Oni



“Taka-san!” Akemi would say, the name of her partner carried like a bird’s song upon the wind, into the ears of its intended recipient. From the very first time he had heard that irreplaceable sound, this being, who had but one name before arriving on Earth, yet had assumed many identities in the millennia since, knew he could not escape the calling of his human heart.

For human it was – with the use of Pretender technology, he and his comrades had assumed organic forms when arriving on this world, the better to hide in plain sight. What none of them realised, however, was how fundamentally changed their new lives as organics would be...

And yet, none of them could imagine going back. If anyone suggested to them that they shed these forms and remain ‘purely’ bio-mechanical entities, they would reject the very notion out of hand, in the manner that a human might reject reverting to one of its evolutionary ancestors.

This being himself, who had chosen to settle among the archipelago that was gradually acquiring the name of Japan, had heard the siren call before. Once every several hundred years, or maybe once a millennium, he would encounter a person of such stunning character that he would break the oath he swore to himself after every faded love – only to witness the dance play out once more. No matter how much time they spent together, his partner would grow old and pass on, while he, functionally immortal, would weep over the parting, and try to move on – but never forgetting the times spent together.

But this time, he was not granted the chance to see the passing go peacefully, at the end of a long life, as he had always done before.

This time, his partner was slain.

“Akemi…” he sobbed, as the tears streaked down his human face, his arms holding tenderly onto the mortal remains of his itoshii – his beloved. She had committed suicide, before the men who had invaded their home could reach her, before he had the chance to kill the last one and save her life.

They had called out far less generous terms. “Oni!” “Bakemono!” “Youkai!” – the men had not dared to strike him down directly, to challenge who they, in their ignorance, termed as a monster, a daemon, a creature to be feared and hated. No, they had come to burn his home and kill the woman they decried as a traitor to her species, but she had denied them this opportunity.

But they were about to learn…

…just what kind of oni the man they had crossed could be.


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The castle which had served as the headquarters for the clan which had orchestrated the attack was in flames. Within lay scenes from a deranged abattoir – limbs severed, skulls smashed, chests ripped apart, in a fury more suited to the most notorious Decepticon stories back on Cybertron, not to the leader of the Pretenders on Earth.

“Tasukete, onegai… nanitozo!” pleaded the last, the head of the now-ruined clan, as he was dragged through the snow to a point overlooking the burning castle. Spare me, he pleaded, please, I beg you…

But the being had only one thing to say, as he raised the human upwards, and skewered him using his own swords upon the wooden cross: “Ore wa… Oni ga!”

I am a daemon.

This done, Taka - Hawk - walked away, the weight of what he had done already bearing heavily upon his spark – his soul – as the crucified man slowly bled and froze to death in the winter storm.

Priorities


“I’ll be back soon, itoshii!” Sakura kissed Seonac on the cheek before she stepped out of the door. In the time since she had joined the group of friends and loved ones in London, she had wanted to spend time catching up with her nee-san. So the two of them were going to go and spend some quality time together.

Seonac, in turn, couldn’t help but miss her when she was away – but compared to the seven months they had spent apart prior to her arrival in the UK, he didn’t mind so much.

And in any event, he had time to work on a little project he had in mind…

While he had been on his own, he had picked up a certain figure from an online vendor – the G1 Ultra Magnus from the Transformers: Titanium line. However, while it was a decent scale to the Revoltech Magnus he had ordered at the same time, it was a bit of a nuisance that the larger figure had the head attached to the trailer, rather than to the removable cab. Not only did it make the head stick too far forward, it meant the armour looked a bit odd if you detached the cab and tried to stand the Revoltech figure beside it.

However, it seemed that one or two people over on one of the TF boards he occasionally visited had tried their hands at decapitating Magnus, and re-attaching the head to the cab.

Ironically, it was only now that he had the time to try it – before this, he had been too busy working extra shifts and being buried in his studies.

Thankfully, he thought to himself, there’s no time like the present.

“Well, City Commander,” he said to his inert colleague, “Let’s see about a spot of re-engineering!”


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After a while, it became clearer that the effort would take a bit longer than he had hoped.

Cutting the joint which attached the head to the trailer took long enough – since he didn’t have more professional tools to use, only a modelling knife and pliers – but doing so in a way which would allow enough of it to remain for it to be mountable on the cab’s connecting piece was tricky indeed.

Finding out that you had to pretty much disassemble the cab altogether, remove the centre piece, turn it to face the opposite direction, drill the hole in the centre for a pin to fit, then try to piece the thing back together again… that was even more of a hassle.

And then there was the issue of finding a pin thick enough to secure the various pieces, yet thin enough to still fit into both sides… oh, and sacrificing poor Magnus’ head movement – Seonac had to glue the head onto the ball joint, in order to keep it sturdy enough to stay put.

You’d think one of the engineers at Hasbro wouldn’t have thought of this already, he sighed inwardly.

Still, progress was being made, and the stage was almost set for the first test of the new head-mount…

*knock knock knock*

Seonac looked up, and then set the tools down onto the modelling table, as he went over and opened the door…

“I’m back, itoshii!” Sakura was wearing a beautiful new casual dress, as she beamed a radiant smile at him.

And while Seonac scooped his beloved into his arms, he spared a moment’s thought for his work-in-progress figure. Sorry to leave you headless, Magnus, but I’m afraid I can't deal with that right now.

I have other priorities to take care of.

http://suiren.livejournal.com/

Five Times Saber Didn’t Kiss Shirou

And one time she did.

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01.

The battle with Berserker had left her bloody, bruised, and quite annoyed—but mainly just bloody and bruised. The annoyance she felt had been born not from the wounds she sustained (and were currently healing), but from the foolish boy who had pushed her out of the way and taken the full brunt of Hercules’s rage.

Emiya Shirou.

Her Master for the Fifth Holy Grail War.

The boy who currently lay on his back, sleeping (Saber thought he might have been dead, but she saw the faint rise and fall of his chest and knew this was not so) beneath a pile of blankets and quite unaware of the gaze of his Servant as she attempted to drill a hole through his foolishly thick skull with her eyes alone.

She was failing. Miserably.

“That was foolish, you know.” Gods, was she actually talking to herself? It wasn’t like Shirou could hear her, seeing as he was quite unconscious. “I’m perfectly capable of defending myself, regardless of my physical state. What you did was uncalled for.”

There was a pause as she quietly swept her eyes over his face; her gaze softened slightly.

“… And yet at the same time, it was very sweet.”

She’d spend the rest of the Holy Grail War kicking herself for stealing an innocent boy’s first kiss (while he was asleep, no less), but as she figured it, what he didn’t know wouldn’t hurt him.

It isn’t like it was an adult kiss, in any case. I merely brushed our lips together very gently. I doubt he felt anything at all.

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02.

Saber was dreadfully inexperienced when it came to relationships.

Not that she was entirely to blame. When other girls her age had been trying on make-up and flirting with country boys, she’d been shouldering a whole kingdom with Excalibur in hand. As other girls wriggled into dresses and adjusted their breathing, she’d pulled on her armor and cleaned the blood out of her hair.

She’d chosen to wield Excalibur, and she was partially to blame for her inexperience with the male species. But it certainly hadn’t helped that every man or boy she’d met during her lifetime was utterly terrified of her pseudo alias “King Arthur” and had never taken the time to know her better.

Still, Saber was well-versed enough to know that when a man and woman were together in bed, they… did things… you know… like kissing and… other stuff…

Not that she was doing that with Shirou. This was all a matter of priority, and she needed to have her mana supply replenished if she hoped to have even a prayer against Berserker. Archer was gone, and Rin only had her gems to back her now. Still, it unnerved her quite a bit—and not necessarily in a bad way—as Shirou awkwardly climbed on top of her under Rin’s orders, her fingers curling into the sheets as her breathing thinned.

After a moment, Rin coughed softly. “You two need to establish some physical contact,” she said at last. “It won’t work otherwise.”

Another moment.

“… Mou, do I need to dumb it down for you?” She rested her hands on her hips, scowling. She sighed. “Look, come on… a peck, a light kiss, something.”

“Tohsaka!”

“I’m not saying it has to be sex, I’m just saying you need to establish some kind of intimate link so you can make the dive into her core easier for both of you!”

Saber saw the shift in Shirou’s eyes, knew without hearing him say it that he understood what had to be done—and still he hesitated, gazing down at her uncertainly. He wouldn’t do anything if she didn’t encourage him; all she had to do was say the word, and he’d be off her in a heartbeat.

She told herself that it was merely because she needed mana that she reached up, gently gripping the back of his neck, and pulled his mouth down to hers, softly urging his lips apart with her tongue.

It wasn’t because she’d actually wanted to kiss him, and it wasn’t because if he hadn’t made the move, she would have gone completely insane.

Saber was a woman, yes. She was willing to admit that much at this point. But she also had a sense of honor, dammit.

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O3.

Saber considered it a great accomplishment that she hadn’t completely disemboweled Illyasviel von Eizenbern upon finding her in Shirou’s bed. Since she couldn’t take her anger out on the little white-haired brat (doing so would definitely cost Shirou his last Command Seal, at least) she settled for slamming dishes around.

