122Rin hadn't slept well, courtesy of the twenty-five hours of continuous travel from London to Fuyuki. Uncomfortable seating had scattered sore points across her back and legs, and her brain was akin to mush.
Her bed was so much better than she remembered. Fluffy blankets atop a feathered mattress were heaven compared to the cramped bunk bed of the Clock Tower's dorm. She wanted to dive right back in, but she had already missed one day of school, and she couldn't afford to miss another.
The dregs of slumber clouded her attention. Habit guided her to the bathroom, where she made herself presentable before drifting down to the ground floor. Her Servant lay in wait.
"Morning, Rin. Geez, you don't look too good." Saber said cheerfully, reclining against the hall. Arms crossed, she had one foot propped against the wall, effortlessly cool.
"Shut up," she grumbled. "You're lucky Servants don't need sleep."
Saber laughed. "True, true. So what's the plan today? Are we finally going to kick some ass?" she asked eagerly.
"Nope," Rin said, rubbing her eyes. They've had this conversation before. "The War hasn't commenced yet, remember?"
"Doesn't mean we can't fight."
"If we encounter another Servant, I have no doubt you'll defeat them. But for now, I need to keep up appearances."
Saber smiled. "Sounds good to me."
Rin felt her own lips quirk up. Saber was rather susceptible to praise, she had learned. It made for an easy way of resolving arguments.
She was halfway done with cooking lunch when the phone rang. She picked it up.
"Good morning, Rin. I am pleased to know you have returned," Kirei said through the microphone.
Rin let out a silent groan. He never gave her random calls. "What do you want?"
"As the appointed overseer of the War, I must confirm that you have summoned a Servant."
"I did. Now you know," she said, irritation leaking into her voice. "Anything else?"
"I would prefer to verify in-person," he continued.
"I'm busy today, Kirei. Can it wait?"
"Yes. Our meeting can be delayed, as the seventh Servant has yet to be summoned. However, I have news I am certain you will want to hear."
"Such as?" It was far too early for patience.
"It concerns a certain Master."
That piqued her interest. Any information about her opponents was vital. "Fine. I'll see you tonight."
"Excellent. I await your arrival."
Rin slammed the phone back into place, then trotted back into the kitchen. The chicken wasn't burned. Safe.
Saber regarded her with a curious gaze. "Is it really that important?"
"It is. Food gets ruined if unattended for too long. I wouldn't want to make a burnt dish." Not on the first day back, she added silently. She wouldn't begin the year with anything but the best. "Have you never cooked before?"
"Boys don't cook," she said proudly, then winced as if recalling a particularly vile memory. "And the ones that try always suck at it. A lot."
I suppose they weren't called the Chefs of the Round, Rin thought. "There are some boys who can cook. They're just hard to find."
Saber scoffed. "Impossible."
Rin smiled. "You just don't understand." I'm excited, she realized. When had she ever been excited for school?
"I'll believe it when I see it."
Rin made a noncommittal sound, then put her shoes on, ready to kick off the day. She wasn't used to having such early company. And certainly not a mythological figure, one so different from her expectations.
Mordred Pendragon, the traitorous son of King Arthur, was a woman, just like her father was. Was every Knight of the Round secretly a woman? The thought brought made Rin's lips turn upward. Every knight, secretly a woman, yet completely unaware of each other.
Moreover, the circumstances behind Saber's birth had to be a ridiculous tale. The sheer logistics of having a female father raised questions Rin wasn't sure she wanted answered. Some mysteries could remain just that.
Even if she did seek the truth, Rin somehow doubted Saber had any answers. From their brief time together, Rin could tell her Servant was not the detail-oriented type. She was more of a musclehead, but without most of the muscle.
Rather, Saber's body was slim. There was power hidden in her toned, but small muscles, the product of years of relentless training. To say she was the ideal athlete was an understatement. She was like the ultimate tomboy, with brilliant leafy eyes and unruly hair tamed into a sheaf of spiky blonde, all topped with an easy smile. She was easily the most beautiful person Rin had ever met.
If only she weren't so frustrating.
"Do I really have to stay in spirit form?" Saber said. Rin had requested Saber call her by name rather than by title. "Can't I just go around town?"
"You can't," she sighed. "What a Servant sees you?"
Saber shrugged. "Doesn't matter."
