I stood there, tiny arms refusing to let me go as I rubbed slow, gentle circles on Illya's back. I wasn't sure how long we'd spent like this, but she'd finally calmed down, and that was all that mattered. The awkward silence didn't bother me, and neither did the wet spot staining the front of my shirt.
I was her big brother. I was here to protect and comfort her. She could stay like this as much as she wanted—
Illya pulled away from the hug, an indecipherable flicker of emotion crossing her eyes. A heartbeat later, she cleared her throat, chin raised and back straight, her calm and collected mask sliding back into place as if she hadn't spent the last few minutes crying into my shirt.
Cute. She could act tough all she wanted, but she'd always be my little sis—
A sudden shimmer in the air had me tensing, an icy jolt shooting through my veins as that angry mountain of muscles appeared behind Illya, his slab of stone in hand. Fighting against the urge to take a step back, I stood there, eyes lingering on the Nine Lives as my mind began dissecting the legend on its own.
"Don't worry, we're done fighting," Illya said, a playful lilt to her voice as she gave me a small, cheeky smile. "For now."
Heracles lowered his weapon with a low, menacing growl, exhaling a harsh puff of air like an enraged bull, before returning to astral form.
Not letting myself intimidated, I stood my ground, back straight, only to instinctively tense again as another blur of motion entered the corner of my vision. Saber appeared at my side in a rush of displaced air, her hidden weapon held in both hands, tip aimed towards Illya and the lurking Berserker.
"We're done fighting, Saber," I said, the tension bleeding out of my shoulders, though Artoria didn't budge from her battle-ready stance. Her brow furrowed with the ghost of a frown as her gaze lingered on my front.
"Shirou, you're injured," she said, voice sharp and crisp, and I glanced down at the patched hole in my gut, Avalon's tiny threads of light weaving around the interlocked swords, slowly mending the flesh.
I'd honestly forgotten about this during my tender moment with Illya, the pain in my stomach long turning into a dull, mostly annoying throbbing. It was nothing compared to what Illya had endured all these years.
"I'm fine. It's already healing." I gave the side of my stomach a light pat, holding back a wince as I gave Artoria a reassuring smile. "We just had a little misunderstanding."
That drew another strange look from Illya, though she stayed quiet, simply watching. Saber's frown had deepened, but thankfully, she didn't leap back into the fight. After another tense moment, her stance loosened, and she reluctantly lowered her weapon, though without dismissing it as she kept eyeing Illya warily.
A quiet sigh escaped me. So stubborn…
Taking a moment to gather my thoughts, I shifted my attention back to my sister, lips pursed. I had so much to tell her, I wasn't even sure where to begin. "Illya, we need to talk. There's a lot of stuff I need to tell you—
"Slow down, onii-chan. You gave me a lot to think about," she suddenly spoke up, our eyes briefly meeting as a complicated look flitted across her face. "We'll talk later."
And with that, she turned around, slowly walking away.
For a moment, I just stood there, blinking in surprise. I wanted nothing more than to sit down and tell her everything about this messed up Grail War, but…
This morning must've been a lot for her.
"Okay." I nodded. I could wait a little longer. "Should I come back later, or…?"
I called out after her, the question hanging in the air, but she only spared a brief look at the banner sticking out of the ground as she passed by, her small legs slowly taking her back to the old castle in the distance.
"I'll find you even if you don't."
Illya's soft voice reached my ears as a gust of wind blew through the clearing, sending a chill down my back and spreading goosebumps over my skin. I only blinked for an instant, and when I looked again, she was already gone.
I stared at the empty spot, my shoulders drooping with a sigh. This went worse than I expected…
__________________________________________
Her gaze lingered on the Einzbern castle for another moment, a gust of wind tousling her hair as her shoulders relaxed slightly. Dismissing her weapon, she looked at her reckless Master, a frown twitching on her lips.
He stood there quietly amidst the empty clearing, staring unseeingly at the forest, his clothes bloodstained and torn, as though he'd just finished waltzing through field of blades.
"That was reckless, Shirou."
A quiet breath escaped the boy, shoulders drooping as his eyes flickered towards her, firm like freshly cast iron. "I had to. She's family."
