From Fake Dreams

14

Waver sighed as he sat in the small waiting room, leaning back in his chair with his hands behind his head, one of them in a cast, and smoked his cigar. He expected something like this to happen but it didn't really help the fact that he had been stuck there for hours on end.

Lazily watching the smoke exit his mouth, the man once more went over his failed attempt at hunting down the dead apostle and rescuing Sirius. It had started off almost perfectly. His small army had split up into 2 main groups, the rescuing group that contained sensory and anti bounded field specializing magi in his group aimed to get to Sirius, and the combat specialists needed to kill Louvre, with a few mixed into the other group in order to be safe and balanced. They all managed to find, infiltrate, and even map out a huge part of the place without much trouble other than a few traps that had to be worked around…
That was his first damn clue that something wasn't right. A person doesn't get through a dead apostle ancestor's bloody castle without some kind of major issue or get caught… and an army absolutely can't go in without losing a good number of men before getting to the point that he did…
Of course that already had sent warning lights into many people's minds including his own, but instead of being more careful, everyone decided to push forward with haste in hopes that their speed would interrupt any kind of trap that the vampire had set up for them.
20 minutes into the operation and inside the castle, Waver had been sweating bullets, but he had without a doubt found Sirius' location just behind a rather strong fortified magic gated area of the castle…
"Sirius! Answer me you old drunk! Let's go before things start breaking here!
"Waver? Shit lad yer ta one tat actually found out tis place an came ta get me?"
"Of course I did! Now hurry up and…"
"Tere's no time lad! Get ta hell outta here! An warn ta association! Ah can't leave cause of a gaes an ta blood sucker got one ex wife of a knee breaker of ah weapon tis time!"
"Wait what? You signed a Geis! Why the…" BOOOOOM! "What the hell was that?"
"Ah'll make it short. HE HAS A NOBLE PHANTASM LAD!"
"A… A… WHAT?"
"Listen ta me! Ya can't beat him up front even wit ta strongest magic now! Ya have ta get around his tool's powers! Tere are conditions he needs ta meet ta use it! He needs ta…"
CRACK! CRACK! CRUMBLE! BOOM!
Waver's memory was a bit foggy after that point, but he did recall lying on the ground and looking up roughly 20 meters from the bottom of a ballroom at the hole he most likely had fallen through and soon after that the middle aged figure of Louvre wielding a gold and blood red mace standing in the middle of what once was his assault force. He remembered countless bodies lying on the ground, most contorted and warped in ways that he would have thought impossible had he not made the mistake of looking at Caster's lair in the 4th war…
But not a drop of blood had been spilt…
Regardless, the instant he had laid eyes on the vampire and his weapon, he knew for a fact that things had gone south instantly, and the vampire's very helpful decimation of another dozen or so of his forces had nailed the idea down for everyone else as well.
Every attack, every mystery, every attempt was shattered relentlessly by that damned mace, and whatever managed to get through was so superficial in terms of damage that the vampire had simply recovered from it moments later. The one time they managed to slip in a seemingly fatal blow, the apostle had simply repaired his body a few moments later by reversing time… which was unsurprisingly when he decided he had spent enough time fooling around and focused on eliminating everyone else there.
He had wisely, albeit a bit frantically, called the retreat at that point, followed by turning around and jumping out of the fairly elaborate stained glass window. For some odd reason it wasn't enchanted to become more sturdy, but it could have just been protected from all outside harm and Louvre forgot to do the inside enchantments. Still, it didn't take long for the man to get followed by all of the survivors that could still follow him. Luckily for them the bounded fields around the castle had not been replaced or regenerated, enabling them to get away without much issue, however Waver wouldn't have been surprised if Louvre had let them escape in order to spread word of how he had ran away with his tail between his legs…
The buzzing of his cell phone interrupted his lamenting. Once more he had to thank Sirius for his ingenuity with crossing modern technology and thaumaturgy, otherwise there would have been no way that he would have been able to get a signal this deep inside the Clocktower.
A quick glance at the screen told him that it was Bazett. Hopefully she would give him some good news that he could put his heart at ease before being sentenced to whatever torture the association would give him. "So how was your trip?" He asked in a somewhat casual tone, trying to play off the fact that he would probably die soon. "Uhuh… Yes I know that the plane ride is long… How could you get lost in…" He paused as the woman continued talking and frowned. "So I was right? Both of them?" He closed his eyes. "No wonder we didn't see them in the castle… I was right to send you…"
He was so focused on the conversation that he never noticed the Queen walk into the room, staring at him with a cold ire for not noticing her.
"And the daughter… You have got to be…" Waver moaned as he rubbed his forehead, feeling a massive headache coming before freezing completely. "… I'm sorry, but that's something I can't talk about. Trust me when I say I was only helping him… no… I don't think he knows about it though he has shown occasional signs of using it subconsciously." He paused and looked up, noticing Lorelei's cold glare on him, making him begin to sweat and pale a bit. "… Can you please just go over the rest very quickly? I'm fairly certain that I will die if this isn't quick… no I'm absolutely serious, the Queen is less than 3 feet in front of me… I know… yes that bad… ok… yes… well at least you killed one of… you TOOK HIM TO WHO?"
"I do hope you finish soon." The woman in front of him stated calmly. "I have other tasks that need to be dealt with today."
Waver grit his teeth. "Listen, I have to go. Don't tell ANYONE what you found out and keep an eye on that man at all times. Don't you dare trust him and… you actually know… how on earth… never mind. Just don't do anything Shirou would do. Please. Hopefully I'll live long enough to talk to you later. Stay on your guard. Bye…" He turned off his phone, put it in his pockets, and rested his head in his good hand, looking at the Queen with the eye that wasn't covered. "So I know it isn't worth much… but I've just received word that the daughter of Louvre is dead…"
The woman in front of him didn't change her expression in the slightest. "Funny, I assumed you were supposed to be hunting the father, not his weak children."
Waver wasn't surprised by the lessoning of pressure. A dead vampire was always good in the Queen's books. "An unidentified noble phantasm tends to do that to plans my lady."
"So I've heard." Lorelei somewhat admitted though her tone didn't seem to convey the same message. "Though to be frank, I am having a difficult time believing that a single tool would enable a vampire such as the one you hunted to take down a force of your size so easily. When I initially heard of what happened, I came to the conclusion that you were simply an incompetent leader…" She looked at Waver's outfit, a standard suit underneath a rusted red trench coat and a dull gold scarf draped over his shoulders. "Perhaps you were emulating some arcane and impulsive fool too much…"
Waver frowned. He was used to people insulting him, but things were different when someone insulted the person he respected the most in life. "If you had read the reports carefully my lady, you would have known that said weapon was capable of disrupting and nullifying any thaumaturgy with ease. When I first laid eyes on what he did to my assault force, he was still merely testing out the full effects of its power and not truly taking any of my men seriously, meaning he acquired it recently. Projectile based, field based, contact based, spiritual based. Nothing could stand against a mere tap of that thing. Combined with his enhanced body and his greater than recorded regenerative abilities there was little hope of us defeating him in the first place. To be blunt and perfectly honest my lady, I doubt you would be able to overcome this issue yourself."
The Barthomelloi's eyebrow twitched, showing Waver her first new facial expression since meeting him. "I do hope you have reason to assume this Lord El-Melloi, otherwise the Archibalds will soon have to look for a third of your title."