"Of course it matters!" Rin replied, appalled. "What if they discern your identity?"
"No way," she said. "My helmet's enchanted so that no one can tell who I am, even when I'm not wearing it. It would take a skill on par with a Noble Phantasm to figure out who I am."
That changed things. "Then what if you encounter someone who knew you in life?"
"I can count on my fingers the number of people who've seen what's under the armor," she answered, pointing at her own face, grinning. "And if someone does recognize me," Saber's expression became predatory. "I'll kick his ass to kingdom come."
Your father? Rin was tempted to ask, but wisely held her tongue. King Arthur was a touchy subject for Saber. Rin had learned that within five minutes of summoning her.
The foremost example was Gray, who Saber claimed was the spitting image of King Arthur. Saber had taken an odd interest in the girl, after Gray had explained she had no desire for the throne, a crown, or glory of any kind. Saber would pester Gray without reservation, following her around the halls, bombarding her with all sorts of questions. "Why don't you like your face?" she would ask, without a hint of malice. "If you don't want to be king, why do you think you were born?"
Gray had hated every moment of it. She would stutter and pull her hood as far as it could go over her face, avoiding the Servant to the best of her ability.
Gray… Rin thought. Gray had refused to even look at Rin. After Saber was summoned, Gray had escorted them back to her dorm. She had unlocked the door, opened it, then skulked away, not saying a single word.
In the brief period that followed, Gray would avoid Rin with diligence. When they saw each other in passing, Gray would avert her eyes then head into the opposite direction. Gone were the days they chatted into the night. Gone were the times they watched cartoons together.
Rin understood. She had befriended Gray, gained her trust, then threw her away like a well-wrung rag. She couldn't blame her at all.
It still stung.
El-Melloi II hadn't been happy with her either, but he concealed it better. He treated her with utmost civility, yet refused to entertain her presence, forbidding her from entering his office. His classroom no longer had a place for her.
"There will be repercussions, Miss Tohsaka," he had warned. "Now, or in the future."
With that final message, he had left Rin to her own devices. She didn't doubt his veracity, but any threats could be dealt with later. Tasks at hand were far more crucial.
After learning they were in Britain, Saber immediately insisted that they go see her own resting grounds, a morbid curiosity. Unfortunately, Glastonbury was a three-hour drive away from London, and Rin couldn't afford to miss the flight back to Japan. Literally, Rin thought. Earlier, Saber had demanded they go to a clothing store, and they exited with a red jacket, white tube top, and ripped denim shorts. By the time they were finished, her wallet was pleading for mercy, but Rin didn't regret purchasing the outfit. Not a single penny.
Instead of Glastonbury, they had settled for a trip to the British Museum in London. Saber had enjoyed it at first, taking in all the artifacts taken from around the globe. When they entered the gallery on Arthurian legend, Saber had laughed at many of their depictions. "They really painted Lancelot like that," she had chortled, pointing at his painting. "Stupid bastard deserves it!"
When they had reached the exhibit on King Arthur's death, Rin had expected Saber to boast of her patricide. The Battle of Camlann, immortalized in brushstroke and song, a cornerstone of English legend. But she had gone quiet as a doe. "How?" Saber had whispered, eyebrows a line. "I don't remember that at all." Saber had pressed a distracted hand over her chest, lost in thought. "Is that what happened?"
Saber had fallen into an odd mood, but was revitalized on the plane ride home, much to Rin's chagrin. "Hey, do you think I could pilot this thing? My Riding skill is pretty good!" she had said. Servants were fed modern knowledge from the Grail, but to know and to experience were two entirely different plights, Rin supposed.
Now, back in Fuyuki, Saber couldn't sit still.
"Just stay in spirit form until after school," Rin said. "Then I'll give you a tour of Fuyuki and you can do whatever you want after that. Deal?"
"Ugh, fine," she said, stretching out the syllable like a stubborn child. "I just hate being in spirit form."
"Is it painful?" Rin asked. She had never considered what being incorporeal would feel like.
"It's really weird," Saber answered. "Like you're there but not really there at the same time. Can't stand not being on my own two feet."
Saber emphasized it with a hop, twirl, and kick, and Rin noticed her legs, long for her short height.
"Right," she said, turning away. "Just hang in there for a few hours."
