Chương 17: Chapter 17: Trap

Beta read by Shigiya and Darklord331

-Church-

"Phew," a white cloud of fog exhaled from Bazett's mouth, the cold weather easing her stress somewhat as she walked on familiar grounds. The temperature in London plummeted these last few days, the clouds getting denser and darker with more frequent rains adding to the gloomy atmosphere.

Winter was around the corner, but the brunette could bring herself to experience any joy from it. On regular days she looked forward to the snow, a good chance of scenery compared to the gray sky and exceedingly rare sunny days. To sit by a fireplace with a hot cup of coffee while gazing at the outside world from her living room — how she wished to do that at this very moment.

"Kenwood House, huh…" she looked at the note which led her to Hampstead. A beautiful neighborhood that she rarely visited in the past, most of those times were because she was hunting someone or something. Her work takes over nearly aspects of her life that the woman could barely remember the last time she had any free time. "... It's cold."

Already missing the warmth in Japan, Bazett wondered if she could take a few days vacation in a tropical country in the future and just relax for once.

"Hah, like that would ever happen. I'm getting distracted." She muttered, doing a few inspections on her body, touching bruises that had mostly healed from her last encounter with the Chimera. A good thing was that the thing no longer roamed the streets anymore, leaving it alone would have been disastrous. And every other minor infected monster was all terminated as even after staying a few days in Fuyuki no such incidents emerged anymore.

It wasn't enough to ensure that they were all dead, at least that she knew. But Bazett's real purpose was never to hunt them down, but just to find the original and trace its creator. Kirei and his colleagues still operated in that area and their skills were more than enough to take care of any strays.

"Hopefully the kid doesn't go after them as well." Though their meeting was short lived, he made an impression on her for sure. From getting entangled in a misunderstanding on their first meeting and her beating him up afterwards… wait, it wasn't really a misunderstanding! He just assumed she was going to kill that girl, leading him to fire from a sniper and attempt to injure her leg.

'No, yeah, that was a misunderstanding.'

Then their second meeting involved teaming up to take down those monstrous beasts — not that she needed his help. Bazett firmly believed that in the end, her skills would have sufficed to take it down, and she possessed the tools to kill it in one move just in case the monster had a finishing attack.

'Yet for someone who only uses Reinforcement and Projection, he sure did put up quite a fight at the end there.' The entire time she made sure to keep an eye on both him and the Chimera for the former could have easily been trying to put up an act and backstab her at the last second. Still, she was glad that this was not the case and he genuinely tried to help out.

Emiya Shirou, a weird kid for sure.

After the battle they shared a cup of tea and the cafe opened all night. Their conversation was quite lighthearted, mostly small talk of her giving him tips and advice on how to handle weapons. Though she wasn't the biggest firearm user, Bazett still learned a few lessons after spending so much time as a Sealing Designation Enforcer and the many Enforcers working alongside her — some of which were executioners from the Church.

Their talk barely lasted an hour before each returned to their respective homes. She accompanied him till the gates and was honestly stumped at the manor, the brat was from a rich magi family… she should have expected that, but he doesn't act like most of the magi that she met before, so it threw her in a loop. Not that she entered the place, having other duties to attend to, she left the place and returned to the church in search of Kirei.

A few days after that, the brunette left Japan and returned to London.

Safe to say her journey over there was a success, one could even say her duties were partially completed with the amount of information gathered and scavenged from what little leads were presented to her.

Especially the ones given to her by Kirei.

(A few days before)

"So have you uncovered anything?" Having left Kirei and his team to recover and dispose of the corpse, Bazett returned hoping the man managed to learn something from studying the Chimera monster. "I'll be going back to London tomorrow, I don't have much time left here."

"Ah, Bazett, welcome. Would you like a cup of tea? I'm afraid I rather not give you any coffee with those sunken eyes of yours." Said the priest, donning the same clothes as before and a simple smile. The only thing that threw off the image, was the fact that the mans hands and robes were covered in blood and visceral.

"I would rather not, given your hands are still covered in blood and mucus."

Both of the individuals spoke inside an underground chamber within the church where Kirei had his men transport the giant corpse of the Chimera she and Shirou killed. The body showed not a single sign of decomposing, still having some fresh blood seep out the sword wounds and occasionally a twitching muscle. The hall filled with a heavy stench of iron… as if she walked into a slaughterhouse. Then again, the many pieces of hanged body parts sure did give help with that impression.

