Nasuverse Fate/Prismatic Chaos
- Thread starter Alyeris
- Start date
I was on vacation then. Leave has ended now and I am back at work writing whenever I find the time and the inclination. I will try and write more as fast as I can but don't expect much more than one or two chapters a week.
About the characters... Feel free to interpret them as you wish. The story is still in its beginning stages so there is still quite a lot of room for characters to develop and change. I will try not to alienate anyone, but story-wise there may be a few bits in the middle where people might not like how I use some of the characters.
Another slightly boring bit today. This was originally intended to be the first 1/3 of a chapter, but I cut it so that I can write the next bit as one whole instead of two parts.
________________________
3-3
When was the last time that the mood between her and Rin had been so strained? Kirika couldn't remember as she walked home in silence just behind her temporarily estranged friend.
Between Rin's straight forward approach to life and Kirika's submissiveness, there had never been any reason for the two of them to clash. Occasionally one or the other might lose their temper over something that had been done, but in these cases the offending party usually acknowledged their wrong and accepted the blame without any fuss. Today's standoff over Rin's harsh treatment of Sakura and her refusal to apologise or explain was probably the first time the two had ever seriously argued.
Truth be told, Kirika couldn't understand how things had gotten this way. It was clear enough that Rin was in the wrong this time, and it was unlike her best friend to refuse to admit to her mistakes. During the lunch hour, her unwillingness to at least explain herself had led to Kirika throwing up her arms and returning to her class in disgust.
She didn't know what she had expected to happen in the few hours between then and the end of the school day, but she soon found that Rin's stubborn nature had asserted itself in the worst possible way. Meeting up with each other out of ingrained habit, Kirika's had tentatively apologised and invited Rin to talk about what had happened, but met only silence in return. Rebuffed, Kirika had gotten annoyed herself, and hadn't said a word since they passed the school gate.
Trace on. Basic pattern set. Final pattern located. Possibility aligned. Structure confirmed. All phase, cancel.
Unused to such tension, Kirika distracted herself by going through the steps required to project her favoured swords, then cancelling the process before they could materialise. Although it came easily to her now, a few years ago she would have needed up to five minutes to do the same for a simple cup. This while sitting down and focusing on nothing else. She couldn't have imagined then that she would ever reach a stage where she could project a sword while walking along the street.
A lot of that could be attributed to Rin's efforts, Kirika thought morosely. They had spent a lot of their time during their first two years together refining her projection. They had worked on the basics of magecraft as well of course, but Rin had been adamant that she wasn't about to let her waste her broken ability by not developing it to the highest standard possible.
Kirika got even more depressed as memories of the past floated up inside her mind. Rin throwing a tantrum about her breaking the laws of magic, Rin telling her off for not dressing like a girl, Rin smiling at her chillingly while asking why she had cut her hair... Being dragged into the bath by Rin... Dressing up in a frilly dress under the strangely disconcerting eyes of Kirei and Rin... For some reason there were quite a few memories in there that triggered hidden traumas in her heart, but each and every one was a treasured recollection of the time that the two of them had spent together. The Rin in front of her now however, was not one that Kirika had ever seen. The incongruity between the girl she had grown up with and the gloomy young woman before her was not something that Kirika could deal with easily.
Increasingly fretful, Kirika cursed Rin's servant for being a coward and a scoundrel. A third party between them might have provided grounds for a conversation to ease the tension, but the somewhat sarcastic servant was remaining resolutely incorporeal. Bereft of any methods to break the ice, Kirika could only walk as she marvelled at how much longer the way back home seemed today.
Kirika breathed a sigh of relief when they finally reached the house. Once inside something would have to change, whether it be another confrontation or a retreat to their rooms. Anything was better than the nervewracking silence that had ruled over their enforced journey back here together.
Deactivating the ward around the house, they walked in, and stopped as soon as they reached the lounge. No matter how irritable their quarrel had made them, the scene they faced was enough to at least temporarily shock them into thinking of nothing else.
"... Saber?" Kirika called her servant's name in a shaking voice.
The so named servant blushed and refused to meet her master's eyes. If she did it was entirely possible that she might be the first heroic spirit to ever die from mortification.
"Afternoon Kirika, Rin," Lily greeted them as she came through the door. "What do you think? Does she look good?"
"..." Rin was trying to remember where the camera was so that they could record this moment for posterity.
"Ha, ha ha ha..." Kirika didn't know how to reply. Her instincts were warning her that voicing her honest opinion here would result in something black and terrifying coming out.
