Nasuverse Heaven's Facepalm

deviatesfish

Well-Known Member
#1
Something I cooked up with Mereo Flere and Fallacy.

HeavenÆs Facepalm

Life was good, Saber supposed. In her experience, the magi were either dicks or put dicks where dicks didnÆt belong. She was lucky enough to find not one but two magi who she found more than likeable and perhaps even loved. After the whole torrid affair of the Holy Grail Wars of Fuyuki, the three of them moved to London, the capital of the nation that was once her home. Even though it was vastly different from her time, she still enjoyed being on her native soil and basked in this moment of joy, butà

But sometimes, just sometimes, she wished herùwhat could she call them? Lovers? Friends?ùmagi would be lessà Saber couldnÆt really think of the word. It was really only Shirou, she amended. Sometimes, she found herself more frustrated with him than she ever was with Merlin. She hadnÆt thought that would have been possible but this was one of those times.

ôShirou, itÆs time toà replenish my mana,ö Saber tried for the hundredth time, strutting around her former Master as sensually as she could. Normally she walked and stood straight like a man, but in the privacy of their bedroom, she added an extra sway to her hips as she sashayed around.

ôHuh?ö Shirou frowned up at her. Behind Saber, Rin buried her face into her palm silently at ShirouÆs response.

ôShirou,ö She repeated to him through gritted teeth, ôReplenish my mana.ö

ôBut Saber,ö He replied obliviously, still calling her by that title even after he gained some mastery over English, ôIsnÆt Tohsaka supplying you withùö

ôGAH!ö Rin snapped, having endured this for the past half hour, and pinned Shirou down on the ground.

ShirouÆs eyes shot wide open as he gasped, ôR-Rin?ö

ôSaber! IÆll hold him down,ö Rin cried with a maniacal expression that caused Saber to shiver, ôYou strip him!ö

ôW-wait!ö Shirou whimpered as RinÆs fingers snaked down and stimulated him and caused him to shriek. But before he could utter another sound, a bright light surrounded them. A moment later, they disappeared.

XXX

Emiya Kiritsugu surveyed the scene within the Einzbern Chapel, silently marveling with his wife at the simplicity of this ritual that would grant his lifeÆs ideal. His expression was cold and grim, showing none of the anxiety he suppressed at this monumental event. As his beloved wife Irisviel finished her preparations for this ritual, carrying the sacred relic Avalon to the center of the circle they had prepared, KiritsuguÆs resolve held firm, æMy idealsà my dreams rely on this summoning.Æ

The ritual itself was simple and quick. With a flash of light that came with the power used in this summoning, his Servant began to appear. That was when all the alarms within KiritsuguÆs head went off and exploded.

Instead of a royal knight wearing medieval armor or even a king donned in gold and blue, something else appeared. Something that shouldnÆt have appeared had appeared.

The first problem Kiritsugu noticed through the lightshow was that instead of there being one human-like body, there were three. The second problem he noticed was that none of them were wearing armor. In fact, they seemed to be wearing almost nothing. There was a boy with red hair pinned down by a girl who looked to be of mixed, Asian descent with a petite, European girl tugging on the boyÆs underwear.

The moment all the smoke had cleared, the blond girl had let go immediately in surprised shock. Their attire stuck out for Kiritsugu, but he remedied that it was possible that King ArthurÆs clothing had changed in the Throne of Heroes. The redheaded boy was wearing nothing else other than that pair of boxers, which Kiritsugu was pretty sure did not exist in Arthurian times. The Asian girl was wearing nothing but elaborate, black laced underwear made fromà silk, perhaps? The blond girl wore something similar but white.

KiritsuguÆs first thought was that perhaps he had summoned King Arthur when he was still young, but then the European girl tried to speak up, saying something that sounded like æare you my masterÆ, but her voice was drowned out by the boy, who whimpered, ôàDaddy?ö

Everything seemed to still, as if time had frozen. Irisviel was almost glowing with a blush and trying her best to cover her eyes. The brunette girlÆs expression turned cycled between confusion, horror, and curiosity before settling on something even Kiritsugu could not read. The blond girl just stumbled and fell onto the boyÆs chest. Kiritsugu stood shocked and stared before he managed to shake himself out of it.