Her mouth tightened, that last word striking a loud note in her mind. Family…
A memory stirred unbidden. Golden hair, a bloodstained face–a painful mirror of her own—and sharp, green eyes wide in disbelief. She banished it away, ignoring the dull, distant pang stabbing at her chest. One of her many mistakes that she had to right.
Clearing her mind of distracting thoughts, she approached Shirou, her gaze lingering on that deep, grisly wound on his stomach. It kept healing steadily, countless, tiny threads of light weaving through the flesh and stitching it together like the masterful hands of a seamstress.
"You have a potent healing ability, but you shouldn't let that turn into arrogance. You could have died."
She expected him to argue further, but he simply nodded.
"I know."
So, he was aware, at least. Good.
"But I couldn't think of anything better."
"Understandable. But in the future, I'd like for you to consult me before making such hasty plans. Fortune may favor the bold, but fate is a fickle mistress."
She'd seen it firsthand one too many times.
"I will," he said, that stubborn flicker returning in his eyes. "But I'll do it again if I have to."
She blinked, the conviction in his words giving her pause.
"A person you've just met for the first time?" Even if she was family to him, they were still strangers to one another.
"It doesn't matter. I knew about her. I couldn't just sit by without doing something to help."
The words hung in the air, a strange weight to them as he looked her in the eye. She met his gaze with equal intensity, a tense quiet filling the pause between them as they stood there, neither of them willing to back down.
Artoria exhaled quietly, the tension in the air unraveling like a ball of yarn. "I see."
Her Master was strange. But he had a good reason for it, did he not?
"Are you good to move yet, Shirou?" she spoke after a while, her gaze drifting back to that wound. It had healed enough that she couldn't tell how deep it was anymore. Quite the impressive magic, perhaps as potent as her lost sheath.
"Yeah," he said with a reassuring smile. "Don't worry about me. I don't have to stay still for Avalon to work its magic."
She paused, her brows rising a fraction. "Avalon?"
For a moment, Shirou looked at her in confusion, as if only now catching up with his own words, his mouth slightly agape.
"I was meaning to tell you, but that's how Kiritsugu saved me from that fire. I don't know why he left it inside me, but I only noticed it last night when I summoned you."
So that's what happened to her scabbard…
"I see. Thank you for telling me, Shirou."
Shirou averted his gaze, shifting his weight from one foot to the other, a flicker of hesitation ghosting over his face.
"Do you want it back?" he said, a hint of reluctance in his words.
Understandable. No Master would easily part with such a powerful relic.
"I don't mind if it stays in your possession for now," she said plainly. "I can tell that you're reluctant to part with it." And reckless enough that he might need it more than her.
"Ah, that's, well…" He smiled sheepishly, briefly looking away in embarrassment. "I really like it. It's a wonderful sheath. I'll give it back if you want, but I'll miss having it with me."
A beat of silence passed as the words fully sank in, Artoria's eyes widening a fraction.
Ah. She had misjudged him. It wasn't pragmatism or greed; he simply felt fond of her scabbard.
He did say how he was a sword, and a sword needed a sheath. Perhaps literally in this case.
Artoria nodded to herself. Yes, it made perfect sense.
"I guess that sounded weird…" Shirou spoke after a moment, rubbing the back of his head.
"It's not strange at all." She'd met a fair share of peculiar people, and her Master was not that odd. "You like swords." Same as every boy back in her time. "I understand."
Shirou looked like he wanted to say something, but stayed quiet, his gaze drifting to a spot in the distance, a frown creasing his brow. Suddenly, his eyes widened, a heavy sigh escaping him as he shook his head with a wry smile.
"I'm an idiot."
Artoria blinked, eyeing the boy for a long, quiet moment. "I don't believe you've done anything to warrant such harsh words upon yourself."
"I can trace it."
"Trace it?" Artoria's brow furrowed slightly as she looked questioningly at Shirou, but her Master said nothing else, quietly closing his eyes in focus. Then, with a soft exhale, his magic circuits flared to life, surging with mana, and she watched curiously as he reached out at the air, as if grasping something.
And then, in a flash of light, a golden sheath took shape above his palms, just floating there for a moment, before falling into his awaiting hands.
Artoria blinked in disbelief as she stared at her once lost scabbard. Avalon—
No. A projection. A copy of Avalon that she could not tell apart from the original, no matter how hard she stared. Had she not watched him closely when he 'traced' it, she wouldn't have been able to even tell. It felt the same as she remembered.
