When Rin came stomping through the school yard all red-faced, I realised that the staff, whoever was responsible for bringing her my message, had quite possibly not delivered it in secret, and that... everyone ended up hearing what was meant only for her.
Now, it was just a question of which of the three explanations I gave to the adorable stuttering mess of the teacher actually got through. I'd certainly been... creative. At the same time, I wasn't sure the small woman even understood the words that came out of my mouth.
Oh well. Rin would be more than happy to tell me the truth herself.
"Hey~" I waved my hand shamelessly.
"You told them my uncle was in the hospital. I don't even have an uncle." She made a strange expression, hands on her hips, head tilted. "Unless you mean Kirei, in which case, I'm happy he's suffering."
Huh.
She knew Kirei Kotomine too. That was interesting. Almost everyone interesting I'd come across in this city knew that unnerving priest at some level. Aside from the servants, although the reason for that wasn't exactly difficult to figure out.
"That's a lot better than the other two. So, why were you even worked up?"
She ignored my question entirely. "What... other two?"
"I told one teacher you needed to take responsibility for what you did in the alleyway yesterday."
"I-I... didn't do anything."
"I told the other one your father died... but then she told me she knew. I may or may not have laughed and told her I caught an STD from you."
Rin Tohsaka, my 'teacher', was not at all amused by my totally awesome prank if her dry face was anything to go by. I got the distinct feeling that Archer enjoyed it though, so that was good enough for now. She groaned, and rubbed her temple with a hand.
"So? Out with it. What was so important that you had to mess up my perfectly curated image?"
Perfectly curated what now?
I turned to the one guy I trusted to lend me a hand, "Archer, what happened?"
He stood by the gate already, arms crossed and eyes closed.
"Some classmate of hers... I might even call them friends if I didn't know my Master, saw you from the windows. She saw you last time too. Ayako, I think." Archer met my expectations fully, snitching on his Master with a smirk on his face, "She was... let's say... rather vocal with it. Now everyone thinks-"
Rin interrupted him hurriedly, "Archer, not another word! I'll use a command seal!"
"I feel that would damn yourself rather than me but whatever, I suppose."
"What do you want?"
"...I'll just show you."
I put a hand on Rin's shoulder, the other in my pocket.
"Hold tight now."
"What are you-..."
One moment, she was questioning me. The next, she was desperately clutching my arm with both of her hands as her legs flailed about helplessly. The winds were chill and relentless this far up. Her question died in her throat, followed by a surprised squeal when she realised we were stood a hundred meters in the air. The city stretched below. A sight I'd become used to in the past week.
Rin? Not so much.
"L-Let me down!"
"Are you sure?" I raised a brow. "I don't think you have a spell for... this."
She looked down. Her face drained and her grip on my arm tightened till her knuckles were white.
"O...On second thought, don't let me down at all. But, how?"
"I think you know. You just don't want to accept it."
She quieted down, looking as though she had fallen into deep contemplation. Unfortunately, I didn't really have the time to let her draw her conclusions. Enough time had been wasted waiting for her to come out of school.
The world bent. We now stood in the battle-scarred courtyard where I'd faced the newly summoned Saber. In my excitement, I'd unwittingly missed clues I never should have. The consequence wasn't one that weighed particularly heavy at the moment... but would if we waited any longer.
Rin seemed to collect herself immediately. I half-expected her to attack me. She did not. Instead, she looked around with a certain familiarity in her eyes. She knew him too, I realised. They lived in the same district, and went to the same school. Of course, she knew him.
"Isn't this...?"
I looked at the blood-soaked grass with pursed lips.
"What happened here?"
"I fought Saber."
"You?" She stared at me, disbelief colouring her eyes. Then, acceptance and defeat. It was evident she wanted to say more.
I glanced at the paper-thin shoji doors. They were aesthetic, I admitted, but a wandering child could tear through those. And, considering I saw a shadow move to open the door, I really had to wonder if they even deserved to be called doors.
When she slid one aside, Saber gave me a hard stare, but ultimately stepped aside to reveal the youth I'd injured lying on a futon, struggling to breathe. My heart sank again. I could smell the blood, see it staining the mattress. The bleeding had lessened... but the injury was still fatal.