The floor, covered with many puddles of blood, staining her new shoes.

There was no way she would be in the mood to drink anything after this. "Just tell me what I came for, time is of the essence."

"But of course, first, forgive me about this general mess. To gain accurate findings I had to get deep within the body and examine many different parts to confirm my suspicion. Honestly, my findings have left me astounded at the truth behind this beast." He spoke lightly, going over the corner and disposing of his blood soaked gloves. "You are lucky to have not been in contact for too long with this monster's bodily fluids, it possesses a mild corrosive attribute that would have melted your flesh after an hour or two if you left it. Even having some poisonous traits mixed in, how it managed to function let alone live is beyond my understanding."

"..." That actually sparked some worry within Bazett's head. Shirou did get covered in its blood during the battle, hopefully he cleansed himself when getting back home as soon as possible. "What else?"

"Too much, I've been here for twenty four hours yet still continue to find traces of different creatures within this abomination, if you will. As the list stands, there are approximately twenty different phantasmal creatures, some of which I thought to have gone extinct a few centuries ago. Are you familiar with what a Basmu is?"

"A dragon?" Of course she knew what it was, a Divine Beast class phantasmal being with unfathomable power according to records. Understanding his words, she scoffed with disbelief and amusement at the notion. "You can't honestly stand there and tell me that this thing was actually a Basmu?" It was so absurd and unlikely that she was confident that Kirei must have made a mistake.

Kirei chuckled, "Humph, an interesting reaction you have there and also… I never did mention that this particular beast is a Basmu."

"Then why bring it up?"

He sighed, "Patience is a virtue of which you are lacking. But I digress, what this creature is indeed a Chimera formed from the amalgamation of countless creatures and the assistance of a particular magecraft to keep it stable in a sense. This is not my field of expertise so I can't say much, but what I have retained is the goal of said Magus behind all of this." The priest sat on a wooden chair, showing some signs of exertion and exhaustion just like Bazett. Having to spend sleepless nights researching this corpse must not have been easy — she appreciated his efforts. "Countless attempts, each a bigger failure one after the other where even the body wouldn't stay stable after death thus breaking down into ashes. All of them serve as stepping stones for the final creation you've fought, a Basmu… or at least one resembling the Divine Beast."

Her eyes widened, the idea of anyone capable of bringing back such a creature in the modern world seemed like a miracle. "H-How is that even possible?"

"It isn't," he answered instantly. "Do not think of a merely failed replica as an impossibility. Imagine it as recreating a majestic castle from a time long forgotten but the inside is a hollow void… where even the slightest breeze could crumble the whole structure."

"Yet that hollow creation gave me a hard time to kill."

"But of course, if it were a real Basmu then Fuyuki City wouldn't exist any longer."

"I'm not so sure about that." Bazett knew the limits of her strength but even she didn't like the way Kirei dismissed her capabilities to do anything in case it really was the real deal — it wounded her pride. "I'd call you a fool for underestimating my abilities and connection."

"In the Church, such foolishness is called love." said Kirei casually, that hallow smile still present on his face.

Bazett's face cringed at his words, her reaction eliciting a small chuckle from him. "Does the priest love the sight of someone's uncomfortableness?"

"I know that love doesn't necessarily mean lust. The Lord has said to love your neighbor. How can I turn away from his teachings when a close friend of mine is basically contemplating suicide from the idea of facing such a monstrosity?"

She could never win against him when it came down to a battle of words.

"Regardless of your opinion, how could this Magus could have recreated anything related to a Basmu? Especially when finding any sort of blood sample or DNA is rarer than meeting a true True Magic user out in the streets!"

"Because he did not use such a sample."

Now she was getting really confused but waited for the priest to continue explaining. The guy sure did like to take his time and increase the suspense just for the heck of it.

"If I had the guess, this individual traced the most distant possible phantasmal creatures whose ancestors were related to a Basmu or of a subspecies of it. I'm… I'm not sure which creature might have this kind of ancestry but seeing this Chimera here means that it exists and the Magus got his hand on it. Tracing back as much as possible, and managing to recreate just a fraction of such a creature is a feat in itself."

That it was, with nothing left to ask, Bazett turned heel and walked back upstairs. Kirei did not stop her, merely resting for a bit until a stray thought passed his mind. "Before you leave, have you gotten enough time to contemplate my proposition from last time?"