"..." Archer was silent, proving once again that his Eye of the Mind skill wasn't only for show.
The object of their attention was one King of Knights, currently dressed in a skimpy maid outfit straight out of an anime. Complete with garter belt and laced stockings, the overall image that was created when combined with Saber's innocent reactions was... While the girls stared with childish mirth threatening to overtake them, Archer took a moment to flush out R18 images that for some reason were very clear in his memories. Goddamn Shinji and his pornography.
"Lily..." Saber's voice was shaking now as the embarrassment of being caught like this began to consume her consciousness.
"Your honest opinion Kirika," Lily said as she ignored Saber's growing furor. "Do you think she looks better with these glasses or without?"
"Wait a second," Kirika frowned as she recognised the glasses that Lily held, and for that matter the maid outfit as well. If her memories were correct they were the ones that Kirei and Rin had forced her to wear...
"I thought I threw those away!" Kirika shouted as she whirled to face Rin.
"You thought you did," Rin commented. "You really should look at the back of your wardrobe sometime."
"The back? What else is there?!"
Rin giggled. "What do you think?"
Kirika's mind whirled as she thought of all the embarrassing costumes she had been forced to wear over the years. She hadn't thrown out some of the more expensive dresses or plainer clothes, but the rest had been thrown out by... Rin? Oh lord, it couldn't be.
"You don't mean... All of them?" Kirika whispered, stunned.
Rin only smiled mysteriously at her, telling her everything she needed to know.
While the two masters were settling into a semblance of their normal relationship, the servants were playing around with Saber.
"So just why are you in this costume?" Archer asked as he burned Saber's current image into his head. Just because he was an eirei it didn't mean that he was... Okay, he was dead but that didn't mean he couldn't enjoy looking.
"No reason," Saber growled. "And, I am taking this thing off immediately."
"Ah, no you aren't," Lily jumped in. "You lost the bet, and I told you it was going to be for the whole day. Surely you aren't going to go back on your word?"
"Guh..."
Stuck between her word and her honour, Saber was unable to decide on a course of action. Morosely, she hung her head, and would have accepted her fate if it hadn't been for Lily's next words.
"Hmmm, something seems missing," Lily said as she looked over Saber with a critical eye.
She turned to look at Archer with a confused look on her face.
"What's a nekomimi?" she asked the other servant. "My knowledge insists that her outfit wouldn't be complete without them."
Archer raised an eyebrow. "Cat's ears?"
What the hell had the grail stuck into her head when she was summoned here? He wondered as he looked incredulously at Lily.
Lily tilted her head. "I think I saw a pair back there. Let me just -."
The final straw.
"&-*%#^(^*++!!!!"
Another afternoon at the Tohsaka mansionm, and another session of 'Let's play with Saber' ending with a bang. On a side note it took Archer, Kirika, and Lily two hours to clean up the damage from Saber's berserk rampage.
-x-x-x-
"You say Shinji told you all this?" Rin asked, her face grave as she considered everything she had just heard.
Kirika nodded. "Yes, he says he used the Ahriman Eye that the Matou family has. Apparently he himself isn't a mage, but he still knows how to use the artefacts that they have."
For some reason Kirika's explanation only served to put a frosty smile on Rin's face.
"Kirika?" Rin said cheerfully as she walked around the teatable to where Kirika sat.
"Yes?" Kirika replied nervously as she tried to sink into the couch. Nothing good could come of Rin smiling like this.
"Since when did you become such an idiot?" Rin asked as she leaned down to stare into her eyes. "Shinji says he wants to tell you something about the grail war, so you just up and follow him? Alone?" Rin took Kirika's cheeks in her fingers and stretched them about like dough. "Didn't it ever occur to you that he could be a threat?!"
"Buuuu he shees heee issn't a maeeze (But he said he isn't a mage)," Kirika tried to explain.
Somehow understanding what Kirika said straightaway, Rin glared at her and pulled at her cheeks again. "You didn't know that before you talked, did you? And did you even suspect that if he can use items like the Ahriman Eye he might be able to use another artefact to harm you? Or even summon a servant? Could you please stop and think before you act?"
Shaking Kirika's head back and forth by her cheeks, Rin was kneeling on top of Kirika now, her previous position leaning over her friend being too tiring. Kirika's yelps of pain at this treatment went ignored by her tormentor and it was only when Kirika's eyes began to tear up that Rin let go.
"Uuuu," Kirika rubbed her cheeks. "That hurt."