Avalon…
She reached with a hand, slowly tracing the fairy letters etched into the gold with her fingers. Her Everdistant Utopia, an absolute, inviolable sanctuary that prevented her from spilling even the smallest drop of blood.
How was this possible?
"I guess that solves the problem?" Shirou broke the silence, a small, silly grin on his face as though he hadn't just done something unthinkable.
This boy…
"You can copy Avalon," she spoke after a moment, reluctantly tearing her gaze away from the golden sheath.
"Yeah."
Her eyes narrowed a fraction. "You said that it would be impossible for you to replicate such esoteric constructs."
Shirou paused at the reminder, scratching his cheek with a finger as a sheepish smile came to his face. "Yeah, but I've had it inside me for years. I guess that makes it an exception to the rule. Somehow."
He gave an uncertain shrug, holding the copied Avalon awkwardly in his hands.
Somehow, indeed. Artoria studied her Master for a moment longer, exhaling softly as the seed of doubt vanished from her mind. This was beyond strange. But then again, she hadn't seen anyone mired so deeply in their Origin like her Master. The intricacies of Origin Awakening escaped her.
"I see," she said, her gaze drifting towards the horizon.
"You don't want it back?" Shirou's voice reached her ears after a moment, tinged with confusion. "You'd be invincible if you had it in a fight."
"Keep it for now," she said, the corner of her lips quirking with a flicker of mirth. "I'll ask for it when I'll need it."
Shirou might be a little peculiar, but he was a good person at heart.
"Alright. Thanks, Saber."
"You're welcome, Shirou." With that ghost of a smile still on her lips, she walked past her Master, her gaze searching through the thick forest ahead. "Now, let's go. We shouldn't linger in enemy territory."
She only took a few steps before a tired sigh came from behind. "She's not an enemy."
She kept walking, the words hanging in the air.
A little too trusting, though.
"Perhaps," she said after a moment. "But she's still a Master in this war, and only one person may obtain the Grail."
Betrayal could come at any time. She had to remain vigilant.
__________________________________________
I stood behind the kitchen counter, dicing some fresh vegetables while keeping an eye on the boiling pot on the stove. Even with a quick stop for groceries, we still made it back home way earlier than I'd expected.
That whole affair with Illya didn't even take two hours.
As I finished with the chopping, my gaze wandered to the middle of the room, a smile twitching on my lips. Saber was sitting prim and proper at the dining table, enjoying a foot-long sandwich.
Even with lunch still a couple hours away, I wasn't going to deny the hungry lion king her prey. I had no idea where she put all that food, but Servant physiology was weird enough that I wouldn't beat my mind over it.
I covered a yawn, my eyes drifting to the clock. Now that I didn't have to worry about school for the day, I had plenty of time to—
My eyes went wide as a sudden thought lanced through my head, followed by images of a future that sent a chill up my spine.
Fuck.
That basta—Shinji could turn the whole school into slurry on a whim. I wasn't sure if the bounded field was already there, or if he needed more time to finish setting it up, but I had to do something about it now. I couldn't gamble on it with people's lives.
And Rider, too…
Crippled as she was under Shinji, she had no choice but to follow his orders, and that prick was making her feed on human souls just so he could stand a chance in the war.
A muscle jumped in my jaw, my hands clenching at my side.
Rider deserved better. She only cared about Sakura's happiness, but she deserved her own happiness, too. I'd find a way to save her, even if it got me nailed to a tree.
My gaze drifted absentmindedly around the jars and kitchen utensils laid out on the countertop as thoughts swirled inside my head like a whirlpool. I had to sit down and write all this stuff down on a paper. There were so many problems, but so little time…
Shinji. Zōken. Kotomine. Mede—
Crap. Kuzuki was a Master, too…
A tired sigh escaped me as I propped my elbows on the counter. Why did this have to be so complicated?
Maybe if I got those two alone and just popped UBW—no, that'd be stupid. I'd end up dragging the whole school in there if I did that. And Rin would get so mad, she might do something crazy like shooting me with a Gandr on sight—
Another memory flashed to mind, of Rin doing exactly that.