Once they had left the estate, Saber took to spirit form and hovered about. To Rin, Saber was still visible, but not to anyone else. It was useful.
Walking to school, Rin took her time, leisurely drinking in the clean air of Miyama. London was a busy place, and the people reflected it, bustling and frenzied, always moving from one place to another. The change in pace was not unwelcome, but she had missed being home. The comfortable atmosphere of Fuyuki was idyllic in the way only a small town could be.
Upon stepping foot on campus, she dropped by the archery dojo. Mitsuzuri waved in greeting. "Not cutting class today?"
"Good morning, Mitsuzuri. I'm glad to see the New Year hasn't dulled your sense of humor," Rin said.
Mitsuzuri grinned. "Good to see you too, Tohsaka. I was wondering where you were yesterday."
"I was away. Unfortunately, vacation took longer than I expected."
"Huh. Hope you had fun. Sadly it feels like people have been following your example," Mitsuzuri sighed.
"My example?" Rin said, prompting her to continue.
"There's a junior late. Fujimura-sensei is too, but, well, Tiger's Tiger," she said, switching to the teacher's most hated nickname. "Not the end of the world."
Sakura's missing? Rin's eyebrows raised. "Did anything happen?"
"No idea." Mitsuzuri shrugged, then gave her a sly look. "But if I had to guess, something must have happened to Emiya."
"I'm not sure what you're implying," Rin said. "Why would I know anything about him?"
Mitsuzuri snorted. "Well, first you were all pissed at him, and then you began hanging around him, an-"
"Mitsuzuri. That is enough," she said icily.
"My bad, my bad," she chuckled. "Still, I didn't think you would be making progress on our bet so soon."
"I have no idea what you are talking about," Rin replied, feigning innocence.
"Whatever you say," she said. "I better get going now. I have a club to run. Stick around if you want!"
With that, they went their separate ways. Rin headed towards the school building, where the monotony of morning classes awaited. She briefly passed by Issei, who was testy as usual, but she hadn't spotted Emiya with him. She mulled on what Mitsuzuri had said. Emiya wasn't here, and neither were Sakura or Fujimura-sensei.
Her classes proceeded dully, the lectures but static in the background. She waited anxiously, ignoring Saber's cries of boredom.
It was the sound of the afternoon bell that set her free. Rin made her way through the lunch crowd, then up to the roof, her lunchbox in hand. She opened it, then sat cross-legged by the heater. She folded her arms and closed her eyes.
Saber turned corporeal before her. "Are you going to eat that?"
Rin gawked. The audacity. "What are you doing?" she hissed. "Get back in spirit form right this instant!"
"Come on, there's no one here. I've been keeping watch the whole time. You've just been sitting here doing nothing for the past fifteen minutes. Can I get a bite?"
"You don't need to eat!"
"Yeah, but you shouldn't waste food. If you won't eat it, then I will."
Saber reached for the lunchbox, but Rin yanked it away.
"I'm not wasting it," Rin said. "I'm waiting."
"For who?"
"A friend. He'll be here any minute now." Hopefully.
Saber gave her a skeptical glance. "I doubt that," she said. With a quick thrust, Saber's fingers latched around the other end of the lunchbox. "Just give it, Rin."
"It's not for you!" she yelled, and they were playing tug-of-war with the lunchbox. Rin pulled with all her might, straining her arms, but Saber only grinned. She wasn't taking it seriously, Rin knew, or else the lunchbox would already be in her grasp. Somehow, that annoyed her even more.
The lunchbox hadn't budged an inch when the metal door to the rooftop burst open with a creak. Saber disappeared in a blink. Emiya entered the rooftop, huffing, tired, but there.
Rin felt herself smile. "Emiya," she said, suddenly very relaxed.
"Sorry I'm late, Tohsaka. I had to escape from Fuji-nee." He looked towards her with a bashful expression. But his eyes veered elsewhere. "Um, what are you doing?"
Rin looked to where his eyes had landed. Her arms were still jutting into the air, hands locked around her lunchbox.
"...An annoying bird came and tried to steal my food," she explained. "I was shooing it away."
Who are you calling a bird? Saber's voice said, straight to her mind.
"A bird?" Emiya questioned. "Really?"
"Y-yes. Obviously. Do you not believe me?"
"I didn't know you fought with birds," he said neutrally. "Honestly, I thought you were making some kind of religious offering."