Waver didn't break eye contact. "I was a master of the 4th grail war. I know what real monsters in human skin look like and what powers beyond management should feel like. You are indeed a terrifyingly powerful and strong person yes… but unlike other magi you are not off my scale of measurement… because I was once standing even closer to a man who dwarfed even you in terms of power and sheer presence. One who would have killed me on a mere whim had circumstances not been exactly what they were at the time." He closed his eyes and sighed. "By yourself… you are indeed more than enough to take down Louvre, even when his children are around. I'd even hazard to guess that you would be able to do so during a full moon. I am not flattering you. That is merely my observation…"
"Go on." The brown haired woman stated. "I am eager to hear your excuse."
"However…" He continued. "This noble phantasm he has changes the rules of engagement drastically. I have heard of your unparalleled proficiency with wind thaumaturgy, taking basic theories and spells to their utmost limits with devastating results, and I admire that as I too am a practitioner of basic theory to maximize results." He shook his head. "Unfortunately such an approach is inapplicable against him now. Mere power is not enough to get past this tool and even if we got a lucky shot in his own powers have advanced enough that he can recreate his body fast enough that we would not get to his body to seal it away in time. Our magic in itself is a workaround aimed to altering the natural law. That mace can assault the internal workings of its target, and when aimed at magic, it bypasses the effects and deals damage to the cause, which in turn causes the spell to collapse on itself."
"Then what would you suggest we do then?" The woman asked as if humoring Waver. "You have already determined that I am of no use to fight him, and mere numbers is not enough." She took out a folder of reports and looked at one of the pages that were highlighted in certain spots. "Given that you have claimed that there are weaknesses to this weapon, I am assuming that you would go get this person who is apparently so gifted in structural grasping that he would be able to determine what its conditions are and nullify the power? This man who you claim…" She raised an eyebrow skeptically. "Is the next Magus Killer? I wonder what the Archibalds and Einzberns would say if they found out you were associating yourself with a person related to the one who killed your predecessor."
Waver sighed. It had been a slip of the tongue at the time due to the stress but apparently word got out quickly that a potential master magus assassin was in the works. "He's still a kid, very nice, always tries to make everyone around him happy and putting them before himself… but right now there's no point in trying to get him to help out hunting Louvre even if we could get to him in time…"
"Oh? And why is that?" Lorelei asked curiously, seeing Waver's eyes narrow.
"Because he lives in Japan. Because he's a secret student that Sirius and I were teaching. Because Louvre was trying to use him in order to get Sirius to cooperate. Because he was partially responsible for killing Louvre's daughter in full view of his son… so right now there is no point in trying to get Shirou to Norway to fight Louvre… because Louvre is going to Japan to get revenge on Shirou."
o. o. o.
Japan:
He was constantly slipping in and out of consciousness if he could even call it that. At one instance he seemed to be fully unaware of anything, another he would once more be on the hill of blades that frequented his dreams, before the next moment where he could barely feel his chest and neck were on fire and people yelling around him before returning back to the mind numbing emptiness again.
Right now he was on the hill again looking down at the wide expanse of weapons again while standing, or crouching in his usual spot. He could see his collection more clearly now, though the weapons he had never seen were just as indeterminable as ever. He noticed that the shield that the vampire had been using, Rho Aias, was lying almost peacefully on the ground a fair ways to the right… In fact he discovered that he could look around the place easier in general…
But the most notable thing he noticed was that the sky had been slowly going dark until it was borderline night now. That didn't mean that he couldn't see anything, on the contrary he could see just fine as if it was day out with the unusually large pure white full moon shining overhead illuminating the shadows that the blood red sun in the distance made in conjunction with the swords in the ground, but it was something he wasn't used to regardless. Still it gave the world around him a new beauty that he couldn't help but accept and bask in. The different hues of red light reflecting off of the blades here made the endless fields appear to be on fire, just like on that night, but unlike then this was a rather comforting flame. There was no malevolent feeling of death. There was no smoke to clog his lungs. There was no black sun that threatened his entire sanity…
Black sun? Was there such a thing back then? … Yes, there must have been… there was nothing else that could mimic that black mark in the sky… unless it was a hole… but then if it was, then the other side must have been hell. It had to have been because what came out of that thing caused hell on his side…
Blood Thirst Death Smoke Hunger Starvation Decay Screams Failure…
Yes he had been reborn in hell. Whoever he was before becoming Shirou Emiya was long gone. That person was dead and would never come back…
… And this place was what had been forged from that inhuman blaze. This endless armory that had survived and remained standing in tribute for those that didn't make it. There were orphans yes, but those children had either escaped the blaze before it had reached them and took their parents instead, or they simply were not at home during the incident. He alone was the sole survivor from the core of the event, so it was seemingly fitting that his spot was on the hill, the only true landmark there.
He was a blade among blades, but truly the only unique one there. As such could call upon them all if needed… all he needed to do was recognize them in order to bring them out… just like all he needed to be drawn was to be needed by those who were not blades…
He didn't know how long it had been before he regained the slightest form of coherency, nor how long after that before he was conscious enough to realize that he was awake, inside a body that felt heavy and in a bed that he didn't recognize.
"Ugh…" He moaned and reached for his head in an effort to wake up more and deal with the slow throbbing in his skull. It took him a few seconds for him to realize however that something was off and notice that there was a piece of cloth wrapped around the lower portion of his head and his neck. It wasn't so tight that he couldn't speak, but it was a new sensation and he would be lying if he said that it didn't itch a bit. "What the heck?" He mumbled as he moved to take the red cloth off…
"I wouldn't do that if I were you…" A deep voice stated in an almost casual tone from the side of the room, causing Shirou to jump. "Well… that is unless you want to become a vampire… but if that's the case I'm obligated to kill you where you stand…"
Shirou turned as quickly as he could in his half asleep and injured body to the source, ignoring its protests for the moment as he took in the vision of the man at the doorway. He was a priest from the way he dressed and the cross hanging over his neck. A man not young, but not in his middle ages either, with medium length brown hair and a face that was nothing worth mentioning other than the fact that it seemed to be rather empty. "Vampire? What do you mean by that? Who are you? Where am I?" The boy wasn't fully awake yet, but he could already tell that the man in front of him was dangerous… and that there was something about him that he simply did not like…
The priest snorted though not a single look of amusement or humor appeared on his face. "Well now. If you are able to ask so many questions, then your recovery must be farther along than I anticipated… Though that may be in part to underestimating my healing abilities again..." He mused before looking at the boy again. "When you somehow broke free of the vampire attacking you while she was feeding, you somehow caused some damage to her mouth. As a result some of her blood managed to get inside your bloodstream, though nowhere near enough to convert you into one of the undead absolutely, if at all once proper procedures were applied by yours truly. Unfortunately there is still some taint left in your system at the moment that could not be purged. That shroud around your neck and mouth is a conceptual cloth that belonged to a priest. It will suppress the vampire's blood inside of you until a point that your own natural system can erode and erase the remains. I am estimating that it will take roughly a week for the process to complete itself with the minute amount of invasive blood you in took… however I am unsure if there are any permanent effects that it may have had on you already. I myself have never heard of a case where a person has ingested a sparse amount of apostle blood and had said apostle perish not even a minute afterwards." He looked at the boy with an amused glint in his eyes. "Well boy, tell me do you have any thirst for blood?"