Kiritsugu frowned and his analytical mind, which knew that King Arthur must have been a man, deduced that, æAt some point in my future, did my Innate Time Manipulation fail and send me to England in 500 AD, where I became Uther Pendragon?Æ

The brunette girlÆs grumble, which sounded like, ôHey, Saber, IÆm your Master!ö flew right over KiritsuguÆs head.

XXX

Saber wanted to groan. No, she wanted to do more than that! She wanted to walk up to the World and smack it around for putting her through her life. Did this even count as her life anymore? She put that philosophical question aside for the immediate matter at hand. There she was, on top of Shirou and just moments from finally pulling his underwear off when this happened.

Thisà she remembered this quite clearly. It was the war she had participated in just before she finally met her lovers. And she didnÆt want to remember it at all.

Oh, no.

æOh, no! Oh, noà no, no, no!Æ SaberÆs eyes filled with panic, though unnoticed by everyone else.

Steadying herself, she tried to act composed and fall back on her old reaction towards this, which was to ask, ôAs you have summoned me, I have come. Are you my Master?ö But she only grumbled part of her question out before being interrupted by Shirou, who whimpered loudly enough to echo through the Chapel, ôDaddy?ö

Just as Saber dreaded the feeling she got from basically seeing the gears creaking and turning in KiritsuguÆs head (So thatÆs where Shirou inherited that from!), she heard Rin protest, ôHey, Saber, IÆm your Master!ö

Then there was a pause, to which RinÆs eyes began to sparkle. SaberÆs heart skipped a beat as her panic redoubled.

ôWait!ö Rin cried loudly, ôThat means I qualify for Caster!ö

Saber cringed; there were sparkles that looked like something out of a kaleidoscope surrounding Rin now, as if Rin had floated into another realm. RinÆs eyes seemed to have turned into tiny stars, shining like twin beams to go with her twin ponytails.

æQuick!Æ She thought as she picked herself up from between Rin and ShirouÆs sweat-covered bodies, æI need to fix this!Æ

ôW-wait, upon your summoning, I have come!ö Saber called out, ôI am Servant Saber.ö

This seemed to go over KiritsuguÆs head as he turned purposely away from her and stared at Shirou, ôHmph.ö

Saber frowned and tried again, ôI-I am King Arthur, the one you have summonedà!ö

Kiritsugu stroked his chin for a moment before narrowing his eyes at Shirou and muttering, ôSo King Arthur had red hair. This is not according to the historical records we have collected, but it will work.ö

ôH-hey!ö Saber suppressed her pout and tears and tried again pointing at Shirou and shouting, ôIÆm King Arthur notùö

ôThatÆs impossible,ö Kiritsugu mumbled, not even bothering turning towards her. ôThereÆs no way that King Arthur was a woman.ö
 

elof

Well-Known Member
#2
Huh? :eek: processing........ Bwahahahah!!! :lol:
 

nick012000

Well-Known Member
#3
LOL. Given the descriptions of auras of superhuman power Shirou gives whenever he runs into a Servant, though, I doubt there's any way Kiritsugu would doubt that Saber is a Servant for long.

Seeing the look on Rin's face once the implications of being summoned as a Servant regarding her family sink in, though, should be quite amusing. :lol:
 

deviatesfish

Well-Known Member
#4
ôKiritsugu, Kiritsugu!ö Little Ilyasviel bounded to him adorably, hopping from one foot to another. She called to him again, before jumping into his arms. Kiritsugu smiled softly down at his daughter and picked her up, spinning her around in the air as she giggled.

ôWhat is it, Ilya?ö He asked gently, his eyes full of love.

Ilyasviel pondered cutely, with a finger on her lower lips, saying, ôGrandpa said youÆre summoning something.ö

ôThatÆs right,ö Kiritsugu replied. The corners of his eyes wrinkled ever so slightly, one of the very few signs of his age.

ôHey, hey, Kiritsugu,ö Ilyasviel tugged on his sleeve excitedly before saying, ôCan you summon me an æOnii-sanÆ?ö

ôWellàö


And so, there they stood. Thankfully, the Einzbern had plenty of well-tailored clothing for the threeà whatever they were to wear, though Kiritsugu was convinced by this point that the boy must be a young version of King Arthur, accompanied by his women. After all, the kings of ages past usually had a retinue of women, and King Arthur must have been no different. He could feel through his Command Seals that they were all bound to him, so they must all be important in Arthurian Legends. Kiritsugu resolved to figure out their identities when someone bounded into the room and interrupted his thoughts.