Was he being sarcastic? She couldn't tell. "Some birds are very pesky and persistent. They just won't give up. You'll have to take my word for it."
Emiya was silent. "I guess you learn something new everyday," he said.
"Enough about that," she said. She set down her lunchbox and slid it over to him. "Where were you?"
Emiya took her lunchbox and returned his own. "I had some personal issues this morning, and Fuji-nee was worried, so she stayed behind to make sure I was okay. We only got to school a few minutes ago."
Rin frowned. "Are you alright?"
"Yeah. It was no big deal," he said casually.
His words were vague on purpose, Rin recognized, which made her all the more intrigued. But Emiya never pried into her personal life, so if he didn't want to share the details, Rin would respect his wishes. Unlike what you did to Gray.
"So Fujimura-sensei is supervising you now?" she asked, changing the subject.
Emiya put a palm to his head. "Don't get me started. She's refusing to let me out of her sight."
"But you managed to escape." She made a wide gesture that pointed out the distinct lack of teacher.
"Kind of. I threatened to not cook for her today."
"Wow. That's harsh," she said. To deprive Fujimura-sensei was a dangerous tactic.
Emiya chuckled. "I haven't seen you in a while. I wouldn't want to miss this lunch for anything," he said.
Rin felt a joy bud within her. "Oh? Did you miss me that much?" she asked, with a teasing inflection. "It's only been a couple weeks."
Emiya opened his mouth, then closed it, cheeks a little red. "I did," he said after a breath. "You're a good friend, Tohsaka."
Rin wasn't prepared for that. She felt a sudden heat rush to her head. Usually he would deny it and get flustered! Why was he so serious?
"Thanks," she said after a second, trying to sound normal. "I might have missed you too. And your food."
Their conversation lapsed into routine. They chatted about their winter breaks, the classes they had, the plans for the rest of the week, all while digging into lunch. Today, Emiya had brought grilled mackerel for her, garnished with lemon and pickled radish. Nimono made up the vegetable dish, and rice supplemented the rest of the bento in traditional Japanese fashion. She hadn't had this cuisine in weeks, relishing the flavor on her taste buds.
Rin hadn't had this in London. Asian food was an endangered species in that city, and she hadn't had time to cook for herself, so local food was her only option. But there was a limit to the English breakfasts and fish and chips she could stomach. She had breached it far too soon.
Lunch at Homurahara was a return to normalcy, a familiar tune she could listen to every day. But every song has its end, and this was no exception. The moment they had finished their food, Shirou stood up.
"I should go now. Fuji-nee will get mad if I'm gone for too long," he said, to her muted dismay. He started towards the door, but stopped. He turned around. "By the way, people are saying Fuyuki has gotten more dangerous recently. Be careful."
"Are you talking about the hotel?" Rin asked.
Emiya nodded. "I am." The incident was all over the news, and many of her classmates were discussing it earlier in the morning. A building in Shinto had completely collapsed last night. The resulting pillar of dust was still visible in the sky, even after half a day.
"They say the explosion was because of a gas leak," she said. "There was some kind of catastrophic failure in the engineering."
"Yeah. I'm worried that people might have gotten hurt. I hope everyone is safe."
If only he knew. With the Grail War on its way, no one in Fuyuki would be safe. As a Master, she would never target civilians, but if a normal person was caught in the crossfire, she couldn't promise that they would leave unscathed.
"I'll be fine," she assured. "I'm aware of how Fuyuki can be."
"Of course. Stay safe, Tohsaka," he said, leaving a moment later.
The moment he was gone, Saber materialized. She stared at the door with the trained suspicion of a soldier.
"There's something weird about that guy," she said.
Rin rolled her eyes. "You don't say."
"Did you notice it? When he stood up, his face tightened a little. And when he walks, he's very careful. Like a sore squire after his first day of training."
"Oh." That wasn't what Rin expected. "He looks fine to me." In multiple ways.
"He does. I barely caught it myself. Maybe I'm just imagining it," Saber conceded. "There was another person who moved weirdly too. Your teacher. That dull looking guy."
"Kuzuki?"
"Yeah. He moves with perfect efficiency. Not a single wasted movement. Honestly, I'm impressed. To maintain that state at all times would require years of training. Not many people can do it. He might just be a prodigy."
