Death had been so close to claiming Freed Sellzan, it had practically clawed and scratched at him. Over half of his body was marred by scorch marks and burnt skin. Half of his face was burned, eye having already melted off and leaking down the side of his horribly scarred face. His skin, pale as the blankets of snow he once despised for their purity, was now irritated and red, mixed together with the burning layers of flesh that had fused together. His scalp and hair had merged together, mixing in silver and black and red. What little remained of is hair was burned and singed, making him look as if he had just emerged from a burning building. His garments were also in tatters, reduced to shredded rags that exposed much of his burned skin.
"F-Fuck...!" he wheezed, forced to lean on a brick wall for support as he hid in an alleyway, away from prying eyes. The gun in his hand shook heavily. How he still had the strength to move was anyone's guess. "It hurts… it hurts it hurts it hurts so fucking much! Damn that shitty brat! Damn him and that Saber whore!"
He was in sheer agony. Which was too be expected. No one could survive a partially activated Noble Phantasm like that and escape unscathed. It was a miracle in itself that he survived in the first place. Now the question was… what would he do now? His Servant was killed by that attack and sent back to the Throne of Heroes. He was wounded beyond belief, half blind, and was missing a hand. His only consolation was that he had a single Command Seal left… as if that would do him any good. If he was being honest, he wasn't even entirely sure how the hell he managed to survive that. Maybe God fucked up and saved his ass? Doubtful. Fucker never did anything. Just sat around in heaven and watched shit happen. Whatever the case, he needed to get back. Maybe the boss could fix him up? Give him a second chance? He had to. He just had to. He couldn't die here, dammit! He needed to kill that shitty master and his Servant! More importantly, he wanted that red-haired motherfucker dead at his feet! He couldn't die, knowing that he hadn't made that son of a bitch suffer! He was going to kill him, no matter what it takes! He'd gladly suffer this pain again if it meant he could kill him!
"I-I'll kill him..." Freed gasped, pushing himself off the wall and lumbering forward, stumbling about like a drunk. "I-I'll kill 'em both. That little shit... Namikaze Haru, that-that's his name, right? I'll fucking kill him. He-he's fucking dead. Deader than a slutty corpse! I'll get my hands on him, if-if it's the last thing I'll—!"
"No, you won't."
Suddenly, there was a flash of red. Freed stopped, suddenly feeling as if his body had been thrown into the icy cold ocean. There was an itch in his chest. Strange, considering he couldn't feel anything other than pain. He looked down to find a jeweled blade stuck in his chest, easily the size of a broadsword. He felt something warm dribble from his mouth as he looked over his shoulder to see a woman behind him before she rudely pulled the sword out, leaving behind a hole in his chest. Without the strength to fight back, Freed could do nothing but fall to the ground. Weakly, he tried to get a good look at the woman who attacked him, but his vision was swimming. Couldn't make out a damn thing. Instead, all he could see was the red pool forming beneath him.
Was this… his blood?
"... Hey..." he said quietly, a broken smile on his disfigured face as if he couldn't believe what was happening. "This… a joke? I… I can't die here. Not… not yet... Not until I… kill him. That… red-haired..." His gaze fell upon the exit of the alley. He could make out a figure standing in the light, gazing upon him with an empty expression. The only thing that stuck out were his steely, sharp eyes and his fiery red hair, which had streaks of white.
The mere sight filled his weak heart with anger.
"I..." Weakly and in vain Freed stretched his hand out, glaring at the hallucination in disdain and loathing. "I'll kill you... Do... Do you hear me, you bastard? One day... I'll kill you..." Slowly, his eye began to close in on itself. He was only seconds away from meeting death properly, and with no hope of escape. "I'll kill you... Emiya...!"
Finally, with a worthless vow, Freed Sellzan passed away from this world.
His assailant, Rin Tohsaka stared at the exorcist's corpse with contempt. To the very end, it was a bloodthirsty psychopath. However, his last words sparked interest in her. It would seem that her dear husband and this murderer had crossed paths before. Granted, it was useless to try and pry any information from him. Even if he were alive, she doubted he would disclose anything to her about Shirou.
At the very least, she learned that he seemed to be alive and active recently. Now she had something to tell Illya.
With a swipe, the jeweled sword vanished from her grasp and removed a cell phone from her person. After a moment, the recipient answered. "Hortensia, it's me. I've taken care of Freed. Little bastard survived somehow, but just barely. He looked like he just escaped out of a burning building. Half of his body cooked to a crisp. Seems like Haru's Saber is just as strong, if not more so, than Shirou's. Anyway, I'll put up a Bounded Field so you can pick up his corpse. Since Haru was the one to finish off his Servant, he should receive the remainder of his Command Seals, right?"
It was four days later that Haru woke up, safe and sound in the comfort of his bed, albeit not unharmed. There were a few bandages on him, covering the nasty bruises he had received.
"H-Huh...?" At first, the redhead didn't recognize where he was. He was naturally disoriented and didn't recognize where he was. "Where...?"
"A-Ah! Haru-san!"