She stopped, a contemplative look appearing on her face. "Are you sure I am the right person for this? It still puzzles me why you want to recommend me, of all people available. I'm sure there is a never ending line of individuals dying to get a spot. Like yourself, don't you have a wish?"

He smiled yet his eyes stayed as souless as before. "Serving the Lord has been fulfilling enough to avoid any such aspirations. I only desire to guide lost lambs to the path destined for them."

"..." Grasping the door knob on her way out, Bazett left a few words. "I still have to bring this matter up with the higher ups. Though to my knowledge, they already got a possible candidate — so we'll see how things turn out in the end."

"Benedicat te omnipotens."

Basically, that was how her last conversation with Kirei Kotomine went.

She learned a lot on the case of the Chimeras with more reports he sent her recently about any and all parts he could find and identify.

When they exchanged information, Bazett didn't exchange any information on Shirou with the priest nor about the boy's involvement. Not like the other side didn't suspect anything… no, that man knew for certain that she wasn't alone that night. The sword wounds were a damning indication of that. In the end, the other party didn't bring it up so she stayed quiet.

"Finally, I'm here." So lost in her thoughts that she didn't notice the beautiful manor before her. An estate that should have been used as a simple display of its beauty now occupied by a recently upcoming Magi family.

As she reached the gates, a tall man with long straight hair walked past her. Beside him a smaller figure whose face remained hidden under a large gray hood. "Good morning," he said casually, lighting a cigarette and inhaling the smoke.

"—!" It was a weird sensation, almost like a chill rushing up her spine as both people walked past her. "Ah, m-morning!" She hurriedly replied, trying to keep a polite demeanor — though she guessed the other side didn't hear her as they were already far away. Her eyes momentarily focused on the hooded figure's back. She could feel an energy from her that felt familiar, but couldn't put her finger on it.

"They were inside the manor." That made it very likely for that man to be a Magus and the other one as well. "I feel like I've seen him from somewhere." No matter how much she tried, Bazett couldn't recall where his face came from. Regardless, she decided to venture forward and arrived at the gates where her presence was announced to the owner.

A few moments later, a butler came forth, "Esteemed guest, my Master is waiting for you. Please, let me show you the way." He guided her inside, passing through the bounded field set in place which she sensed from the outside. "A wonderful weather we have today."

The old man spoke politely, his statement making Bazett look above to witness a clear sky without a trace of dark clouds. Rather, the entire area around the estate itself was filled with rays of sunshine while just a few hundred meters away it continued to rain. As if the clouds were being pushed back by some form of magecraft. It wasn't obvious enough for anyone who wasn't a Magus to suspect anything, but evident enough for her given what she learned about the Galliasta family.

"Yes, not everyday I get to feel the sun here."

"Please excuse me from being too noisy, but are you perhaps Miss Bazett Fraga McRemitz?" Her body tensed at the butler's question. The man continued to walk forward without stopping or looking behind, still keeping both hands behind his back and a perfect posture — not showing any signs of attacking.

"Yes, do I know you?"

"Hohoho, no, this is our first time meeting. Rather I am friends with a certain gentleman who worked alongside you a couple of times in the past. I have heard his retelling of your achievements and accomplishments on the field. So I take it as an honor to finally get to meet you face to face." He said, making her think about her many missions in the past where she encountered various individuals. Retaining a name was hard enough let alone a face given they would work together once and go about their separate ways. There were only a handful of individuals with whom she worked with on more than one occasion, of which Kirei Kotomine happened to be one.

"I see, hope they are doing well."

"Oh he is, at least, he's trying his best." There was a shift in the atmosphere the closer they got to the building. "Are you here for work related purposes or to meet a friend?"

She chuckled, "I haven't met the heir to the Galliasta family before in my life, so we can't exactly be called friends. As for work related reasons… we'll have to see."

"Mm," the old man nodded, his smile having died down for a split second before returning. He opened the main doors and led Bazett across the many make-like halls until they reached the main study. Asking her to wait a few seconds, the butler went inside before coming back soon after. "Master Atrum is waiting for you."

Just like she expected, the study was just as luxurious as every other room in the building. With a chandelier in the middle illuminated the space around, showing off the many artifacts and statues displayed all over the room. With a small library at the back where she recognized some of the materials pertaining to alchemy. All in all, a room befitting for a nouveau riche and basically most Magus she met so far with a few exceptions.