It was a good thing that they dressed so quickly, really. The moment KiritsuguÆs Servants finished dressing, his daughter Ilyasviel jumped into the room and into KiritsuguÆs arms like she has done countless times before. Kiritsugu felt that King Arthur and his small harem looked rather stylish in his suits.

ôKiritsugu!ö Ilyasviel giggled happily into his chest as he spun her around. She peeked over his shoulder and saw his Servants then she spoke excitedly up at him, ôYay! You bought an æOniisanÆ, Kiritsugu-Papa!ö

Kiritsugu laughed slowly, ôYes, yes I did.ö He was very thankful that Arthur and his two girls didnÆt interrupt.

Ilyasviel suddenly stopped giggling and pouted up at him with large, watery eyes. Her lips trembled when she asked, ôBut where did my æOniisanÆ come from?ö

ôUh, fromàö Kiritsugu started to say before Irisviel interrupted him.

ôStorks!ö Irisviel smiled brightly.

ôWellàö Kiritsugu paused and froze. He didnÆt could look away from IlyasvielÆs eyes, but at the same time he felt a sense of dread as the conversation began moving towards a subject that he would not be ready to approach with Ilyasviel for decades to come.

ôButàö Ilyasviel pouted cutely and asked, ôWhen did the Storks bring him?ö

ôThat isàö Kiritsugu tried to turn the conversation around while he still could, but he was unable to catch up to neither his wifeÆs nor his daughterÆs enthusiasm.

Irisviel chimed in cheerfully, ôWell, dear, while you werenÆt paying attention, a huge,ö at this point, Irisviel brought her hands as far apart as possible, to illustrate how large this æstorkÆ was, ôstork came by and dropped your æOniisanÆ off.ö

Ilyasviel nodded quickly, but slowed down right away. She frowned and looked down, asking, ôBut thenà where did the stork come from?ö

ôWellàö Kiritsugu tried to talk again, but was again interrupted by Irisviel. Or rather, he couldnÆt even give his input before Irisviel already said what she had to say.

ôIn the clouds,ö Irisviel clapped her hands together, as if imagining the scene in her mind at the same time, ôthereÆs a big castle where the storks live!ö

Kiritsugu wanted to sigh. æHold on IriùthereÆs no way that Ilya would belieà oh, she believed it.Æ Everyone else seemed to be thinking the same thing.

ôDid æOniisanÆ also come from the Castle?ö Ilyasviel asked curiously.

Kiritsugu opened his mouth, but before he even uttered a syllable, his wife had the answer already.

ôIn the Castle, there is a huge,ö again, Irisviel spread her arms wide open to emphasize on the word huge, ôThrone. ThatÆs where æOniisanÆ came from.ö

ôOhàö Ilyasviel nodded slowly. ôWhy doesnÆt æOniisanÆ look like Mama and Papa?ö

ôThatÆsàö

Irisviel smiled gently down at her daughter and answered before her husband could, ôWell, you know Grandpa Acht, right?ö

ôYeah?ö Ilyasviel asked slowly.

ôMama is related to him!ö Irisviel puffed her chest proudly.

Ilyasviel frowned in confusion, almost as if a bunch of question marks had appeared beside her in the air, before asking carefully, ôàBut Mama isnÆt old and wrinkly and ugly?ö

ôThatÆs right!ö Irisviel nodded her head slowly.

IlyasvielÆs eyes seemed to sparkle, ôWow! And this æOniisanÆ is so big too!ö

ôAnd thatÆs why your æOniisanÆ doesnÆt look like me or Papa!ö Irisviel adopted a cute lecturing pose and instructed eagerly.

Kiritsugu almost sighed and planted his face into his palms, but he stopped short of there. Instead, he muttered so softly that no one could hear him, ôIri, I love you dearly, but please teach Ilya properly.ö He also noted that, at when Ilyasviel talked about King Arthur, his shoulders raised a little and he seemed to stand a little straighter, even though KiritsuguÆs daughter wasnÆt looking at him. Peculiarà

ôAnd thatÆs not all,ö Irisviel smirked proudly at her daughter, ôthis æOniisanÆ is the best æOniisanÆ. He is also a king!ö

Kiritsugu didnÆt think his daughter would believe it, but just as he thought this, his daughter nodded, as if in understanding. Kiritsugu frowned internally, but thought perhaps this was for the best since his wife knew best anyway.