"I..."
Rin's breath caught. "That's... Emiya!"
The mortified look she gave me made me wince. I stepped back.
When I blinked, she had already rushed up the slight stairs and into the room to kneel near the kid. She grabbed his hand, then pressed the side of her head to his chest to check for a heartbeat before biting her lower lip.
"This was you?"
I made to get closer but Saber stepped between us.
"It was an accident. I thought... it doesn't matter. Can you help him?"
-
Before I knew it, the wind had picked up, grown chilly enough that I felt it drag across my skin. The blue skies overhead were gone, painted a depressing grey by clouds that rolled in from the mountains. I could taste the rain on my dry lips.
It reminded me of home.
Home was slightly depressing if I stopped to think for a moment. That was why I avoided it, and pushed the thought out of my mind right the next second. But, I needed... to down my enthusiasm, I accepted that much at least.
Shirou Emiya would survive.
I let out a relieved sigh.
But, I needed to avoid there being a second or a third Shirou. Next time, maybe it wouldn't be so. Wantonly harming those that didn't deserve it just wasn't me. I'd thought he was a full-fledged magus. My excitement had made me ignore the clues to the contrary.
I'd be a tad more apprehensive next time.
However, I refused to change my opinion on actual magi.
They deserved everything that happened to them and then some.
A bit of apprehension, however, was a compromise I had to make lest I become the same as them. Because, they too, were those who cared for nothing at all other than their goal. I did not want to be the same as them, even though I was a genuine magus myself, given only to my own whims and obsessions.
I chuckled at my thoughts, and shook my head.
Philosophy and 'righteousness' was too difficult. I'd live how I wanted to. That was my promise to myself as William and Henry. And, what I wanted right now, was to not become the sort of person who derived pleasure from harming people who didn't have it coming.
That was it.
Tender footsteps drew me from my thoughts. I blinked, and then suddenly Rin was sitting on the stairs beside me, the Emiya Residence behind us.
"So, you're him." She said calmly.
I kept my gaze on the grass. "Yep. Henry Smith, the most recent Sealing Designation, pleased to meet you."
"When were you going to tell me?"
"I mean," I couldn't help but chuckle, "I never really hid it? That little bit is all you~"
Instead of growing flustered or knocking me over the head like I expected her too, Rin sighed, "That's fair. It really was in my face. I just thought that someone with a Sealing Designation would never-"
"Haha, I thought it'd be funny. It was hilarious." I cackled.
"You should've told me directly."
I turned to her, noting her somber demeanour, "Would we be sitting here if I did?"
"I..." That seemed to give her pause. Then, her shoulders sank, "You're right. So, I'll ask you this, why do what you did?"
"To protect my family, of course. Otherwise, it'd be to my advantage to let them wage their little shadow war against me."
Her lost expression was a bit funny.
Her distinct lack of readiness for my presence as someone designated for sealing was raised a few questions in my head. Something stank back home in London, and I could smell it from here. It was time to call the professor again.
Rin... was still quiet.
"What? Don't believe me?"
"Somehow..." A faint smile broke onto her lips, "I do. Besides, I don't think you're smart enough to actually fool me with this kind of thing!"
"Yes, because I definitely didn't fool you with my identity... Wait, I didn't! You fooled yourself~!"
I laughed, clutching my stomach.
Rin flushed, "S-Shut up! I don't believe you anymore!"
A good minute later, I wiped a tear from my eye. Rin had shrunk away during that time, embarrassedly fiddling with a lock of hair.
"What about Shirou?"
Her gaze softened as if to tell me she saw something on my face that continued to elude me even now.
"He'll be fine. But, what will you do now? Go home?"
I inhaled deeply. "You can, if you want to. I'll stay till he's really a hundred percent."
"Fine then. Maybe ask Emiya why I believe you're not a bad person."
How the hell would that ginger possibly figure out something someone as great as I couldn't?
-
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You can find 7 chapters ahead at patre0n.com/Bleap
Despite my best attempts, my illness has prevented me from taking this to 10.