Jesus, that girl had absolutely no chill sometimes. How was I even going to deal with her—
"Thank you for the meal, Shirou."
My eyes shifted to the table as Saber's measured voice pulled me out of my thoughts, no trace left of that monster sandwich in her hands.
Thank god Kiritsugu was loaded. Our food expenses were going to skyrocket once the Grail War ended.
"You're welcome, Saber," I told her as I straightened myself, quickly checking on the stew. A relieved sigh escaped me as I looked inside the pot, giving it a couple stirs. I'd almost got the food burned… that would've been a first.
"So then, what is our next move?"
I looked back at Saber, lips pursed as I took a moment to steel my resolve. Berserker? Pfft. Convincing Saber was the real battle.
"I have to go to school."
"I see." She nodded, rising to her feet with the grace and poise of a king. "Then I shall go with you." Her eyes briefly flickered to her shirt before she sought my gaze. "These clothes should suffice, yes?"
A sigh escaped me as I shook my head.
"You can't come with me to school." Might as well put a sign on my back with the word 'Master' in bold letters. "We should avoid attracting attention for now. I doubt that anyone would try anything in broad daylight. All Masters must keep magecraft a secret. It's part of the rules."
Saber eyed me for a moment, the ghost of a frown touching her face. "I'm well aware, Shirou. But there is always a possibility, however small. It wouldn't be safe to allow you to walk outside on your own."
I pressed my lips into a thin line, holding back a groan. "I'm not exactly helpless, and I can summon you with a command seal if an enemy Servant shows up."
"Assuming that you can react in time."
Oh, come on.
"Look, Saber…" I said, leveling her with a long, tired look. "I'm only staying there for an hour or two. I just have to check something. And normally, Rin is also at school, and I don't doubt she has Archer with her. He'd keep an eye out for any enemies and warn us in time."
I expected that to finally convince her, but Artoria's frown only deepened.
"That's more the reason to not let you walk alone," she said, a steely note in her tone. "From what I've glimpsed last night, that man harbors you some amount of ill will."
Jesus…
Screw Archer. He wasn't going to try anything yet.
A quiet sigh escaped me as I fixed the stubborn girl with a steady look. I wasn't backing down from this. "Saber, I appreciate the concern, but it takes time to find an excuse for you to come with me to school. I can't get it done today, so you'll have to stay here. I'll use a command seal to summon you if I must. And if anything happens, I'll figure a way to bring you with me, or I'll stop going to school for the rest of the grail war."
Saber went quiet, a thoughtful look creasing her brow.
"That's a good compromise, right?"
She mulled it over for another moment, then gave a curt nod, her mouth tight. "Very well, Shirou."
A grateful smile came to my face. Finally.
I'd probably lost some brownie points with her, but it was better than having to come up with a random excuse for the faculty and risk tipping Kuzuki off.
__________________________________________
The moment I walked inside the schoolyard, a chill ran up my spine and that vaguely sweet scent hit me like a physical force. It lingered in the air no matter where I stood, like an unpleasant reminder of what failure would bring.
I had no idea how to deal with those sigils but, if all else failed, stabbing them with a sword should do something. For now, I only had to delay that bounded field until I—
"Yo, Emiya. Came to fix more heaters?" A familiar, obnoxious voice suddenly reached my ears.
I turned around on reflex, seaweed hair and an oily smirk entering my vision, and for a moment I saw red. This arrogant piece of human garbage made Sakura's hellish life even worse. To think I used to call him a friend—
"What's with that look? Stayed up late last night to clean the whole archery dojo?" he spoke again, that insufferable smirk widening ever so slightly. "Remember, you offered, so no complaining."
I breathed in slowly, ignoring the urge to skewer Shinji on a particularly blunt sword. He might've had his reasons, but he willingly chose to abuse Sakura just to feel better about himself.
"Yeah. I had some free time and figured I could help around like usual," I shrugged, smiling thinly as I looked the smug bastard in the eye. We had a brief staring contest before Shinji shook his head in his typical, condescending way.
"And here I thought that you finally stopped being boring."
I kept smiling, despite the muscle jumping in my jaw. I couldn't wait to meet this guy outside at night.
"Nope, not today." I shook my head, mouth quirking wryly. "Sorry to disappoint you, Shinji."