ôWow!ö IlyasvielÆs eyes seemed to shine even brighter, ôHow did you do that, Mama?ö

ôHey, w-wait just a minute,ö The delusional blond girl interrupted KiritsuguÆs wife and said, ôàI am King Arthur.ö

Immediately, Ilyasviel swerved towards the blond girl and pointed at her in defiance, ôNo, youÆre not!ö

The blond girl frowned softly, almost regally, ôWhy do you say that, Ilyasviel von Einzbern?ö Kiritsugu found this strange, because he had not yet introduced his daughter to them, but perhaps the Grail had provided this knowledge too? He needed to do more research!

ôKing Arthur is two meters tall!ö Ilyasviel said confidently.

ôàWhat,ö the girl seemed to freeze.

ôPlus,ö Ilyasviel went on to say, with her forefinger pointed into the air as if she was lecturing an uneducated person, ôIn my story book, Gawain looks just like you!ö

The girlÆs expression turned to stone. She froze, but her lips parted ever so slowly, ôAndà what storybook is this?ö She growled out through gritted teeth.

ôThis one!ö Ilyasviel pulled out a familiar comic book that Kiritsugu had seen once or twice beforeà

ôàThatÆsà!ö He also froze, unsure of what to do.

Thankfully, his wife did know what to do. She leapt quickly and grabbed the thin book out of IlyasvielÆs hands. Irisviel scolded her daughter gently, ôBad Ilya! No going through MamaÆs ædoujinshiÆ collection!ö

ôAw, but Mamaà!ö Ilyasviel pouted.

ôàö Kiritsugu thought that perhaps this was also another conversation he would do best to stay out of. Irisviel seemed to be taking care of it well enough without his input anyway.

The brunette girl from King ArthurÆs retinue turned to the Servant Saber that Kiritsugu had summoned and said in a deadpanned tone, ôSo this is your family, huh?ö
 

chronodekar

Obsessively signs his posts
Staff member
#6
I'm sure my brain broke after reading that.....

-chronodekar
 

Garahs

Well-Known Member
#7
My only pet peeve is Shirou saying 'Daddy'. I've never heard any boy call their father that over age 10, and that age is likely pushing it as is.
 

MTing

Well-Known Member
#8
Well, the last thing that Shirou remembers about his father, the only family he had in the world, is that he died when he was a kid leaving him all alone in the world.

But yeah, instead of "Daddy" you should've put in "Dad" or "Father" or something else. Daddy seems too childish.
 

deviatesfish

Well-Known Member
#9
Hate to explain a joke but the point was for Shirou to act as if he was being raped by Saber Alter, and him uttering that "daddy" was supposed to be his cry for help, not anything about Kiritsugu. It is just Detective Kiritsugu misinterpreting things here. Basically, Shirou was going to cry that even if he hadn't been summoned, though that must have been unclear because I did a bad job stitching scenes and jokes together.
 

Deathwings

Well-Known Member
#10
Yeah, that...really didn't came out well. At all. :sweat:
 

deviatesfish

Well-Known Member
#11
Yeah, a lot of the jokes fell flat. I think only one person noticed the reference to the Tease Zero Saber doujin.
 

WizardOne

Well-Known Member
#12
I thought it read fine.
Personally it struck me more as... you know in cartoons when someone looms over a small person and they go 'Mommy.' to imply 'I want my mother because Im about to be molested'?

This.
 

Archanon

Well-Known Member
#13
I think if there wasn't a question mark after "Daddy" it might come across better.
 

deviatesfish

Well-Known Member
#14
WizardOne said:
I thought it read fine.
Personally it struck me more as... you know in cartoons when someone looms over a small person and they go 'Mommy.' to imply 'I want my mother because Im about to be molested'?

This.
That would also be the effect I wanted, yes. You put it in better words than I.
 
#15
damn you Fish, another interesting idea all done with Hook and Bait, now where are you going to put all of us that sank our attention in this baby?
 

zeebee1

Well-Known Member
#16
I know this is crack, but I can tell it didn't work due to constantly thinking of all the logical flaws.
 

