But Senpai was now a Servant. He was stronger than human Senpai.
But even Servants wouldn't be able to beat Grandfather.
But Senpai said that Grandfather had died. Without coming back even.
Could Senpai kill him? Was Senpai made a hero for saving her in the future?
No, Sakura scolded her brief flare of hope. You aren't that important. No one would become a hero for saving you. They would be a villain.
Like Medusa, treacherous hope whispered back. She is a villain in Greek myths yet she is your Servant.
Paralyzed by her internal debate, Sakura stumbled as she almost fell down the first step on the front porch.
"Sorry," Medusa apologized.
Sakura glanced over her shoulder.
Senpai and Gilgamesh were almost to the door.
"Now, we can kick down the door," Servant Senpai said with a hint of eagerness.
Sakura hadn't known that Senpai wanted to kick down doors.
Oh, now her lewder dreams would include Senpai kicking down her door before proclaiming his love for her and taking her.
On second thought, it sounded kind of exciting. Must be Senpai's charm.
The blond boy sighed.
"We shouldn't do that to the entrance of a magus's workshop," he condescendingly explained as dozens of golden circles appeared in the air above him.
Then streaks of light flew to the door and a resounding boom shook through the air.
"Spoilsport," Shirou grumbled.
"That's you!" Gilgamesh promptly retorted as he spun around to face Shirou. "You didn't let me kick down the door when we could!"
"Wait outside. It'll be safer there," Lancer briefly said with one final shove towards the gate before turning around and sprinting inside as the two Archers argued about the proper time and situation to kick down a door.
Sakura turned to look one last time.
Senpai and the other Servant were already disappearing down into the staircase. Medusa Lily was right behind Shirou and in the tiny expressions that Sakura was still learning to read, she looked like she was looking forward to this.
The three Servants did sound like a marching band of explosives as things cracked, whistled through the air, and the walls shook as thuds resounded and buzzing was drowned out.
Sakura glanced over her shoulder one last time as the din started. Just in time to see Medusa's Lily pretty purple hair disappear down the stairs.
It is now too late.
Sakura couldn't stop Senpai now.
Sakura stood there on the cobblestones for a moment, contemplating if she should go down there. If she should stop Senpai for his own safety.
But she knew she wasn't brave enough.
Sakura didn't have the courage.
So once again, Sakura gave in and did the easy thing.
She walked forward, towards the gate to the Matou property.
The short driveway seemed to take forever to cross, as her mind buzzed with worried thoughts running in circles like a maze full of rats.
Will Senpai be alright? Will he die? Would even three Heroic Spirits be able to win against Grandfather?
Did she even deserve to worry about them? She had let them go down. She hadn't tried to stop them.
She hadn't even been able to even say the words.
But Senpai was now a hero. He was going to defeat Grandfather.
And Sakura wanted to believe in Shirou. Really, she did. Her heart was clenched tightly in a desire for hope. But he was going against Zouken.
Even though that Shirou was a Servant and would be stronger than a normal human, that wouldn't be enough.
Zouken wasn't able to die. He had survived four Grail Wars and had helped make the Grail. He was the one who suggested creating Servant Containers for the Heroic Spirits and knew Command Seals better than anyone.
Also, Grandfather had never feared Servants, even during the last Grail War. He had even helped Uncle Kariya summon a Servant despite Kariya's hatred for Grandfather.
As Sakura unlatched the gate, opening it, she worried, her thoughts twisting into circles and her emotions into knots. Her heart seemed to pound in her eardrums with fear.
Which was why, Sakura really didn't notice the house explode behind her.
A few milliseconds afterward though, she did notice the flash of light and the shutter sound of a camera going off right in front of her.
Sakura was brought back to earth, nearly leaping out of her skin, before blinking in startlement at the young elementary school boy who was looking at her in complete awe, slowly lowering the camera held up in front of his face.
"How did you do that?" he asked in amazement. "That was just—PERFECT!"
"Um," Sakura said, wondering what he was talking about.