"Ah, an Enforcer has blessed me with her presence. To what I owe the pleasure?" Before her, Bazett gazed at the man she came to meet specifically.

Atrum Galliasta, a half European and half Middle Easterner. Having the appearance of a young man in his mid-twenties with a darkly tanned complexion and blonde hair reaching down to his chest along with golden rings hanging about his neck.

If she had to describe him in one word it would be flamboyant.

"I don't think I need to explain the reason for my arrival, you know why I'm here."

"Oh please, I insist. You see, these last few days have been quite hectic for me and I've not been up to date with many events. So you'll have to forgive me for my ignorance." He spoke eloquently, but she could still spot the hint of amusement within his tone. Having no desire to dwell on this, she retrieved a file from her coat and dropped it on his desk.

Curious about the content, Atrum calmly took the folder and flipped through the pages one by one. He even whistled with surprise at some of the pictures, "A Chimera outbreak in Japan? Could have been a major disaster if not contained in time, I'm glad that we have someone as competent as you to eliminate the danger in time as the Japanese magi proved to be a useless bunch. Yet I still don't see how this relates to me. Or perhaps you require my expertise on this matter?"

"You were in Japan a month prior."

A smirk emerged on his face, "Hoh, are you insinuating that I was behind this incident? Quite a bold claim to accuse me without any evidence. And also, I can't help but ask myself how you got this information, I'm not a fan of having the entirety of the Clocktower know my location."

"I have my ways." Informants were the most valuable resources for anyone in her field of work. Without them, it didn't matter what kind of magecraft an Enforcer used or the extent of their power — if one couldn't even track down their enemies then they were as good as useless. One of the reasons why she preferred to keep the identity of those in contact with her top secret.

"It was Byron Valualeta Iselma, wasn't it? That man has been getting on my nerves lately. Or perhaps, the Edelfelt heir? Their reputation precedes them, I wouldn't be surprised if it was her. Then again, it could easily be someone else, lots of people have been getting funny ideas lately." An ominous light flashed before his eyes.

Meanwhile, she preferred not to pay too much attention to the man's taunts and continued with her explanation. "Putting aside how you could have gotten a sample of a creature tied to a Basmu as its ancestry, you still accomplished an unprecedented feat in the creation of dangerous phantasmal creatures. And for that, I'll need you to come with me back to the Clocktower."

"My, my, so stubbornly pinning the accusation on me without any hard proof. Don't try to fool me, at most you've been sent to uncover the real culprit and report back." Arrogance oozed off his demeanor, drinking a cup of wine while turning his back to her as if to mock Bazett. "I went to Japan last month, so what? Countless others have done so and I don't see you going after them. In fact, a certain Lord has also put in place plans to visit Fuyuki itself. Are you going to suspect him as well?"

"..."

"The creation of Chimeras is not in my field of magecraft nor my family's. Alchemy will not lead to the creation of a Basmu look alike, I hope you realize that, Miss Fraga."

"Regardless, you are asked to accompany me back. If you truly are as innocent as you claim of this incident and creation, then your freedom will not be harmed or restrained." She insisted, preparing to use forceful means if necessary. Bazett that this individual was the mastermind behind the creation of the Chimera.

But to her surprise, the man chuckled before erupting in a loud fit of laughter. "Hahahahaha! How cute! You really do take me for a fool, in fact, every single one of your kind can't help but look down upon me." His voice became deeper, filled with a sudden burst of fury that came out of nowhere. "Which reminds me, you're planning to participate in the war… aren't you?"

"..."

"Ah, then you do not deny that. Given how confident you look, I'd say it's probably a recommendation. Which makes me think, are you specifically targeting me in order to kill off part of the competition aren't you?"

Bazett narrowed her eyes.

"That is not my intention, I am merely here to fulfill my duties. Nothing less and nothing more."

"Duties you say, I find that hard to believe honestly. The possibility that you're here for the catalyst in my possession is very plausible." Atrum let out a long sigh, taking an orb from his desk and playing with the item absentmindedly. "We could partner up, you know? I'm sure you're familiar with the previous Holy Grail Wars… how the outcome practically doomed everyone involved. Take the late Kayneth El-Melloi Archibald for example, a failure despite his stature and achievement in his craft. People like these tend to be stuck in their old ways far too much, this in turn led to his failure. He wasn't innovative and arrogantly believed that he along with a Servant and a wench would suffice. Yet we can make preparations in advance, perform a temporary alliance to eliminate all who will eventually oppose us."