BloodRevan

Well-Known Member
#17
...Is Akasha trolling?
 

deviatesfish

Well-Known Member
#18
shioran toushin said:
damn you Fish, another interesting idea all done with Hook and Bait, now where are you going to put all of us that sank our attention in this baby?
I dunno, I only have a few things planned, really.
 

Prince Charon

Well-Known Member
#19
BloodRevan said:
...Is Akasha trolling?
That seems likely.

On another note, Saber and Rin would've had an easier time of it if they'd just told him they were horny, and wanted to have sex.
 
#20
But Saber is a king, and too dignified to come out and say it like that, and Rin is too tsundere. Something that occurs to me, is there going to be any Saber Alter? Not the rage filled monster from HF, but the hilariously mean, burger lover I've seen elsewhere. And last thought: what would happen if Shirou wound up fighting Lancer, and jumped over one of his spears? Granted, it's not the BAR, but would it still work? And how would it interact with Lancer's curse? Would the two together cause every female that saw it to spontaneously orgasm?
 

wagne51

Well-Known Member
#21
I'll admit when I read the title I thought Kyon was going to be the main character.
 

MastaofBitches

Well-Known Member
#22
:snigger: Nice, almost makes me regret leaving Beast's Lair if I would have been able to read this sooner. I'm not overly fond of Zero, or at least some of the servants, but it could be interesting to see Shirou bond with a family as insane as he is.

Of course, it looks like Rin and Saber will be playing the straight man in this epic comedy.
 

deviatesfish

Well-Known Member
#24
ôNo! IÆm keeping this æOnii-sanÆ!ö Ilya pouted stubbornly while clinging to ShirouÆs knees.

ôIlya, what did Mama tell you about your belongings?ö Kiritsugu asked gently, seeking to distract his daughter enough to pry her hands off of the dangerous Heroic SpiritÆs leg.

Ilyasviel perked up and replied eagerly, ôDonÆt tell Papa!ö

ôIàö Kiritsugu suppressed a sigh. ôNot that, Ilya.ö

ôHumà DonÆt tell Grandpa?ö Ilyasviel tried again.

Kiritsugu smiled tightly, ôIlyaàö

Seeing KiritsuguÆs distress, Irisviel swooped in and saved the day by adding, ôIlya, æOnii-sanÆ is like a big, delicious cake. If you eat him all at once, youÆll get a tummy ache. And if Mama is here, you should share!ö

ôOoh!ö Ilyasviel clapped her hands happily and tugged on ShirouÆs pants, ôHere, have some æOnii-sanÆ, Mama!ö But then she paused and scowled cutely, ôDoes this mean Papa gets some æOnii-sanÆ too?ö

Irisviel patted her daughterÆs head lightly, ôOf course it doesnÆt, because Papa doesnÆt like cake!ö

ôRight!ö Ilyasviel nodded quickly, as if it made perfect sense.

Rin was unsurprised to note that Saber was drooling a little at the mention of cake.

It took the combined efforts of the five of them to persuade Ilyasviel to leave, but they had finally done it. Well, perhaps that wasnÆt the right way to put it. They hadnÆt really persuaded the little girl to leave as much as worn her out enough for her to take an early nap. For the past one hour, each tried various methods to coerce the little albino girl, all of which fell flat. Ilyasviel had clung to ShirouÆs leg defiantly until the end, when her nap time had finally come and she dozed off.

There had been a collective sigh when an Einzbern maid took Ilyasviel away. Rin found a blushing Irisviel whispering apologetically to Shirou, ôIlya isnÆt normally like this, Saber.ö

ôHold on,ö Saber intervened coolly, ôI am Servant Saber, notùö

Rin grimaced and nodded at this, but the truth had to come eventually. Saber seemed to perk up at her affirmation, but Rin said, ôAs much as I hate to say this, I am not summoned as Caster, but as Servant Saber as well.ö

ôWait, does that meanàö Shirou frowned and asked, ôIÆm a Servant?ö

ôYes, Shirou,ö Rin growled with rolling her eyes at Saber, ôYou are the Servant.ö

And then Shirou was a Saber.

Their Saber couldnÆt take it anymore. She was a step away from planting her face into her palms, but she settled for simply closing her eyes and sighing.