It wasn’t her most mature moment, but she was still a teenage girl. She was allowed her moments from time to time.

Notice how you never consider taking your frustration out on Shirou.

Shut up. I don’t recall asking for your opinion on this.

Oh, come now, I’m sure it would be a very pleasurable experience for you. At the very least, it would certainly calm you down.

What are you, my libido?

Honey, you didn’t even have libido until you met this boy.

I am ignoring that comment.

“Um… Saber? Are you all right?”

With a jolt the blonde-haired Servant snapped out of her daze, meeting the eyes of one very concerned Emiya Shirou. As she fumbled desperately for some kind of excuse, she heard laughter ring in her head that sounded suspiciously like Merlin.

Oh, hell. If I don’t do this sooner or later, with my luck I’ll be taken out by Assassin because I’m too busy checking out Shirou’s behind.

It’s a very cute behind, I might add.

Would you shut up!

“Saber…?”

“I blame the voice in my head,” she replied simply, and in one fluid motion stepped across the room and kissed him senseless.

She figured she was doing something right when Shirou’s initial resistance, born out of surprise more than anything, melted into eager acceptance.

(Rin snapped a picture and smuggled it away for blackmail purposes. Shirou never managed to get it back from her, even after the War ended)

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04.

Five Times Saber Didn’t Kiss Shirou

And one time she did.

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01.

The battle with Berserker had left her bloody, bruised, and quite annoyed—but mainly just bloody and bruised. The annoyance she felt had been born not from the wounds she sustained (and were currently healing), but from the foolish boy who had pushed her out of the way and taken the full brunt of Hercules’s rage.

Emiya Shirou.

Her Master for the Fifth Holy Grail War.

The boy who currently lay on his back, sleeping (Saber thought he might have been dead, but she saw the faint rise and fall of his chest and knew this was not so) beneath a pile of blankets and quite unaware of the gaze of his Servant as she attempted to drill a hole through his foolishly thick skull with her eyes alone.

She was failing. Miserably.

“That was foolish, you know.” Gods, was she actually talking to herself? It wasn’t like Shirou could hear her, seeing as he was quite unconscious. “I’m perfectly capable of defending myself, regardless of my physical state. What you did was uncalled for.”

There was a pause as she quietly swept her eyes over his face; her gaze softened slightly.

“… And yet at the same time, it was very sweet.”

She’d spend the rest of the Holy Grail War kicking herself for stealing an innocent boy’s first kiss (while he was asleep, no less), but as she figured it, what he didn’t know wouldn’t hurt him.

It isn’t like it was an adult kiss, in any case. I merely brushed our lips together very gently. I doubt he felt anything at all.

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02.

Saber was dreadfully inexperienced when it came to relationships.

Not that she was entirely to blame. When other girls her age had been trying on make-up and flirting with country boys, she’d been shouldering a whole kingdom with Excalibur in hand. As other girls wriggled into dresses and adjusted their breathing, she’d pulled on her armor and cleaned the blood out of her hair.

She’d chosen to wield Excalibur, and she was partially to blame for her inexperience with the male species. But it certainly hadn’t helped that every man or boy she’d met during her lifetime was utterly terrified of her pseudo alias “King Arthur” and had never taken the time to know her better.

Still, Saber was well-versed enough to know that when a man and woman were together in bed, they… did things… you know… like kissing and… other stuff…

Not that she was doing that with Shirou. This was all a matter of priority, and she needed to have her mana supply replenished if she hoped to have even a prayer against Berserker. Archer was gone, and Rin only had her gems to back her now. Still, it unnerved her quite a bit—and not necessarily in a bad way—as Shirou awkwardly climbed on top of her under Rin’s orders, her fingers curling into the sheets as her breathing thinned.

After a moment, Rin coughed softly. “You two need to establish some physical contact,” she said at last. “It won’t work otherwise.”

Another moment.

“… Mou, do I need to dumb it down for you?” She rested her hands on her hips, scowling. She sighed. “Look, come on… a peck, a light kiss, something.”

“Tohsaka!”

“I’m not saying it has to be sex, I’m just saying you need to establish some kind of intimate link so you can make the dive into her core easier for both of you!”

Saber saw the shift in Shirou’s eyes, knew without hearing him say it that he understood what had to be done—and still he hesitated, gazing down at her uncertainly. He wouldn’t do anything if she didn’t encourage him; all she had to do was say the word, and he’d be off her in a heartbeat.

She told herself that it was merely because she needed mana that she reached up, gently gripping the back of his neck, and pulled his mouth down to hers, softly urging his lips apart with her tongue.

It wasn’t because she’d actually wanted to kiss him, and it wasn’t because if he hadn’t made the move, she would have gone completely insane.

Saber was a woman, yes. She was willing to admit that much at this point. But she also had a sense of honor, dammit.

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O3.

Saber considered it a great accomplishment that she hadn’t completely disemboweled Illyasviel von Eizenbern upon finding her in Shirou’s bed. Since she couldn’t take her anger out on the little white-haired brat (doing so would definitely cost Shirou his last Command Seal, at least) she settled for slamming dishes around.

It wasn’t her most mature moment, but she was still a teenage girl. She was allowed her moments from time to time.

Notice how you never consider taking your frustration out on Shirou.

Shut up. I don’t recall asking for your opinion on this.

Oh, come now, I’m sure it would be a very pleasurable experience for you. At the very least, it would certainly calm you down.

What are you, my libido?

Honey, you didn’t even have libido until you met this boy.

I am ignoring that comment.

“Um… Saber? Are you all right?”

With a jolt the blonde-haired Servant snapped out of her daze, meeting the eyes of one very concerned Emiya Shirou. As she fumbled desperately for some kind of excuse, she heard laughter ring in her head that sounded suspiciously like Merlin.

Oh, hell. If I don’t do this sooner or later, with my luck I’ll be taken out by Assassin because I’m too busy checking out Shirou’s behind.

It’s a very cute behind, I might add.

Would you shut up!

“Saber…?”

“I blame the voice in my head,” she replied simply, and in one fluid motion stepped across the room and kissed him senseless.

She figured she was doing something right when Shirou’s initial resistance, born out of surprise more than anything, melted into eager acceptance.

(Rin snapped a picture and smuggled it away for blackmail purposes. Shirou never managed to get it back from her, even after the War ended)

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04.

It was, in many ways, a scene that seemed to be taken right out of a horror movie. Blood splattered the ground and drenched both of them, the silver beams of moonlight only adding a ghostly glow to the whole moment that made one think of werewolves, vampires, and all other sorts of creatures that went bump in the night.

Shirou’s dead weight was too much, even for the former King of Knights, and Saber sank to her knees, still cradling him as gently as one would cradle a precious stone or gem. Her body ached from the beating it had received from Gilgamesh, but she considered her wounds minor compared to what Shirou had sustained.

And yet he still draws breath…

“Shirou.” Very gently she moved her hand up, stroking the back of his neck lightly as he groaned. “I’m sorry, but you need to hold on just a little longer. My strength isn’t what it usually is at the moment.” She blew out a long breath. “If you’ll be patient, I’ll be able to move in a few minutes.”

For a moment, Shirou said nothing; then, Saber became aware of the fact that his body was shaking. “Shirou?” she asked, immediately thinking it was discomfort from his injuries. Her face flushed pink as she realized, belatedly, that he was laughing at her—weakly, but he was laughing. “I don’t see what’s so funny,” she muttered.

“Sorry. Bad timing, I know.” Shirou continued to chuckle, dropping his forehead to her shoulder. “You’re something else, Saber, you really are.”

“I’m not sure whether I should view that as a compliment or an insult.”

“Considering the circumstances, it’s a compliment. You’re always so calm, so in control. I have to admire that.”

Saber didn’t reply; her eyes softened slightly, and she shifted her hold on Shirou so she could pull back, so she was looking at his face. Very gently she combed her fingers through his hair, and he blinked in confusion. “… Saber?” he asked uncertainly, not sure what to make of her current expression. “Wh… what is it?”

“ARCHER!!!”

Leaning in, mindful of his injuries, Saber pressed her lips chastely against Shirou’s, feeling him stiffen in surprise before he slowly relaxed. After a few seconds, she pulled away.

Shirou looked just as confused as when she’d first leaned in. “Saber?”

Saber smiled slightly and closed her eyes, hugging him close again. “It seems Rin was right,” she murmured. “You really are an idiot sometimes, Shirou.”

As soon as I saw Gilgamesh take you down, I lost all control. But then, you don’t need to know that.

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05.

“It’s all over now… isn’t it?”

“Yeah. This is the end.”

There was a pause; Saber waited, but Shirou obviously wasn’t going to say anything. She inhaled deeply, gazing out at the distant mountains as she struggled to keep her voice even. “As your sword, I have slain your enemies and defended you at every turn.” She swallowed against the hot lump rising in her throat. “I’m glad I was able to keep that oath.”

“And as my sword… you were amazing.”

Gods, he wasn’t making this any easier for her. Knowing it had been pre-determined to end didn’t make it any simpler to accept.