"Interesting proposal, Galliasta, but I'm afraid I must continue to insist despite the advantageous proposal." At the end of the day, his creations killed many and for such a man to release them outside so callously proved he held no regard to their lives. A common trait amongst most in the Clocktower, but not one she was willing to form an alliance with. Her gloved hands tightened into a fist, and she began to suspect that getting him to the Clocktower wouldn't be easy. "I have my own plans."

Seeing his reaction didn't upset the man, much to her confusion. Rather he reacted rather joyfully, his smirk having grown.

"What an expected turn of events, it really is a pain in the neck to deal with an Enforcer as they say. Though don't get me wrong, I'm happy, ecstatic even of your choice, Bazett Fraga McRemitz." The room's temperature dropped as she felt the hair on her head stand up. "You see, there is this person I really wanted to test my skills against. Too bad the quota already got filled with both of us so it's not like he can do much. But…"

A sound of static electricity reached her ears.

"—!"

Crackle!

Crash!

Bazett reacted at the last second, white light blinding her vision as she jumped away from her spot. The wooden floor exploded as a frightening dragon shaped arc of lightning nearly crushed her body. The shockwave held enough energy to have her back hit the wall so hard that it broke the bookshelf behind.

"... with you gone he might get his chance to participate after all." Said Atrum, holding the now glowing orb with arcs of lightning covering both his hand and the device.

Bazett didn't have any time to attack before the walls on both sides broke apart with dozens of Chimera monsters rushing inside.

'Damnit, this is going to be tricky.'

{Break}

(Fuyuki, Homurahara Academy)

Rin was suspicious.

No, she was very skeptical at the sight before her. So much so that the girl even began doubting many events since these last few months.

"Did you get hit by a truck?" She asked the redhead covered in bandages and bruises. "You've been gone for quite a while, Emiya-kun."

Yes, the boy who had a talent for cooking delicious bakery she envied so much and a friend of Ayako who she started to hang out with lately returned to school after being absent for so long. Rather, this was not the first time he came to school with injuries, rumors started to pop out that he was getting involved with some gang members. Something she couldn't help but scoff at.

"Hahaha… not really, these are just old wounds that uh… that got worse after an incident."

Rin narrowed her eyes, finding it weird how the boy kept dodging her eyes. Recently she got a report of an individual who was foolish enough to fight the Enforcer sent to Fuyuki. A boy said, according to the fake priest this individual managed to escape while sustaining heavy injuries. And what do you know, around the same period of time Emiya Shirou here started to attend school with many injuries. He even tried to hide it once but the way he walked and winced when the boy believed no one was watching him told her everything. Didn't help that she met him at the park with Ayako and saw part of the extent of his wounds.

But did that make him the same individual who took on Bazett Fraga? Rin heavily doubted that. Shirou was the opposite of what one might consider a Magus and she knew him for a few years. Plus there were no Magi families living in Fuyuki aside from the Matou.

But still, she couldn't get rid of this strange feeling in her guts.

"Can you tell me how they got worse?"

"Um… I fell. Down the stairs!"

Woah, even she was impressed at his talent of sucking at lying. Even a toddler could do better… and he even gave the same excuse last time with Ayako.

This only further increases the doubt within her mind.

"I see, down the stairs again? You must be really unlucky there, Emiya-Kun. For this to happen twice already must be a sign of bad luck. I feel bad for you, I know Ryuudou-kun has a temple, maybe you can go there to banish your bad luck." She said with a perfect innocent smile on her face, her face close enough to make the boy sweat while looking anywhere other than in front of him. "What's wrong, Emiya-kun? Are you feeling unwell?"

"A-Ah, n-no, it's not that. J-just the weather is a bit too h-hot today."

Looking at his panicking face she was really struggling to keep the doubt that this person right here fought an Enforcer and managed to escape. He just looked so harmless and… nice? It was kinda hard to describe him, she didn't exactly want to call the boy a pushover.

'I'm being too paranoid here, there is no way Emiya is a Magus.' Indeed, the recent events have been eating away at her sanity and building up so much stress that she started to suffer from insomnia. Something she tried to recover from as the date of the summoning grew ever so nearer. All of her preparations were done and all she needed to do was to prepare herself mentally.

"By the way, any plans lately?" She asked, wanting to change the subject.