Shirou shivered and swallowed heavily. "I… don't know. I'm just thirsty right now." His muffled voice replied from the cowl…
"Of course he's not a vampire." Grunted an irritated female voice from behind Kirei. This grabbed the two male's attentions and caused them to turn the focus of the conversation to a tired looking Bazett. "You said it yourself when you were done working on him Kirei. Biggest difference he'll have is that he'll feel tired during the day and more energetic during the night."
"B-Bazett-nee?" Shirou stuttered, clearly too surprised to form complete sentences at the moment. "When? …How? …Why?"
"To be short. I saved you and your girlfriend's asses. Killed the vampire that nearly made a meal of you. Had a small standoff with the brother. Delivered the girls to a hospital, and then got you to Kirei here before you bled to death or apparently turned into a vampire." The woman crossed her arms. "Look. I know you're a selfless idiot, but next time can you stop and think before you put a sword to your jugular?"
"You should have killed him." The boy frowned, remembering what had happened to Shinji. No doubt Sakura is still either in shock or in hysterics from the event. "Why are you even here in the first place?"
"Because apparently Waver thought it was better for me to protect you than hunt down the vampire's father, Louvre."
"Louvre…" The priest mused. "I remember that name. A fairly recently assigned apostle ancestor if I am correct…"
"And more dangerous than expected if what Waver hinted was right." The enforcer sighed. "Since it sounds like he couldn't beat the guy and I killed his daughter, I wouldn't be surprised if he comes here soon…"
"Wait. Slow down…" Shirou grabbed his head. "I can't keep up." He breathed heavily and exhaled slowly. "Ok. I did something to the vampire that was maiming me. I got knocked out and got some of her blood in me. Bazett-nee killed her. The brother got away. Tohsaka and Sakura are safe and healed, and you took me… wherever here is to get healed by this… priest named… Kirei…" The boy slowly began to sweat as he looked at the man with a newfound fear. "We're in the church in the city, aren't we?"
Bazett didn't seem to notice the boy's sudden change of mindset and nodded. "Yeah. I actually know Kirei from a few hunts that we had together in the past. Imagine my surprise when I found out that his base of operations was here of all places. Small world isn't it?"
"Your father has told you about me." Kirei stated. It was not a question but a mere observation deduced from Shirou's reaction. "No doubt his description of me had been rather… less than glorifying. …Though I can hardly blame him for doing so. Our relationship was not exactly something that one could proudly brag about…"
Bazett looked at Kirei surprised. "Wait… you knew the magus killer?"
"In passing. I only ever saw and talked to him once to be honest… at that point we were trying to kill one another." Kirei admitted. "Such was the result of being masters in the grail war here."
"You actually fought THE Kiritugu Emiya and lived?" Bazett asked in awe. "You must be the only person who's ever done that!"
"He survived by some freak accident." Shirou grunted, never once taking his eyes off of the priest. "Dad said that he put a bullet through your heart point blank at the end of the war… and I saw the gun he used to do it. Even if he somehow missed, you should be dead right now."
Before the seemingly amused priest could respond, Bazett walked up and slapped Shirou upside the head. "So should you but the guy you're giving the death glare saved your life AND your humanity I might add! If he was as bad as you assumed than he wouldn't have gone out of his way to help you!"
"No… the boy is perfectly entitled to his opinion of me." Kirei corrected Bazett. "I am an executor and as such I have used some rather distasteful methods in the war in a few of my almost encounters with Kiritsugu…" He looked at Shirou. "Although if you truly know your father boy, you should know that he employed methods that were just as bad if not worse than what I used…"
Shirou didn't say anything as he couldn't argue against Kirei's statement. His father was a monster to most of the world that knew his name, and the ones that thought otherwise were almost all dead or didn't even know of his other life. At first the boy assumed that he, Sirius and Waver were the only ones that knew of the true drive and motives behind Kiritsugu Emiya… but… he wouldn't be surprised if this distasteful priest was aware of them as well. In fact… "You hated him." He said simply, getting a raised eyebrow from both adults. Much like Kirei's previous statements, it was worded like a question, but said in a way that it was heard as a fact.
The executor blinked before letting out a small chuckle of amusement. "I still do." He replied simply before turning to Bazett. "He is good to leave now. Just make sure he doesn't take the shroud. Think of it as a thank you gift for keeping my charge alive through this incident." Before walking out of the room he turned to Shirou one last time. "You are a very interesting person Shirou Emiya." He stopped just outside the doorway and looked at the redhead. "Putting a blade to your neck to save as many of your loved ones as possible… it that the action of a man who wants to become a hero… or the actions of one who is being selfish and only thinking of those close to him? Yes… you are clearly a more interesting person than your father…"
The room was silent for a few moments before the boy turned to his 2nd sister figure. "Can we please leave now Bazett-nee? I feel like I'm going to die if I say any longer."
The woman pouted, though secretly agreeing with the boy after mulling over Kirei's last comment. She knew the man was a bit sketchy at times, but this one took the cake. "Fine fine. Let's go back to your place. I have stuff I need to talk to you about anyways."
"Thanks." Shirou nodded before picking himself up and stretching to loosen his body. "What happened to Tohsaka and Sakura by the way? Are they still in the hospital?"
Bazett shook her head as she grabbed a few bags that were full of things that were apparently theirs. "No. The geis that you put the vampire under forced him to take them to the hospital and not injure them, after that I took both the girls to Kirei for a quick checkup. The younger girl went back to her place and the one with the attitude is waiting for us back at yours… which reminds me…" She slapped the boy upside the head. "THAT'S for using a geis of all damned things on the vampires when your life was on the line, idiot."
"What do you expect?" The boy argued. "I didn't expect anyone to come in and be a big damned hero! I was just trying to make sure that Sakura and Tohsaka would live without any double crosses! If you didn't notice, they were sibling vampires! I could take one of them on, but not both at once!"
"There were other ways you could have made the contract you idiot!" Bazett frowned. "Because of that thing, you can't fight the brother anymore unless you want your circuits to burn from the inside out. That means that those 2 girls and I are going to have to do all the heavy work from now on! The blood sucking idiot threatened to butcher the sisters if we didn't at least allow him to bring them to the hospital! He'd lose his circuits but we would have lost the girls." She shook her head. "Damn it Shirou, think about how other people would think of your actions before you do them. This is just like that wild puppet incident all over again…"
"For the last time, how was I supposed to know that thing absorbed metal and converted the material and prana it ate into more body parts? No one knew that! Not even the guy that made the damn thing!" The boy pouted, clearly indicating that this was not the first time he was being berated for this particular incident.
"Look… all I'm saying is: be more careful before you do something that might remotely kill you in the process. I know that we do isn't exactly safe, but you have a habit of pushing things so far that you'd win a gold metal if they turned thoughtless suicidal actions into a sport." She shook her head. The pair was outside and in the middle of the city now. Contrary to popular belief, it was ok to talk about thaumaturgy in public since no one usually bothers to listen in on other's conversations, especially if they have no idea what the speakers are talking about… double that if what they're talking about sounds like something from a dungeons and dragons campaign. "Did you even know what you were doing before you passed out? I could only see that you were saying some aria when the vampire bit you before she threw you away like a rag doll and her mouth was bleeding more than the rest of her body combined."
