Shirou woke up with a start.
A groan escaped his lips. His sleep was filled with restless imagery and sensations, like a very vivid nightmare. Even the memory of what he dreamed last night is still fresh from his mind.
He can still smell the blood and ash.
The taste of copper in his mouth.
And the constant screams echoing in the battlefield.
All the while, towering or dark silhouettes of various entities stalked the unknown battlefield.
Not to mention, those girls…
Shirou slapped his palms to his face, waking himself up fully and to pull himself out of the memory. He still had a full day to go to school. Not to mention, he still needs to feed the tiger in his home.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"You should take it easy, Senpai." Sakura said as he stir fried some vegetables for breakfast. The girl is still worried about my condition since yesterday she found me bruised and dead to my feet after Saber's training session.
He was lucky he didn't mention the concussion he got yesterday morning.
"Don't worry, Sakura. I feel fine and fresh today." Shirou assured her.
To be honest, his body felt light and refreshed from yesterday's beating. All injuries he accrued were gone and his body no longer ached like withered wood. He's curious as to why of course but he won't bother questioning it.
"Better be-ah!" Shirou turned at her as she yelped in pain from her place in the kitchen, cradling a bruised arm. It was dark purple and clearly hadn't been taken care of for a long time.
"Sakura." He immediately went to her side to cradle the limb while opening the cupboards to get the medkit hidden in case of minor mishaps in cooking. He certainly did a lot in his early days of learning how to cook that it became a permanent fixture.
"It's fine, senpai." Sakura tried to placate him but the boy is far too stubborn to ignore the injury.
"Hold still."
Silence fell on both of them as Shirou treated the girl. Shirou's full attention was on the injured limb, not noticing the girl's growing embarrassment and hidden joy. It's a rare treat for Shirou to be this close to Sakura except when cooking together. Her heart is leaping up and down in embarrassment and happiness.
But it won't last forever.
"Who did this? I didn't see this yesterday under your uniform." Shirou asked, now remembering he did in fact not see this injury yesterday as the girl was wearing her long sleeved uniform, hiding the injury beneath. Now that he began recounting the events yesterday, he did notice her constantly pulling her sleeve over her arm more than once throughout yesterday.
It meant she already had it since she came yesterday.
Was he that distracted by the ongoing hidden war that he didn't notice?
"It was an accident, Senpai." Sakura said with a small voice.
She's lying.
Having known her for a long time, Shirou had learned Sakura's quirks and tells by now. She tends to use her quiet voice when she's lying.
But he didn't have it in him to force her to answer.
"Just be careful…alright?"
"I will."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Breakfast followed soon after that incident. Taiga stumbled into the room, disheveled and very much hungry. Looks like she didn't get much sleep last night. Saber followed her from the guest room, dressed in one of her new clothes. A pair of white shirts that are fighting for its life to contain the woman's chest and tight jeans that hugged her curves and long legs. Her once long free hair is now tied in a neat long ponytail.m trailing behind her.
Compared to yesterday's breakfast, today was uneventful. The whole thing came to an end without any issue or shenanigans from Taiga, the woman being too sleepy to be a menace. It also helps that Saber kept the other woman in check.
They then left the house together, with Taiga leaving earlier as the teacher. This left Sakura and Shirou to go together as Saber bid them farewell and see you soon. Shirou felt bad about leaving the servant but Saber assured him it's fine. Servants don't attack in broad daylight so he had nothing to be afraid of. She would instead watch over the house while they're out. As thanks, Shirou made sure she had lunch to eat.
Their journey was silent, simply basking under the sun and each other's presence. A simple sense of normalcy for Shirou through all the things happening in his life.
He hoped he could preserve this by the end of it.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The first thing he noticed something was wrong was the sense or smell of wrongness emanating from the school. The moment he stepped a single foot forward into the school grounds, he was assaulted by the smell of decay and blood.
As if he had entered into a butcher's house.
He almost recoiled in disgust if not for Sakura right beside him. Not to mention, all the other students simply went on their day without noticing the smell.
This meant the smell was a product of the supernatural.
Magic was at work.
He has to get the bottom of this. If this is an attack on him, he has to stop them. There are too many students and teachers that would be caught in the crossfire if they did. But if it's not, he would still confront whoever created this sense of wrongness in his own school.
