magical girl-like appearance and her futuristic rainbow bow and think 'Attila the Hun' anyway.
Saber stands in a relaxed stance without a weapon in sight. She's a blonde girl, pretty in a nerdy way, wearing glasses over her yellow eyes, a school uniform I don't recognize and a red scarf. There's something otherworldly about her, a feeling of raw power that belies her slight frame and short stature. Then again, that's hardly a surprise after meeting Archer. I guess it's something normal for Servants.
Taking a look at her status, I bite down the urge to scream in frustration. Her stats are high enough that she'll make short work of Archer if it ever comes to a direct confrontation and her skills… I thought Archer's [Crest of the Stars] was a broken skill, but this [Altreactor] of Saber mixes [Prana Burst] with [Magic Resistance], both of them at A rank! How is that fair?
And that's just the Class skills, Akasha knows what else she's packing with her Personal Skills.
Emiya-kun's own reaction to Archer doesn't go beyond an arched brow and a slightly widened smile, both perfectly reasonable when facing my unfortunately pint-sized Servant. Good. Underestimate her for me, will you? Archer's Noble Phantasm is powerful enough to include a user warning in the description, I'll enjoy watching his face when he realizes how badly he's underestimated my Servant.
"I wanted to offer you a spot in my faction." He continues, thankfully accepting Archer's appearance without comment. "I have reasons to believe there's something rotten in the Holy Grail War and would like to figure it out before committing to wholesale murder and carnage."
"'Something rotten', Emiya-kun?" I feel my left eye twitch in annoyance. Not only has this idiot summoned the Servant I was aiming for, but he has the gall to insult my ancestors' work! Here and now, I resolve to wring all the information I can get from his mysterious 'faction' out of him before giving him a piece of my mind. "You have a lot of gall implying something like that. And what do you mean 'faction'?"
"I've gathered a group of… like-minded individuals." He explains, blissfully unaware of my inner thoughts. "Not enough to trigger the failsafes designed to prevent a stalemate, of course, but enough to be a force to be reckoned with."
"Oh? And who could they be, Emiya-kun?" I force myself to smile. Just give me some names, Emiya-kun. "Anyone I should be jealous of?"
"I can't disclose that to you until you accept my offer."
"You know perfectly well I won't be accepting anything like that without knowing what I'm getting into, Emiya-kun." Come on, don't leave me hanging like this, you (handsome) damn tease! "Names at the very least, I can investigate the rest in my own time and give your proposal due consideration."
"Sorry sensei. You'll have to trust me on this."
That answer is fairly elucidating already. His sister has to be involved for sure, he wouldn't bother hiding anyone else so fiercely, not when he knows it'll bomb his chances of bringing me over.
Add to that someone he considers capable of unraveling the mysteries of the Holy Grail Ritual, so probably one of the other Founding Families. Kiritsugu was allied with the Einzbern, but I know for a fact he burned all those bridges, so… Matou then?
… Damn.
That's probably the worst case scenario, from a personal standpoint. Killing any of them would be a challenge to my resolve, both of them at the same time?
Should I voice my suspicions? Maybe he'll open up if he knows he can't hide it from me, but… No. He doesn't often show it, but he's fiercely protective of his sister. If he decides I'm a threat he might act… rashly.
'Archer' I mentally call. 'How do you fancy your chances against Saber supported by two other Servants?'
'I am the Maiden of Destruction, the King of Combat.' She answers evenly, bow still aimed at the passive-seeming Saber. 'The enemies this bow, Photon Ray, taken from Mars cannot destroy… are none.'
'... Right. I'll be counting on you then, Archer.'
'Un.'
It's actually reassuring to hear Archer make such a statement with full confidence, even if I can't really take them at face value.
I suppose that'll have to suffice, it's not my first option, but I was already planning on going after the Servant if Sakura ended up becoming a Master so... What's one more, right? At least they'll be conveniently packed into the same faction. I might even spare Haku-san too, while I'm at it.
"I'm sorry, Emiya-kun, but I don't think I can accept your offer." I finally speaks out, taking no satisfaction in the way he visually slumps at my rejection. I would've enjoyed the chance to (get closer) work with Emiya-kun, but the 'faction' thing is a deal breaker, would be even with all this needless secretism. The more Masters one brings to the table, the less likely it is to get them all on-board with the real purpose of the War. "If you'd agree to keep the school neutral ground though, I'd be willing to respect such a deal, at least."
So yes, I'm not looking forward to dealing with Emiya-kun's group, but at least it'll give me the chance to lead Archer to victory against the 'Strongest Class'. That will be… cathartic, after the mess of my summon ritual.
(What could I do to Emiya-kun, once I have him at my mercy, I wonder?)
"I see, it's a shame to hear that, but I won't press." He nods reluctantly, looking like he very damn well wants to press. "A neutral ground agreement is something I'd be amenable to."
"Great, I'll get a Geas Scroll ready for tomorrow." If I'm careful with the phrasing, I should be able to drag him into helping me with whoever the unknown master is. "Was there anything else?"
"No, not as such, but if you'd entertain an idle question of mine…" Long experience dealing with Emiya-kun means my agreement is wary, but I nod anyway. "I know I'm not one to talk since I'm here myself, but I didn't expect to find you at school today. Wouldn't you rather be patrolling the city with your Servant or something?"
"..." My eyes are suddenly drawn to the rooftop floor. That's an interesting pattern in the mosaic tiles.
"Tohsaka-sensei?"
"..." My ears are not heating up, because I'm above such trifling matters.
"Are you feeling alright? You look a bit feverish all of a sudden."
"I– I was just planning on setting a bounded field over the school to help protect the students, okay?" The words leave my lips before I realize what I'm doing. "And then I stumbled into some other Master's scheme and got worried of leaving the school unattended! It's not like I was worried for you or a– anything, B–baka!"
The silence is deafening after I'm done, dawning realization slowly filtering in as my own words register, and I can feel my face paling in horror as Emiya-kun's eyebrow rises.
"Un. Tsundere." Saber suddenly says with a small nod, breaking the silence.
"Un. Cute." Archer agrees, answering the gesture with a nod of her own.
Both servants stare at each other, tilting their heads in curiosity for a moment, before they nod at each other again and dematerialize.
"Well, I should be taking my leave." Emiya-kun announces cheerfully, happily ignoring the last minute of conversation. "Remember that my offer will remain open, okay?"
"Emiya-kun!" I call out as he turns around to leave, unsure of what I should say but having to say something. So he doesn't get the wrong idea. "This- this isn't what you–"
"Oh, and Matou Zouken was a 500 year old Dead Apostle who used carnivorous worms as a soul anchor." He cuts me again, hand already in the handle of the door. "He's dead now, but his mansion is full of the little blighters, and now that there's no higher will behind them, they're bound to get out and cause trouble as soon as the sun goes down. As the Second Owner of Fuyuki, I thought you'd like to know!"
After dropping that last bomb, he makes a hasty retreat that would make a Servant with [Disengagement] envious. On the bright side, I'm not feeling flustered about my little Freudian slip anymore.
I'm too busy feeling positively livid.
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