The boy paused and began to think about the question. Truth be told, he couldn't recall much other than being in a fair amount of pain at the time, but he did remember brief flashes of that place in his dreams and the aria that he had that, to his knowledge, didn't really do anything. However now that he thought about it… he could actually picture the hill fairly clearly in his mind now, as if he was more connected to it for some reason. "… I… don't know…" He said slowly, not sure himself. "I think I know what it could be linked to… but I don't really know what I did in the first place to be honest…" He looked at his hands as if seeing something that he forgot was there all along.
The elder of the two looked at the boy skeptically before sighing and rubbing her temples. "Honestly… you really are more trouble than you're worth sometimes Shirou… now hurry up. There's something we have to do when we get to your place…"
o. o. o.
Back at the church:
"You let them go…" Gilgamesh commented as he lay on the couch that adorned the church's waiting room while drinking some wine. "Do you think that is wise? The boy obviously knows that you are someone not to be trusted…" He chuckled. "Well, more than most people do at least."
"He interests me." The priest responded casually as he poured himself a drink from the ornate bottle that no doubt came from the servant's library. "A boy who is a somewhat capable combat oriented magus in a deep relationship with all 3 families that started this game in the first place… I am curious as to what he will do when the war comes…"
"Ah yes… you did say that due to Saber's master destroying the grail the next round would be starting rather shortly." The King of Heroes mused. "Though you make it sound like he will be a master. That girl you care for, Tohkiomi's daughter is supposed to be a master too due to her being the only member of her family left to participate, yet her command seals have yet to show themselves." He drank some more. "How are you so certain that he will be chosen? Is it because he was adopted by Saber's master?"
The priest looked emptily at his cup and saw his reflection staring back at him with lifeless eyes. "… Somewhat…" He responded aversively before drinking slowly. "… Regardless, should he live this current incident, I believe the boy will prove to be the center and drive of a rather curious show in the near future…"
"Is that so?" The golden king raised an eyebrow. "Well then I guess I won't kill him after all just yet…"
The statement had caught the priest's attention. "You have something against the boy? Do tell."
The royal man snorted and swirled his drink. "The boy is a faker. An imitation. Everything he produces and everything he is, is a mere shadow of the original. Should he gaze upon my collection, no doubt that he would at some point do it the disrespect of trying to make disgusting copies of its contents as well at some point. To let him live is an insult to one such as myself who owns all the treasures of the world. I as king should never permit another to claim to have a collection that exists only to mimic what I have. It is an insult that I will not permit."
Kirei looked at the servant with a body curiously before nodding. "I have no grievance with you carrying out your law King of Heroes, however at least wait for a time before doing so in order to let the boy grant us some entertainment first."
Gilgamesh nodded briefly. "I will permit it. The Faker will live for now… but I do expect the promised show Kotomine. To allow such a blight so close to me speaks wonders of my expectations of you. Be honored."
The priest bowed. "Rest assured, I will not fail those expectations."
o. o. o.
Matou Residence:
She didn't know how long she was down there. She didn't know how long her body had been defiled. She didn't know how long it had been since she had let go of her sanity in that hell filled with worms, crawling in and out of her system like it was water…
The only thought that pervaded her mind was that she had inadvertently killed her brother. Zouken had told her before she had started another inhumane session that Shinji had disappeared while getting food, irate and irrational due to her prolonged disappearance. Had she merely come home even temporarily, had she bothered to check up on the home even a little, such an event would not have happened… but it was too late. Her brother was dead, and the bloodline of the Matou was gone save for some distant cousins and the old man himself.
Why? How could have been that being happy with Sempai bring about something so horrible?
It was because you attempted to be happy…
No. That couldn't be it. Shinji was always a bit impulsive. There was no reason to assume he wouldn't go out had she stayed instead of going to Shirou's…
He left because you were selfish. You were not there to stop him… so it was your fault… you didn't tell him about the vampire…
But Zouken didn't tell Shinji either. If she had to bear responsibility then her grandfather must have been equally responsible…
But the odds of him surviving would have increased had you not been selfish… Say and believe what you want, yet the result will never be known now due to your carelessness…
Her mind slowly began to regain comprehension of the world around her as the worms slowly parted for the old man walking to her. The stagnant air was thick with decay and sex from the ritual that was commonly held reverberated with silence as the old man and the girl stared at one another for a time before the elder spoke. "It was not your fault." He spoke plainly, causing the girl's eyes to widen.
"Wh-what?" Sakura's hoarse voice asked in surprise.
"You cannot be held responsible for Shinji's death." Zouken stated. "The boy was impulsive and stupid. Even if he was as proud as can be of his lineage, the inability to do anything about it meant that he was not only a failure, but a fool as well." He walked around the girl slowly, his cane tapping against the ground at a slow rhythm. "No… if there was anyone one would have to blame in this situation… it would be that Emiya boy…"
"N-no…" Sakura feebly protested. She could handle the torture, the guilt, the punishment that came with Shinji's death… but she could not bear to think of what could happen to Shirou if he was brought to her hell.
Zouken paid her no mind. "I know that those distasteful vampires are here for the boy, and he is the one that tempted you into leaving the house for so long… though that did bring some unexpected progress with your advancement in bounded fields…" He sighed wearily. "Once this whole mess had been dealt with I will have to speak with him about taking responsibility for his actions…" He looked at the girl who was looking at him pleadingly, a look that he had not seen in her eyes for several years.
It seemed as if he was making progress already…
"Do not worry Sakura." The old demon assured the girl. "I will not harm or corrupt the boy. He has proven himself to be quite an interesting specimen… I am merely going to enlist him to provide some… services for us…"
o. o. o.
Emiya Residence:
A Reality Marble.
Generally, it is used to refer to the alien common sense of demons in that it is how demons perceive reality and how Reality Marbles themselves are the natural abilities of demons and elementals. It is theoretically possible for humans to achieve this as an innate bounded field, though generally only in the cases of powerful beings like The Twenty-seven Dead Apostle Ancestors and the greatest, and thus most likely twisted, of magi who have spent years upon years researching. In fact, in recorded history there have been at most 7 pure blooded humans who have managed to achieve it. This ability is a sub-category of Marble Phantasm, but rather than reshaping the natural world at the user's will, Reality Marbles allows only for the creation of a set world that defines the practitioner, applying rules that are not of Gaia's making. It can be said that they can surpass Marble Phantasms, as they are capable of affecting things not of nature. It is a magecraft that comes close to being real magic, and is a category that was banned by the Association for the sole reason that most magi attempting to study it go insane…
Rin Tohsaka frowned as she once more went over the more in depth definition of the forbidden magic, constantly going over the one part that left her with a hollow feeling in her stomach.
…it is used to refer to the alien common sense of demons in that it is how demons perceive reality…
The more she read that line, the more memories of Shirou's odd behavior surfaced. His declaration that he was a broken human while holding a sword to his neck… His constant trait of getting between her and the vampire without even hesitating and pushing her out of the way of harm… His habit of brushing off compliments to himself while going out of his way to help others, frequently without asking anything in return…
His inability to tell that a girl (or two) actually liked him more than just as a friend…
And yet… so long as everyone else was fine he would go throughout his life with a smile on his face as if he was there was nothing abnormal or troublesome with what he was doing…
"What happened to you that made you like this Shirou?" Rin whispered to herself worriedly. "Are you suicidal… or are you really just ignorant of the value of your own life?"