“There is one last thing… I must tell you.”

Gah! No! Stop talking! No more talking! Words cannot change what’s about to happen! You’re only making it harder on yourself, and on him!

Saber moved of her own free will, choosing to ignore the shrill voice in her head that still sounded eerily similar to the voice of Merlin. Drinking in Shirou’s face for what was possibly the last time she’d ever see him, she couldn’t help but smile as the sunlight spilled behind her in rays of gold.

“Shirou. Please know that… that I love you.”

Shirou didn’t say anything—he’d made his declaration to her a long time ago. His eyes softened slightly, and his lips curved to mirror the smile Saber had; that small, content smile, a moment of happiness even in the face of imminent separation. As she felt the sun warm her back, Saber came to a conclusion.

There was no sure way of knowing how long she’d have to live without Shirou by her side once she returned to her life, but if she didn’t do this now she would regret it until the day she died.

She moved fluidly, a blur of gold and blue and silver, and Shirou caught her in his arms like she weighed nothing at all. Her fingers dug into his shirt and held on, tightly, as his mouth crushed against hers and they shared their last kiss beneath the sunrise, trying to express everything they hadn’t been able to say during their (too short) time together.

(She felt wetness streak her cheeks and realized, with a strange sense of bitterness, that she was crying again)

When Shirou opened his eyes, she was gone.

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“Are you dreaming now, King Arthur? Are you still dreaming the same dream?”

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06.

Waking from a dream could be viewed as either a joy or a disappointment, depending on the person who was waking and the dream they were waking from. As the mists of sleep slowly faded from Saber’s mind, she groggily became aware of two things:

One, she was no longer leaning against a tree. In fact, she was flat on her back, under covers judging by the warmth settled over her body.

Two, she could still hear the chirping of birds, but it was a faint, muffled sound now. She slowly opened her eyes, blinking several times as her vision swam hazily for a moment before clearing.

“Well, well, look who’s finally starting to wake up.”

That definitely wasn’t Bedivere’s voice.

The familiar tone, laced with humor just as she remembered, had Saber surging up, her eyes wide and her unbound hair flying past her shoulders. Chuckling, Tohsaka Rin shrugged off her backpack and stepped into the room, kneeling gracefully next to the former Servant. “About time,” she said conversationally. “You’ve been asleep for hours. I was starting to worry.”

“What… how am I… why are you…”

“I found you in the storage shed of all places, would you believe it? I stopped by to see if Shirou was home yet—he’s got a habit of wandering around now since you’ve been gone, Saber—and I heard this crash in the backyard and ran out to check. And there you were. I carried you in here, I remember this used to be your room, and I figured you’d wake up sooner or later.”

Saber could only stare at the dark-haired magus, something inside of her not totally accepting everything that was happening. Rin smiled at her, seeming perfectly at ease with the whole situation in a way that only she could be. “Welcome home, Saber,” she whispered.

And just like that, all the pieces clicked together for Saber. “I’m… I’m home,” she said softly, slowly, feeling the words roll off her tongue. The giddiness hit her in a wave, and she laughed. “I’m home.” The sunlight spilling through the window caught her attention as an object in its path cast a shadow over the floor, and she could only stare at the tiny lion plush toy that sat on the table.

Rin noticed her interest in the toy immediately and stood, walking across the room to scoop the lion up into her arms. “I was wondering when you’d notice this guy,” she admitted. “He’s been here ever since you left.” She knelt at Saber’s side again, shrugging. “I guess Shirou bought it for you on your date and never got a chance to give it to you before you left. He’s a cute little thing. If you don’t want him, I’d be happy to take him--“

“Mine. Hand it over.”

The possessive tone in Saber’s voice made Rin smirk. “Thought you’d say that,” she murmured, passing the stuffed lion into Saber’s arms, and the blonde hugged the toy to her chest tightly. The action caused her to notice something else—with the exception of her hair, which was still down, she was back in her modern day clothing.

“I’m not quite sure how you managed to get back.” A little irked by it the way a child was when they couldn’t locate their favorite toy, Rin absently rubbed her chin. “I’m positive the Holy Grail had something to do with it, I just don’t know how…” She trailed off for a moment contemplatively, then shrugged. “I suppose I’ll figure it out later, all that matters is that you’re back.” She smiled. “You wouldn’t happen to know where Shirou would be, would you?”

Judging from the light that came into Saber’s eyes, Rin had a feeling that she knew exactly where Shirou was.

“I shall find him for you.” Despite the glow in her eyes, Saber kept a perfectly straight face and an even tone. “I’m sure you’re worried about him as well, Rin.”

If she hadn’t been still tightly clutching the lion plushie and if her eyes hadn’t been glowing the way they were, Rin would have believed Saber hadn’t changed at all.

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It was a beautiful day outside; something Saber had quickly learned to appreciate about Japan was its lovely weather. The breeze was warm but not too hot, and it felt nice against her face as she walked. A few strands of hair fell in front of her eyes as she walked, and she brushed them back absently with her hand; she’d decided against tying her hair back, if only because she needed—wanted—to see Shirou again.

Rewind

Gilgamesh studied his new Master through narrow red eyes as the young woman lifted the teacup to her lips, taking a long drink. The whole time she never tore her gaze from his, her light blue eyes challenging him to judge her as he saw fit. He smirked.

His new Master, Tohsaka Rin. What a surprise that had been. Almost as bad as being killed in the last Grail War; nothing quite beat waking up in a summoning circle and looking right into the face of the daughter of the man he’d betrayed ten years ago.

After a moment, Rin lowered her cup to its platter with a soft clink. “So you’re in the Archer class, correct?” Her voice was soft, with a challenging edge to it as they waged their silent battle of wills.

“That is the class name I have been assigned, yes.” Gilgamesh slid his hands into his pockets, having chosen to forgo his usual golden armor for his more comfortable modern day appearance. “Though I doubt that’s what you really want to ask me, am I right?”

Rin narrowed her eyes. “If I ask you, will you tell me?” She took another sip from her cup, steadily holding his gaze.

Gilgamesh stared at her for a moment; he laughed, running a hand through his hair. “You’re a stubborn one,” he said at last, his laughter fading away into soft chuckles. “Very stubborn. I like that. I have a feeling we’ll work very well together.” He smiled at her calmly. “My true name is Gilgamesh. That is what you wanted to know, I assume.”

“Yes.” Now she smiled as she lowered her cup again. “Thank you for telling me. I didn’t want to waste a Command Seal for something as trivial as this.” She frowned contemplatively, studying the cup in her hand.

“Rin?”

“Well, first things first.” She stood up, brushing off her skirt. “If we’re going to be working together, you’ll need to learn how to make my tea properly. This stuff you gave me is absolutely revolting.”

Gilgamesh sighed.

Oh yes, he mused. Very stubborn, indeed.

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Saber stumbled through the charred remains of the village, her armor stained black and red with soot and blood. Her whole body trembled with exhaustion, her eyes dull and staring ahead at nothing as rain pounded down on her from the sky, her armor covered in cuts and slashes.

Kiritsugu had destroyed the Holy Grail, using his last Command Seal to make a double wish. The first one had been carried out flawlessly. The second one was currently being carried out by Saber—to continue on in this time, to live on until the end of the Fifth Holy Grail War, in which case she could fade away if she so chose it. She didn’t understand why he’d made that particular wish, and she didn’t care.

What’s the point of living on in this time? Exhausted, she came to an absolute standstill, tilting her head to look up at the sky. The Grail has been lost for the time being. I cannot have my wish fulfilled. I have no reason to stay here, even if Kiritsugu wished it. Not that she could ask him his reasons for doing it—he was dead, having sacrificed his life to destroy the Grail for the time being.

A soft whimper made her look down at her feet; she blinked several times, and her eyes widened slightly. “What?” she whispered.

The little orange-haired boy gazed up at her, looking as lost and alone as she felt. Somehow her feet had guided her to his side as he lay there on his back; he blinked, coughed, and his eyes cleared. Staring at him, Saber slowly sank to her knees.

A survivor… from the fire? Kiritsugu, did you have something to do with this…?

Her hand trembling slightly, Saber lifted her arm and gently offered it to the boy, not sure what she was expecting him to do; he gazed at her for a moment before he mimicked her action, his tiny, soot-covered hand coming to rest in hers, feeling fragile and warm in comparison to the cool armor that still covered her body.

His fingers curled against hers, and that did it.

Her heart overflowing with emotion, Saber pulled the boy into her arms and hugged him tightly to her chest, burying her face into his hair as the tears came. The boy’s arms slid around her neck instinctively as she lurched to her feet again and began walking, now searching for a way out of the hellhole they were both trapped in.

The boy rested the palm of his hand against Saber’s chest, feeling her heartbeat. He sighed softly with contentment and closed his eyes, drifting to sleep. He’d been so tired, but he wasn’t alone anymore. He could rest now; he knew, somewhere deep inside, that Saber would take care of him.