Whoever they are, they better explain themselves.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"So what happened that day, Emiya?"
"About what, Issei?" Shirou looked up from his work, a broken AC from the faculty room.
"You know what I meant! You and Tohsaka!" His bespectacled friend yelled, throwing his arms up in exclamation.
"Oh that? Nothing really." Shirou decided not to open that can of worms.
Rin was… a sensitive topic for now.
"What you mean nothing? I literally saw you getting dragged by that witch of all people and then you suddenly went absent and so she is too! That sounds kinda suspicious to me, Emiya!"
Shirou blinked at the information. So Rin didn't come to school like him yesterday, probably still absorbing what she learned that day from that creepy priest.
Kotomine Kirei… he was a very strange man.
"Really?" Issei sighs at his clueless expression.
Shirou can only give him an easy smile. Issei's concern was appreciated but he would prefer the monk-in-training to never get involved in his affairs, especially in these dangerous times. If what he said was true, the likelihood of meeting Tohsaka again in less than pleasant circumstances is high. He doesn't want any bystanders to get caught up in battle between magi.
Especially against a magi of Rin's caliber.
If she was the second owner of Fuyuki as Kirei explained back in the Church, then she's magecraft expertise is far beyond what he could do.
His chance against her is pretty dim.
"No need to worry about me, Issei. I know what I'm doing." He told the exasperated friend.
"Well, it's your choice. I know you're not that irresponsible but you're still a boneheaded meathead so you better be careful around that witch."
"You didn't have to say it like that." Shirou deadpanned at the guy.
"I know you, Emiya. So don't try to deny it." Issei poked his head.
"Okay, okay, okay."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"By the way, Emiya. Did you know that Souichiro sensei is getting married?"
"Really?"
"Yeah and guess what? He got a foreigner as his fiancee. Real strange woman, I tell you."
"How strange?"
"Don't know. I just get these same feelings when I'm around Tohsaka."
"Oh."
"Yeah. I would be busy for the next few weeks practicing wedding rituals and such with that woman in Japanese weddings, foreigners remember. So mind helping me out in the office the next few days?"
"I don't mind unless something comes up."
"Thanks Emiya."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The day ended soon enough but not before Shirou made an important stop.
"Emiya? You're gonna practice here?!" Ayako Mitsuzuri exclaimed in surprise to Shirou in uniform, Kyūdō-gi and hakama, and a Yumi (Kyūdō bow).
"Ah…Mitsuzuri." Shirou sheepishly scratched his cheek, a little embarrassed at his actions.
"Don't you Mitsuzuri me!" Ayako demanded answers.
He quitted the archery club a long time ago after the nationals and his shoulder injury. Many of the members were of course disappointed and begged for him to stay but his decision was final.
"I…would it be wrong if I use the place to practice again?"
Ayako blinked at the question.
"Actually no, you're an old member and a good shot but enough that! When did you decide to practice again and what gives?!" Ayako shouted, jabbing her finger at his chest as she pointed at her.
"Ahahaha…I just made…some good friends that told me otherwise." Shirou nervously said.
Cue FLASHBACK!
(Chibi Och Rolls Across The Screen)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
(This is a flashback)
A loud thud echoed in the Emiya Dojo
"OW!" Shirou yelped as Saber struck the back of his head.
"What was that for, Saber?" He asked with teary eyes. It really hurt.
"That is for being stupid." Saber huffed.
"What?"
"Do I need to repeat myself?" Saber chided him, "I struck you because of your stupidity over quitting Archery, something you clearly have talent for."
"But I already perfected my skill in Archery." Shirou didn't whine.
"I don't want to sound arrogant but I already have a 100% accuracy rate, I simply can improve by then." He reasoned.
That earned him another smack to the head.
"That's not a valid reason!" Saber huffed at the teen rubbing his new bump.
"Tell me Shirou, why did you take up Archery?" She asked.
"Why I did?"
Shirou pondered. Initially, he simply took up the sport for Kiritsugu's ideals. He thought he had to start on something simple, such as Kyūdō. He practiced and practiced since then. He was clumsy and uncoordinated at first but he slowly grasped the sport. By then, it became a meditative exercise for him.