"My body is… made of blades…"
If what the vampire said was true… what sort of twisted world truly dwelled inside her friend?
The sound of the front door opening interrupted the Tohsaka from her musings and prompted her to hastily put away the book she was reading among the pile of things she had brought from her house after being quickly treated by the priest. It was still somewhat difficult to move on occasion, but the stiff feeling would pass soon. Kirei was a hack at many things, but his healing capabilities were first rate.
"We're back!" Bazett shouted as she walked into the living room with Shirou right behind her, the rust red shroud still wrapped around his neck, mouth and nose with the ends going down his back making him look like some sort of ninja impersonator.
The brunette in the room stared at the redhead for a moment before snorting and putting a hand to her mouth. If she was perfectly honest, she was stuck between amused and somewhat awed. It was actually a pretty good look for him if she would ever admit it. "Pfft. Nice look Emiya-kun. Are you planning on doing nightly patrols as the "crimson blade" to thwart the forces of evil?"
"Haha. Very funny." The boy glanced at Rin unamused. "It was either this or risk becoming a vampire. I would ask how you are doing, but if you're well enough that you're making fun of me at first glance than you must be fine."
Rin stopped laughing at Shirou's reply and pouted, crossing her arms and looking away. "I was only complimenting you. If that is how you feel then I'll just not say anything when I think of something nice to tell you…"
"For some reason… I doubt that will change our conversations much…" The boy stated more to himself than anyone else.
The two were snapped out of their glaring contest by Bazett's laughing. "Heheh… oh man you two are acting like an elderly couple…"
"No we are not!" The teens replied at once, not bothering to recognize the fact that they did so in perfect synchrony nor that it only made the woman laugh even harder.
"Sure you aren't haha…" The Enforcer chuckled.
"Why you…" Rin growled, calling upon some mana to cast a small spell to quiet the woman. It was simply going to be a small joke of a spell that would cause Bazett to be mute for a minute or two tops but she never got the chance to cast it. The moment she began to chant… she froze as in an instant her target had closed the distance between the two and jabbed a fist that went right past her face. "F-fast…" She managed to breathe out as she stared into the sharp and deadly eyes of the Fraga.
"Stupid idea." Shirou shook his head, unsurprised by the woman's sudden speed and reaction time. "Nee-san is one of the best enforcers the association has. I don't even compare to her in close combat. Without her teaching I wouldn't have done nearly as well against the vampire as I did."
"There's a reason why the brother vampire didn't try to go against me after I killed the sister girl." The eldest one there smiled confidently as she slowly pulled back her arm. "I don't need my noble phantasm in order to beat most of my targets.
"Point… taken." The girl swallowed heavily, noticing several glowing runes on the woman's shoes and gloves. She had assumed that once she was done with her training with Kirei she could have at least kept up to magi who specialized in this field, but as recent events had proven to her, she not only was physically and mentally behind in such areas, but she also lacked the raw experience as well.
"Since we're on the subject of firepower… I think now might as well be as good a time as any to give Shirou a needed boost for oncoming events." The eldest one there stated, mirth gone and replaced by a no nonsense woman who belonged in the suit she wore.
Both of the teens blinked before Shirou spoke up. "Huh? Wait, didn't you say that I couldn't fight anymore because of my geis?"
"You can't fight the brother anymore." The purple haired woman corrected. "However I wouldn't be surprised if the father would come here soon to get revenge, and he is unfortunately a dead apostle ancestor, albeit a recently made one."
Rin blinked a few times before raising her hand. "I'm sorry, I must have misheard you. I could have sworn you just said that a dead apostle ancestor was coming to kill us all soon."
"That's exactly what I just said. And worse is that the Association just attempted to kill him and failed miserably, so the odds of getting backup to deal with him soon are close to none." The enforcer frowned. "That being the case, I've decided that we're going to take drastic measures." She glanced at Shirou with a look of pity and finality. "Very drastic measures."
"How?" The teen asked with a stiff tone. "We probably have at most a week before things get bad. Training won't help either one of us now."
"I know." Bazett relented. "So we're going to have to get some weapons to boost our power."
"Weapons?" Rin asked. "You brought weapons with you?"
The woman shook her head in denial. "No. We are simply using ones that have merely been forgotten or hidden here…"
"Weapons that are already here?" Shirou repeated. "You can't possibly mean dad's…"
"No." Bazett interrupted Shirou. "I'm talking about weapons that were made for you and you alone Shirou. I'm talking about weapons that your father left for you in that box that you got when he died."
The boy blinked in confusion before he remembered what the enforcer was talking about. "The box? That thing? I haven't thought about that in years… it wouldn't open or budge or anything."
"Bring it out. Waver told me how to open it." The woman ordered calmly.
Shirou didn't know why, but for some reason he felt a small feeling of uncertainty as he followed Bazett's orders. Maybe it was because he was receiving something that he never knew he had… maybe it was because his father had left him weapons… maybe it was because he knew that deep down whatever he received, it would not be from Kiritsugu Emiya, but the Magus Killer… but regardless of what he felt, he didn't act on it as he walked casually to his workshop, the small shed that he performed most of his high level miracles that he didn't want anyone to see until the time was right…
In one of the back corners laid the box. Long, wooden, and otherwise easy to overlook and covered in dust. It wasn't heavy, but it wasn't light either. Picking it up, the boy took it outside to get it opened. Dad… did you really make me weapons? The boy thought worriedly. After all the effort you made to try and make me live a peaceful life… what did you know that I didn't? What had you so scared?
Before Shirou knew it, he was already back in his home and had rested the box in front of the two females there. "Ah…" He stumbled over his words as he realized he was back. "Yeah… here it is."
"There's some strong magic holding this shut." Rin mused as she looked and poked the box experimentally. "Whoever did it knew what he was doing…"
"Yeah. Waver's not really a combat type, but he's well versed in a bunch of odd branches of magic." Bazett nodded as she had a look at the box skeptically. "Well… just to warn you guys, I don't know what's in here either, but whatever it is, Waver made it clear that it's dangerous." She chuckled dryly. "He even claimed that he'd rather fight the white princess alone than let what's in here get into the wrong hands…"
"The white princess?" Rin shivered. "You mean the last remaining true ancestor herself?"
"The very same." Bazett nodded before putting on a casual smile. "… Though if the rumors about her are true, she's actually a pretty fun person to kill time with." She turned to the box again and took out a piece of paper and read it. "Ok then, enough clowning around. Let's see what's inside this thing." She took in a slow breath and cleared her throat.
"Unlimited Blade Works."
Shirou shivered as the words resonated deep in his body for some reason, so much so that he didn't pay attention to the small flash of prana that indicated that the spell locking the container had dispelled.
"Well so far so good…" Rin muttered. "Nothing's trying to eat us or blow us up yet…"
"Speaking from experience I take it?" Bazett asked almost humorously.
"Almost got absorbed by one of my father's spell books when I was a kid." She replied without shame. "When I was finally strong enough to use it, first thing I did with it was open it up and close it with half the pages folded." She smirked. "Stupid thing never pushed its luck again."
