128Welcome everybody, to the next installment of Fate: OSG!
Disclaimer: Please refer to Chapter 1.
Let's go!
...Alright, I'll give this one more try, but don't think I'm gonna keep doing this everytime. I won't start with my personal history either, because if you're reading this I would expect at least some knowledge of my past.
For now, let's just start with how I got started with OSG.
...Okay, I'm not going to go into details about my past, but I'll give a barebones version since it does lead into it. I was just a guy fighting for a cause I believed in. My foster father raised me from since I was an infant, and gifted me with the power to destroy all who stood in my way. I was to be a sword to my kingdom, a tool to be wielded in whatever way that was necessary.
How foolish I was.
Eventually, I learned he considered me nothing but a tool for his conquest, a weapon to aid him in gaining power he believed was denied to him despite his birthright. That knowledge briefly led me to despair as everything I had believed in was revealed to be nothing but a lie.
However, I recovered, thanks to seeing (and I know how cliche this sounds) a small blue bird. For some reason, seeing that pristine creature flying in front of my face gave me the will to keep going.
Eventually, after several trials and life-threatening events, I found true happiness. I married the woman of my dreams, though she originally didn't feel the same about me. In fact, it eventually resulted in me dying (long story) and her fighting through hell to get me back.
Yeah, I was one lucky son-of-a-bitch. How many guys have a wife willing to kill the Queen of Hell to save your immortal soul?
Finally, we were together again and those few days we spent together were the happiest I ever had.
Then tragedy struck.
We were separated due to a series of events, and I was forced to fight the new King of Hell, who happened to be my grandfather turned into an undead Cerebus (and I'm dead serious when I say that). I killed him once and for all, though he managed the stab me deeply in the side, and I raced to try and find my wife, who had gone to face another great threat. I found her, and I watched as she struck down the mighty dragon who threatened to destroy the world (don't scoff, there were at least three other Armageddon-causing creatures on the loose by this time, and that dragon had to be bigger than the entire continent in length). My heart soared as her lance took it through the neck.
My jubilation quickly turned to horror as the dragon, in its death throes, twisted around and sank its fangs into her.
I raced forward, trying to save her. I grabbed her broken form as it plummeted to earth, desperately trying to find a way to save her, to heal the injury.
It was in vain, and my own injury had sapped too much of my strength. I was faintly aware of someone coming to try and help us, but my fading senses had room for nothing but my wife. I held her hand as I faded, the last thing I heard being her words.
"D-D-Don't cry..." she whispered softly, "P-Promise me... if you survive... move on... live for me and enjoy life... don't live in grief or kill yourself to join me... learn to love another... show her the same devotion and warmth you showed me..."
In that fading twilight between consciousness and unconsciousness, I gave my word.
Then I knew only oblivion.
Fuyuki Airport (Two Days Later)
Shirou Emiya found himself in a rather difficult situation, one of the most dangerous in his life. His breath came in short gasps as he fought to overpower the greatest opponent he had ever faced, his muscles straining to break free and his fists clenched in concentration. He gritted his teeth, trying to resist the bone-crushing constriction that threatened to collapse his ribcage and potentially his spine. Finally, he gave up, shifting his efforts to just enduring the indescribable pain.
What was this horror threatening to kill him here and now, with no one able or willing to come to his aid?
...Taiga Fujimura's death grip of a farewell hug.
"...And remember Shirou-kun, write to me every chance you get, and bring me a souvenir while you're at it!"
"Y-Y-Yes, Fuji-nee," Shirou stammered blandly as he fought to remain conscious. "I-I'll be sure t-to bring you a souvenir..."
From the sidelines, Soul, Maiya, and Maka, who was wearing her black coat, a white T-shirt, and grey pants, watched with amusement, stoicness, and weariness respectively as the older teen more or less choked her so-called 'little brother' into a coma.
"Shouldn't we stop them?" Maka asked hesitantly. "He kinda needs to be awake to meet Mr. Silverstein..."
"Eh, it's no biggie," Soul replied, "It's almost over a 24-hour flight after all. He's got time to wake up and recover."
"Soul, I'd really rather my son to be able to get on the plane without passing out." Maiya said, coming to Maka's rescue. "Please go and help him."