"It was meant to," Rin told her drily, before she sighed and rested her chin on Kirika's shoulder. "Just be more careful in the future will you?"
"Yes mother," Kirika droned. "Ow!"
Rin loosened her grip on Kirika's hair and smoothed out the tangle from where she had tugged on it. "Do you need some lessons again Kirika? You are talking back a lot recently."
"No thank you," Kirika said hurriedly. "I will be good Rin, promise."
Rin chuckled weakly and draped herself over Kirika. She was mentally exhausted from the emotional turmoil she had gone through today, and Kirika was a comforting presence now that they had put aside their differences.
"Hmm," Archer cleared his throat. "Not to interrupt, but, what about this mage on the mountain?"
His voice took a while to penetrate Rin's tired mind. Even when it did it provoked a weak reaction as Rin pulled her head up and said, "Do you want to go have a look Archer?"
"If you tell me to, I will," Archer shrugged. "But if he or she has something to do with the ward around the school shouldn't you stop playing around and look to do something about it?"
Rin frowned at him, but admitted that he was right. "Oh fine," she muttered as she got off Kirika.
Redfaced from the display of skinship in front of the servants, Kirika coughed and asked, "About that, do you know anything about the mountain Rin? It seems weird that they would set up shop in the middle of the city. Aren't they asking for trouble that way?"
"That's not exactly true master," said Saber, still in the maid outfit. "The mountain is surrounded by a ward that rejects all but nature spirits, making it near impossible for a servant to approach. It is an easily defendable position, and the convergence of leylines on the mountain make it a good location for a mage to base themselves in.
"A ward?" Rin sat up. "I didn't know there was anything like that around the mountain. How strong is it?"
Saber thought about it. "If I had to compare it... Every time I took a step I would have to expend as much prana as I would fighting against an order given through the command seal."
Rin blanched. "That strong? But in that case how are you supposed to keep your servant around?"
"The ward doesn't cover the entire mountain Rin," Saber explained. "There is one path that runs along the stairs to the summit, and once you are inside the grounds of the temple I believe that the ward has no effect."
"Ah, right." Rin nodded to herself. "They would have to have it like that, or the land would die." Rin paused and frowned. "How do you know all this Saber? More knowledge from the grail?"
Saber shook her head. "No, it was something I heard during the last grail war."
"That's convenient," said Lily. "Anything else we should know?"
"Nothing that I can think of at the moment," Saber replied. "No one actually used the mountain the last time so I have never gone up there."
"Only one way in, and a mage who has a large reservoir of power to draw upon," Archer summarised the situation. "Am I the only one who thinks this looks like a trap?"
"If it's a trap, it's a very good one," said Lily. "Long range attacks are out due to the civilians on the mountain, and a covert strike is impossible due to the ward. If we want to remove the mage we have no choice but to charge in head-on."
"That's not the only thing. Are we sure that this is a human mage we are talking about?" asked Archer. "Caster and Assassin are as yet unaccounted for. The only reason we have to believe that Rider's master is up there is information from one of the three families of the beginning. We know that they have a vested interest in winning the war themselves. Are we sure the information is reliable?"
"No we aren't," said Rin. "But we can't completely discount Matou's story either. We know that servant Rider was at the school, and that there is a ward around the school which will drain everything inside of prana once it is active. Lancer is another possibility, but he doesn't seem like the type that would go for it."
Archer crossed his arms. "That reminds me Rin, are you sure that this boy is not a master in the grail war himself? It seems more than a little suspicious that a supposedly normal person would just happen to have the information that we needed at this time."
Rin flinched, reminded of the confrontation with Sakura earlier in the day. Kirika looked nervous as well as the subject of the Matous was brought up again. She didn't want to start another fight over the issue, even if she still thought that Rin should go and apologise to the girl.
"Rin?" Archer pressed his master.
"You are right," Rin replied slowly. "We need to investigate the Matous at least once. I wouldn't put it past that sleazebag to try and deceive us so that he can surprise us later."
Hearing a slight note of tension in the voice that she had heard every day for the last five years, Kirika felt her curiosity stir anew in regards to the relation between Rin and Matou Sakura. Just what was it that caused her friend to tense up every time the Matou line was mentioned? Was Sakura a mage? From what little she had overheard that did not seem to be the case, and Shinji had said that the Matou line was no longer viable as mages. So what was it? She didn't like being so clueless about something that affected Rin so deeply.
"How do you want to take care of things Rin?" Archer asked. "Investigating the Matous and taking care of the mage on the mountain. Do we take care of them one by one or split our forces?"