"Let it be known that Rin Tohsaka is not above installing fear and misery on inanimate objects…" Shirou sighed as he opened the container to see the contents… and froze as all the information about what was inside flooded his mind.
Inside the box laid 3 swords and a small pile of letters tied together in a corner, all laid carefully and elegantly in a satin material that lined the inside of the container.
The first 2 weapons were Chinese style short swords, falchions, with heavy blades of the same shape, leather grips and no guards, designed almost perfectly for Shirou's current combat style. The first was a dark steel blue color with splashes of blood red inlaid on the edge of the blade, adding to the illusion that its razor sharp edge was even keener than a normal person could surmise.
The second was a dull grey bordering on the darker shades. Its sides were littered with a light brown, almost yellow vein like pattern that pervaded the entirety of the tool, making it look alive.
The third however was different from the other two however. It was a longsword, but unlike any Shirou had seen before. It was made of pure black metal, but the middle was cored out until it was near the end of the blade. It long gap was outlined with the same red design that the first sword possessed, but it also had the vein like patterns of the second as well that pervaded the rest of the metal…
All 3 blades were masterfully crafted. All 3 blades were beautiful in their own way…
All 3 blades were cursed… cursed by a source that could only be deemed as all the evil in the world. Cursed with agony, death, and countless other misfortunes… and all of them geared on humanity alone. As such all of them were exceptionally potent against living beings and those that were recognized as living things at some point in their existence. As some weapons are classified as anti-unit, anti-army and anti-monster types, these could be accurately classified as anti-life.
And for some reason he knew for a fact that this was not the first time he had come into contact with something of this nature…
"Shirou?" Bazett worriedly as she noticed that the boy wasn't breathing and was sweating profusely. "Shirou what's wrong?"
"D-Dad…" The boy's hoarse voice barely made it out from the shroud around his mouth. "Dad… why did you…" He stumbled back from the box, but still unable to turn away from the tools that he could say without a doubt he would know better than any other weapons in his life. His vision was blurring, his stomach was turning, his body was growing weak again… but the images of those blades would not leave his mind.
He couldn't help himself. Barely managing to move the shroud away from his mouth in time, the teen turned over and threw up relentlessly.
"Emiya-kun!" Rin gasped in shock before running to him and supporting him up. "What's wrong? Why are you reacting like this to those swords?"
"Th-they're made… from Dad's bones." He stammered before throwing up again. "All 3 of them… and S-Sirius-jiji was the one… who made them…" He shivered as realization crossed his mind. "Th-that's why his funeral was delayed and his body was sent to Europe when he died… and… and they're cursed…" His breathing deepened. "It's the same curse that killed him in the first place… I knew he died from it but… my god… I didn't think that it was something so malicious… all that time…"
The mage killer was killed by a curse? I didn't know that… Bazett frowned as she turned to the swords again, cautiously inspecting all 3 of the weapons. Now that she focused her senses, she could feel the dark magic residing in all of them. Knowing Sirius he made the weapons such that they would not affect the user and deal more damage to the target, probably inscribed some runes into the grips in order to prevent the magic from travelling down to the grip, but regardless… the weapons made her uneasy. No wonder Waver was so determined to keep these out of the wrong hands… I don't know what they do yet but I can still feel how dangerous they are…
"Emiya-kun…" Rin started to speak, but quickly realized that she didn't know what to say. Instead she did the only thing that could come to mind and tried to hold him up from the side, supporting him as much as she could. "Please calm down…" She whispered behind him sadly. To be frank she couldn't imagine what Shirou was going through at the moment. True it was not uncommon for some magi to sacrifice themselves in order to produce an item or magic that would enhance their future generation's potential, however she had never heard of a cursed man converting his remains into a weapon that somehow managed to retain the same aspects…
It was even worse when she factored in Shirou's ability to delve into nearly all the secrets histories and components that a bladed tool had… the sight of the weapons had given the boy the true measure of how much his father had suffered before his demise and the nature of his suffering as well. In short he had a full record and understanding on how his idol died over the course of years. In a way it was akin to having your family being tortured to death without even knowing it, and then being tied down and forced to watch a video of the entire process years later.
After a few minutes, which seemed like hours for the three people there, Shirou managed to regain control over his breathing, albeit he was still shaking a fair amount.
"You back with us Shirou?" Bazett looked at him concerned. "Have you settled down?"
The teen swallowed, ignoring the acidic taste of bile in his mouth and nodded shallowly. "I'll… I'll manage." He rasped out tiredly, though his tone indicated that he was still very shaken up from the rush of disturbing information.
Rin gave him a pitying look and finally let him go. Not wanting to look weak however, the girl got up and sighed frustrated, glaring at the puddle of vomit that was lying on the ground. "I'll clean that up. It's not like you're in any condition to do anything right now…"
"Thanks…" Shirou replied, still breathing heavily with glossy eyes…
One hour and some cleaning later, the 3 magic users were back in the living room and staring at the contents of the box. Shirou was still more than uncomfortable looking at the tools, but after he got over his initial shock he had managed to regain enough control over himself to not freak out anymore.
"So now that we're nice and calm again, can you please tell me what these things do?" Bazett asked firmly. "They're cursed yeah, but that alone doesn't make them strong or dangerous enough to turn the battle in our favor. There must have been some other reason why your dad told the old drunk to use his bones to make these things."
Shirou didn't respond at first before sighing and looking at the girls. "Dad had a dual origin. "Severing" and "Binding". To be blunt, the first is akin to cutting something through completely while the second is similar to tying things together. Used at once, you could say that the instant effect is like cutting a string and then tying the ends that were just cut to one another. It's still a single piece of "string", but there's a bulge where the knot is, an irregular and irreversible corrosion." He scratched his head frustrated. "If applied to a living being, the dual effect would cause something like necrosis on the afflicted area. There's no puncture wound or physical damage, but the cells, veins, and nerves in that area would be dead and no magic in the world would be able to heal the area because the afflicted area was in fact healed, just in the worst way possible… though I think time reversal may be able to counter it, even dad wasn't sure about that."
Bazett whistled. "Instant necrosis of an afflicted area that doesn't require any magic to fester outside of the initial conversion? And with only 2 concepts too… that's pretty scary Shirou…"
"It is something to be wary of…" Rin nodded as she put a hand to her mouth. "But that can't be everything. I mean there are scores of magic out there that can do just as damaging things if not more just as easily. If these are supposed to be your secret weapons, then there has to be more to them than that…"
Shirou remained quiet as he stared at the longsword in the box for a few seconds before turning to the girls again. "… The necrosis effect I just told you about was merely what happened when the dual origin was actualized to organic matter. The way my dad used it was how he became a legend." He closed his eyes. "Removing the top ribs on his left and right side… grinding them into a powder… using the powder to make 66 conceptual weapon bullets, origin bullets, that were fired off by his mystic code. Roughly 40 of those bullets were used in dad's work including the war. There are roughly 9 of these bullets in the house, the rest were either lost or destroyed by Sirius-jiji years ago. …Save for 2 people, both of them oddities, each target shot by only 1 of these bullets has died due to their effects. Each and every one of them was a magic user…"
Rin swallowed heavily. Obviously there was something special about magi that drastically increased the lethality of these origin bullets. "What makes magi users special Emiya-kun? If they don't attack the flesh when they actualize in battle, then what would…" Her eyes widened considerably as she thought of the only other thing they could affect. The thing that separated magi from normal humans. "… Unless… but then…"
Magic circuits.
