Fate / Chronos

Chapter 25: Lingering

The feeling in my body slowly returns and the haze occupying my mind clears out. I still feel like shit though. As if the strength's been completely drained from my body. It's one of those times where I don't want to move a single muscle. I just want to drift back to sleep, the pillow's rather comfortable.

But how long was I out? The last thing I remember was...

Mephisto's trap. Jeanne saving my life after inadvertently putting it in danger. The ambush by Jack the Ripper. And then... I need to check on her.

I will my body to move, my eyes snapping open-

"Jeanne?" I say.

Only for her to instantly greet my vision. She's looking down at me from above with a soft smile on her face once she sees that I'm awake.

"Are you alright?" Jeanne asks.

I release the breath I've been holding. She's still alive. That's all that matters right now.

I try to push myself up. "Yeah, I'm-"

It's no use. I'm too drained. My body's not working like I want it to. Just lifting myself up feels like a herculean task.

"I shall take that as a no," Jeanne says. "You need to rest."

She places her hand on my chest, pushing me to lie down again. I take this moment to look around. It's still dark outside, so only a few hours must have gone by. We're on a couch in the living room where I passed out and my head's resting on a-

Wait a moment. This is her lap.

"We need to talk," Jeanne says.

The way she just said that makes me feel like I'm about to get scolded for something.

Not sure what exactly I did wrong though.

"Not like I'm going anywhere," I say. "So, what's on your mind?"

I'm trying to play it cool, but this position I'm in makes me feel a bit embarrassed.

Isn't this something couples usually do?

"I do not recall what happened after Assassin's ambush, but when I came to, I found myself back here," Jeanne says. "You were on the ground next to me and... For a moment, I thought you died."

It amazes me how she instinctively prioritizes the well-being of others before her own. I'm grateful for that though.

"A part of my armor was missing and the curse underneath gone," Jeanne continues. "You did something back there, did you not?"

"Yes, I have a special technique that I use for emergencies like these," I say. "It just took more out of me than I thought."

A bit vague, but technically the truth.

"From our time together, I know that you are not a mage like the other Masters," Jeanne says. "So, how did you remove a curse on the level of a Noble Phantasm? Please, tell me exactly what you did."

Well, she's not wrong about me not being a first-class mage, but this is unexpected. I'm not sure how to respond to that. She never saw me use my time reversal, did she? I'm fairly certain that time acceleration is the only variant I used in her presence so far.

"Where is this coming from?" I ask. "It's almost like you know the answer already."

There is a brief pause. Her eyes narrow a little.

"Perhaps I do..." Jeanne says. "I must confess, though not my intention, that I have seen your memories in a dream last night."

It feels like a massive breach of privacy, but I know it's not something either of us can control. I'm guilty of seeing her memories too.