Predictably, he lost interest after a few more seconds and simply walked past me with a short, dismissive scoff. "Whatever," he said while heading towards the archery dojo.
I pushed down the sudden urge to run after him, my gaze lingering on his back as the little shit rounded a corner. Part of me wanted nothing more than to clock him in the mug for every time he'd tormented Sakura, but…
I looked away, jaw tight as I pushed a heavy breath through my nose.
I shouldn't make a scene at school. I could give Shinji a piece of my mind later.
I could beat him up like a piñata, but that would do more harm than good right now. Shinji was a coward, but he was petty and spiteful to the core. I'd rather confront him somewhere he couldn't hurt everyone around him on a whim.
For now, I just had to do something about that bounded field…
__________________________________________
Rin couldn't keep the frown off her face as she climbed the flight of stairs to the third floor. Of all the things she could be doing today, she had to play hide and seek with a bounded field…
A tired sigh escaped her as she reached the hallway. She hoped it wouldn't take much longer to smoke out this cowardly Master. Scouring the whole goddamn school every single day to erase these sigils was becoming annoying—
She stopped abruptly as she rounded the corner, nearly bumping into someone, her eyes flying wide in recognition. A beat of silence passed as her latest headache, in the form of Emiya Shirou, stood in front of her, an equally surprised look on his face.
"What are you doing here, Emiya?"
Did he have some club activity?
"Oh, great timing, Tōsaka!" the idiot exclaimed, ignoring her question as a silly smile lit up his face. "This makes things so much easier."
She found herself averting her gaze for a moment. What was that supposed to mean, and why was he acting like this just from seeing her?
"There's something weird around the school. Do you know what's going on?"
What?
Mind screeching to a halt, she took a quick glance around the hallway before pinning Emiya with a glare, her eyes narrowing slightly. "What do you mean by 'weird'?"
He'd noticed the bounded field, too? Was that why he came to school?
Emya's gaze flickered to the window, a thoughtful frown on his face. She followed his gaze to the courtyard below but nothing out of the ordinary caught her eye.
"I don't know how to explain in magecraft terms, but I've been feeling something odd ever since I walked inside the school, and that strange feeling got stronger as I passed by certain places."
Ah. So that's what it was. "You sensed magical energy."
So, he'd noticed something, too. Maybe she hadn't given him enough credit. He was a novice, but not a complete idiot.
But who could've set this bounded field up…?
Shinji was a failure, and Sakura was too nice to do something like that.
If there was another magus at school, it had to be an expert at concealing themselves, or another case of Emiya Shirou.
Unless it was someone completely unrelated, who just picked an easy target…
"I don't know. Maybe?" Emiya shrugged, setting off a brief spark of annoyance in her chest.
Maybe? How did one 'maybe' sense magical energy? Was this idiot just messing with her—no, Emiya was too nice for that. He wouldn't have brought that up just to test her patience.
A soft, tired sigh escaped her as she gave Emiya a dry look, but he didn't say anything else. He just kept staring at her like an idio—like a lost puppy, waiting for his turn to play twenty questions.
Not on purpose, at least.
Ugh. What did she do to deserve this?
Arms crossed, she tilted her head slightly to the side, arching an eyebrow. "So, you've sensed the bounded field around the school?"
That finally got the slowpoke back on track, an awkward look coming to his face as he stopped spacing out.
"Yeah, I came here to try and do something about it."
The corner of her lips twitched with a brief smirk. Knew it.
"A little late on that, Emiya. I've already taken care of most of them."
Hopefully. They never reappeared in the same place, so she still had two more floors left to sweep.
Emiya blinked in surprise, a beat of silence stretching between them before a teasing smile settled on his lips. "I guess there's nothing to worry about with you here."
A flash of heat warmed her face.
What the hell was this idiot saying all of a sudden?
She quickly pushed that flicker of embarrassment aside and rested her hands on her hips. "Anyway, from what you said, I assume you can tell the vague location of those magical anchors?"
"Yeah. The whole school smells like something sweet, but I can tell when I'm close to one of those marks."
Oh? So, it was smell based? Interesting.
"Alright. Lead the way," she said, tapping a finger on her hip as she waited for him to get moving.
Nodding, he looked at something behind her, briefly pointing with a finger. "There's one in the classroom over there." He wasted no time following the scent, a steely look in his eyes.