Soul sighed, but he knew there was no arguing with Maiya when it came to matters involving Shirou. He got up from his seat and walked towards Shirou, who was starting to turn an unhealthy shade of blue...
"Are you sure about this?" Maka asked Maiya when he was out of earshot.
"What do you mean?" Maiya responded as she kept her eyes on Soul's efforts to free Shirou, who had seemed to gain a second wind upon seeing his friend coming and had redoubled his efforts to break free.
Maka looked down. "It's just... it's only been about two weeks since Kiritsugu passed on, and now Shirou's going away for a while, so I thought that maybe..."
Maiya turned to look at her, her own face revealing nothing. "Maka, we've known each other for over six years now. Please don't beat around the bush like I'm a little girl."
Maka's head snapped back up, Maiya's almost drill-sergeant tone at the last part getting her attention. "Well... you didn't have to let him go, if you honestly didn't want to," she admitted. "I just figured that you would want company for a while, what with everything that's been happening recently, and that taking Shirou away would cause more harm than good."
Maiya continued to stare at her. "You don't think I'm capable of handling myself?"
"I never said that!" Maka replied defensively, "I just thought you would want Shirou around for a while longer, especially since he's only really now coming out of his shell completely."
She looked down again. "I feel like we're taking him away from you when you need him most."
Maiya continued to stare, then her face soften somewhat, mouth curling into a small, sad smile. "...Thank you, Maka." The other woman's head snapped up at those words, but Maiya held up a hand indicating she wasn't done. "I understand your concern. Kiritsugu was my whole world until Shirou came into it, and with him gone, only the boy remains. I will miss him, I assure you that, and my heart is already straining to keep from ripping in two at the thought of both being separate from him and him going to where he's going."
"...But?" Maka pried, turning her attention briefly back to the others, who were currently engaged in a sort of tug-of-war as Taiga struggled, in vain, to keep her hold on the rope (i.e. Shirou) while Soul was winning, inch by inch.
Maiya sighed. "But Kiritsugu wanted him to go with you two when he was ready, and he has been ready ever since we started training him. He entrusted me with Shirou's well-being, and this is the best way to preserve it. No matter what my personal feelings, Shirou deserves at least a chance at what he's aiming to do."
"You're allowed your share of happiness too, you know."
Maiya's smile changed to full one. "Yes, but I get my share already, every time I see him safe and happy."
Meanwhile, Soul finally pulled Shirou free from the deathtrap that was Taiga Fujimura's farewell hug. Said boy was currently collapsed on the ground taking in huge breaths while Soul chastised the overeager teen, who was rubbing her head in embarrassment.
Maiya's smiled faded as she glanced down at her watch. "Well, you better get going," she said simply, "Your plane's leaving soon."
Maka looked at her own, eyes widening as she realized the truth of that statement. "Crap, you're right!"
Maiya watched some hidden amusement Maka raised towards the others, grabbing a half-recovered Shirou and almost dragging Soul with her as they raced towards the ticket confirmation area.
For a brief moment, that amusement turned to sadness as she watched them go, reflecting on Maka's last words.
"You're allowed to your share of happiness too."
Yes, despite what she had said, a part of Maiya still wanted Shirou to stay with her. She had grown to love the boy as her own in the years she had known him, and to watch him leave now still tugged at her heartstrings.
She shook her head and looked down. 'Since when did I become so sentimental?'
"Maiya-san?"
She looked back up at the sound of her name. To her surprise, she saw Shirou in front of her, smiling at her while Soul and Maka waited patiently a little further away (Well, Soul was. Maka was constantly glancing at her watch, likely worried at the time).
Still, she didn't allow her brief puzzlement to show. "Yes Shirou?" she asked. "Shouldn't you be going now?"
He nodded. "Yeah, but I forgot something."
"Wha-?" Maiya began, but was cut off when she felt something wrap around her waist. She looked down, realizing that 'something' was Shirou's arms, encircling her in a hug as he embraced her.
"I forgot to say goodbye for real," he said simply, smile, hidden by his current position, still on his face. "I'll miss you."