"..." Rin still looked troubled as she considered the options.
"I don't believe that we should have any problems even if we do split up," Saber asserted. "Lily and I should be able to take care of any threats on the mountain, and Archer could go look for clues about the Matous."
Kirika frowned. "Isn't that a bit dangerous Saber? We don't know what kind of traps are on the mountain."
"It matters little," Saber said confidently. "In case you have forgotten, my anti-magic rank is strong enough that no spells can harm me. Lily's anti-magic seems a bit weaker but together we should be able to deal with any threat."
"She has a point," Lily agreed. "Although I am not so sure that we should leave our masters alone. Wouldn't it be safer if they go with Archer?"
Archer scratched his cheek. "Guess it is a bit dangerous with Assassin still unaccounted for. How about it Rin? Split up like they suggested?"
"... That does seem like the best option," Rin said with a sigh. "What do you think Kirika?"
"Eh..."
Kirika's mind was split on the issue. She wanted to go with Rin and maybe find out a bit more about the part of her friend's life that had been kept from her, but she also felt that she should go to the mountain with her servants. Her instincts had served her well in the past, and there was actually a good reason as to why she should go with her servants. The personal significance of the former choice however was making her choice difficult, and it was after a lengthy pause that Kirika answered.
"Uhm, I will go with Saber and Lily to the mountain," Kirika declared quietly.
Saber looked at her disapprovingly. "Master, that wouldn't be very wise. You said yourself that there may be traps on the mountain, and while our anti-magic protects us from harm you don't enjoy any such protection."
Kirika shook her head. "It won't get to that. The reason I say I'm going with you is because I will be able to spot any traps on the path and tell you how to get through them. That's right isn't it Rin?"
"Huh? Uhm..." Rin wanted to say no in order to discourage Kirika from trying to go with Saber, but her honesty won out. "Yes, provided that they aren't ancient mysteries like the ward around the school."
"Kirika," exasperated, Saber forgot her usual form of address for Kirika. "I already told you, traps of that kind are no problem for us. Your being there will present a greater danger to us than such things."
"... I'm still going," Kirika said stubbornly. The more she thought about it, the more certain she felt that she was making the right choice. It might just be paranoia, but she somehow knew that if she didn't go with Saber and Lily something would happen to them. "I can't let you two fight without me at least being there."
She left unsaid that another reason was that she wanted to prevent the death of the mage up on the mountain if the attack was successful.
"Master, could you please listen to what I am saying?" Saber beseeched her.
"..."
"Let her come Saber," Lily interjected when it seemed the deadlock would continue forever. "She's going to be going into danger even if she goes with Rin and Archer. We may as well bring her along so that we can keep our own eyes on her."
"Again, don't say something so irresponsible," Saber sighed. "We can't risk Kirika's life when we don't know what is there."
Lily shrugged. "She said she can pick out traps herself didn't she? Or we can run ahead and trigger the traps outself to see what they are. Besides, I doubt that the other side is going to be any better."
"Lily is right," Rin confirmed. "We are going to have to go look inside the Matou residence. They've been on that land for 300 years, so they've had a lot of time to prepare defences."
"I am your master Saber," Kirika added. "Shouldn't you be listening to me?"
Beset on all sides, Saber had to concede defeat.
"Very well master. If you do come please stick right next to me or Lily unless we say not to."
"Okay," Kirika nodded. That much she could do.
"All decided then?" Rin asked the group. "In that case let's have dinner before we go out. It will be easier to move if it's dark."
Archer stood up and dusted his hands. "I will take care of it. Anyone have any requests? Or should I just make some Thai for once?"
"You can do Thai as well?" Kirika asked, surprised.
Archer smiled crookedly at her. "Thai, Western, Chinese, Japanese. Et cetera, et cetera. You name it, I can cook it. Why? Surprised?"
Kirika nodded, wondering once again if Archer's true identity was the heroic spirit of cooking. There was no other explanation for this perfect house-husband's skills.
About the characters... Feel free to interpret them as you wish. The story is still in its beginning stages so there is still quite a lot of room for characters to develop and change. I will try not to alienate anyone, but story-wise there may be a few bits in the middle where people might not like how I use some of the characters.
Another slightly boring bit today. This was originally intended to be the first 1/3 of a chapter, but I cut it so that I can write the next bit as one whole instead of two parts.
________________________
3-3
When was the last time that the mood between her and Rin had been so strained? Kirika couldn't remember as she walked home in silence just behind her temporarily estranged friend.