He turned his head. Almost immediately, he came back to his senses when he discovered a familiar face sitting next to his bed. "A-Asia...?" he questioned as he rubbed his eyes, removing the sand from them.
"You're awake! Thank the Lord!" She sighed in relief as she immediately went to examine his treated injuries. Normally, Haru would've been ecstatic for a beautiful girl to be touching him like this. But then he remembered that she was a nun and the events of what happened before he lost consciousness numbed that feeling considerably.
"What… what happened?" He asked her, his voice hoarse and dry.
"Is… is Freed...?"
"Dead and gone." Another female voice came to his ears. Over by his desk, where he often worked on his school assignments, Altera stood by with her typical stoic expression. "He managed to survive my Noble Phantasm, if only barely. He didn't last long after sunrise. His Command Seals were also transferred to you, as we were the ones to eliminate his Servant."
"Eh?" Looking down, Haru found that one of the sigils that made up his Command Seal was no longer faded after use. Proof that one of the wings that made up the mark the Grail had given him as per his role in the War was now restored. "Huh. Well, what do you know...?"
"Tohsaka-san also came by to see how you doing!" Asia added, making the boy freeze at the mention of that witch's name. The girl dug around in her robes before pulling out a small white envelope. "She told me to give you this when you woke up."
"The witch did?" Haru questioned. Then he realized it made sense. She was a veteran of the war, and probably learned what he was a part of. He took the envelope in hand, opened it and read its contents.
Haru,
By now, I'm sure you've learned everything from Hortensia and Illya. About what we went through sixty years ago, as well as the situation with your grandfather. When your grandfather vanished, chasing after my sister, we tried everything. However, when it became clear that he didn't want to be found, we more or less gave up hope. If Shirou didn't want to be found just yet, it would be impossible to hear anything about him until something happened.
But… I'm not writing this letter for family reasons. I'm writing this letter to you because now you've seen what the Holy Grail War is like. Granted, back then, we never had to deal with Fallen Angels and Devils, but… this is what will wait for you. As you are now, you'll probably die. That is the reality of the situation.
You have two choices now. You can run away from all this… or you can fight. Hortensia has already told you that you could seek refuge in the church and forfeit your Command Seals. Doing so will sever your contract with Saber and send her to the Throne of Heroes, though you are most likely aware of this already.
But… if for some reason, you want to continue fighting, then you'll have to learn how to become stronger. To be a magus is to walk alongside death.
Golden Week starts next week, if memory serves. If you want to fight, not as a mere schoolboy for whatever wish you wanted granted, but as a magus, then come to the Tohsaka Family Mansion.
Also... You should know that, after what happened, your grandfather would have been proud.
Sincerely, your grandmother.
Haru read the letter once. Twice. Thrice. Het let the words sink into his head. He now had a choice. Either give up his right as a Master and walk away from all of this, or stay in this War until the bitter end. In all honesty, the former sounded really appealing, especially with the crap he went through last night.
But even so… he would never run away from this. He wondered why before. But now he knew. He would not leave Altera alone. If he did, then what kind of man would that make him? Saber stuck by him through thick and thin. She helped him. Kept him safe. Supported his decisions. He never felt alone with her by his side. And that is why he could not back down. He stared at the Command Seals on his e was going to stay in this until the bitter end. Even if he loses… at least he stuck by her.
But his grandmother was right. If he wanted to keep fighting, he needed Magus training. Looks like he now knows how to spend Golden Week.
Sighing, he dropped the letter to his lap and stared up at the ceiling. "My life's officially gone to hell in a handbasket..." he muttered underneath his breath. Asia stared at him quizzically, wondering what he said. "Ah, it's nothing. By the way, where are we?"
The nun tilted her head. "What are you talking about, Haru-san?" she asked, genuinely confused. "We're in your room!"
Haru blinked. Once. Twice. Then he looked at the room again. The walls were barren, revealing plain white walls and wooden furniture that were naked, as if meant to house items that had vanished. His special clock was gone too, and in its place was a stereotypical digital one. His bookcase, where he stashed his eroge games and erotic novels and hentai manga, was also devoid of any of his collection whatsoever as well. At a first glance, the room looked like the room of a normal teenager… until he realized with horror that this was his room.
But… that couldn't be right! Where was his porn?!
"I have to say, though..." Asia looked around in slight wonder, a smile on her face as if excited. "The preachers in Italy always said how most teenage boys had disorganized rooms, but yours looks fairly clean! Though your bookcase is empty, though. Did you buy it recently?"
Haru didn't hear her question. In fact, he had gone into shock from seeing the state of his room. Seeing this, Altera sighed as she held her hand against her temple. "Rider had come by while you were asleep and fixed your room." she said, causing Haru's heart to drop. "Since the girl will be living with us as of today, she felt that your room should be as clean and free of sin as possible."
It took ten seconds before Haru's brain finally caught up. Promptly, his jaw hit the floor. "W-Qhat?!" he yelled in shock before he winced, clutching his ribs from the sudden flare of pain. He then looked at Asia in shock. "A-Asia, you're moving in?! W-Qhy?!" Not that he was complaining, mind you. A cute girl under the same roof as him? Hell yes! Then he reminded himself she was a nun and mentally slapped himself for such indecent thoughts. That being said, his chibi-Haru was cheering in victory, thanking his parents. "I thought you were going to stay with Hortensia-san!"