They’d both found a reason to continue living.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX XXXXXXXX

Young Tohsaka Rin watched the two boys play outside from her tall room window before sighing and looking away, leafing through the pages of her book. The boys had been coming for awhile now; a little orange-haired one named Emiya Shirou and his best friend, Ryudou Issei, had started playing in the woods around her house about a week ago. She recognized them both from school, and so far had successfully resisted the urge to go out and play with them.

She had a War to study for, after all.

Rin hesitated, looking out the window. Several times the boys had invited her to come out and play, and each time she’d turned them down. Not that she didn’t want to—honestly, she was a little lonely, and Issei and Shirou always seemed to have a lot of fun. But if she wanted to be the best magus she could be by the time the next Holy Grail War started, she needed to study as much as possible. Nodding internally to herself, she turned back to her book.

Only to have her concentration abruptly shattered as something knocked against her window. Surprised, she looked up again and found herself gazing into Shirou’s eyes; the boy grinned and waved at her, balancing himself on a wobbly old ladder that he and Issei must have pulled out of the old storage shed in the woods. With wide eyes she bolted across the room and quickly unlocked the window. “What do you think you’re doing?!” she hissed.

“Wanna play?” Shirou grinned at her, offering his hand. “It’s really nice outside today. I bet it’d be more fun than being stuck inside in a dark room.”

Rin scowled at him. “I’m studying, you idiot. It’s important.”

“Well, yeah, but you always study. That can’t be good for your health.” Shirou shrugged. “At least, that’s what Fuji-nee always says.”

Rin blinked, not sure how she was supposed to respond to that. She put her hands on her hips. “Why do you want me to come out, anyway? You and Ryudou-kun seem to have lots of fun without me.”

Shirou frowned contemplatively, rubbing his chin as he thought this over; after a moment, he shrugged, smiled, and offered her his hand. “We do,” he admitted, “but you always look so lonely. You should have some fun, too.”

Rin hesitated. Don’t do it, her inner voice warned. If you do it you won’t be studying, and if you aren’t studying you won’t become the best magus you can be. Turn them both down.

She closed her eyes, inhaled deeply. But what’s the point of being the best magus I can be if I’m always lonely?

She opened her eyes and grinned, resting her hand in Shirou’s and scrambling out the window with his help.

In the years to come, Issei and Shirou would be Rin’s best friends and brothers rolled into one. But for now she was young, and all she wanted was to have a little fun.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX XXXXXXXX

Matou Sakura watched the blue-haired man calmly eat the meal she’d prepared for him, completely concentrated on his task. She swallowed a ball of nerves and smoothed her apron a bit, turning back to the sink. “Would you like some tea, Assassin?” she asked, glancing briefly over her shoulder at him for confirmation.

Assassin, or Sasaki Kojiro as his true name was, glanced up at her briefly before his lips quirked upwards in a smile. “Yes please, Master,” he said. “I would appreciate it very much.”

Sakura paused for a moment, watching the young man out of the corner of her eye. She was relatively new to this whole Master/Servant thing, having only entered the War to defend Shinji (the boy had successfully summoned Rider because magic still flowed through his veins, but he was no where near close to controlling it; regardless of his faults Sakura still loved him, and she wasn’t about to watch him die.), but being constantly referred to as ‘Master’ made her a little uncomfortable. Heating the water, she took a deep breath, wanting to sound as confident and sure of herself as possible. “A-Assassin?” Her voice came out as a squeak.

What happened to sounding calm and confident?!

Her Servant looked up at her again. “Yes, Master?”

Sakura turned to face him now, and a small, nervous smile lit her face. “My name isn’t Master,” she said softly. “It’s Sakura. Matou Sakura.” She clasped her hands behind her back. “Honestly, I feel awkward with always being called Master.”

Assassin gazed at her for a few minutes without blinking before he spoke. “Is that a request or an order?”

“Uh…” Sakura struggled for control. “W-Well, ah… it’s not an order. I won’t make you call me by my name if… if you don’t want to… but I’d… prefer it…” Blood rushed into her cheeks, making her face bright red.

Assassin studied her a little longer before his smile returned, and he dipped his head in acknowledgement. “Very well then,” he murmured. “If that is what you want, then I shall call you Sakura.”

The way her name rolled off his tongue made Sakura smile for some reason, even as her blush intensified. “Thank you,” she whispered. After a moment, she took another leap of faith, mindful of the three Command Seals on her left hand. “Um… may I call you by your name? May I call you Kojiro-kun?”

Assassin’s smile widened, if it was possible. Quite suddenly, he found himself very interested in this War.

“If that is what you want… Sakura.”

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX XXXXXXXX

Illyasviel von Eizenburn giggled happily as Shirou reached up, gently tugging on her hand. “Onee-chan?” he asked, offering her a small picture book. “Is it all right if you read this one to me tonight?”

Illya took the book from Shirou as the boy scrambled up onto the bed beside her, studying the cover for a moment; she laughed. “But Shirou, I’ve read this to you a million times!”

“I know! But I really, really like it! It’s all about heroes and how they save people!”

The white-haired girl paused for a moment, mulling over a thought; a light came into her red eyes and she looked down at her little brother. “Why don’t I tell you a story about the hero who saved me?”

“Really?” Shirou’s eyes widened to the size of dinner plates; he leaned closer to his sister. “You were saved by a hero, Onee-chan?”

“Yep! See, it happened a few years ago after this great war…”

From the doorway, Emiya Kiritsugu smiled as he watched his daughter enthrall her younger brother with her tale. Chuckling, he turned away and slid the door shut behind him as quietly as possible so as not to interrupt the story.

There was no doubt in the man’s mind that one day Illya’s grandfather would return and try to reclaim her, especially when the time for the fifth Holy Grail War drew closer. But it doesn’t matter, the dark-haired man thought as he walked down the hall. When that day comes, I will protect her. I will definitely become strong enough to protect her.

But that was still ten years off.

For now, Kiritsugu had his daughter back, and she was growing up with a normal, stable family life.

That was all that mattered.

The End

Scenario 1: Obviously, if Rin had summoned Gilgamesh things would have gone very differently, since it would mean that he died in the fourth Holy Grail War. Though if that had happened, going by the logic of Shirou summoning Saber like Kiritsugu, there's no way of saying Rin couldn't have summoned Gilgamesh as her Archer. Honestly, the two of them together? Utterly hilarious.

Scenario 2: I realize the really, really big plothole of how Saber would continue on in modern-day without a supply of mana, and I'm not altogether sure that two commands can be made simultaniously on one Command Seal. But still, it would have been an intriguing idea if Saber had found Shirou... kind of like the Rosette/Chrno relationship in Chrno Crusade, I think.

Scenario 3: I'm assuming that Rin had a relatively lonely childhood after her father died and Sakura was given to the Matou family, since we only see her interact with Shirou and she seems to have no other close friends. But if she'd made friends at a younger age, you never know... it could have totally changed her as a character.

Scenario 4: Assuming that Shinji was a proper magus (and therefore summoned Rider on his own) and Sakura summoned a different class of Servant, the War could have gone very differently for the two of them. I realize that there's a rule that siblings can't fight in the War, but in this version Sakura is fighting to protect Shinji, not to get the Holy Grail. So it could possibly be an exception. And summoning Assassin... that just changes so many things right off the bat.

Scenario 5: Not much to say here. Just Illya, having a regular life with her father and Shirou like she should have instead of staying with her grandfather like she did. I liked the idea of it, and it would have definitely changed the War; if Illya was happy and content, who would be left to summon Berserker? As a note, I only knew Illya is older than Shirou because of Wikipedia... so far I only know the anime and manga version of Fate, and neither go specifically into her character.

Note:

This story is intended to be a follow-up to the story A Moment of Truth, which itself follows the Good ending of Fate/Stay Night's Unlimited Blade Works story route.



Crystal Valley: Preview


BGM: Trevor Morris - And So It Begins


We had come a long way, Sakura and I.

Across half the world and back again, I found the acrid depths a human mind can stoop to…

…and the soaring heights to which our kind should all aspire.


Together, she and I, with those who comprise our family circle, faced our moments of truth.

At long last, one chapter of our collective lives had come to an end.


And yet…


Despite the glimpses offered, by the one which beckoned us towards a new destiny…


…none of us were prepared for what lay in store.


------------------------------


The group of adventurers were astounded.

The flight from Sao Paulo into the interior covered such a diverse array of terrain, so many individual glimpses at a country – a continent – in constant flux.

From the urban sprawl of the metropolis the group left behind, the course of the flight gradually took them over wide subtropical forests and immense stretches of savanna, pock-marked to a greater or lesser extent by large stretches of farmland. Much of it had been ‘claimed’ at the expense of a unique ecosystem which lay under increasing siege, despite the efforts of many to steer its fate towards a less destructive path.

And further on, past the myriad works of man, lay the pulsating heart of life itself…

…the Amazon basin.

“It’s hard to get a handle of…” admitted Rin, who had a hand pressed against one of the small plane’s windows, trying not to ‘accidentally’ Reinforce the glass while doing so.

Shirou nodded, putting a hand to the side of his head, as he tried to peek out himself. “It’s usually so cloudy when you fly to London from Japan and back. I don’t think I’ve ever had the chance to see the terrain I’ve flown over quite like this.”