Between Rin's straight forward approach to life and Kirika's submissiveness, there had never been any reason for the two of them to clash. Occasionally one or the other might lose their temper over something that had been done, but in these cases the offending party usually acknowledged their wrong and accepted the blame without any fuss. Today's standoff over Rin's harsh treatment of Sakura and her refusal to apologise or explain was probably the first time the two had ever seriously argued.
Truth be told, Kirika couldn't understand how things had gotten this way. It was clear enough that Rin was in the wrong this time, and it was unlike her best friend to refuse to admit to her mistakes. During the lunch hour, her unwillingness to at least explain herself had led to Kirika throwing up her arms and returning to her class in disgust.
She didn't know what she had expected to happen in the few hours between then and the end of the school day, but she soon found that Rin's stubborn nature had asserted itself in the worst possible way. Meeting up with each other out of ingrained habit, Kirika's had tentatively apologised and invited Rin to talk about what had happened, but met only silence in return. Rebuffed, Kirika had gotten annoyed herself, and hadn't said a word since they passed the school gate.
Trace on. Basic pattern set. Final pattern located. Possibility aligned. Structure confirmed. All phase, cancel.
Unused to such tension, Kirika distracted herself by going through the steps required to project her favoured swords, then cancelling the process before they could materialise. Although it came easily to her now, a few years ago she would have needed up to five minutes to do the same for a simple cup. This while sitting down and focusing on nothing else. She couldn't have imagined then that she would ever reach a stage where she could project a sword while walking along the street.
A lot of that could be attributed to Rin's efforts, Kirika thought morosely. They had spent a lot of their time during their first two years together refining her projection. They had worked on the basics of magecraft as well of course, but Rin had been adamant that she wasn't about to let her waste her broken ability by not developing it to the highest standard possible.
Kirika got even more depressed as memories of the past floated up inside her mind. Rin throwing a tantrum about her breaking the laws of magic, Rin telling her off for not dressing like a girl, Rin smiling at her chillingly while asking why she had cut her hair... Being dragged into the bath by Rin... Dressing up in a frilly dress under the strangely disconcerting eyes of Kirei and Rin... For some reason there were quite a few memories in there that triggered hidden traumas in her heart, but each and every one was a treasured recollection of the time that the two of them had spent together. The Rin in front of her now however, was not one that Kirika had ever seen. The incongruity between the girl she had grown up with and the gloomy young woman before her was not something that Kirika could deal with easily.
Increasingly fretful, Kirika cursed Rin's servant for being a coward and a scoundrel. A third party between them might have provided grounds for a conversation to ease the tension, but the somewhat sarcastic servant was remaining resolutely incorporeal. Bereft of any methods to break the ice, Kirika could only walk as she marvelled at how much longer the way back home seemed today.
Kirika breathed a sigh of relief when they finally reached the house. Once inside something would have to change, whether it be another confrontation or a retreat to their rooms. Anything was better than the nervewracking silence that had ruled over their enforced journey back here together.
Deactivating the ward around the house, they walked in, and stopped as soon as they reached the lounge. No matter how irritable their quarrel had made them, the scene they faced was enough to at least temporarily shock them into thinking of nothing else.
"... Saber?" Kirika called her servant's name in a shaking voice.
The so named servant blushed and refused to meet her master's eyes. If she did it was entirely possible that she might be the first heroic spirit to ever die from mortification.
"Afternoon Kirika, Rin," Lily greeted them as she came through the door. "What do you think? Does she look good?"
"..." Rin was trying to remember where the camera was so that they could record this moment for posterity.
"Ha, ha ha ha..." Kirika didn't know how to reply. Her instincts were warning her that voicing her honest opinion here would result in something black and terrifying coming out.
"..." Archer was silent, proving once again that his Eye of the Mind skill wasn't only for show.
The object of their attention was one King of Knights, currently dressed in a skimpy maid outfit straight out of an anime. Complete with garter belt and laced stockings, the overall image that was created when combined with Saber's innocent reactions was... While the girls stared with childish mirth threatening to overtake them, Archer took a moment to flush out R18 images that for some reason were very clear in his memories. Goddamn Shinji and his pornography.
"Lily..." Saber's voice was shaking now as the embarrassment of being caught like this began to consume her consciousness.
"Your honest opinion Kirika," Lily said as she ignored Saber's growing furor. "Do you think she looks better with these glasses or without?"
"Wait a second," Kirika frowned as she recognised the glasses that Lily held, and for that matter the maid outfit as well. If her memories were correct they were the ones that Kirei and Rin had forced her to wear...