"I mean, I was just looking for a photo to enter into an art contest for real-life moments and I was walking through this street, and then you came out of your home and then the house EXPLODED into a massive fireball!" the young boy rambled on excitedly, waving his digital camera around in one hand as the other gesticulated everywhere. "I couldn't have done better if I tried! Oh! I almost forgot, Mom said that I should ask if I have your permission to use any shot. Can I, pleeeease?"
The boy put on his best winsome smile that showed that one of his baby teeth had fallen out.
It didn't compare to Senpai's smile or the smile of the Servant he brought with him but it was still a cute smile.
"Um, sure?" Sakura said uncertainly as she turned around to see a cloud of smoke rising high into the sky from her home for the last decade.
Her mind and heart seemed to have frozen in shock. The world should have too.
She means, her home just blew up. With Senpai and Grandfather fighting inside the basement.
"YES! Thank you!" The boy jumped into the air, triumphantly posing with both arms up. "Oh wait, you need the fire department! I'll go call it!"
The boy took off running down the street, camera and strap bouncing around his neck.
He stopped at the street corner and turned around to yell, "Thank you miss who I've never met before!"
"No problem?" Sakura hesitantly said as she stared after him.
The sound of some cracking came from behind her and Sakura turned around just in time to see a wing of the house collapse in on itself expelling a cloud of dust.
Her heart and mind went off of automatic stillness as she regained expression.
"Senpai," she whispered as she thought of him, beneath the stairs, trapped in the pit, house crumbling down around him.
He needed her. She needed to help him.
Sakura stepped forward, back towards the house.
A gunshot, no, greater than a gunshot, cracked through the air as a few long swords flew up, chewing through the wooden rubble and shingles as if they weren't even there.
The battle was still on-going.
Sakura stared, her lungs breathing again.
Senpai was still alive. He wasn't giving up.
Sakura got to watch, almost as in slow-motion as another wing of the house crumbled.
It was weird, seeing something that was older than everyone but grandfather buckle and slide under its own weight.
Then it was toppling over, parts coming free from each into sheets that broke apart as bit by bit, they hit the ground in a continuous cascade of destruction and noise.
Sakura froze mid-step before backing up across the street.
And decided that maybe she should wait out here on the sidewalk of the street.
It wasn't far from the house but it was hopefully safer than here.
But what about Senpai?
Sakura's mind suddenly kicked back into gear and realized that the stairs down to the basement were already collapsed. She couldn't get to the stairs anyway.
She couldn't help Senpai. Medusa Lily and the blond Servant too, she supposed.
So she should be selfish and think of herself.
She didn't want to die.
Also, they had told her to wait out here.
She might as well be the maiden out here praying for the safe return of the heroes. That was what maidens in fairy tales were supposed to do, right?
But leaving aside her worthiness as a maiden in a story, who would even accept a prayer from her of all people?
The gods had long left mankind after all.
And none of them would even consider a prayer from her as worthy of anything but striking down the monster that tried to contaminate them with her dirty wishes.
And then the worms inside of her clutched up, causing an involuntary whimper of pain to break through her lips as like a strong wave, pressure dropped into her mind and onto her soul.
But this was stronger, much stronger, than usual. It felt like an actual attack instead of 'training'. Also, Grandfather didn't attack like this. He usually didn't involve his 'training' of her into the daytime or if she was out in the public at all.
Sakura immediately set herself into the attitude and state of existence she hid herself in when in training. It helped a bit. But she still felt like her heart was being crushed, like a boulder was sitting on her crush and some giant was pushing down on it.
Was this another lesson? But for what?
She knew that Grandfather controlled her. She knew couldn't beat Grandfather. She knew that she couldn't escape him.
The only thing she could be proud of was that Grandfather couldn't break her.
And it was one thing that she loathed. How much easier would it have been if she just, gave in? If she just let herself die and become nothing more than a puppet?
But she wouldn't. She refused to from the very core of her spirit.
Even a dirty spirit, poisoned and defiled to every extremity, would struggle against its death.
Master, a thought came through her Master-Servant link to Lancer Lily.