Rin made a mental note of the information. Her homeroom teacher could be a person of interest. "Might he be a magus?"
"Nope. You're the only magus I've seen so far."
"Good." Rin got to her feet, then marched to class before the next period began. "Exactly what I expected."
The school day ended without commotion. Rin ambled to the church on the hill. She rapped her knuckles on the entrance, and the door shuddered open. Kirei stood behind it.
"Welcome, Rin," he said. He opened the door further, inviting her to enter. Once Rin was inside, she wasted no time. "Come forth," she commanded.
Saber manifested in her full regalia, horned helmet obscuring her head. Rin had ordered her to wear her suit of armor beforehand, as Kirei would have seen King Arthur in the previous war. Given how similar Saber looked to Gray, and how similar Gray looked to King Arthur, she didn't want to risk any chance of him recognizing her Servant's identity.
"My Servant," Rin said, a shadow of pride in her tone. "Are we done with verification?"
Kirei peered at Saber, eyes revealing nothing. "Yes. This will do. That brings me to the other purpose of our meeting."
He gazed at Rin for a long moment. "A Master has been killed," Kirei announced, heavy as stone.
Rin's eyes widened. She tensed imperceptibly. The War hadn't even started yet. "Already? What happened?"
"Have you listened to the news today?"
"I have. But the only notable thing was the hotel collapse," she recalled. "But that was because of a gas le-" She put the pieces together. "There was a Master inside the hotel?"
"Indeed," Kirei said. He reached inside his priest's robes and retrieved a bundle of documents, offering it to her. Rin snatched it, scanning every detail.
It was an autopsy report, describing the corpse of a foreign man named Atrum Galliasta. His body was riddled with wounds, but the coroner had concluded that blunt force was what killed him.
"Atrum Galliasta was a Master chosen by the Mage's Association," Kirei explained. "We found him buried in the rubble, along with the body of another woman, one of his companions."
"He was killed by the falling hotel," Rin deduced. "But how?"
"The Church found evidence of magecraft used in combat. Both inside the hotel and around it," Kirei said. "But Galliasta's corpse bears no such signs."
"And?" she said, not comprehending what he was insinuating.
"He had stab wounds, Rin. Blunt force trauma," he said, his voice twisting like links on a silver chain. "And he was killed by his own building collapsing from within. What does that remind you of?"
"The Magus Killer," Rin breathed, remembering his deeds from the previous war. "He bombed the Hyatt Hotel. But he died five years ago."
"Yes. But his son survives," he said.
She stiffened. "I already informed you that Shirou Emiya isn't a magus."
"You did, and your investigation appears thorough. But explosives do not require magecraft to use."
Rin laughed. It was a sharp, incredulous sound of pure derision. "What are you trying to say?"
"I am advising you to be wary of-"
"Absolutely ridiculous," she barked. "You're telling me that a high school boy managed to kill a magus selected by the Clock Tower without magecraft? There's a higher chance of pigs flying."
Kirei closed his eyes, mouth thinning. "It is very unlikely. But the resemblance is undeniable. It is of your best interest to investigate him once more. One final time."
"No. You're being paranoid. It's been a decade, and you're still haunted by the ghost of the Magus Killer." Emiya was many things, but a killer wasn't one of them. He was a student, a chef, and a repairman. A friend. He was someone who fought for the right to cook dinner, not someone who fought magi.
But he was late to school today, and Saber observed that something was off about him. The timing… No. Rin refused to consider it. She had already attacked him once. Not again.
"I think we're done here, Kirei," she said with finality. She glared at him, daring him to challenge her.
Kirei kept still, letting the silence extend. "Very well," he said after some deliberation. "Every decision is yours to make. But see that you are not caught unaware."
"I won't," she snapped. "Thank you for your concern."
Rin exited the church, not caring for a response. Once she was out of earshot, she let the tension in her back fade, taking a deep, cool breath.
You okay, Rin? Saber asked from spirit form.
"I'm fine," she muttered. "Just got a little on edge."
The sun shone brightly in the blue sky, still mid-afternoon. Night would fall in a couple hours, giving her plenty of time for one last stop. After that, she would head home.
Rin strode through well-trodden roads leading to her destination. She stopped in a remote alleyway, out of sight from any nearby people.
"Saber," she said aloud. "You can go now, if you want."