Shirou frowned bitterly. "When they come into contact with an opposing mage's thaumaturgy, the origins are applied to that mage's circuits. Severing all the ones that are active at the time and then binding them all together just as quickly. You can think of the effect as something similar to pouring some water over a real circuit board when electricity is running through it. Once the effects are finalized, the opponent's prana would run wild in their body and tear them apart from the inside out. Damaging muscles, organs, nerves, whatever is linked to their circuits is now tied in to the destruction. Even if the target does survive by some kind of miracle, they would never be able to use magic again, let alone regain full control over their body."
Bazett shivered. "Holy… no wonder he managed to take down all his targets. Most magi are old fashioned and depend completely on magic to deal with their problems. If he could even take out half of his target's circuits…"
"No…" Shirou shook his head. "Dad was efficient and pragmatic. When he used one of those bullets, he made sure that they were using as much prana as possible at the time."
"H-how did he do that?" Rin asked, almost too scared to know at this point.
The boy rubbed the bridge of his nose. "The gun dad used to fire off those things was designed to fire massive powerful bullets. In terms of raw firepower they are even stronger than magnums. It's originally designed for hunting big game, not combat, but the way dad used it, that fact didn't matter. His normal strategy with it was to first shoot at his target with a normal bullet. Even one of those was normally strong enough to penetrate most magic defenses with the amount of power behind it. After that he'd determine if he needed the origin bullet from the way his target dealt with the original attack, what he surmised they could do… and if they were still alive at that point. Then after a while and he brings out the gun again…"
"They would think that he's shooting them with a strong but normal bullet and react by most likely putting all their energy into a spell that would block or at least deflect the oncoming attack, inadvertently setting themselves up to get fried completely from the inside." Bazett concluded with wide eyes. "No wonder he always killed his target. The stronger they were, the more likely they would get killed by their own circuits…"
"And he just gave Shirou swords made from his bones…" Rin stated as she turned to the box again with wide eyes. "Unlike his dad, Shirou isn't limited by how many bullets he has… Shirou… right now you're an even bigger threat to any magus than you dad…"
Shirou snorted and shook his head. "I doubt it. Dad wasn't a one trick pony. He only used his code if he decided that there was no other efficient option. Even if I have more firepower than he does as a magus, in terms of sheer experience I'd probably be dead 10 times before I even knew he was near me." He closed his eyes and recalled several of the stories his old man had told him after he finally came clean about his past. "Some of the things he's done… no, I wouldn't stand a chance in hell against him if he actually wanted to kill me now and was still alive…"
"But your potential as of right now says you could be greater…" Bazett frowned as she thought about Shirou's threat level should he truly master his magic. "You better not make any mistakes kid, because the moment you even hint that you're going down the wrong path I'll kill you myself. I'm not even going to try to risk my chances with something like THAT under your belt…"
"I don't blame you in the slightest Nee-san." Shirou laughed bitterly. "I'd do the same thing if our positions were reversed. To be honest I doubt I have the nerve to use them…"
"Wait." Rin interrupted. "If that one conjoined dual origin ability is so special, why are there 3 swords there?"
"Because they all do different things." Shirou pointed out almost off handedly and glanced at the box again. "Only the longsword has both of my dad's origins in it. The Chinese blades somehow only have one each." He shook his head. "Honestly, I don't know how Sirius-jiji managed to separate an origin from a dual origin compound, but I guess that's what we can expect from the best mystic code crafter alive…"
"Unfortunately, that fact has landed us in our current situation." Bazett frowned and leaned back. "How long do you think it will take for you to project those things perfectly? We need you at your best as soon as possible…"
Shirou didn't say anything before closing his eyes and calmly focusing his prana. A moment later 3 identical copies of the tools in the box appeared on the floor in front of him. "Already done." He said in a depressed tone. "… I think that because I had such a strong relationship with dad… its actually easier for me to make these than most of my other weapons…" He absently picked up the blue Chinese blade and inspected it, though it was clear that he was thinking about something else completely.
"Emiya-kun… what's bothering you?" Rin asked worriedly. "Your dad's given you something really useful for this kind of situation… you don't look like you're thinking about his remains or the curse that killed him."
The boy turned the blade on its side so he could see his reflection looking back at him. "Tohsaka… for a long time before he died… dad tried his hardest to try to get me to stop picking fights with the local bullies and other kids that started trouble. I often just jumped right in even when it was normally 3 on 1 against me. He wanted me to try and live for myself and have a family instead of throwing myself into trouble whenever I saw something was wrong." He looked up and attempted to picture his father. "I dreamed of trying to be a hero like him… but he tried his best to try and stop that before I ended up breaking… like he did… so why?" He looked at the tools in front of him as if they would answer him. "Why would he give me these things? Why would he give me tools that could make me into a bigger threat to the magic community than he was? He despised fighting and killing!" His fist tightened so much he drew blood. "His adopted mom… his partner… his wife… he lost everything because of all that fighting to try and make the world a better place. It was only at the end that he managed to lose his own life and even then it was a long and painful process. If he didn't find me he would have probably died alone somewhere alone, broken, and cursed. He warned me about this to me so many times that I'll never forget a word of it for as long as I live. He tried so hard so that I wouldn't end up like him, and he knew that even after all that there's a good chance I could still end up like that… so why the hell did he make it so that I could be even worse than he was!" He swung the blade down in rage and frustration. An instant later, all the floor mats in front of where the blade swung down split all along a single line from the edge of the blade perfectly, stopping only when the mats reached the wall on the other side of the room. He slumped forward, not noticing the shocked looks the girls were giving him. "It doesn't make any sense dad…" He muttered in a confused and defeated and confused tone. "Why are you doing this to me? I thought that the weapons and combat training was just a convenient way to make sure I could take care of myself in case I came across an enemy magus by accident while getting a better feel for my own spells… but now… I don't know anymore…"
His lamenting and grieving was stalled as Rin came from behind and hugged him gently. "I can't say that I know what your dad was thinking when he did this Emiya-kun… my father wasn't exactly the perfect role model either… in fact there are some things that he's done that make me want to set off one of my jewels in his mouth…" She began slowly, resting her head on his back so that she could hear his heart beating. "But I've listened to you gush over your old man so many times that I can't help but think that he wouldn't to something like this to you without a good reason. Even if it isn't by blood, you are his son. Your crest shows how much faith in you and those swords only prove it more." She paused again, resting her body on his. "If he really is the legendary magus killer… then he must have had an absolute reason for doing this. He must have thought this through before telling those other guys to turn his body into those things. People like him don't do drastic things like this on mere impulses."
"Tohsaka…" Shirou said in surprise.