"I thought I threw those away!" Kirika shouted as she whirled to face Rin.
"You thought you did," Rin commented. "You really should look at the back of your wardrobe sometime."
"The back? What else is there?!"
Rin giggled. "What do you think?"
Kirika's mind whirled as she thought of all the embarrassing costumes she had been forced to wear over the years. She hadn't thrown out some of the more expensive dresses or plainer clothes, but the rest had been thrown out by... Rin? Oh lord, it couldn't be.
"You don't mean... All of them?" Kirika whispered, stunned.
Rin only smiled mysteriously at her, telling her everything she needed to know.
While the two masters were settling into a semblance of their normal relationship, the servants were playing around with Saber.
"So just why are you in this costume?" Archer asked as he burned Saber's current image into his head. Just because he was an eirei it didn't mean that he was... Okay, he was dead but that didn't mean he couldn't enjoy looking.
"No reason," Saber growled. "And, I am taking this thing off immediately."
"Ah, no you aren't," Lily jumped in. "You lost the bet, and I told you it was going to be for the whole day. Surely you aren't going to go back on your word?"
"Guh..."
Stuck between her word and her honour, Saber was unable to decide on a course of action. Morosely, she hung her head, and would have accepted her fate if it hadn't been for Lily's next words.
"Hmmm, something seems missing," Lily said as she looked over Saber with a critical eye.
She turned to look at Archer with a confused look on her face.
"What's a nekomimi?" she asked the other servant. "My knowledge insists that her outfit wouldn't be complete without them."
Archer raised an eyebrow. "Cat's ears?"
What the hell had the grail stuck into her head when she was summoned here? He wondered as he looked incredulously at Lily.
Lily tilted her head. "I think I saw a pair back there. Let me just -."
The final straw.
"&-*%#^(^*++!!!!"
Another afternoon at the Tohsaka mansionm, and another session of 'Let's play with Saber' ending with a bang. On a side note it took Archer, Kirika, and Lily two hours to clean up the damage from Saber's berserk rampage.
-x-x-x-
"You say Shinji told you all this?" Rin asked, her face grave as she considered everything she had just heard.
Kirika nodded. "Yes, he says he used the Ahriman Eye that the Matou family has. Apparently he himself isn't a mage, but he still knows how to use the artefacts that they have."
For some reason Kirika's explanation only served to put a frosty smile on Rin's face.
"Kirika?" Rin said cheerfully as she walked around the teatable to where Kirika sat.
"Yes?" Kirika replied nervously as she tried to sink into the couch. Nothing good could come of Rin smiling like this.
"Since when did you become such an idiot?" Rin asked as she leaned down to stare into her eyes. "Shinji says he wants to tell you something about the grail war, so you just up and follow him? Alone?" Rin took Kirika's cheeks in her fingers and stretched them about like dough. "Didn't it ever occur to you that he could be a threat?!"
"Buuuu he shees heee issn't a maeeze (But he said he isn't a mage)," Kirika tried to explain.
Somehow understanding what Kirika said straightaway, Rin glared at her and pulled at her cheeks again. "You didn't know that before you talked, did you? And did you even suspect that if he can use items like the Ahriman Eye he might be able to use another artefact to harm you? Or even summon a servant? Could you please stop and think before you act?"
Shaking Kirika's head back and forth by her cheeks, Rin was kneeling on top of Kirika now, her previous position leaning over her friend being too tiring. Kirika's yelps of pain at this treatment went ignored by her tormentor and it was only when Kirika's eyes began to tear up that Rin let go.
"Uuuu," Kirika rubbed her cheeks. "That hurt."
"It was meant to," Rin told her drily, before she sighed and rested her chin on Kirika's shoulder. "Just be more careful in the future will you?"
"Yes mother," Kirika droned. "Ow!"
Rin loosened her grip on Kirika's hair and smoothed out the tangle from where she had tugged on it. "Do you need some lessons again Kirika? You are talking back a lot recently."
"No thank you," Kirika said hurriedly. "I will be good Rin, promise."
Rin chuckled weakly and draped herself over Kirika. She was mentally exhausted from the emotional turmoil she had gone through today, and Kirika was a comforting presence now that they had put aside their differences.
"Hmm," Archer cleared his throat. "Not to interrupt, but, what about this mage on the mountain?"
His voice took a while to penetrate Rin's tired mind. Even when it did it provoked a weak reaction as Rin pulled her head up and said, "Do you want to go have a look Archer?"