Her gaze lingered on his broad shoulders as he walked past her. He might be an idiot, but he was pretty dependable…
That heat from before suddenly returned to her face.
She banished that thought away and quickly followed him to that classroom, her eyes briefly flickering towards the ceiling.
With Archer and Saber, they should be fine, no matter which enemy Servant decided to show up.
__________________________________________
I shifted my weight form one foot to another, taking another quick glance around the still empty rooftop before looking back at Rin as she worked her magic on the creepy-looking sigil.
It must've been my imagination or a trick of the light earlier, but I could've sworn I saw a flash of something in one of the trees outside. Maybe Rin could help me unlock my passive sixth sense for magic—
"Done." Her voice broke the silence as she rose to her feet, a smug smile twitching on her lips.
"Nice work, Tōsaka." I smiled back, giving her a thumbs-up. I knew I could count on her.
Stumbling across her like this had been a stroke of luck.
Rin gave a quiet 'hmph', flicking her hair to the side in that typical haughty fashion as she preened like a peacock.
"You're a complete novice at sensing magical energy, but you can somehow detect the abnormality in the air," she said, a strange gleam in her eyes. "That could prove useful."
"Thanks?" That was a compliment, right?
Rin shook her head, her expression turning stony as she crossed her arms. "Unfortunately for us, erasing these sigils won't destroy the bounded field, only delay its activation," she said, tone sober. "I doubt we have more than a few days to find the one responsible before it triggers."
I nodded along, lips pursed. Having all this knowledge about a supposed future made this whole thing weird. "Could it be Shinji?"
Rin gave a quiet scoff, a flicker of amusement crossing her lips. "So, you know some history. Is that why you got close to Sakura?"
I shook my head before my brain even fully caught up with her words. I wouldn't take advantage of Sakura like that. "No way. I never told her anything about magecraft."
"I see," she said, eyeing me curiously for a moment. "But don't worry about Shinji. He's all bark, no bite. I doubt he'd ever become a Master."
Yeah, about that…
My lips drew a thin line. Rin had no idea about that shitty book, did she?
"I'll talk to her soon, though."
"That might not be wise," Rin said with a shake of her head. "She could be a Master."
I barely held back a scoff. Sakura would never hurt me. She wasn't even the problem to begin with. It was that shitty old worm who pulled the strings.
"We don't know for sure," I said as Rin kept giving me a skeptical look.
"True, but it's possible that she's also unaware. You don't know how she might react."
A quiet sigh escaped me. All this paranoia was getting annoying. Has Rin always been like this, or was it just a magus thing?
"I can handle it." I had to help Sakura. I couldn't turn a blind eye, especially now that I knew.
Rin tilted her head slightly to the side, lifting a dainty brow. "That confident in Saber, huh?"
"It's Sakura. She wouldn't hurt me even if she were a magus," I said, shaking my head while Rin gave a thoughtful hum, an inscrutable flicker of emotion crossing her eyes.
"And if it turns out she's the Matō Master? You might find yourself in a situation with little to no options."
What?
I stared at Rin, brows furrowing. "What's that supposed to mean?"
"Do I have to spell it out for you?" Rin said, a tinge of heat seeping in her tone. "What would you do if another Master suddenly had you cornered?"
I blinked owlishly at her odd choice of words. So that's what this was about, huh?
"I want to end this war with as little bloodshed as I can."
There might be people I couldn't save, but I'd still try my best. That's what a true Ally of Justice would do.
"That's naïve and idealistic, Emiya," Rin spoke after a moment, eyeing me in something akin to pity. "The easiest way to deal with a Servant is to kill their Master."
A sour feeling twisted in my stomach. "I know…" My shoulders drooped with a heavy sigh. "I know there's people I'll have to fight…" And people who'd stand in my way no matter what… "But I've already decided how I'm going to fight in this war, and I'm not changing my mind just because it would make things easier."
The words hung in the air, a tense silence filling the space between us. Rin's gaze had narrowed, her posture rigid even though she'd uncrossed her arms.
"If that's what you want," she spoke after a moment, her mouth drawn in a tight, fake smile. "Just make sure you won't regret it later."
"I won't."
I have no regrets. This is the only path.