"Since I'm done studying for the final exams, now I have more free time on my hands. I'll probably find another part time job to keep me occupied."

She had to admire his dedication, one thing Rin learned about Shirou was how much of a workaholic the boy was. He worked both at the cafe and did small side jobs here and there from what Ayako told her. She wondered if he was having financial trouble which pushed him in such a position.

Now that she thought about it, Rin barely knew anything about Shirou outside his school life.

"You should take some time to rest. It's good you are so productive but with such injuries, I'd think it would be ideal for you to take a few days of rest. A week or two preferably."

"I'll keep your advice in mind." He said with a smile, happy to see the rare sight of Rin worrying. He did plan to resume his nightly patrols and practicing his magecraft. He needed to get better and stronger now that Sakura lived with him, to keep her safe from that man.

'Now that I think about it, we'll be taking the same route, given she'll be attending her classes here.'

"Alright, I have to go, Emiya. Stay safe." Rin didn't stay long, having walked out of the school grounds while he just waved back at her.

"Unacceptable."

A voice spoke from behind.

"WAAAAH!" Frightened, Shirou felt his heart skip a beat. "Issei, I almost died there! Why are you sneaking around so quietly like that!? Don't scare me like that…"

Issei pushed his glasses up, the sun reflecting the lenses and hiding his eyes behind the reflection. "So you have fallen for her trap as well, Emiya. That woman finally got to you and you've become blinded by her ploy."

Shirou resisted the urge to roll his eyes. "Oi, don't make it sound like that. Tohsaka is friends with Ayako and just happened to recently hang out a lot with us, there is nothing going on between us. Besides, she isn't that bad, she's been quite nice to me the whole time and even offered a helping hand."

The bespectacled boy sighed, walking past Shirou and patting the latter's back. "I'll pray for you, I'll chase off that demon and bring you back. I believe in you, Emiya! Don't let temptation grasp you with it's claws!"

Powerless to do anything, Shirou decided to put all of these unnecessary matters at the back of his mind and walk back home. He really needed to let his body heal up and not push it too far again, he was lucky that the fight against the giant chimera didn't end like it did with Bazett.

Still, he could continue his practice of his magecraft inside the shed.

"Sheesh, you really can't catch a break can you?"

Shirou turned around to find Ayako, the girl looking at his face worriedly — going so far as to come over and inspect his body. "Mistsuz—"

"—Ayako, why the hell do you need to be so formal with someone whom you slept in her room?"

He closed his eyes, regaining his composure and not wanting to fall in her trap again. The girl had a tendency to mess around with him with such words too often. "A-Ayako, please don't say it like that while we're in school. People will misunderstand and it will cause rumors to spread." Seriously, he worried more about such rumors reaching the ears of Rin especially given the latter was friends with the brunette. She might start thinking that he approached Ayako for this sole reason.

"Bah, bunch of kids gossiping. Who cares?"

"I do. And I'd like to remind you that you're one of these 'kids'.

"You worry too much, first tell me what happened to you to end up in such a state?" She asked while giving his shoulders a light tap, it didn't hurt or anything but did feel uncomfortable. "Don't tell me you fought that scary woman again…"

"Hahaha, no, fortunately not." He wasn't going to survive a second round against her. "This is just for the old wounds I didn't have time to treat before, a small incident happened which ended up worsening them. Though it's nothing serious, I'll get better in a week."

"There were more of those creatures running around, weren't there?"

"..." His silence was all the answer she needed, seeing her worried face he instantly tried to calm her down. "Don't worry, Ayako, it's fine now. There shouldn't be any of those monsters roaming the streets anymore."

"I'm not just worried about those monsters you idiot, I'm worried about you!" The boy was surprised by her answer. "Look, even though we haven't been friends for that long doesn't mean I don't care about you and your safety. Whatever magic mumbo jumbo abilities you have barely seems to keep you alive and I don't want you to one day face a danger you can't handle."

A warm sensation filled Shirou's heart after listening to Ayako. She had a good soul to worry about others so much, he was grateful to have such a caring friend. "I'm fine, these kinds of situations don't usually happen, I'm more used to dealing with smaller things like crimes, thieves and just gang members on a nightly basis. Those won't bring any dangers to my life."

"Well look at you, mister hero here to save the day." He didn't know how to react to that. "Doesn't change the fact that your arm and legs are currently busted. If you go jumping around town in such a state then you're bound to slip up at one point."