"If you tell me to, I will," Archer shrugged. "But if he or she has something to do with the ward around the school shouldn't you stop playing around and look to do something about it?"
Rin frowned at him, but admitted that he was right. "Oh fine," she muttered as she got off Kirika.
Redfaced from the display of skinship in front of the servants, Kirika coughed and asked, "About that, do you know anything about the mountain Rin? It seems weird that they would set up shop in the middle of the city. Aren't they asking for trouble that way?"
"That's not exactly true master," said Saber, still in the maid outfit. "The mountain is surrounded by a ward that rejects all but nature spirits, making it near impossible for a servant to approach. It is an easily defendable position, and the convergence of leylines on the mountain make it a good location for a mage to base themselves in.
"A ward?" Rin sat up. "I didn't know there was anything like that around the mountain. How strong is it?"
Saber thought about it. "If I had to compare it... Every time I took a step I would have to expend as much prana as I would fighting against an order given through the command seal."
Rin blanched. "That strong? But in that case how are you supposed to keep your servant around?"
"The ward doesn't cover the entire mountain Rin," Saber explained. "There is one path that runs along the stairs to the summit, and once you are inside the grounds of the temple I believe that the ward has no effect."
"Ah, right." Rin nodded to herself. "They would have to have it like that, or the land would die." Rin paused and frowned. "How do you know all this Saber? More knowledge from the grail?"
Saber shook her head. "No, it was something I heard during the last grail war."
"That's convenient," said Lily. "Anything else we should know?"
"Nothing that I can think of at the moment," Saber replied. "No one actually used the mountain the last time so I have never gone up there."
"Only one way in, and a mage who has a large reservoir of power to draw upon," Archer summarised the situation. "Am I the only one who thinks this looks like a trap?"
"If it's a trap, it's a very good one," said Lily. "Long range attacks are out due to the civilians on the mountain, and a covert strike is impossible due to the ward. If we want to remove the mage we have no choice but to charge in head-on."
"That's not the only thing. Are we sure that this is a human mage we are talking about?" asked Archer. "Caster and Assassin are as yet unaccounted for. The only reason we have to believe that Rider's master is up there is information from one of the three families of the beginning. We know that they have a vested interest in winning the war themselves. Are we sure the information is reliable?"
"No we aren't," said Rin. "But we can't completely discount Matou's story either. We know that servant Rider was at the school, and that there is a ward around the school which will drain everything inside of prana once it is active. Lancer is another possibility, but he doesn't seem like the type that would go for it."
Archer crossed his arms. "That reminds me Rin, are you sure that this boy is not a master in the grail war himself? It seems more than a little suspicious that a supposedly normal person would just happen to have the information that we needed at this time."
Rin flinched, reminded of the confrontation with Sakura earlier in the day. Kirika looked nervous as well as the subject of the Matous was brought up again. She didn't want to start another fight over the issue, even if she still thought that Rin should go and apologise to the girl.
"Rin?" Archer pressed his master.
"You are right," Rin replied slowly. "We need to investigate the Matous at least once. I wouldn't put it past that sleazebag to try and deceive us so that he can surprise us later."
Hearing a slight note of tension in the voice that she had heard every day for the last five years, Kirika felt her curiosity stir anew in regards to the relation between Rin and Matou Sakura. Just what was it that caused her friend to tense up every time the Matou line was mentioned? Was Sakura a mage? From what little she had overheard that did not seem to be the case, and Shinji had said that the Matou line was no longer viable as mages. So what was it? She didn't like being so clueless about something that affected Rin so deeply.
"How do you want to take care of things Rin?" Archer asked. "Investigating the Matous and taking care of the mage on the mountain. Do we take care of them one by one or split our forces?"
"..." Rin still looked troubled as she considered the options.
"I don't believe that we should have any problems even if we do split up," Saber asserted. "Lily and I should be able to take care of any threats on the mountain, and Archer could go look for clues about the Matous."
Kirika frowned. "Isn't that a bit dangerous Saber? We don't know what kind of traps are on the mountain."
"It matters little," Saber said confidently. "In case you have forgotten, my anti-magic rank is strong enough that no spells can harm me. Lily's anti-magic seems a bit weaker but together we should be able to deal with any threat."
"She has a point," Lily agreed. "Although I am not so sure that we should leave our masters alone. Wouldn't it be safer if they go with Archer?"
Archer scratched his cheek. "Guess it is a bit dangerous with Assassin still unaccounted for. How about it Rin? Split up like they suggested?"