It was then that Kiritsugu made an observation. Rin found that the man who she might call æfather-in-lawÆ made a better brooding poker face than even her original Servant Archer. He stated flatly, ôSo instead of one, powerful Servant Saber, I have three. This changes things; the battle plans need to be reworkedùö

ôI may have some insight on this, Master,ö Saber added. Rin remembered that Saber had also participated in the Fourth War, so that means her memories could be exploited to prevent much of the devastation that occurred during the events of that war. She would need to speak with Shirou about this later tooà just in case he didnÆt put this together.

However, Kiritsugu ignored SaberÆs input and began rolling out a map of what looked like Fuyuki, with dozens of small pins and hundreds of notes on it. He was about to talk when Saber stood up in front of him and said, ôPay attention to me, Master.ö From SaberÆs tone and from what Rin had gleamed from her before, Rin found it cute that Saber still held a small grudge against Kiritsugu for thinking Saber too na´ve.

Kiritsugu did not look up, simply moved a space over closer to Irisviel and then motioned to his map again.

ôL-Listen to me, Kiritsugu!ö Saber moved over again standing before the man.

ôHmph,ö Kiritsugu turned away from her, as if she were some na´ve child. Rin found this a strange comparison because of how kindly Kiritsugu treated his own na´ve daughter.

SaberÆs cheeks puffed and reddened ever so slightly before she jumped on the table and lied down on the map. She laughed, ôHa! I have your map, now you have to pay attention to me!ö

Kiritsugu turned silently and methodically to Irisviel and asked, ôDo you have enough maps in stock, Iri?ö

She nodded and made a sound of affirmation, before laying one out on SaberÆs chest. It was pretty flat.

Rin couldnÆt help but turn away so that Saber wouldnÆt see how hard it was for her to hold in the giggle that was threatening to come through her lips.

Shirou, on the other hand, shrugged helplessly and ignored this whole scene and asked, ôIf we are talking about plans, does that mean you want to know what we can do too?ö

ôAhem,ö Kiritsugu coughed into his fist lightly to grab their attention. His poker face had not budged an inch, even as he coolly asked the question, ôYes, but firstà what were the three of you doing naked?ö

Shirou blinked at his adoptive father and looked like he was deep in thought. It was almost amusing to Rin to see how long it took Shirou to figure out what Kiritsugu was asking, except she had to deal with this all the time. After a few moments, Shirou shivered and closed his eyes, as if remembering a traumatic moment.

Rin found both Saber and Shirou staring at her expectantly for some reason. She tried to stay poised and elegant by looking away and flipping back one of her twin ponytails before commenting nonchalantly, ôSoà I suppose explanations are in order.ö

KiritsuguÆs stony expression did not move. He merely replied in a tone similar to the one used by her old teacher Kuzuki, ôYesà they are.ö

ôYeah,ö Shirou piped in seriously, staring at Kiritsugu just as intensely as the man was at him, ôI donÆt remember getting carried here by a stork.ö

Rin wanted to punch something. She turned towards the object of herà affectionsà and muttered, ôShirouàö

ôYes, Rin?ö He asked. He looked rather deep in thought again, cupping his chin in his hands in a pose not unlike a detective, ôDo you remember a stork? It must have been a large stork to carry all three of us. And you arenÆt exactly as light as you useùurk!ö

Rin had slapped Shirou on the back of the head.

ôI just donÆt get itàö Shirou muttered to the side, as Rin turned back to Kiritsugu and Irisviel.

Kiritsugu ignored this interplay and decided to outline the current scenario of what was happening in Fuyuki. He shared the information that has already been confirmed and Rin realized it pretty much fitted what Saber had told her before. But unlike Saber, the way Kiritsugu made his motions and the way he talked, it all reminded her too much of her own Servant Archer. That Kiritsugu had the disposition of a jaded older man with that hardened and intense stareà Rin felt she saw a silhouette of Archer sitting broodingly like Kiritsugu and overlapping with the older manÆs image.

She then looked over at Shirou, who was also hunched over the map and studying it intensely with Kiritsugu. The way the two men stood together now, Rin feltà

ôSo this is where Einzbern Castle is,ö Shirou pointed to one of the markers on the map. ôAnd you will use it as headquarters because you are the representative for the Einzbern.ö

Kiritsugu nodded, without a hint that he wasnÆt taking Shirou completely seriously. He added after a moment, ôThat is correct. Its defenses will be sufficient for the duration of this War.ö

ôBecause it has a big forest,ö Shirou nodded.