Maiya was silent for a long moment, then returned the embrace, though nowhere near the level that Taiga had given him. "I'll miss you too."
They were the perfect image of a mother and son saying farewell. They stayed that way for a few more moments, then Maiya let go. "Probably should get going now." she whispered encouragingly.
Shirou nodded, racing back towards the waiting pair with a big smile on his face, like any other thirteen-year old. The three then began moving as fast as they could without causing a scene towards the ticket confirmation area, in which they would have five minutes before boarding would start.
Maiya watched them go, this time with a genuine smile on her face.
The sound of flowing water distracted her. Turning, she saw Taiga apparently in the middle of crying a river in the center of the hallway.
"Fujimura, what are you doing?"
"I-I'm sorry, Maiya-san, but t-that was just... so beautiful!" She sobbed loudly. "I-I've never seen such a disp-play of love in my whole life!"
Maiya sighed, then began to drag the still-leaking Taiga out of the airport. "Sometimes, I wonder why Kiritsugu ever allowed you to stay with us, your grandfather's aid or not."
Still, she couldn't keep the small smile on her face off.
A Few Days Later
Shirou looked out the window of their car as Soul drove them down a rather unbeaten path. After they had finally arrived in the United States by way of the Birmingham International Airport in Alabama, Soul had rented a vehicle, an older model of Toyota, from somewhat fishy-looking guy in a brown overcoat despite the temperature being over 90 degrees outside, and they had been driving for several hours since, only stopping once in Montgomery for refreshments.
Not that Shirou was really complaining. After all, this was the first time he was, to his knowledge, ever outside of Fuyuki, let alone Japan itself. He was busy drinking in the sights. He found out quite quickly that outside the bustling cities, the countryside landscape was rather beautiful, filled with rolling hills interspersed with many streams and creeks.
At least, when they weren't spending half the time driving through overgrown underbrush and dense forests, which were appealing in their way despite their annoyance.
He had also adjusted quite well to the change in society, particularly the language barrier. Kiritsugu, Maiya, Maka, and Soul had been quite adamant that he learn English from a young age, so it was often spoken in conjecture with Japanese around the house to keep him well-prepared. The places he had been so far were not so dissimilar from Fuyuki, honestly: They had the same feels, sights, smells, and sounds.
"Nearly there, Shirou," Soul called from the front. "Just a little longer."
Shirou's eyes glanced over the first town sign they had passed since leaving Montgomery two hours ago. It was really old and worn, simply saying CAZADOR, ALABAMA, POPULATION 734. The town itself looked more like a village really. There were a few small stores, a Baptist Church directly across from an Orthodox one, and a scattering of old houses, all of which were rather old and weathered looking.
Shirou originally assumed they were going to either keep on going on the main road or just stop here, but instead, Soul turned onto a small, barely paved road through some more hills and into even deeper woods. The path branched at several points, but Soul just kept going west for about two more miles.
Shirou was beginning to wonder if they were ever going to get there when they suddenly turned onto a gravel turnoff. It was then that he got his first indication that they were near wherever it is they were going.
In front of them was a small sign with a green smiley face on it, underneath of which were the faded letters 'OSG'. The smiley face also had horns on it. As they drove past it, Shirou couldn't help but turn his head to keep looking.
When he finally turned back around, he sat quietly, listening to the bumping noise on the gravel road and taking note of other signs, saying things like NO TRESPASSING, TRESPASSERS WILL BE SHOT, NOT LIABLE FOR ANY INJURIES OCCURRING TO INTRUDERS.
"...I guess your friends don't like strangers much, huh?" Shirou somewhat joked.
Maka shrugged. "I guess you could say that."
Soul just chuckled.
Finally, they came up to an open gate with high chain link and razor wire. A person sat in a folding chair near the gate reading a book with an umbrella overhead to block out the sun. Still, he seemed rather alert, as he was waving goodnaturedly to them even before Soul stopped and rolled down the window.
He was a rather plain-looking person, the kind that you could pass three times a day and not once realize it was the same person unless you were actively trying. He looked to be about in his late thirties, red hair cut short but still effectively covering his head. His brown eyes were filled with warmth, and the slight stubble on his face didn't really stand out much. He was clad in military-grade camo pants, with a white T-shirt labeled with that same green smiling face from earlier, complete with horns, and brown working boots. A green cap hung rightways on his head, and if he was carrying that rifle he had propped up next to his chair and a similarly-colored jacket to match his pants, Shirou would have sworn he was some sort of wild-game hunter.