"... That does seem like the best option," Rin said with a sigh. "What do you think Kirika?"
"Eh..."
Kirika's mind was split on the issue. She wanted to go with Rin and maybe find out a bit more about the part of her friend's life that had been kept from her, but she also felt that she should go to the mountain with her servants. Her instincts had served her well in the past, and there was actually a good reason as to why she should go with her servants. The personal significance of the former choice however was making her choice difficult, and it was after a lengthy pause that Kirika answered.
"Uhm, I will go with Saber and Lily to the mountain," Kirika declared quietly.
Saber looked at her disapprovingly. "Master, that wouldn't be very wise. You said yourself that there may be traps on the mountain, and while our anti-magic protects us from harm you don't enjoy any such protection."
Kirika shook her head. "It won't get to that. The reason I say I'm going with you is because I will be able to spot any traps on the path and tell you how to get through them. That's right isn't it Rin?"
"Huh? Uhm..." Rin wanted to say no in order to discourage Kirika from trying to go with Saber, but her honesty won out. "Yes, provided that they aren't ancient mysteries like the ward around the school."
"Kirika," exasperated, Saber forgot her usual form of address for Kirika. "I already told you, traps of that kind are no problem for us. Your being there will present a greater danger to us than such things."
"... I'm still going," Kirika said stubbornly. The more she thought about it, the more certain she felt that she was making the right choice. It might just be paranoia, but she somehow knew that if she didn't go with Saber and Lily something would happen to them. "I can't let you two fight without me at least being there."
She left unsaid that another reason was that she wanted to prevent the death of the mage up on the mountain if the attack was successful.
"Master, could you please listen to what I am saying?" Saber beseeched her.
"..."
"Let her come Saber," Lily interjected when it seemed the deadlock would continue forever. "She's going to be going into danger even if she goes with Rin and Archer. We may as well bring her along so that we can keep our own eyes on her."
"Again, don't say something so irresponsible," Saber sighed. "We can't risk Kirika's life when we don't know what is there."
Lily shrugged. "She said she can pick out traps herself didn't she? Or we can run ahead and trigger the traps outself to see what they are. Besides, I doubt that the other side is going to be any better."
"Lily is right," Rin confirmed. "We are going to have to go look inside the Matou residence. They've been on that land for 300 years, so they've had a lot of time to prepare defences."
"I am your master Saber," Kirika added. "Shouldn't you be listening to me?"
Beset on all sides, Saber had to concede defeat.
"Very well master. If you do come please stick right next to me or Lily unless we say not to."
"Okay," Kirika nodded. That much she could do.
"All decided then?" Rin asked the group. "In that case let's have dinner before we go out. It will be easier to move if it's dark."
Archer stood up and dusted his hands. "I will take care of it. Anyone have any requests? Or should I just make some Thai for once?"
"You can do Thai as well?" Kirika asked, surprised.
Archer smiled crookedly at her. "Thai, Western, Chinese, Japanese. Et cetera, et cetera. You name it, I can cook it. Why? Surprised?"
Kirika nodded, wondering once again if Archer's true identity was the heroic spirit of cooking. There was no other explanation for this perfect house-husband's skills.
Ironically, (though it led to a dead end)Saber didn't have any problems with Shirou accompanying her on her first ill fated assault on Ryuudo temple. And yeah, she was aware of the trap too. :huh.:
Pretty good segment. I think Kirika should have vocalized her question about Archer. lol heroic spirit of cooking. :snigger:
Pretty good segment. I think Kirika should have vocalized her question about Archer. lol heroic spirit of cooking. :snigger:
Rin: Surprise You the same person!
Kirika: Oh, OH God! We've done so much! This is horrible! And Archer you knew about this, You sick freak!
Archer: Oh come on, it's not that bad. We're the same person after all.
Kirika: That's what makes it bad! You're me, so it's like incest or something
Rin: Actually it's more like the ultimate form of masterbation.
Kirika: ...Rin, leave. NOW!
Rin: Oh, ready for round 2 already?
Kirika: Saber.
Saber: Gladly. *raises Excalibur*
Kirika: Oh, OH God! We've done so much! This is horrible! And Archer you knew about this, You sick freak!
Archer: Oh come on, it's not that bad. We're the same person after all.
Kirika: That's what makes it bad! You're me, so it's like incest or something
Rin: Actually it's more like the ultimate form of masterbation.
Kirika: ...Rin, leave. NOW!
Rin: Oh, ready for round 2 already?
Kirika: Saber.
Saber: Gladly. *raises Excalibur*