ôIà yes, because its surroundings are protected,ö Kiritsugu replied.

Shirou added, ôAnd people can get lost in the forest because itÆs really big.ö

ôàThat too,ö Kiritsugu acknowledged.

Rin shook her head. Shirou and Archer were just too different to beà She quickly told herself that she was just over thinking things and moved on to help with the strategy planning. Yeah, that must be it; sheÆs analyzing this too much.

ôSince our resources have been diversified from one Servant to three,ö Kiritsugu muttered, ôWe can draw out and the opponents with multiple decoys. Each Servant will be assigned to one of us, Iri, and that should allow us to trap multiple opponents at the same time. Sinceùö

ôàWhat?ö Rin snapped out of her little daydream about Archer and Shirou and smirked at Kiritsugu in a way that made her feel a little like her mentor. She asked, ôAre you suggesting that all of us reveal ourselves?ö

ôThat wouldnÆt be prudent,ö Kiritsugu allowed, ôKing Arthur should be kept in reserve. Butàö

ôNo, no, your original plan looked fine,ö Rin interjected. She crossed her arms above her chest in a lecturing pose, ôIf we try to run rings around the other Masters, weÆll be hurting ourselves more. When all the Servants have been summoned, the rest of the Masters will know that we have this trump card. According to you, at the very least the Tohsaka and Matou can figure out that only the Einzbern could pull this trick.ö

Irisviel smiled up at Kiritsugu encouragingly as he pondered upon this. After a moment, the older man slowly nodded, ôwe have little time, so a drastic change to the plan would be detrimental to our goals.ö

ôThe best laid plans of mice and men, and all that,ö Rin nodded elegantly while tossing her hair back again. She added, ôAnd whatÆs this about the Grand Hyatt? YouÆre going to blow it up?ö

ôOnly after the evacuations for the bystanders have been done,ö Kiritsugu said with measured words.

ôReally?ö Rin asked lazily, ôWhatÆs to stop them from escaping with the bystander and making it all a waste of time to set up? This sounds like an awfully na´ve way of thinkingà why, that sounds like someone whoÆs lifeÆs goals are to be a superhero and to save the world.ö

Kiritsugu didnÆt say anything in return, but Rin noticed a twitch of his jaws as if he bit down for a second. She also noticed the corners of IrisvielÆs lips twitch upwards for a second before she schooled her expression too.

So Rin continued, running her fingers through her hair dramatically, ôNo. Wait, youÆre serious. YouÆre going through all this trouble, to fight and kill all these people, to make a wish so vague and pointless when you could get anything else up to the Third Magic? Talk about lazy!ö

Rin knew Shirou well enough by now, after living with him for the past few years. So before he even opened his mouth, she kicked his shin under the table. The look on his face was mirrored by Kiritsugu, strangely enough.

ôYou could get anything else in the world, like enough power to actually save it yourself, whatever that means,ö Rin added quickly, sounding more like a Disney villain by the second. But at least she didnÆt sound like Kotomine yet. ôBut you want an artifact to solve these problems for you instead, relying on the Grail to solve your problems when you are too tired to do it yourself. And whatÆs to say that this doesnÆt become a MonkeyÆs Paw wish and the Grail misinterprets your wish? It could do anything from brainwashing the world to killing everyone who has a violent thought.ö

In all honesty, Rin didnÆt want Kiritsugu to make a wish at all, what with the corruption of the Grail and all, but she doubted he would believe her at this stage. She found a part of herself, which connected better with her former mentor, almost enjoying the various expressions that she imagined Kiritsugu to have if he didnÆt have so much control over himself.

Feeling satisfied with her work, she stood up and concluded, ôJust have Shirou go accompany Irisviel around. Saber is our trump card and IÆm not much for fighting in the frontline.ö With that, she dragged a disoriented Shirou and a depressed Saber out of the room. She peeked in after a second and added, ôNow let me have my private time!ö

After a moment, Irisviel piped up cheerfully, ôHey, Kiritsugu! ItÆs a blond, a brunette and a red head. This is what they call a ætrifectaÆ, right?ö

ôNow is not the best time, Iri,ö Kiritsugu sighed.
 
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