The not-hunter in question laughed a little bit as he got closer, reaching up with one of his hands in a gesture of welcoming. "Soul! Maka!" he greeted them as if they were the best of buddies. "Welcome back! It's been a while!"
Soul laughed as held out his own, the two clapping their hands together with relish and good cheer. "Hey Milo!" Soul responded with a smile. "You're looking good! Guard duty been working out?"
"You have no idea, man." Turning his attention to Maka, he held out his hand again, nodding as Maka returned the gesture with a smile on her face. "And I see you two been doing well."
"Quite well, Milo. Thank you."
Shirou stayed respectfully silent and out of sight, knowing that it would be rude to interrupt. It would appear that Soul wasn't lying, though Shirou never doubted, that these people were indeed friends with them.
'And with Father too?'
Milo finished his greetings with a sigh, pulling his arm back to look at the two of them closely. "So, what's the sudden return about?"
In answer, Soul just looked behind himself at Shirou, who realized this was his cue. He shifted his position, allowing Milo to get a good glimpse at him for the first time. Milo just raised an eyebrow. "Well, this is interesting."
Shirou held out a hand slowly in greeting, trying to quash the nervous butterflies in his stomach as he did so. He thought about using his normal way of bowing, but decided that this person would respond better to just a handshake. "H-Hello, I'm Shirou Emiya. Pleased to meet you, Mr..."
A grin spread across Milo's face as he took his hand into his own. "Jones. Milo Lee Jones. It's a pleasure."
Shirou nodded. "Thank you, Mr. Jones."
Milo let go and laughed a little. "'Mr. Jones'? Darn Soul, I'm liking this kid more and more already!" His face sobered up a little bit. "So I take it you're..."
"Yup," Maka replied. "Edgar just wants to talk is all."
Shirou only half-paid attention to Maka's words. On the ride here, she had already explained that when they got there, a man named Edgar, who was more or less the leader, would want to speak with him personally. According to her, he always did it with anyone coming here, just to see what they were like. It made sense to Shirou; after all, you wouldn't want someone dangerous or crazy being around others.
Milo was silent for a moment, then shrugged. "Then I wish you luck, kid." A grin found its way back onto his face. "Hope to see you again soon!"
He walked over to the gate, unlocking it and motioning for them to go through.
"...He was nice." Shirou said simply as they did so, driving up to the compound ahead of them.
The property was filled with movable trailers and mobile homes parked all over, and it was surprisingly organized for so many different shaped structures. The main building appeared to be the only permanent structure though, made of solid heavy brick and steel. It was a large office building, but with narrow windows, obviously thick walls, and iron bars. It looked like it could pass as a fortress if given the need.
Quite honestly, Shirou expected there to be a vat of boiling oil over the entrance and hidden machine gun turrets dotting the entire property around the building itself. The whole place almost felt like a high-grade military facility.
Maka seemed to sense his amazement and curiosity. "I know, I thought along similar lines when I first saw this place. I was certain there were rocket launcher-holding members hidden on top of every building."
"And you have friends here?" Shirou asked as he continued to take in the sights.
"Yeah, and while you'll find that not everyone inside is quite as open or friendly to strangers as Milo is, they're all decent people at heart." Soul added as he parked the vehicle. "But we'll cross that bridge when we get to it. First, you need to see Edgar."
OSG Headquarters (Basement)
Edgar Silverstein sighed to himself as he exited the room that contained his greatest failure since becoming leader. While part of him knew that what had happened wasn't completely his fault, he had known no more than and underestimated the threat just as everyone else had, it still didn't absolve him of the guilt he felt for letting it happen regardless.
Even after over twenty years, coming down here made that dagger of regret pierce his heart anew and just as hard every time.
However, he owed the occupant in the room more than enough to let her know, even if she probably couldn't hear him, that her partner, the man who saved her from a fate worse than death, was dead.