"Your dad was right you know… you are a selfless idiot." She continued. Had Shirou been able to look, he would have seen the girl shedding a few tears of pity for him. "So much so that if you were left alone you'd probably get yourself killed at an early age rescuing a chipmunk or something like that. A selfless, noble, sacrificing, idiot…" She sighed and hugged him tighter. "You keep on saying you're a sword right? So at least let someone be in charge of actually swinging you. Even swords need proper care or else they fall apart eventually… you aren't one of your projections Shirou. If you break, you can't simply make another copy of yourself… please let us take care of you for once…"
Shirou lost control of his voice. The wording was slightly different, but Tohsaka's message was almost exactly what Kiritsugu had told him those years ago. Even the greatest of swords need to be taken care of properly… "R-Rin…"
"Hey lovebirds, before you two finish brushing off Kiritugu's intentions with those swords…" Bazett spoke up from the box and took out a small stack of letters that seemingly was jammed into the side of the container. It wasn't that she wasn't feeling the mood, it was just that she didn't feel like wasting time while a Dead Apostle Ancestor was gradually getting closer to kill them all. Highschool romance can come AFTER the impending death situation has been averted. "I found these as well." She untied the bundle and looked at the fronts curiously. "Weird, only one of them has Shirou's name on them. The rest's addresses and names are blurred with some kind of magic. Does that mean that your old man was expecting other people to be around after this thing was opened?"
"Um…" Shirou stalled as he tried to mentally shift gears. "I… guess." He replied intelligently.
"… Wait." Rin's suddenly calm and normally irritated voice came from behind Shirou, causing him to freeze up. "… You mean to tell me that we could have just prevented Shirou from having a panic attack and worrying us all if we had just bothered to look at the box more and read a piece of paper?"
Shirou instantly knew that Rin's moment of compassion was instantly over. "…Maybe…" Crunch. Rin's arms around the boy, which had just moments before been in an embracing hug, were now crushing the poor magus in a tight squeeze. "Gah! Stop! I haven't fully healed yet!"
"Good. It might give me something to feel sorry for you about." The Tohsaka growled in irritation as she strengthened her hold on the struggling boy.
After much screaming, struggling, pleading, and some magically enhanced strength on Bazett's part, the room had calmed down again. "Ok. So we have the letters, and one is addressed to Shirou. There's magic on the others so obviously they're intended for specific people or times." The enforcer summarized and crossed her arms in a thoughtful way. "So for now I guess for now only Shirou's should be opened…" She looked at the indicated paper lying on the ground in front of them before sighing in a defeated tone and looking at Rin. "Come on. I have a feeling that it's not something that we're supposed to read over his shoulder." She turned to Shirou. "If whatever's in that letter causes you another panic attack, I swear I will beat you till you have other things to worry about Shirou. Whatever the heck your old man planned for you, just remember that we'll be here to back you up. You don't have to do everything alone."
"Yeah…" The faker looked down at the letter in front of him. "Thanks for reminding me about that. "… Hey Tohsaka?"
"Hm?" Rin blinked as she walked to the exit of the room. "What is it?"
Shirou stared at her for a few seconds before chuckling and shaking his head. "I really was being an idiot. Thanks for helping me out." He smiled widely, though all Rin could see at that moment was his eyes closed and upturned due to the shroud around his face.
The girl blushed for a moment before turning away, pretending to be cross. "Don't let that get to your head Emiya-kun. If you do something stupid again I'll have to use more drastic measures to bring you back to reality." She smirked as the boy's smile dropped instantly. "Yes, I think having you serve as a test subject for some of my spells would be a suitable punishment…"
Her musings were cut off as Bazett grabbed her ear and dragged her out of the room. "Come on. You can plan ways to torture your "not" boyfriend later."
"He's not my boyfriend!" Rin's voice shouted as she disappeared into the hallway.
Sighing to himself Shirou decided to pretend that Rin's recent behavior didn't exist… at least for the moment. He really appreciated her offer to help him out so much right now, more than even he guessed he did, but at the moment he needed to focus on the letter in his hands.
The contents of the message were both shocking and confusing. There were so many things that his father had told him in his post mortem message, yet there was clearly so much more that was not put on. Warnings. Pleads. Apologies. All that and more littered the letter in the boy's grasp.
…I do not know if you can ever bring yourself to forgive me. I still have yet to forgive myself for placing this burden on you after all my warnings to not attempt to do something like this… however I do not have a choice. For the sake of the world… you must be a hero. I only hope that I have done enough to prevent you from turning into me. Regardless of your decision on what you do though, I will understand completely. Just make sure that you don't regret your decisions in the future.
I pray for your safety and that you manage to succeed where I failed so many times. I love you son.
Shirou sniffed and wiped the tears coming from his eyes. His father truly was an unsung hero, possibly one of the greatest there ever was. Despite the cruel things he did in the past, he was still an idol for the teen. Even long after he died he was still trying his hardest to save as many people as possible. Shirou understood his father's plight, his pain, and the reasons behind it all. He understood, yet he still decided to go with the hardest route in front of him, because it was simply the only thing he could see himself doing that would make everyone happy. He would become the thing that Kiritsugu failed to be.
A hero, and a human.
He put the letter inside its envelope and put the remaining messages inside the box. Much of the information he had gotten was useless now. It was for another time… another war. Instead he began to analyze and perfect the blueprints of the 3 swords that his father had offered his corpse in order to make for the oncoming battles.
The steel blue and red blade's name was Natalia. Named after the woman the magus killer considered his mother figure and shot down by his hands in an unfortunate mission.
The blade of Severing…
The grey and yellow blade's name was Maiya. Named after the woman that the magus killer helped raise and worked with for many years at his side, despite his offers to let her go.
The blade of Binding…
And the last blade's name was Kiritsugu, after the magus killer himself, the blade that severs and binds at once…
The ultimate anti magus tool…
The weapon that turned him into the second Magus Killer…
o. o. o.
A/N:
If you have any complaints… I was very sick writing the second half of this chapter (and only just getting better right now), so I really couldn't care much at this point. I know it's very dull compared to the last chapter, but I'm just filling in the gap with info so that we can get to the good stuff sooner.
As for giving him the shroud early… I just felt like it and thought that the vampire blood bit was a good excuse to do so. I'll probably make something up that relates to that later.
As for Rin's Dere moment. There. I tried and that's what I came up with. Don't expect it to be constant. It took me forever to get it to look like that.
So now you see Shirou's new toys. Fun they will be, but broken Shirou will not. He's good (ok… downright terrifying) against magi, but against heroic spirits (except for caster for obvious reasons) he'd still get maimed. Also, if he fired off Kiritsugu at a big blast heading right for him, it would be a dual kill. The enemy's circuits would still get fried, but the magic fired off beforehand would still continue and kill Shirou because it wasn't disrupted. Same goes with massive fireballs, wind blades, and he still can't hit Bazett before she would punch his face in because she's that much faster and stronger than he is.
Oh yeah. I probably should bring this up:
third-fang. deviantart
My sister made a deviantart club for fans of me and to gather fanart. So far it's nothing but YAWALEH picts and models, some good, others not so much, and the rest are so awesome you will squee, (and a smexy hand drawn animeesque picture of yours truly that I got from comiccon NY 2011), but after this chapter I'm at least hoping that people will try to draw my version of Shirou and his new weapons.
So as for what story I'm going to work on now… I honestly don't know or care. I'll update as soon as I can and stuff, but life can be life at times. I'm tired of making a plot or chapter decision and then going back on it a day later because I don't feel like sticking with it anymore.
So anyways. REVIEW! WORSHIP THE LOG! ENJOY IMAGINING HOW SHIROU'S GONNA SCREW WITH THE PLOT WITH HIS NEW WEAPONS! AND REVIEW AGAIN!