"W-Well..." Asia timidly rubbed her index fingers together. "Since the church was destroyed, C-Caren-san thought I should stay with someone I knew here in Kuoh, a-and..." She bowed her head deeply. "I promise I won't be a bother!"
The Church was destroyed? Just how did… oh, that's right… he gave Altera a Boost to use her Noble Phantasm to take out Assassin.
… Crap, it was his fault then, wasn't it?
Deciding to think about it later, Haru got back on track.
"It's… it's alright. But how am I going to explain this to my parents?"
"It would seem the Overseer and the Second Rider are handling things, Master." Altera answered. "Strangely, though, your parents were oddly delighted to learn that the nun was to be staying here."
Haru stared at her. Then turned to Asia. Then back to Saber. Then back to Asia again.
All the while, processing what his Servant just said. ... Was she implying that by having a nun in the house, I would be cured of perversion? Or that she misunderstood the situation and that I finally have a girlfriend?
Later, Haru would discover that it was a mix of both. When Haru was returned home in a severely injured state, his parents were naturally terrified and demanded answers. Caren, who offered a cover story and explanation, stated that Haru had saved Asia from a group of foreigners who were getting too close to her for her liking. Seeing this, the perverted teen intervened and fought them off, though not without his fair share of beatings. His parents were moved by this, thinking that "Yuuma" had changed Haru for the better. When Caren suggested that Asia would move in, since her previous accommodations had been destroyed in a fire and that Haru was the only person she knew and trusted in the area, they had more than accepted the idea.
That, and they believe that someone of faith would be able to cure him of his "perverse sickness". The idea would make Haru very exasperated, though he wouldn't discover this until the next day.
As things stood, though, he was understandably tired and laid back down. "Are you hungry by any chance, Haru-san?" she asked tenderly, having looked after him alongside Altera. "Or maybe thirsty."
"No... I'm good." he told her with a grin. "But thanks. Your Japanese has gotten better, by the way."
"Thank you. Miss Hortensia has been a wonderful teacher." She smiled brightly. "My Japanese improved thanks to her tutelage." Then her smile weakened slightly. "Although… kanji is still a bit difficult."
"It always is the first time around. But don't worry. I'm sure you'll get the hang of it." He assured her. "And thanks. Sorry if I was being a burden."
"O-Oh no! Not at all!" Asia shook her head before she stood. "I'll let your parents know you're awake." She bowed her head again, this time to both Haru and Altera before she left the room.
As she did, Altera's stoic expression fell apart entirely. "Master! Are you okay?!" She exclaimed in concern. Her sudden outburst took Haru by surprise. "Are you sure you aren't hurt anywhere?!"
"I-I'm fine, really!"
"Really?! You aren't just saying that?"
"Y-Yes. Really!"
Altera stared at him for a moment. Then, she frowned heavily. "Good. Then I can do this!" In the next moment, her hand came down on his head. It was a simple light tap, but given her impressive strength, it felt like a karate chop coming down atop a cinder block. Or, in this case, a steel bar coming down upon a skull. "IDIOT!"
"AW!" Haru yelped, cradling his head. "What-what was that for?!"
"For being an idiot!" She scolded him. "I told you not to push yourself back then! And what did you do? You used Boosted Gear even when you shouldn't and nearly gave me a heart attack! I thought you were going to perish!" Haru winced, shrinking beneath her gaze and shyly looking away in shame. However, when he did, he noticed how Altera's hands shook. Risking meeting her furious eyes, he looked up and found her shoulders trembling. Even worse, when he looked at her face, his heart clenched as he watched tears fall from her face. "Do you have… any idea… how worried I was...?"
Haru felt like someone stabbed him in the heart while guilt welled up within him.
Shit… he made her cry. The number one thing a man was NEVER supposed to do to a girl period.
"I-I'm sorry!" he said, bowing his head deeply. "I'm really sorry! I didn't mean to worry you so much, Altera! I just...!"
He just wanted to get rid of that sorrowful look on her face. The sadness he kept seeing every now and then, reflected in those ruby eyes of hers. It hurt him. It really did. She was strong. Stronger than anyone he had known. And now… she had broken down and it was his fault. Without hesitation, he wrapped his arms around her in a hug.
"M-Master...?"
"I'm sorry… Altera..." Haru spoke softly. "I was being selfish. I didn't know I was causing you so much pain."
Altera sniffled, burying her face in the crook of his neck. "Then… why were you so reckless?"
Because I want to be as strong as you are. Because I don't want you to feel so sad anymore. was what he wanted to say, yet he found himself unable to. They were stuck in his throat.
Instead, all he could do was just hold her in silence, closing his eyes.
Someday, I'll get stronger. he thought. Strong enough to protect you instead. I don't care what I have to face. God, Angel, Demon...
Unknown to either of them, his left hand developed an emerald green glow.
... Bring 'em on.