Immediately, Saber appeared before Rin, dressed in her casual gear. "Wait, really?"
"Yeah," she confirmed. "We've done everything important today."
"Are you sure? You don't need me to protect you or anything?"
"There's still light out. Just return before sunset, and I'll be safe."
Saber beamed. "You bet!" she exclaimed. Saber stretched her limbs and arched her back, strolling out the alleyway at ease.
Rin sniffed. Being tethered to her wasn't that bad, right? She hoped Saber wouldn't get into too much trouble on her own.
Brushing her concerns aside, Rin trod towards the nearby hospital, walking past the receptionist's desk and up a few flights of stairs. There, at the end of the hallway was her mother's room.
Months had passed since Rin's last visit.
"It's been a while, Mom." Her tongue felt strange.
Her mother didn't respond, staring blankly into nothing.
"You helped me out a lot last time," Rin continued. "I learned about what happened ten years ago, and I've made steps to prevent that from happening again. It's all thanks to you. I got closer to the boy I liked, and I summoned the best Servant I could get…"
Rin was rambling now, the words cascading like autumn leaves. Unpleasant memories resurfaced from the deep recesses of her mind.
When Rin was a child, when she was sure she was alone and unwatched in the hospital room, she would talk to her mother's bedside, low and quiet, as if she was sharing a secret between them. Rin would whisper about her day, the things she had done at school, the progress on her magecraft. She would make plans about all the things they could do once her mother had recovered. They could shop and dine and go on vacations to faraway places and have fun without a care in the world. She would imagine her mother's smile, her laughter, her gentle hand threading through Rin's hair, a phantom touch that made her chest ache. She would remember the sound of her voice, the serenity of her eyes.
It was nothing more than make-believe, the delusional prayer of a seven-year-old girl unable to fathom that her father was dead and that her mother was gone and that she had no one left. It had taken weeks for Rin to accept the truth, stupid as she was. From then on, something forbade Rin from saying a single word to her mother. She exchanged her words for silence, observing her like a solitary sentinel whenever she decided to visit.
But dark clouds loomed over Fuyuki, and Rin wasn't sure if she would get another chance to speak to her.
"The Holy Grail War came early this time around," she said. Though impromptu, Rin was now grateful for its onset. Her mother had survived for ten years in her listless state. She wouldn't survive another fifty.
Rin reached down and clasped her mother's hands between her own. "You've held on for a long time. I won't let your efforts go to waste."
She couldn't decide if her message was a promise or an elegy.
"I'll win the Holy Grail and achieve our family's dream." Or die trying, were the words left unsaid. Either way, Rin would never feel so helpless in this hospital room again.
Her father's greatest ambition lay with her: to obtain the Holy Grail. He must have had a wish, but he had never mentioned it. It didn't matter. Rin had her own wish now.
She left her mother's room a couple minutes later, feeling an odd mix of relief and resolve. A weight had been lifted off her chest, but another had settled in its place. Years of repressed stories, told to a person who couldn't recognize a single word of it.
"Rin," a voice nudged, snapping her out of her thoughts.
Saber guarded the door, her expression unreadable.
"You're here?" Rin said, pretending to be nonchalant. She didn't want to show weakness in front of her Servant. "When did you get back?"
"Not that long ago," she mumbled, hand wrapped around her elbow. "Um, Rin?"
"What's up?"
Saber hesitated, her mouth moving but indistinct. She started, then stopped and tried again.
"Do children usually take care of their parents?" she murmured, barely audible.
Taken aback, Rin froze, unsure how to answer that. She suddenly felt a great wave of compassion towards her Servant. Mordred Pendragon. Her father's killer, her mother's pawn. Has she ever known familial love?
"Hey, don't look at me like that," Saber said, eyes darting everywhere. "I-I'm just curious, okay?"
"You've had it rough, haven't you?" Rin asked softly.
Saber flushed a light pink. "Forget it! I don't need to know," she grumbled, stomping away.
"Mordred," Rin said solemnly. Saber halted, confused by the sudden use of her true name. "We'll win the Holy Grail, I guarantee it. You will get your wish."
Saber straightened her posture, matching her determination, eyes focused. "Was there ever any doubt?"
Rin shook her head. "Of course not."
I'll treat you better.
A/N: Just wanted to let everyone know that the next chapter will take around 3 weeks to be ready.