Saber, who almost wished she had asked for the chance to fly the group to their destination herself – assuming her Riding skill wouldn’t take too long to adjust – remained silent. Her wide eyes, intently picking up every last scrap of detail it could along the way, said more than mere words could convey, to those who knew what to look for in them.

Meanwhile, Sakura rested her head on Seonac’s shoulder, as the two looked on through their own windowpane. Much as the view had to offer, the two couldn’t help but find their thoughts drawn away from it, and towards a more distant point they would have to try and reach.

“They’re waiting for us,” Seonac ‘whsipered’ into his beloved’s mind.

“Hai,” came the reply.

They had so far left to go… but even so, they were on their way.


------------------------------


As the rain beat down, from clouds which had not been there a few hours ago, the captured man shuddered in reaction to the mysterious, piercing set of green eyes which remained locked upon him.

“Wait…” he said, as he tried to steady himself, “I don’t…”

Something’s not right here, Seonac thought to himself, as he suddenly sensed a shift within the prisoner’s mind. It was almost as if…

“Ah, so you can notice it,” a new voice spoke, from the prisoner’s mouth. The man smirked, his expression changing in an instant – but Seonac knew that this was not the same man at all. “Interesting.”

Seonac tried to retain the initiative, despite a growing sense that something was about to go very, very wrong. “I don’t suppose you feel like talking about it, then?”

The ‘man’ chuckled, as he stood up, going as far as he could while the bonds remained in place. “No, I’m afraid I don’t have anything to say to you and yours. Well, except for one thing, that is.”

Seonac replied, as he noted Rin, Saber and Shirou approach. “Which is…”

A wider grin, as the final words were spoken. “This one’s usefulness… has just reached its end.”

The five of them could feel the pulse of danger, as Saber’s instincts reacted even as the low whistling sound was immediately followed by the pitiful sight of fear in the man’s eyes as his head burst open to one side.


------------------------------


The way to the village was un-marked by any recognisable trail, though the guide seemed to note every step’s worth with the expertise of one who carried a lifetime’s worth of experience among the rainforest.

Some of the villagers had stepped forward to note the strangers’ presence, while others seemed content to remain at whatever stations they had been busy at before the new arrival.

Seonac was fascinated by the sight of these people, but what was perhaps most striking was how they, or at least those who were most prominently reaching out to his mind, seemed to recognise him.

“So, I don’t suppose you have any idea why they already seem to recognise you?” Rin asked, wondering when any of these locals were actually going to speak. She had a few guesses as to why they had not done so, but none of them meant that she had to like it.

Before Seonac could reply, one of the elders directed them to what looked like a kind of statue…

…but when they came closer, they realised that the effigy was made of a material like no other on Earth.

This would have been the most important part of it, were it not for the person the face of the effigy echoed in astonishing detail.


------------------------------


The five had been given the time they needed to settle in, or at least as much as they could settle for what was, even now, a waypoint on their wider journey.

And yet, even leaving the anthropologist’s treasure trove which this unique culture represented aside, it seemed increasingly obvious that these people were strongly linked to the place where the five were going.

Their story was crucial to understanding what lay beyond.

As the music began, so did the telling.

“What do they want, itoshii?” Sakura asked, as another of the elders approached them, his hand outstretched.

Seonac stood up, and smiled as he held Sakura’s hand in his own. “They want us to dance.”

She smiled in turn as she followed him up, and the assembled crowd watched the two move together, as if they could hear an echo of the song which played within their entwined minds.

As the dance continued, more and more of the villagers joined in, each following a kind of pattern that seemed to tell a story within a story, all of its own.

As the dance widened, a shared vision flowed into the minds of all assembled – a vision of another time, another place. At the dawn of this people’s world, when they had been the first of their kind, the architects of a realm like no other.

As the cries called out, one after another, each with more sorrow, more depth, more meaning than the last, the tragic tale unfolded.


A burning light in the distant sky.

An unwilling exodus to a foreign land.

A stream of tears and heartache, as friends and loved ones passed beyond the known realm.

A determination to dance, to rejoice, to defy the call into oblivion, to assert the bittersweet mantra what while there is life, there is hope.

A set of new arrivals, each hundreds of moons apart, each reflected in the living metal…

…and each drawn to a fate unknown.

A sense that all of this, somehow, was inexorably building towards something…

…that would change their world yet again.


------------------------------


Like the ringing of a solitary church bell, the pulse of psionic energy emanated across the gathering, as if calling time on one set of events, and calling forth the onset of a new phase.

At the source of the pulse, the eyes of the ‘statue’ flared a bright emerald.

It stepped forth.

It was time.


------------------------------


The five followed the course laid out by the walking simulacrum, its sure and steady stride in stark contrast to the carefully-navigated route the indigenous guide had followed to lead them to the village.

It walked as if even the act itself was a carefully-choreographed form of mimicry, as if it had somehow been trained to move in a fashion alien to it.

Its lips did not move, not even to show any sign of breathing, nor to express any sign of exertion.

And despite the utter silence, both verbally and telepathically, to be found within, the being still emanated an immensely powerful sense of purpose – as if it was fulfilling one small, but crucial, part in a far more intricate plan.

It stopped at what seemed to be a rock face, and turned to face the group as a shimmering vortex of teal and emerald formed behind it.


------------------------------


On the other side, the four humans, one Servant, and one simulacrum stood upon a smooth disc of the same alien material as the silent guide.

As the disc flew along towards its destination, the five were left speechless at the sights they passed through.

Within an immense subterranean cavern, a glowing light seemed to emanate and reflect from a hundred thousand surfaces, from the distant roof to the ground below. They passed through endless rows of petrified – no, crystallized – trees, plants, even animals, left as if frozen in time at the moment of ossification. Thin strands of the alien material, light as the air yet stronger than diamond, was woven into an impossibly intricate pattern, between the trees, along the surface, among the relatively few notable terrain features on the ceiling.

In the centre of the cavern, this immense crystal valley beneath the surface of an otherwise-unheralded patch of the hemisphere, rested the somewhat egg-shaped pods within which two very special forms of life currently resided.

They were too far away to be seen clearly, but Seonac and Sakura rejoiced as they could sense the little ones’ presence.

But there was so much, so very much more than that.

The flying disc approached the centre, and as it did so, the will of the one which had guided its actions lay manifest.

The five looked up, open-mouthed, as they strained their necks in order to try and take in the sheer scope of the Ultimate One before them.

It was hoisted in the centre of the Crystal Valley upon impossibly large, curved legs, which held up a torso mounting innumerable appendages, large and small. Behind its back lay a perfect circle, effortlessly housing a churning matrix of unfathomable power and majesty.

Its three heads – or was it five? Or maybe only the one? - rested upon long neck-like extensions, and even the one, central head seemed to take in all of the arrivals at once.

Saber tried to steel herself in the face of this godlike entity, despite the overwhelming sense of apprehension at their very presence within this un-earthly landscape.

Rin and Shirou held each other’s hand more tightly than either realised, as they thought of the last time they faced something even remotely comparable in terms of power.

Sakura, in contrast, was trying to fight down the intensely strong urge to rush over and embrace the pods containing the little ones – but the sight of how her partner faced the immense being before them gave her pause.

Seonac, however, left no fear or apprehension at all, as his mind opened to the One which had beckoned him forth. Rather, he left that he was on the very cusp of something… magnificent.

“I can see it,” he spoke, as the first tendrils of communication formed. “Its presence, its purpose…”

He could see it all.

Its reason for being on this world.

Its efforts to understand, in extraordinary detail, the kind of life, so different to its own, which awaited it here.

Its revelation that, despite its solitary presence here on Earth…

…that it was not alone.


“Quite the show, isn’t it?”

That voice…

Seonac’s head turned, his eyes looking out into the crystal valley, desperately trying to pick out who had ‘said’ this. “What are you…”

“I’ve waited for far too long,” the voice proclaimed in triumph, loud enough for all of them to hear, “And at last… vengeance shall be mine!”


All Seonac could do was scream, as the bolt of Gin-soaked energy fired from a hidden vantage point, soaking up the energy permeating the cavern as it smashed into the circle upon the Ultimate One’s back.

------------------------------


When the new portal opened, wreathed in crimson, I knew that four thousand years’ worth of effort had been left in vain.

As it – as they – came forth, I knew that the fate of mankind itself now lay in the balance.

As I looked to my friends, my family, we all realised that there was only one, faint chance, before it was too late.

And as I turned to the Ultimate One before me, and took the step towards my true destiny...

...I wondered if it would be enough.

Crystal Valley: Prologue



BGM: Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker - Main Theme


1929.

It was the year of the Wall Street Crash, a financial reckoning which would signal the world's headlong plunge into the Great Depression.

It was a year of crises and conflicts in East Asia. The Jinan Incident came to an end, but had only served to deepen the gradually-stirring enmity between Imperial Japan and Nationalist China. Tensions to the north were also evident, as a Sino-Soviet conflict sparked up, then petered out, over the Manchurian Chinese Eastern Railway.