"I'm telling you, such a thing won't happen. It's not like I'll be ambushed by another monster in the middle of the night again."

"Hey! Stop jinxing yourself!" She scolded him, looking frustrated at his nonchalant words, much to his amusement. "That's why I have a proposition for you."

She said seriously, stepping in front of him with her arms crossed and a determined look on her face.

Shirou didn't like this ominous feeling he was getting.

"Let me help you out."

"Excuse me?" Help him out like with his injuries?

"I know how to use a bow, my body is athletic enough to jump around and run for extended periods of time and I have a kendo mask at home. Let me accompany you for a while in your nightly patrols and I'll keep you sa—"

"Absolutely not!" He didn't let her finish, completely opposed to the idea of letting Ayako anywhere near the danger he potentially encountered out there. Just the idea of her exposing herself to such things brought just didn't sit right with him

"Why not!?" She exclaimed.

"Because it's dangerous, Ayako! I can't let you get hurt with things you aren't supposed to be involved with in the first place."

"You said it yourself that it's not that dangerous and I can handle it!" She pushed the idea forward while he pushed back.

"You can't handle it, you don't even know how to use magecraft!"

"Then teach me!"

"I can't, I'm the worst kind of teacher you can imagine who doesn't even know where to begin." Just the thought of Ayako making the same mistake as him by turning his nerves into a temporary circuit and going through that atrocious pain made a chill run up his spine. "You don't even have magic circuits to begin with. So it's impossible for you to learn any magecraft."

"You don't know that! Have you checked at least? Don't you wizards need to do the kind of ritual that involves me taking off my clothes and to check my talent or whatnot? Oh, or do I need to wave a wand around to see if there is any effect?"

"It doesn't work like that…" At least he hoped so, having Ayako strip just for him to verify whether she had circuits or not would be very awkward. "You won't change my mind on this, I won't let you put your life in danger like that."

"Then what, you'd rather die or even be stabbed just because you don't want to see me get a small scratch?"

"Yes!" Shirou answered without a pause, startling the girl at his strong tone. "Do you even realize why I'm doing this? I don't want to see my friends and anyone innocent get hurt or cry in the first place. If something were to happen to you one day…" then he wouldn't be worthy to even attempt to be a hero.

"Damn it you idiot, why did you have to say it like that…" She whispered, eyes obscured by her hair. He heard her sighed before she started walking away on another path. "This isn't over, if you don't want to see me hurt then the same applies to me."

Shirou didn't say anything as the girl walked away, probably angered at him. But this was for the best. Shaking his head, he continued to head back to his house.

"Right, I still need to have a proper conversation with Sakura." They hadn't even exchanged any words about them being Magus. He guessed it was a sensitive topic for her so he didn't bring it up, but it was a matter that needed to be sorted nonetheless.

It didn't take long to reach his house, opening the door, he found a pair of shoes on the floor indicating that Sakura had already returned from her classes before him. He walked through the halls and smelled the delicious scent of food cooking coming from the kitchen.

Reaching the kitchen, Emiya couldn't stop a small tinge of blush creeping up his cheeks. Sakura with damp hair moved around the kitchen with his clothes that stuck quite a bit to her figure even though she wore his apron.

"Ah, welcome home, Senpai!"

Seeing the joy on her face, the girl behaved much happier these past few days — something which brought him a huge amount of relief.

"Sorry for the rush, I just came out of the bath and didn't dry myself properly."

"..." Shirou slapped his face, much to the confusion of the purple haired girl, and berated himself from getting distracted with such things.

He did his best to give a similar smile in return. The girl was just a ray of sunshine, him having such thoughts was truly a mistake on his part. Perhaps some physical training and a cold shower would do him some good after all.

"Is everything alright, senpai?" She asked, coming closer, in a very similar way to what Rin did this morning. But this time he could smell the scent of lavender shampoo from this distance.

That shirt certainly was too big for her.

"It's nothing, I-I'll be back!"

He really needed a cold shower.

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The next 5 chapters of Snafu, Harry Potter and my 3 other Fate fics (Fate Coiling Sword with 3 chapters, A Fake Familiar Reborn with 3 chapters and To love a sword having 4 chapters) are already available on my P@treon. With 4 more Broly chapters at /NimtheWriter. Also, I post monthly commissioned arts on each story, already posted a few on an Archer's Promise, Broly and Snafu.