It was all about discipline.
"Now you remember? Then take up your bow and don't let it go again if you want to fight to protect what's yours. A skill is a skill and like a knife, it must always be sharpened unless it becomes a full knife."
"...thanks, Saber."
"It's a pleasure but the sun isn't down yet. I still need to drill you to the bone."
"...five more minutes?"
"No."
(Flashback over)
(Cue to chibi Och rolling across the screen)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Yeah, Saber beat the shit outa him for being stupid.
"Well whatever your reason is, you're always welcome back to the club." Ayako smiled.
"But I'm not joining back. Just use the facilities to practice." Shirou decided to burst her bubble. The Emiya compound may be big but it has no actual archery field or equipment.
"Shame." Ayako frowned before getting an idea.
"But I think I can make an arrangement. We got a few juniors joining and you're just the right person."
Shirou had a bad feeling about this.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
That afternoon, he was forced to play along Ayako's plan to be allowed on the Archery field. For the entire afternoon, he was introduced to his juniors and forced (by Ayako) to teach each one of them how to hit the target dead center.
The results are varied.
But hey, there's Sakura.
"Senpai, aren't you tired." She asked as he fired another shot, hitting the target dead center along with more than ten arrows on it.
"Not really, I feel nostalgic even." He admits. Holding and firing his bow again felt relaxing even.
"Of course." Sakura smiled. She felt the same. Her presence in the Archery club is more on her desire to be close to Shirou. When the teen dropped out, she didn't have the heart to drop out due to responsibilities in the club and Ayako's feelings.
She's a good friend to her too.
It was a relaxing and quiet afternoon, disturbed only by the rhythmic thud of arrows hitting the targets.
Well except for one.
"So Emiya finally came back begging to the club? It's only natural when it starts to get better because of me." Shinji Matou, Sakura's brother, broke that silence with his arrogant tone as he entered the vicinity.
He too is wearing an Archery uniform, signifying his membership.
"Since you quit, I picked up your slack and look at the club now." Shinji snidely comments.
Shirou remained silent, waiting for him to get on with it as he continued to strike his targets.
Shinji of course interpreted his silence as arrogance.
"Oi, just because you returned doesn't mean we will accept you back, Emiya." He sneered. Sakura frowned, she wouldn't mind Senpai coming back at all.
"I'm not coming, Shinji. Just practicing." Shirou grunted.
"Oh really? Because the way I see it, you're already stealing my spot as vice-captain." Shirou has no recollection of doing his accusation.
But before he can respond, Ayako saves him the effort.
"Quit it, Shinji. Emiya's just visiting and he's always welcome to the club." Ayako came in with a frown.
"Now that you're here, get back to drilling the first years." She ordered him. Shinji complied but not without giving Shirou a glare before leaving.
"Sorry about him, his ego got too big for his head since you quit." Ayako apologized to Shinji as soon as he was out of sight.
"Don't. Blame it on me for quitting." Shirou replied.
He really blundered in quitting just because his aim had become perfect.
How naive of him.
As he continued to fire his shots, the moon stirred until the dusts were blown away. Beneath the dust, countless bows lay across the moon.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Stupid Emiya, he really thinks he can waltz back in after quitting on us." Shinji gritted his teeth as the day ended. For today, he decided to stay late in school for some less than ideal circumstances.
"Also him and Tohsaka! Are they teaming up for the war?! That insufferable bitch actually chose Emiya instead of me to team up in this war!" Shinji screamed, grabbing a bicker in the lab and throwing it in the wall.
A woman with lavender pink hair looks up at him from her work. Her eyes were covered in a blindfold. She is a beautiful creature, dressed in a small fitting dress that fails to hide her tantalizing figure.
"Rider! Is the bounded field ready?"
"Not yet. It still needs more anchors for me to encompass the entire school."
"Then get to it, bitch! That bitch Tohsaka was snooping around and destroying your anchors the whole day. Undo her work immediately." Her false master demanded of her.
Rider heavily dislikes her false master but for the sake of that poor girl, she would comply.
For now.
~~~~~~~~~~~
Author's notes
Damn, this chapter got too long with all the setup and some insights to the story.
Next time:
Shirou meets a worm and A fated meeting