The thought comforted me like a warm blanket as I briefly closed my eyes, a familiar sight surfacing to mind.
A cloudless sky reflected on a vast expanse of glass, with countless blades rising from the ground like stalwart sentinels.
A tiny smile came to my face as I opened my eyes.
I was thinking too hard about this. If a problem came my way, all I had to do was cut it down. If someone needed help, all I had to do was cut down the threat. If an enemy decided to stand in my way, all I had to do was cut apart their will to fight. And if that didn't work…
I would cut them down.
"You're an odd one, Emiya," Rin spoke again, looking at me strangely.
Oh, she was still here.
"Thanks?" I flashed her a tentative smile, getting a tired shake of the head in return.
"That wasn't exactly a compliment."
Huh…
"So," Rin said, a more genuine smile on her lips. "If you're so confident, I take it you have an answer to my offer. Between the two of us, my Archer, and your Saber, we'd have nothing to worry about in this Grail War."
As she spoke, a vivid image of a blond arrogant prick surfaced to mind, and I did my best not to grimace.
We had a lot of things to worry about in this Grail War.
"We only know half of the Servants. And there's Berserker. He'd be hard to beat even with Archer." More so if he attacked us first and went all out straight off the bat.
"Berserker?" Rin said, her eyebrows rising a fraction. "When did you even encounter Berserker—
Suddenly, she paused, her gaze narrowing. "Is that why Archer saw you rush out with Saber this morning?"
She'd had Archer spy on me?
"What exactly have you been up to, Emiya?"
Crap.
I shifted my weight to the other foot, a bead of cold sweat rolling down my neck while Rin's pointed glare bored into my face with quiet intensity.
"I saw Berserker's Master this morning, and I think I've convinced her not to fight us anymore."
Or so I hoped. That girl could be more unpredictable than Rin.
"You think?"
I nodded, rubbing the back of my head sheepishly while Rin stared at me in disbelief. "Yeah, well, it's complicated—
"And who is Berserker's Master?" she spoke over me, eyes narrowing.
"Illya, erm, Illyasviel von Einzbern."
As soon as the name left my mouth, Rin went eerily quiet, her expression an unreadable mask. My shirt clung unpleasantly to my back as I stood there awkwardly under her glare.
"You went into the Einzbern territory by yourself? Are you insane?"
"I had to." Nobody else would help her. "She's in a bad situation and needs help."
She'd die if I did nothing.
"Really?" Rin spoke, arching an eyebrow. "Shouldn't you worry about yourself before worrying about others?"
A spark of indignation stirred in my chest at her light, almost indifferent tone. What did she even know?
I could worry about both.
"It's not that easy."
My frown deepened as Rin only scoffed in return. "Then make it."
"She's my sister," I said, looking Rin in the eye. "I don't want to fight her."
I took a small amount of satisfaction at the sudden flicker of surprise that flitted over Rin's face, but then she went oddly quiet, a palpable tension hanging in the air as the silence kept stretching on.
"I see." She abruptly said, her voice frosty as her frown smoothed into a cold, neutral mask. "If you're planning to ally with Einzbern, then the next time we meet, it will be as enemies."
Her twin-tails fluttered as she turned around without another word, taking her leave.
"Tōsaka, wait!" I called after her, but she kept walking away. "Why can't we all have a truce? I don't want to fight either of you!" I spoke, voice rising with emotion, but the only answer I got was the sound of footsteps echoing across the rooftop.
Annoyance briefly warred within me with the urge to chase after Rin, and just when I was about to move, she paused in front of the access door, a beat of tense silence hanging in the air.
"In case you forgot, this is a war. A war that I'm going to win." A creaking noise filled the rooftop as she slowly opened the door without looking back. "You can't sit on the fence forever. If you're not aiming for the Grail, then you should choose a side and do so wisely."
"I want us all to be on the same side!"
Her reply came as a scoff, short and pitying. "That's not how life works, Emiya. The Einzbern will never give up on the Grail."
I opened my mouth, only to pause, uncertain words on my lips. Rin didn't wait for an answer, walking back inside the school without another word, her footsteps quickly fading down the stairs as she vanished from view.
The silence was deafening as I stared at the empty rooftop, frustration twisting sourly inside my chest.
What the hell got into her out of a sudden?
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