He glanced down at his watch, noticing the date. His eyebrows scrunched up in confusion. "I've been down here for over two weeks?"
The way he said it made it sound like he more confused in 'I-thought-it-would-take-maybe-a-day' way rather than 'Oh-my-God-what-I-have-been-doing-down-here-for-two-weeks'. He didn't feel any different, aside from a slight thirst and some hunger pangs.
It was a rather common occurrence, actually. Time always seemed to flow differently within that room than outside of it ever since the being within was placed there. Perhaps it had something to do with the occupant's mind exerting some control over the surroundings, a shadow of her formerly unbelievably powerful, albeit insane, reality-warping abilities at work. It would certainly explain the occasional feeling of being watched on all sides.
Still, the time changes were usually anything from just a few hours to at most three days. They were never so long in all the time he had come down here. Even when he had come down here a year ago to tell her about her partner's death, he had only spent maybe a day or so down here.
Perhaps it had something to do with the fact that his child was now potentially joining?
He glanced back at the room, eyes narrowing in contemplation. 'Maybe I spoke too soon when I thought she couldn't hear me...'
Suddenly, he heard his phone ringing. Fishing in his pocket, he quickly pulled the device out and held it to his ear, already mentally preparing for the shouting fest that awaited him at the other end.
It wasn't quite enough.
"WHERE THE HELL HAVE YOU BEEN!?" Lyn raged over the other end, so loudly that holding the phone at arm's length made it sound just like she was yelling at him to the face. "DO YOU REALIZE YOU ALMOST HAD EVERYONE IN A PANIC!? I HAVE HALF A MIND TO KICK YOU IN YOUR..."
Edgar just waited as she described in rather graphic detail the terror she intended to inflict on him, both on his conventional and private areas, when she saw him again, wincing now and then at a particularly nasty one. "I'm fine, Lyn," he replied calmly when there was a lull in her shouting. "I was just seeing an old friend and lost track of the time."
He heard what seemed to be halfway between a gasp and a cough as she stopped whatever new insult or rant she was about to release, settling for clearing her throat for a few seconds as she gathered her thoughts. "Oh... well, in that case... I suppose it went well?" she asked, her voice a sharp contrast to its earlier tone, now questioning and tinged with some slight concern.
"...Yeah," he replied simply, then abruptly changed gears, not wanting to dwell too long on his visit. "Anyways, what do you need to talk to me about?"
"That Shirou kid that you wanted to see? He's here now with Maka and Soul."
Edgar blinked. "Now? As in 'right there, right now' now?"
"Yup!" she replied with cheeriness that he couldn't quite tell if it was fake or genuine. "They're currently just looking at me funny after my whole ranting bit to you, and I got to say, their looks are priceless!"
He sighed. "I'll be right there, just hold on." He placed the phone back in his pocket, rubbing his head. He completely forgotten about that little meeting, though he had been expecting just a little more time to prepare, like a few days, not a few minutes.
"Damn it, Sayaka," he muttered. "You could have at least let me have some time to prepare for the son of your partner's arrival. I would have made it fittingly dramatic."
He looked back at the door he had exited, only to see a blank wall. Figures. The moment he wanted to give her a piece of his mind, she locks the door on him.
"Fine, I'll just have to improvise," he muttered quietly as he speed-walked up the stairs back to the ground floor, pulling his phone back out to make a call. Looks like he would need Giro to play distraction for him. "Don't blame me when things go wrong though!" Some might find it strange to be talking to apparently nothing, but despite Sayaka's condition, she was still alive and a member, and he would treat her with the same respect regardless if she could really hear him.
The wall behind him just remained impassive as he left.
However, it did seem to glow with a brief flash of blue as shut the basement door behind him.
Hmm, not much to say really, aside from the short chapters.
This fic's actually a bit of an experiment for myself in addition to being story tie-in. I'm testing my ability to write shorter chapters while still providing sufficient entertainment for the viewers.
So yeah, once again, tell me what you thought in reviews!
(Also, I've recently started playing BlazBlue: Continuum Shift II for the 3DS, and I've got to say, it's awesome. Even though I've only really just gotten into it, I'm already thinking of putting one or two of its characters into the fifth War.)