While the East Asian rivals and the old and rising powers of Europe and the New World officially sought to renounce war through the signing of (or declared adherence to) the Kellogg-Briand Pact, the reality of armed conflict simmered away in the background.


It was a time when, in the midst of the shifting sands of history, there were those tho lived their lives within the numerous consulates, enclaves and administrative territories lying at the crossroads of fate.


Not all of them were human.


------------------------------


"Are you ready for your surprise, sir?" the rather corpulent man asked the newcomer. He man was wearing a somewhat less than well-fitting military dress uniform. Or rather, it was one which looked like it was tailored for an officer who might have been somewhat less out of place had he been in service - of you could call it that - fifty years ago.

Such anachronisms, petty vanities and licences taken seemed all too common in these enclaves, thought the newcomer in question. Since arriving in Hong Kong not all that long ago, his travels had led him to and from the various pocket colonies, extra-territorial enclaves and disputed ports and settlements scattered across East Asia - with the odd stop-off in Tokyo and Nanjing thrown in for good measure.

At almost every stop, he found himself figuratively shaking his head at the eclectic mix of optimists, cynics and opportunists who seemed to litter these places. He also noted the many innocent, well-meaning people, who had either grown up in these places or who had moved here with the promise of excitement, wealth, or perhaps even a chance to build cross-cultural relations.

They really had no idea, the newcomer thought to himself, though showing no outward sign of emotion.


Meanwhile, the 'colonel' was growing impatient. "I'll take that as a yes, then." Without waiting for an clarification, he made a summoning gesture to one of his associates, who opened a side door and stepped across to let a set of others enter.

The colonel smirked as he saw the others enter with their quarry. "My, my... I believe we have quite the offering this time!"

The newcomer looked to see her. She seemed relatively unharmed, for now, and was doing her best not to show any sense of fear to her captors.

But it was there. He could see it. It was in her eyes, for those who knew where to look.

But then, there weren't many who could sense it the way he could.

he was about to say something, before the colonel turned and sneered at him. "You see, young man, we have something of a routine in these enclaves. There are... needs we must fulfill, and ways in which we have to make sure that newcomers are properly adjusted to the idea."

He could hear the sound of more than one concealed firearm being armed.

"And of course," the colonel added, "we operate under the principle that it's that bit harder to undermine said routine when we make sure that those who run into it are either equally culpable, or... well... faced with another option."


The colonel was probably expecting some kind of tortured reaction - no doubt waiting to savour the awful choice that would dawn on the newcomer.

So, when the man remained silent, and turned his gaze to match the woman's, the colonel and his associates didn't think too much of the moments of silence which followed.

After all, what could one unarmed man do?


"If you can hear and understand me," a silent 'voice' carried over from one mind to another, "do not speak, or show a reaction. Speak to me through your mind, if you can."

She did not speak, or react outwardly, but he could tell how shocked she was.

And yet... "I hear you."

"Go on then," the colonel waved once more. "Send her over. Let our guest get a good look in, before he makes his decision."

The guard at her side pushed her forward, and she remained silent as she stepped carefully over to the newcomer. "What do you -"

"There are many questions to answer," came the reply, "but right now, I have only one... the one from which all others may flow.

Do you trust me?"

Of all of the questions to ask, this was one she was least prepared for. She had been taken from her home by those who had murdered her family, had felt the terror of what fate she might be subjected to by her leering captors, and now seemingly offered up to some unknown man on a platter as part of some terrible pact.

But as she looked into those bright blue eyes, she somehow felt a surging feeling in her spirit. Without stopping to wonder why, she knew her answer.

"I trust you."

With this reply, the newcomer nodded, showing the first reaction any of the others had noted since this particular 'offer' was made.

"Ah," the colonel asked, "so do we have an answer?"

"Indeed," came the vocal reply, sent just before another one, to only one.

"Then hold on."

She reached out to him.

As he moved in response, something... changed.

His eyes flashed a bright, rich blue.


The others had no idea what was about to hit them.


------------------------------


The colonel found himself flying through the air, his bulbous self smashing against the wall as he looked on. Paralysed, he was unable to even speak, as he saw the tide of judgement sweep upon his associates.

His mind could not fathom what was happening. The newcomer was gone, and in his place was a silver, blue and crimson wave of death. He could not even register if this or that guard or accomplice were cut down by some kind of weapons fire, shredded by a bladed weapon, or torn to shreds through sheer physical force.

But it was those eyes... those twin blue spheres which cut through into the very depths of his soul, exposing his crimes and failings like a professor dissecting an unwanted cadaver.

Blood and bile built up into his mouth, and he could feel himself choking to death, or rather the choking sensation attempting to outpace the drowning feeling in his lungs as they filled with his own fluids.

As his life finally slipped away, he found himself wondering what the... thing which had started all of this, and had gained purchase over his own soul long ago, would make of what had befallen them.


------------------------------


"This way", the voice asserted. The woman ran, her hand holding on tightly, keeping pace somehow with the one she had put her trust in.

Any guards or accomplices who were foolish or unfortunate enough to get in the way were left as shattered and broken ruins in their wake.

Soon, they approached a large stained-glass window, which reached from the floor to the ceiling. They could hear the alarm klaxon, no doubt from those still scrambling to react in the compound.

"Where do we go from here?" she 'asked' him, still wary of using her real voice.

"Step back for a moment," was his reply. As she did so, he knelt facing towards the window.

If the change she had seen earlier was incredible, this further shift was simply extraordinary. Her sense of the world around her was being re-written again and again.

"I'm sorry if I frighten you," he admitted, aloud, as the cocoon of light flexed and swayed over him.

It was only the second time she had heard him speak, the first since he began to change. But it did not matter if it was ten minutes or ten millennia. "I am not afraid, azukaru."

She had put her trust in him, and that was all that mattered.


------------------------------


The beast had been unleashed.

However, this had not been in accordance with its plan. It had sensed that something very serious was happening, and knew that it could not afford to maintain the usual pretense.

So, it burst free from its 'captivity' - in truth, a set of loosely-held chains intended only to maintain the illusion for those who would be obliged to bear witness to the latest round of sacrifice.

The human guards nearby, no longer of any relevance, were torn asunder and consumed, their blood and flesh invigorating the beast as it roared in defiance.

It leaped out into the clearing within the compound, and could smell the fear reeking from the humans cowering behind their weapons, huddled within their mechanised contraptions. He wondered how soon they would recognise their peril.


It would be sooner than even the Beast would realise.

Explosions ripped through the vehicles in the compound, gun emplacements ravaged by incoming... fire? The beast's heightened senses were better equipped than those of mere humans to keep track, but even this could not get around the fact that even it had never faced the like before.

"Whatever, or wherever, you are," the beast roared, "face me! Face your death!"

As if in reply, a beam of yellow and crimson energy lanced from the distance and bore deep into the side of the beast's torso. It screamed as the unearthly force cut through its aethyric form and smashed out of the other side, detonating the weapons magazine in an armoured vehicle and causing a ferocious detonation.


The beast held its arms across its chest, its claws pawing at the gashed rent, its breathing heavy as it tried to summon its prana reserves to heal itself enough for the fight.


"You are your kind are relics of the past, daemon."

The beast looked up, trying to focus its eyes.

It saw a being of some silver-like material, with a sheen that reflected like no known substance on the face of the Earth.

It was encased in a blue and crimson halo, with two impossibly deep, glowing eyes looking down towards the beast.

It held a human female carefully in one arm, and some kind of long-barrelled weapon in the other... or rather, an object which seemed to act as a physical extension of its very form.

"If I... am... a daemon..." the beast called out, defiantly, "what... does that.. make you?"

The azukaru raised its right arm to take aim once more.


As the energy built up for the second strike, it had but one answer.



"A herald... of the future."

Crystal Valley: Part 1


BGM: Rob Lane - The Call of Destiny/Titles


A young man walks along a well-beaten path, in the midst of a wide-ranging forest.

He carries a rare and powerful secret, hoping that the place at the end of his journey will help him make the most out of this hidden gift.

What he has yet to realise, however, is that the very steps he takes have been known to many since before he was even born, by those who call him by many names - ones he has not yet heard himself.

Indeed, his fate will become the stuff of immortal legend. Told and re-told, analysed and re-interpreted, long after his words and deeds fade from the page of history... his is a tale that shall never be forgotten.


The tale... of Merlin!



But things are set to take a dramatic turn, even in these early days, when his legend was still a fragile embryo.

Time and again, he finds himself facing monsters, sorcerers, dark warriors, mystics and others - all the while obliged to hide his own gift from a reactionary King who would have his own head cut off were he to know the truth.

But Merlin won't be alone. Alongside him are friends old and new, heroes of lore and aspirants of promise.

The fortune of Camelot depends on their efforts, their struggles... and perhaps even their sacrifice.



From a sword lying in the deep waters, a myriad of images rush past, glimpses of battles won and lost, challenges met and resolved, powers tamed and unleashed...

...and in the distance, emerging as a beacon of hope, lie the great walls of Camelot itself!


Thus, the stage for the greatest story of them all is shown.


------------------------------


"The story of Merlin!"

Bewley's Oriental Café has seen its fair share of characters in its day, being that it has been a fixture of Grafton Street since 1927.

So, when one English man tries to talk to a colleague at the same table about a topic of interest while making use of a wide variety of evocative hand gestures, it might nto make quite as much of a scene as you might think.

"Well?" 'Matthew' (the name he was going by at the moment, for whatever reason) asked, "Are you gonna say anything, or what?"

'Mark' (the name the colleague was going under, mainly because 'Matthew' suggested it, and he didn't feel like arguing over it) tapped away at the page he had in one hand with the tip of the pen he held in the other. "Oh, I'm just waiting to get to the part you wanted me to play in this little business of yours."

"Little?" Matthew gasped, in a bout of over-exaggeration. "This is gonna be a big deal!"

"It might be a big deal for you. If I sign up to whatever you have in mind, then it'll also be a big deal for me." Mark was trying not to enjoy this too much... but it wasn't working. "Until then, it's not so big a deal."

Matthew wanted to use some rather more intemperate language in response, but tried to remember why they were here in the first place. "So yeah. A couple of us have been running over the idea for a while now, and we're hoping that the BBC will let us get started production-wise in March."

"Okay..." Mark nodded, as he started to scribble something on the page before him.

"We'll need to get some actors - a young-ish set, you know, to make it all fresh and exciting and stuff." Matthew had a few names in mind already.

"How young?" Mark wondered.

"Well," Matthew conceded, "there'll be a few older characters, like Uther as king, but the likes of Merlin and Arthur will be young -"

"Wait, Arthur's gonna be the same age as Merlin?" His mind was still in Merlin-as-mentor mode.

"Yep!" Matthew sounded as if he had hit upon the unified field theory or something. "It's a shake-up - this time, Merlin will have to get the hang of his own potential, at the same time Arthur is kicking his heels waiting for Uther to kick the bucket."

Mark sounded kind of disappointed. "So no getting Sam Neill for the role, then?"

"No," Matthew sighed. "He's set to star in that new show about Henry VIII being made over here anyway. And besides, even if he were, say, Merlin's mentor or what have you, people would think we're trying to tie into the miniseries he did."

"Aw," Mark sighed a little. "I like Sam Neill."

"It's not a case of liking him or not -"

"I wonder what he'll be like in that new show, actually," Mark went on, taking a bit of a tangent. "Doesn't it have that guy from Bend it like Beckham in it as well? You know, whats-his-face, the lad in the Hugo Boss commercials."

"Look, will you -"

"He'd probably have to stack up on the pork pies and wear a red wig for the role..."

"Moving on!" Matthew shouted, a little louder than he might have liked. "So yeah, we're gonna set the story in Camelot, and have Uther still be king..."

"Is it gonna be sub-Roman, like in that Clive Owen movie?" Mark wondered.

"No, we'll have the standard medieval knights in shining armour deal," Matthew tried to clarify.

"Ah," Mark countered, "but then you'll have all of the different sets of purists going 'they didn't have that kind of thing back in the Dark Ages!' - and than another set going 'stop calling them the Dark Ages, they weren't that bad!' and a third going 'well, it wasn't a bloody picnic at the time, was it?' and..."

Matthew found himself clasping his head in his hands. "Come on, it's supposed to be a family TV show. We can do what we like with it!"

Mark found himself jumping onto this question. He tended to jump back and forth a lot. "What kind of family show?"

"You know," Matthew tried to make a you-know gesture with his hands... or, at least, what was intended to be such. "Family. Something that kids can sit and watch with their parents and grandparents."

"Oh, like Doctor Who!" Mark's eyes lit up at the name of the Holy Programme. He wasn't entirely thrilled with some of the creative decisions taken recently with that series, but still sub-consciously started tapping out the da-da-da-dum da-da-da-dum sound of drums...

Matthew's eyes rolled. "Do you even realise you're doing that whole Harold Saxon thing right now?"

"I don't know what you're talking about." Da-da-da-dum. Da-da-da-dum.

"This is giving me a headache." Matthew hoped that this scatter-shot mind could be of use when making the project work - but I tell you what, it's not half trying. "Yeah, it could be shown in the Doctor's timeslot when it's not on."

"Fair enough." Mark noted onto the sheet: Does not conflict with Doctor Who.

"So then..." Matthew hoped to try and get a solid answer this time. "Are you in?"

"Hmm." Mark remained silent for a moment, his eyes seemingly focussing on some empty portion of the page before him. "What about specials?"

Matthew wasn't quite expecting that. "Specials?"

"Yeah," Mark continued. "Like, the way you see short bits and bobs done for Children in Need or some such. Are you gonna get the chance to do one of those?"

"I... uh... guess?" Matthew hadn't thought of it.

Mark was scribbling again - this time, showing a rough sketch of a giant yellow bear with an eyepatch stomping over a castle. "Well, since you've got magic and stuff, maybe Pudsey could be threatening Camelot!"

"Yeah..." Matthew started to think. This lad might be on to something. "Well, Uther won't allow magic or monsters in the kingdom, so he'd have to have a way to not try to kill the Pudsey?"

"Are you sure?" Mark asked, as he found himself drawing over the stick figure Uther, who had been set to cut off poor Pudsey's head.

"Well, maybe they could send someone out to get humiliated, and placate the Pudsey." Matthew's fingers snapped. "Make it Merlin! He's liable to get a few potatoes thrown at him anyway."

"Potatoes wouldn't be in Camelot," Mark pointed out, as he kept scribbling. "They hadn't been found in the New World yet."

"Who's going to notice?" Matthew sighed. "Anyway, Merlin can be put in the stocks, and have fruit thrown at him. Money is raised, the King is happy, and Merlin looks like he had an accident in an organic food store."

"Hmm, I guess that might work too." Matthew had a look over at what Mark had drawn...

...a stick figure Merlin with a saddle on his back, going clack-clack with a set of coconuts Monty Python-style, with a stick-figure Arthur hopping around in front of him pretending to be riding a horse. There were even little sound effects drawn in, too.

And a note saying 'they could get the coconuts from Asia, through long-distance trade or something.'


"You're not just barking mad, mate," Matthew said bluntly. "You're completely out of your fucking mind."

"I aim to please," Mark parried.

Mark put the pen and paper down, and said "alright, count me in."

"Brilliant!" Matthew clapped his hands together. "So, come on, shall we?"

"I'm done, yeah." Mark hadn't had much to drink anyway.


As the two got up to leave, five people at a neighbouring table tried to maintain their composure. It wasn't quite working.

Matthew passed one of them, some young lad, who looked like he was about to say something. "Something on your mind, young man?"

The young man waved his hand. "Oh, no, I'm fine..."


------------------------------


The French-built light rail tram rolled along the tracks, one of the fleet which comprised the Luas system's Red Line. This line ran from all the way out in Tallaght, one of Dublin's suburbs. It would go along a path crossing the Liffey near Heuston Station (where intercity trains heading to places like Cork left from) and across the north side up to Connolly Station (the southern terminus of the Enterprise rail service from Dublin to Belfast).

For one particular set of passengers, however, it was taking them along to a stop along that northern shore of the Liffey.

"It's this one," Seonac pointed out. "Ard-Mhúsaem." On the Luas, and most of Ireland's modes of public transport, separate images were shown of the route in Irish and English. Ard-Mhúsaem - Museum - stopped off in front of Collins Barracks, once the site of a major British garrison in Ireland, and after independence served as a barracks for the Irish Defence Forces until 1997. Most recently, it had been re-furbished as one of the four sites of the National Museum of Ireland... but as a recent addition would show, the legacy of the site would not be forgotten.

"So, how much Irish can you actually speak, then?" Shirou wondered. While he noted the funny-looking script everywhere, he didn't hear a lot of it. But then, he wasn't too sure what to listen for, anyway.

Seonac shrugged. "Well, I can tell you how to pronounce certain things, more or less, but that's about all I'm good for."

He wondered what the Lancer Shirou had met - or the one that had apparently been in action during the 4th Grail War, for that matter - would have made of it all. But then, Irish as a language had been imported itself, replacing whatever tongue the original inhabitants of the island had spoken three or four thousand years ago.

The tram came to a stop, letting one or two people on, but mostly letting others off. Seonac, Sakura, Saber, Shirou and Rin stepped out onto the platform, and took a moment to look around.

"It's a nice view from here," Rin noted. "How come you didn't bring us here last time?"

"To be honest," Seonac answered, as he turned to look up at the facade of the Barracks, "the main collection they put in here wasn't something that I was all that excited about."

"What changed your mind?" Saber wondered, turning to the structure awaiting them.

With that, Seonac pulled out a flyer he had with him, and shows it to them. "This."


------------------------------



"For in far foreign fields from Dunkirk to Belgrade, lie the soldiers and chiefs of the Irish Brigade."

- Thomas Davis


The latest addition at the time to Collins Barracks, the largest display project ever undertaken by the National Museum of Ireland had been recently opened to the public; Soldiers and Chiefs: The Irish at War at Home an Abroad from 1550.

As one walks through this exhibit, one is taken back and forth through history, through the rough and the smooth of life as it was for so many Irish people. Be it in one of the many conflicts and troubles to take shape on the island itself, or in the garrisons and battlefields of those who went all over the world.

While all of the exhibit is indoors, there is a very different feel to it depending on which part of it one stands within. From the opening section detailing the British presence in Ireland during the 19th century, through to the era of conflict which broke out in the trenches of Europe in 1914 and ended in the countryside of rural Ireland in 1923, the rooms are smaller, more reliant on artificial light.

One could almost imagine it as going through a tunnel, a long series of chapters in the storied history of Ireland.

But then...

Seonac held the door open as the others stepped through, leaving the last of the sections enclosed in this smaller type of space.

Now, they opened up into a more open, more naturally-lit area. Large glass windows let the sunlight flood in, giving a very different feel to the latter exhibits.

For it was here, the home of the last three sections of the exhibition, which were set in the time of the modern Irish State.

Steps led down to the exhibits proper - which, in keeping with the official policy of the Irish government, now had Irish above English for its descriptive entries - but none of the five were in a rush to head down just yet.

"Interesting..." Saber's eyes lit up as she looked to the two items held from cabled running up to the ceiling, hovering over the main area of the gallery proper.

"Which one do you like better, Saber-san?" Sakura asked, as she stepped over to the balcony beside her.

Immediately, Saber pointed to the more distant craft. "That one!"

That one was a de Havilland Vampire T55. Used for a time as a training aircraft by the Irish Air Corps, the sleek silver craft hung proudly above a section where two armoured vehicles which had been used at different times on UN peacekeeping operations.

Although, for some reason, it almost looked like one of the green-white-orange roundel on the bottom of one of the wings seemed like it was slowly peeling off..

In comparison, the propeller-driven Miles Magister seemed somewhat more modest, but was no less important a factor in the IAC's heritage.

"Just so you know," Seonac said over to Saber, jokingly, "while you'd probably be able to jump over on to that thing, it might not be wise to try and see if you can fly it!"

She turned to him and showed a very telling smile. "Be careful what kind of suggestions you make, Seonac."


------------------------------


While Saber had perhaps appreciated the military exhibit the most - though Shirou couldn't help but picture what it might be like to Trace some of the various swords on display - the next place the quntet tried out was far more up Rin's alley.

The Chester Beatty Library, snuggled in a building set in the gardens to the side of Dublin Castle, was Seonac's favourite place to go in Dublin, and Rin had taken a major shine to it when she had seen in in her first trip to Dublin back in 2006.

Its permanent exhibits were on two floors, one above the other. Each echoed the layout of the other, with a section detailing European works to the left, South and East Asian items to the right, and the arts of the Islamic world in the centre.

Magnificent examples of the Qu'ran rest near to wall-mounted mandalas from India and Tibet, while samples of Persian, Mughal, Ottoman and other calligraphy rest near to jade carvings dating form the Qing Dynasty.

On the roof sat a peaceful rock garden, where one could try to find a moment of peace, or maybe look out onto the grounds of what had once been the Royal residence in Ireland.

Also, various temporary exhibits were set up in a separate section, where items from around the world would be displayed.

Not least of which was the Codex Leicester, shown from 13 June to 12 August 2007... penned by the hand of no less a man than Leonardo da Vinci himself.

For those able to visit this place, and the museum at Collins Barracks for that matter, it was a true delight to be able to see these wonders for free... though donations were always welcome, of course.


"Look at that..." Rin had a hand carefully placed on the glass between herself and the exhibit she was poring over.

The others wondered what was so fascinating about lumps of lapis lazuli and other such minerals, when all sorts of other works surrounded them. "What is it you like about this section, nee-san?" Sakura asked, curiously.

"Well, Sakura," Rin replied, though not shifting her gaze one millimetre, "while I like seeing some of the items here - not least when it comes to trying to sense any kind of aura from them - none of them would be possible without the kind of building blocks you see here."

"These rare materials have a power of their own. They lie there, waiting to be shaped and moulded, to be given form and expression - yet speak to me even now, as they are." Mineralogy was something that came easily to her, and even items she wouldn't try and spend time each day charging held a certain fascination for her.

Sakura might have shared much heritage-wise with her older sister, but this was not a part of that. Even so, hearing how she spoke of it was an inspiration in and of itself. "When I look at one of the finished works here, I will bear your words in mind, nee-san."


"Come on then," Shirou added, "weve still got more to see!"


------------------------------


Later on, after their tour took them from the CBL to the cobbled streets of Temple Bar, and down past Westmoreland Street and across the bridge, the five found themselves standing in front of a certain monument at the southern end of arguably the most famous thoroughfare in the country.

The legacy of the Liberator lived on every day in the heart of Dublin. Here on Ó'Connell Street, which had been at the forefront of Irish history on more than one occasion, facing towards Ó'Connell Bridge leading over to the southside, stood a statue of Daniel Ó'Connell... who might have been surprised at the tall, thin metal structure rising from the ground behind him.

"That thing is crooked, you know," Rin pointed out, referring to the Spire of Dublin - the metal monument which now stood at the site of what had once been Nelson's Pillar. When one stands at its base and looks up, it looks to be swaying slightly to one side, though it's not noticeable when one stands further away.

"To be honest, the most crooked thing about that spire is that you can't go up it." When Nelson's Pillar had been there, one could go up and look over the city from a raised position. Nowadays, a smokestack at Smithfield has been converted into a viewing platform, but it wasn't the same.

"So, will we go and see the Spire more closely now, itoshii?" Sakura asked. There were other sites one could see nearby, too - not least the prominent General Post Office. Although, Seonac couldn't remember if the Cú Chulainn statue usually found there had been sent on loan to Belfast or not.

He couldn't help but wonder what the others would think of that.


But there was another matter to settle, before they continued.

This was the last day of normality that the five would go through before the final preparations were made. After this, none of them know how long it would be, if ever, that they could spend time like this again.

"There's something I'd like to do first, if it's okay," he responded.

The four agreed, and Seonac took Sakura's hand, standing with her beneath the statue's silent gaze.

"Sakura," he began, "as far as my family is concerned, the Liberator is one of our own - and even if he was not a blood relative, his example is one which generations of Ó'Conaills have followed... and still do."

"I believe he would be proud of you, itoshii," Sakura assured him.

"I hope so," Seonac answered, "and if there's any part of him out there, I hope he doesn't mind my choosing this place to do the following:"

Taking a small box out of his pocket, he knelt before Sakura and bowed his head. "Even in the days of dowries and match-makers, my family never agreed to such means of forming a lasting union. We take pride on never settling for anything less than the truest, most heartfelt reasons, when it comes to passing on this."

He held the box before her, and she gasped as she saw the intricately-carved emerald ring resting within. She could almost feel the provenance within, the generations' worth of feelings that had been imbued within.

"This ring has been in my family for a long time. Indeed, rumour has it that Daniel himself once held it, and passed it on with his goodwill." He looked up, and met her eyes, knowing that whatever her answer, these were the words he wanted to say.

"And so, I offer this to you, Sakura, because I love you, and I want to be with you for the rest of our days... and to entrust you with passing it on when the time comes."

"Itoshii..." Sakura was welling up, waiting to burst into joy at any moment.

She would not have to wait long. "Sakura... will you marry me?"

"Yes!" she affirmed at once, jumping over to hold him, in front of the eminently pleased trio watching this special moment - and the odd 'ye-hoo' and 'go on ya good thing!' from passers-by taking the chance to join in.


After Sakura carefully slid the ring onto her finger, Seonac turned and winked at Shirou. "So, my good man, do you have any plans I should be privy to?"


Shirou's cheeks turned as red as his hair, and they all burst out laughing.

Eternal Game of Torment/Golden Banquet of Endless Death

1) Hiraga Saito - Guardian Of Void
From: Zero no Tsukaima
Class: Saber
NP: Gwndlfr/Warlock of All Weapons (A+* Passive/Enhancement)

2) Zabrac - Destructive Blade
From: Shakugan no Shana
Class: Assassin
NP: Rose Madder Flames of Havoc/Cloak of Unlimited Blades
(B* Active/Protective/Anti-Army)

3) Beatrice - The Golden Witch/ The Immortal Witch
From: Umineko no Naku koro ni
Class: Caster
NP: Epitaph of the Golden Land/Twisted Game of Endless Death
(A++~S~EX* Reality Marble)

4) Enma Ai - Girk from Hell/ The Hell Girl
From: Jigoku Shoujo
Class: Rider
NP: Infernal Ferry of Vengeance (A* Active/Mount/Anti-Fortress)


5) WitchBlade - Vessel of Destruction
From: Witchblade
Class: Berserker
NP: Berserker Blade/Witch Madness
(B-* Active/Enhancement)

6) Selvaria - Azhure Witch
From: Valkyria Chronicles
Class: Lancer
NP: Lance of Legends/Valkyrur Spear/The Spear that Annihilate Evil
(B+* Active/Weaponry/Anti-Unit/Anti-Fortress/Anti-World )

7) Yuki Nagato - Data Though Entity
From: The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya
Class: Archer
NP: Data Hack/Manipulation of Surrounding Data
(A++* Reality Marble)